Book review of two recent books (Perfect Rigor and The Poincare Conjecture) about the Poincare Conjecture and the mathematician Grigory Perelman.

This year (2009) is the 400th anniversary of the publication of Johannes Kepler’s book New Astronomy (Astronomia Nova) announcing the discovery of the elliptical orbit of Mars to the world. The discovery of the elliptical orbit of Mars and the mathematical rule of motion for Mars on its elliptical orbit by Johannes Kepler in 1605 is one of the most important advances in astronomy, physics, and science. This discovery transformed the unproven heliocentric theory of Copernicus into a rigorous predictive theory that outperformed the traditional geocentric theory of Claudius Ptolemy and his successors. The discovery paved the way for Newton’s theory of gravitation. It remains one of a small number of cases where a simple mathematical rule for seemingly complex and confusing data has been found. In many respects, the discovery of the elliptical orbit of Mars and other planets is more important than the better known work of Kepler’s contemporary Galileo. In honor of Kepler, NASA has named its recent mission to look for extra-solar planets, especially possible other Earths that might support life or even intelligence, the Kepler mission.

http://www.frontiereconomy.com/2009/08/research-and-development-of-complex-algorithms/

Interview on The Space Show

Dr. John McGowan discusses trial and error testing and cheap access to space on The Space Show, a popular Internet radio program on space development and space exploration.

Complex Algorithm R&D: Harder Than Many Think

It is a truism that most jobs are found through the mysterious “hidden job market”. This article explains what the hidden job market is, how to find it, and how to use the hidden job market to find a job

Mommy! The Government Made Me Do It Again!