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Jim Fowler

@kisonecat.com
1.1K followers 1.5K following 238 posts

associate professor in mathematics at The Ohio State University he/him youtube.com/kisonecat

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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 29/09/2026
Jordan canonical form is canonical but doesn't have a canonical name
The beginning of the Wikipedia article for Jordan normal form: "In linear algebra, a Jordan normal form, also known as a Jordan canonical form, is an upper triangular matrix of a particular form called a Jordan matrix representing a linear operator on a finite-dimensional vector space with respect to some basis."

"Jordan normal form" and "Jordan canonical form" is highlighted.
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 02/09/2026
Always eager to discover more... about the paper towel dispenser in the Math Tower restroom?
A paper towel dispenser from Papernet with a "discover more" QR code in the lower right hand corner.
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 21/08/2026
I am definitely not wearing this ring I got.
Google Search: “giant eye gave me ring of power should i wear it”

AI Overview

Do not wear the ring. A giant eye means you have encountered Sauron or a similar dark lord in Middle-earth. That ring is the One Ring, and wearing it will corrupt your mind, strip away your free will, and reveal your exact location to the enemy instantly.

Why You Should Not Wear It

Total Control: The maker of the ring wants to rule your mind.

Instant Danger: The giant eye will see you the second you slip it on.

Slow Ruin: It twists your thoughts and ruins your life over time.

What You Should Do Instead

Do not put it on your finger.

Keep it hidden in a dark, safe place.

Find a trusted wizard or a brave friend to help destroy it in a volcano.

Should I help you plan a trip to a volcano, or do you need advice on how to hide from the giant eye?

AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses.
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 27/06/2026
the most exciting row reduction experience sl2z.xyz
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 18/09/2025
kisonecat.github.io/triangle-cen... lets you view a ton of triangle centers from faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/encyclop... all at once
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 30/07/2025
My local movie theater is a member of NATO
A sticker on a window that reads:

MEMBER
NATO
National Association of Theatre Owners
060
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 30/07/2025
No water in the math department No chalk on the chalkboard (apologies to @tuneyards.bsky.social)
A crumply paper sign that reads:

ATTENTION
Outage
A Domestic Cold Eater outage will be required
040
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 24/06/2025
"infinite possibilities" is a wonderfully optimistic tagline for apples
A colorful bag of Cosmic Crisp apples, with the tagline at the top that says "amazing flavor + infinite possibilities". The bag features a big painterly image of an apple with three icons that mention snacking, baking, and entertainment.
020
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 06/06/2025
So the weight of the cars causes slight indentations where the wheels sit?
The surface of an empty parking lot showing a few parking spots (outlined in yellow lines), part of a lamp post, and pools of water. The pools of water appear where the wheels of the car would be.
150
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 27/03/2025
high protein? i want high dimensional!
a blue box of Kellogg's VECTOR cereal, showcasing the texture of the flakes and its 13g of protein per serving. The words "HIGH PROTEIN" appear on the box. A man with glasses stands beside the box.
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 26/02/2025
the Galilean moons of Jupiter! but as a cell phone camera image taken through a telescope.
A poor quality image of Jupiter and its four moons. The background is black, and Jupiter appears as a large white circle, smeared out with a bluish halo. Tilted relative to Jupiter are smaller dots, the four Galilean moons.
060
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 23/02/2025
Cat finds perfect spot
Shorthair tabby cat curled up in off-white and blue-grey blankets
0440
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 09/02/2025
This piece of art in my house is called "the scream"
A framed piece of US letter-sized paper with "Ahhhhhh hhhhhhh" written in black sharpie. The frame is white and hangs on a light blue wall.
050
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 01/02/2025
Here's the third page from Born and Jordan's "Zur Quantenmechanik" in 𝘡. 𝘗𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘬 34, 858–888 (1925) introducing matrix mechanics. Just 100 years ago, linear algebra was so unknown that the paper takes time to explain how to multiply matrices. And now matrices are everywhere!
# Kapitel I. Matrizenrechnung

