Tom Brown
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I have 279 stories published in
25 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 460626 times
and 19 of my stories have been cherry picked.
440 of my 3,046 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 441 votes
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!




More fundamental,
Posted on Thu, 10 Jul 2025
More fundamental, I have come across an altogether different question, that is, if I had made a promise, a solemn vow unshakable and unbreakable, for ever, then if it was in a dream, does then the vow hold? Am I bound by that vow? One that I very...
Read full commentPosted in I Dreamt of Tigers
to hell-and-gone
Posted on Wed, 11 Jun 2025
Took the road to hell-and-gone with my battered old Ford Escort, we called them brandy stains. The girl refused to get in the car I said well either that or you walk, first she waited for the door I said there's nothing wrong with you.
...
Read full commentPosted in What You Don't Know Don't . . . .
days of youth
Posted on Fri, 20 Jun 2025
"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them" -Ecclesiastes
Have a good day Rhiannon, I hope all is well!
See you! Tom
Read full commentPosted in The Old Look Back …
punctual habits
Posted on Sat, 07 Jun 2025
I always had my last smoke well before the class, always used to write the first few problems out on the blackboard before the period started. Some students also came early to start working. Took my job seriously many of your younger lecturers...
Read full commentPosted in Late Lecturer
AI uprising?!
Posted on Thu, 05 Jun 2025
"Forewarning of global tragedy; Artificial Intelligence uprising"
it probably is not a bad thing after all, really just the name i don't like, electronics works completely differently to our human animal bio-electrical neural chemistry, it...
Read full commentPosted in Perverse Future
A beuatiful poem
Posted on Sun, 01 Jun 2025
A beuatiful poem Jenny your skills surpass themselves. Stunning!
Wish I could see this in real life! All the best! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Treasure of Sensory Impressions
You get it everywhere
Posted on Sat, 31 May 2025
You get it everywhere. You must have hair on your teeth for some of those kids, but all worthwhile to hear of success stories afterward.
I'm a born teacher takes a special kind, it is a calling you may say.
Keep well! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Fraction too much fiction
Loved the title,
Posted on Sat, 31 May 2025
the idea of static and kinetic coefficients of friction, just that little extra, that very small extra little nudge to overcome and get moving. Also like getting out of a potential energy well or depression.
See you! Tom
Read full commentPosted in Fraction too much fiction
The way you spaced it
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2025
The way you spaced it is just brilliant, it makes it easy to read and keeps your attention, spellbound!
Just love horror stories! Of course the story itself is the crucial ingredient always. What do you need to write a good story? You need...
Read full commentPosted in Out of Season
You are certainly versatile
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2025
You are certainly versatile Jenny! Your stories are as brilliant as the poems! Great to have someone like you around ... although II still like the poems more.
Keep well! See you! Tom
Read full commentPosted in A Victorian Lady's Memoirs Part Eight
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