Laughing Squid reports, via John Brockman's twitter feed and Nassim Nicholas Taleb's website, that the father of fractal geometry has moved to a different fractional dimension.
More like this
When Joanne Rowling sat in an Edinburgh coffee shop, nearly broke, her baby sleeping nearby in a stroller, penning a fantastic story about a school for wizards, could anyone have predicted that she would soon be the most successful novelist in history?
Tyler Cowen has a
David Brooks has a column out where he mulls over the role of time invested in amplifying talent:
Got a few hours to spare? Here's another recent debate, this time between Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens vs. Boteach, D'Souza, and Taleb in Mexico, with Robert Wright stuck in the middle.
I should point out that this is unconfirmed - no major news organisations have reported this as yet. See talk page on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Beno%C3%AEt_Mandelbrot#Death_rumours
I don't think we can take The Edge out of the equation.
NY Times published an obit today: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/us/17mandelbrot.html?_r=1
It was my privilege back in the 1980s to interview both Benoit Mandelbrot and Martin Gardner for articles in the College Math Journal. Mandelbrot was more than happy to participate. His personal story was not yet widely known though fractals had become famous and their images decorated the walls of computer centers and the dorm rooms of math and science students. I got to meet him once at a math conference and he was an overwhelming presence. Mandelbrot was as sure of himself as he could be and his confidence was probably justified. His place in the mathematical panetheon is secure.
The Mandelbrot interview I conducted is posted on Yale's website.
Mandelbrot tribute.
http://talklikeaphysicist.com/2009/mandelbrot-fractal-bear/
Lots of confirmation by major news organizatons now, such as the New York Times.