MCS

Author: max

  • Reductio ad Absurdum

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    max

    The security expert Bruce Schneier published a Commentary in today’s Star Tribune claiming to show why the NSA’s gathering large amounts of phone call records is useless, rather than merely spooky. (This op-ed is largely self-plagiarized from an earlier publication in Wired News.) The thrust of the commentary is to imagine one possible use for…

  • Four MCS Professors Honored for Century of Service

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    max

    OK, so it is both corny and bogus to add up years of service.  Sue me.  On Thursday, May 18th, 2006, the Gustavus Alumni Association honored faculty members and administrators for their years of service.  The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science was well represented: David Wolfe was honored for 10 years, Jeff Rosoff for…

  • Ron Graham to Lecture

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    max

    Ronald L. Graham, arguably both the most accomplished living mathematician and the most charsimatic, will deliver two lectures at Gustavus this week, courtesy of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars Program. Graham will speak at 7:30 pm on Monday, May 1st, in Olin 103 and at 11:30 am on Tueday, May 2nd, in Olin 317.…

  • Zupan Awarded Goldwater Scholarship

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    max

    Gustavus math major Alex Zupan has been awarded a prestigious Goldwater Scholarship by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The Foundation was established and funded by the United States Congress to honor former Senator Barry M. Goldwater by providing financial encouragement to outstanding students in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.…

  • No Real Privacy Victory in Google Subpoena Case

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    max

    Late yesterday afternoon, US District Judge James Ware denied the Department of Justice’s request to compel Google to turn over a sample of its users’ search queries. Privacy advocates have been quick to celebrate a victory. However, although there are several very enouraging signs, a close reading of the reasoning in the judge’s opinion shows…

  • Visit a Math Major in the Business World

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    max

    So maybe you don’t want to teach and don’t want to be an actuary or a computer geek. Is there some other way you can get paid for the general analytical abilities you are acquiring as a math or cs major? Yes! And now you have an opportunity to pay a visit to a Gustie…

  • Photo of MCS Scene Wins Contest

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    max

    Of over 150 entries in the Campus Community Photography Contest, “Let Epsilon Greater Than Zero Be Given” by Maggie Sagstuen was the overall winner as well as taking first place in the “Living and Learning” catgegory. The model is MCS major Mitch Engel. To see the photo in context of other winners and finalists, see…

  • MCS Alumni Sweep First Decade Awards

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    max

    As happens each year, the Gustavus Alumni Association is recognizing two members of the graduating class ten years ago (the class of 1996, in this case) with the “First Decade Award” for the significance of their accomplishments within their first decade since graduation. This year, something a bit unusual happened: both award recipients majored in…

  • IdiotKin’s New CD

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    max

    I always like to hear what our alumni are up to, so of course I was thrilled to get a CD in the mail today from Luther Monson. He does have a day job where he puts his computer science education to use, but his real love is whacking the #%#@ out of drums in…

  • Operating Systems Textbook Published

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    max

    Max Hailperin is pleased to announce the publication of his new textbook on the principles of operating systems and middleware. This book, Operating Systems and Middleware: Supporting Controlled Interaction, was published January 19, 2006, by Thomson Course Technology. Those of you lucky enough to be teaching computer science can get an examination copy through your…