The clue is the rate of speed

[sovay]

I was in the middle of something completely different when spatch wrote me that Reg E. Cathey has died, which as a devoted viewer of Square One TV (1987–92) I am not in the least all right with.

So far as I know this beloved, instructive, and occasionally bewildering mathematical sketch comedy has still never been released in any home format, so these are sadly fuzzy versions of some of the music videos that taught me things about numbers and went pop-culturally over my head for years, but please enjoy "Rappin' Judge," "Nine Nine Nine," "Fraction Rap," "Ghost of a Chance" as just a sample of the reasons I mourn the disappearance of Cathey from the world, aside from the fact that he was stupidly young for it and what the hell is this year. I am aware of the existence of The Wire and Oz and House of Cards and numerous other shows and movies, but you can't not love someone who can sing country-and-western about times tables or rap about pies. You'll see him in assorted sketches if you watch any of the episodes available on YouTube. He did amazing accents, including at least a couple I think he made up. I watched very little TV as a child, but Square One was essential.

Nothing had better happen to Larry Cedar, is all I'm saying.

Comments

[coraline]

oh no :(
my childhood!

[coraline]

don't forget smilin' al gorithm at mathematics are us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmtqoZD7nv8

[gwynnega]

Oh, these are great. (I never saw them before, as my childhood math music videos were Schoolhouse Rock.)

[phi]

No!

He taught me about triangulation, among other fun and useful concepts.

[tiger_spot]

Nine, nine, nine! That crazy number nine! It's perfectly consistent; it works out every time.

I loved Square One.

[sporky_rat]

I think I will have to wait to tell the Husbandthing this, he will be incredibly upset. I'd never heard of Square One TV (my PBS station didn't carry it) but I did get Mathnet in elementary school.

He found Nine Nine Nine for me on Youtube and ghoti and him managed to share the joy of it from across the country and I enjoyed their joy of it.