State of the Art

TLAs: Are Common These Days

Author(s)3: Art Johnson
TLAs: Are Common These Days 150 150 IEEE EMBS
Three-Letter Acronyms (TLAs) are very popular, and can be found in almost everything written or spoken these days. Why? Perhaps it is because we are busy, lazy, or maybe there is just a fascination with things that come in threes. Most likely, we write or speak in TLAs because it makes our language more efficient at conveying information with the least possible cost. TLAs transform largely redundant information into a more expeditious form. read more

Disrupting the Normal Routine

Author(s)3: Art Johnson
Disrupting the Normal Routine 150 150 IEEE EMBS
My secretary at the University of Maryland labeled it Working Away From the Office (WAFO). It was my routine to stay home on Wednesdays and write papers, author books, make teaching plans, or grade papers and reports. I would be in my office Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, but everyone in our department soon got used to my absence on Wednesday. read more