Knuth: All Questions Answered

sunhou writes: "The AMS published a lecture by Donald Knuth called All Questions Answered (pdf), where Knuth simply responded to questions from the audience. Topics ranged from errors in software ('I think Microsoft should say, "You'll get a check from Bill Gates every time you find an error"') to how he gets distracted by fonts on restaurant menus, to software patents. There were some really good questions (and responses)."

He needs to answer one more question

[Akardam]

101. What do you think of the Slashdot effect?

The right answer.

[Decimal]

Pfft. That's nothing. I can give the answer to any question. (It's 42.)

Knuth is God

[BinBoy]

Please post more Donald Knuth stories in the future. Knuth is God.

some humor.....

[Anonymous Coward]

got this in an email a few days ago....

Richard M. Stallman, Linus Torvalds, and Donald E. Knuth
engage in a discussion on whose impact on the computerized world was the greatest.

Stallman: "God told me I have programmed the best editor in
the world!"

Torvalds: "Well, God told *me* that I have programmed the
best operating system in the world!"

Knuth: "Wait, wait - I never said that."

Knuth Jokes

[oni]

As a CS major, I learned to worship him. So I found this cartoon quite funny:

Dr-Fun [ibiblio.org]

Re:Knuth is an amazing man

[eric17]

Having seen this man in action and having heard more stories, let me just say that he is *very* smart on *many* levels. Last fall I dyed my hair blue, and went to the first and last stop on his most recent book tour.
Last Thursday, I went to his office, and the first thing he said to me was "You changed your hair color." (It's since grown out). He had little reason to remember me and less opportunity, but he did.

I'm sure Knuth is quite smart, but perhaps you might consider that maybe, just maybe, it was the red nose and white face paint that clued him in.

Re:The technology behind TeX

[ricardo2c]

Thats not entirely fair... LaTeX makes 95% of what I want to do easier and faster than plain TeX... but for that last 5%, LaTeX makes me want to punch things. LaTeX=easy, TeX=flexible).

This should be:
LaTeX = Flexible... it stretches well, at least!

I don't cash my Knuth checks

[jquiroga]

• To cash my two Knuth checks: $2.94 + $2.56
  
• To show them off to my hacker friends and see their faces turn green with envy: Priceless
  

Re:I don't cash my Knuth checks

[PurpleBob]

This is Knuth you're talking about. He probably totals his checks in complex numbers.

If I was there

[kronstadt]

Given that outfit, I don't think I could have refrained from asking him about the Dark Side of the Force.

Re:Biggest problem with TeX

[Paradise Pete]

How do you pronounce TeX?

It's Teh-Ten, damn it! - Steve Jobs

Re:Stupid question: Name pronunciation

[Anonymous Coward]

As previously noted, it's "TeX".