Big thanks to admissionprof

  • This has become our largest and most active forum because the physics GRE is just one aspect of getting accepted into a graduate physics program.
  • There are applications, personal statements, letters of recommendation, visiting schools, anxiety of waiting for acceptances, deciding between schools, finding out where others are going, etc.

excel
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by excel » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:20 pm

I think the real reason why grae reacted against your post was because she did not want admissionprof to feel uncomfortable here (as quizi said) though she gave a different reason. I may be wrong, of course.

Disclaimer: I am currently just a neutral bystander on this matter.

physicsdude
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by physicsdude » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:29 pm

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Last edited by physicsdude on Sun Nov 16, 2008 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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zxcv
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by zxcv » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:31 pm

forecast8, feel free to waste your time however you see fit (although you might have the sense not to post it in public). But don't pretend stalking someone online is science. Science is fundamentally about understanding things in a novel sense, and what you're doing here is quite old hat. If you prefer to be pretentious, maybe you're a social engineer, applying well proven methods.

Likewise, you could solve Sudoku puzzles all day long. That's certainly puzzle solving, even literally, but only a fool would call it science.

I don't see what you're getting at here with your grand scheme of relativism, but I'm sure you know it's ridiculous to extrapolate grae313's comments as positioning her as the ultimate authority on what is scientific. Just because there will always be some people who disagree about whether something is worth funding or not does not mean that it is impossible to research some sort of democratic consensus on such matters.

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will
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by will » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:56 pm

If you knew Lindsey Lohan posted here, regardless of how you feel about her, wouldn't the fact that her standing is so outlandishly different from the rest of us here make you the least bit curious about the things she writes? Admissionprof may not be a celebrity in the strictest sense, but I bet you know more about the professors you're looking to work with than they know about you.

Forecast didn't write anything that someone who visits the board regularly and is moderately observant wouldn't know. Not only is that not stalking, but to call it such is an insult to people who have been victimized by actual stalking.

forecast8
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by forecast8 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:31 pm

excel wrote:I think the real reason why grae reacted against your post was because she did not want admissionprof to feel uncomfortable here (as quizi said) though she gave a different reason. I may be wrong, of course.
Of course you are correct. My apparently visceral reaction to her apparent jab was a reflection of my apparent disappointment in her reasoning. If grae was in fact trying to protect admissionprof, I would have found it more enlightening for her to have written something in line with what the three or four posters said just before her.
will wrote:Not only is that not stalking, but to call it such is an insult to people who have been victimized by actual stalking.
Will! you may be human after all. This might the first non acerbic or cynical comment I've ever read from you.
zxcv wrote:Likewise, you could solve Sudoku puzzles all day long. That's certainly puzzle solving, even literally, but only a fool would call it science.
Couldn't agree more. I mean what kind of loser took the time to research and write this: http://www.afjarvis.staff.shef.ac.uk/sudoku/sudoku.pdf For those with underpowered sarcasm detectors, the math of sudoku is quite complex and many people have found it to be worthwhile studying.
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megatron
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by megatron » Thu Apr 10, 2008 9:42 pm

grae313 wrote:
forecast8 wrote:There is a class of people who compulsively solve riddles. If they happen to do it for a living we call them scientists.
And being able to judge which riddles are worth one's time is a characteristic of a good scientist
I know you wrote this for the oh snap factor, but I strongly, strongly disagree. Many of the best scientists we have ever had were compulsive riddle solvers, even of the most irrelevant but still very interesting kinds. Feynman was almost religious in this aspect with his famous locksmithing and card-trick solving abilities. Einstein was noted for thinking of things for long periods of time, even when he had more pressing matters.

Many a great detail has been uncovered and described which was not worth the time it took to discover it, but I'm grateful it was discovered anyway. Figuring out someone's identity, while not (probably) interesting as an end, is very interesting as a means.

The drive to solve riddles which, to the practical man, need no solving is something I'd call the characteristic of the best scientist.

