Canada currently has 5c, 10c, 25c, $1, and $2 coins (having recently eliminated the penny), while Britain and Europe have 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.50, 1 and 2 coins (in their respective currencies).

The problem appeals to my random interests in applied mathematics and programming (aka engineering) but it turns out to be just slightly beyond what I can do now (I’ve likely forgotten some of the better tricks to solve this).

Luckily, the internet provided me with a link to University of Waterloo’s Jeffrey Shallit’s paper where he solved the problem for various cases in 2003.

For currencies that need to spend up to 99c, he found the following optimal change mixtures.

At the time, Canada and the USA both had the same 4 coins under $1, but should have changed dimes out for 18c piece. Interestingly enough, Shallit also determined that the best improvement to both country’s coin systems would be the introduction of an 18c piece.

Europe and the UK both have 6 coins worth less than a Euro/Pound but neither come close to the optimal system.

The mathematical analysis obviously makes a few unjustifiable assumptions. First, as Shallit points out, prices aren’t equally likely to end in every digit from 1 to 99. More importantly though, this approach assumes that people are equally as good at adding any set of integers together, which is hardly true. Even I couldn’t easily count by 18s and 29s. But perhaps the introduction of such an unorthodox system of coins would spark a renew a country’s arithmetic skills (or spur the move to electronic payments).

Most importantly though, this paper vindicates my hatred of Britain’s obnoxious 2 pence coin.

Movie gunfire at Surrey campus

The sci-fi TV series “Caprica” will be filming at SFU Surrey and Central City on Friday night, October 30. The Dale B. Regehr Grand Hall (mezzanine level) will be used as a futuristic airport lounge.

The action may include running through the grand hall, down the staircase to the main entry lobby. The actors will carry and fire weapons and fake blood capsules will explode.

If you’re visiting, working or studying at the Surrey campus be aware that the film shoot will begin at 6 p.m. It should finish by 9 p.m. but will continue in the Tower lobby and outside on the Plaza until 4 a.m.

Campus access will remain open on Friday night. There may short periods when the cameras are rolling when people on campus will be asked to stop for a few minutes as they come in from street level or the parkade. Security guards will be posted to assist with the access. The Surrey Fire Fighters Computer Lab and all other study spaces on campus are open as usual without restrictions during this film shoot.

Then you can rest easy.

On a side note: It is pretty sweet to attend a school that’s been used to film shows like Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek in the past.

Update: For factual honesty, SFU has never been used in a Star Trek episode or movie. It has made the following though:

• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• Personal Effects
• Two for the Money
• Agent Cody Banks
• The Sixth Day
• Anti-Trust
• Fallen
• Kyle X/Y
• Masters of Science Fiction
• Battlestar Galactica
• Stargate SG-1
• Millennium
• X-Files.

• I’ve never broken a bone and have 20/20 vision. The worst injury I’ve suffered was running my eye socket into a trailer ball hitch (missing my eye by less than an inch) and getting a few stitches for it. Beyond that my body’s in pretty prime condition.
• This is roughly how experimental physicists view the work of theoreticians and is roughly about how productive I am with grad-level homework assignments:
• When I was young (about grade 9/10) I wrote an essay for Social Studies about how I would vote Reform since the “West” wasn’t being heard and deserved a voice. I now realize that the “West’s” (meaning Alberta) voice is not that intelligent.

Anyways, for my half-dozen minus one tags, I choose:

Massimo at Exponential Book, Aditya at Heuristicism, Chris at In Vivo, Brian at Left as an Exercise, and Devin at Simulating Reality. Of course, feel free to propagate if I didn’t choose you.

So here’s some news (in no particular order or even semblance of relatedness other than that it all interests me):

• Obama is doing a better job defending our medicare system then most (but not all) Canadian politicians
• On the CFI and accountability issue, I had received an informal response from CFI Transnational a few weeks ago (essentially saying the system works so why fix it), but they have yet to release anything official. I’ll likely come back to this next week.
• In Malaysia, they’re going to cane a Muslim woman for drinking a beer. She’ll be the first woman in Malaysia to be caned for drinking under the Sharia Law there that only applies to Muslims (for now). It’s supposed to be a “ceremonial” caning as opposed to anything painful, but I still don’t think that cuts it. We don’t “ceremonially” spank children because it’s nearly as bad as actually spanking a child.
• I got a new Netbook, and it kicks ass. I also got an external DVD burner and used it to put Windows XP on my old netbook which I plan to give to my girlfriend (so she no longer has to lug around her 10 lb “laptop”). The funds for this were provided by the UofA ECE department for me having the top presentation of the 2009 EE 495 research project.
• If you’re interested in what my research career is shaping up to look like for the next couple years, and don’t want to wait for my inevitable posts that attempt to boil it down for easier consumption, you can try to get through this guy’s thesis [pdf] which somewhat relates to what I might be doing (I’m still not 100% sure since our lab’s not fully operational yet). Short form: measuring exotic micron-scale forces with Bose-Einstein Condensates.
• Finally, North Vancouver is considering an obscure piece of technology to make getting up the steep hills easier on bicycles. See the video below:

She’ll have to jet back to Ottawa by Monday for the big vote.

Only with the bottom in retro green and the top in a beige-yellow colour.

Now I can start rebuilding my music collection (which is around 300 CDs or nearly 4000 mp3s) in vintage vinyl.

