2016-02-09: Multiplication to Powers

Tonight's midnight math discussion of multiple-digit multiplication took a turn and ended up as a discussion of powers.

2016-02-06: Words Have Failed Me

Nigel and Dad have been reading a book called What If?, which answers outlandish physics questions seriously, yet with a good deal of humor. They are currently tackling a new scenario each Saturday morning.

This week's scenario was Hairdryer, in which an indestructible hairdryer is placed into an indestructible box, then fed amounts of energy that increase by a factor of 10 each time. This chapter of the book explains in detail what would happen at each energy level, becoming increasingly ridiculous as it progresses from 1875 watts at the start up into the petawatts.

Nigel and Dad were laughing at the concepts and illustrations*, and at one point somewhere in the terawatts range, Nigel said, "Words have failed me," which needs to go on the list of all-time great Nigel quotes. He mentioned that he, in turn, was quoting Hobbes of Calvin and Hobbes, which he had been re-reading earlier that morning.

*"This loud box is warm. We're friends now!" and "Loud box is making breakfast!" are Nigel and Dad's favorite illustration captions.

2016-02-01: Anniversary Dinner with Fishtronaut!

Mom and Dad celebrated their wedding anniversary this evening by going out to dinner with Nigel. They went to a nice Italian restaurant that turned out to be great for kids. In addition to crayons and a paper tablecloth, Nigel was provided a ball of pizza dough to shape. Once formed, the server took the dough back to the kitchen, where the chef topped and baked it to make a pizza to Nigel's specification! (Cheese and olives, in this case.)

Nigel tried some new foods, Mom got some lovely seafood (a rare treat for her), and they all shared an assortment of desserts. While waiting for dessert, everyone made funny drawings on the tablecloth. Dad re-created a comic panel from web comic XKCD that he and Nigel particularly like ("Look, Mom and Dad, warm box is making breakfast!"). Mom started drawing a rocket ship, but it ended up looking somewhat more like a fish, and she dubbed it a "Fishtronaut" - a fish with a rocket engine for a tail, that could launch itself out of the ocean and into orbit. Many silly stories were told about the fishtronaut, and laughter filled the occasion.

2016-01-24: Pictures Interfere with Reading

Nigel told Mom today that pictures in books distract him and slow him down, limiting his reading time.

2015-12-13: A Riddle from Nigel

First, from a holiday cracker.
Q: What do you serve, but never eat?
A: A tennis ball!
Nigel's answer: Water, because you drink it, instead!

2015-12-13: What Makes Nigel Happy

A group of kids, asked what makes them happy, said, "Family," "Hiking," "Friends," "Christmas presents," and "Riding bikes." Can you guess which of those was said by Nigel? If Christmas presents came immediately to your mind, you may be as pragmatic and secure in your familial relationships as Nigel, or you may just be a 7-year old boy.

2015-12-07: Upgrading Dad's Computer

Mom said it was okay for Nigel to tell Dad about one of his Christmas presents tonight. Nigel said he wanted to get Dad's laptop computer upgraded to Windows 6, because it has better security. (He almost certainly meant Windows 10, which came out just recently.)

Update 2016-01-30: Dad has finally succeeded in upgrading his laptop to Windows 10, overcoming a number of obstacles. (Overcoming computer obstacles is something he is quite good at.)