random

i've been studying all week out of a book that has "hairy ball" as a topic in the index. scott thinks this is hilarious. i don't know it, but there is actually a topology/geometry theorem called the hairy ball theorem. don't you feel informed?

as of the past hour, i know 2 ways to make buchberger's algorithm more efficient.
(1) you don't need to check S-polynomials for pairs of polynomials whose leading terms are relatively prime since it's guaranteed to reduce to 0 anyhow.
(2) you don't need to check S-polynomial (i,j) if you've already checked (i,k) and (j,k) and the leading term of f_k divides the LCM of the leading terms of f_i and f_j since S(i,j) is a linear combination of S(i,k) and S(j,k) then.
(tada!... not that you know or care what any of that just said anyways)

i got free indian food tonight... whenever the exp. math seminar speaker is not a rutgers person, dr. z. takes them out to eat and brings all of us (his students) with. this was the first week this semester that we had a non-rutgers speaker which means free dinner, thanks to my advisor. it's totally academic family bonding time.

here's one thing that i'm not sure if it should bug me or not -- my advisor is extremely optimistic about my exam and keeps telling me "don't study too much, i'm sure you'll do great". he doesn't even see failure as a possibility i don't think, which is nice and comforting except for the fact that there are 3 other professors who will be on my committee in 2 weeks, and they're not all that optimistic. so i DO need to keep studying lest the questions of the other professors throw me for a loop and my advisor see i'm not quite as smart as he thinks i am then. oi. :P

in other less local news...
* 159 mph? That's where we draw the line.. -- i wish *i* could get permission to drive that fast legally!
* I'm here for my prescription, and 6,000 cookies -- hey, it's amsterdam, so it's not horribly surprising, but the phrase "6000 cookies" in a news headline caught my eye ;)
* I used to have a glass eye, but now I'm okay... -- yeah... people are brilliant
* Closing the barn door after the cow has gone... -- this is a brilliant way to spend a Monday
* The Three Stooges live! -- truly glad i've never done anything quite like this

i think that's it. tomorrow is another fun day packed with learning math. you should be insanely jealous.