News You Can Bruise for 2000 December 11

Mon Dec 11 2000 05:48: Celeste's queuing theory final is today. Actually it's in less than 2 hours. I answered her questions this weekend but I had to punt on a lot of them because I don't remember things as basic as how to calculate second moment. I wish I could have done more to help her. All I can do at this point is wish her luck.

Mon Dec 11 2000 06:04: Today's poll is in honor of our gonzo buildmaster, Josh Lucas.

Someone from la.inreach.net has been stuffing the polls. I don't know which is worse; that someone feels the need to rig these useless polls, or that I care.

Oops, I accidentally overwrote the last poll with this poll. Oh well, it wasn't a very good poll anyway.

Mon Dec 11 2000 06:10: This is a rather amusing article. Biotech patents are "making a mockery of the world patent system", not because said system deserves to be made a mockery, not because biotech patents are generally evil... because biotech patents are really long and use a lot of paper! Yes, you read it here first. Actually, you probably read it at Sci Tech Daily first.

Mon Dec 11 2000 06:36: This long article on Bach would be worthwhile even if the only thing it supplied to me were this previously missing detail:

The great Mass in B Minor could not be played at all during Bach's lifetime: a Latin mass was not possible in a Protestant church, and at that time a performance with an orchestra was banned in Catholic churches.

Brilliant.

Mon Dec 11 2000 07:12: The definition of "good press": An article headlined "All hail [your company's product]".

Mon Dec 11 2000 09:57: The queueing theory final is nearly over. Celeste said she'd call me afterwards. I am waiting with bated breath for the call.

Mon Dec 11 2000 13:20: Kevin Maples showed me a cool slot machine which he wrote in C.

That's all for now.

Mon Dec 11 2000 14:31: There was an alarm which was set off earlier, and which produced an inscrutable alarm message. We evacuated and the fire department came. They futzed around inside the building for a while and then left. I have no idea what they did. All I know is that I lost over an hour of my afternoon. Kevin and I walked down to the marina, though, so it wasn't a total waste.