Inksmanship

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Max_Eastman.jpg

In 1937, Max Eastman and Ernest Hemingway found themselves together in Max Perkins’ office at Scribner’s. On Perkins’ desk was Eastman’s Art and the Life of Action, which contained an essay critical of Hemingway. They began to argue. Hemingway bared his chest. Eastman bared his. Hemingway slapped him.

What happened next is unclear. “The trouble with these literary bouts,” opined the New York Times, “is that there is never an official referee on hand. Both sides can claim a decision and a foul at the same time, and usually do.”

But in 1947 the House of Books catalog offered for sale a damaged copy of Art and the Life of Action. On page 95, it said, was a spot caused by contact “with Mr. Eastman’s nose when Mr. Hemingway struck him with it in a gesture of disapproval.” The spot was witnessed by Maxwell Perkins.

| Literature

Cut!

Director Curtis Bernhardt was midway through shooting My Reputation in 1944 when he encountered some trouble with one of the stars. Robert Archer insisted on wearing a jacket and shirt while mowing a lawn under the hot California sun.

Bernhardt pressed him, and to his surprise Archer said, “Okay, okay, I’m a girl.”

She was Tanis Chandler, a 20-year-old typist in a local brokerage office who’d gotten tired of waiting for acting jobs. Posing as Archer, she’d won a part in 1943’s The Desert Song, where robes and a burnoose had hid her shape. She’d done so well that the casting office had sent her out for Bernhardt’s film.

“The studios are always yelling about the lack of men,” she said. “I thought I’d have better luck in male roles. Oh, well.”

| Entertainment · Hoaxes

Legal Standing

The Supreme Court of Justice of Belgium has just been called upon to decide a novel and extraordinary question. One of the leading surgeons of Brussels had occasion, about a year ago, to amputate the right leg of a young married lady belonging to the highest circles of the aristocracy. The operator was so pleased with his job that he preserved the leg in a jar of spirits of wine and placed it on exhibition in his consulting room, a card being affixed to the jar giving the patient’s name and the details concerning the circumstance which had rendered the operation necessary. On hearing this, the husband of the lady demanded the immediate discontinuance of the exhibition and the return of the severed member, as being his property. To this the surgeon demurred. He admitted that the plaintiff had property rights in the leg while it formed part his wife, but argued that the leg in its present condition was the result of his (defendant’s) skill and the work of his own hands, and that he was clearly entitled to keep it. The Court seemed rather staggered by this line of argument, and after taking a fortnight to consider the question, has finally decided against the doctor and in favor of the husband’s claim to the possession of the amputated leg of his better half.

— Lancaster Law Review, March 18, 1895

| Society

A New Commute

http://www.google.com/patents/US328899

This is clever — in 1885 Andrew Morrison proposed an aerial railway consisting of a series of balloons linked by cables. As each balloon in turn is raised, the passenger car rides down the wire to the next station.

“To render the car as light as possible, a gas-compartment, S, is formed on the top thereof, which, when filled with gas, overcomes by its buoyancy a part of the gravity of the car.”

| Technology

“Poem Without an E”

John Knox was a man of wondrous might,
And his words ran high and shrill,
For bold and stout was his spirit bright,
And strong was his stalwart will.

Kings sought in vain his mind to chain,
And that giant brain to control,
But naught on plain or stormy main
Could daunt that mighty soul.

John would sit and sigh till morning cold
Its shining lamps put out,
For thoughts untold on his mind lay hold,
And brought but pain and doubt.

But light at last on his soul was cast,
Away sank pain and sorrow,
His soul is gay, in a fair to-day,
And looks for a bright to-morrow.

— “Unidentified,” in Current Opinion, July 1888

| Language · Poems

Creative Solutions

Faced with the simultaneous equations

creative solutions 1

and

creative solutions 2

a lazy student ignored the second equation and solved the first in this way:

creative solutions 3

creative solutions 4

creative solutions 5

and hence x = 5 and y = 6. As it happens, that’s correct. Maurice Kraitchik writes, “Can you blame him for his answer?”

In Mathematical Circles Revisited, Howard Eves tells of “Hapless Harry,” who tackled

creative solutions 6

by writing

creative solutions 7

and

creative solutions 8

| Science & Math

Math Notes

1/998001 = 0.000001002003004005006007008009010011012013014015016017018019020
0210220230240250260270280290300310320330340350360370380390400410420430440450
4604704804905005105205305405505605705805906006106206306406506606706806907007
1072073074075076077078079080081082083084085086087088089090091092093094095096
0970980991001011021031041051061071081091101111121131141151161171181191201211
2212312412512612712812913013113213313413513613713813914014114214314414514614
7148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172
1731741751761771781791801811821831841851861871881891901911921931941951961971
9819920020120220320420520620720820921021121221321421521621721821922022122222
3224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248
2492502512522532542552562572582592602612622632642652662672682692702712722732
7427527627727827928028128228328428528628728828929029129229329429529629729829
9300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324
3253263273283293303313323333343353363373383393403413423433443453463473483493
5035135235335435535635735835936036136236336436536636736836937037137237337437
5376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400
4014024034044054064074084094104114124134144154164174184194204214224234244254
2642742842943043143243343443543643743843944044144244344444544644744844945045
1452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476
4774784794804814824834844854864874884894904914924934944954964974984995005015
0250350450550650750850951051151251351451551651751851952052152252352452552652
7528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552
5535545555565575585595605615625635645655665675685695705715725735745755765775
7857958058158258358458558658758858959059159259359459559659759859960060160260
3604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628
6296306316326336346356366376386396406416426436446456466476486496506516526536
5465565665765865966066166266366466566666766866967067167267367467567667767867
9680681682683684685686687688689690691692693694695696697698699700701702703704
7057067077087097107117127137147157167177187197207217227237247257267277287297
3073173273373473573673773873974074174274374474574674774874975075175275375475
5756757758759760761762763764765766767768769770771772773774775776777778779780
7817827837847857867877887897907917927937947957967977987998008018028038048058
0680780880981081181281381481581681781881982082182282382482582682782882983083
1832833834835836837838839840841842843844845846847848849850851852853854855856
8578588598608618628638648658668678688698708718728738748758768778788798808818
8288388488588688788888989089189289389489589689789889990090190290390490590690
7908909910911912913914915916917918919920921922923924925926927928929930931932
9339349359369379389399409419429439449459469479489499509519529539549559569579
5895996096196296396496596696796896997097197297397497597697797897998098198298
3984985986987988989990991992993994995996997999 ...

(Thanks, William.)

| Science & Math

Pool Party

A billiard ball is resting on a table that measures 10 feet by 5 feet. A player hits it with no “English” and it strikes four different cushions and returns to its starting point. University of Alberta mathematician Murray Klamkin asks: How far did it travel?

Click for Answer
| Puzzles