Monday, December 30, 2002

Reflections on 2002

We have seen many exciting theorems during the past year but once again we have failed to prove that P≠NP or anything even close to it. There is always next year.

The most promising sign of the past year is the increased submissions and attendance at conferences pretty much across the board in theoretical computer science. The large number of students studying theory make of much of this increase. In the late 1990's during the dot-com boom, very few students, in particular Americans, went to graduate school in computer science. But with the days of easy money over and the need for computer science faculty still great, we have seen a large increase in the number of students. These students have and will continue to bring in new ideas and directions to our field. Let us hope there are enough jobs for all of them.

I also started this web log during this past year. Initially, I started this blog just to try out a new technology but I have had a blast writing these posts and sharing my knowledge and experiences. I hope you have enjoyed reading them. I don't understand how I rank so high on a Google search on "web log". Perhaps because "weblog" is supposed to be one word.

In remembrance: Edsger Dijkstra and Steve Seiden.

Have a good New Years everyone!

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