{"@attributes":{"version":"2.0"},"channel":{"title":"Knight of the Woeful Countenance","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/","description":"Knight of the Woeful Countenance - LiveJournal.com","lastBuildDate":"Sun, 22 Apr 2018 01:38:07 GMT","generator":"LiveJournal \/ LiveJournal.com","copyright":"NOINDEX","image":{"url":"https:\/\/l-userpic.livejournal.com\/106653437\/459015","title":"Knight of the Woeful Countenance","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/","width":"83","height":"99"},"item":[{"guid":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448972.html","pubDate":"Sun, 22 Apr 2018 01:38:07 GMT","title":"test","author":"shogunhb","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448972.html","description":"test","comments":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448972.html?view=comments#comments"},{"guid":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448584.html","pubDate":"Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:29:15 GMT","title":"Ask\/Tell Me Anything; Screened Edition: Oct 2016","author":"shogunhb","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448584.html","description":"Linked from Facebook because this supports anonymous and sceened replies.","comments":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/448584.html?view=comments#comments","category":"ama"},{"guid":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/447778.html","pubDate":"Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:20:08 GMT","title":"Thoughts on the filibuster","author":"shogunhb","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/447778.html","description":"On the surface, a filibuster seems like heavy-handed obstructionism.&nbsp; On the other, we just saw it used to excellent effect last night to block an anti-abortion bill in Texas, despite numerous and repeated shenanigans.&nbsp; Many of my dear friends see this as an exception to an otherwise cumbersome and deplorable tactic.<br \/><br \/>However.&nbsp;&nbsp; The filibuster is actually an excellent mechanism of regulation on a legislative body.&nbsp;&nbsp; In general, a simple majority is needed to pass legislation, while a 2\/3 majority is required to stop a filibuster.&nbsp; And a filibuster is really only useful at the end of a Senate session.&nbsp; If time is running out on a bill that only needs a simple majority to pass, we&#39;re likely talking about a highly contested issue which has come down to the wire.&nbsp; Something that contested should maybe not be pushed through with a simple majority?&nbsp; Just a thought.<br \/><br \/>The filibuster really is in keeping with our whole system of checks and balances.&nbsp; Think about it.&nbsp; The president (or governer) can&#39;t make laws, but they can veto them.&nbsp; The Supreme Court (and lesser courts up to that point) can&#39;t make laws, but can rule them unconstitutional.&nbsp; The legislature can overcome a veto with a 2\/3 majority, but the SCOTUS is an even higher bar.<br \/><br \/>We have one branch that makes laws and two branches that kills them.&nbsp; The filibuster is one way to abort a law before it even starts.&nbsp; To me, that seems to be in keeping with the entire checks and balances principle,<br \/><br \/>Thoughts?","comments":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/447778.html?view=comments#comments"},{"guid":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/436910.html","pubDate":"Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:36:57 GMT","title":"Math \"puzzles\" for 12 year olds","author":"shogunhb","link":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/436910.html","description":"Generally, when I'm busy, I'll let the calls go to voicemail and call back later.  But several calls in a row usually means <i>important<\/i>, so I answered.  My mom called me several times last night during game, so I ducked out to find out what was wrong.<br \/><br \/>Well, it wasn't an emergency.  My niece, Hayley, is doing poorly in math class, but apparently the whole class is failing and my mom is not at all impressed with this particular teacher.  <br \/><br \/>The kids have been given \"development\" work, which basically means a chance to catch up by doing more and harder problems.  They were having trouble with a problem and called me to get help with a solution.  <br \/><br \/>Arrange the digits 1-9 (use each one once) in the following equation:<br \/><br \/>_\/_*_+_*_*_\/_+_*_ = 100<br \/><br \/>Order of operations matter.<br \/><br \/>I couldn't figure out how to do it mathematically, so I made an excel sheet and brute forced it.  I got a solution after approximately 880 <strike>guesses<\/strike> iterations in batches of 80 (just the way I set up the sheet).<br \/><br \/>Afterwards, I looked it up online, and found the problem, with solutions.  There are 362,880 possible number arrangements, of which 192 are correct.  These were discovered with computer programs and brute force.   <br \/><br \/>Can any math people out there think of a reasonable method for an average 12 year old to find a solution to this problem other than sheer luck or brute force iteration?<br \/><br \/><span style=\"font-size: smaller;\">This entry was originally posted at <a href=\"http:\/\/shogunhb.dreamwidth.org\/426222.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/shogunhb.dreamwidth.org\/426222.html<\/a>. Please comment there using OpenID.<\/span>","comments":"https:\/\/shogunhb.livejournal.com\/436910.html?view=comments#comments"}]}}