A problem is an obstacle, impediment, difficulty or challenge, or any situation that invites resolution; the resolution of which is recognized as a solution or contribution toward a known purpose or goal. A problem implies a desired outcome coupled with an apparent deficiency, doubt or inconsistency that prevents the outcome from taking place.

Problem solving

Every theoretical problem asks for an answer or solution. Trying to find a solution to a problem is known as problem solving. There are many standard techniques for problem solving, such as Proof by Contradiction, or Proof by Exhaustion, the latter famously being used in the solution to the Thirty-Six Officers Problem posed by Leonhard Euler. A problem is a gap between an actual and desired situation. The time it takes to solve a problem is a way of measuring complexity. Many problems have no discovered solution and are therefore classified as an open problem.

From the mid 20th century, the field of theoretical computer science has explored the use of computers to solv

Examples

Mathematical problem is a question about mathematical objects and structures that may require a distinct answer or explanation or proof. Examples include word problems at school level or deeper problems such as shading a map with only four colours.

In society, a problem can refer to particular social issues, which if solved would yield social benefits, such as increased harmony or productivity, and conversely diminished hostility and disruption.

In business and engineering, a problem is a difference between actual conditions and those that are required or desired. Often, the causes of a problem are not known, in which case root cause analysis is employed to find the causes and identify corrective actions.

In chess, a problem is a puzzle set by somebody using chess pieces on a chess board, for others to get instruction or intellectual satisfaction from determining the solution.

In theology, there is what is referred to as the Synoptic Problem, regarding the Gospels' relationship to each other.

In academic discourse a problem is a challenge to an assumption, an apparent conflict that requires synthesis and reconciliation. It is a normal part of systematic thinking, the address of which adds to or detracts from the veracity of a conclusion or idea.

An optimization problem is finding the best solution from all feasible solutions. A good example of this type of problem is the travelling salesperson problem which is based on calculating the most efficient route between many places

In computability theory a decision problem requires a simple yes-or-no answer.

In rock climbing a problem is a series of rocks that forces the climber to climb.

In reading, a problem is a combination of a series of words with the overall plotline, which the reader must attempt to decipher.

In walking, a mobility problem is presented. Motion is achieved via mechanical interaction of the legs and a surface.

See also

Heuristic

How to Solve It

Question

Problem-based learning

Problematization

Worry

References

Category:Evaluation

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name	Rory Sutherland
fullname	Rory Sutherland
birth date	February 08, 1982
birth place	Canberra, Australia
height
weight
currentteam	UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team
discipline	Road
role	Rider
amateuryears	2001–2002
amateurteams	Rabobank Amateur Team
proyears	2003–20052007–
proteams	RabobankHealth Net Pro Cycling Team
updated	20 December 2007 }}

Rory Sutherland (born 8 February 1982) is a professional road bicycle racer from Canberra, Australia, riding for UCI Professional Continental team UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis. In 2007, he won both stages 2 and 3 of the Redlands Bicycle Classic, and also finished 2nd in the Australian National Time Trial Championships.

Sutherland began racing at the age of 14 and previously rode in Europe with the Rabobank Team from 2001 to 2005. He tested positive for Clomiphene, which according to some medical experts is not a performance enhancing drug although it is on the WADA's banned substance list. Sutherland was given a 9 month conditional suspension by the Belgian Cycling Federation which whom he holds a racing licence.

His maintains a regular diary with antics of his racing on Cyclingnews.

