One of those logic web sites I'm reviewing for Choice doesn't work very well on IE, and Netscape isn't part of our network software package. I had the library's computer technician call a mid-level guy in IS to explain the situation but the answer was no, I wasn't allowed to install it on my machine. This response made me angrier than it should have, perhaps because I felt the IS guy wasn't taking my request seriously enough: he made no effort to explain the rationale behind the prohibition or to consult a higher-up to see if an exemption might be made. I was irked enough to seriously consider getting the browser anyway just as a sort of protest against an irrational policy. The lesson learned: ego causes suffering. (Second Noble Truth, almost.) And the anger was useless anyway since I easily got permission from the head of IS to temporarily download Netscape.

A cold front must have passed through the infernal regions tonight because something interesting happened on campus: a screening of the west Texas classic Hud prefaced by political/historical commentary from our political science professor. (Yes, that use of the singular is correct.) I might talk more about the movie later.