Rev. Dr. Everett Howe (@ewhowe) · DIRTY

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe

@ewhowe

Free-range mathematician. Unitarian Universalist minister. Member, American Mathematical Society Committee on Human Rights of Mathematicians. He/him Support 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️rights! #MathSky #math #maths #mathematics #UnitarianUniversalist

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¿Es tu perfil?Reclámalo y ewhowe.dirty.social es tuyo.Reclamar perfil

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 12h

I love everything about this.

The Statistical Procedure

The computers employed in this research were primarily the IBM System computers at the SaskComp Saskatoon Regional Computing Centre located on the University of Saskatchewan campus. For obtaining statistics concerning the indices, programs were written by this writer in the computer programming language called SPITBOL, a language especially useful for processing strings of characters such as are found in texts. SPITBOL is a marked improvement of SNOBOL4 designed “for the IBM System 360 and System 370 series of computers.” SPITBOL’s capabilities are explained in a manual produced by the University of Toronto Computer Centre. Other smaller programs were written in the language ATARI BASIC for an Atari XL home computer.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 14h

I really dislike these AI slop accounts that produce crap about math or history. Blocked.

A skeet from an AI slop account named “Felice Mosca Press.” The text:

“Naples, 1839: a professor throws down three geometry problems like a gauntlet.
Behind the duel sits God, kings, and the terrifying question of whether algebra might let just anybody think.”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 1d

Receipts:

Screenshot of a portion of a book. In the margin there is a note in red: “Why the hell would you assume either of these things?”

The book text:

“We now make use of these ideas for setting up the differential equation for the growth of vocabulary with that of text length in literary works. If the system is one of linguistic material, we may suppose that the growth rate of the vocabulary is proportional simultaneously (a) to a specific constant characteristic of the accumulation of vocabulary with increasing text length, (b) to the magnitude of vocabulary that has already accumulated, and (c) to the particular conditions of writing as due to style, content etc. The same applies to text length, as a characteristic of the whole system.

“If V stands for the number of vocabulary items at the time t of composition, and N for the text length, we shall then have
dV/dt = 𝛽VG
and
dN/dt = 𝛼NG
where 𝛼 and 𝛽 are the specific constants for the text length and the vocabulary, and G measures the ‘environmental’ conditions of growth of linguistic systems as affected by the style of the writer and the content of the text. Eliminating G we get…”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 3d

Last week, a friend and I ducked into an antique mall to avoid the heat on our walk, and I found this delicate eggshell demitasse that has many many sages or immortals painted on it. Just finished some non-math obligations today, so I hope to do some math writing and editing this week…

An older white man, balding but with a grey mustache, holds a delicate scallop-rimmed demitasse near his mouth. Some espresso is just visible in the cup. Behind him you see some framed photographs on a yellow wall, and a white IKEA bookshelf.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 10d

One of the high points of my mathematical career was giving a talk in Luminy in 2014 during which your father had many questions, and after which he gave me a “thumbs up” sign. (And I *think* that was the trip on which we shared some Scotch one evening.) I hope he is well, and wish him the best.

Five people standing at the front of a mostly-empty lecture hall, with laptop computers and pads of paper scattered on the table-tops in the rows of seating. The three large main chalkboards, and four smaller side boards, are covered with writing and mathematical expressions.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· 12d

This Zippy strip is a quarter-century old now, but I think about it a lot.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 16

One way that I have dealt with stress during <gestures broadly> these times has been to play games on my iPad. Since January 1, 2025 my go-to game has been an old kids game (or, at least, a game suitable for kids) called Sprinkle Islands.

Splash screen for the iPad game “Sprinkle Islands.”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 12

No coffee in hand ATM. We’re on our way to visit the younger son in Sacramento. While my wife is driving I will think about a challenge problem proposed at ANTS last week…

Selfie of an older white man and woman in a car

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 12

I used money I earned delivering newspapers (on my one-speed bicycle) to buy a Pioneer SX 780 receiver, and I can still recall the feel of the knobs and the thunk!-ey toggles…

The front panel of a Pioneer SX 780 stereo receiver, circa 1978. It has a lighted analog radio frequency display with some output level monitors, and a whole row of silver buttons, knobs, and toggle switches whose very look tells you that they must have been satisfying to press, turn, and toggle.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 10

So far, getting an appropriate reception.

Bottom part of a skeet, showing 102 comments, 64 reskeets that are all quote skeets, 0 likes, and 4 saves.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

And then, finally!

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in each column are aligned vertically so that the place values remain constant as you scan down the columns.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

So the feedback was simpler…

One column from a table. The heading says “Magma”, and the data is
5274
99453*
2408665*

The unit digits of all three are enclosed in red rectangles, and written annotation says “The numerals in the red boxes should be vertically aligned.”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

Their next attempt. Oh so close! I feel like I am trying to housebreak a puppy.

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in one column are not aligned vertically, but they are close.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

“If these digits are not vertically aligned in your page proofs, then the page proofs are not acceptable.” That should have been clear. But maybe sending them one more diagram will help!

