Monthly Archive for December, 2003

Hilbert problem not partially solved?

This article at Nature states that the sixteenth Hilbert problem that was supposed to have been partially sovled by Elin Oxenhielm is facing scrutiny from further mathematicians’ reviews of the paper.
The work was described in a 24 November press release from Oxenhielm and covered in several media outlets including the BBC. But the paper immediately came under fire from mathematicians. “It’s completely inadequate - I can’t imagine who would have thought it was a proof,” says John Mather of Princeton University, New Jersey.
Apparently, after having passed its first review and having been accepted for publication in Nonlinear Analysis, the journal pulled the paper until further review of the paper is completed. I wonder to myself if this was accepted because someone was just “socially promoting” Oxenhielm for whatever reason.

Be vawee, vawee quiet…

I’m hunting tewevishun…sort of. Since finding out from Abt Electronics‘ Service Department that it would be too expensive to repair my old Hitachi big screen TV, Chris and I are sort of in the market for a new television. With the recent addition of a DVR, I’d like to get a larger screen than the 27″ Panasonic television I’ve put in place of the 46″ Hitachi. Chris’s mom e-mailed her Alison Neumer’s column titled Picture Perfect, which she found at RedEye (I’ll post a link once the column is posted online). In it, Alison breaks down things to look for when purchasing a new home entertainment center. She categorizes things by budget, screen, speakers/DVD player, DVD recorder, and controller. I think it’s a bit over-the-top including a DVD recorder with every setup her home audio/video expert Jay Palmer recommends, but then again, I’m a bit more budget conscience now that Chris and I are in the house. So, while we do not have the cash to blow on a $20,500 Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 5 42″ Plasma screen with monitor stand (the most expensive television of the three recommended sets), I can continue to dream about the day when I will once again be able to watch movies and play video games on a big screen television set with a great stereo system to accompany the stunning visuals. Of course, I won’t be dreaming of a measly 46″ 4:3 ratio rear projection television with Dolby Pro Logic surround sound. Instead, I’ll be dreaming of a 72″ 16:9 widescreen HDTV or EDTV with Dolby Digital sound, bringing me even further into the virtual reality of make believe and dreams.

Dish Network

Woo hoo! I finally have the Dish Network installed at the house. It took about four hours for the installation, including having two outlets installed in addition to the dish being mounted on the roof. Now, I’ve got the America Top 150 package with HBO and Cinemax. And one of my receivers is a DVR - no more fumbling for a tape to pop in the VCR. I’ve already got the World Poker Tour set to be recorded next Saturday. I think I’m really gonna like this.

Happy Holidays!

So, I’ve been a little late with this message, but happy holidays to everyone. And a happy birthday to Chris and Tim.

Starbucks may still be in my mornings

Well, I was driving down Roselle Road this morning on my way to work, when I reached Palatine Road. I looked down at my dash and noticed that I was hitting this intersection in about the same time it took me to hit Barrington Road and Palatine Road when I drove in to work from Streamwood. That’s when I made the decision to make a left turn on Palatine Road instead of a right, which took me in the opposite direction of work to the Starbucks that I frequent in Hoffman Estates. I wasn’t sure I’d be going back to that Starbucks regularly because of how out-of-the-way it was for my morning commute. Continue reading ‘Starbucks may still be in my mornings’

Moving

No, I’m not moving the site again. Actually, I am moving. Chris and I have been packing up stuff in the apartment for the last few weeks. We’re moving again! We’ve got a bunch of people coming over to help in a few hours, so we should get the truck packed pretty quickly. Then it’s time to drive over to the house. With luck, my family will be moved out of the house and into their truck, letting us put stuff into the house. If not, I guess we’ll be helping them finish. What a confusing mess! In a few days, after we’ve got our cable internet re-setup in the house, I’ll post how the move went.

Quality work

As a perfectionist of sorts, I have high standards of quality. Take, for example, consumer electronics. I will not stand for chintzy plastic buttons that have ben spray-painted with a thick, chrome paint, when an etched metal button or colord plastic button would have been better suited for the job. I take this same attitude in my professional life. When I work on computer projects, whether they are web sites, building a new computer, or repairing a computer, I take a perfectionist attitude. However, today, I feel I have caved in this respect. Continue reading ‘Quality work’