Saturday, December 03, 2011

The End (of the Semester) is Nigh

If you've missed it (which probably means you're not a theorist and/or a blog-reader), you should check out the (entertaining) controversies of the last week or two, starting with Oded's guest post on the decline of intellectual values in Theoretical Computer Science, and then whether a lowering of the matrix multiplication exponent counts as a "breakthrough" (see follow-up blog posts here, here, and here).

I've enjoyed watching them develop, but have been happy to let them go on without putting a big target on my back.  I've also been too busy getting through my last lectures, making up a final exam, trying to get some grant proposals ready on ridiculous deadlines, and dealing with administrative issues like prepping slides for an end-of-semester faculty retreat.  Occasionally I try to fit in meeting with students and (last of all) working on research.  I know the end of the semester is a mad rush for students, finishing projects and papers and getting ready for exams.  Sadly, I feel the same way this year.  Another week or two and it will be all over, and like the students I think I'm ready to let things go for a couple of weeks of holiday time. 

But probably I'll stay up late after the kids are in bed and try to do some of that research stuff.  There are some fun problems that have been waiting for attention most of the semester, and I'd like to see what happens if I'm finally able to give them some. 

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