Palmarès

;2004 :1st, U23 Australian National Road Race Championships ;2005 :2nd, Australian National Time Trial Championships :3rd, Overall, Danmark Rundt ::1st, Youth Classification ::2nd, Stage 3 ;2007 :1st, USA Cycling National Racing Calendar Overall Individual Standings :2nd, Australian National Time Trial Championships :3rd, Bay Classic Series ;2008 :1st, Overall, Nature Valley Grand Prix ::1st, Stage 5 :1st, Overall, Joe Martin Stage Race ::1st, Prologue :1st, Overall, Mount Hood Cycling Classic ::1st, Stage 3 :9th, Overall, Jayco Bay Cycling Classic :9th, Overall, Tour de Georgia :1st, Prologue, Redlands Bicycle Classic :2nd, Australian National Time Trail Championships :3rd, Australian National Road Race Championships ;2009 :1st, Overall, Joe Martin Stage Race :6th, Overall, Redlands Bicycle Classic :1st, Overall, Nature Valley Grand Prix ;2010 :1st, Overall, Cascade Cycling Classic :1st, Overall, Nature Valley Grand Prix :7th, Overall, Tour of California ;2011 : 6th Overall, Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali

References

External links

Rory's Rider Stats on VELOBIOS

Rory Sutherland's diary on Cyclingnews

Profile on team website

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Australian cyclists Category:People from Canberra Category:Sportspeople from the Australian Capital Territory

de:Rory Sutherland es:Rory Sutherland fr:Rory Sutherland nl:Rory Sutherland no:Rory Sutherland

name	Monty Hall
birth name	Monte Halperin
birth date	August 25, 1921
birth place	Winnipeg, Manitoba
occupation	Game show host, actor, producer, singer, sportscaster
years active	1953–present
spouse	Marilyn Hall (1947 - present)
website	}}

Monte Halperin, OC, OM (born August 25, 1921), better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-born MC, producer, actor, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show ''Let's Make a Deal''.

Early life

Hall was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the son of Rose (née Rusen) and Maurice Harvey Halperin, both of whom belonged to an Orthodox congregation of Judaism and who jointly owned a slaughterhouse. He was raised in Winnipeg's north end, where he attended St. John's High School. Hall started his career in Winnipeg in radio, moving to Toronto in 1946.

Career

Early in his career, Hall hosted game shows such as ''Bingo at Home'' on DuMont and guest-hosted more established game shows such as ''Strike It Rich'' on CBS, before hosting the first show of his own, ''Keep Talking'' in 1958. Hall also did color-commentary on New York Rangers (NHL) radio broadcasts during the 1959-60 season. He succeeded Jack Narz as host of a well-received and unique game show called ''Video Village,'' which ran from 1960 to 1962 on CBS. On ''Video Village,'' contestants played on a giant game board consisting of three sections: Money Street, Bridge Street and Magic Mile. Players advanced with the roll of a large die. The further contestants advanced along the board, the better the prizes that were offered. A spinoff called ''Video Village Junior'', featuring youngsters, was hosted by Hall and ran during the 1961–1962 regular television season.

Between 1956 and 1960, along with NBC Radio newsman, Morgan Beatty, Hall co-hosted the Saturday night segment of the NBC Radio Network weekend program ''Monitor'' from 8 PM until midnight.

Hall had also served as the host/performer of two local New York City TV film shows for children: "Cowboy Theater" for WRCA (Channel 4) in 1956 and "Fun In The Morning" for WNEW (Ch. 5) in the early 1960s.

Entry into the United States

In 1962, with co-producer Art Stark, Hall sold his first game show to NBC, ''Your First Impression,'' which ran for two years. Stefan Hatos was the producer of that show, and eventually, he and Hall formed a production company, at first called Hatos/Hall Productions and later renamed The Maltese Companies, which was still running as of April 2010, even though Hatos died in 1999.

''Let's Make a Deal''

Hall was the host of the game show ''Let's Make a Deal,'' which he developed and produced with partner Stefan Hatos. ''Let's Make a Deal'' aired on NBC daytime from December 30, 1963, to December 27, 1968, and on ABC daytime from December 30, 1968, to July 9, 1976, along with two primetime runs. It also aired in syndication from 1971 to 1977, from 1980 to 1981, from 1984 to 1986, and again on NBC briefly from 1990 to 1991, replacing Bob Hilton, who had been dismissed. He was producer or executive producer of the show through most of its runs. During the show's initial run, Hall became well known alongside model Carol Merrill and announcer Jay Stewart.

