April 27, 2009

I believe we've seen this computer before. It's old.

And, yes, this is being posted two days after being taken. I'll post two pictures tomorrow.

April 24, 2009

In hindsight, this is a pretty obvious way to deal with my cans: use a Meijer bag to bring the 12 pack in, use the same bag to bring the empties out.

April 22, 2009

The wall looks a little barren.

April 17, 2009

Actual open surface on my table!

April 15, 2009

That's a shelf with some DVDs, CDs, and books that I tried selling on Amazon. Anyone want a copy of a Stephen King book (Bag of Bones I think)?

April 14, 2009

This is the flip side of the "opinions on Artificial Intelligence" poster that I showed last week, written by my friend Mark Jennings. This is the side that normally faces out because it means the most to me.

To explain some of the comments: Copycat is software written by Douglas Hofstadter and Melanie Mitchell. It uses symbolic AI to explore some aspects of analogies. (Read the Wikipedia article for more information or, better yet, Hofstadter's book Fluid Concepts And Creative Analogies.)

I'm not sure if Marvin Minsky being a geek is a good thing or bad.

As for Chomsky, I cannot verify if he is anal retentive or a booger eater. But here's a funny story:

Noam Chomsky came to Indiana University in 1993 or 1994 to give two talks, one on politics and the other on linguistics. Mark and I went to both. At the first talk, someone got up to introduce Chomsky, and Chomsky himself sat on a chair on stage with his head resting on a propped-up hand, looking as bored as could be.

Mark leaned over to me and asked, "What do you think he's thinking right now?"

Without missing a beat, I answer: "'Wouldn't a booger taste good right now?'"

It still makes me laugh. At the time, I feared Mark and I would have to leave because we couldn't stop laughing.

April 13, 2009

So what's more disturbing: the Cherry Vanilla Diet Dr. M or the slab of prime rib that I'm carrying around with me today?

April 8, 2009

The table looks different somehow...

April 7, 2009

This is the sign that hangs on my chalkboard. Back in 1992, my friend Mark Jennings wrote me this sign to let me know that all of my ideas about cognition and cognitive scientists (of various sorts) were completely wrong. Obviously, this side of the sign was devoted to the crazy behavioral ideas of Skinner.

However, this is the side of the sign that faces the wall. On Thursday you'll see the outward facing side.

April 9, 2009

Some of the writing on this board is old. Very old. Sabbatical year old.

The paper in the upper-left corner (which is partially cut off) says "Chomsky!". That is, in fact, a picture of Noam Chomsky. The piece of paper next to it says many interesting things, but they'll be saved for another day.

April 1, 2009

Call me a fool, but doesn't my office look cleaner today?