by scribe | Feb 9, 2013 | current news, off-topic, positions, ruminations
When people find out that I am both a mathematician (at least in a former life) and a chess player, they sometimes ask me if mathematics gives me an advantage in playing chess. The answer, alas, is emphatically no. There is a relation between math ability and chess...
by scribe | Aug 7, 2012 | off-topic, people, tournaments
This was the title of the best talk I went to at the MathFest last week. It was given by Kathryn Leonard of California State University Channel Islands, who was one of the winners of an award for early-career mathematics teachers. Leonard’s main point was that...
by scribe | Jan 26, 2011 | chess clubs, games, people
Steven Zierk’s appearance at the Aptos Library chess club yesterday went very smoothly, and I think it was a hit with the kids. We ended up with a crowd of about 60 people, so the room was full to capacity but not beyond. I really liked the energy and excitement...
by scribe | Jan 17, 2011 | current news, literature, off-topic
Today I am going to depart from my usual ideological purity and succumb to the lure of crass commercialism. Yes, I want to use this posting to promote my new book, What’s Happening in the Mathematical Sciences (Vol. 8). I’m afraid that you won’t...
by scribe | Jan 11, 2011 | current news, off-topic, tournaments, US Chess League
Here’s my joke for the day. Q: What did Gilligan say when the other castaways fought over places on the raft? A: “Why can’t we all just get a log?” Somehow I think this is relevant to the current world of politics — i.e., if we...
