Notes from the Road NorCal, Netherlands, Nick Cannon, and Nerd Camp

Notes from the Road NorCal, Netherlands, Nick Cannon, and Nerd Camp People often ask me what admissions officers do in the summer. They seem surprised when I say work. I guess theres an expectation that, because I work at a university, and because there arent any admissions applications to read in the summer, we must not have much to do. Its probably true that the workload is somewhat lower than it is during the cycle, but summer is a key time for us to travel, work on dormant projects, and take vigorous vacations. In fact, Im nominally on vacation right this minute, but figured Id blog because Ive been quiet for awhile and there are some things worth updating yall about. So: a brief accounting/recounting of life since my ISEF Trip Report on May 13th. Week of May 16-22 After a few days back in Boston, I flew to San Francisco to present about maker portfolios at the Bay Area Maker Faire. Along the way I got to meet up with Ari and Conrad, two MIT-students-turned-Thiel-fellows whose company Workflow was recently named the most innovative app of the year. Its basically an automation engine (think IFTTT, but for your phone) and there is a good guide  to making the most of it here. I also met Ashu, one of the cofounders of MakeSchool  (his partner, Jeremy, is also on extended leave from MIT to help start the school), which aims to be an alternative to the traditional university experience for people who are interested primarily in software product development. As you can infer, there are lots of MIT alumni in the Bay Area, including Danny, Jess, and Rachel, who I got BBQ with one night in Pacific Heights. Week of May 23-29 On May 23rd, I flew almost-direct (back-to-back redeyes) from San Francisco to Holland via Iceland to attend the 15th Online Dispute Resolution conference hosted at The Hague. Im a fellow at the National Center for Technology and Dispute Resolution  (Ethan Katsh, my undergraduate thesis advisor, founded the center and pioneered the field), so its a bit of a home conference type deal. I dont typically present there, but I usually liveblog whatever panels and sessions as I can to help publish those conversations to a broader audience. Holland is beautiful! I rented an AirBnB in the Hague (and in Amsterdam a few days later). Unfortunately, I got brutal food poisoning or stomach bug that manifest on the flight over, so had to spend a few days holed up in that AirBnB and didnt get out quite as much as I should have liked. Ill have to return at some point to get a proper Dutch experience. My AirBnB loft, laptop directions, and recovery bowl of chicken broth   An orderly roundabout in the Hague The Peace Palace in the Hague Canals and bikes, bless my soul Week of May 30-June 5 Commencement week at MIT! The Class of 2016 including Anastassia, Ceri, Natasha, Michael, and Rachel graduated on Friday June 3rd. Matt Damon, who grew up in Cambridge and once  famously played a (fictional) MIT janitor, delivered the commencement address. Afterward, MIT hosted a massive reunion party featuring live music, fireworks, and a scale model of MIT and the Charles River made entirely of something like 150,000 cupcakes. Waiting for graduation to begin Michael me (PC to Michael, cant you tell by how nice the camera is?) Me Anastassia Me, Ceri, and Elizabeth The Great Dome transformed for Toast to Tech Week of June 6-June 12 This week was pretty quiet, thankfully. I mostly worked on a backlog of communications projects, got coffee with friends and colleagues, and gave a couple info sessions. This is/was the only full week I had in the office for two months (after the first week of May until after the first week in July), so honestly it just felt good to fall back into the routine and catch up on stuff. Week of June 13-June 19 On Wednesday I got my copy of Civic Media: Technology, Design, Practice in the mail from MIT Press. This reader reviews key literature and concepts from the emerging field of civic media, which was pioneered by the Center for Civic Media at the Media Lab. I submitted a short case study drawn from my CMS/W  masters thesis  on user-generated censorship. Its only a few pages in a truly massive tome but always nice to see your name in print. On Friday I flew to DC for a series of meetings as part of the National Week of Making  (you can read more about MITs extensive involvement with the program). I spent the day at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, followed by an offsite meeting at the University of DC, meeting with leaders of the Maker Movement from all 50 states and some of the core team at OSTP that helps support science and technology educational initiatives. On Saturday, I gave a talk  about maker portfolios  at the National Maker Faire, which is a fairly common thing for me to do, except that it was following Nick Cannon on stage, which is definitely not. Nick was there representing RadioShack, and he was kind enough to post for a quick picture and to give a shoutout to his alma mater Monte Vista High, which is also where Natanya went. In case you wanted to know what the inside of the Eisenhower Building looked like OSTP-issued challenge coins for the Week of Making Not the kind of speaker list I am accustomed to appearing on Both with extensive Nickelodeon experience, just on different sides of the glass Week of THE IMMEDIATE NOW Im blogging from nerd camp in Vermont. Ive been coming here as a camper or staff almost every year since 1998. Its where I come to recenter and recharge myself at some baseline moral/spiritual/personal level (I know, very Vermont). It was at nerd camp that I first found my people, and, between teaching here and working at MIT, Ive basically never left. This year Im not teaching much. Most of my former students are now staff and have improved my old courses or introduced their own. Instead, Im helping the camp directors run a leadership unit for the older campers who seek to become staff one day. My focus has been to help these campers, who are mostly upperclassmen in high school, try to understand who they are in the world, who they want to become, and how to get from the former to the latter; additionally, to try to understand who leaders are and what leaders do, inclusive of but extending beyond the dimension of moral philosophy and into some kind of reflective and integrative practice of trying to help people around you do stuff that ideally makes the world a better place. Most of this unit is based on activities and discussion, but as someone with two critical theory degrees, I can never get too far away from the text, so I have assigned a few optional supplemental readings to help frame and inform our discussions, which Ill link here as kind of a record and primer on how I think about all this stuff: Shut up and sit down, an essay by New Yorker contributor Josh Rothman reviewing the leadership studies literature and comparing the trait, process, and narrative models of leadership Shooting an Elephant, a (possibly autobiographical; its disputed) short story by George Orwell about the internal ambiguity of leadership as experienced by a British policeman in colonial Burma When Computers Were Women, a chapter by MIT Professor Jennifer Light on how the women who worked as computers during WWII were often erased by historians in favor of highlighting the men who nominally led them Turning the Tide, Stus recent blog post on the Making Caring Common project, which you should definitely read if you havent yet This is Water, David Foster Wallaces 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College Current levels of Vermont content are YUGE, possibly approaching 99% Week of THE EXTREMELY NEAR FUTURE Ill be here at nerd camp for the rest of the week. After that, Ill be back in Cambridge for two days, just long enough to post the ~*~new blogger application~*~, so keep an eye out for that. Then, Im flying out to the Bay Area again for a family vacation. Ill be back the second week of July for most of the rest of the summer, which should be just long enough for me to recover from summer in time for the next admissions cycle :)

