My Other Blogs

I've had many other blogs over the years that come and go as they fall out of favor until I revive them.

Currently, the other two blogs that I update are:

Walkin' in Brooklyn - my walking blog

https://walkininbrooklyn.blogspot.com/

Mr. Burke's Reading List - my book blog, more of a log of books read than actual reviews

https://mrburkereads.blogspot.com/

You Tube Channel Updated

I know that I'm stretched too thin, but I've updated my You Tube channel for the first time in a year or so. It's one more thing that I've let fall behind. I don't go to many concerts (except during the summer on Friday mornings), but when I do, I take a few videos. Not too many because a) I want to enjoy the show, and b) sometimes I want to sing along and I do NOT want to record my voice when recording the professionals.

If you go to You Tube, you'll find videos by Chris Janson, Donny Osmond, Kameron Marlowe, Whiskey Myers, Shilelagh Law NYC, Celtic Cross and Kathleen Fee and more.

The address for my channel, which does NOT have any advertising, is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_Zhn-uAQ8Yn6FKrbLxB6A/. No ads unless the copyright holders put them there. I make no income on You Tube. I started doing it for fun, and I will continue to do so. And there's only so much I can do since basically everything I post contains music that is owned by someone else.

There's more to come, of course. I haven't even finished the past 2 months, and I have shows going back for a year to post.

More comics soon.

And my new book is available on Amazon on September 1!

I also write Fiction! The NEW COLLECTION IS AVIALABLE! A Bucket Full of Moonlight, written by Christopher J. Burke, contains 30+ pieces of short stories and flash fiction. It's available from eSpec Books! Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon. Vampires, werewolves, angels, demons, used-car salesmen, fairies, superheroes, space and time travel, and little gray aliens talking to rock creatures and living plants.
My older books include my Burke's Lore Briefs series and In A Flash 2020.
If you enjoy my books, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads. Thank you!

FREE BOOK! TODAY (CHRISTMAS DAY) ONLY!

I know that I've been a little off of late. Christmas is my favorite season. I love coming up with Christmas comics, even as it gets more difficult after so many years. I'd been working on one for the past week that was supposed to be a pre-Christmas comic, so I never got to do one for today.

To make it up to everyone who has supported me, today only, my new ebook, normally 99 cents, will be FREE in the U.S. on Amazon.com.

The link is https://www.amazon.com/Burkes-Lore-Briefs-Heavenly-Damned-ebook/dp/B0CQGSFJ26.

I only ask that you read it, and if you like it, leave a rating or review on Amazon. If you have an account on Good Reads, consider leaving one there. The book can be found at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203898525-burke-s-lore-briefs.

I hope you enjoy them. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Seasons Greetings

Welcome to Bored Panda Readers! (Suspension of Disbelief in Movies)

Welcome to new visitors who came here from the link at Bored Panda about the Supspension of Disbelief in movies.

My name is Christopher J. Burke, and I'm a high school math teacher. This used to be my class blog (back in 2006) but it didn't get used much, and then "official" blogs replaced it. In 2007, it became the home for a math webcomic, (x, why?), featuring math jokes, teacher humor, and whatever geeky references I can work in because that's who I am.

Feel free to look around and leave a comment or two. (Even if you're the first on the blog entry to do so.)

I'm also a writer, as you can see from the links below. Please check out those two books. I also do Writing Prompts on reddit, and some of them are in https://www.reddit.com/r/xwhy/

There's also more about me at http://www.mrburkemath.net.

I also write Fiction! You can now order Devilish And Divine, edited by John L. French and Danielle Ackley-McPhail, which contains (among many, many others) three stories by me, Christopher J. Burke about those above us and from down below. Order the softcover or ebook at Amazon. Also, check out In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides. Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.

Come back often for more funny math and geeky comics.

Where to Find Me Online

There are a bunch of places you can find and follow me where these comics and posts may or may not show up. It really depends on the response. Some places don't seem to be worth the time and effort ... and then one day I'll post one or fifteen links

You can find me on

• Blogger (duh): mrburkemath.blogspot.com


• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xwhywebcomic


• Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrburkemath --
  (if you're a new user and follow me, and you have no posting history, there's a chance you may get blocked as a bot.)


• MeWe (it's a thing, really): https://mewe.com/i/christopherburke2 --
  (I'm honestly not there enough to worry about bots, and probably won't be until more people use their webcomics group.)


• Instagram:
  If you know me, you can find me. Too many fake account followers lately. And I don't really post comics because I'm mostly followed by family and acquaintances, not readers.


• Tubmlr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/xwhy


• Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cjburke/works

What am I missing?

Cast of Characters Page

I've started on a Cast of Characters page, a project which I've put off for the longest time.

At one point, I had a wiki page which had a handful of them. That was a decade ago, and it would be long outdated, if a copy existed.

