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outbreak + poetry

The 2020 π Day art celebrates the digits of π with piku (パイク) — poetry inspired by haiku. They serve as the form for The Outbreak Poems. On our 2022 Pi Day album "three one four: a number of notes", a piku accompanies each track.

The Outbreak Poems

Short emissions from piku actual during the coronavirus outbreak. Not just the pandemic, but also about other feelings. As they come.

Explore the collection by themes such as life, light, day, night, time, thought.

If you don't know how to feel about that, refer to my tree of emotional life.

The pikus are ordered by time, with the most recent first. Learn about piku.

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

3 Your hours
1 will
4 last me my years.
403

3 Hole in heart
1 is
4 bigger than you
1 were.
402

3 From hand to
1 heart
4 in a flutter.
401

3 Come fly in
1 my
4 heart for a while.
400

3 Can't feel you
1 in
4 my hand, dying.
399

3 Need new words,
1 please,
4 for these feelings.
398

3 Mini dee
1 you
4 put you in me.
397
Mindy was a chickadee. And then she wasn't.

Thursday, 24 September 2020

3 Whispers are
1 right.
4 Lies are shouted.
396

Sunday, 2 August 2020

3 Sadness in
1 space
4 but tears don't fall.
395

Friday, 31 July 2020

3 Skull plates fused
1 shut
4 and no way out.
394

3 Everything
1 was
4 once a poem.
393

3 We count the
1 times
4 we count the times.
392

Tuesday, 21 July 2020

3 Each inhale
1 keeps
4 something to its
1 self.
391

3 The mind has
1 a
4 heart of its own.
390

3 Slow turtle
1 day.
4 Find me a rock.
389

3 Long is short
1 when
4 seen from the side.
388

3 Memories:
1 life's
4 evidence room.
387

3 Promising
1 new
4 thought, last thought lied.
386

3 The last chill
1 then
4 a long slow warm.
385

Monday, 6 July 2020

3 Tears decline
1 the
4 plural of sad.
384

3 Souls look out
1 from
4 dark eye windows.
383

Monday, 29 June 2020

3 Ideas,
1 light
4 in a shadow.
382

3 Falling Moon
1 caught
4 by horizon.
381

3 Distant shout
1 comes
4 in a whisper.
380

Wednesday, 24 June 2020

3 As human
1 as
4 phenomenon.
379

3 Now time takes
1 this
4 but then time gives
1 that.
378

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

3 Unseen things
1 make
4 their own light. See?
377

3 Receeding
1 past
4 present future:
1 chase!
376

Monday, 25 May 2020

3 That moment
1 when
4 you know a moment.
375

3 Branch to branch,
1 flit,
4 look everywhere,
1 chirp.
374

3 Memory,
1 scent
4 of thought fleeting.
373

3 Distant pasts
1 all
4 ways in plural
1 form.
372

Thursday, 21 May 2020

3 Small hours
1 of
4 the world and me.
371

Wednesday, 13 May 2020

3 Learn and a
1 gain
4 anticipte.
370

3 Present but
1 not
4 infinite like
1 this.
369

Friday, 8 May 2020

3 Answer pile,
1 here.
4 Question at hand,
1 there.
368

3 For how long
1 do
4 life's credits roll?
367

3 As kids a
1 meal
4 was the whole world.
366

3 My mind in
1 your
4 mirror neurons.
365

3 Some poems
1 don't
4 exit quietly.
364

3 Small birds
1 think
4 big ones are planes.
363

3 Promise of time
1 each
4 calendar page.
362

3 A first lost
1 in
4 a pile of lasts.
361

Wednesday, 6 May 2020

3 Little ink
1 world
4 this period this
1 one.
360

Monday, 4 May 2020

3 White hidden
1 a
4 crowd of colours.
359

3 Reflections
1 give
4 light a second
1 chance.
358

Sunday, 3 May 2020

3 Night opens
1 door
4 catch dreams sneaking
1 out.
357

3 Lonely pry
1 vet
4 information.
356

3 Every day
1 a
4 shorter future.
355

3 Words unsaid
1 drown
4 in drinks unpoured.
354

3 Eraser
1 dream
4 wronging a right.
353

Saturday, 2 May 2020

3 Good to hear
1 your
4 look that's silent.
352

Friday, 1 May 2020

3 Pears appear
1 and
4 then this a pear.
351

3 Essence of
1 step
4 in the next foot.
350

3 Taste not in
1 mouth
4 but memory.
349

Wednesday, 29 April 2020

3 Tickets just
1 one
