Consistency Counts

Today was the last day of classes for the semester, for which I am grateful.  One of my students made a memorable last impression by sleeping in and failing to show up for his oral presentation (at 2 in the afternoon).  He emailed me to apologize, but started his message by misspelling my name.  At least his performance has been consistent.  

Communication

Some of my students did a terrific presentation today on communications media, where they divided the class into groups, then gave them a math problem to solve together, with the restriction that they could only use one communications medium to collaborate.  

The question was: "You have the misfortune of having an unreliable clock.  You set the clock to the correct time at midnight, but it loses 24 minutes every hour, and it now says 3:00 am.  The clock stopped one hour ago, so what time is it now?"

To solve the problem, one group could talk to one another face-to-face but couldn't write anything down.  Another group could pass one another paper notes, but not speak, while another used a similar technique but with instant-messaging.  The last group could only use their cell phones to send text-messages, with hilarious results.  The face-to-face group finished first and won the challenge, with paper and internet coming in second and third.  The text messaging group was catastrophic.  Their initial text read:

"You have the misprint of having an unreliable block Your block to the correct time at midnight but it loses 24 switches our and now it says 3am The block is stopped hour ago, what time is it now#"

Piedmont Pig

Not long after I moved to Atlanta, I was driving home one night and saw a man walking his pet pig down the street.  I wondered if I had hallucinated, but it turns out this pair are a local institution, and can often be seen taking the air in and around Piedmont Park.  Yesterday I saw them surrounded by curious passers-by, and as I was taking this picture, I heard the man describe his porcine companion's personality as "aloof".  

I should note that I have never seen the pig wear the same t-shirt twice.

Southern Fried Thanksgiving

American Thanksgiving is this weekend, and I am responsible for baking a pie. I was at the grocery store to get the necessities, and was thrilled to see a huge display offering both the hardware and software for deep-fried turkey. In the photo you'll notice that the fry kit is a mere $79.99, and they have conveniently displayed it beside the 3-gallon containers of peanut oil, a steal at $39.99.  With all the money you'll save, you could pick up a couple of fire extinguishers.  I'm told that fire departments across the nation brace themselves for the inevitable disasters that arise from such festivities

Kids These Days

I know, I know - I need to stop being surprised by these things, but... One of my students who is an Aerospace Engineering major says he has never heard of The Right Stuff. He's never even heard those words in combination. Sigh.

Overheard in the Hall

Sitting in my office, I overheard this comment from an undergrad walking down the hallway:

"There are many more syllables than you think in every Asian word."

Dear readers who speak "Asian", any thoughts on this?

Education Today

I'm working on another job application, this one for the role of "The Film person in the English Department". I took a gander at the university's website to see what's going on, and what kinds of courses they offer in English. The most intriguing title was for a graduate seminar called "Weird Books by Women Novelists." I feel inspired to propose a series of "Weird Films..." courses.