Game and Movie of the day

GAME

Want to kill some time doing a little group theory in disguise?
Check out the game Expacon designed by Dr. Gilbert Baumslag of City College of New York. The name of the game comes from the "Expansion/contraction" of words allowed by the rules. If you ever took group theory, you will recognize this as a thinly disguised exercise in showing that certain words written in the generators of a group are trivial. If you don't know what group theory is, you will have some fun!
Also, there is an upcoming conference October 1st and 2nd in New York on the subject of finitely presented groups, the first part of which is designed with graduate students in mind.


MOVIE

Like Origami and Mathematics?
Basically, as Robert Lang points out in his recent TED talk, folding up enormous sheet-like objects into small packages is a skill that is in demand in many scientific communities. The provocatively titled new movie "Between the Folds" which features (among others) Robert Lang and mathematician Tom Hull explores connections between the art of paper folding and the sciences. The film will be shown on PBS on December 22.