Monthly Archives: November 2007

Boolos, Burgess and Jeffrey, 5th edn.

Posted on November 28, 2007

It seems only yesterday that the fourth edition came out: but — as I found in the CUP bookshop today — there’s now a fifth edition of Computability and Logic. The preface announces that the main revision in this addition … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Logic | 2 Comments

Logic lives?

Posted on November 27, 2007

Well, this is moderately cheering (about logic matters, at any rate). First, about fifteen people have said that they are interested in a reading group working through the shorter Hodges on model theory. And now, about a fifth [update: over … Continue reading →

Posted in Logic | Leave a comment

Losses

Posted on November 27, 2007

To Edinburgh yesterday, for the funeral of John Davidson, an old friend going back to early Aberystwyth days, who died far too young. The funeral was done with great aptness to the man. The poet Jeffrey Wainwright read ‘Stoic’, which … Continue reading →

Posted in This and that | Leave a comment

ACA0, #7: The last word

Posted on November 25, 2007

At last. If you go to my Gödel book’s website, and click on the link under “Latest Additions” then the link no longer takes you to a rambling, unfinished essay but to a much crisper extended version of the talk … Continue reading →

Posted in Logic | 4 Comments

I’m with Turgenev

Posted on November 23, 2007

Figes tells us that Turgenev wrote a famous bit of verse about the critic Stasov: the penultimate lines are … Argue even with a fool: You will not gain glory But sometimes it is fun. I confess I’ve been spending … Continue reading →

Posted in Logic | 4 Comments

Looking on the bright side, logically speaking

Posted on November 22, 2007

Heck, advancing years are a terrible thing. Apart from the obvious drawbacks — and let’s not go into those — you start forgetting stuff that once upon a time you kinda knew a bit about. Ok, the things that you’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Logic | Leave a comment

Back from Oxford

Posted on November 20, 2007

I’m back from Oxford where I was giving a talk at Dan Isaacson’s philosophy of maths seminar. I was a bit anxious about the occasion in advance as I knew that Michael Dummett still tends to go. In the event … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Logic | 5 Comments

"We segwayed"

Posted on November 20, 2007

An article in the Times today: “We segwayed in to a conversation about the au pair …”. Truly, the barbarians are already inside the gate.

Posted in This and that | 1 Comment

Ahem …. Leopard stacks icons

Posted on November 17, 2007

It is seriously sad to care about these things. I know. But for those who are equally miffed by the Leopard update’s failure to sort the stack icon flaw — ok, it’s not exactly a bug but everyone thinks it … Continue reading →

Posted in Geek stuff | 1 Comment

Homeopathy

Posted on November 16, 2007

A wonderful piece in today’s Guardian, reprinted here, by the estimable Ben Goldacre, on quack science and the moral bankruptcy of professional defenders of homeopathy. Read it.

Posted in This and that | 1 Comment