现在在很多领域中的研究都不能避开von Neumann这个人，然而，这个人在中国大众中的普及程度估计比不上霍金、纳什。在计算机等级考试中，我们都背过，第一个发明电子计算机的人是冯诺依曼，但他在其他领域的贡献就很少为大众所知了。
他是博弈论的创始人，人工生命的理论先行者，计算机的发明人，甚至也是复杂性理论的先行者。他还有很多很多洞察是不为人知的，真的感觉他的思想太超前了。

这篇文章是wolfram (Mathematica软件的作者，A New kind of Science的创始人）写的纪念von Neumann的文章，共勉吧。

John von Neumann’s 100th Birthday
Today (December 28, 2003) would have been John von Neumann’s 100th birthday—if he had not died at age 54 in 1957, and that gives me an excuse today to write a little about him. (I would have liked to spend longer on this, but December 28 only lasts so long, and I have many other things to do.)

I’ve been interested in von Neumann for many years—not least because his work touched on some of my most favorite topics. He is mentioned in 12 separate places in my book—second in number only to Alan Turing, who appears 19 times. (See www.wolframscience.com/nks/index/names/t-z.html.)

I always feel that one can appreciate peoples’ work better if one understands the people themselves better. And from talking to many people who knew him, I think I’ve gradually built up a decent picture of John von Neumann as a man.

He would have been fun to meet. He knew a lot, was very quick, always impressed people, and was lively, social and funny.