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We had presentations today in BA 4196, goody.  The teacher spent the session staring at us unhappily and I spent the session looking quizzically at poorly wrought PowerPoint presentations.  At then end, the group answered a question really poorly and the teach popped.   While I hate it while it happens I love it after the fact when a teacher blows up.  In particular I like two speeches:

1) My generation is superior to you generation
2) You’re undervaluing this useless and valueless material

There’s also the “Your ethnicity is inferior to mine” speech but that can only be implied and generally comes from grizzled Soviet bloc mathematicians.  This professor wins the award for being the first instructor to give both in one semester!  He beats out my stat professor who did both but over two semesters.  He even walked out angrily two minutes before the regular end time of the class.

Later, I got my test back in Act Sci 3505 and there was a rare instance where I bit my tongue.  I had been out the previous week and after reviewing the test angrily told a classmate that the 2 points I received off for failing to explain an answer properly robbing me of a 90.  He said he’d lost 30 points for similar things and was unsuccessful arguing it.  His grade was a 50 while the class averages was 48.  Whew…

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Gary Gygax, co-creator and innovator of Dungeons and Dragons has failed his saving throw vs. death and is no longer with us.

On March 4, Gary Gygax died at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, after suffering two strokes in 2004 and being diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was 69.

-Ars Technica “D&D cocreator Gary Gygax now beyond scope of healing spells”

 Depending on his alignment, he should be on his way to Elysium, The Beastlands, Arboria, or Ysgard.  He’s one of the few people for which I’ve read multiple obits simply because each contains some witty D&D joke.

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Test question from CIS 1055 Midterm:  Which of the following is the largest representation of data?

A) MB
B) ZB
C) TB
D) GB

Correct answer:  B,  but the “correct” answer was C.  Apparently someone never heard of the zettabyte or 10^21 bytes.

I narrowly missed the arrival of the 5:43 PM train so I went to the bathroom and started checking my email, in the process confirming a suspicion I’ve had since going to Temple.  Every bathroom stall in a building with a wifi connection receives a signal yet approximately 1/3rd of the bathrooms do not.  I applaud the Temple Technology Committee’s prioritization.

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Last Monday I nearly ripped my hair out writing a memo and preparing a presentation for a group project in BA 4196.  I got my grade late today.  48.5…. out of 100.  I looked into the individual grades and it broke down to one person getting 32 out of 100, another getting 33 out of 100 and me getting 48 out of 100.  Below that was a note saying “do not attempt to convert points out of total into a grade or percentage” I don’t know if this was some policy to cover his back-end kabuki system or a warning that based on our group’s poor performance such mathematical work could cause ourselves personal harm.

After six years, two schools and $3360 in SEPTA train passes I will not be undone by “Strategic Management”.  Ironically, I need a game plan.

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Last Monday I nearly ripped my hair out writing a memo and preparing a presentation for a group project in BA 4196.  I got my grade late today.  48.5…. out of 100.  I looked into the individual grades and it broke down to one person getting 32 out of 100, another getting 33 out of 100 and me getting 48 out of 100.  Below that was a note saying “do not attempt to convert points out of total into a grade or percentage” I don’t know if this was some policy to cover his back-end kabuki system or a warning that based on our group’s poor performance such mathematical work could cause ourselves personal harm.

After six years, two schools and $3360 in SEPTA train passes I will not be undone by “Strategic Management”.  Ironically, I need a game plan.

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I visited Teejay yesterday and my lack of dinner and Val’s interest in ice cream resulted in us at the Jenkintown Applebees.  Our female server had the glasses and face of Napoleon Dynamite and a slow wit with wonderful comments like “I know you like the menu, but other people need it” with that condescending lilt that makes me want to punch babies.

After a 1/2 dozen order mistakes and finding a lake Tinkle in the bathroom I fought back the only way I could think of, by acting like a total idiot.

  1. Teejay and I tried to figure out how much shredded lettuce we could stick to our faces using sour cream and honey mustard sauce.   The sour cream held the lettuce well but didn’t stick to the face as much as honey mustard, this may become handy some day.
  2. When she asked about our dessert orders I requested the chocolate cake, which they apparently out of, I asked for more time.  When she returned, I asked for the chocolate cake, rinse and repeat.
  3. She was a bit slow on drink re-fills, we were there for about 2 hours and I got 1 re-fill where I’d normally get 3 or 4.  I asked for two boxes, one for my quesadillas and one for my drink.  I poured the drink into the box and drove the straw through the opening next to the closing tab and the straw fit in nicely even after it was closed.  I tried to drink as much as possible as she walked by but being an oblivious bitch I got no reaction so I etched “Bitch” into the top of the Styrofoam containers with my thumbnail.

She then billed us for things she never actually served us.  Never again, Jenkintown Applebees.