Vikram Saraph
@vikramsaraph.com
Software engineer, AI/ML researcher, and mathematician at Johns Hopkins APL.
Former New Englander, current Marylander.
Brown CS PhD and Notre Dame math alum.
Nerd of sorts (computers, math, language, puzzles, games, books, music).
Opinions are my own.
Former New Englander, current Marylander.
Brown CS PhD and Notre Dame math alum.
Nerd of sorts (computers, math, language, puzzles, games, books, music).
Opinions are my own.
Eg I’m generally hesitant to post pictures of myself publicly online, but I’m not sure I mind posting these AI’d ones of me as I consider whether I’d want to use them?
(Growing out hair once again)
(Growing out hair once again)
November 10, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Eg I’m generally hesitant to post pictures of myself publicly online, but I’m not sure I mind posting these AI’d ones of me as I consider whether I’d want to use them?
(Growing out hair once again)
(Growing out hair once again)
My first time going to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was surprisingly warm and sunny over the weekend.
(Timeline cleanse?)
(Timeline cleanse?)
November 9, 2025 at 4:09 PM
My first time going to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was surprisingly warm and sunny over the weekend.
(Timeline cleanse?)
(Timeline cleanse?)
I donated $25 to the Python Software Foundation.
Did I do that to post about it social media? Yes. Did I also do it because I think that the Python programming language is awesome, and PSF and PyCon are awesome, and they need more funding? Also yes.
Did I do that to post about it social media? Yes. Did I also do it because I think that the Python programming language is awesome, and PSF and PyCon are awesome, and they need more funding? Also yes.
October 28, 2025 at 10:15 PM
I donated $25 to the Python Software Foundation.
Did I do that to post about it social media? Yes. Did I also do it because I think that the Python programming language is awesome, and PSF and PyCon are awesome, and they need more funding? Also yes.
Did I do that to post about it social media? Yes. Did I also do it because I think that the Python programming language is awesome, and PSF and PyCon are awesome, and they need more funding? Also yes.
(meant to also attach a screenshot of the inverse function theorem, oops; here it is)
October 28, 2025 at 3:00 AM
(meant to also attach a screenshot of the inverse function theorem, oops; here it is)
Here's a precise statement (found in appendix) about how gradient descent preserves absolute continuity:
October 28, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Here's a precise statement (found in appendix) about how gradient descent preserves absolute continuity:
Wish I had time to read this paper in more detail, but it appears to me to be very rigorously written and self-contained. Complete proofs are spelled out in the appendix, which also contains standard definitions and theorems that I recognize from real analysis and point-set topology.
October 28, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Wish I had time to read this paper in more detail, but it appears to me to be very rigorously written and self-contained. Complete proofs are spelled out in the appendix, which also contains standard definitions and theorems that I recognize from real analysis and point-set topology.
Here's an updated map of US states I've been to with my last trip. States are wooden pieces that I add to the map as I visit them.
I need to get either Utah or Arizona ensure the set of states I've been to is connected.
I need to get either Utah or Arizona ensure the set of states I've been to is connected.
October 7, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Here's an updated map of US states I've been to with my last trip. States are wooden pieces that I add to the map as I visit them.
I need to get either Utah or Arizona ensure the set of states I've been to is connected.
I need to get either Utah or Arizona ensure the set of states I've been to is connected.
Going back from Frostburg to Cumberland though was really easy since it was all downhill. We were able to do it in about an hour.
October 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Going back from Frostburg to Cumberland though was really easy since it was all downhill. We were able to do it in about an hour.
I managed to get a picture of it. Its whistle is loud.
We waved at its passengers as it went by.
There's a short tunnel along the GAP which has a warning saying that you shouldn't be in the tunnel when a train is coming through.
We waved at its passengers as it went by.
There's a short tunnel along the GAP which has a warning saying that you shouldn't be in the tunnel when a train is coming through.
October 5, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I managed to get a picture of it. Its whistle is loud.
We waved at its passengers as it went by.
There's a short tunnel along the GAP which has a warning saying that you shouldn't be in the tunnel when a train is coming through.
We waved at its passengers as it went by.
There's a short tunnel along the GAP which has a warning saying that you shouldn't be in the tunnel when a train is coming through.
