From: Robert Hettinga <rah@shipwright.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 04:57:46 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: "Einstein's degree wasn't honorary...."
In-Reply-To: <199809050213.VAA10742@einstein.ssz.com>
Message-ID: <v04011742b218a440643b@[139.167.130.246]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



...says Jim Choate from the bowels of my kill file.


I believe I was talking about his doctorate, which, I think you'll see, was
in fact given to him on the strength of his already published work, by a
school in which he wasn't enrolled.

I would call that, no matter the rigor attached to the degree and the
quality of the school handing it out -- both of which were considerable, if
I remember -- an "honorary" doctorate.

As honorary degrees go, the Swiss school which did confer a doctorate upon
Einstein, and upon Diffie as well, I think, was supposed to be about the
best one you can get.

Cheers,
Bob Hettinga
-----------------
Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@philodox.com>
Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'