Right now, I haven't even gone through 200 comics. And I have to leave the AntroNumerics for later -- there are too many of them! It seems like an infinite number!!

Anyway, you can have a peek at http://mrburkemath.net/xwhy/characters.html.

Let me know what you think? What should I add? What's missing? (Keep in mind, I haven't gotten that far yet!) But what do you hope to see?

In A Flash: 2020, by Christopher J. Burke

In A Flash: 2020, by Christopher J. Burke (2020)

Excuse the blatant plug, but if I can't promote my book here, where can I?

Over the past few years (since before In A Flash: 2016, which contains a story of mine), I have been writing flash fiction on and off. Naturally, I've been working toward longer pieces, but there was a market for these. Twenty stories have been collected into this anthology. Note: this book reprints the story from the previous volume.

There are, in total, 20 flash fiction stories that range from fantasy to science fiction to "realism". The Realism is sort of a "catch-all" section gives you horror, noir, and pirates. (Not at the same time.)

$1.99 for the ebook. The paperback is forthcoming.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flash-2020-Christopher-J-Burke-ebook/dp/B08CWQTYBR

Unplanned Absence

I wasn't planning on taking a break from posting this week. It just turned out that way.

This past Sunday evening, I received the first round of edits on my anthology from my editor. That has required my attention. For one thing, my natural inclination would have been to join the previous two sentences using the conjunction "and". However, it seems that I overdo that a bit. Not my fault (Narrator: totally his fault), it's just the way I tend to talk, so I write that way.

Now, that's just one thing to look out for. There's other work that needs to be done. Writing is rewriting. And one of the stories definitely needs some rewriting.

I'm not editing the entire day. On the other hand, pretty much all the time in front of my PC is spent with these files. When I've reached a limit for the day, I'm too tired to start thinking about comics or any of my blogs.

So everything is in a little bit of a holding pattern for the moment.

By the way, did I mention that I have a flash fiction anthology coming out?

Guest Comic: Irregular Webcomic

A couple of weeks ago, David Morgan-Mar of Irregular Webcomic suffered a hand injury which make creating comics that required the manipulation of LEGO minifigures and photographing of same a little difficult to say the least. Rather than go into reprints, it was suggested that he should run guest comics.

The call went out on Twitter, and luckily, I saw the tweet.

I still have some LEGO blocks and figures in the basement which come out when my nephew comes over. (Mostly, just then. That's the ticket.) I went through them, looking for ideas, and taking pictures.

As that Friday evening played out, I wound up occupied with other things and didn't get back downstairs to clean up. The following morning, my darling wife approached me, and rather than being angry or disgusted that I left a mess downstairs, she was practically giggling wondering what I was doing, setting up the blocks when my nephew wasn't here.

After telling her about the comics, she suggested, which I had thought about as well, that I should involve my nephew, Mikey, as he might get a kick out of it. And, let's face it, he has a much more extensive LEGO collection than I do!

Later that Saturday, we were in his backyard with his LEGO table and figures (with some of mine as well), and we set up a couple more comics. And then I took more pictures as he "flew" around with some of my pieces. Let's face it, at seven years old, he's not composing four-panel stories, with or without punchlines.

Anyway, the first strip posted yesterday, at https://www.irregularwebcomic.net/4275.html".

Did I say "first"? Why, yes I did. I submitted a few of them. I don't know how many he'll use, or how many other comic creators stepped forward to submit guest strips, which run Monday through Friday. I'll keep you up to date.

Historical note: when DMM previously decided to stop making comics, he asked some of the webcomic people of the day to create guest strips. I had one back then, too: https://www.irregularwebcomic.net/3195.html.

Mr. Burke Walks ... aka Walkin' in Brooklyn

With the weather getting warmer, I've started to get more walking time in (even if I have to wear a mask to do it). And a little over a year ago, I started tracking my routes around Brooklyn on a map -- using MS Paint, of course, because what else would I use, right?

In the past six months or so, these walks have gotten longer, pushing past the usual mile or two, as I ventured farther from home or job sites. I discovered how (relatively) short a trip it is from Williamsburg to Barclays Center, for example.

And when I remember, I take pictures of interesting things I saw.

So, with time on my hands, I started Yet Another Blog. We'll see how long this lasts, but I have enough photos to keep it up through the summer.

Rather than call it "Mr. Burke Walks", keeping with a theme of mine, I gave it the title "Walkin' In Brooklyn". I left off the final g to make it sound more Brooklyn ... and because the name wasn't available. Stop by.

And, by the way, I lied. I don't really have time on my hands. I just don't allocate it the way that I should.

End of Year / End of Decade Report

I wanted to do this before the end of the year, but I was a little busy, and that was a good thing. I ended the year -- and decade -- on a happy note.