4 way to loose ends.
348

3 Light is off
1 but
4 somebody is at
1 home.
347

Tuesday, 28 April 2020

3 Reflections
1 there
4 but not chosen.
346

3 If you can
1 read
4 this you're too far.
345

3 Eternity
1 looks
4 like light from stars.
344

3 Treed fur tufts
1 sit
4 fly tumble dry
1 tears.
343
B ✝ 2015

3 One last run
1 go
4 you've out died this
1 place.
342
B ✝ 2015

3 Ears that didn't
1 flop
4 ideal then and
1 now.
341
B ✝ 2015

3 Animal
1 eyes
4 look without pre
1 tense.
340
B ✝ 2015

3 A sense of
1 no
4 sense this nonsense.
339

Monday, 27 April 2020

3 Flame inside
1 there's
4 cracks to peek out.
338
Inspired by Leonard Cohen's Anthem line "There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in".

3 Rulers stretch
1 shrink
4 length a feeling.
337
Inspired by Haruki Murakami's Killing Commendatore.

3 Small numbers
1 feel
4 infinite to
1 day.
336
And I've had a run in with infinity before.

3 Souls as poems
1 live
4 nothing else more.
335

Monday, 27 April 2020

3 Next thought crowds
1 one
4 left still thinking.
334

3 Little bird
1 these
4 eggs are your world.
333
A new family of chickadees are baking a fresh brood in the balcony nest. Maybe offspring from a previous year.

3 Night clouds roll
1 and
4 blanket silence.
332

Friday, 24 April 2020

3 Fetch faster
1 dirty
4 dog nose and paws.
331

3 In trees sit
1 wait
4 unpublished tweets.
330

3 Let's find out
1 things
4 that will keep us.
329

3 Many ways
1 none
4 so much away.
328

3 Repeating
1 drains
4 fragile worth trickles
1 in.
327

3 Near enough
1 to
4 be far enough.
326

Thursday, 23 April 2020

3 New effort
1 for
4 effortlnessness.
325

3 Sleep calls back
1 light
4 in the morning.
324

3 Shapes walking
1 where
4 to minds thinking
1 what.
323

3 When silence
1 turns
4 pages expect
1 noise.
322

3 Horizon
1 from
4 beyond other
1 side.
5 Peek over and look.
321

3 World brims
1 spills
4 things unknown.
320

3 This connect
1 is
4 disconnected.
319

Wednesday, 22 April 2020

3 Sleep cycle
1 stopped
4 spinning pedals
1 stuck.
318

3 Atoms sit
1 as
4 moments in space.
317
Since distance can just as well be measured by time `d = vt` with usually `v = c` (there is no such thing as a turtle year, but there should be), small spaces can be short or long times.

Monday, 20 April 2020

3 We're not all
1 the
4 same animal.
316

3 This tiny
1 beach
4 full of all our
1 worlds.
315
Inspired by Auguries of Innocence by Blake.

3 Mind places
1 sought
4 by body places.
314

3 This meaning
1 what's
4 this feeling this
1 time.
313
Inspired by Sundance by Violet Indiana.

3 This wish chained
1 to
4 previous wishes.
312
Inspired by Escapist— Never by Frost.

3 Echos of
1 words
4 are their own words.
311

3 Little cat feet
1 play
4 a larger game.
310
Inspired by Fog by Sandburg.

Friday, 17 April 2020

3 Just like last
1 time
4 it's different.
309

3 One open eye
1 asks
4 makes the other
1 close.
308

3 From chaos
1 now
4 comes this order.
307

Thursday, 16 April 2020

3 Swipe wipe
1 out
4 left right again.
306

3 Random hook
1 dial
4 operator.
305

3 Gases in
1 part
4 mix and layer
1 else
5 pulse bullow and fume.
304

3 Downshift purr
1 wind
4 music hair a
1 mess.
303

3 Tired of
1 and
4 bored with take their
1 turn.
302

Wednesday, 15 April 2020

3 Piku have
1 a
4 way of coming
1 back.
301

3 Effort is
1 in
4 discipline.
300

3 Much lingers
1 some
4 sticks all passes.
299

3 Every no
1 thing
4 is permanent.
298

3 Fractal splits
1 far
4 expand underhead.
297

3 Many parts
1 lost
4 without a whole.
296

3 Red chyron
1 loops
4 familiar un
1 wants.
295

3 Wake up sun
1 shine
4 the moon is out.
294

3 Plenty of
1 room
4 on the inside.
293

3 Private face
1 in
4 public spaces.
292

Tuesday, 14 April 2020

3 We have been
1 just
4 chemistry and
1 math.
291
Inspired Chemistry and Math by Flunk. I had the 2018 Hitchmas party with them in Oslo.

