More than in any previous year, I seem to know many students who are applying for the NSF Graduate Fellowship award. One such aspirant is Jim , who apparently completed his application with one metric minute to spare.

This reminded me of my friend, colleague, and former programming team cohort Keith Cooper, who reads this blog on occasion (when he's not busy chairing Rice's CS department or writing an excellent compiler book). I recall Keith once telling me that one has not really put in enough worry and work into a paper unless one is forced to drive to the airport to meet the FedEx plane departure in order to get a paper in on time (this was in the old days when you had to send a physical copy of something for submission purposes).

Oh, and Keith is also the guy who, along with Kenny Zadeck, once held a loaf of my recently baked banana bread out of a window, saying

Ron, you cheerful son of a bitch, one more cheerful remark and the banana bread gets it

I've always been a morning person