Typical Night in Berkeley

Walking back from the gym I noticed a crowd around an SUV, some peering under it. It looked like a cat was hiding under so the family with the car didn't want to drive away and risk running it over. I asked what it was- it was a loose, possibly feral, Guinea Pig. Since the family was dressed up and I was coming back from the gym and dirty, I volunteered to crawl under and chase it to safety. So I did.

After that I went to an Indian restaurant because I had a $50 gift certificate for the place from a friend. After some fuss, they gave me food and marked the gift certificate down to $42 to account for the meal. Ten minutes into eating, an old Indian man, possibly the manager, came by my table and asked to see the certificate, then confiscated it because they thought it was forged or somehow not authorized.

Hofstadter's Law

Here's a beautiful little quote/law with a double meaning that acts itself out:

It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's law.

(hint: it's called lazy evaluation for the non-computer scientists)

Randomized Algorithms: for Job Promotion

http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/12/13/random-promotions-and-the-gervais-principle/