Siobhan Roberts
pp. 22-26
Professor John Conway is one of the world’s most prominent mathematicians. Among his claims to fame is the invention of a cellular automaton called the Game of Life. Not quite a game, not precisely a simulation of life, the mathematical machine is nonetheless a fascinating diversion, whether or not you delve into the theory behind it. Play it online here.
Siobhan Roberts encountered George Odom while researching her book King of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, The Man who Saved Geometry (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2006). Odom corresponded with Coxeter from his home in the Hudson River Psychiatric Center, sharing his discoveries with the late University of Toronto professor and renowned geometer. Roberts’s biography of Coxeter sheds light on both the man and on the importance of his work.
Better Red, Then Dead
Joshua Knelman
pp. 26-27
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), an organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists, offers online profiles of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, unpacking their historical, symbolic, and environmental significance. You can also view their photo album to see the lush and arid extremes of the area. FoEME is concerned with the environmental consequences of the Red-Dead Canal and poses questions that others may not have thought to ask, such as whether toxic odours released by the mixing of the two seas will scare away tourists.
The Red-Dead Canal isn’t the only proposed project on the block. The Ezekiel Project, which is based on water sustainability principles described in the book of Ezekiel, is being promoted as an alternative to the Red-Dead canal. The people behind the project claim that the canal has “major problems,” including the fact that “the delivery system is three times longer than a route from the Mediterranean Sea to the north end of the Dead Sea” and that it “only delivers 1.8 billion cubic meters of seawater annually to the wrong end of the Dead Sea. Extensive potash and mineral mining operations are at the south end of the sea.”
The Jordanian Ministry of Water and Irrigation recently re-launched their website, which now provides a wealth of information on water standards, management plans, and international partnerships. Perhaps the most entertaining offering is a video on the National Water Master Plan. After being welcomed by the king of Jordan, the viewer is treated to gorgeous nature images, whirling graphs, and sound bites from politicians, all set to a memorable soundtrack.
It’s a Dog’s Life
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