3 Flash two three
1 four
4 five six seven crack.
290

3 Too much lost
1 in
4 bad translation.
289

3 Open sight lines
1 but
4 nothing to see open.
288

Monday, 13 April 2020

3 Bottomless
1 wells
4 gushing to no
1 mops.
287

3 Locked doors hinged
1 tight
4 wait to slam open.
286

3 Sleep flies low
1 under
4 a mass of thoughts.
285

3 Worlds apart
1 and
4 words together.
284

3 Sleep is a
1 death
4 day is a birth
1 but
5 only of consciousness.
283

3 Past prices
1 up,
4 future value down.
282

3 Define your
1 new
4 minimum values.
281

3 Ears dull in
1 sound
4 isolation.
280

3 Submerged in
1 air
4 without movement.
279

Sunday, 12 April 2020

3 Leaves whisper
1 while
4 we bark at the
1 trees.
278

3 Nothing thought
1 and
4 nothing said well
1 said.
277

3 Hours can't
1 see
4 what years can teach
1 them.
276
Inspired by Emerson's "The years teach much which the days never know."

3 Wake to a
1 dream
4 that never ends.
275

3 Tomorrow
1 is
4 never promised.
274
But it is always taken by the day after tomorrow.

3 Entropic
1 mess:
4 there's no cleaning
1 it.
273
You can't fight thermodynamics.

Saturday, 11 April 2020

3 Battles are
1 won
4 while wars are lost.
272

3 There's a note
1 in
4 each silence.
271

3 Wake up your
1 self
4 everyday.
270

Friday, 10 April 2020

3 Tragedy lasts
1 long
4 for the living.
269

3 New parts must
1 learn
4 how to make tears.
268
The "ABCs of crying harder" is an instruction manual nobody wants to learn from.

3 Peak vistas
1 of
4 valley caffès.
267

3 Dry twigs crack
1 last
4 sounds of a tree.
266
The tree agrees that this is a lovely sentiment.

3 Things can be
1 heard
4 without saying.
265

3 Fiat lux
1 this
4 time with feeling.
264
Because I really don't think he knew what he was doing the first time around.

3 Cup bottom
1 speaks
4 more than saucer.
263

3 Coffee slick
1 with
4 double bubbles.
262
Mandabatmaz.

3 Old films make
1 new
4 friends with my eyes.
261

3 No surprise,
1 is
4 this the surprise?
260

3 Charges flow
1 as
4 pathways fire.
259

3 Series of
1 threads
4 unrewinding.
258

Thursday, 9 April 2020

3 Alley shops
1 miss
4 alley people.
257
So far, one of my favourite piku emissions.

3 Always some
1 but
4 never enough
1 hope.
256

3 Drying paint
1 echo
4 of the artist.
255

3 Universe
1 grows
4 on you and it
1 self.
254
At least one of these is true.

3 Trees sprout leaves
1 as
4 roots in the sky.
253

3 Dripping taps
1 tell
4 stories slowly.
252
Slow speakers are pure torture.

Wednesday, 8 April 2020

3 Patience but
1 know
4 where to put it.
251

3 Favourite
1 looks
4 words tastes phrases
1 ex
5 foreign origins.
250
The "ex" here has two meanings: from and former. The latter because, once favourite, they are no longer foreign.

3 Melody
1 same
4 feelings different.
249

3 Desire
1 life
4 remote control.
248

3 Sun rays burn
1 off
4 night dust into
1 day.
247

3 Sanitize
1 in
4 perfection now.
246
This is inspired by Star Trek Season 2 Episode 3 episode "The Changeling" in which Nomad has a tendency to say "sterilize imperfections" which is channeled by Spock. TL;DR deep space probes gone amok.

3 Door closes
1 next
4 next door closes
1 next
5 nothing is left open.
245
I personally despise the "door closes another door opens" adage. So this piku fights that.

3 One of the
1 pair
4 is from the other.
244
Slightly creepy. Try to find the other piku that makes a pair with this one. The one about twins.

3 Eyes look at
1 eyes
4 and see themselves.
243

3 Look back and
1 pass
4 destinations.
242

Tuesday, 7 April 2020

3 Clock hands drift
1 far
4 uncommitted
1 near
5 passing each other
9 same mechanism different purpose.
241

3 My roof a
1 floor
4 for small bird feet.
240

3 Not louder
1 or
4 softer each tick
1 same.
239

3 Certainty
1 lacks
4 certain something.
238

3 Flat bed and
1 flat
4 I am in it.
237

3 Silent wars
1 with
4 no enemy.
236

3 Words defined
1 words
4 express feeling.
235

3 Tall stacks of
1 books
4 reach for my eyes.
234

3 Blank pages
1 soak
4 in future thoughts.
233

3 Third line knows
1 and
4 waits for its turn.
232

3 Background sneaks
1 through
4 into foreground.
231

3 Big sky lights
1 change
4 themselves and you.
230

3 Pink full moon
1 with
4 new sprouting grass.
229
April's full moon is pink but it's also called "sprouting grass moon".

