Category Archives: Waffle

What is my Kasparov Number?

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Persiflage

This has been a fun week in sport, what with England slaughtered at the Gabbatoir and Anand sliced up by Carlsen’s endgame magic. The latter games were fascinating if not necessarily exciting per se; consisting more of slow grinds rather … Continue reading →

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The problem with baseball

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Persiflage

Jordan Ellenberg, in a lovely slate article, explains perfectly what I don’t like about baseball. I think the fundamentals of baseball as a sport are sound. I like the pace of the game, the variation, the statistics, the quirkiness, the … Continue reading →

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Parenthood

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Persiflage

Some questions, I guess, one can’t be prepared for:

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En Passant III

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Persiflage

Question: When you are sick in bed, can you do any mathematics? I just spent the past few weeks with a sinus infection and was completely unable to do anything productive, that is, apart from writing an NSF grant (which … Continue reading →

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En Passant II

Posted on June 15, 2013 by Persiflage

Let’s party like it’s 1995! The Boston conference on Fermat produced a wonderful book, but now you can watch the original videos. Some first impressions: some of you used to have more hair (not naming names). Forum of Mathematics Pi … Continue reading →

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Michael Pollan is not a scientist

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Persiflage

Michael Pollan is popular because he is an engaging speaker who spins a narrative about food that dovetails with the political inclinations of his audience. He has a degree in English, and, as far as I know, no scientific training … Continue reading →

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Exposition is not underrated

Posted on April 28, 2013 by Persiflage

It seems to be the conventional wisdom (for example, some of the comments here) that exposition is undervalued in our profession. I disagree. To cast things in economic terms, let’s take “valued” to mean one of two things: increased salary … Continue reading →

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Cambridge Days

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Persiflage

Dinner at the Helmand: Zagat rating 27 (Food) and 20 (Service). After I was seated, it was fifteen minutes until I was brought a menu. Sixty seconds later, the waitress asked what I wanted to order, and then pouted when … Continue reading →

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Office Toys

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Persiflage

I think I need one of these for my office, possibly to point at undergraduates when they ask for a higher grade: . For the full story, see here.

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A scandal in Romania

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Persiflage

I was invited to review some research proposals for the CNCS. They offered a modest remuneration for my time (something like €168, I believe). For privacy reasons I won’t comment on the proposals I read, suffice to say that they … Continue reading →

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