Tom Brown

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I have 273 stories published in 24 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 393056 times and 18 of my stories have been cherry picked.
434 of my 3,022 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 437 votes

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Tom Brown

Born South-African, I went to a dual medium primary school and Afrikaans high school, NG Church mostly and sunday school Methodist. At school achieved top positions in science and mathematics olympiads, after as well completing two years of engineering studies with very good results but I did not graduate, I had to stop due to mental health problems.

Graduating under WK Bartoszek at Unisa, MSc (1997) and Pretoria University, Niko Sauer PhD (2006), formal interests were to be in abstract analysis and broadly in applied mathematics. All of my qualifications were with honours.

I had permanent teaching positions at Unisa and at Wits, however since not having been academically active, and as such absent from formal academic research for very long now, years. Advanced study and research was in Markov operators and stochastic processes; vector valued Laplace transforms applied to semigroups and families of evolution equations (Empathies).
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Unfortunately I have had a history of medical treatment for psychiatric illness with diagnosis of a bipolar mood disorder.

It was very fortunate in that my condition responded very well to medicine it helps if you cooperate and comply, if not, you don't have much of a chance. Also I am totally abstinent from alcohol and other mood altering substances for great many years, it did not accord with my constitution at all. As a chain smoker I also managed to kick the habit, more than a decade smoke-free now, by the Grace of God.

I have always been able to function completely normal and independently in society my isolation was not because of my own doing it was due to circumstances, and has just been getting stricter I seem to have almost no contact outside, save only for AbcTales. My saving grace.

I am  totally isolated and financially barely getting by. 

Although I am still studying mathematics and applications, more popular accessible kind of work, while interested and looking forward to hopefully be active in research or industry again.

God is in the details of the details. God is in the timing of the timing.
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Apart from studies in the natural sciences I am interested in languages and literature in general as well as religion. In high school I majored in German also, and Biology, in the meanwhile I have taught myself French, well enough to read (with a bit of difficulty).

Lately I have been writing more popular general interest essays and also trying for a bit of balance with mathematics and while keeping things understandable for most people.

Thus not involved at all with any social media, and having time for writing, leisure, watching movies, reading fiction, classics mostly, poetry and  music. I miss my friends, and would really love getting outdoors and in nature more.
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Favourite authors are Jules Verne, HG Wells and Jack London, Shakespeare and poets William Blake and Dylan Thomas. I like adventure, science fiction and fantasy movies my all time greatest are the Narnia stories and the Lord of the Rings.

The meal best enjoyed is a breakfast of bacon eggs on toast fried chips with fresh orange juice, and for supper an ox-tail stew. I like eating out romantic. For recreation nature hikes, camping and fishing, listening to good music and reading, classics mostly, and good movies. I love dogs my best one was a Maltese poodle Freddy.

I love rain and lightning thunderstorms and rainbows. As well as writing and publishing here on AbcTales.
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These are my stories!

Keep your feet on the ground and reach for the Stars!

 

 

My stories

Out of Africa

Tom Brown Apart from studies in the natural sciences I am interested in languages and literature in general as well as religion. Lately I have been...
1 likes

Science and Scientists

In my personal opinion chemistry is not really science at all it is still the same as alchemy. It seemed to me they can always correctly predict and...

Bunkers, Dads and Clubs

At last freed in the real world now, but my dad died and I a rebel without a cause. During third year engineering studies my grandfather died also...

Bunkers

Beginning high-school the lowest class he lent me rugby toggs and a jersey from someone for my first rugby game, I was on lock even being the...
1 likes

Collecting Pocket Calculators

I collect old calculating machines for a hobby, anything, like shop counter adding, specialised scientific calculators, financial ones etc. Any old...

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434 of my comments have received 437 Great Feedback votes

1 Vote

Why would I marry her

Posted on Mon, 10 Nov 2025

Why would I marry her do you think I'm stupid or something?

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Posted in Same.

1 Vote

gas bottles

Posted on Thu, 13 Nov 2025

We have re-fill steel gas bottles here they can take terrific pressure, used for plates and gas stoves when there isn't electricity with camping etc too like on a farm, sometimes we get power failures they say when you put that bottle on the...

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Posted in INCHES.

1 Vote

I was on a blind date once too

Posted on Mon, 10 Nov 2025

I was on a blind date once too it was the ugliest woman I've ever seen, and she wouldn't even let me have a beer. Then she wanted to kiss me. That is where the "blind" part comes in.

Tom

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Posted in Same.

1 Vote

A wonderful story

Posted on Tue, 11 Nov 2025

A wonderful story a famiily business! "I remember my young son “squaring up” his pile of little cards like he saw his Dad" that is how we learn hey?

All the best, and for writing and publishing! Tom

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Posted in The shock of abrupt re-entry into civilization …

1 Vote

we shall not cease

Posted on Wed, 22 Jul 2009

“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

 – TS Eliot

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Posted in A mathematical defence

1 Vote

Those days people ha

Posted on Thu, 06 Nov 2025

Those days it was said people had so many children to have someone look after you when you're old, is it selfish? My eyesight is not that great either Max but they say it's still not necessary yet.

When people have them done it is like a...

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Posted in Blackmail.

1 Vote

Justice

Posted on Sat, 25 Oct 2025

Bin Laddin and George Bush were having tea when Bush remarked, "In my country we believe it is better to spare ninety-nine guilty men than execute one innocent", at which Bin replied "better for whom?"

 

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Posted in w h a t ? ? ?

1 Vote

At school I used to

Posted on Sun, 02 Nov 2025

At school I used to sleep next to my dad, we were in different rooms but with only a brick wall between us. He was drunk every night but he didn't drive he was scared of being caught or making an accident you can end up in jail for quite a while...

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Posted in Ready.

1 Vote

alcohol abuse

Posted on Mon, 21 Oct 2024

Alcoholism doesn't discriminate.Myself also partook in wild abandon, sober now 25 years and smoke-free ten years, by the Grace of God.. The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

By the way I'm quite serious about the abstinance,...

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Posted in Tom All Alone (6) (ii)

1 Vote

WITS

Posted on Wed, 27 Mar 2024

Once proud heritage, striving for equality and excellence.

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Posted in Brutal Honesty

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