September 18, 2022 9:37 AM

Dread and Hope

First, a relatively small-scale dread. From Jeff Jarvis in What Is Happening to TV?

I dread subscribing to Apple TV+, Disney+, Discovery+, ESPN+, and all the other pluses for fear of what it will take to cancel them.

I have not seen a lot of popular TV shows and movies in the last decade or two because I don't want to deal with the hassle of unsubscribing from some service. I have a list of movies to keep an eye out for in other places, should they ever appear, or to watch at their original homes, should my desire to see them ever outgrow my preference to avoid certain annoyances.

Next, a larger-scale source of hope, courtesy of Neel Krishnaswami in The Golden Age of PL Research:

One minor fact about separation logic. John C. Reynolds invented separation logic when was 65. At the time that most people start thinking about retirement, he was making yet another giant contribution to the whole field!

I'm not thinking about retirement at all yet, but I am past my early days as a fresh, energetic, new assistant prof. It's good to be reminded every once in a while that the work we do at all stages of our careers can matter. I didn't make giant contributions when I was younger, and I'm not likely to make a giant contribution in the future. But I should strive to keep doing work that matters. Perhaps a small contribution remains to be made.

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This isn't much of a blog post, I know. I figure if I can get back into the habit of writing small thoughts down, perhaps I can get back to blogging more regularly. It's all about the habit. Wish me luck.


Posted by Eugene Wallingford | Permalink | Categories: General, Personal