1. Mathematicians are basically the same everywhere on this planet: plants living in their offices are doomed to suffer per default. But here in Oxford they even managed to kill a cactus! Not even Karlsruhe’s mathematicians managed to do that…
2. „A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems.“ It definitely is! But here I must say: Oxford wins. Coffee is for free and is made anew throughout the day by John. Notice that for this comparison we eliminated the fact of me actually not liking any…
3. When it comes to lunch time of course first Karlsruhe’s mathematicians win: lunch time is earlier than in the UK! Okay, maybe not the best argument… let’s not dwell any longer on that. But (there’s always a but): how would you compare having lunch in a college hall, quiet and pieceful, absolutely stylish vs. going to the Universitys dining commons – shared by every student and employee on campus?
  
    
Left is Worcester, the middle is Balliol college (where the Numerical Analysis group dines every Thursday at the high table).