Speaker: Thomas Brazelton

Abstract: The advantage to writing a clickbaity title for a mathematics talk is that it grabs the reader’s attention and makes them think “wow I simply must attend this talk.” The best, most transparently sensationalized titles fuse two things that seem entirely unrelated and non-mathematical, leaving the reader dumbfounded about how they could possibly be tied together, much less under the guise of a mathematics talk. In this lecture we will unravel the mystery of this vague title, discuss some of the mathematics underpinning DARPA-funded initiatives at the genesis of the internet, and argue why Benedict Cumberbatch is not a decent enough actor to be consistently booking top roles.