“Two things I hate: graffiti and hypocrites” (graffiti on the door of a men’s room in Ellison Hall, UCSB). Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface, often in a public place. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and it has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece,...
Read MoreAlumni Richard Middleton (PhD 2006), now a Research Scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently wrote to say: Ooooh no! Just found out that my Master’s Mentor, Peter Fisher, has died, aged 59. The University of Leicester tribute describes him thus: “He was fun, rude, honest and loving – a great person to have as a mentor, a colleague and a friend.” For...
Read MoreAn article in The UCSB Current, written by Andrea Estrada, titled “Smarter Than a First-Grader, and posted July 21, 2014, is subtitled “UCSB researcher shows that New Caledonian crows can perform as well as 7- to 10-year-olds on cause-and-effect water displacement tasks”: In Aesop’s fable about the crow and the pitcher, a thirsty bird happens upon a vessel of water, but when he tries to drink from it, he finds...
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