"Is there a doctor on this plane?"

"I happen to be a doctor."

"Oh thank goodness, we have a patient going into cardiac arrest."

"Oh no, you see, I have a doctorate...in evil. And I have just taken away precious seconds you could have used to save your patient! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!"

"Do you at least know CPR?"

"Oh, I learned it when I was an innocent youth, long ago. But really, do you expect me to help anyone? Think of my reputation!"

"But CPR is kind of evil. You wind up breaking someone's ribs if you do it right."

"Ooh, you make an excellent point! Very well. Where is this patient -- I mean victim."

Today made up for many of the tough or frustrating days I've had lately. Today I got to give blood for the first time in over twenty years. Coming from the UK, where I'd donated blood a score of times, to the USA meant that because of fears of CJD, I was denied the opportunity as I was a potential carrier of mad cow disease prions. For whatever reason, this barrier was recently lifted, and today I spent my lunchtime donating. After some effort, and a few failed attempts

C! Etiquette: A Quandary

I have noticed a "quirk" of E2: often, when I C! a writeup, its author sends a thank you message. I find it endearing, and mildly interesting. On the one hand, a C! is a pretty meaningless thing. We get one a day, and it's just code. On the other, it is a token representing the fact that your work resonates with someone real. Sometimes that can be invaluable... The contradictory nature of the Ching is perhaps