Double Maths First Thing is cranking the handle to bash a stop sign into a boot.

Hello! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician on a mission to spread joy and delight in mathematical thinking and process.

This week, I am mainly recovering from taking the kids to see a Beatles cover band (I’m given to believe that one and one and one is three) and preparing for the first Pseudorandom Ensemble rehearsal of the year. There is talk of recording. You’ll be among the first to know.

I’m also in discussions for a couple of really exciting secret projects with people I think highly of, but I can’t tell you any more than that. They’re secret.

Links

Something I’d never really thought about: I’m quite happy to accept that historical population numbers are approximate and model-based. It makes me deeply uneasy that current population numbers are quite often guesses, or even made up of the whole cloth for political purposes.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a mathematician in possession of a 3D printer, must be in want of a REALLY COOL LAMPSHADE.

When the kids were younger, it was sometimes necessary to distract them with videos while other things were going on. (Any trainspotters reading this, I thank you for your service. Train videos are catnip for toddlers.) They also loved Great Ball Contraptions. Speaking of contraptions, Tim Hunkin’s Under The Pier show at Southwold is a must-visit; here are some of his thoughts on making weird and whimsical machines.

In the cricket world, the Guardian reports that batters don’t really suffer from the nervous 90s any more. It even links to a proper paper, which deserves credit.

I went to check whether the Carnival post was up yet – at press time, it wasn’t, but watch the Carnival page at the Aperiodical and I’m sure it’ll be along shortly – but found a lovely piece on campanology and permutohedra by Laura at Letters and Words.

Currently

The next Carnival of Mathematics will be under the careful curation of Tony Mann. Send him your links through the usual Carnival page.

Young Bill is somewhat excited that he’ll be able to watch a Finite Group livestream live this month – it’s at 4pm UK time on Wednesday February 18th.

If you know someone who deserves a medal for maths communication, nominations for the 2026 Zeeman medal are open. (It is a scandal that Katie Steckles hasn’t been awarded it yet.) Deadline for submissions is March 1st.

That’s all I’ve got for this week. If you have friends and/or colleagues who would enjoy Double Maths First Thing, do send them the link to sign up – they’ll be very welcome here.

If you’ve missed the previous issues of DMFT or – somehow – this one, you can find the archive courtesy of my dear friends at the Aperiodical.

Meanwhile, if there’s something I should know about, you can find me on Mathstodon as @icecolbeveridge, or at my personal website. You can also just reply to this email if there’s something you want to tell me.

Until next time,

C