Straw poll: I'd like your opinion as to whether each of the following statements is "always true" or "always false" or "neither". Do they all mean the same thing? or is there a difference? Why ( Read more... )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome

Trivia fact of the day: the prime factorisation of the 277th Fibonacci number is 505471005740691524853293621 times 505471005740691524853293621.

I found this out by the simple method of typing a few commands into Maxima and leaving the PC turned on overnight. Ah, the wonders of modern technology ( Read more... )

I've just finished marking my first ever batch of Maths 1A assignments for Adelaide University. (I've marked second and third year in the past, but never first year ( Read more... )

Today's post brought me an amusing letter from Valencia, informing me in broken English that I've supposedly inherited some money from a long-lost relative ( Read more... )

I'm trying to get my head around Kevin Rudd's proposed "economic stimulus package" for Australia ( Read more... )

Seen in Borders this afternoon: a book called "Differentiate or Die!" Sadly (?) it turned out to be a marketing textbook, not a mathematics book.

Borders seems to be having a "20% off all Penguins" sale (the publisher, not the flightless bird). To my surprise, this includes the new "Popular Penguins" series--the orange and white stripy covers selling for $9.95 in most shops--so at the moment it's possible to buy paperback novels for under $8. And at a time when I can even allow myself the ( Read more... )

That is, once again the judges failed to recognise true genius ;-)

They did put on a fine gala dinner last night. Good food, good music, good company--it's been worth coming to Shepparton, even if it didn't turn out quite as planned.

I'll keep this short--tried to update this morning, but the computer crashed (no linux in this house, only windoze ( Read more... )