Coincidentally I just read Americanah and am just starting the Goldfinch. I'm not far enough into the latter to know how much I'll like it, but I was pretty underwhelmed by Americanah. But I'm trying to think of any excellent novels I read published in 2013 and I'm having a hard time.

Since today is PI Day may I also mention a quite interesting book I am reading, Equilateral, by Ken Kalfus.

The Guardian says this...

Equilateral is also a paean to mathematics: in a way, the whole novel is an elaborate pun on "geometry", which comes from the Greek for "measuring the Earth". Thayer's triangle is designed so that each side is exactly 1/73rd of the diameter of the Earth at the triangle's base. (73 is a prime number, which the Martians will understand.) At one point, we are told the labourers sing songs about the golden section while digging sand; at another, there is an inspiring homage to the power of the compass and ruler (or "straightedge" in American English): "With a straightedge and a compass [a man] may plot further triangles right, acute, and obtuse, and then larger polygons; he may contemplate solid geometry. He may invent quadratic equations. He may survey the lands annually irrigated by the Nile. He may predict the motions of celestial objects. He may create a civilization."

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/no…

How did they just noticed that the plane was sending pings for five hours?

#4

Those are pings from the engine to its manufacturer (Rolls Royce). Sort of like your computer sending information up to Microsoft.

They are used for maintenance, or post failure. They would be monitored by Rolls, or maybe by the plane's owners, but not by the air controllers.

good thing Austin police kept up their pursuit. i'm sure it didn't contribute to the tragic outcome at all.

Not too important, but judging how I've seen mention of the Philadelphia Eagles previously on Slog, could you please precede Eagles with the phrase "my beloved?" You don't have to mean it, I just get a kick of how it reads so stupidly.

@5, James Fallows has information indicating it was pings from the ACARS system, used for transmitting lower-density information than engine monitoring, that were recorded for hours after the last transponder fix.

The job of finding that missing needle of a plane is easier with thousands of people looking. To help search satellite images, sign up and start looking here: http://www.tomnod.com/nod/challenge/?sou…

Tomnod is not the easiest software; just click the little map to get the next image.

@1, I just finished Burial Rites, and thought it was very good. I'd agree though that what I've read from the Man Booker longlist has been underwhelming.

Thanks @10, just put it on hold.