Monday, 6 April 2020

3 Starlight too
1 casts
4 shadows at night.
228

3 All shiny
1 things
4 save light for in
1 side.
227

3 With nothing
1 lost
4 cynics always
1 lose.
226

3 Time series
1 of
4 moments makes us.
225

3 With myself
1 so
4 missing myself.
224

3 Snowflakes fall
1 each
4 alone in their
1 crowd.
223
I had the thought that we're all like snowflakes. We form, travel for some time and then melt. On the way down, some snowflakes meet others.

3 Sound is this
1 wind
4 distantly close.
222

3 Under the
1 sea
4 is inside of
1 it.
221
It struck me that "under the sea" is a silly phrase. It really should be "under the surface of the sea". Strictly speaking, the sea stretches all the way to the bottom, so under it lies sand and rock.

3 Night comes on
1 and
4 does not take a
1 no.
220
Inspired by Leonard Cohen's Night Comes On in which he writes "And the night came on, it was very calm".

3 Harder and
1 hard
4 like truth itself.
219

Sunday, 5 April 2020

3 Naked moon
1 stripped
4 of atmosphere
1 glow.
218

3 Space signals
1 reach
4 their next space then
1 next.
217

3 In space there
1 is
4 no charisma.
216

3 Answers here
1 but
4 all questions there.
215
If I had the choice, I'd want to be known for my questions and not for my answers. The map is marked with unusual and interesting questions, not answers.

3 After start
1 there
4 isn't another
1 start.
214

3 Goosebumps but
1 duck
4 doesn't seem to
1 mind.
213

3 Neurons peek
1 out
4 from skin for quick
1 look.
212
When peripheral sensory neurons haven't had input, they get sad and impatient.

3 Unheard words
1 queue
4 behind silence.
211

3 Syllables
1 of
4 silence wait their
1 turn.
210

3 Loss makes space
1 for
4 sadness to flow
1 in.
209

3 Double sided
1 with
4 single intent.
208

3 Snag hitch tear
1 rip
4 this organic
1 cloth.
207

3 Green light beam
1 times
4 giving consent
1 blinks
5 you: on off yes no.
206

3 Call me by
1 name
4 I had before
1 names.
205

3 Lovely dark
1 deep
4 promises to
1 break.
204
Inspired by Robert's Frost Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.

3 Every tree
1 at
4 home in its own
1 wood.
203

Saturday, 4 April 2020

3 Waves without
1 sound
4 waterless storm.
202

3 Prayer last
1 in
4 the race of thoughts.
201
I don't mean that prayer gets its turn at the end. I mean that it's the biggest loser.

