Beyond Euclid #199
Welcome to Beyond Euclid #199, the newsletter for the best mathematics and science stuff of the week. I am Ali, and I curate cool math and science stuff every week to help you have a better week.
Today I realized something: we’ve made a machine for everything. A washing machine for clothes, a dishwasher for dishes, a shaving machine, a sewing machine… but we never called the thing that shows time a “time machine.” Maybe we couldn’t. Maybe we didn’t want to. We probably saved that name for the future — for the day someone actually builds one. So instead, we came up with a simpler word: clock.
Even when it comes to time, we couldn’t help being hopeful. Maybe one day, when a real time machine exists, we’ll have to find a new name for clocks. Until then, this one is enough. We can’t stop time, but at least we can look at it and dream a little.
Anyway… I’ve put together some great stories for you this week. Beyond Euclid is just one issue away from its 200th edition. If you enjoy reading it — if it makes you smile, think, or feel inspired — please share it with someone you like. And if you want to help it grow, you can also become a paid subscriber and keep this little “time machine” running.
Facts That Should Be Illegal to Be This Cool
⚙️ Published in 1869, Specimens of Fancy Turning is a curious and hypnotic book. It shows early photos of geometric patterns made entirely by hand on a lathe — like a 19th-century version of generative design. The figures look like spirograph drawings or atom diagrams, but they were made with only metal, ink, and patience. For people of that time, these shapes felt both scientific and mysterious.
The book was made by Edward J. Woolsey, an industrialist from New York. He brushed black ink on cards, placed them on a rotating machine, and used a small spring tool to cut through the surface, exposing white lines underneath. He then photographed the results and turned them into a collection. Some patterns spiral inward, others pulse like vibrations. All were done without computers or automation — just skill and precision, showing how far simple machines could go.
When you look at Specimens of Fancy Turning, it’s hard to believe such complex forms came from such basic tools. The patterns feel both intentional and random at the same time. Woolsey only wanted to show what a lathe could do, but in the process, he gave us something deeper — proof that even machines can echo the curiosity of their maker.
Math + Engineering + Physics + Art
📐 Alexander Pushkin’s quote is a perfect reminder that inspiration fuels not only art but also science. We often think of geometry as dry formulas, yet the brightest ideas usually start with a spark of intuition — a small “what if?” moment. Sometimes, an equation needs just as much inspiration as a poem.
⏰ Among countless clocks that simply spin their hands, the Moiré Clock works a bit differently. Instead of hands, it reveals numbers through overlapping patterns that appear and fade as it turns. Each movement feels like a small optical illusion — it doesn’t just show time, it almost makes you feel it.
👔 A New York doorman named Boris Mocka designed more than 1,500 different necktie knots — so many that he started calling himself a “tieknotologist.” Eldredge, Merovingian, Mockatonic… some look like flowers, others like origami. Technically, tie knots belong to the same family as mathematical knot theory, but Mocka’s creations are too strange even for math to classify. The best part? He doesn’t do it for fashion, but for obsession: “I don’t want to understand the rules,” he says, “I want to break them.”
Bookmark This Gem
🪶 Japanese leather brand Tsuchiya Kaban made a special belt inspired by childhood memories of skipping stones. Called the “Skipping Stone Belt,” it was designed purely so someone could comfortably carry stones to a river. Each pocket was hand-shaped with wooden molds — completely unnecessary, yet perfectly crafted. And watching how it’s made is oddly satisfying.
🎲 This retro digital watch, called the D-20, is made for tabletop gamers — it has a built-in dice simulator. No alarm, no stopwatch; just time and luck. Honestly, I can’t help but think — I wish I had one.
👁️ In 1907, George Mayerle combined English, German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Hebrew characters into a single eye chart. With its mix of letters, symbols, and patterns, it looks less like a medical test and more like an early graphic design poster.
📱 Matter Neuroscience’s “6 Pound Phone Case” tackles phone addiction with gravity by turning your device into a six-pound brick. I don’t know why, but I kind of love ideas this ridiculous.
🪑 The Rolly table is a mobile piece balanced on three oversized wheels. The wheels are so large that their absurd proportions steal the show — it looks like Bauhaus and Hot Wheels teamed up on a collaboration.
📏 A clever fix for anyone tired of reaching for a ruler — a box cutter that makes the same-length cuts every time. Simple but smart, the kind of thing that makes you wonder why no one thought of it sooner.
🥋 The U.S. Postal Service will honor Bruce Lee with a special stamp in 2026. It shows him mid–flying kick in his yellow tracksuit from Game of Death — a tiny square, yet his charisma still hits just as hard.
🕯️ Published in 1867, The Book of Clear Shadows didn’t capture faces — it captured shadows. A group of Japanese intellectuals gathered to trace their own silhouettes under lamplight — some smoking pipes, others writing. The result was part memorial book, part ghost gallery. Each shadow feels like it still carries the quiet presence of the person behind it.
News
🏠 A new paint developed in Australia reflects sunlight and turns moisture in the air into water. This coating reflects 97% of sunlight, keeps homes a few degrees cooler, and produces up to 390 mL of water per square meter per day. It’s applied like ordinary paint with a roller, but what it does sounds like space technology.
🌕 On the night of November 4, the biggest and brightest full moon of the year lit up the sky. It passed about 27,000 kilometers closer to Earth than usual, making it appear 16% brighter and 7% larger. The next one won’t appear until November 2026.
Health
💊 According to a study from Ohio State University, the common painkiller acetaminophen doesn’t just dull physical pain — it also blunts empathy for others. Participants who took the drug perceived other people’s pain in stories and videos as less intense. In short, Tylenol doesn’t just numb your headache — it numbs your conscience too.
❤️ Bad news for anyone who still says “too much exercise wears out your heart.” Research shows the opposite: people who work out have hearts that beat about 11,500 fewer times per day than those who don’t. The heart isn’t working harder — it’s working smarter. Exercise doesn’t exhaust it; it fine-tunes it. In short, it’s not running that shortens your life — it’s sitting still.
🧫 New research shows that every type of cancer has its own community of microbes. This so-called “tumor microbiome” can influence how a tumor begins, spreads, and responds to treatment. Each cancer type hosts a different set of microbes — the lungs, prostate, and colon all have their own cast. Scientists believe this could mark the start of a new era in cancer diagnosis and treatment. But it’s still unclear whether these microbes are partners in crime or just innocent bystanders at the wrong place and time.
This Week I Learned That
🐎 The horses in races don’t actually know what they’re running for. There’s no idea of victory or reward for them — just noise, crowds, and the urge to flee. Some panic and slow down mid-race, others get sick from stress. What we call “competition” is, for them, simply fear pushing their legs forward.
🦝 When Toronto introduced its “raccoon-proof” trash bins in 2016, the city unknowingly started an intelligence contest. The German-made locking system had survived hundreds of raccoon tests — until a few finally figured it out. Journalist Amy Dempsey noticed bins in her alley being cracked open one by one, and the story flipped: the engineers’ pride had become the raccoons’ newest puzzle.
so many cool things... thank you! 🍸
The concept of time and our obsession with measuring, quantifying it is both interesting and awkward since it is such a human construct. It limits us from understanding a universe that is timeless.