"A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines"

Today is the birthday of Jesse Douglas born 1897 in New York, New York.  Douglas worked on geometry, group theory and the calculus of variations.

I am currently reading the book "A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines" by Janna Levin published by Anchor Books.  The book is a fictional account of Kurt Godel and Alan Turing, mathematicians that made large contributions in their fields.  Godel was a logician and proposed the Incompleteness Theorem and Turing broke the code of the Germans' Enigma Machine during World War II.  These men lived tortured lives that unfortunately concluded in tragic deaths.  I also found a documentary produced by the BBC that chronicles their lives and achievements.  The documentary is called "Dangerous Knowledge" and can be viewed for free at: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/dangerous-knowledge/.

The novel has many threads that could be discussed but there is one passage that for the moment I wish to focus on.  Godel was a member of The Vienna Circle which was an association of philosophers gathered around the University of Vienna in 1922.  The author describes Godel's anticipation for the gathering: "While he often loses Monday easily and tries to find root in Tuesday, and although Wednesday is a mere link between nights, he always knows Thursday.  He likes to arrive early and choose the same place each time, a dark wooden chair near the wall, almost hidden behind the floral arm of an upholstered booth, not too close to the center but not too far out where it might become crowded, people pressing in to warm themselves against the heat of argument emanating from the core.  Comfortably still, with an undisturbed tepid coffee he never intends to drink, he listens to the debates, the ideas, and the laughter, like a man marooned on an island tuning in to a distant radio broadcast.  Proof that there are others out there.  Proof that he is not alone.  Proof."

"Proof that there are others out there.  Proof that he is not alone.  Proof."  I recall when I was attending classes for my master's degree, I had the same anticipation.  I miss the discussions of mathematics, the arguments, and the laughter.  There was a group of us that were a core, moving from class to class, and in various stages of completion within our degrees.  I must now admit that I use my classroom in an attempt to revitalize that feeling.  There are moments where I acquire the same satisfaction.  However, I often feel alone.

I attempt to have these discussions with friends but their attention is much to short.  As soon as I use terms such as fraction, ellipse, multiple, or factorization, terms I view as rudimentary, their concentration dissipates.  I don't believe I am the same type of listener.  If there are legal terms, medical terms, or any technical terms dealing with my friends' occupations that I don't understand, I build a framework in which a substantial discussion may ensue.

I need a mathematics community!  I do have enlightening discussions with another mathematics teacher but these meetings are too few and too far in between. 


"Proof that there are others out there.  Proof that I am not alone.  Proof."