New Math

Back (way way back) in my University days, I started college in a private Lutheran school in north Indiana and Chicago became the cultural center of the universe. And well it should have.  We had WFMT and Second City and the Midnight Special and on weekends in the spring we could bus into the Loop. 

I studied trumpet with a Chicago Symphony guy who taught out of a studio on Lakeshore and I would take the 6am train into the city and be his first lesson of the day at 9 as he had afternoon concerts and could only take 4 students on Saturday. I would hang out and go to Orchestra Hall, train back, play pickup basketball until done in and get back to my fraternity house by 10.  

At that point it was endless french toast or pancakes until WFMT did the Saturday Midnight Special and Tom Lehrer was usually on at least once.  He often did a sketch called NEW MATH, a pretty much timeless bit of satire.

I have an idea of what made me think of this. I spent a couple hours a few weeks ago trying to figure out core math.  All that crap and all you really had to do was line up the numbers and add them up or learn your multiplication tables. Anyway, his genius is timeless and I wish those common core morons would take a listen when they try and explain things.