Data!

I think (fingers crossed) that I've finally got my code working properly for higher weights. Theoretically it should work for any prime (at least odd primes) and any level, but it gets slow when the levels start getting bigger (I haven't tested for many primes yet). Right now, it only works for Q(i), though it's just a matter of putting the time in to at least get it to work for the same five imaginary quadratic fields for which Cremona originally did computations.




This (assuming I don't have other problems lurking) is huge. It's a massive weight off my shoulders. It gives me confidence about finishing my PhD in the near future (or at all, for that matter) and it gives me a much more solid basis for applying for jobs (which I need to do this fall, i.e. now).

Now I just ("just") need to compute some Galois representations and match 'em up.

EGC '09

In the summer of 2009, the European Go Congress will be held in Groningen, The Netherlands. Two years ago, when I was in China studying Go, Walther and I promised Siu (right, with Zhang Pei Pei) we would attend his congress. (Walther and Siu were fellow students of mine in China, and Siu's club is the one hosting the 2009 EGC.)

I've never been to any Go congress (European or U.S. -- are there others?), so it's about time I get to one, huh? I haven't played in ages. Maybe this is a good way to get back in the swing of things. I'll have to finish the thesis first though.

Walther is scheduled to take the NY bar exam the first week of the Congress, but says he should be able to get there for the second week. Siu is trying to get Yan Laoshi (our teacher while we were in Wuhan) to come, but he says it's up to the Wei Qi Centre in Beijing. I assume Guo Juan will be there. Maybe Romain will come too, and we can have a reunion.

From Paris to Brussels

After my quick visit with Barbara and Lauren in Paris, I headed to Brussels to meet up with Alicia and Eric for the annual beer festival. There's a pub next to our office in London that serves Belgian beer, and it's the best beer in the world. We absolutely love it. So we'd been planning to attend this beer festival for quite some time.

I loved Brussels. It's much smaller and more manageable than London. The food is fantastic. Every other store you find a Belgian chocolate shop. The people there are laid back and friendly. And the beer is stunning. We drank way too much, because there were so many excellent beers to try (and we were even skipping the ones we already knew and most of the fruity beers).

Everyone told us we should come back next week for the smaller independent brewers festival. Apparently the breweries at this festival are considered big and commercial and not as good, which is hard to imagine because these beers are incredible. Actually, we already knew about the festival next week, but Alicia and Eric have a workshop to attend. So maybe next year.

Meeting Barbara and Lauren in Paris

Barbara volunteered to bring Lauren to Spain for her semester abroad. They took the scenic route, stopping in Paris first, which is where I met up with them. Coming from the beach in New York and heading to the Mediterranean, they were not exactly prepared for the weather in Paris, which was rainy and cold enough to pass for London weather. (Note the flipflops and sunglasses.)

It was great to see them. Living in the north east of the U.S., random family visits are a commonplace, but here it's a real treat to see them even briefly while they are passing through.

Near the Eiffel Tower we saw a bunch of guys doing crazy tricks on these power riser things:

It's like your own personal trampoline. But it's an expensive toy -- they said about 350 Euros. Here's a youtube video that shows someone doing flips: