The Korean edition of Blockhead is here!

The morning mailbag brought this Korean edition of my children’s picture book.  I can’t read a word of this. I wonder how the word Blockhead translates into Korean. Anyone know? Is it insulting? (It should be.) Is it hilarious? (Hope so.) Next up: Spanish and Catalan versions.

Meanwhile, on our shores, this book e-tailer is making the English version of the book available for the ridiculously low, low price of $5.99. Read the fine print. The books are bookstore return copies, and may have a bit more wear than pristine copies you get new. But they should still be fine for classroom use.

Only 12 copies left...

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Sing the Fibonacci Song, Won't You?

Tripping down memory lane with remarkably spry, 800-year-old Fibonacci (seated, in blue gown).

I was in Washington, DC, today to visit with students at the Georgetown Day School. We had a blast, and the kids were among the most knowledgeable Fibonacci fans I’ve ever encountered. And no wonder! It turns out that for the last 13 years, this school has celebrated a Fibonacci Day, where they talk about all things Fibonacci.

Sometimes, they are lucky enough to have a visit from the old Maestro himself, Leonardo Fibonacci, played by a hilariously comic teacher by the name of Reed Thompson. Fibonacci and I riffed on the building of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which happened when he was a boy. We talked about him taking that exciting trip to Algeria that started him on a lifetime of loving numbers, And we talked about the superiority of Hindu-Arabic numerals over Roman numerals.

This is your life, Fibonacci!

It was a dream come true. And then, at the end, the kids and I serenaded Maestro Fibonacci with a song the children had prepared for the occasion.

The song appears here with the kind permission of its author, Georgetown Day School teacher Barbara Buonora. Please do not reprint it without contacting the school for permission. But you are free to belt it out at the top of your lungs!

The song is sung to the tune of “My Darling Clementine.” My thanks to Fibonacci, MaryLou, Rose and everyone else who made it such a memorable day.

The Fibonacci Song

Leonardo Fibonacci

Born in Pisa, Italy—

Most Talented Math’matician

In Middle Ages history!

1, 1, 2, 3,

5, 8, 13, 21, and 34

55 and 89,

One hundred 44!

These are just his infinite sequence—

Patterns found in sunflower,

And in pinecone, shell and pineapple,

Music, art, and even more!

Leonardo loved his numbers

And we love them, too, you see,

For without them, life is boring—

Thank you  Fibonacci!

“The Fibonacci Song,” copyright 2004 by Barbara Buonora, Georgetown Day School. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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Denise Makes the Paper

I’m told nearly 1,000 women attended yesterday’s WISE women’s conference in Syracuse, NY, yesterday, where my wife and co-author Denise Kiernan was a speaker. There were tons o’ speakers, including make-up queen Bobbi Brown. 

But guess whose session made that city’s paper this morning?

We chalk up the spillover crowd to a couple of things: a kick-ass talk (if I do say so myself) and the public’s endless fascination with publishing, which was the topic of Denise’s talk. Actually, the title was “Publishing as Marketing”—i.e., how entrepreneurs can promote their businesses by publishing eBooks.

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It's Official!

I already knew I was an author, but according to the organizers of this conference I’m attending, I apparently deserve another lofty title...

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Today's Mailbag

Today’s mailbag brings two morsels to add to the To-Be-Read pile. My buddy Stuart Connelly announced he’s made his short story The Allnighter available online for FREE. It’s available in all the popular digital formats. Stuart is a remarkable writer whose story about a man who cannot sleep — and who has never slept — is a powerful piece of literary horror fiction. His book of short stories, which includes The Allnighter, is hilariously entitled Confessions of a Velour-Shirted Man.

Also: Another buddy, journo-author Neal Thompson tells us about A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism by Peter Mountford. Judging from the reviews about this novel, it’s worth investigating. Quoting part of Neal’s review:

“[Mountford] tells the story of a transformational month in the life of Gabriel de Boya, an eager but conflicted young researcher for a New York hedge fund posing as a freelance journalist and struggling with greed, love, lies, and desire. Mountford’s writing is admirably restrained, visual and visceral, and the result is taut, poetic, sad, and at times quite moving. Though set in 2005, the story feels fresh and relevant, deftly capturing the deceitful, manipulative world of hedge funds and foreign investment.” 

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Blockhead is a "Best Children's Book of the Year"

Just found out that my children’s picture book, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, about the Medieval mathematician Leonardo of Pisa, was picked one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year by the Bank Street College of Education. Great news coming from an institution that has trained so many fine teachers in New York City.

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Fibonacci Phlox

Chillier here today after a massive thunderstorm last night. But these little guys hung in there. They are Emerald Pholox (“phlox subulata”) which display Fibonacci 5 in their petals.

I have not spotted any flowers that show six or four, so I think the number is pretty consistent across the board for the cultivar.

If I had to pick a flower to plant now to share later with kids, I’d pick this little guy. Fun selection for a Fibonacci garden...

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Fibonacci Vinca

Vinca vine flowers display a Fibonacci 5 configuration, one of the most prevalent numbers in the plant and animal kingdom. (Think starfish, apple seeds, etc.)

These pale blue flowers are blooming now in our area. I like the asymmetrical cast of the petals, which give them a slight sense of movement. They look a little like a child’s pinwheel, designed to catch the wind.

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Freelance Friday

Every First Friday of the month, we meet with our Freelance Friday group at our local bookstore, just to hang out and talk with some creative people, all of whom support themselves doing some kind of freelance work.

They are writers, photographers, life coaches, marketers and more. We are connected to the larger freelance movement via our book The Money Book for Freelancers.

In the U.S. this segment of the workforce is more than 40 million people strong. We are developing a nice list of regulars at our Freelance Friday meetings and we’re proud of it. 

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Fate in a Glass

The glass is more than half full, right? It is, unless you’re a writer. Then — who are we kidding? — it’s practically empty.

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