Criricism of Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White Essay

Criricism of Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White â€Å"To Mr. Collins belongs the credit of having introduced into fiction those most mysterious of mysteries, the mysteries which are at our own doors.† So said Henry James in an unsigned review of another author’s work. But his view was certainly not shared by all those who cast their opinions into the fray. An unsigned review in the Saturday Review said of Collins’ work, â€Å"Estimated by the standard of great novels, the Woman in White is nowhere. Somewhere between these two points are friends and correspondents of Mr. Wilkie Collins. Novelist George Meredith wrote to Collins himself saying, â€Å"The tension of the W[oman] in W[hite] is not exactly pleasant, though cleverly produced. One wearies of†¦show more content†¦Another is a good-natured family lawyer of the old school. A third is a brave and determined lady.† Playing on Collins’ own comparisons to a court trial this reviewer wrote, â€Å"They are not staring at the spectators , or, if they are, they are staring listlessly and vacantly, like witnesses who are waiting to be called before the court, and have nothing to do until their turn arrives.† Of course many positive critiques of the novel existed. One was written as a direct reaction to the Saturday Review piece. This anonymous reviewer of the Spectator cried out , â€Å"The vivid and manifold emotions with which we read her story are still fresh in our memory, and we retain a lively sense of the personality of every actor in it from Marian and Laura down to the old parish clerk. Yet we are told that the author `does not attempt to paint character or passion. He is not in the least imaginative!’ Mashallah!† This critic ends his or her review stating, â€Å"To sneer at the best thing of its kind because it is not something else is a convenient mode of detraction, and, when done with assurance and a certain degree of literary tact, it may pass with the unwary for authoritative criticism; but it seems a pitiful thing after all when once the trick of it has been discovered.† And once again a middle road emerged from between the two extreme views. An unsigned in The Times praised Collins, but with restraint. â€Å"We must be content to ask, in the name of