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quizivex
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by quizivex » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:03 pm

physicsdude wrote:Hi forecast8,

but you need to understand that once you have 700+ posts on this site, then you truly are entitled to tell other people that they are wasting their time. You, on the other hand, with your puny number of posts, don't even know yet what wasting time is. I am more advanced, but still far from true mastery of the few local experts
So, making 700 posts (or even 400 as I have) on this forum, giving and taking advice from our peers, sharing experiences, throwing around some good humor, debating admissions and the GRE, sharing philosophies on physics, physics educaiton and physics careers, qualifies us as losers and expert time wasters, while making 40 posts, as you have, the majority of whose only purpose is to harass and belittle other forum members, is not???
will wrote:Forecast didn't write anything that someone who visits the board regularly and is moderately observant wouldn't know. Not only is that not stalking, but to call it such is an insult to people who have been victimized by actual stalking.
I agree that the word "stalking" is far too overused in our language. People constantly equate harmless joking with criminal activity...

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:09 pm

but you need to understand that once you have 700+ posts on this site, then you truly are entitled to tell other people that they are wasting their time.
You are wasting my time.

Shouldn't you be at an eating club or something?

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:10 pm

physicsdude wrote:Hi forecast8,

but you need to understand that once you have 700+ posts on this site, then you truly are entitled to tell other people that they are wasting their time. You, on the other hand, with your puny number of posts, don't even know yet what wasting time is. I am more advanced, but still far from true mastery of the few local experts :)

You should also realize that kids here revere admissionprof, as he/she
(no, I don't know neither) is the only grown-up who takes them seriously, sort of. After all, these are people who have to ask on internet where to go to graduate school.

And, by the way, I am also an admission prof in a Top 10 physics program. I was just pretending to be an obnoxius undergrad from Princeton to have fun with the kids here :) But quiz, I meant everything I said about Princeton Plasma Lab.
This is to preserve physicsdude's post for future criticism.

excel
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by excel » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:12 pm

And, by the way, I am also an admission prof in a Top 10 physics program. I was just pretending to be an obnoxius undergrad from Princeton to have fun with the kids here .
Physicsdude, if you are indeed a faculty member, I am disappointed that you would think taunting and abusing students who are stressed in connection to the career-defining admission process an acceptable and responsible form of humor.

physicsdude
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by physicsdude » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:20 pm

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Last edited by physicsdude on Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

admissionprof
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by admissionprof » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:25 pm

Wow. I'm away for a few hours, and this is getting interesting. Most of the bits of information that are used to try to guess my identity are wrong. I'm not going to give away that many clues. A little misdirection is harmless (actually, I don't have a daughter enrolled in a graduate school involved in music. Or maybe I do). I will admit that I am not at Florida State or Columbia. It is not my first or second experience with an online community--only this particular type (I'm a well-known blogger on other fora). And, while we did admit some students late last year, there were not three and they were not on April 14th.

I don't mind if people try to figure out who I am. It really isn't a big deal. But I was not taunting anyone. The gender idea was just to point out common stereotypes we all make--if you think I was taunting, then I apologize.

It would help your career more if you spent the time reading the first few chapters of Jackson rather than try to figure it out....but it's your life.

physicsdude
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by physicsdude » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:26 pm

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forecast8
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by forecast8 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:35 pm

megatron wrote: Figuring out someone's identity, while not (probably) interesting as an end, is very interesting as a means.
That is precisely the spirit in which I made my original post in this thread. To show that it was an interesting puzzle to work. It requires a combination of web research skills and critical thinking.

There actually is a significant and real question that deserves some consideration. Suppose Admissionprof, were to post anonymously but with the established data points describing himself something that was actually libelous against a competing school? Does his expectation of anonymity shield him from a lawsuit. I believe the answer is no if is true identity can be deduced from other things he has written.

Of course, I believed Admissionprof's claim from day 1 in part because he has always written in a very professional manner. In this case professional means in part that he has written in a way that respects both the individuals here and the schools with which he is competing for students. So the previous question isn't about Admissonprof per se, but about any anonymous online poster. Consider Female Science Professor. I love her blog, but she says things about others which would get her in real trouble if names were attached. However over the years she has, intentionally or not, released so many data points I suspect anyone who knows her outside of the blogosphere would quickly connect the dots if they read the blog.

