|
 Hi!
Thanks for dropping in on the world of Rick Dicks. (Yes,
that's really my name.) Feel free to write to me about
anything you see on this page. Criticisms are especially
welcome, as they help me improve my
site.
A
systems architect for a large consulting firm by day, an
avid golfer on the weekends. In between I enjoy cycling
and rollerblading. I think salsa is one of the basic
food groups - the hotter the better. I spent many years
as a database administrator on some of the largest
databases in the world (at that time), and I am still a
member of (and webmaster for) the Dallas-Fort Worth DB2
Forum.
My Other Hobby -
The Hailstone
Problem
There is a fascinating and unsolved mathematical
problem known as the Hailstone problem (aka 3x+1, aka "a
*&^& waste of time", and several other names). I've been
working on it for over 20 years now. Why? Just to see if I can
solve it, I guess. There's no known useful application if it is
solved, no fame or fortune awaiting - just the challenge of doing
something that's never been done. In future versions of this page,
I hope to share some of my discoveries about this topic, but for
you Hailstoners out there (and there are many of us), feel free to
write with thoughts, questions, or just to relieve the
frustration.
For an
explanation of the Hailstone Problem, and an online
hailstone calculator,
click here.
Golf -
The Final
Frontier
As if trying
to solve a useless, probably unsolvable problem isn't
enough challenge, I had to take up a sport like golf. I
play several courses around the Dallas, Texas area. One
of my current favorites is
Stewart's
Peninsula
in The Colony, Texas. It's a links-style
9-hole course on the edge of Lake Lewisville. Although the course
is short, it can be very challenging on a breezy day. Shot
placement is critical here.
The DFW
DB2 Forum Although my
job has taken a turn that doesn't allow me much time to
work on DB2, I still have the pleasure of being the
webmaster for the Dallas-Fort Worth DB2 User Forum. If
you are a DB2 professional, please visit our
site.
Keeping families in
touch
I have a couple sites I've put
together to keep my extended family in touch. For
the Dicks side of the family, see our Cousins
site. For the Rickabaugh side, see the Rickabaugh
site
.
My
buddies
Of course, I must pay tribute
to my good friends. Dick Walker is a professional
fiddle player, traveling the world to make beautiful
music. See his site
and you might even want to order some of his
music!
My golf
buddies are some of the greatest guys in the
world. Although we are now separated
geographically, we've been playing together for about 15
years, and we still keep up the tradition with our
semi-annual get-togethers to golf and drink a wee
bit o' beer. Our reunion in 2000 was our first
get-together after jobs forced us to move around the
country.
e-mail:
rickdicks@rickdicks.com |
