Hello there! Are you sure you are in the right spot? I mean, how did you find my blog? And my first article too! There isn’t much to see here. This is really just a test to make sure everything is working. But since you are here, let me share a few things.

This blog is managed and built using Jekyll. After many years of building Wordpress and Python Flask sites, I am tired. Tired of managing database and servers, tired of troubleshooting aJax, and tired of trying to make things sophisticated. I just wanted something simple. There is also something elegant about serving simple HTML and CSS files.

Jekyll is just that, simple, and is freeing up my mental bandwidth to focus on writing.

Although I am quite capable of churning out papers for academic purposes, I have never been great at writing. With this blog I am practicing my writing skills while also creating content that may be valuable to you. Things like

  • Python examples and tutorials
  • Machine learning / data science
  • Experience working with a team of actuaries
  • Short stories
  • Essays on political thought

You are amazing. You’re still with me even after the threat of politics.

Now, why did I title the blog “Pure Math Joy?”

While in high school I experienced the joy that comes from learning mathematics. First there was finding interest in numbers and next came delight in solving more complex problems. As my mathematical understanding grew so did my fascination with the ability to describe the natural world with abstract rules and measurement. Studying any discipline can be frustrating, but the challenges of studying mathematics are uniquely rewarding in how it expands the mind.

“Histories make men wise; poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.”

-Francis Bacon

“Pure Math Joy” encapsulates all the little moments of delight and the larger, mind-expanding milestones on the journey of studying mathematics. I think it is an appropriate title for this space that is hopefully both delightful and enlightening.

Recommended reading for a healthy dose of PMJ

  • “Math and the Mona Lisa” by Bülent Atalay
  • “Unknown Quantity” by John Derbyshire
  • “The Infinite Book” by John Barrow

I will leave you with that. Enjoy my blog. :-)