Mathematician Max Little has had some success diagnosing Parkinson’s disease by using signal processing algorithms to analyse the voice alone. Now the Parkinson’s Voice Initiative needs you – whether you have Parkinson’s or not – to donate three minutes to make a voice recording to add to their database and help improve the algorithm.
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Finger counting methods and their effect on cognition
Counting on your fingers may feel natural but it is not innate or universal; methods are culturally transmitted (like number lines) and may have an effect on cognition. A Guardian blog post asks you to “without thinking about it too much, use your hands to count to 10”. How did you do it?
Bletchley Park raises funding target for Heritage Lottery Fund restoration; further funding needed
The Action This Day! campaign, to raise the £2.4 million needed to unlock £5 million of Heritage Lottery funding, has reached its target. The funding means that the Park can “commence urgent restoration of the profoundly historic, yet currently derelict, Codebreaking Huts 3 and 6, and the development of a world-class visitor centre and exhibition space in WW2 Card Index building, Block C”.
However, this is no reason to stop giving. There is a long way to go to fully “transform Bletchley Park into a world-class heritage and education centre to adequately reflect the profound importance of its impact on WW2 and the twentieth century”. The Bletchley Park Trust will immediately embark on a fundraising campaign, expected to be in the order of £15 million for the next phase.
Research finds that maths-heavy evolutionary biology research papers are less often cited
An article in Times Higher Education (THE) reports on a study that has found that biologists tend to overlook research that is packed with mathematical equations.
Turing debate in Parliament
Last Thursday a debate about the Turing pardon took place in Parliament. The MKNews website carries a report on the debate, which seems to be a rehashing of Turing’s value and the case for a pardon, including the recent suggestion of extending the new Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 to posthumous cases. The report also includes a suggestion of a special law, in light of the fear of setting a legal precedent, that would specifically clear Turing’s conviction alone. If you’re interest in the full detail, a link to the Hansard record for the debate is given below. You can also watch a video via the link given.
Source: Special report: Alan Turing debated in Parliament.
Hansard: 27 Jun 2012 : Column 108WH.
Video: Centenary of the birth of Alan Turing – Dr Julian Huppert.
Leap Second 30 June 2012
In case you missed it, here is the leap second moment. I loaded several web and desktop clock displays. Notice how many of them didn’t take account of the extra second – but some did! For more details on what this means, see the post ‘Hang on a second‘.
[youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbRtco6IryQ]
Math/Maths 103: In which every equation halves the listenership
A new episode of the Math/Maths Podcast has been released.
A conversation about mathematics between the UK and USA from Pulse-Project.org. This week Samuel and Peter spoke about: malarial transmission; signal processing algorithm to test voice for Parkinson’s disease; baseball run modelling; heavy use of equations impedes communication among biologists; city complexity; gang territorial boundaries; how physicist Jim Kakalios invented a math equation for the new Spider-Man movie; restoration target reached for Bletchley Park’s iconic WW2 codebreaking huts; biggest Turing test results; Alan Turing debated in Parliament; and more.
Get this episode: Math/Maths 103: In which every equation halves the listenership