Diversion post

Russian mathematician rejects $1 million prize as he considers it unfair

Perelman, who lives in a small apartment in St Petersburg, Russia, with his aged mother, is unemployed. Neighbours say he lives in poverty.

Linky
Keeping track of Grisha Perelman after reading that Newyorker article on him, cited in wiki, has been quite revealing. Somehow Grisha's story brings out the best and the worst in academe. Intellectual and ethical dishonesty, extreme politics at the highest strata of society for the cheapest excuses, life in the high circles, it would put many a Bollywood story to shame. For me, having seen enough dishonesty over the years, it is a reminder to ground myself and recapitulate why research is rewarding. Not for the material benefits that may accrue, but for the discovery of facts that led me in that path in the first place. Bah, in any case....