Other game show work

Besides ''Let's Make a Deal,'' the game show ''Split Second,'' which originally ran on ABC from 1972-75 with Tom Kennedy as host, and again in syndication in 1987 with Hall hosting that version, was the only other successful program from Hatos-Hall Productions. Other game shows from Hatos's and Hall's production company included ''Chain Letter'' in 1966; a revival of the venerable 1950s-era panel quiz, ''Masquerade Party'' in 1974; ''3 For the Money'' in 1975; ''It's Anybody's Guess'' in 1977, which reunited ''Let's Make a Deal'' announcer Jay Stewart with Hall, who also hosted the show, and the Canadian-based ''The Joke's on Us'' in 1983. Hall filled in as guest host on several daytime game shows while ''Let's Make a Deal'' was on NBC, most notably ''What's This Song?'' and ''PDQ.'' In 1979, Hall hosted the only game show since ''Video Village'' which he did not produce, Goodson-Todman's ''All-New Beat the Clock.''

Up to date

Though he retired in the early 1990s, Hall still makes occasional television appearances. He appeared as himself on "The Promise Ring" episode of ''That '70s Show'' in 2001. He played the host of a beauty pageant who schemed to become "the world's most powerful game show host" in the Disney animated series ''American Dragon: Jake Long.'' Monty appeared on ''GSN Live'' on March 14, 2008, and hosted a game of ''Let's Make a Deal'' for ''Good Morning America'' on August 18, 2008, as part of Game Show Reunion week. He appeared with his wife on ''The Newlywed Game'' hosted by Bob Eubanks on May 18, 2010.

In summer 2009, CBS announced that it was reviving ''Let's Make a Deal'' as the replacement for the soap opera, ''Guiding Light''. The show premiered on October 5, 2009, with Wayne Brady as host. Hall is credited as "Creative Consultant," and as co-creator of the format (with Stefan Hatos). Hatos/Hall Productions is credited as co-production company (with FremantleMedia). During the week of March 22, 2010, Hall hosted several segments of the "Deal" alongside Brady. Entering its third season in the fall of 2011, it is the longest-running revival of "Deal" since the program's original run.

Honors

Hall received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on August 24, 1973, a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Fame in 2000, and in 2002, he was also inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame. Hall thus became one of only two game show hosts on both Hollywood's and Canada's Walks of Fame, the other being Alex Trebek. In May 1988, the Government of Canada bestowed on him the prestigious Order of Canada for his humanitarian work in Canada and other nations of the world. For many years, he has been associated with Variety, the Children's Charity, helping to raise millions of dollars through their telethons and other related fund-raisers.

Hall was the recipient of the 2005 Ralph Edwards Service Award from Game Show Congress, in recognition of all the work the emcee-producer has done for charity through the years.

On October 13, 2007, Hall was of the first inductees into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Personal life

Education

Hall graduated from St. John's High School. Hall also graduated from the University of Manitoba, where he majored in chemistry and zoology, receiving his Bachelor of Science degree.

Family

He has been married for 64 years to his wife, the former Marilyn Plottel, and he has two daughters (actress and Tony Award winner Joanna Gleason and Sharon Hall, a television executive at Sony Pictures inc.) and one son (Richard Hall, a television producer).

Other

In addition to his work on game shows, Hall was a radio analyst for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League during the 1958–60 season. Between 1956 and 1960, Hall worked as one of several rotating hosts of NBC Radio's ''Monitor'' weekend broadcast. At least one recording of Hall on ''Monitor'' is known to exist.

