That's the question artist Dylan Marvin tried to answer with this very cool image:

[Via Digg]

In anticipation of Bender's Big Score (aka new Futurama) making its television debut this weekend (Sunday 8pm/7c) isn't it time you brush up on the hardest of the hard-core math references from the series?

Sure, it's common knowledge that head writer David X. Cohen holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University and a master's degree in computer science from UC Berkeley. But did you know that staff writer Ken Keeler has a PhD in applied math, also from Harvard? You did? Nerd.

If you're not one of the legions of Futurama enthusiasts with dual degrees in physics and engineering, you owe it to yourself to check out Dr. Sarah J. Greenwald's Futurama Math page, which collects and explains every math reference in academic detail.

 For example, ever wonder why Bender's serial number is 1729? Here's the quick and dirty:

 "The number 1729 is sometimes referred to as the "Ramanujan-Hardy" number. One day (Godfrey Harold) Hardy took a cab to visit (Srinivāsa) Ramanujan and commented that his taxicab number, 1729, was dull. Ramanujan quickly replied that 1729 was in fact a very interesting number since it is the smallest number that can be written as the sum of two cubes in two different ways, as 9^3 + 10^3 and 1^3 + 12^3."

Hey, to some of us, that reference is HILARIOUS. Bite my shiny metal, meatbag.

News of Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax's passing sent shockwaves throughout the lands of gaming and nerddom.

Boing Boing's Joel Johnson republishes an interview he conducted where the Paragon of Polyhedral Dice namechecks our little network for its exemplification of geekery:

Q. You called yourself a "game geek." What does the word "geek" mean to you?

A. The term "geek" is most often used as a pejorative. It at least infers lack of popularity, social graces, and general appeal. It can also mean someone with an obsessive interest in something, as is demonstrated by the cable TV station, Comedy Central.

We now commemorate the late great Dungeon Master with his turn as one of Al Gore's Vice Presidential Action Rangers in Futurama:

Godspeed, Mr. Gygax. My virtual adolescent sex life wouldn't have been the same without you.

"President Executron" may just be my favorite joke of 2008*.

Speaking of robots, have you seen the new Futurama movie yet? Those newly re-purposed episodes should be airing pretty soon...

*Heads up: only a few weeks left for such inane statements.

College Humor has this preview of the upcoming feature-length Futurama DVD:

Earlier: Futurama: The Resurrection