I will celebrate American Independence Day in the country we declared independence from, and not for the first time. You see many European conferences and workshops around this time. You don't notice Independence Day at all in England, the English being more upset at their lost in Portugal in the World Cup then their loss in an 18th century war.
I'm rooting for Portugal to win against France in the semifinals, since I'll be in Portugal for the final game and also because they are playing the French.
Blogging will be light this week as Internet access is not that easy; the Marriott here charges 15 Pounds/day for wireless access, shame on them.
If you don't normally read comments, the recent post on FOCS accepts has generated a record number of comments for this weblog. Check it out and join in the discussion. Nothing gets the emotions up more than discussing the importance of various conferences.
Were the English to be upset about independence they would be bummed out on more days than just the 4th.
ReplyDeleteWhy the hostility towards the French? Is it possibly because they opposed your illegal invasion of a sovereign nation and the murder of more than 100,000 civilian men women and children?
ReplyDeleteBut of course those numbers don't count do they...
Of course those numbers do not count! At least, not as much as who is the leader in FOCS/STOC production.
ReplyDeletePerhaps one day, if we receive enough government funding, we will see the day when undergraduates are routinely publishing six papers in a given FOCS/STOC conference.
Paradoxically, your internet access might be expensive because you're at an expensive hotel, as Tyler Cowen semi-convincingly argues.
ReplyDeleteAlso, BBC commentators (and the English more generally) have been pretty supportive of the American and Australian world cup teams, albeit in kind of a paternalistic way.
I think (and hope that) France wins this one.
Just think that with 1% of the Iraq war budget, we could have funded TCS research for the next 50 years...
ReplyDeleteLance,
ReplyDeleteI am reading your blog and I will remember what you wrote! Didn't you have a blog entry once on what was and was not wise to write on a publc blog?
I am also rooting for Portugal, but... then again I am Portuguese :-)
ReplyDeleteWe have a great keeper and the British love him since 2004 :-)
Luis Antunes
One of the (many) purposes of Iraq war is to fund TCS research for the next 200 years...
ReplyDeleteMaybe the hostility to the french results from the fact that we Americans have to pay your sorry country a yearly fee to have our dead soldier's who saved your country buried there.
ReplyDeleteAny man that died there defending your sorry country sure as heck shouldn't be part of a financial scam on the part of France, you people are disgusting.
Go set off some more nuke's in the ocean, keep charging us money, and then just before you look down upon us, look in a mirror and realize what a joke the french people really are
Also remember that france did not want to send any soldier's, but as soon as they were there, france came out and said they wanted to take control of the troops and any profit. You peopel are f*#ked up.
ReplyDeleteI am not a very mean person but you suck anonymous and I hope you get a turd basket served to you next time you eat out you f*#king pansy.