Tom Brown

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I have 283 stories published in 25 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 492454 times and 19 of my stories have been cherry picked.
451 of my 3,092 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 452 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

Empathy

Having been accused of reckless driving, once we were working the whole morning and getting tired, Prof Sauer said call it a day for lunch I said “...

Geometry of Waterfalls

A challenge, for our budding young engineers. Given are two problems on free falling liquid, the first being straightforward. The second I found not...

Time Gentlemen!

“What do you think of the institution of marriage? “It is a good thing if you like living in an institution.” The institution of holy monotony. -...

Geyser Model Problem

This problem was suggested by a friend who claimed one could make money with it for applications. This is my effort it is a typical engineering...
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What goes up!

An example of the concept of unstable equilibrium is when an (ice-cream?) cone is balanced on its bottom point, the slightest nudge will make it fall...

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451 of my comments have received 452 Great Feedback votes

1 Vote

yes

Posted on Fri, 20 Mar 2026

Thanks Rhiannon, yes, that was what I meant with a guttural "g", pronounced as in "loch" but with a bit more force.

Guttural means "formed in the throat".

Keep well!

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Posted in A ‘little roof’, ^, makes all the difference!

1 Vote

sometimes we speak

Posted on Tue, 03 Mar 2026

Indeed, sometimes we speak without thinking, very hurtful words foolish or malice unkind or dirty, words undone once spoken, but also there are also words healing and kind, beautiful and considerate of comfort and love.

The tongue is a...

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Posted in The Ivory Wall - (Teeth tales*)

1 Vote

Live and Let Live!

Posted on Wed, 25 Feb 2026

These are not as far-fetched as it sounds I have heard similar (some true, in fact) stories.

We are not one to judge! Live and Let Live! Tom

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Posted in 5. Secondhand Prose

1 Vote

As they say

Posted on Wed, 11 Feb 2026

As they say, war brings out the worst and best in men. Good story Rhiannon, might as well be true.

See you! Tom

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Posted in Just imagine …

1 Vote

overpopulation

Posted on Wed, 14 Jan 2026

The bottom line is probably overpopulation it usually is. Nature fights back.

Tom

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Posted in Gloom and Doom (sorry)

1 Vote

we all did

Posted on Mon, 15 Dec 2025

When I was in primary school we all did. They feed on leaves you put in the box - either lettuce or mulberry leaves but you have to stick to one. At first they are tiny but they grow quickly munching the leaf edges ravenously and we buy sell or...

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Posted in Perilous journey

1 Vote

The Rainbow Nation

Posted on Thu, 28 Aug 2025

The Rainbow Nation

South Africa

“There is always something new from Africa”.

~

https://www.abctales.com/collection/south-africa-0

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Posted in Out of Africa

1 Vote

True!

Posted on Thu, 04 Dec 2025

Very good. All things are possible under the Modern Moon,

True! Tom

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Posted in under the Modern Moon

1 Vote

strange days

Posted on Mon, 01 Dec 2025

Those were very strange times indeed, and they can come knocking again any time ... with pain and suffering. AIDS isn't a joke either.

I remember at a time "yuppy flu" was so prevalent but now seems agreed it was "depression" after all and...

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Posted in CEPHALALGIA.

1 Vote

the present

Posted on Thu, 04 Dec 2025

Isn't it ironic Rhiannon? Tragic. Reminds us to live in the "now" and the story is like my late mother she also had grand plans for touring the world she saved many years had the money and time and everything but then in the end she passed...

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Posted in An elderly dream

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