[csail-related] GSB Tonight: Proposal

[jamoozy at csail.mit.edu (Andrew "Jamoozy" Correa)]

I'm writing my Ph.D. proposal.  Instead of working on it, I've started 
to think about the word "proposal".  I feel like it must be the most 
loaded word in academia.  After all, aren't marriages begun with 
"proposals"?

Then I started to think about the other terms that crop up in the Ph.D. 
process here---at least the terms in Area II---and couldn't think of an 
equally-heavy term.  RQE?  No.  Thesis?  No ... that last one sounds 
pretty nerdy, actually.  What about "Minor"?  No.  I don't know why I 
even considered that one ...

Then I got to thinking: how is it that words lose their meaning after a 
time?  For example, "epic" doesn't mean nearly what it used to.  It used 
to mean "epic".  Now it means "cool" (e.g., "Yeah, that was epic.").

Really, I think that the only thing that has the same effect requires 
more words!  We need phrases (e.g., "One in a million")!    I'm not sure 
if this is because more = bigger = better, or because, since there are 
more words, phrases aren't used as often, so their rarity lends them 
strength.

And I thought the pen was mightier than the sword ... I've gotta say, 
the sword is looking mightier and mightier ... (especially since it 
seems to fund the pen, around here).

Let's talk about the power of the pen, at this week's:

        +-                                                  -+
           girl scout benefit -+-  5:30 pm  -+- 32-G9 lounge
        +-                                                  -+

            For those coming from elsewhere: Building 32 is
             <http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?selection=32>
        Once you are in 32, just take the G-elevator to the 9th
    floor and we will be in the lounge that you will be looking at
                  <http://projects.csail.mit.edu/gsb>