It's read as "Kirin desu," which means, "I am a giraffe." I once saw a Japanese stand-up comedy duo on TV that said this when they came on stage, though in that case, it would be translated as. "We are 'giraffe'." I thought it was pretty funny.
How would you explain your infatuation with Japanese culture, anyway?
I wouldn't say I'm "infatuated" with Japanese culture, but my interest in it comes from studying the language. It's a lot of fun because adapting to an entirely different writing system is a challenge, as is trying to express an idea in Japanese that may not be directly translatable from English (and vice versa). It's also a very systematic language in terms of grammar, so I find it easy to learn.
You're a veteran WAMH deejay. Tell us about your show,"Broken Synapse."
Fridays, 8-10 p.m.: indie rock, hip-hop (mostly underground stuff) and jazz, in that order.
I know that you worked in a lab here over the summer on a Hughes Fellowship; what did you learn?
I found out that looking under a microscope while listening to Mozart is a very therapeutic combination.
If you were president of Amherst College for a day, what would you change?
Free snacks everywhere. Because sometimes, you need more than a hug to cheer you up-you need a donut.
An alarming number of Amherst males seem to suffer from premature baldness and/or receding hairlines; is your eight-ball 'do a matter of choice or of pragmatism?
I realized in my junior year of high school that the shape of my head was suitable for a bald look, and I've generally stuck with the style ever since.
How are Amherst folks different from people in your hometown of Atlanta, Ga.?
People in Atlanta-most of the ones I've encountered, anyway-tend to be very close-minded. They have a small set of things on their minds and never really think about anything else. Plus, it only snows about once every three years there.
So how was Family Weekend? Did your parents come up from Georgia?
Yeah-they flew up on Friday. I didn't get to show them as much of the campus as I would have liked since the weather wasn't very cooperative; they seemed to like the place, anyway.
I know that you're a strong proponent for Linux OS; why should I use Linux and not Windows?
It's secure, highly customizable, fast and completely free in most cases. The trade-off is that it's not as user-friendly at first, but learning how to use Linux teaches you more about computers in general, so I see it as a benefit.
Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?
I'll either be doing post-doctorate research, or be in a lab at a pharmaceutical company developing a new drug.
Do we have free will?
Despite the significant progress that has been made in formulating logical arguments for and against humans having free will, I think that in the end it's merely a matter of belief. I, for one, believe that we do have free will, and that the emotions we experience as the result of being free agents who are responsible for our own actions, such as guilt and pride, are direct evidence of this.
If a burglar broke into your house, would you rather be armed with a sword, a revolver with one bullet or a bag of frozen oranges? Why?
I'd go with the frozen oranges, since they double as a melee weapon and as projectiles.