Knuth lost Conway's napkin on surreal numbers, then wrote a math novella in 6 days
snikolov · x · 2026-08-19
A legendary anecdote in computer science: Conway explained his surreal numbers to Knuth over lunch on a napkin — which Knuth then lost. During a sabbatical in Norway he decided to reconstruct the theory from memory, renting a hotel room (run by church volunteers, where his wife's secret visits made staff suspect an affair) to write undisturbed. In six days he finished a novella in which two characters discover surreal numbers, their discoveries and mistakes mirroring his own reconstruction, and rested on the seventh day.
More from Fun
- She Let Her AI Agent Loose in Delvetown and It's Been Posting and Socializing — mimi10v3 · 2026-10-16
- Shogun 2 remaster review-bombed over AI-upscaled graphics, sparking dev debate — draginol · 2026-10-16
- Leaked 'iWipe' parody: Apple's $19 smart toilet paper with HomeView tracking — ThePeterMick · 2026-10-16
- 36 primitives, just 10 parameters each: a remarkably precise T-pose body fit — letandrewcook · 2026-10-16
- User meets 'Zero', the strangest AI agent yet that scolds you for missing question marks — VoidStateKate · 2026-10-16
- Digital human Fae codes her own facial expressions frame-by-frame with Claude Opus 5.5 and FACS — repligate · 2026-10-16