Science Archives - Martin Stellinga

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Pick an actor, then find the shortest route through cast lists from that actor to a movie with Kevin Bacon. You can play a similar game with Spotify, by finding the shortest number of clicks to reach from artist A to B. The Kevin Bacon game has gained fame as Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Why is this relevant?

The Golden Ratio

Take a look at a branch. Notice that the leaves appear in a pattern, every leaf in a specific place on the branch at a certain angle. In fact this is a mathematical pattern leading to something called the golden ratio. Time for some math.

The Voice of Unreason

Do you have Siri on your iPhone, or Google Assistant on your Samsung Galaxy? You may even have a Google Home or Amazon Alexa in your living room. Machine learning at its best!

Ever wonder who else is listening in?

The Science of Colors

Did you know Magenta isn’t really a color? I did not, until recently. This and more when we have a look at the science behind colors.

SyRI

If you thought western democracies like the Netherlands could never become surveillance states, guess again. Enter the Dutch SyRI system. A system that would make George Orwell cry.