I think I've got the barycentric subdivision of a simplicial complex defined in Lean:
September 22, 2025 at 2:38 AM
I think I've got the barycentric subdivision of a simplicial complex defined in Lean:
Virginia Tech’s main green is very green
September 2, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Virginia Tech’s main green is very green
How long has this existed??
August 31, 2025 at 4:10 AM
How long has this existed??
Here’s a picture I took in DC without any additional context
August 13, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Here’s a picture I took in DC without any additional context
I did the B&A bike path today solo:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimo...
This was tough, but I managed it!
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimo...
This was tough, but I managed it!
August 9, 2025 at 10:26 PM
I did the B&A bike path today solo:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimo...
This was tough, but I managed it!
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltimo...
This was tough, but I managed it!
This evening ride was a workout for me. Accompanied a couple of others who were on a tandem bike.
August 6, 2025 at 1:44 AM
This evening ride was a workout for me. Accompanied a couple of others who were on a tandem bike.
I'm uncertain what good variable naming conventions there could be for languages like Lean used to write proofs.
"haxar"? Sure, why not? I guess it's a reflection of mathematicians using single-letter names in proofs anyways?
reasonable question for me to actually go ask in the Zulip server.
"haxar"? Sure, why not? I guess it's a reflection of mathematicians using single-letter names in proofs anyways?
reasonable question for me to actually go ask in the Zulip server.
July 29, 2025 at 3:32 AM
I'm uncertain what good variable naming conventions there could be for languages like Lean used to write proofs.
"haxar"? Sure, why not? I guess it's a reflection of mathematicians using single-letter names in proofs anyways?
reasonable question for me to actually go ask in the Zulip server.
"haxar"? Sure, why not? I guess it's a reflection of mathematicians using single-letter names in proofs anyways?
reasonable question for me to actually go ask in the Zulip server.
The existential quantifier being described as a "big disjunction" in Theorem Proving in Lean reminds me exactly of infinite disjunctions in infinitary logic:
leanprover.github.io/theorem_prov...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
leanprover.github.io/theorem_prov...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
July 28, 2025 at 3:05 AM
The existential quantifier being described as a "big disjunction" in Theorem Proving in Lean reminds me exactly of infinite disjunctions in infinitary logic:
leanprover.github.io/theorem_prov...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
leanprover.github.io/theorem_prov...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinit...
Just off a bike trail
July 23, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Just off a bike trail
I wrote this proof of distributivity of conjunctions all on my own. Seeing that double blue checkmark from Lean's LSP is very satisfying.
July 20, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I wrote this proof of distributivity of conjunctions all on my own. Seeing that double blue checkmark from Lean's LSP is very satisfying.
Here's a short video of me running the code I wrote back then, to visualize heat diffusion via the heat equation (the z axis is temperate, and fades from red to blue). I did not change the code I originally wrote (so it's bad), except for me using uv to run it.
github.com/vhxs/heat_eq...
github.com/vhxs/heat_eq...
July 16, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Here's a short video of me running the code I wrote back then, to visualize heat diffusion via the heat equation (the z axis is temperate, and fades from red to blue). I did not change the code I originally wrote (so it's bad), except for me using uv to run it.
github.com/vhxs/heat_eq...
github.com/vhxs/heat_eq...
Indeed, Copilot's code completions were all wrong when I started writing some Typst. But as I started typing, it did learn the syntax pretty quickly. In fact, it got the syntax of the following proof entirely on its own (I just pressed tab):
July 15, 2025 at 3:02 AM
Indeed, Copilot's code completions were all wrong when I started writing some Typst. But as I started typing, it did learn the syntax pretty quickly. In fact, it got the syntax of the following proof entirely on its own (I just pressed tab):
1000+ followers, woo! Screenshotting this since follower counts fluctuate and people unfollow all the time.
July 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
1000+ followers, woo! Screenshotting this since follower counts fluctuate and people unfollow all the time.
This evening I think some people learned what it means to be ratioed on a microblogging platform
July 13, 2025 at 4:09 AM
This evening I think some people learned what it means to be ratioed on a microblogging platform
Proof I went to @puzzledpint.bsky.social yesterday for its 15 year anniversary:
July 10, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Proof I went to @puzzledpint.bsky.social yesterday for its 15 year anniversary: