Thursday, January 15, 2009

On the Morality of Conspicuous Espionage

Today in the library, I saw a girl with her laptop (a Mac) on it's side opened toward her. I thought it might have been a new kind of computer... or a book dressed as a computer. I approached her from behind the computer, then circled around to the user side and discovered that she was reading a PDF that a teacher had photocopied sideways. I would have spent hours researching how (and likely writing a program to do) to rotate a PDF. Good for you, girl... and thanks for the laugh.

On Wednesday, I was sitting in one of the alcoves of the JFSB writing an essay for my English class. Those alcoves are prime spots for sporadic people-watching -- the traffic isn't heavy, but very noticeable. Anyway, I heard a girl approaching, chatting on her cell phone -- it sounded like she was leaving someone a message. And when she came into view, I remarked to myself that she was quite attractive, quite tall, and ringless. As I was remarking that to myself (and here's the point of the story), she started saying her phone number into the phone! I retained it in memory just long enough to think, "What are the rules about getting a girl's phone number... from herself speaking it in your presence?" But I tossed it away instead of writing it down, deciding that my calling her could only lead to the police beat. Gave me a good laugh anyway.

We've been using colored pencils in my class about processor/gate design and manufacturing, so I snapped this photo (and the one up top) after sharpening my little, little pencils that my wonderful mother got for me. Hey, if the CivEs get to play in sandboxes, then the EEs can color!


Wish me luck on the GRE this Saturday!

17 comments:

Sydney Vivian Lambson said...

Matt, what are you taking the GRE for? What program are you looking to get into?

Toddicus said...

matt! you should have kept the number and called her. then i would know someone that made the police beat.

Dan said...

First of all, there is a button that rotates PDF's. One click. So it's already been written for you.

It would be so funny to have you on the police beat. Ask Jason McGee to talk you through the phone conversation with the tall ring-less girl. You'd be on the police beat for sure.

I'm going to save my luck wishing to those who need it on a standarized test, like Jason McGee.

Barbaloot said...

First off---good luck on the GRE.
Second----you could really write a program for the computer?! Wow.
Third---I can't believe Dan already knows all about the button to rotate things. No wait...now that I think about it, I can believe that.
Fourth---I wished you would've called that girl.

Alisa Haggard said...

Great photos, Matt. I initially thought they were professional stock images. And I will send you good vibes since, in my experience, I've found them to be slightly more effective than wished luck.

Magoo said...

Matt, don't you work for Adobe? I am sure you already programmed something in your sleep. If not, I bet you couldn't do it before tomorrow:)

Dan!? Thanks for the vote of confidence in getting into the police beat and on doing well on standardized tests. Who needs enemies when I have you as a friend:) Bow down to your DICTATOR!

Kimberly said...

I really REALLY love those pictures...but not as much as you remembering a phone number of a girl. I say you should have called her...would have made for an AWESOME conversation starter! "Hey, so I got your number as you were leaving it for someone else..."

Elise said...

Luck!

Kimberly said...

P.S. I love the conversations going on between all of you on these comments! :D

Magoo said...

By the way Matt, Dan is right about giving me any luck for standardized tests. You are way smarter than I am. So your score will be just fine:)

More Bacon said...

First--I think that I knew you could rotate PDFs, but if that hadn't worked, I would've just printed them out and then rotated the paper...then I would've felt like a terrible person for destroying extra trees. Her way and your way are both better.

Second--I think that there should be a 24 hour rule: if you can remember her phone number for 24 hours without writing it down, then you can call. That should weed out the creeps, and I bet you could remember it that long.

Last--The GRE? What are you trying to do with that? (I can never remember what the GRE is for and what the GMAT is for...) How did you feel about it? I remember you doing exceptionally well on the ACT, so I'm sure it went great.

Surf Paparazzi said...

I think you should have called her ...

Todd, I have been in the police beat so you do know someone ...

Matt. You get more blog comments than anyone I know, I think. Keep up the good work,You are popular, mission accomplished.

Dan said...

Liz -

Are you implying that creeps can't remember phone numbers past 24 hours because they have bad memories?

I bet Jason McGee can remember phone numbers for at least 26 hours. So, there goes your theory.

More Bacon said...

I'm not sure it's that creeps can't remember phone numbers longer than that...I think that the idea was that, if one could remember the phone number for a significant period of time, that person would at least be a really dedicated creep, if not an upstanding gentleman with an uncanny ability to memorize numbers.

Either option would surely have led the unknown lucky lady to a few weeks of intrigue, if nothing else.

I can't vouch for Jason's creepiness or lack thereof, as I'm fairly certain that it's been a substantial number of years since I've seen him...I don't recall him being creepy then, but seeing as you have the better vantage and it has been a number of years, you're probably the most reliable source. But do you really want to be the reliable source on creeps? Just wondering... :)

Dan said...

Well played Liz.
Well played.

Unknown said...

@Syd - I just took the GRE to have options. I'm slightly looking at retrieving/earning/securing/stealing (what's the verb you use here?) a Master's Degree in linguistics or electrical engineering. But I haven't applied anywhere

@Dan - Sure enough, there's a button already in the program. And you need to show more deference to the Korean Dictator.

@Barb.fourth and Kim and Tammy - yeah... I should have called her.

@Alisa - Thank you for the vibes -- I think it worked

@magoo - I'm not taking that bet. I'm not. I'm not. I'm going to go to bed.

@Liz - Jason's not a creep. Unless I'm a creep. In which case, he's probably a creep. And we all know what comes out of a creep... that's right, zerglings.

hagna said...

Maybe you could write a program for flipping upside down pdfs.