Erik Homberger Erikson s Life Of The Lakota And The Yurok

Erik Homberger Erikson was born on June 15, 1902 in Frankfort, Germany. Erikson was born to his Jewish mother Karla Abrahamsen, and his biological father who was an unnamed Danish man who abandoned him before he was born. During his school years, he studied art and different languages instead of chemistry and biology. When he graduated he was interested in becoming an artist. During the 1920’s he decided to travel Europe, where he had to sleep under bridges. After traveling around Europe for a year, he decided to enroll in an art school back in Germany. He stayed at the art school for several years. Then he began to teach art and other subjects to American children who came to Vienna for Freudian training. Erikson was admitted to the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. In 1933 he moved to Boston, where he filled a position at Harvard medical school as America’s first child analyst. While he taught at Yale and Berkley, he did his famous studies on the modern life of the Lak ota and the Yurok. Erikson is known for being a prolific writer. He has wrote many books and essays such as Childhood and Society (1950), Youngman Luther (1958), Youth: change and challenge (1963), Etc. Erikson went on to teach at a clinic in Massachusetts then back to Harvard before he retired in 1970. In 1994 Erikson passed away at the age of 92. Erikson’s main contribution to psychology was his developmental theory. He developed eight psychosocial stages of development and believed that each stage presentsShow MoreRelatedEriksons Psychosocial Development Theory10839 Words   |  44 Pageserik eriksons psychosocial crisis life cycle model - the eight stages of human development Eriksons model of psychosocial development is a very significant, highly regarded and meaningful concept. Life is a serious of lessons and challenges which help us to grow. Eriksons wonderful theory helps to tell us why. The theory is helpful for child development, and adults too. For the lite version, heres a quick diagram and summary. Extra details follow the initial overview. For more information