This made me happy because for the past month I've read others' account of the achievements and milestones of the past ten years. And that's where I ran into problems.

Thinking of achievements was difficult when they were weighed down by loss. I'm at an age when most of my achievements are behind me while the next generation steps out and marks their own milestones. On the other end of the spectrum, the older generation ... well, we know what eventually happens when you get older. You, one day, stop getting older. There was a lot of that in the past decade, and -- possibly a statistical anomaly, or just the edge of normal -- many of them fell within an eight-month period. That wasn't a great year.

Professionally, I was excessed from a position I held for more that ten years. Then I made it back, and I was let go again. I've bounced around the system since, including what I thought was a new permanent position, only to be let go, again, at the end of the term. Nothing that I did -- they loved me -- but they all play budget games. They love me when they're desperate, but when they catch their breath -- and I've done the hard part -- they'll look for someone with under two years experience who they can push around more and pay less.

But, yes, there were some positive things that I can focus on:

For starters, I'm still writing this blog, and still creating comics. These both started the decade before last, but the fact that they continue shows a great commitment (even if Wikipedia still won't list my twelve-year-old webcomic).

For another, nine of those comics made it into a Logic textbook at the University of Sweden. It's not the "sexiest" thing I've been published in, but I'd like to think college students are getting a chuckle (or a groan) from some of Mr. Keegan's exploits.

Also professionally related, there was a book proposal called Fueled By Coffee & Love that was to be filled with teacher stories. I honestly didn't know what that meant, and the guidelines were so open, I wasn't sure what, or how much, to write. After the first book came out and a sequel was proposed, I was probably one of the first to submit, and "My Teaching Journey" was accepted for publication. (Side note: it reminded me how much I had to owe Tracy S. for me still being a teacher.)

But fiction writing? That has been on the back burner for the past 20-plus years. Many excuses have been made. And the few times I sat down to type and finished something, nothing came of it. That changed with a chance meeting with Danielle Ackley-McPhail, a writer, editor, and owner or eSpec Books. We're just friends, acquaintances, really, who see each other a couple times per year at sci-fi conventions.

I started reading the company blog, and I saw their first flash fiction contest. I submitted something under a thousand words long (it could have been up to twice as long) and it won! Well, it co-won. Danielle told me she liked my story because it had the most "catty-ness" of all the entries (and that was the theme).

After that, I tried to enter as often as I could, usually writing in the final days of the month. Sadly, I discovered that a story that she liked was the only entry that month. It was a little deflating, but the positive feedback helped. One story, "Cyber Where?", Danielle called the best story I'd written. I was elated to hear that. It meant I was improving, growing. Going somewhere.

This brings me to the past year or so. I tried writing flash fiction for a handful of markets out there. Not of them would pay more that twenty dollars, if that much, for 1,000 words or less. So far, I haven't been able to crack any of them.

I kept at them because I couldn't focus enough to write a short story, putting 3,000 to 5,000 words together. I was thinking in terms of scenes, and not acts.

By the time December rolled around, I had a plan of attack. A few months ago, there was a Kickstarter by Zombies Need Brains for three new anthologies. I back it for all three ebooks. Part of the plan was to have slots available for submissions. The odds aren't great, given the size of the slush pile, but a good, well-written story makes a difference.

I had ideas for two of the three anthologies. It came down to the final days, but I finished the two short stories I'd planned on, and both came in over 4,000 words. I wasn't sure that the second one would be written, but both had bounced around in my head for over a month, so I knew the acts as well as the scenes, and it wasn't just a bunch of dialogue.

I won't know until next month if either is accepted or both are rejected, but I'm happy that I got through it.

And if that wasn't enough of a high note to end the year on, there is one final note, but I can't mention it. Not that it's hush-hush or anything (then again, maybe it is), but until I see something announced, I don't know for sure that it's definite. At least not right now. But good things are coming, if I can keep at them.

Algebra/Geometry Tutoring and Regents Prep in Brooklyn

Final exams will be here before you know it, and soon after will be the Regents exams.

I have been teaching in NYC high schools and grading these exams for 15 years. If anyone in Brooklyn needs a tutor for the Regents, whether Common Core or the older version, you can contact me via email, mrburkemath@gmail.com.

I'm available most weekday afternoons at this point. Reasonable rates.

New York State Common Core Geometry and Algebra Regents Exams

I will have to ask everyone to be patient.

I will post the questions and answers as soon as I can HOWEVER, no one in my current school was scheduled to take the Geometry Regents today, so I could not obtain a copy. I will have one by this Friday, at the latest, because I will be grading that exam over the weekend up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

I will definitely have a copy of the Algebra exam on the day it is given.

As for Algebra 2, which I don't usually post, I don't believe anyone will be taking the exam this month. Maybe in June.

