Another year gone by, another selection of top-rated stories… controversy as the mathematical constant pi comes under threat from a group of detractors marking “Tau Day;” pop-quiz: what is mobile high-definition link (MHL) technology?; celebrating Fibonacci Day; a truly once-in-a-lifetime event — an e-pi-c day — on 3.14.15 at 9:26:53; the date/time corresponds to the first 10 digits of pi; and On-the-Go! fascinating facts about USB OTG — these are the exclusive stories that you, our readers, visited the most.
On-the-Go! Fascinating Facts about USB OTG
No, as much as it might be needed, this column doesn’t address how to deal with the numerous frenetic projects that we are tasked with handling every day. On-the-Go is an extension to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, more commonly seen as USB OTG. We’ll forgo trying to determine who came up with a name like this and, instead, take a look at some of the fascinating things it allows us to do.
Once-in-a-Century: Celebrating 10 Digits of Pi on 3.14.15 at 9:26:53
An e-pi-c day is coming! On 3.14.15 at 9:26:53; the date/time will correspond to the first 10 digits of the mathematical constant pi (3.141592653). This happens only once per century — a truly once-in-a-lifetime event for most people.
Celebrating Fibonacci Day 2015
Have you ever pulled petals off of a daisy? If you looked closely at the center, you would have seen that it is not solid, but made up of sets of spirals radiating out from the center. And it’s not just daisies. If you look at the bottom of a pinecone, it has the same kinds of spirals. To understand the spirals in pinecones, daisies, pineapples, and many other things in nature, we can look to Leonardo Pisano, better known as Fibonacci.
Understanding Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) Technology
Okay, for today’s pop-quiz, what is Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) technology and what can it do? Is it a new NASA deep space communication protocol? Is it an upgrade to Google’s street cams? Have you even heard of it? It turns out that many of you are equipped with devices that incorporate this technology. Specifically, many, though not all, of the current crop of smart phones and tablets support MHL.
Are you a Tau-ist? Pi Day is Under Attack
As June 28, 2015, approaches, the Internet is once again anticipating controversy as the mathematical constant pi comes under threat from a group of detractors who will be marking “Tau Day.” Tau Day’s revelers are campaigning for a constant twice as large as pi (about 6.28) to take its place, hence the June 28 celebration. Tau proponents say that, for many mathematical problems, tau makes more sense and makes calculations easier.
Read more
- Top 5 of 2015: This Year’s Favorite Images
- Top 5 of 2015: The Year’s Most Popular News Stories
