Posts by kityates@mas.to
(DIR) Post #Augc1GkTyzaFOT0gW8 by kityates@mas.to
2025-06-01T08:10:36Z
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Here’s a riddle for your Sunday.I found this on a beach.What is it?
(DIR) Post #AukQQTjMQpFe4uZyyW by kityates@mas.to
2025-06-03T07:55:11Z
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As someone with a (relatively) unusual first name, I’m used to people getting it wrong.This, however, is the best way it’s ever been incorrect!Or perhaps it was a threat?
(DIR) Post #AukQk58BbO2bZkXSr2 by kityates@mas.to
2025-06-03T07:05:08Z
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While it is true that deaths due to cancer have decreased, 10-year survival rates used in these headlines are not the best way to measure this due to the phenomenon of lead time bias.Earlier diagnosis can lead to longer survival times even without extending life expectancy, purely as a function of the disease being found at an earlier point in a patient’s life.You can read more about it in my latest substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/kityates/p/the-surprising-bias-in-cancer-survival
(DIR) Post #AvcmghMEG23xh8HWyW by kityates@mas.to
2025-06-29T07:00:02Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
I guess you've heard some bad jokes about Fibonacci sequences?Well, this one is as bad as the last two you heard put together.
(DIR) Post #AyznXEi50luTZvwLT6 by kityates@mas.to
2025-10-08T07:00:10Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
Bit niche I think, but apparently this parking spot is reserved for female rock climbers.
(DIR) Post #AzpoFtUSx5Da9Gw9U8 by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:03:34Z
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It took just 8 minutes for thieves to steal the Napoleonic-era crown jewels from the Louvre. There weren't enough cameras and the ones there were there were facing the wrong way. Could a 50-year-old maths problem have foiled the heist? 🧵 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgk0y97v0go1/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoFuhyQLcJvSGSB6 by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:03:39Z
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After the robbery, Louvre’s director admitted the museum had “failed to protect” the jewels.One in three rooms had no CCTV, and perimeter cameras didn’t cover all walls.Cuts in staff left the museum vulnerable. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/french-audit-louvre-robbery-security-flaws-no-cameras-1234757968/2/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoFw9f2tMIPcE4yO by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:03:44Z
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Modern museum security is complex and costly. But there’s a surprisingly elegant mathematical solution: the art gallery problem. It asks: what’s the minimum number of cameras needed to see every point in a gallery? https://www.science.smith.edu/~jorourke/books/ArtGalleryTheorems/Art_Gallery_Full_Book.pdf3/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoFxNWUq2cCtifDc by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:03:49Z
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Imagine your museum floor plan as a polygon. If it has N corners (vertices), you’ll never need more than the whole number part of N/3 cameras for full coverage. A 15-sided gallery? Max 5 cameras. A 20-sided gallery? Max 6. Simple, right? https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00022-001-8569-x.pdf4/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoFyOciEW1MbF3ZY by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:03:56Z
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Steve Fisk’s 1978 proof is a one from the book: triangulate the gallery, color vertices with 3 colors, then pick the smallest color set for camera placement. Elegant, efficient, and guaranteed coverage. 5/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoFzGVTtcK3iS5Ym by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:04:01Z
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For rectangular rooms (like most museums), the number drops further: to the whole number part of N/4 cameras. (⌊N/4⌋)And for exterior walls? There’s the fortress problem - another variant ensuring perimeter coverage.https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00022-001-8569-x.pdf6/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoG0Bw2NYQvpJx4a by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:04:06Z
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This isn’t just for museums. The art gallery problem helps in robotics (collision avoidance), urban planning (antenna placement), disaster management (drone coverage), and even stage lighting. https://math.mit.edu/~apost/courses/18.204_2018/Nicole_Chesnokov_paper.pdf7/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoG0yr6UgbNYD1KC by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:04:11Z
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When I asked if they'd heard of the problem, the Louvre press office didn’t reply. They've probably got a lot on their plate.But as museums rethink their security, revisiting a 50-year-old maths problem could save millions and priceless treasures. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgk0y97v0go8/9
(DIR) Post #AzpoG1b8o9JLII7b04 by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-01T08:04:17Z
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This thread is adapted from my substack "Heist of the century - could a simple maths problem have foiled the Louvre robbery?"Please check it out.https://open.substack.com/pub/kityates/p/heist-of-the-century-could-a-simple?r=1cw8pl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true9/9
(DIR) Post #B0D1ljTHrYrC8EYMHw by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-13T08:00:21Z
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Did you know111111111 × 111111111 = 12345678987654321?1/2
(DIR) Post #B0D1lkHcqP7geM6Yka by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-13T08:00:26Z
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It's the culmination of a series of cool calculations:1 × 1 = 111 × 11 = 121111 × 111 = 123211111 × 1111 = 123432111111 × 11111 = 123454321111111 × 111111 = 123456543211111111 × 1111111 = 123456765432111111111 × 11111111 = 1234567876543212/2
(DIR) Post #B0Eih3s2rn8qpBPY3s by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-14T08:00:01Z
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Everyone seems incredulous when you tell them the national animal of Scotland is a unicorn.But no-one even bats an eyelid when you tell them the national animal of Wales is a dragon.
(DIR) Post #B0QrovZDUmbo6DoBou by kityates@mas.to
2025-11-20T07:24:50Z
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This exchange between Hancock and Johnson on 7th March 2020 speaks volumes about that government’s pandemic leadership.Hancock: This is a clarion call for you to lead.Johnson: Ok, I’m off to the rugby.
(DIR) Post #B28f2koJobc7kzptKK by kityates@mas.to
2026-01-09T22:15:30Z
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"I'm afraid there's many bad people around, but they have made scientific advances." - President of the Royal Society.The Royal Society continues to be happy to be associated with, indeed honour Elon Musk with fellowship, despite the Grok scandal.I will never understand this.
(DIR) Post #B28kcFugfRgw7uYwjY by kityates@mas.to
2026-01-10T08:00:25Z
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In light of the Royal Society's continued inaction on Elon Musk, it seems appropriate to share this again.I wrote it last March when I resigned my position as associate editor at a Royal Society Journal.Things haven't got better since then.https://kityates.substack.com/p/why-im-resigning-my-editorship-at