A little about David

[Picture of me] In those dark recesses of the past, there existed a time when I pored over mathematics - so simple, so logical, so wonderfully fun to do - figuring out the vectors of geometric figures, 3D graphical algorithms, and scan-line polygon rasterizers, studying the rules of derivatives and integrals and watching intently as Mrs. Hall explained the "smoke and mirrors" technique of integration. Then I hit Calculus C and Differential Equations. Theory flew by. Words turned to inconsequential dust, and after hearing my Professor expound upon a topological, "Metric Proof of Picard's Theorem," I realized that theoretical mathematics may not be my cup of tea. And then again, you never know.

For the nonce, however, I have turned to brighter fields. After departing from my six-month sojourn in the crystal halls of mathematics, preparing this site, I turned back to the more important things. Life. Love. Literature. And poetry. This is not to say that Mathematics or programming have left my life completely. I tutor in Calculus, and enjoy using my programming skills every once in a while to write programs that make life easier. I'm pleased to announce that I got a 5 on the AP Computer Science AB test this past Spring of 1996, after studying on my own. (Little tidbit for those college reviewers poking around this page.) For those who didn't realize this tidbit, Donald Knuth is the God of Programming. (BTW, it's pronounced ka-nooth). I know a few languages - C/C++ (a wonderful language), Pascal (yuk!), Java (mm,mmm...good!), a smidgen of assembler, English, und ein bischen Deutsch (drei Jahre).

I've participated in the twentieth (1995), twenty-first (1996), and twenty-second (1997) annual meetings of the American Regions' Mathematics League, and enjoyed the excursion each time, even though I never answered more than a couple questions correctly. It's a delightful event held at Pennsylvania State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. It is a humbling event, and when one person in the auditorium of thousands gets every question right, everyone applauds in amazement. For those of us who can take these events as opportunities to spend a couple of days meeting new people (think of it - thousands of teenagers, male and female, brought together in college dormatories...) and enjoy ourselves, maybe take in a movie at the local theatre, play ultimate frisbee, or just walk around campus, it's a lot of fun.

In my free time, I listen to A Prairie Home Companion on NPR (National Public Radio), keep tabs on the software industry, participate in theater, read, watch films, listen to music, and enjoy time with my friends.

CURRICULUM VITAE

Best Movies/Musicals that I have seen:
  • Cyrano de Bergerac
  • Evita
  • Legends of the Fall
  • Les Misérables
  • My Life
  • Real Genius
  • Rob Roy
  • Schindler's List
  • The Shawshank Redemption
  • A Walk in the Clouds
Most loved musical composers/performers/groups:

Back to Main IMO Page