3 Clock hands go
1 limp
4 tick tock in my
1 brain.
200

3 Look back how
1 all
4 things were just things.
199

3 Red light is
1 last
4 to blink and go
1 out.
198

3 Eyes and ears
1 find
4 ways to argue.
197

3 Income in
1 come
4 out go outcome.
196

3 Toaster pops
1 its
4 work is done and
1 mine?
195

3 Between two
1 lines
4 more lines between
1 two.
194

3 It all was
1 has
4 been already
1 yet.
193

3 Drip water
1 drips
4 dripping water
1 dripped.
192

3 Used car out
1 of
4 love on sad lot
1 weeps.
191

3 Light casts deep
1 long
4 small thin shadows.
190

3 Chicken chick
1 in
4 egg or out come
1 on.
189

3 Grass short sticks
1 feel
4 soft and give bend.
188

3 Season comes
1 in
4 whispered colors.
187

3 Masses a
1 part
4 orbit far out.
186

3 Forward face
1 side
4 glance rear view a
1 gain.
185

3 Remember
1 and
4 forget balance.
184

3 Dark black ink
1 spot
4 spot another
1 spot.
183

3 All distance
1 more
4 than two meters.
182

3 Close and near
1 like
4 dinos extinct.
181

3 Blank paper
1 waits
4 too long for thoughts.
180

Friday, 3 April 2020

3 Thoughts crack through
1 night
4 to a still clock.
179

3 Clogged channels
1 stuck
4 with nervous silt.
178

3 Song to sleep
1 and
4 poem to wake
1 to.
177

3 Once in a
1 while
4 a long moment.
176

3 Lump on head
1 from
4 hole in stomach.
175

3 Universe
1 of
4 no mind but ours.
174

3 Higher than
1 birds
4 stars glide at night.
173

3 Sleeps or hides
1 some
4 thing internal.
172

3 Pieces move by
1 rules
4 not yet written.
171

3 Clouds visit
1 then
4 as fog they stay.
170

3 Distant duck
1 bobs
4 like something else.
169

3 Not above
1 the
4 belows but in
1 them.
168

3 Yesterday
1 comes
4 by starlight to
1 day.
167

3 It's always
1 not
4 now somewhere else.
166

Thursday, 2 April 2020

3 Keys jingle
1 a
4 nervous ditty.
165

3 Night shadows
1 sneak
4 past eyes closed tight.
164

3 Angled paths
1 from
4 now to much later.
163

3 One word said
1 in
4 seconds can take
1 years
5 to hear and unhear.
162

3 Para to
1 your
4 sympathetic.
161
It's all about nerves.

3 Today is
1 the
4 largest number.
160
Sometimes to infinity and beyond isn't a journey worth taking.

3 One bottle
1 two
4 glasses no words.
159
Ideally.

3 Habit fades
1 new
4 growth into old
1 soil.
158

Wednesday, 1 April 2020

3 Time of death
1 some
4 time during life.
157

3 Ends motion
1 slow
4 fall back from here.
156

3 Love is a
1 word
4 and words are love-
1 ly.
155

3 Burdens of
1 math
4 of subtraction.
154

3 Passport stamps
1 fade
4 evaporate.
153

3 Coin with hole
1 are
4 you all my change?
152

3 Counting tears
1 with
4 economics.
151

3 City life
1 late
4 night city death.
150

3 When an eye
1 feels
4 it feels colour.
149

3 Around bend
1 find
4 straight lines of light.
148

3 Pass through all
1 things
4 whispering no
1 thing.
147

3 Between beats
1 lush
4 echo valleys.
146

3 Tiny gap
1 then
4 electric touch.
145

3 Slippery
1 time
4 grab it to lose
1 it.
144

3 Words on page
1 are
4 the chatter of
1 nerves.
143

3 For all we
1 know
4 there are things we
1 don't.
142

Tuesday, 31 March 2020

3 Panic can
1 wait
4 for tomorrow.
141

3 Regrets live
1 on
4 curves not tangents.
140
Every conversation carries a small poetic chance.

3 Small chances
1 are
4 never zero.
139

3 Month's last day
1 waits
4 for another
1 year.
138

Monday, 30 March 2020

3 Problems greet
1 us
4 in the morning.
137

3 Small voices
1 now
4 clear in silence.
136

3 Sound of trees
1 you
4 have always been
1 there.
135
Inspired by Edna St. Vincent Millay's City Trees

3 Directions
1 are
4 all of forward
1 kind.
134

Saturday, 28 March 2020

3 Sadness need
1 not
4 be sad just deep.
133

3 Future filled
1 with
4 minutes from past.
132

3 Let's just go
1 and
4 buy some paper.
131

3 I'm not one
1 to
4 say I can't be
1 two.
130

3 Molecules
1 in
4 action against
1 me.
129
Consider that kinetics were never in your favour.

3 Nearness shows
1 its
4 extreme distance.
128
You cannot have hot without cold. You cannot have together without apart.

3 It's hard but
1 not
4 complicated.
127
Most problems are solved with effort and not necessarily clever thinking.

3 Plenty of
1 room
4 yet on the curve.
126
I despise long tails.

3 Travel some
1 where
4 inside of you.
125
Plenty of room at the bottom (R. Feynman).

3 Everything
1 is
4 too brief or too
1 long.
124
Life has no Goldilocks zone.

3 We have all
1 the
4 time in an out
1 break.
123

3 It was all
1 ways
4 the other twin.
122

Friday, 27 March 2020

3 Hello world
1 are
4 you worth greeting?
121

3 All curves are
1 meant
4 to be ahead
1 of.
120

3 Problem solve.
1 If
4 angry trouble
1 shoot.
119

3 Soon slips in
1 to
4 later never.
118

Thursday, 26 March 2020

3 Dull ache in
1 side
4 by side close friend.
117

3 No sense of
1 a
4 present or even
1 past.
116

3 Universe
1 of
4 indifferent
1 parts.
115

3 Exceptions
1 are
4 sometimes the rule.
114

3 Coffee old
1 friend
4 with intimate
1 warmth.
113
I hug my cup everyday.

Wednesday, 25 March 2020

3 Non-answers
1 are
4 questions disguised.
112

3 Base pair change
1 not
4 in your favour.
111
Genomes sometimes change their minds. For the worse.

3 Two birds on
1 rock
4 together a
1 part.
110

3 No thanks no
1 luck
4 keeps fates sleeping.
109
Chance does not accomodate consistently. The fates are Clotho (the Spinner), Lachesis (the Alloter) and Atropos (the Inflexible).