My First Kindle Book is Uploaded and Processing

Urged on by colleagues and bolstered by the number of hits I'm getting for all of my Regents exam blog posts in these days leading up to the next round of testing, I decided to collect the Algebra 1 (Common Core) tests together under in one volume, along with my answers and explanations.

It's a first try, and it may not go as well as I would have liked. I will be honest: I pushed this as hard and fast as I could, while still taking time to review it for errors. However, I had a deadline: the test is coming up in a couple of weeks. If I don't have this up now, I miss an important window of opportunity.

I have read up on Kindle publishing in the past. I have read how to convert a Word file, and I've read that the easiest thing to do is to post a .PDF. I opted for the .PDF because of the extra care that needed to be taken with all the images in Word files. There are a lot of images in these tests.

That being said, Kindle gave me a warning about Bad Things that might happen converting a PDF. From the preview, I think that might've occurred. I thought that a PDF file would be better for educators -- I may have been wrong about that.

It's a little early yet. I'll know soon enough. And changes can always be made at a later time and uploaded.

Time will tell.

Funny Math Comics

This post is nothing but a blatant attempt to capitalize on the search terms "Funny Math Comics".

I'm doing this because when I searched Google images, I had to scroll very far to find three of my images. Out of those three, two were hosted on other sites (not mine) and the third was actually a comic about Shakespeare.

Worse than that was the Yahoo search for "Funny Math Comics" which again yielded three results, and none of them were on my page.

Maybe I should talk to some of the folks whose work appeared a lot. Or maybe I need to add "Funny" and "math" as comment tags.

Don't know.

Bonus Post: (x, why?) Comic Spotted in the Wild

Maybe it's not the "wild", but it is online. And I didn't really "spot", she gave me the link (after asking permission a while ago).

Stacey Roshan is a teacher who does "Flipclass" videos online. The opening/exit comic in this lesson looks awfully familiar. And the lesson is well-presented, too.

This lesson is on rational exponents (aka "fraction as exponents") and I won't spoil which comic was used. Check it out for yourself.

Attention, all educators: If you would like to use one of my comics in a lesson or video or anything school-related that is not "for-profit", please contact me. The answer will most likely be Yes (unless you're extremely rude or planning something extremely bizarre). In fact, you may proceed as if the answer were "yes", but please contact me anyway. I'd like to know about it. Just don't alter the comics, please.

If my comic will be archived on a website, please have a link back here to the blog, or to the (x, why?) comics page.

Spammers Leaving Comments

So the new attempt by spammers to get you to their site isn't to put links in comments, which I'll delete as soon as I see them. Now, they're registering for blogger IDs, and leaving three-word comments about how "great" or "cool"

Not much I can do about it, but be warned: Do NOT click on the their usernames, because you will open yourself up to spam.

Ifyou are a real human and wish to comment, and I wish you would, please, leave a sentence or two, so I know you are real. Thanks.

Welcome STEM Classmates

Greetings and good evening to anyone from my STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Vertical Math workshop who copied down my URL in class today and decided to check out the site. Thank you for stopping by.

Keep in mind that the earliest posts on the blog date back to the time when I was trying to get my students involved, and before that period of time when blogger.com was blocked from schools. The comics start a bit later.

Feel free to leave a comment to let me know you were here. Anonymous is fine!

Also: I just want to add, if you start reading from the most recent comic, you might be a little confused. That's the 700th strip and it contains references to jokes and events and topics and characters from the previous 699 strips.

Policy on Re-using Images

I don't mind seeing my comics reposted around the Internet on people's pages and blogs. In fact, I love it when someone likes something that much that they want a copy. However, I'd like to make a few rules which I'm asking everyone to follow when it comes to linking and copying images.

If you want to link to a picture on my site, please link to the page, not just the image. That way, if someone wishes to comment or contact me, they can.

If you want to repost the picture on your site, as long as its a free website, go ahead, but, please, link back to the page, and let me know that you are using it. I don't mind seeing my comics reposted, I just like to know about it. I might even link back to your site from here. (Note: "might", that's another issue).

If you want to use one of my images for a non-commercial purpose, contact me. You'll probably get a "yes". (Note: "probably")

If you want to use one of my images for a commercial purprose, ask me. I'll read it. I'll probably get back to you. No guarantees.

That's about it. If you aren't sure, just ask. I like the feedback and the comments. Thanks.

Old, broken, Geo-cities links

I've been working my way through the archives trying to get rid of all the geocities links. If there's any broken comics, ones where there's only a little red "x" in place of the image, let me know.

In many cases, it's just the signature which is missing because the banner was still on geocities after I started putting the images on Google and Flickr. The older ones have links to the geocities images instead of the (x, why?) site.

I'm working on it.