This shouldn’t be too hard as within literally a few blocks of my condo (go Whyte Ave) I can access Blacbyrd Myoozik (rock, punk, etc), Southside Sound (jazz, blues, etc), Megatunes (rock, alternative, etc.), Sound Connections (old rock, used, rare, alternative, etc) and Octopus Ink (metal).

I already bought:

NOFX – Punk in Drublic
The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
The Shins – Oh, Inverted World

I couldn’t find Metric or Tokyo Police Club today (I’m seeing both of them with the aforementioned female at Jingle Bell Rock tonight).

Any other suggestions (and Dark Side of the Moon is ~$50 and out of my price range)?

How serious do you take your atheism?

Let’s find out.

Copy and paste the list below on your own site, boldfacing the things you’ve done. (Feel free to add your own elaboration and commentary to each item!)

1. Participated in the Blasphemy Challenge. (Here)
   
2. Met at least one of the “Four Horsemen” (Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris) in person.
3. Created an atheist blog. (You’re reading it right now)
4. Used the Flying Spaghetti Monster in a religious debate with someone.
5. Gotten offended when someone called you an agnostic.
6. Been unable to watch Growing Pains reruns because of Kirk Cameron.
7. Own more Bibles than most Christians you know.
8. Have at least one Bible with your personal annotations regarding contradictions, disturbing parts, etc.
9. Have come out as an atheist to your family.
10. Attended a campus or off-campus atheist gathering.
11. Are a member of an organized atheist/Humanist/etc. organization.
12. Had a Humanist wedding ceremony.
13. Donated money to an atheist organization.
14. Have a bookshelf dedicated solely to Richard Dawkins.
15. Lost the friendship of someone you know because of your non-theism.
16. Tried to argue or have a discussion with someone who stopped you on the street to proselytize.
17. Hid your atheist beliefs on a first date because you didn’t want to scare him/her away.
18. Own a stockpile of atheist paraphernalia (bumper stickers, buttons, shirts, etc).
19. Attended a protest that involved religion.
20. Attended an atheist conference.
21. Subscribe to Pat Condell’s YouTube channel.
22. Started an atheist group in your area or school. (Here and here)
23. Successfully “de-converted” someone to atheism.
24. Have already made plans to donate your body to science after you die.
25. Told someone you’re an atheist only because you wanted to see the person’s reaction.
26. Had to think twice before screaming “Oh God!” during sex. Or you said something else in its place.
27. Lost a job because of your atheism.
28. Formed a bond with someone specifically because of your mutual atheism (meeting this person at a local gathering or conference doesn’t count).
29. Have crossed “In God We Trust” off of — or put a pro-church-state-separation stamp on — dollar bills. (Don’t have that on my money, but then again I do have the Queen…)
30. Refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. (Or Canadian national anthem)
31. Said “Gesundheit!” (or nothing at all) after someone sneezed because you didn’t want to say “Bless you!”
32. Have ever chosen not to clasp your hands together out of fear someone might think you’re praying.
33. Have turned on Christian TV because you need something entertaining to watch.
34. Are a 2^nd or 3^rd (or more) generation atheist.
35. Have “atheism” listed on your Facebook or dating profile — and not a euphemistic variant.
36. Attended an atheist’s funeral (i.e. a non-religious service).
37. Subscribe to an freethought magazine (e.g. Free Inquiry, Skeptic)
38. Have been interviewed by a reporter because of your atheism.
39. Written a letter-to-the-editor about an issue related to your non-belief in God.
40. Gave a friend or acquaintance a New Atheist book as a gift.
41. Wear pro-atheist clothing in public.
42. Have invited Mormons/Jehovah’s Witnesses into your house specifically because you wanted to argue with them.
43. Have been physically threatened (or beaten up) because you didn’t believe in God.
44. Receive Google Alerts on “atheism” (or variants). (Not anymore though)
45. Received fewer Christmas presents than expected because people assumed you didn’t celebrate it.
46. Visited The Creation Museum or saw Ben Stein’s Expelled just so you could keep tabs on the “enemy.”
47. Refuse to tell anyone what your “sign” is… because it doesn’t matter at all.
48. Are on a mailing list for a Christian organization just so you can see what they’re up to…
49. Have kept your eyes open while you watched others around you pray.
50. Avoid even Unitarian churches because they’re too close to religion for you.

Only 23. Not that bad then.

Did gas drop enough in price so we can continue to piss it away? Did the research phase end and the city decided to cheap out on them?

At least Sherwood Park is still trying out new buses. And on that – let’s get some double decker buses everywhere, if they work for England, they can work here!

Investments in public transit can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, general pollution, traffic, and give people a way to actually commute and read/text/anything-else-you-idiots-are-doing-behind-the-wheel-that-you-shouldn’t-be-doing. Give me more buses!

Of course, all of this is hopefully in part to give Alan a sense of bus-envy as his goal-of-the-year is to buy and renovate a bus.

Yeah, you got it, it should say “Be All Superior”; people who recycle kick ass.
“Why bring this up?” you ask. Well, today, I saw someone almost throw a pop can in the garbage, until someone said “I bet you Hitler had the decency to recycle”. I sincerely wish I had come up with that. Alas, we sadly cannot test this hypothesis because there wasn’t recycling the ’30s. Someone invent a time machine and in the meantime, I’ll continue to Godwin people who don’t recycle.