"Cookies" Comes After "Ten"

The spam-protection question below is ambiguous. (It turned out that they were assuming that I should enter an integer.)

Sudden Insight

Insight: "One more reference letter" is just like "one more turn". This stuff is for very good causes and I am happy to help people (and will of course continue to help people in this way when I am a relevant person to do so), but sigh...

There are so many things in my life that paper-cut me to death at times.

I know, I know: For some people, this is also known as "payback".

Words of advice for letters of recommendation

The following letter to the editor was written by mathematics professor Gerald Folland and appeared in the April 2007 issue of the Notices of the AMS:

"From the chair of a hiring committee to everyone who writes letters for job candidates: Recommending someone "in the strongest possible terms" has become a cliché. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to find other ways of expressing your enthusiasm."

Nice!