3 Why is how
1 when
4 who becomes what.
108

3 Not all change
1 is
4 evolution.
107

Tuesday, 24 March 2020

3 Equation
1 for
4 diffusion of
1 tears
5 is not closed in form.
106
An equation is a closed-form solution if it solves a given problem in terms of functions and mathematical operations from a given generally-accepted set (Wolfram MathWorld)

3 Absolute
1 null
4 temperature
1 is
5 also a feeling.
105

3 Gods act in
1 plays
4 put on by us.
104

3 High to low
1 and
4 one sigh between.
103

3 Sinking in
1 far
4 beyond bottom.
102

3 Bad timing
1 con-
4 verge in breaking.
101

3 The fix is
1 in
4 not the fixing.
100
Once written the piku has its own vitality and should not be altered.

3 Foreign words
1 make
4 new bumps on brain.
99
One of the translations of "bossa nova" is "new bump". Story goes that once you learn something, your brain develops a new ridge or bump (gyrus) where this knowledge is stored. Dancing bossa or learning languages gives you a new bump!

3 Strike once strike
1 hard,
4 then soft decay.
98

3 The choice isn't
1 mine.
4 I miss when it
1 was.
97
If ever.

3 Too small to
1 see,
4 too big to cope.
96
Invisible enemies get +1 for stealth and rolls 2d20 initative.

3 Paper be
1 comes
4 an ear for words.
95

3 People with
1 out
4 symptomps: you're next.
94
"People Without Symptoms" is a great band name for these COVID-19 times.

3 Let me be
1 clear:
4 future opaque.
93

3 Dignified
1 greed:
4 toilet paper.
92
Don't be a covidiot.

3 Battery
1 dead
4 or pause on self?
91

3 Triage, see
1 the
4 signs of the times.
90

3 Art and dark
1 mix
4 and you're the light.
89

3 Flatten this.
1 God
4 damn it all twice.
88

3 Words warm wrap
1 for
4 isolation.
87

3 Olympics
1 dream:
4 citius, altius,
1 dead.
86
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics are postponed to 2021. But they'll still be called the 2020 olympics. Likely because there's a mascot song that rhymes with 2020.

