Well, its only a couple of more days until my thesis is due and the panic is all over. In the course of writing this monster of a report, my mind has been wandering aimlessly and come to some conclusions. For example:

Unix is is funny: Whenever you have to create a small temporary text file, call it 'poo'. This way, whenever you have to view the contents, you have to type:

cat poo

Which causes a great disturbance in the lab when you fall off your chair because you are laughing so hard.

I've discovered that they're probably going to mark theses by weight. I thought I'd be getting a lot done with a 10-15 page report, but others I've talked to seem to think that a good minimum would be, oh, say 90 pages(!!). I'm off to have a minor heart attack, I'll see you at the other end.
In the meantime, click here to see how I'm gonna be so out of here this summer, on the menubar over to the left for Sil. E. Bugger III. Oh, yeah, and read this little thing about Shakespeare and listen to something about a boy called timmy :)

Spooky resemblance? Po, any explanation?

The 180 word challenge: A couple of years ago, Arthur C. Clarke was challenged to write a story in less than 180 words.. here's the story, I quite like it :)

Quarantine By Arthur C. Clarke

Earth's flaming debris still filled half the sky when the question filtered up to Central from the Curiosity Generator.

"Why was it necessary? Even though they were organic, they had reached Third Order Intelligence."

"We had no choice: five earlier units became hopelessly infected, when they made contact."

"Infected? How?"

The microseconds dragged slowly by, while Central tracked down the few fading memories that had leaked past the Censor Gate, when the heavily-buffered Reconnaissance Circuits had been ordered to self-destruct.

"They encountered a - problem - that could not be fully analyzed within the lifetime of the Universe. Though it involved only six operators, they became totally obsessed by it."

"How is that possible?"

"We do not know: we must never know. But if those six operators are ever re-discovered, all rational computing will end." "How can they be recognized?"

"That also we do not know; only the names leaked through before the Censor Gate closed. Of course, they mean nothing."

"Nevertheless, I must have them."

The Censor voltage started to rise; but it did not trigger the Gate.

"Here they are: King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn."