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Dan Ostrov's Homepage

Hello. You have reached Dan Ostrov's Homepage. I am an Associate Professor in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Santa Clara University. Yes, that means I do math just because I like it. The doctors tell me that many people with my condition can still lead an active, normal life. I suspect these doctors are a bunch of quacks personally.

I am an Applied Mathematician and study Partial Differential Equations that arise in Engineering, Chemistry, Physics, and Economics. In particular, I have studied non-linear, first order hyperbolic partial differential equations called Conservation Laws and Hamilton-Jacobi equations. I have shown how to use these equations to study shape from shading, which reconstructs a 3-D surface by exploiting a 2-D picture (or radar image) of the surface, and chromatography, which is a chemical separation process. I have also worked with linear partial differential equations that describe how to price stock options.

But enough about me.

If you're here because you're one of the many unfortunate Math 144 students who must toil on that class's image processing project, click here.

On the other hand, if you're here merely because you want to waste your time while you should be working, here are my suggestions for you, the elite slacker:

Take a look at this guide to just about every music group, record or CD ever released including...

(Feel free to ignore
all information past 1977).

The Zombies

Nice glasses, guys!
...and, of course,
those lovable moptops,
The Beatles

...and even my favorite obscure Power Pop bands, which you can hear on Power Pop Radio and (usually) buy at Not Lame Recordings, such as...
Jellyfish
Will Owsley
The Posies
and The Wondermints

Also, if for some reason you just can't wait for the new Alanis Morisette CD to come out because you love her reflective, "poetic" lyrics, I invite you to create your own on the Alanis Morissette Random Lyric Generator. I'm sure you'll find your results are ironic -- like a black fly in your chardonnay.

If movies are more your thing, I assure you that you can waste many, many productive hours bathing in movie trivia on the dread internet movie database. If you're interested in flushing even more of your time down the toilet, do check out the rotten tomatoes compendium of movie reviews or, if you feel that every movie is a sneak attack on your ever-imperiled soul, then check out the movie reviews at capalert.

If you want to educate yourself about bizarre food, take this tour of Foods of Yore, even though there's no mention of Urkel-os or my hero Quisp.

Still here?

Well, if you like bizarre conspiracy theories, you should not look at these websites concerning the truth about Bert or Bob; they'll only encourage you.

And please don't blame me if you're offended by The Onion. If you really want to be offended, prepare to be shocked by a site completely devoted to attacking some of the less fortunate members of our society: our mullet-headed brethren.

Finally, if you're an animal lover, I highly recommend the Pets or Food website, and if you're having trouble coping with your canine's bathroom habits, press here for a slightly unconventional solution to your problem or here for a very unconventional solution.


Feel better? Good.


NOW GET BACK TO WORK.

And send questions, complaints, good jokes, or legitimate math inquiries to
Dan Ostrov
DOSTROV@scu.edu
Department of Mathematics
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA 95053