Anat, who is now in Paris, called yesterday and broke devastating news to me. Shlomo Bentin, who used to be her PhD advisor, was killed in a car accident in Berkeley, CA.
Ever since, my eyes are on the verge of tearing. Even I myself am surprised by the intensity of my sadness.
I realize this might sound strange. In most cases, a PhD student's spouse barely knows their advisor. They might meet a couple times and shake hands, but typically no personal relations are formed.
This is probably a pure indication of Shlomo's greatness, as a person.
It makes little sense for me to elaborate about how magnificent a scientist Shlomo was. I'll leave that to far greater people than me. In fact, they did just that a couple months ago, when declaring Shlomo an Israel Prize winner.
What I valued most about Shlomo was his personality, the way he nurtured his students, the extent to which he deeply cared about them. Having seen quite a few people in the academic world, I was awe-inspired by the atmosphere and enthusiasm Shlomo managed to inject into his lab and his students, by his ability to form personal and affectionate (rather than authoritative) relations with people around him.
Merely two months ago we attended a party in Tel-Aviv, where generations of Shlomo's students celebrated his nomination as an Israel Prize winner. Shlomo and Miri, his wife, were glowing and happy, full of optimism and plans for the future. We hugged and chatted and I was amazed by how close I still felt to them, despite seeing them infrequently in the past few years.
In a chilling hindsight, that was a farewell from Shlomo.
I still can't believe I'm writing these words.
Monday, July 16
Friday, May 25
Back Pains :-(
The past week was one of the worst in my life. No less.
I've been going through a terrible lower back pain outbreak, harsher than anything I've known to date. I've waited with writing until I'd be somewhat relieved, so that these lines wouldn't be too bleak, but this post is not a happy one nonetheless...
For six full days, I spent most of the time in bed, the vicious and sharp pain engulfing me, becoming my existence. At the height of the pain, I was collapsed on a pavement, every tiny move yielding unbearable pain (tight muscles have probably applied direct pressure on a nerve). I was then taken by an ambulance to the hospital, where a shot of morphine-like material was my only salvation.
For almost a week, I couldn't walk, couldn't stand, could barely sit. In addition to the pain, I felt mostly helplessness and despair.
Today, after a couple of acupuncture treatments, things are improved. However, 9 days after this started (almost comically, in racing with my 5-year-old Maayan, from her kindergarten's gate to door...), I'm still far from being fully-functional, and have a long way to go.
I'll need to work hard, finding some treatment and life-style routines which would hopefully allow me to live and function without repeating this experience, at least not with such intensity. I can't say I know how to get there, but I don't really have a choice...
Giora
I've been going through a terrible lower back pain outbreak, harsher than anything I've known to date. I've waited with writing until I'd be somewhat relieved, so that these lines wouldn't be too bleak, but this post is not a happy one nonetheless...
For six full days, I spent most of the time in bed, the vicious and sharp pain engulfing me, becoming my existence. At the height of the pain, I was collapsed on a pavement, every tiny move yielding unbearable pain (tight muscles have probably applied direct pressure on a nerve). I was then taken by an ambulance to the hospital, where a shot of morphine-like material was my only salvation.
For almost a week, I couldn't walk, couldn't stand, could barely sit. In addition to the pain, I felt mostly helplessness and despair.
Today, after a couple of acupuncture treatments, things are improved. However, 9 days after this started (almost comically, in racing with my 5-year-old Maayan, from her kindergarten's gate to door...), I'm still far from being fully-functional, and have a long way to go.
I'll need to work hard, finding some treatment and life-style routines which would hopefully allow me to live and function without repeating this experience, at least not with such intensity. I can't say I know how to get there, but I don't really have a choice...
Giora
Wednesday, May 23
Auto-Completions in GMail
Time to share a piece of my professional life.
This recent announcement - http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/improved-search-in-gmail.html - is a result of what I've been working on for more than a year (with several other people, of course).
Still only available for those of you who use GMail with English UI (buttons, menus etc.), but hopefully before long it will be available in all languages.
Under the hood, this is a fairly complex and challenging system, and releasing it to the public at last makes me fairly proud :-)
Cheers,
Giora
This recent announcement - http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/improved-search-in-gmail.html - is a result of what I've been working on for more than a year (with several other people, of course).
Still only available for those of you who use GMail with English UI (buttons, menus etc.), but hopefully before long it will be available in all languages.
Under the hood, this is a fairly complex and challenging system, and releasing it to the public at last makes me fairly proud :-)
Cheers,
Giora
Tuesday, May 15
Our car is on Street View...
A friend noted to me that I was probably captured by the Street View cameras, driving our car in our neighborhood. A bit big brothery, but I actually find it amusing :-)
See the maroon Toyota Previa at:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=
See the maroon Toyota Previa at:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=
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