"The Monty Hall Problem"

Because of his work on ''Let's Make a Deal,'' Hall's name is used in a probability puzzle known as "The Monty Hall Problem," which examines the counter-intuitive effect of switching one's choice of doors, one of which hides a prize, if "Monty" reveals an unwanted item behind a door the player did not choose. Hall himself gave an explanation of the solution to that problem, and why the solution did not apply to the case of the actual show, in an interview with ''The New York Times'' reporter John Tierney in 1991. Because Hall had control over the way the game progressed, he played on the psychology of the contestant. The puzzle was mentioned in an episode of the first season of the CBS drama ''NUMB3RS,'' in the 2008 movie ''21,'' and also in the novel ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.'' A detailed explanation and rationale for the solution to this problem is presented in The World's 200 Hardest Brainteasers book by Gary Gruber

References

External links

Monty's Bio at letsmakeadeal.com

CBC Television Archives profile of Monty Hall (1970)

Category:1921 births Category:Canadian expatriates in the United States Category:Canadian game show hosts Category:Canadian Jews Category:Let's Make a Deal Category:Living people Category:Members of the Order of Manitoba Category:National Hockey League broadcasters Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:People from Winnipeg Category:University of Manitoba alumni

ar:مونتي هول de:Monty Hall fr:Monty Hall he:מונטי הול nl:Monty Hall pl:Monty Hall pt:Monty Hall tr:Monty Hall uk:Монті Холл

name	Neal Stephenson
pseudonym	Stephen Bury(with J. Frederick George)
birth date	October 31, 1959
birth place	Fort Meade, Maryland, U.S.
occupation	novelist, short story writer, essayist
nationality	American
period	1984-present
genre	speculative fiction, historical fiction, essays
movement	cyberpunk, postcyberpunk, maximalism
influences	Bruce Sterling, William Gibson, David Foster Wallace, Thomas Pynchon, Philip K. Dick
influenced	Charles Stross, Daniel Suarez
website	http://www.nealstephenson.com/ }}

Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an iconoclastic American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.

Difficult to categorise, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk. Other labels such as 'baroque' often appear.

Stephenson explores areas such as mathematics, cryptography, philosophy, currency, and the history of science. He also writes non-fiction articles about technology in publications such as ''Wired''.

He has worked part-time as an advisor for Blue Origin, a company (funded by Jeff Bezos) developing a manned sub-orbital launch system, and is also cofounder of Subutai Corporation, whose first offering is the interactive fiction project ''The Mongoliad''. He has also written novels with his uncle, George Jewsbury ("J. Frederick George"), under the collective pseudonym Stephen Bury.

Life

Born on October 31, 1959 in Fort Meade, Maryland, Stephenson came from a family of engineers and hard scientists; his father is a professor of electrical engineering whose father was a physics professor; his mother worked in a biochemistry laboratory, while her father was a biochemistry professor. Stephenson's family moved to Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1960 and then in 1966 to Ames, Iowa, where he graduated from Ames High School in 1977. Stephenson furthered his studies at Boston University. He first specialized in physics, then switched to geography after he found that it would allow him to spend more time on the university mainframe. He graduated in 1981 with a B.A. in geography and a minor in physics. Since 1984, Stephenson has lived mostly in the Pacific Northwest and currently resides in Seattle with his family.

Literary career

Stephenson's first novel, ''The Big U'', published in 1984, was a satirical take on life at American Megaversity, a vast, bland and alienating research university beset by chaotic riots. His next novel, ''Zodiac'' (1988), was a thriller following the exploits of a radical environmentalist protagonist in his struggle against corporate polluters. Neither novel attracted much critical attention on first publication, but showcased concerns that Stephenson would further develop in his later work. ''The Big U'' went out of print until 2001, when Stephenson allowed it to be republished after realizing that this book that he considered inferior to his others was being sold at inflated prices for used copies because of its scarcity and collectors' value.