Exemplification Essay Free Essays

Exemplification Essay I once heard a story about a restaurant manager named Jerry. Jerry was the type of guy that always was in a good mood no matter what. He was a natural motivator. We will write a custom essay sample on Exemplification Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now When one of his employees would come in hating life he would be help them to look on the positive side of the situation. One of his other employees was curious, so one day he went up to Jerry and asked, â€Å"I don’t get it man, how can you be in a good positive mood all of the time. How do you do it? † Jerry replied, â€Å"Each morning I get up and I have a decision to make: to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good one. Every time something bad happens I can choose blame it on myself or I can choose to learn from the situation. † â€Å"It’s not that easy. † The employee protested. â€Å"Yeah it is. † Jerry said. â€Å"Life is all about the choices that you make and how you handle them, you choose to be in a good mood or to be in a bad mood. Bottom line: Attitude is everything. † The employee reflected on Jerry’s example. Later he left the restaurant business to start a business of his own. He lost touch with Jerry but would often use his teachings in his everyday choices in his life. A number of years later he heard that Jerry had left the back door open to his restaurant and he was robbed at gunpoint. While Jerry was opening the safe he was shaking and he slipped. One of the robbers, on edge, shot Jerry and they scurried away. Luckily, he wasn’t lying out for too long for an ambulance to come rush Jerry to the hospital; Jerry survived. Six months after the robbery the old employee met up with Jerry and had asked him about the incident. Jerry replied, â€Å"The Paramedics in the Ambulance were great. They kept on telling me that I was going to be fine until they handed me over to the doctors, that’s when I got worried. The doctors and the nurses eyes read that I was a dead man, not likely to survive. A nurse asked, â€Å"Do you have any allergies? †. I had a choice to make, to live or to die, to be in a good mood or a bad mood. â€Å"Yes† I replied to the nurse. The doctors stopped what they were doing waiting for my answer. â€Å"Bullets! † During their laughter they I told them â€Å"I’m not dead yet, make sure I don’t die. † Jerry lived by the outstanding skill of the doctors, but also due to his attitude. On July 19, 2011 my dad taught me the greatest lesson that I could ever be taught. Every year my paternal side of the family has a reunion in Capitol Reef National park, Southern Utah. My dad came up with the idea that we should leave a couple days earlier and ride our road bikes ahead of the rest of the family. Knowing me, he knew I was â€Å"in†. I just had had a friend move in with me because his family moved to Kentucky and he wanted to finish his senior year at our high school. He joined us on the ride. We started to do some training rides to get ready for the two hundred mile trek of which we were about to embark. July 19: woke up, ate a banana and oatmeal, got dressed in biking gear, took the first pedal and off we went. There were two different routes we could have taken: east of the lake or west of the lake. We chose to go west to avoid the traffic and the higher risk. When we reached the west side of the lake there was a head wind, so we started to draft off of each other. Every five minutes we would rotate who was in lead. It was my turn to lead, my dad following me, and my friend Kallen following him. Kallen’s headphones fell out of his ears and got wrapped up in his front wheels. While drafting he reached down to clear the remains of his headphones and his arm got sucked into the spokes which made him flip over the handle bars. I didn’t notice over the sound of my music that he had crashed but my dad did hear the accident and waved me down to go back. We frantically signaled a car down. A nice lady stepped out and offered to take Kallen to the hospital. My dad and I continued on our way. We reached the other side of the lake and I got a flat tire, which was my second for the day and I was already upset that we lost Kallen. We patched the flat and continued on our ride. Anger was just bottling up inside of me as we entered the next town. When we arrived we sat down to eat. It was about 3 o’clock and we still had seventy miles to go which added to my anger. After lunch we rode over to a park to use the public bathrooms. I take a short cut through a little dirt field. I used the restroom and hopped back on my bike to begin riding again and my tire was flat, again. â€Å"AHHH! †, I screamed. We went and sat on the grass to patch it. My attitude has not only has affected me, but has affected my dad too. â€Å"You better get in a better mood† he said†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦because you are acting like a little baby. You have a choice to make; be in a good mood or a bad one, because we are going to finish this ride whether you want to or not. † I was shocked. My dad had never talked to me like that before. I realized that attitude is everything. We rode into the dark that night till we reached one hundred and twenty miles and the next day we biked the remaining 80 and made it to Capitol Reef. July 19 is my birthday. It had to have been the worst but also the best birthday that I have ever had. Your attitude towards something can change your life. Whether it is as big as saving your life or as small as changing your mood such as finishing a biking trip with your dad. It will stick with you and make you a better person and a happy person. Bottom line: Attitude is Everything. How to cite Exemplification Essay, Essays Exemplification Essay Free Essays Cultural Misinterpretations A stereotype is a predisposed idea about a group of people based on limited information you have heard or seen and assumed to be true about every individual in that group. In â€Å"Don’t Call Me a Hot Tamale,† Judith Ortiz Cofer describes how being Puerto Rican affects her every day. People make rude comments about her, based on her ethnicity, and without knowing her. We will write a custom essay sample on Exemplification Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Cofer describes how she was stereotyped in different situations. From being compared to a Latina character in a play to having her culture misinterpreted. She does not fight against this prevaricate ideas. Instead, she travels around the United States and reads from her books and poetry trying to clear stereotypes about Latinos. As Cofer describe â€Å"replace them with a more interesting set of realities† (Cofer 666). However, individuals are still being exaggerated categorized according to their culture. First, similar to how Cofer was compared to a character from the West Side Stories, popular Asian characters in movies also create stereotypes for Asian Americans. In Cofer’s essay she describes a man who walked up to her and sang the lyrics to a popular song from the West Side Story play. This image of a character from a play may be the only thing that this man can associate with the Latino culture. As she puts it, â€Å"†¦ to him, I was just a character in his universe of ‘others’ † (Cofer 666). A similar problem exists for Asian Americans in the United States. For example, most popular movies with Asian actors in Hollywood are Kung Fu performers and are usually playing a role as Kung Fu masters. For instance, Bruce Lee made many Kung Fu movies. Another famous Asian actor Jackie Chan was also in many action movies. Moreover, Kung Fu originated in Asia which makes people expect that all Asians must know Kung Fu. The image of a Kung Fu artist is assumed to be true for all Asian Americans resulting in a stereotype that all Asians know Kung Fu. Secondly, Cofers island culture was misinterpreted as a stereotype. Cofer describes that to beat the heat women usually dress with less clothing. However, people outside of that culture misinterpret that fashion as a way to attract attention. Similarly, there is a concept in Spain about a Siesta. A Siesta is a ten to twenty minute nap that is supposed to improve productivity. This cultural act has been characterized for all Latinos. Moreover, there is a common picture that shows an example of a sleeping Mexican on a cactus. This image, as well as the act of a Siesta has been overstated to stereotype that all Mexicans are lazy. However, if that were true I would not be writing this essay because I am Latino. Also, they are categorized as lazy individuals because they do not continue to obtain higher education. However, the reason Latinos cannot afford going to school because they do not have enough money. But others misjudged Latinos to be lazy even though they do not have the equalities as a citizen of the United States. In the end, the misinterpretation of culture is still at broad. For example, American culture creates such categories for all Asian Americans. For instance, the Asian American hiring in Hollywood has led to stereotypes that all Asians know Kung Fu. Everything seen on the media seems to also create stereotypes about Asians. Then, the cultural act of napping in Spain led to the stereotype that all Latinos are lazy. Island culture and fashion resulted in the label that all women are whores. Although these categories about people have reasons for existing, they are not true for all members of the group. It may be difficult to fight these stereotypes but we need get to know each other and prove that these stereotypes are just assumptions. Stereotypes create barriers for people to get to know each other. When someone relies on stereotypes they assume to know information about all members of that culture and never learn about the details of the individuals. How to cite Exemplification Essay, Essay examples

