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February 17, 2006

More Fodder for Language Nit-Pickers

An "eggcorn" is an misuse of a word within a phrase, when what was intended was a similar-sounding word. "For all intensive purposes" is one of the more irritating examples of this.

Newly brought to my attention is the Eggcorn Database which tracks instances of word misuse that appear in the public media. Some of these, like substituting "daring-do" for "derring-do" are understandable mistakes from unsophisticated writers (similarly, substituting "straight and narrow" for "strait and narrow"), but when "be who of" is being used instead of "behoove" in a newspaper, now that's just sad.

Posted by Dean at 5:01 PM | Comments (1)

February 14, 2006

A real, live snowstorm

It's Coming Right for Us!

I took this picture during Sunday's snowstorm. My car is buried, and I'm waiting for the snow to melt a bit more before I bother to dig it out.

Of course, even though the streets were empty, stores were closed, and most everyone was spending the day at home, the local bodega was still open and shoveled clear:

Posted by Dean at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)

February 8, 2006

My life in fortune cookies

One of my favorite books from high school, Hackers, ends with a scene in the early 1980s where most of the core brilliant Artificial Intelligence scientists have left MIT for startup companies, leaving the last true-believer, Richard Stallman as the only person left at MIT's AI lab still ordering Chinese food on a Friday night, hacking away. While working away in lab on my thesis or various dead-end projects on Friday nights eating Chinese food from Pu Pu Hot Pot, I would think of that story about Richard Stallman. I'd also save a few fortunes from the fortune cookies that I found particularly compelling for encouragement, and recently I've found those old fortunes lying around my own apartment. Here's a sample:

You are almost there.

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he gives up.

Your path is arduous but will be amply rewarding.

You have inexhaustible wisdom and power.

Adapt to circumstances in order to make progress.

If you're always a pessimist, consider just how futile that attitude can be.

A chance meeting opens new doors to success and friendship.

There is no shame in failure--only in quitting.

The expert at anything was once a beginner.

The diligent reader will, of course, notice a pattern.

Posted by Dean at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

February 3, 2006

And so it has come to this...

My MIT student ID expired on Wednesday, which I was rudely reminded of when I was locked out of the MIT gym, so I went down to the MIT card office and got myself an alumni card, as you can see above. Wow. Life without a student ID. New experiences, man.

Posted by Dean at 8:53 PM | Comments (0)

February 2, 2006

Where on earth would you find someone like that?

Stopping by MIT to run an errand, I came across this little flyer posted on a bulletin board:

This is an advertisement for a website called IntellectConnect.com, purportedly to help people find "Brainy, Cultured People." Gee, as a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts, I myself have always wondered where I could find brainy people, and I've been at a loss regarding where to find cultural resources or local art.

Posted by Dean at 9:54 PM | Comments (1)

February 1, 2006

Wherein Dean Learns to Use Flickr

The more digital photos I take, the harder they are to organize. So, I finally signed up for Flickr and uploaded many of my photos with pictures from Christmas and my post-thesis celebration.

Posted by Dean at 12:41 PM | Comments (2)