Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed Musing about technology, finance, venture capital, & the money culture with Paul Kedrosky by Paul Kedrosky

• Home
• Speaking
• About
• Media

• Subscribe:
• 
• 
• 

Knots in a Box, Christmas Lights, iPods, etc.

I have spent so much time recently (don't ask) thinking about spontaneous knot formation that my eyes nearly crossed with glee upon spotting this article about tangles. The following snippet is downright spooky:

They put a string in a cubic container the size of a box of tissue. By tumbling the box 10 times "like a laundry dryer," as Raymer puts it, the researchers hoped to observe knots forming spontaneously on occasion. They didn't have to wait for long: Knots formed right away...

And some of the knots formed were remarkably complex. It is immense consolation, of course, to anyone who has tried to hurriedly put on iPhone earpieces, or taken Christmas lights out of storage.

[PNAS via ScienceNews via Slashdot]

1

Lijit Search




Recent Comments

Archives

Select a Month... December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003

Hosting

• SuperbHosting.net provides affordable managed dedicated server solutions to small and medium sized businesses throughout the world. SuperbHosting.net has generously donated a dedicated server to ensure maximum performance, reliability, and scalability.