Rape Essays (545 words) - Rape, Violence, Sexual Abuse, Sex Crimes

Rape Nichole Moraila Bio 027 Essay I On October 25, a 12-year old girl, student of Willard Middle School was sexually assaulted by 9 boys for over five hours. After the sexual assault the girl was transferred to another school, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School. On November 8, the same girl was lured to a secluded area of campus and raped by a 13 year old boy. The next day the boy was arrested on charges of rape and he was then released to his parents. The girl has since been taken out of school. The sexual assault on October 25 was the first sexual assault in all three middle schools since the early 90's. Seven of the nine boys who were involved in the October 25, sexual assault have been arrested and are currently in juvenile hall. According to the Alameda prosecutors there was no evidence of sexual intercourse during the gang assault. Since the police did not learn of the assault until October 27, doctors would not conduct a rape test since the girl had bathed in the two days since the first sexual assault. In an attempt to not alarm parents, district officials have tried not to divulge the fact that the victim was the same in both assaults. On November 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Principal Neil Smith issued a letter to parents mentioning the sexual assault at Willard Middle School and also mentioned that ``last week, two students were engaged in sexual activity in the bushes during lunch time''. The two incidents were never tied together by Mr. Smith. Parents have since learned that there was a common victim in both incidents and they are outraged. It's very scary to think that incidents like these can happen in your city and neighborhood. Why do these things happen? Is it all of the anger, frustration and curiosity about sex that causes these incidents? Would sex education help in preventing crimes like these? Perhaps if parents made more of an effort to discuss sex with their children at a younger age, like maybe 2-3 years of age, they may feel more comfortable about both themselves and sex. If they are educated about sex this might ease some of the frustration and natural curiosity that can occur during their adolescent years. Also, by discussing sex with your children they may feel more at ease when they have questions or problems regarding sex. Most children and adolescents learn about sex from the media and their friends, and most of the information they are taught is false. Yes, Principal Smith at Martin Luther King Jr. told parents of the sexual assault at Willard Middle School, but he didn't want to alarm parents, so he elected only to share that on Nov. 8, sexual activity had occurred in the bushes. Rape certainly does deserve cause for alarm. Mr. Smith never mentioned the word rape to the parents. Despite the fact that movies, television shows and music videos are full of sex, it seems that we're only supposed to look at it but not talk about it. Parents and students both need to know what is happening in their schools and neighborhoods to further protect themselves. Talking about sex seem like a good way to begin. Human Sexuality