Stephenson's breakthrough came in 1992 with ''Snow Crash'', a novel in the late cyberpunk or post-cyberpunk tradition fusing memetics, computer viruses, and other high-tech themes with Sumerian mythology, along with a sociological extrapolation of laissez-faire capitalism and collectivism. ''Snow Crash'' can be considered to be the first expression of Stephenson's mature style. Stephenson at this time would later be described by Mike Godwin as "a slight, unassuming grad-student type whose soft-spoken demeanor gave no obvious indication that he had written the manic apotheosis of cyberpunk science fiction." In 1994, Stephenson joined with his uncle, J. Frederick George, to publish a political thriller, ''Interface'', under the pen name "Stephen Bury"; they followed this in 1996 with ''The Cobweb''. Stephenson's next solo novel, published in 1995, was ''The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'', which dealt with a future with extensive nanotechnology and dynabooks.

This was followed by ''Cryptonomicon'' in 1999, a novel concerned with concepts ranging from computing and Alan Turing's research into codebreaking and cryptography during the Second World War at Bletchley Park, to a modern attempt to set up a data haven. It has subsequently been reissued in three separate volumes in some countries, including in French and Spanish translations.

''The Baroque Cycle'', Stephenson's next novel, is a series of long historical novels set in the 17th and 18th centuries, and is in some respects a prequel to ''Cryptonomicon''. It was originally published in three volumes of two or three books each – ''Quicksilver'' (2003), ''The Confusion'' (2004) and ''The System of the World'' (2004) – but was subsequently republished as eight separate books: ''Quicksilver'', ''King of the Vagabonds'', ''Odalisque'', ''Bonanza'', ''Juncto'', ''Solomon's Gold'', ''Currency'', and ''System of the World''. (The titles and exact break-down varies in different markets.)

Following this, Stephenson published a novel titled ''Anathem'' (2008), a very long and detailed work, perhaps best described as speculative fiction. It is set in an Earth-like world (perhaps in an alternate reality), deals with metaphysics and refers heavily to Ancient Greek philosophy - while at the same time being a complex commentary on the insubstantiality of today's contemporary society.

In May 2010, the Subutai Corporation, of which Stephenson was named chairman, announced the production of an experimental multimedia fiction project called ''The Mongoliad'', which centered around a narrative written by Stephenson and other speculative fiction authors.

''REAMDE'', a play on the common filename "Read Me", is a novel by Stephenson scheduled for release on September 20th 2011. In this book, Stephenson returns to the cyberpunk genre in a story about a smuggler turned game developer caught in an international cyber war.

Non-fiction

Stephenson has also written non-fiction. ''In The Beginning Was The Command Line'', an essay on operating systems including the histories of and relationships between DOS, Windows, Linux, and BeOS from both cultural and technical viewpoints and focusing especially on the development of the Graphical User Interface, was published in book form in 2000. Various other essays have been published in magazines such as ''Wired''.

With the 2003 publication of ''Quicksilver'', Applied Minds debuted The Metaweb, an online wiki annotating the ideas and historical period explored in the novel. The project was influenced by the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia, and its content included annotations from Stephenson himself.

Style

In his earlier novels Stephenson deals heavily in pop culture-laden metaphors and imagery and in quick, hip dialogue, as well as in extended narrative monologues. The tone of his books is generally more irreverent and less self-serious than that of previous cyberpunk novels, notably those of William Gibson.

Stephenson's books tend to have elaborate, inventive plots drawing on numerous technological and sociological ideas at the same time. This distinguishes him from other mainstream science fiction authors who tend to focus on a few technological or social changes in isolation from others. The discursive nature of his writing, together with significant plot and character complexity and an abundance of detail suggests a baroque writing style, which Stephenson brought fully to bear in the three-volume ''Baroque Cycle''. His book ''The Diamond Age'' follows a simpler plot but features "neo-Victorian" characters and employs Victorian-era literary conceits. In keeping with the baroque style, Stephenson's books have become longer as he has gained recognition. For example, the paperback editions of ''Cryptonomicon'' are over eleven hundred pages long with the novel containing various digressions, including a lengthy erotic story about antique furniture and stockings.

