1. News flash -- I just read in the MSRI newsletter that Oleg Musin has extended methods of Delsarte to prove that the kissing number in 4 dimensions is 24. (For some time it was known that it had to be either 24 or 25.) This means the kissing number is now known only in dimensions d = 1 (2), 2 (6), 3 (12), 4 (24), 8 (240), and 24 (196560). * * * 2. Just read that the 2004 Science Talent Search winners have been announced, and among the top 10 is a student whose project is about the "number derivative". QUESTION: What is the number derivative? Dan asimov@msri.org