Tom Brown

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I have 280 stories published in 25 collections on the site.
My stories have been read 464716 times and 19 of my stories have been cherry picked.
441 of my 3,050 comments have been voted Great Feedback with a total of 442 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

The Travelling Salesman and Chess

To do routing, timetables and scheduling, if you wonder how good artificial intelligence is give it the travelling salesman problem. Then we'll see...

A virtuous Woman

To be young a bride your beauty must not be of jewels gold adorning and braiding hair, beauty is vain charm is deceit, favour is fickle, beauty fades...

The Carrot and Stick

I am being motivated by the carrot and the stick. It works. It is the law of the concrete jungle. We've had all kinds, tomatoes pumpkins peanuts...

MANIFESTO

If I were King My Election Vows If I were King of the Earth there would be jobs for everyone everybody would have clean water and free electricity -...
1 likes

The Oupa and the Sea

My Afrikaans Grandfather Beer and jokes weekend golf and holidays and practising his swing, they said his drive wasn't so far but it was straight. He...
2 likes

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441 of my comments have received 442 Great Feedback votes

1 Vote

patience

Posted on Fri, 07 Feb 2025

“I want it! now!” – is that the rule? One of the central measures of emotional intelligence is postsponment of gratification. Used to be sometimes called "patience". These days, as you say, very scarce.

Tom

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Posted in Innovative Unknown Paths

1 Vote

Lovely poem Rhiannon

Posted on Wed, 29 Jan 2025

Lovely poem Rhiannon, beuaty in simplicity, Optimism for happy spring to come,the brigther side of life -Tom

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Posted in Surprise!

1 Vote

Glad

Posted on Tue, 12 Nov 2024

Glad the comments ended! Sjoe!

Joking! Yes brilliant work! Tom

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Posted in Where Maps End

1 Vote

Very positive

Posted on Wed, 01 Jan 2025

Excellent poem Rhiannon! Very positive, but somehow it feels we do not have so much to celebrate for. Let us hope then and "trustingly wait".

See you in the New Year! Tom

 

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Posted in January 1

1 Vote

Mothers and Grannies

Posted on Thu, 26 Dec 2024

It is a lovely poem, it so sad that we only really appreciate them when they are no more with us.

See You! Tom

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Posted in Forever Remembered

1 Vote

Very good

Posted on Sun, 08 Dec 2024

Very good, like whispers of time and truth. Well done! Tom

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Posted in The Meeting of the Waters

1 Vote

Just as Ed has

Posted on Thu, 21 Nov 2024

Just as Ed has said, and Yebo! Is the Zulu word for Yes!

Hamba gachle! Go well! Tom

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Posted in THE OUTTHERE A-EYE CHAT SHOW (second bit)

1 Vote

insect photography

Posted on Tue, 26 Nov 2024

My one uncle photographs of insects for some very well respected thick glossy expensive hardcover books, all of it science stuff. Lately he has been studying dung beetles we've got all kinds here. What a strange interest? I haven't seen photos....

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Posted in Pasture-Cleaners

1 Vote

South African

Posted on Thu, 21 Nov 2024

Ja, Inderdaad. Maar ek is nie 'n Engelsman ook nie 'n Duitser nie, ek is 'n Suid Afrikaner! Yebo!

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Posted in THE OUTTHERE A-EYE CHAT SHOW (second bit)

1 Vote

Two little boys

Posted on Fri, 07 May 2021

Two little boys had two little toys! A favourite it's like me and my brother. Some people just never grow up! Tom

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Posted in Slugs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tales!

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