Coffees and memberships

Thank you so much to everyone who has already used the 'Buy me a Coffee' link below to support my online book reviews, general science and writing life articles.

As it says below, my posts on the Popular Science website and here on my blog Now Appearing will always be free, but if you'd really like to help keep me going (and to avoid running intrusive adverts, which I hate) I've introduced a membership scheme that involves a small monthly contribution.

There are three levels:

Bronze - £1 a month (or £10 a year), like the individual coffee purchases, this will help me be able to dedicate the time to writing these posts and reviews, but makes it more secure.
Silver - £3 a month (or £30 a year) - by moving up to a coffee a month, I'm adding in additional posts and messages just for silver and gold members, plus discounts on signed books. Membership also includes the option to suggest books for review. There will be still be as many free posts for all readers, but there will be some tasty extras for members.
Gold - £5 a month (or £50 a year) - in addition to the Silver benefits you will get a free, signed hardback book (or two paperbacks) at the start of the year if paying the full year, or at the end of the year if paying monthly. You will be given a choice from at least five titles each time, with the book(s) posted to your chosen address.

I hope you will consider helping support my online writing - just click the 'Buy me a Coffee' button below.

These articles will always be free - but if you'd like to support my online work, consider buying a virtual coffee:

Buy me a coffee

See all Brian's online articles or subscribe to a weekly email free here

Comments

Why I hate opera

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Why backgammon is a better game than chess

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Is 5x3 the same as 3x5?

The Internet has gone mildly bonkers over a child in America who was marked down in a test because when asked to work out 5x3 by repeated addition he/she used 5+5+5 instead of 3+3+3+3+3. Those who support the teacher say that 5x3 means 'five lots of 3' where the complainants say that 'times' is commutative (reversible) so the distinction is meaningless as 5x3 and 3x5 are indistinguishable. It's certainly true that not all mathematical operations are commutative. I think we are all comfortable that 5-3 is not the same as 3-5. However. This not true of multiplication (of numbers). And so if there is to be any distinction, it has to be in the use of English to interpret the 'x' sign. Unfortunately, even here there is no logical way of coming up with a definitive answer. I suspect most primary school teachers would expands 'times' as 'lots of' as mentioned above. So we get 5 x 3 as '5 lots of 3'. Unfortunately that only wor...

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