Lol, we used to do this with my (extremely nerdy) friends group in college when we 'inducted' new members! I never knew that it was from something, I just thought it was tradition. We had some great entries -- a circle of nines with no beginning and ending, a very good drawing of a wolf, many protest entries, somebody accidentally wrote 1^1^1^1^1^... before realizing their folly, etc. Great times.