Archive for January, 2008
Rabbit’s Thesis
It’s a fine sunny day in the forest, and a rabbit is sitting outside his burrow, tippy-tapping on his typewriter. Along comes a fox, out for a walk.
Fox “What are you working on?”
Rabbit “My thesis.”
Fox “Hmmm. What’s it about?”
Rabbit “Oh, I’m writing about how rabbits eat foxes.” (incredulous pause)
Fox “That’s ridiculous! Any fool knows that rabbits don’t eat foxes.”
Rabbit “Sure they do, and I can prove it. Come with me.”
They both disappear into the rabbit’s burrow. After a few minutes, the rabbit returns, alone, to his typewriter and resumes typing.
Soon, a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hardworking rabbit.
Wolf “What’s that you’re writing?”
Rabbit “I’m doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves.” (loud guffaws)
Wolf “You don’t expect to get such rubbish published, do you?”
Rabbit “No problem. Do you want to see why?”
The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow, and again the rabbit returns by himself, after a few minutes, and goes back to typing.
Scene: inside the rabbit’s burrow. In one corner, there is a pile of fox bones. In another corner, a pile of wolf bones. On the other side of the room, a huge lion is belching and picking his teeth.
Moral: It doesn’t matter what you choose for a thesis subject. It doesn’t matter what you use for data. What does matter is who you have as a thesis advisor!!
2 comments January 22, 2008
When Things Go Wrong
Dos and don’ts for when the mike won’t.
When things beyond your control go wrong, the only thing you can control is your reaction to them.
Just as the sailor at sea is at the mercy of the elements, so is the speaker. The sailors batten down the hatches in rough weather; what does the speaker do in when the microphone won’t work? Or when the lights malfunction? Or when the music in the next room is too loud?
The following article from the Toastmaster magazine, written by Bob Hope’s Emmy Award winning head writer Gene Perret, offers examples of intrepid speakers who rode out the sometimes stormy seas of the speaker’s podium. Among his dos and don’ts:
- Don’t: Blow your cool.
- Do: Maintain your dignity.
- Don’t: Surrender to the situation.
- Do: Your best under any circumstances.
- Don’t: Continually refer to the problem.
- Do: Keep your sense of humor
1 comment January 18, 2008