Signs You Are a Chemistry Major

Signs You Are a Chemistry Major If you are a chemistry major, you already know youre special. Yet, can people sense  you are a chemistry major before you tell them? Yes! Here are the signs that set you apart from other students. You get annoyed when someone tells you they dont want chemicals in their food (shampoo, cleaners, etc.) because you know everything is a chemical.The dark circles under your eyes from lack of sleep are from pulling all-nighters to write up lab reports  and work chemistry problems rather than from partying.You often smell like a signature scent from the lab that no one mistakes for designer perfume. If you work in certain labs, even your breath reeks of  an organic solvent.You not only know what Avogadros number is, but can state it with 5  significant figures. You also realize Avogadro isnt the one who came up with the number that bears his name, although he did describe a gas law. You own a lab coat, wear it even when it isnt necessary, and like the interesting  way it smells. Despite the lab coat, most of your pants have holes in them from acid burns. Your shoes and possibly your lab notebooks also bear these marks.  Theres a good chance you have some scars from chemical burns, too.You make the Best. Coffee. Ever. Every time. Your cupboard contains lab glassware in addition to the usual kitchen utensils. You didnt borrow it from the lab, did you?You know the difference between borosilicate glass, flint glass, and leaded  crystal (and why its not really crystal). You know what color will be produced by burning pretty much  every metal salt  known to mankind. When someone refers to a mole, you think of the unit, not the burrowing mammal.If asked, you could provide detailed instructions for 10 ways to make it go boom. You likely have pictures of key examples on your cell phone. Your lawn may have a few dead spots from outdoor experiments.When asked if something is organic, you consider whether it contains carbon and hydrogen, not whether it was grown without pesticides.You can pronounce the name of every ingredient on product packaging, know its purpose, and may be able to draw its structure.You know, without looking, what color Chemistry Cat is. If you have a cat, you  consider dressing it up like C hemistry Cat for Halloween. You have multiple copies of the periodic table, although you could state the names of at least the first 20 elements in order and possibly their atomic weights. The periodic table may be the wallpaper on your phone and computer.You rarely get to wear sandals or flip flops. When you do wear them, youre conscious of spilling liquids on your feet.If you need vision correction, you wear glasses, because you cant wear contacts in the lab. You may even own a pair of prescription safety glasses.You own or want to wear a bow tie.No matter how well things are going, you can always find some type of  error.You dont sniff perfume or even food the same way as others. You use your ​hand to wave a small amount of the odor toward your nose. Its a dead giveaway you took a chemistry lab. You May Also Like College  Chemistry Major Courses 10 Careers in ChemistryHigh School Courses To Major in Chemistry

Master Networking for Introverts with this 4-Step Guide

Master Networking for Introverts with this 4-Step Guide You know how important networking is for your career- any career. Trouble is, you absolutely loathe it. Big crowds of people, mingling, small talk, sales pitches†¦ the whole idea makes you queasy. Can’t you just stalk people on LinkedIn from the comfort of your couch and sweatpants and call it square? Unfortunately, networking is too crucial to avoid. But there are four things you can do, even as the most introverted introvert in all of introversion, to put a smile on your face, pull up your grown-up underpants, and start schmoozing.1. Say yesNetworking event? Cocktail hour invite? DELETE. IGNORE. RUN AWAY. Right? Wrong. Remember how important it is to make connections in the business world. Try saying yes to every other invite you receive. Or every three. The more you go to, the easier they’ll get. Remember: it’s good for your career.2. Acknowledge the awfulYou’re probably still going to hate it. Changing your attitude- and your R.S.V.P.- won’ t make that big of a difference in your actual enjoyment of these events. But knowledge is power. If you prepare yourself to be a little uncomfortable, a little ill at ease, but to grin and bear it and know that it won’t go on forever, you’ll have a better time.3. Prepare a survival kitLike an uncomfortable actor fiddling with a prop, make yourself a tool kit. Have a nice briefcase you can use as a shield. Fill it with copies of your resume, business cards, pens, Rescue Remedy, breath mints, a book. You’ll be the go-to savior if anyone should need a writing implement. And you can always busy yourself with the contents of your bag when things get awkward and you have to retreat into a corner. Plus, you’ll be prepared for anything and never once caught with your pants down (read: without a resume or business card to give someone when asked).4. Reward yourselfEven in the best of circumstances, networking events can take a lot of energy. Plan to give yourself a buffer of some quality alone time before and after the event. Reward yourself with a Netflix marathon and a box of mac and cheese. Put your phone on silent and enjoy the peace and quiet.Remember, when in doubt (or terror, or discomfort) you can always hide out at the snack table or the bar. Who knows, you might even run into a fellow introvert and have a pleasurable conversation.