[RightWhale]

This is great! It is interesting to know something about a mathematician besides his theorem. Russell and Carnap were in the Vienna Circle. Goedel destroyed positivism, but positivism ignored that and spread widely after the Vienna Circle broke up after its founder was assassinated.

[snarks_when_bored]

I was really stunned by the number of well-known people Gardner has encountered in his life. Donald Knuth and John Conway as friends and houseguests? Whoa. And, you're right, those personal details are fascinating.