## § 1. Elementare Operationen. Funktionen  

Wir rechnen mit quadratischen unendlichen Matrizen¹, die wir hier mit fetten Buchstaben bezeichnen wollen, während schwache Buchstaben stets gewöhnliche Zahlen bedeuten sollen:

\[
a = (a(n, m)) =
\begin{pmatrix}
a(0,0) & a(0,1) & a(0,2) & \cdots \\
a(1,0) & a(1,1) & a(1,2) & \cdots \\
a(2,0) & a(2,1) & a(2,2) & \cdots \\
\vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots
\end{pmatrix}
\]

Gleichheit zweier Matrizen bedeutet Gleichheit entsprechender Komponenten:

\[
a = b \quad \text{heißt} \quad a(n, m) = b(n, m). \quad (1)
\]

Addition wird definiert durch Addition entsprechender Komponenten:

\[
a = b + c \quad \text{heißt} \quad a(n, m) = b(n, m) + c(n, m). \quad (2)
\]

Die Multiplikation wird definiert durch die aus der Determinantentheorie bekannte Regel „Zeilen mal Kolonnen“:

\[
a = b \cdot c \quad \text{heißt} \quad a(n, m) = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} b(n, k) \cdot c(k, m). \quad (3)
\]

Potenzen sind durch wiederholte Multiplikation zu definieren. Es gilt das **assoziative Gesetz** für die Multiplikation und das **distributive Gesetz** für die Verbindung von Addition und Multiplikation:

\[
(a b) c = a  (b c). \quad (4)
\]

\[
a  (b + c) = a  b + a  c. \quad (5)
\]
2202
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 01/02/2025
Here is a graph showing birthrate of Kilo's in Kilo/Hour.
A bar chart titled “Babies named ‘Kilo’.” The horizontal axis shows years (1990–2023), and the vertical axis shows the rate of babies named Kilo (in “Kilo/hour”). The bars are blue.

The bars show moderate usage of “Kilo” in the early 1990s, a gap in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, a small jump in 2004, then mild usage in 2010–2012. There is a surge in 2021 to 2023, reaching its highest rate in the final year shown, 2023.
100
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 15/12/2024
I was excited to misread this as OULIPO soda -- a refreshing way to pursue constrained writing!
Two pink boxes on a Target store shelf. The box says "OLIPOP" and advertises a strawberry vanilla flavor of canned soda. A "sale" sign hangs above.
120
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 11/12/2024
@adriansdigitalbasement.com since flexing the control board kept my furnace going... I just put a clamp on the PCB!
A beige PCB inside a steel cabinet. A clamp is twisting the PCB slightly. This is the "SureLight" control board for a Lennox furnace.
130
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 02/12/2024
I saw these dice at ISAC at UChicago; despite being super old (from Roman Egypt!) the dots on each face are displayed like today's dice, and the opposite sides sum to seven -- but the handedness of the dice aren't consistent!
Five cubical dice from the ISAC museum at UChicago on a beige fabric background; the five dice show a 6, 4, 4, 6, and 3 on the upper faces and are marked with dark circles. Despite being very old, the layout of the dots on the dice is modern.

Picture by Jim Fowler, but more information from the collection is available at https://isac-idb.uchicago.edu/id/c261d526-5c77-4cd5-b6ee-7102864c2528
041
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 21/10/2024
PSL ≅ Pumpkin Spice Latte ≅ Projective Special Linear every year I hope Starbucks will emphasize more hyperbolic geometry
The Starbucks mermaid logo, but drawn as a circle packing evoking the hyperbolic plane
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Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 21/10/2024
10¢ is the same width as 45¢
The top row consists of nine nickels; the bottom row consists of ten pennies. The two rows appear to be the same length.
000
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 21/10/2024
the diameter of a dime is 9 inches / √163
a hexagonal lattice of dimes, with a red label labeled "nine inches" between the centers of the dime in the lower left and the dime in the upper right.
000
Jim Fowler @kisonecat.com · 21/10/2024
Two great facts about 163.
exp(pi * sqrt(163)) = 262537412640768743.9999999999...
sqrt(163) * diameter of a dime = 9 inches.
000