21 May 2011

Today, 21 May 2011, is the end of the world

I mentioned this again last year. Brief review: Mr Harold Camping "proved", using "mathematics", that the world is scheduled to end today. Indeed (Camping claims), Jesus was crucified on 1 April 33, and, since then, there have passed 722500 days. But 722500=(5 x 10 x 17) x (5 x 10 x 17). And, according to Camping and the Bible, 5=Atonement,  10=Completeness and 17=Heaven. This argument allowed him to draw the conclusion that the world ends today.

So, hurry up and do your shopping before it's too late. I have to finish a presentation on Lévy processes, but I'm not too motivated.


As for the last picture, my readers will probably recall that Stephen Hawking is not always right. I had pointed out that Pierre Brémaud's scientific predictions differ from those of Hawking when it comes to serious matters, like aliens contacting humans.

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T H E B O T T O M L I N E

What measure theory is about

It's about counting, but when things get too large.
Put otherwise, it's about addition of positive numbers, but when these numbers are far too many.

The principle of dynamic programming

max_{x,y} [f(x) + g(x,y)] = max_x [f(x) + max_y g(x,y)]

The bottom line

Nuestras horas son minutos cuando esperamos saber y siglos cuando sabemos lo que se puede aprender.
(Our hours are minutes when we wait to learn and centuries when we know what is to be learnt.) --António Machado

Αγεωμέτρητος μηδείς εισίτω.
(Those who do not know geometry may not enter.) --Plato

Sapere Aude! Habe Muth, dich deines eigenen Verstandes zu bedienen!
(Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!) --Kant