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:51 pm

physicsdude wrote:didn't you read my post that you have just so cleverly preserved?
I don't actually read your garbage.

physicsdude
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by physicsdude » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:56 pm

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Last edited by physicsdude on Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

vicente
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by vicente » Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:59 pm

physicsdude wrote:
I agree, and I should be ashamed. But after spending many years in various Top 10 physics programs first as a graduate student, then briefly as a postdoc, and then briefly as an assistant professor with tenure after several years, I am a complete ass. My ex-wife tells me it started to happen already in graduate school. My current trophy wife however tells me I am a great guy.

Edit: I forgot to add that given all the info many kids have posted here and the info I have as an admission prof, it was quite easy to ID a whole bunch of the regulars here. But don't worry, your secret is safe.
Wow this guy is desperate to get us to bow down to his self-claimed greatness. Why are we answering him? We should all start ignoring his posts to keep our board clean of flame wars.

There's no way this immature name-calling attention-seeker is a prof.

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:01 pm

physicsdude wrote:
I agree, and I should be ashamed. But after spending many years in various Top 10 physics programs first as a graduate student, then briefly as a postdoc, and then briefly as an assistant professor with tenure after several years, I am a complete ass. My ex-wife tells me it started to happen already in graduate school. My current trophy wife however tells me I am a great guy.

Edit: I forgot to add that given all the info many kids have posted here and the info I have as an admission prof, it was quite easy to ID a whole bunch of the regulars here. But don't worry, your secret is safe.
I don't see the connection between Top 10 physics and being an ass.

And as for you having access to information, I doubt that you would be privy to any information that did not flow directly into your department.

And you should hope that no one can identify you lest someone take it upon themselves to notify your "trophy wife" how you feel about her.

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:02 pm

physicsdude wrote:
twistor wrote:
physicsdude wrote:didn't you read my post that you have just so cleverly preserved?
I don't actually read your garbage.
Dear Twator,

even a numbskull like you should realize the contradiction inherent in making such a post.
CONTRA-WHAT? PLZ USE SMALLER WORDS BECAUSE YOUR IVY LEAG L33TN3SS IS HURTING MY PATHETIC BRAIN

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zxcv
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by zxcv » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:03 pm

@forecast8 - sure, there's the math of Sudoku, and then there's the mindless act of solving puzzles all day long.

To do fair, I have my own taste for cyber-stalking. I've IDed several people from this site in real life at visiting weekends. I'll also admit that my one regret with not applying to any state schools in the NE was that I would never by chance have the opportunity to identify Female Science Professor.

@everyone - And now the (many) trolls of this site are hovering in like vultures.

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grae313
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by grae313 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:07 pm

forecast8 wrote:Every month for the last 10,000 years someone looked at the full moon and asked, "why doesn't it fall down?" And 99 times out 100 someone standing nearby said, "That's the stupidist question I've ever heard (TTSQIEH)." Need I go on with other examples? High Energy guys wanted to build the SSC in Texas and enough tax payers said TTSQIEH and congress scrapped it. Nasa got 1.6 Billion to launch to the Hubble and when most people heard how much it cost (and cost is measure of time) they said TTSQIEH.
Your analogies aren't really fair. There are some things that have promise, and there are plenty of things that don't. Some things might bring about results that no one could have anticipated, but come on, outing people on physicsGRE?
...But when you set yourself up as an absolute authority on what is worth spending 15 minutes thinking about you are anti-science.
Do you know what "IMO" stands for? I'm an authority on absolutely nothing, I was just expressing my opinion because I appreciate admissionprof's presence here.
Now it doesn't matter how much time I spent mulling admissionprofs identity - it was my time to waste.
fair enough
Shame on you for belittling my curiosity.
Never, I only belittled the potential invasion of privacy that could lead to this person never posting here again.

