I am a graduate student in the department of computer science at UW
Madison. I am interested in Computational Complexity.
I like to lie down on the sofa for hours at a stretch thinking
intently about shapes, relationships and change - rarely about numbers
as such. I explore idea after idea in my mind, discarding most. When a
concept finally seems promising, I'm ready to try it out on paper. But
first I get up and change the baby's diaper. ... New ideas are not easy
to find. If you are lucky enough to be working on an idea which is
actually right, it can take a long time before you know that it's
right. Conversely, if you are going up a blind alley, it can also take
a long time before you find out. You can end up saying 'Oops, I've been
working for years on something wrong.' A good mathematician must have
the courage to take a lot of work and throw it away.
- Charles L. Fefferman
Here is a poem I like. It was orignially written in 'Urdu' in 17th
century.