some funnies from the inbox

here's a few entertaining things:

(1) steve klee sent me this link: http://www.collegehumor.com/?movie_id=149448

it's a barbershop quintet singing a song about math... it's pretty great :-P

(2) i was asked by the rutgers math dept. chair to write the "pizza seminar news" section of the spring 2005 newsletter... below are my results, which were approved by him already... i was pretty amused with what i came up with :-P (note: if you think this sounds too goofy or something, if you read the previous "pizza seminar news" sections on old newsletters on the rutgers math dept. website, they're all written in similar tones as well) :-P

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The Graduate Pizza Seminar is a weekly gathering for students to present interesting mathematical topics and research projects to their peers. Of course, free pizza is always provided. Since January 2004, the Seminar has met in the Graduate Common Room; the seminar and many other graduate students continue to greatly enjoy this space, whose use is restricted to graduate students. Learning from the difficulties of years past, throughout this year, we used Gerlanda's, the campus pizza supplier, and with good results too -- our pizza was only late once. However, we will gladly accept the donation of a wheelbarrow, wagon, or other wheeled object to cart large amounts of drinks across campus. To learn more about the seminar, visit the seminar website at http://www.math.rutgers.edu/~seminars/GraduatePizza.html.

As usual, in 2004-2005, the seminar covered a wide variety of topics. In the fall, one talk on mathematical modeling featured a computer demonstration, and spring 2005 continued the trend with three experimental math talks also including live computer experimentation (i.e. Even Pizza Seminar now reflects the growth of computer-assisted mathematics!). As for the requisite statistics: 13 talks were given in Fall 2004, and 14 were given in Spring 2005. Attendance ranged from 20 to 35 students with an average of 25 each week.

Following is a list of the seminar speakers for 2004-2005:

(insert list of speakers and talk titles)

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(3) random email i got from a professor at arizona state... i've never met him but he's a copublisher on a paper i helped write my senior year at valpo... not only have we never met, we've never corresponded ever before either... this just made me laugh at what a small world it is:

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greetings lara,

small world. first, we write a paper together, then i go to trinity to do
some 0-sequence stuff and discover you reu'd there (did you know that
0-sequences are the origins of pebbling?), and now you're at my alma mater
(phd '90 under ron graham). did you know that m. saks was the inventor
of pebbling? say hi to him for me. have you discovered the frisbee golf
course r. hochberg and i invented? we had to change a hole or two over
the years because of construction -- does anyone still play it? i enjoyed
your list of quotes, especially j. kahn's. brought back fond memories
of his classes. enjoy...

cheers,
glenn
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you never know *what*'s gonna show up in my inbox :-P