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grae313
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by grae313 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:09 pm

zxcv wrote:I don't see what you're getting at here with your grand scheme of relativism, but I'm sure you know it's ridiculous to extrapolate grae313's comments as positioning her as the ultimate authority on what is scientific.
Oh thank god, someone who doesn't automatically assume I'm egotistical :D :wink:

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dlenmn
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by dlenmn » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:10 pm

will wrote:Not only is that not stalking, but to call it such is an insult to people who have been victimized by actual stalking.
Woe is me for my unintended insult to the victimized through completely off base word use. Will, will you ever be able to forgive me?!?

physicsdude
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by physicsdude » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:12 pm

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Last edited by physicsdude on Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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quizivex
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by quizivex » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:14 pm

dlenmn wrote:Woe is me for my unintended insult to the victimized through completely off base word use. Will, will you ever be able to forgive me?!?
Yeah, Forecast8, how dare you "any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule" admissionprof. :wink:

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grae313
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by grae313 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:17 pm

forecast8 wrote:
megatron wrote: Figuring out someone's identity, while not (probably) interesting as an end, is very interesting as a means.
That is precisely the spirit in which I made my original post in this thread. To show that it was an interesting puzzle to work. It requires a combination of web research skills and critical thinking.
Well it looks like I misunderstood you because when I read your original post it definitely seemed confrontational and just annoyed the heck out of me. I have no hard feelings about it though, and I'm all for solving riddles that don't invade other people's privacy. I make my identity no secret, so any five year old could find out who I am, but admissionprof specifically requested anonymity and for good reason. I think that should be respected.

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fermiboy
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by fermiboy » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:18 pm

Hey physicsdude,

How long will this round of posts be up before you delete them?

Prick.

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grae313
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by grae313 » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:19 pm

fermiboy wrote:Hey physicsdude,

How long will this round of posts be up before you delete them?

Prick.
He clearly was not loved enough as a child and craves attention. Ignore him, and he will go away.

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dlenmn
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by dlenmn » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:22 pm

quizivex wrote:Yeah, Forecast8, how dare you "any slender supporting or connecting part of a plant, as the petiole of a leaf, the peduncle of a flower, or the funicle of an ovule" admissionprof. :wink:
Hey man, those things can be kind of pointy! You got to be careful with them around admissionprof!

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jdhooghe
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by jdhooghe » Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:23 pm

physicsdude wrote:Hi forecast8,

but you need to understand that once you have 700+ posts on this site, then you truly are entitled to tell other people that they are wasting their time. You, on the other hand, with your puny number of posts, don't even know yet what wasting time is. I am more advanced, but still far from true mastery of the few local experts :)

You should also realize that kids here revere admissionprof, as he/she
(no, I don't know neither) is the only grown-up who takes them seriously, sort of. After all, these are people who have to ask on internet where to go to graduate school.

And, by the way, I am also an admission prof in a Top 10 physics program. I was just pretending to be an obnoxius undergrad from Princeton to have fun with the kids here :) But quiz, I meant everything I said about Princeton Plasma Lab.
Just because you knew all about graduate schools before birth doesn't mean you need to put others down for finding this place as a great resource.

I can't wait til I join the scientific community and have to deal with more egotistical assholes like this...

megatron
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by megatron » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:42 am

By the way, thanks to the Prof for your advice. I relaxed and waited, and sure enough, my acceptance came in today.

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will
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by will » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:54 am

dlenmn wrote:
will wrote:Not only is that not stalking, but to call it such is an insult to people who have been victimized by actual stalking.
Woe is me for my unintended insult to the victimized through completely off base word use. Will, will you ever be able to forgive me?!?
Ah, the plea to semantics. You're never wrong if you just pretend you meant something different!

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dlenmn
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by dlenmn » Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:55 am

will wrote:Ah, the plea to semantics. You're never wrong if you just pretend you meant something different!
Well then, I'll become wrong by posting this link!

fermiguy
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by fermiguy » Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:56 am

physicsdude wrote:
My ex-wife tells me it started to happen already in graduate school. My current trophy wife however tells me I am a great guy.

Edit: I forgot to add that given all the info many kids have posted here and the info I have as an admission prof, it was quite easy to ID a whole bunch of the regulars here. But don't worry, your secret is safe.
Trophy wife? Your palm doesn't count pro-star... And as for IDing a bunch of people here... I dare you to do that... Because of confidentiality rules (as I am sure you are aware of) doing something like that is grounds for termination from your job. Then again, you are a nutbar so I wouldn't put it past you... Although... I don't think anyone here applied to University of Physicsdude's Basement!

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twistor
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Re: Big thanks to admissionprof

Post by twistor » Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:17 pm

Although... I don't think anyone here applied to University of Physicsdude's Basement!
He would have rejected everyone on the grounds that he's the only one with a pedigree good enough to attend his eponymous university.



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