4 ms·

Taking the opportunity to post the video of Knuth mishearing the question "What makes a good teacher?" as "What makes a good T-shirt?" at my uni. https://youtu

Taking the opportunity to post the video of Knuth mishearing the question "What makes a good teacher?" as "What makes a good T-shirt?" at my uni. https://youtu.be/74BfHoE66rc?t=42m17s https://youtu.be/74BfHoE66rc?t=42m17s

knodi123 8y ago
that's my favorite gag from the Firefly tv show. Simon: Are you Alliance? Early: Am I a lion? Simon: What? Early: I don't think of myself as a lion. You might as well though, I have a mighty roar. Simon: I said "Alliance." Early: Oh, I thought... Simon: No, I was... Early: That's weird.
ravishi 8y ago
That is so cool! He really liked the question!
sus_007 8y ago
Thanks for sharing this. Definitely made my day :D
areski 8y ago
I want that T-shirt now!
martythemaniak 8y ago
I wish the guy would have let him answer as to what the CompSci equivalent of that T-Shirt is.
- blattimwind 8y ago
  Right? Because of that interruption we never get to have Don Knuth approved compsci T-shirts. Think before you act!
- mindgam3 8y ago
  A few years ago, while doing a bit of a family history research project (Knuth was my father's PhD advisor at Stanford), I stumbled across a rather awesome t-shirt design. May I humbly submit "Knuth is my homeboy" as my entry to the CompSci t-shirt contest. (not my own design, to be clear, I just came across it on the internet) https://geekz.co.uk/shop/store/show/knuth-tshirt.html https://geekz.co.uk/shop/store/show/knuth-tshirt.html And here is a shot of the recursive shirt in action: https://laughingsquid.com/jacob-appelbaum-donald-knuth-demonstrate-the-recursive-homeboys-principle/ https://laughingsquid.com/jacob-appelbaum-donald-knuth-demon...
- StavrosK 8y ago
  Is there any way we could ask him? I don't wear Compsci T-shirts but I would wear a Don Knuth-designed one.
- bredren 8y ago
  The word he used was "a t-shirt that would be an _analog_."
dgut 8y ago
That's funny. This is the best thing I've ever found on HN. Thank you.
osrec 8y ago
Reminds me a bit of Professor Neutron (Bob Newhart) in the Big Bang Theory!
inimino 8y ago
What a wonderful and genuine human being! It helps explain why his books are so incredibly humane while remaining deep on a very broad topic. Thanks for sharing. ️
codelord 8y ago
I lived in Sweden for a while, Swedes are very proficient in English. Yet, they almost always pronounce ch as sh. They even have TV ads that make fun of this.
- glormph 8y ago
  It took me the longest time before I understood that ad, since the sheep speaks fluent "American". While on pronounciation topics, how does one pronounce "Knuth"? Is the k silent like in "know"? Edit: According to Wikipedia it is kə-NOOTH.
- waterhouse 8y ago
  Reminds me of this ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY "Mayday! ... We're sinking! We're sinking!" "What are you sinking about?"

knodi123 8y ago

that's my favorite gag from the Firefly tv show. Simon: Are you Alliance? Early: Am I a lion? Simon: What? Early: I don't think of myself as a lion. You might as well though, I have a mighty roar. Simon: I said "Alliance." Early: Oh, I thought... Simon: No, I was... Early: That's weird.

ravishi 8y ago

That is so cool! He really liked the question!

sus_007 8y ago

Thanks for sharing this. Definitely made my day :D

areski 8y ago

I want that T-shirt now!

martythemaniak 8y ago

I wish the guy would have let him answer as to what the CompSci equivalent of that T-Shirt is.

blattimwind 8y ago
Right? Because of that interruption we never get to have Don Knuth approved compsci T-shirts. Think before you act!
mindgam3 8y ago
A few years ago, while doing a bit of a family history research project (Knuth was my father's PhD advisor at Stanford), I stumbled across a rather awesome t-shirt design. May I humbly submit "Knuth is my homeboy" as my entry to the CompSci t-shirt contest. (not my own design, to be clear, I just came across it on the internet) https://geekz.co.uk/shop/store/show/knuth-tshirt.html https://geekz.co.uk/shop/store/show/knuth-tshirt.html And here is a shot of the recursive shirt in action: https://laughingsquid.com/jacob-appelbaum-donald-knuth-demonstrate-the-recursive-homeboys-principle/ https://laughingsquid.com/jacob-appelbaum-donald-knuth-demon...
StavrosK 8y ago
Is there any way we could ask him? I don't wear Compsci T-shirts but I would wear a Don Knuth-designed one.
bredren 8y ago
The word he used was "a t-shirt that would be an _analog_."

dgut 8y ago

That's funny. This is the best thing I've ever found on HN. Thank you.

osrec 8y ago

Reminds me a bit of Professor Neutron (Bob Newhart) in the Big Bang Theory!

inimino 8y ago

What a wonderful and genuine human being! It helps explain why his books are so incredibly humane while remaining deep on a very broad topic. Thanks for sharing. ️

codelord 8y ago

I lived in Sweden for a while, Swedes are very proficient in English. Yet, they almost always pronounce ch as sh. They even have TV ads that make fun of this.

glormph 8y ago
It took me the longest time before I understood that ad, since the sheep speaks fluent "American". While on pronounciation topics, how does one pronounce "Knuth"? Is the k silent like in "know"? Edit: According to Wikipedia it is kə-NOOTH.
waterhouse 8y ago
Reminds me of this ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY "Mayday! ... We're sinking! We're sinking!" "What are you sinking about?"