| Saturday, November 17, 2007 |
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A Mobius Strip Source |
Spotlight: If you take a rectangular strip, rotate one end 180 degrees and attach it to the other end, you will create a Möbius strip. Because of the half-twist, the continuous surface of the strip has only one side and one edge. The strips have been put into use as conveyor belts and continuous-loop recording tapes, and have also been used in art (M.C. Escher used the theme in his Möbius parade of ants). Augustus Möbius, the mathematician and topologist who explained the properties of the strip, was born on this date in 1790.
Word of the day: gephyrophobiaFear of crossing bridges.
Usage: If you don't overcome your gephyrophobia, you'll never get off the island.
Whether you suffer from friggaphobia or febriphobia, plutophobia or pteronophobia, the Phobias dictionary can help you put a name to your abnormal, irrational fears.
Today's News:
Today's History:
- US Congress: held its first session in Washington in the partially completed Capitol building (1800)
- Richard Nixon: declared, "I am not a crook," nine months before resigning over the Watergate scandal (1973)
- Velvet Revolution: revolution began in Czechoslovakia, leading to the fall of the communist government (1989)
Today's Birthdays:
- Rock Hudson (1925-1985): 50s/60s film star
- Martin Scorsese (65): filmmaker, Goodfellas
- Danny DeVito (63): diminutive actor with a big personality
- Lorne Michaels (63): creator of Saturday Night Live
- Daisy Fuentes (41): former MTV hostess