A table in which the numbers in some columns are not aligned. The table is heavily annotated with words and arrows pointing to the misaligned numbers and indicating how they should be moved.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

I don’t even remember what I sent them at this point. They may have sent me two in quick succession, because I had by now been in touch with the head of Springer Nature’s North American math publishing arm. But here was their next attempt.

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

They replied with the attached. You, dear reader, are human (I assume). If you had been editing my paper, and had remember my admonition (“If these digits are not vertically aligned in your page proofs, then the page proofs are not acceptable.”), would you have sent this to me?

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

Some things were now correct! But not everything. So I sent them two images, one showing corrections for what they had sent, and one showing what the result should look like.

A table in which the numbers in some columns are not aligned. The table is heavily annotated with words and arrows pointing to the misaligned numbers and indicating how they should be moved.

A table in which all the numbers in each column are aligned by their unit digit. The unit digits in two rows are colored red, and there are annotations to the table pointing out their alignment.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

What they sent back. (At least they are making it simple for me to add alt text to the images for this thread!)

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

Maybe they are visual learners? So I sent them this. The sentence at the end seems like something any person* could understand and check themselves before bothering me again: “If these digits are not vertically aligned in your page proofs, then the page proofs are not acceptable.” *foolish me

A table with digits in each column nicely aligned. The units digits in six of the columns are red. At the bottom are a few sentences in red:

“Notice how the red digits in each column are vertically aligned.
This is how the table should look.

“If these digits are not vertically aligned in your page proofs, then the page proofs are not acceptable.”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

I responded, once again using just words, and said: “Also, Table 1 on page 22 is completely unchanged from the first page proofs, and all of its problems remain.” They sent back a third set of page proofs. The headings got moved… but not any of the misaligned numbers!

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

I thought I was being pretty clear in my explanation of what should be changed! Ah, foolish me. I did not understand at this point that AI was involved. Here is what they sent back. “Wait a second!” you exclaim. “That looks unchanged!”

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

In this first go-round, I used their (in)convenient online text-based correction system. Here are 11 of the 73 corrections that I listed.

A lengthy list of descriptions of problems with a table in a set of page proofs, screenshotted from an online corrections system. Here is the text of one typical row:

“In column six, the numbers are not properly aligned.”
“Reset column 6, so that the following digits are vertically aligned with one another: the 4 in 5274; the 3 in 99463; the 5 in 2408665.”

“Do not let the asterisks throw off the alignment of the digits!”

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

Here is what they had in the first page proofs. Note that all of the numbers that I had carefully aligned (so that the reader can quickly understand their relative sizes) are no longer aligned.

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in some columns are not aligned vertically. They are thrown out of alignment because some numbers digits to the right of the decimal point and others do not, and because some numbers have asterisks.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

They sent me page proofs for which I had 73 corrections. This was 24-page paper, recall. I will focus here on what they did to a table of data. Here is the table (presented here without title or caption) as I sent it to them in my original draft.

A table with 9 columns of data. The numbers in each column are aligned vertically so that the place values remain constant as you scan down the columns.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 7

Usually, you send a draft to the publisher, they will typeset it and send you page proofs, you correct the (hopefully few and minor) mistakes, and the journal gets published. Not when Straive is on the case! (I would tag them here, but they don’t have an account. OF COURSE they are on X.)

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jul 5

Went to a friend’s house to celebrate her birthday. That’s Bingley in the lower right.

Seven mostly-older white people gathered on a shady back patio, sitting around a picnic table covered with a brightly colored tablecloth. They each have a cupcake on a plate. A small black-and-white terrier-like fog is looking up from the lower right corner of the photo.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jun 30

David Lynch: <loudly> DID YOU SAY RABBIT?

Detail from a screen capture from David Lynch’s *Inland Empire*, showing the silhouette of a person whose head is that of a rabbit, profiled against a brightly lit door.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jun 29

I edited the photo to add in some lines that help highlight some of the geometry.

A piece of art in a circular red frame, resting on a darker red blanket. The art is geometric, with five-fold rotational symmetry, and consists of yellow oat straws arranged on a dark surface in interlocking fan shapes, all around a small central negative-space pentagon.

Some pink lines have been edited into this copy of the photo to help show that the design can be broken up into 11 pieces: A central pentagon, five squares attached the the sides of the pentagon, and five (non-equilateral) triangles that fill in the spaces between the squares. The interior of each shape is filled with straw that spirals in to the center.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jun 28

Perhaps my #MathSky friends will be interested in the artwork that my wife and I bought at the Carlsbad Art Fair this morning. Made with wild oat straw collected by the biologist/artist who made the piece.

A piece of art in a circular red frame, resting on a darker red blanket. The art is geometric, with five-fold rotational symmetry, and consists of yellow oat straws arranged on a dark surface in interlocking fan shapes, all around a small central negative-space pentagon.

Rev. Dr. Everett Howe@ewhowe· Jun 28

Got a new Adirondack chair for the back yard a few weeks ago. After coffee, will be sending in the final TeX files for my contribution to the AGC²T 2025 proceedings.