I read. A lot. And I share the five best things I read every week. I got back from a week long vacation. In my leisure, I spent time working on mathematics. This week’s topics are about mathematics and a cartoon.
1. Manjul Bhargava on mathematics and economic growth
2. Hamming on the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics
3. Are you a dish-washing robot? (yep, this has to do with math)
4. Anecdotes about famous mathematicians
5. A funny cartoon with an element of truth in it
My notes:
1. Manjul Bhargava on mathematics and economic growth
Manjul Bharghava is a celebrity among mathematicians and won the Fields medal in 2014. In this piece, he talks about the connection between economic growth and research in mathematics. I really liked the point he made about how thinking about science and math allows societies and countries to ‘put together a repertoire of tools and techniques of understanding’. I also liked his point about ‘just in time’ research and the flow of ideas. I wish I could read the entire transcript instead of this edited piece from the Economic Times.
2. Hamming on the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics
If you like mathematics, this essay/talk by Hamming is worth 20 minutes of your time. Hamming is articulate and insightful. I learn something new every time I read this essay.
3. Are you a dish-washing robot? (yep, this has to do with math)
A really good piece on learning the subtleties of the language of mathematics. I wish I could explain testing like this. I love the style of using sketches and words to explain complex concepts.
4. Anecdotes about famous mathematicians
This StackExchange link is full of anecdotes about mathematicians. My favorite? De Moivre calculating his date of death based on his sleep patterns.
5. A funny cartoon with an element of truth in it
This cartoon is one for my stash. There is sadly an element of truth in this picture.
I want to find out what conditions produce remarkable software. A few years ago, I chose to work as the first professional tester at a startup. I successfully won credibility for testers and established a world-class team. I have lead the testing for early versions of multiple products. Today, I run Qxf2 Services. Qxf2 provides software testing services for startups. If you are interested in what Qxf2 offers or simply want to talk about testing, you can contact me at: [email protected]. I like testing, math, chess and dogs.
