I probably knew indrora's grandfather, for though I worked for IBM, I consulted with Bell Labs and other parts of ATT for many years, in IBM and as an independent. In fact, I was twice the Bell Labs Distinguished Lecturer, touring all the labs--helping out with C and Unix.

As for math, it was one of my majors as an undergraduate, and I am a member of Pi Mu Epsilon, and have published a number of mathematical papers, though not recently.

But, I'm a hacker at heart, always have been, always will be. I use math only when it's helpful to solve problems. That's true of any tool I use. Why? Because the higher the math or esoteric the tool, the more you diminish the number of other people who can understand what you're doing.

Indeed, that's why I'm now writing fiction that helps people grasp a few mathematical and software concepts. For instance, my mystery novel, "Freshman Murders," has a team of math geniuses as the "detective." And I still write techie stuff, when I have something to say.

- Gerald M. Weinberg <http://www.geraldmweinberg.com>;