Triangles

Episode notes

Alex Schmidt is joined by comedians/podcasters Amir Blumenfeld (‘If I Were You’ podcast, ‘Buckets’ podcast) and Negin Farsad (‘Fake The Nation’ podcast, ‘Birdgirl’ on Adult Swim) for a look at why triangles are secretly incredibly fascinating.

Visit http://sifpod.fun/ for research sources, handy links, and this week’s bonus episode.

LINKS FOR THE GUESTS:

• ‘If I Were You’ podcast (Headgum)
• ‘Buckets with Amir Blumenfeld’ podcast (Headgum)
• ‘Fake The Nation’ podcast (Headgum & Negin Farsad)
• Birdgirl (Adult Swim)
• ‘Fake The Nation’ Episode 247: Society Is Not For Everybody, w/ Amir Blumenfeld, Leah Bonnema
• ‘It’s A Wigerful Life: A Doughboys Holiday Special’

RESOURCES USED TO INFORM THE EPISODE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

• native-land.ca
• U.S. Department Of Arts And Culture
• Museum of Durham History

RESEARCH SOURCES:

• The History of Philosophy by A.C. Grayling
• ‘In Our Time’: Pythagoras (BBC Radio 4)
• The Story Of Maths (BBC)
• Cuneiform (Encyclopedia Britannica)
• About Cuneiform Writing (Penn Museum)
• How to write cuneiform (The British Museum)
• Snopes.com on the latest Bermuda Triangle “evidence”
• ‘Stuff You Should Know’: What’s the deal with the Bermuda Triangle?
• How many ways are there to prove the Pythagorean theorem? (TEDEd)
• Mathematical Treasure: James A. Garfield’s Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem (Mathematical Association Of America)
• James A. Garfield (UVA Miller Center)
• NOTE: the “Western Reserve Eclectic Institute” is now Hiram College (in the town of Hiram, Ohio). It shared a “Reserve” name with Case Western Reserve University (in Cleveland, Ohio) because both schools are located in the former Connecticut Western Reserve, an area of modern Ohio formerly controlled by the state of Connecticut.
• Plimpton 322 (American Mathematical Society)
• Don’t Fall for Babylonian Trigonometry Hype (Scientific American)
• NOTE: it turns out our riff about Martha Plimpton is a little bit accurate! Here’s the progression: the “Plimpton 322” tablet was owned by George Arthur Plimpton (1855-1936). His grandson George Ames Plimpton (1927-2003) was a well-known writer & journalist. That Plimpton is a distant relative of actor Shelley Plimpton (1947-), the mother of actor Martha Plimpton (1970-).
• The Triangle Offense, a Simple Yet Perplexing System, Dies (The New York Times)
• Justin M. “Sam” Barry (Basketball Hall Of Fame)
• Fred “Tex” Winter (Basketball Hall Of Fame)