strategic TechNotes — I would bet even money that this guy is no fun.
What emerged from news sources is a shy, somewhat insecure 40-year-old who prefers the abstract to the communal. An early indication of Perelman’s unorthodox method was the fact that the first publication of his proof wasn’t in a professional journal—it was posted on a math website in 2002. The peer review process began shortly thereafter by experts in the discipline, and today his work finally rests within the austere binders of professional journals.
A shadowy portrait of the recluse began to appear as international sources reported sometimes contradictory information. SABC (the South African Broadcasting Corp.) claimed it took him five years to solve the problem, and, as “the world’s biggest mathematics celebrity, [Perelman] shunned [the] most prestigious prize yesterday, apparently bitter at his perceived mistreatment by fellow intellectuals.” DNA (Daily News & Analysis) in India did manage to talk to him by phone, and Perelman said he spent the day of the awards at home watching television. The reporter went on: “Perelman refused to comment on the award. ‘I will not tell you anything. I refuse to give interviews,’ he said by telephone from his apartment in St. Petersburg. ‘I will not even tell you why I’m refusing to speak about the prize.’” In the same article, a former teacher offered, “I understand why he doesn’t want to be in contact with journalists; he’s a real sage, who is only interested in truth and not the chatter around it.”
Hmm, sounds like a Dvorak Uncensored reader, no?