Works

Novels

''The Big U'' (1984)

''Zodiac'' (1988)

''Snow Crash'' (1992) – British Science Fiction Association Award nominee, 1993; Clarke Award nominee, 1994

''Interface'' (1994) with J. Frederick George, as "Stephen Bury"

''The Diamond Age: or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'' (1995) – Hugo and Locus SF Awards winner, 1996; Nebula, Campbell and Clarke Awards nominee, 1996

''The Cobweb'' (1996) with J. Frederick George, as "Stephen Bury"

''Cryptonomicon'' (1999) – Locus SF Award winner, 2000; Hugo and Clarke Awards nominee, 2000 ''Quicksilver'' (2003), volume I:''The Baroque Cycle'' – Clarke Award winner, 2004; Locus SF Award nominee, 2004

''The Confusion'' (2004), volume II:''The Baroque Cycle'' and winner 2005 Locus Award

''The System of the World'' (2004), volume III:''The Baroque Cycle'' – Locus SF Award winner, 2005; Prometheus Award winner, 2005; Clarke Award nominee, 2005 ''Anathem'' (2008) – Locus SF Award winner, 2009; British Science Fiction Association Award nominee, 2008; Hugo and Clarke Awards nominee, 2009

''The Mongoliad'' (2010–)

''Reamde'' (2011)

Short fiction

"Spew" (1994), in Hackers (1996)

"The Great Simoleon Caper" (1995), ''TIME''

"Excerpt from the Third and Last Volume of ''Tribes of the Pacific Northwest''" in ''Full Spectrum 5'' (1995)

"Jipi and the Paranoid Chip" (1997), ''Forbes''

"Crunch" (1997), in ''Disco 2000'' (edited by Sarah Champion, 1998) ("Crunch" is a chapter from ''Cryptonomicon'')

Non-fiction

"Smiley's people". 1993.

"In the Kingdom of Mao Bell". ''Wired''. 1994. "A billion Chinese are using new technology to create the fastest growing economy on the planet. But while the information wants to be free, do they?"

"Mother Earth Mother Board". ''Wired''. 1996. "In which the Hacker Tourist ventures forth across three continents, telling the story of the business and technology of undersea fiber-optic cables, as well as an account of the laying of the longest wire on Earth."

"Global Neighborhood Watch". ''Wired''. 1998. Stopping street crime in the global village.

''In the Beginning... Was the Command Line''. Harpers Perennial. 1999. ISBN 0-380-81593-1.

"Communication Prosthetics: Threat, or Menace?". ''Whole Earth Review'', Summer 2001.

"Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out". Op-Ed piece on ''Star Wars'', in ''The New York Times'', June 17, 2005.

"It's All Geek To Me". Op-Ed piece on the film ''300'' and geek culture, ''The New York Times'', March 18, 2007.

"Atoms of Cognition: Metaphysics in the Royal Society 1715-2010," chapter in ''Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society,'' edited by Bill Bryson. Stephenson discusses the legacy of the rivalry between Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, November 2, 2010.

"Space Stasis". ''Slate''. February 2, 2011. "What the strange persistence of rockets can teach us about innovation."

References

External links

Stephenson's personal website

"Science Fiction as a Literary Genre" – lecture by Stephenson at Gresham College, London in May 2008

Neal Stephenson at authors@Google, September 12, 2008.

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:American science fiction writers Category:American novelists Category:American technology writers Category:Hugo Award winning authors Category:Prometheus Award winning authors Category:The Baroque Cycle Category:Writers from Maryland Category:Writers from Iowa Category:Writers from Seattle, Washington Category:Boston University alumni Category:Cyberpunk writers Category:Environmental fiction writers Category:Wired (magazine) people Category:Postmodern writers

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