Wit

Upon finding out that an acquaintance from London and I had been assigned to share a hotel room together, I emailed him as a witty scare tactic.

From: Tony
To: P
Subject: Re: Room assignments
Date: Thu, Oct 26, 2006 5:29 PM

i snore a bit. just so you know!

(A short time later...)

From: P
To: Tony
Subject: Re: Room assignments
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006 09:53:48 +0100

so do i - and i'll be jetlagged so i know who'll be asleep first!

Something tells me that he was not kidding around... :-(

Lazy Wednesday Morning Emails

Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 11:33:43 -0700
From: Tony Tang
Subject: Art-o-meter: Gauges "Art Quality" by Attendee Interest

In use: http://infosthetics.com/archives/2006/10/artometer.html

Close up of device: http://web.media.mit.edu/~marcelo/art-o-meter/index.htm

I think it gauges more a piece's "poorness" quality rather than a piece's "goodness" quality. Look at the device carefully and see if you agree.

--tony

For a hint, highlight the following text: (The bottom line of text on the LCD says: "piece de merde." Loosely, this translates to "crappiness". Literally, this translates to "piece of shit".)

PhD Tip #1: Use your colleagues as support staff

Getting through a PhD is tough -- one of the ways to get through it is to establish a solid support system. This includes an emotional and writing support team made up of colleagues who can help you through the tough times and times of uncertainty. For this, I rely primarily on C.

One of the toughest things about taking on this kind of team is that you have to be honest with yourself and take their comments with humility. C is really good at putting me in my place.

Recently, in regard to a poster I was making...
T: Hey, can you take a look at this?
C: Sure
T: I want to put points under the title to sum up the whole poster
C: I'm not sure you need summary points because it isn't like there is a lot there

L has also recently come in handy. It also took a while to get used to L's style...

In regard to an email I was writing to an HCI rock star...
T: Hey, can you take a look at this email? I'm not really sure how to phrase it. I'm kind of nervous about how it reads...
T:
L: ok i'm reading... just a sec
L: you're kidding right?

Actually, these comments were in jest, or taken completely out of context. Both C and L are really good editors and help me work through many of the ideas carefully.

I truly believe that having a solid support staff is key to success in writing. Most ideas take a few iterations to make them sound really good.

Tony's Theory of Recreational Sports

For me to feel satisfied with a recreational sports outing, I like two of the following three to be fulfilled:

• We win (the game).
• I enjoy the company.
• I/we play well.
  

If all three are fulfilled, then it is an awesome awesome time. If none or only one is fulfilled, then I am often left feeling kind of annoyed.

Insights from Generation Y: Useless Invention Ideas

My brother J commented yesterday: "Nothing good can come of inventing a smell-sensor/simulator for cell phones."

To support his argument, he pointed out the following:

1. You rarely smell anything nice in life. (Can you actually remember the last time you smelled flowers?)
   
2. Nice smells (e.g. food) can actually smell bad without the proper context or when you are in the wrong context (e.g. crowded bus).
   
3. You frequently smell bad things.
4. Taking observations 1 and 3 together, he pointed out that you often do not notice that you have a sense of smell unless you smell something bad.
5. Finally, he noted that we are far too immature to be trusted with being able to SMS smells to one another. (Note: what is transient but would be funny to send to someone else?)

I think there is really only one smell I really really like: the smell of rain as it first hits the ground.

Cooking with Boys

A boy's solution to the "this ingredient or that ingredient" problem in cooking was elucidated today on IM.

T: Garlic mash potatos or mash potatos with onions?
M: Hmmm... Tough call.
M: I'd go with garlic AND onions.
T: "When faced with two food choices, always go with both."
M: That's like my motto!

This solution also applies to the "soup or salad" problem. Always go with both.

Tragedy Strikes in the Lab Kitchen...

Date: Tue, 3 Oct 2006 14:57:39 -0700
From: Tony Tang
Subject: FreonTang Says: "Don't use the fridge in x518"

Hi All --

FreonTang here with another stellar kitchen cleaning update: x518 is clean! Also, do not use the fridge! It is broken. We will look into getting a replacement.

Extended Report:
While our cleaning expedition was a success, we had a minor casualty: the fridge. As it turns out, it is not a good idea to use a screwdriver and hammer to break ice willy-nilly since freon pipes line the freezer. The freon pipe was hit, leading to a sabotage-like situation where freon was leaking all over the place. Do not fear, our crack squad of cleaning guerrillas managed to evacuate the zone safely. As it turns out, freon is harmless (more or less), so we went back in to finish off the job (dedication!). So, although x518 is now clean, I would avoid walking outside near the ICICS building for the next couple of days since our ozone layer now needs to heal itself.

Cheers!
FreonTang