various updates

[nibot]

Firstly, I have to relay an important bit of news. While lounging around at RDU waiting for my airplane, I saw on CNN that Ingvar Kamprad is now the world's richest man. That's right, the founder of IKEA has displaced the chairman of Microsoft for the title. But a Swede as the richest person? How un-Swedish! Nonetheless, "He flies economy, avoids wearing suits and drives a ten-year old Volvo." Moreover, he's jumped ship and lives in Switzerland.

I imagine that if the value of the dollar recovers, then Bill Gates will take the position again.

Also at the RDU airport, I'll have you know that they offer tea in two varieties: "sweet" and "unsweet".

Just had my Math 140 midterm.. I guess it went alright, although, once again, I would like to re-iterate that having an exam at 08:00 on a monday morning the day after daylight savings time takes effect, is a cruel and/or unusual punishment. At least I was at some advantage, having been adjusted to east coast time. Also, I'll have you know I got a 20/20 on my last homework. yay!

I just received printed copies of the newest issue of Forefront, containing the second installment of my column. I wonder what the powers-that-are think of the relatively pessimistic tone?

One of the coolest things I saw at UNC was the nanotech group (apparently it's in direct competition with the group here at Berkeley... you hear that, Kenny??). In addition to the "usual" nanotubes stuff, a grad student (Chris Dwyer) just finished there with a thesis in self-assembling computational circuits composed of nanowires, or something to that effect. Now he's a CS professor at Duke.




Now that I check again, I see that UNC offered me slightly more money than Rochester or CMU (before fellowships).. but I think the cost of living in Chapel Hill is probably the lowest. hmm. (hmm.. looking for justification to go to UNC)

I have updated the scoreboard. Note how well the accept/reject decisions are correlated with rankings.

Nanotech or quantum optics, what will it be?

Unrelated question: Does the phrase "downtown" come from New York City?

Comments

[emidala.livejournal.com]

ingvar kamprad? that old nazi is the richest man in the world? what about the sultan of brunei? - will have to check that link -

[easwaran.livejournal.com]

Why isn't Karl Albrecht (http://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/LIR3VFF.html?passListId=10&passYear=2004&passListType=Person&uniqueId=3VFF&datatype=Person) still above him? (I was going to point you to the Forbes list, but saw you had already linked to it.)

[nibot.livejournal.com]

dunno.. just saw the tagline on CNN. perhaps not the best news source. (-:

[heike.livejournal.com]

State has a pretty good nanotech group which i worked with. The Triangle's three main universities collaborate fairly well I think in that regard, I know our group worked at Duke a lot.

You can get unsweet tea at the airport? ;) I must say I've gotten used to be able to order sweet tea at any restaurant knowing I can get it without looking at a menu in the South. I haven't gotten used to some people blaming everything, including poor driving habits (after is snows, on TV), on the War of Northern Agression. Did you notice that Carl's Jr. is called Hardee's out here? And Oroweat bread is Arnold bread brand.

[nibot.livejournal.com]

I think the whole sweet tea thing is pretty funny, because out here we just have to add the sugar ourselves.. and then it's the same! (-:

[heike.livejournal.com]

It's very much a Southern thing to drink sweet tea all the time. However, if you take unsweet tea and try to dissolve sugar in it, you'll realize it's pretty futile. You have to do it before the tea cools off for much of the sugar to dissolve. Of course, they do add a huge amount of sugar to sweet tea.

[nibot.livejournal.com]

An excellent idea. I'm all for it!

Kamprad

[mporter.livejournal.com]

The report was wrong (http://money.cnn.com/2004/04/05/news/newsmakers/billgetsthegate/). Maybe it was a Swedish April Fools joke.

[jcreed.livejournal.com]

Hey, I guess it might be a bit late in the game, but I ought to pimp CMU if you still haven't made up your mind. You should totally come here! The stipend goes really far - housing and food are quite cheap - and the CMU culture is something I've enjoyed so much I went against perhaps better judgment in staying here after undergrad to do grad school.