3 Can't find the
1 stop
4 button. Stuck on
1 play.
85

Monday, 23 March 2020

3 News cycle
1 with
4 no working brakes.
84

3 Movement with
1 full
4 paralysis.
83

3 Dry firm land
1 makes
4 this sea sickness.
82

3 Hint of worlds
1 in
4 pins of sky light.
81

3 Practised by
1 stars:
4 stellar distance.
80

Sunday, 22 March 2020

3 Store shelves too
1 have
4 their own colour.
79

3 Virus, you
1 done
4 with copier?
78

3 Mind full gone
1 are
4 nooks for questions.
77

3 Late mornings
1 roll
4 into early
1 nights.
76

3 A strange day
1 strange
4 actions invites.
75

3 Not first or
1 last
4 in between feels
1 good.
74

3 Hello spring
1 you're
4 a trap this time.
73

3 Stores empty
1 as
4 hospitals full.
72

3 We're numbers:
1 ones
4 but not zeros.
71

3 Life, a stat
1 test
4 with an n of
1 1.
70

Saturday, 21 March 2020

3 Anytime
1 each
4 time all the time.
69

3 Lips part, out
1 fly
4 tiny quiets.
68

3 Left or right?
1 Ok,
4 let's go with or.
67

3 Here's the thing:
1 it's
4 a lot of things.
66

3 Grow blind to
1 things
4 not worth seeing.
65

3 Eye caught by
1 line
4 to I don't know.
64

3 One minute
1 kiss
4 fills and hour.
63

3 Clock's right hand,
1 what
4 are you ticking
1 now?
62

3 Value in
1 not
4 assigning it.
61

3 Book of life,
1 her
4 horror story.
60

3 Microscape
1 sad
4 tiny valleys
1 dim.
59

3 Boulders roll
1 over
4 pretty flowers.
58

3 Post mortem:
1 an
4 after your thought.
57

3 Pre mortem
1 does
4 up the ante.
56

Friday, 20 March 2020

3 Regular
1 words
4 with curious use.
55

3 Large numbers
1 hide
4 me you and us.
54

3 Roads end where
1 fields
4 sway flowers bloom.
53

3 You are me
1 as
4 I see you to
1 day.
52

3 Before act
1 post
4 thought buzz of nerve.
51

3 Receipt in
1 valid.
4 Stuck with this shit.
50

3 Faith hope vision:
1 same
4 but with different
1 god.
49

3 Who are we
1 to
4 say we are some
1 one?
48

3 Eyes on ends
1 can
4 not see new starts.
47

3 Sweet melon
1 bread
4 warm dough bubble.
46

3 Words that say
1 no
4 thing sink like stones.
45

3 Important
1 things
4 hide and seek for-
1 ever.
44

3 Winter has
1 come.
4 Why in the spring?
43

3 New is the
1 new
4 new. Miss the old.
42

Thursday, 19 March 2020

3 All hands on
1 deck.
4 All feet below.
41

3 Oh virus,
1 thy
4 spring's play I see
1 through.
40

3 History
1 now
4 to yesterday.
39

3 New piku
1 age
4 fast like the times.
38

3 Outbreak unites
1 big
4 with the very small.
37

3 Bird song chirp
1 sound
4 that is always
1 there.
36

3 I prefer
1 calm
4 after the storm.
35

3 Isolate:
1 the
4 new fight or flight.
34

3 Windows doors
1 closed
4 opened new tab.
33

3 Tick tock tick,
1 tock.
4 News start and stop.
32

Wednesday, 18 March 2020

3 Further than
1 feel,
4 closer than see.
31

3 Virus, bro,
1 what's
4 with the anger?
30

3 Questions burn
1 but
4 answers pending.
29

3 Everything
1 mixed
4 in bad order.
28

3 Pixels glow
1 bits
4 a stranger now
1 friend.
27

3 Maybe runs
1 fast
4 to yes. Please, no.
26

3 Spring comes out
1 to
4 an empty stage.
25

3 The whole world
1 knocks
4 to be let out.
24

3 By strange times
1 touch
4 a stranger's face.
23

3 Unseen words
1 slip
4 past unseeing
1 eyes.
22

Tuesday, 17 March 2020

3 Just in time
1 right
4 now is too late.
21

3 Yesterday's
1 wrong
4 step brings me here.
20

3 Sunlight even
1 through
4 darkest hour.
19

3 Straight most times
1 beats
4 exponential.
18

3 Past midnight
1 comes
4 a slow new day.
17

Monday, 16 March 2020

3 People far
1 apart
4 hearts close in part.
16

3 Questions, locked
1 doors.
4 Where are the keys?
15

3 Sound of crows.
1 Omen,
4 or just birds talking.
14

3 There is no
1 after-
4 life but there is
1 after
5 life a different life.
13

3 Nerves tickle
1 but
4 without giggling.
12

3 What is left
1 grows
4 into tomorrow.
11

3 Dance and sing
1 life
4 plays the music.
10

Sunday, 15 March 2020

3 Memories
1 light
4 dust in the mind.
9

3 Thought on thought
1 stacks
4 like sediment.
8

3 Words chase words
1 then
4 period like this
1 one.
7

3 Ducks on pond
1 paired
4 except this one.
6

3 Unknown ends
1 un-
4 known beginnings
1 start.
5

Saturday, 14 March 2020

3 Contact lost
1 alone
4 blurry faces
1 far
5 on the horizon.
4

3 Understand
1 more,
4 fear less. Marie was
1 right.
3

3 Reason on
1 brain
4 kindness in heart.
2

3 Pi never
1 ends
4 unlike outbreaks
1

news + thoughts

Nasa to send our human genome discs to the Moon

Sat 23-03-2024

We'd like to say a ‘cosmic hello’: mathematics, culture, palaeontology, art and science, and ... human genomes.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
SANCTUARY PROJECT | A cosmic hello of art, science, and genomes. (details)
Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
SANCTUARY PROJECT | Benoit Faiveley, founder of the Sanctuary project gives the Sanctuary disc a visual check at CEA LeQ Grenoble (image: Vincent Thomas). (details)
Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
SANCTUARY PROJECT | Sanctuary team examines the Life disc at INRIA Paris Saclay (image: Benedict Redgrove) (details)

Comparing classifier performance with baselines

Sat 23-03-2024

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. —George Orwell

This month, we will illustrate the importance of establishing a baseline performance level.

Baselines are typically generated independently for each dataset using very simple models. Their role is to set the minimum level of acceptable performance and help with comparing relative improvements in performance of other models.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Comparing classifier performance with baselines. (read)

Unfortunately, baselines are often overlooked and, in the presence of a class imbalance5, must be established with care.

Megahed, F.M, Chen, Y-J., Jones-Farmer, A., Rigdon, S.E., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2024) Points of significance: Comparing classifier performance with baselines. Nat. Methods 20.

Happy 2024 π Day—
sunflowers ho!

Sat 09-03-2024

Celebrate π Day (March 14th) and dig into the digit garden. Let's grow something.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
2024 π DAY | A garden of 1,000 digits of π. (details)

How Analyzing Cosmic Nothing Might Explain Everything

Thu 18-01-2024

Huge empty areas of the universe called voids could help solve the greatest mysteries in the cosmos.

My graphic accompanying How Analyzing Cosmic Nothing Might Explain Everything in the January 2024 issue of Scientific American depicts the entire Universe in a two-page spread — full of nothing.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
How Analyzing Cosmic Nothing Might Explain Everything. Text by Michael Lemonick (editor), art direction by Jen Christiansen (Senior Graphics Editor), source: SDSS

The graphic uses the latest data from SDSS 12 and is an update to my Superclusters and Voids poster.

Michael Lemonick (editor) explains on the graphic:

“Regions of relatively empty space called cosmic voids are everywhere in the universe, and scientists believe studying their size, shape and spread across the cosmos could help them understand dark matter, dark energy and other big mysteries.

To use voids in this way, astronomers must map these regions in detail—a project that is just beginning.

Shown here are voids discovered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), along with a selection of 16 previously named voids. Scientists expect voids to be evenly distributed throughout space—the lack of voids in some regions on the globe simply reflects SDSS’s sky coverage.”

voids

Sofia Contarini, Alice Pisani, Nico Hamaus, Federico Marulli Lauro Moscardini & Marco Baldi (2023) Cosmological Constraints from the BOSS DR12 Void Size Function Astrophysical Journal 953:46.

Nico Hamaus, Alice Pisani, Jin-Ah Choi, Guilhem Lavaux, Benjamin D. Wandelt & Jochen Weller (2020) Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics 2020:023.

Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 12

constellation figures

Alan MacRobert (Sky & Telescope), Paulina Rowicka/Martin Krzywinski (revisions & Microscopium)

stars

Hoffleit & Warren Jr. (1991) The Bright Star Catalog, 5th Revised Edition (Preliminary Version).

cosmology

H0 = 67.4 km/(Mpc·s), Ωm = 0.315, Ωv = 0.685. Planck collaboration Planck 2018 results. VI. Cosmological parameters (2018).

Error in predictor variables

Tue 02-01-2024

It is the mark of an educated mind to rest satisfied with the degree of precision that the nature of the subject admits and not to seek exactness where only an approximation is possible. —Aristotle

In regression, the predictors are (typically) assumed to have known values that are measured without error.

Practically, however, predictors are often measured with error. This has a profound (but predictable) effect on the estimates of relationships among variables – the so-called “error in variables” problem.

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Error in predictor variables. (read)

Error in measuring the predictors is often ignored. In this column, we discuss when ignoring this error is harmless and when it can lead to large bias that can leads us to miss important effects.

Altman, N. & Krzywinski, M. (2024) Points of significance: Error in predictor variables. Nat. Methods 20.

Background reading

Altman, N. & Krzywinski, M. (2015) Points of significance: Simple linear regression. Nat. Methods 12:999–1000.

Lever, J., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2016) Points of significance: Logistic regression. Nat. Methods 13:541–542 (2016).

Das, K., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2019) Points of significance: Quantile regression. Nat. Methods 16:451–452.

Convolutional neural networks

Tue 02-01-2024

Nature uses only the longest threads to weave her patterns, so that each small piece of her fabric reveals the organization of the entire tapestry. – Richard Feynman

Following up on our Neural network primer column, this month we explore a different kind of network architecture: a convolutional network.

The convolutional network replaces the hidden layer of a fully connected network (FCN) with one or more filters (a kind of neuron that looks at the input within a narrow window).

Martin Krzywinski @MKrzywinski mkweb.bcgsc.ca
Nature Methods Points of Significance column: Convolutional neural networks. (read)

Even through convolutional networks have far fewer neurons that an FCN, they can perform substantially better for certain kinds of problems, such as sequence motif detection.

Derry, A., Krzywinski, M & Altman, N. (2023) Points of significance: Convolutional neural networks. Nature Methods 20:1269–1270.

Background reading

Derry, A., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2023) Points of significance: Neural network primer. Nature Methods 20:165–167.

Lever, J., Krzywinski, M. & Altman, N. (2016) Points of significance: Logistic regression. Nature Methods 13:541–542.

Martin Krzywinski | contact | Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences CentreBC Cancer Research CenterBC CancerPHSA
Google whack “vicissitudinal corporealization”
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