Hi! This is the English version of my home page. Notice that the English and Catalan versions are not translations of one another. In fact, they are complementary, and they are addressed to different publics. In other words, the English version is more `serious', whereas the Catalan version is more `familiar'. This means that here you will find mostly `intellectual' writings. If you are looking for pictures of me, recipes, and other `personal' things, you may dive into the Catalan page.

On the other hand, some of the things that I have written would bring me trouble with my ISP. At the time I am writing this, though, they have not, but I keep them in a separate directory, just in case I have to move them somewhere else. Thus, you can find `potentially libellous' texts here.

As I said before, these pages are being revised again and again. Any comment, criticism, or opinion is welcome. Thus, if you think you have something to say to me, you are welcome. Spam, however, will not be welcome.

In particular, English not being my mother language, I accept comments on my English grammar and/or style. I am reasonably proud of my English, but the process by which I learnt it was quite nonstandard. Rather than giving you a long explanation on how I learnt English in order to make you understand which shortcomings do I have, I will explain you an illustrative story. Yesterday, while watching an old Monty Phyton's Flying Circus on TV, I learnt/realized that dummy was mainly a name meaning a figure representing the human form, used for ... whereas I was using it mainly as a modifier, as in dummy variable, dummy java machine, or, in the same MPFC episode, dummy Princess Margaret. Thus wise comments or advice on my English are welcome, and you can send any of them to this address.

Since purely mathematical texts could be able to scare the general public out of this page, I have decided to keep them apart. They can/will be found here. Here is the list of the other texts that can be found in this web. It is rather short, but will grow longer when I have the time to rewrite/revise some other files that are around. Newer or updated items appear on top of the list.

• I was thinking on writing some comments on the Unabomber's Manifesto, or more precisely on why he was wrong, before erasing it from my computer. After a second lecture, though, I saw that since he was right only when he stated truisms, my comments could be resumed in one word: nonsense (bêtises, plus précisément). I would like to propose you a prank with it. Next time you come to read a part of it, put the word agriculture each time you read the word technology. Then you will get a more precise idea of what he really wants. Now according to my own wild guesses the world would sustain about 6 million people on 'gathering and hunting'. Pity he did not explain us what he planned to do with the other 5994 million.
• New publishing media require new reviewing media. I wrote this text with two aims in mind. The first was to explain why I refused to follow the standard publication method. On the other hand, I am writing a book (one of these days you will find the introduction and TOC here) on scientific production. This book will be strongly critical, and its purpose will be to promote a healthy distrust in `science' as a modern deity. But I wanted also to write something on the subject of scientific evaluation that went beyond the purposes of the book, and aimed more to the scientific community than to the general public. Hence this article. (Added a short note on Oct 15, 2002)
• On the 2002 Fields Medals. A highly critical text, but not libelous.
• Ready-made natural children. A bioethical question I am not able to answer.
• A divertimento. I was reading a list of quotations and many of them deserved a comment. In the end, I decided to write those comments down, if only not to have to meditate about them again (and, well, precisely, for some, in order not to forget to write more on them). So here is the list of commented quotations.

Last modified: Tue Oct 15 18:15:22 CEST 2002