No more NUS email..

The time has come where my NUS email account is to be closed for good. It symbolically puts an end to the chapter of my life spent in NUS. As I read back and save some of the old emails that I want to keep from the account, I realise how much of my past I have forgotten. There are so many memories, and experiences! It's kinda sad to realise that I'm really leaving it all behind now.

I have copied here two emails sent to me by different lecturers, under two entirely different circumstances. They hold much emotional content for me, and are interesting things to remember about the past years.

There is still so much more... what a confounding, complexicated, beautiful and laughable chapter of my life!

Oh, of course, you can only reach me now via email at my hotmail account. That's 'chrisyeojs'-at-hotmail-dot-com.


-----Original Message-----
From: Meier, Rudolf
Sent: Fri 22/11/2002 18:06
To: Yeo Jer Siong Christopher
Cc:
Subject: Final essay results



U001529E01=Christopher

Title: ???????????????? Christopher's memes

Dear Christopher:
Here are the results from your final essay. The hardcopies are
available from the USP reading room counter.

Regards,

Rudolf Meier

Visiting Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
and University Scholars Programme
National University of Singapore
14 Science Dr 4
Singapore 117543

Associate Professor
Department of Entomology
Zoological Museum Copenhagen
Universitetsparken 15
2100 Copenhagen Oe
Denmark

Comments
Thank you for the essay which I found to be up to your usual high standards.
Especially, the discussion of maladaptive behavior induced by selfish memes is
intriguing.

1. When I read this I immediately thought: what is the mind if not a collection
of memes? You mention something like this in a footnote. Upon second thoughts
the mind also includes ideas that have never been expressed and they wouldn't
really count as memes; so, the mind may be more than a collection of memes after
all.

2. In which way does this "go against the conventional views of evolution"?
Violation of the error-threshold?

3. I find the example of the axe meme unfortunate, because it is unnecessarily
complicated since it is a meme defining a physical object. Discussing Romeo and
Juliet first and then moving on to the axe example makes it easier on the
reader.

4. By initially restricting your discussion to primates you give the impression
that memes do not exist outside of this group of mammals. You correctly discuss
memes in other animals later on, but it is strategically better to tell the
reader immediately that memes are more widespread.

5. To me it is not so much an hypothesis as it is an approach to studying these
phenomena.

Grade: A

Christopher: Why didn't you participate more in the classroom? We both know
that you are one of the brightest students in the program, but you are not
making as much of your talents as you could. The world needs bright people like
you, but nobody will/can listen to you if you don't speak up. I hope you will go
on studying after finishing your degree at NUS. The world's universities are
open to talents of your caliber.


Visiting Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
and University Scholars Programme
National University of Singapore
14 Science Dr 4
Singapore 117543

Associate Professor
Department of Entomology
Zoological Museum Copenhagen
Universitetsparken 15
2100 Copenhagen Oe
Denmark

-----Original Message-----
From: Volker H Schmidt
Sent: Fri 01/11/2002 15:06
To: Yeo Jer Siong Christopher
Cc:
Subject: Your paper



Dear Mr. Yeo,

I don't usually do this, but having seen the state in which you where when you
talked to me a few days ago and also when you submitted your paper today, I
thought it might perhaps be appropriate to share this with you: You are good,
and you really have no reason to put yourself down. It seems to me that what you
need most is a boost in self-confidence, and you have good reason to believe in
yourself as you are surely an academically and intellectually very able student!

I read your paper right after you gave it to me, and it is - comparatively -
not only exceptionally well written, but is also an intelligent summary and
discussion of the case covered as well as (some of) its implications. It does of
course have its limitations and shortcomings, but all papers have them. Plus
yours was written under great time pressure. So don't worry too much about this.

I hope this helps relieving you a bit, and I wish you success in the exam.
Please keep the content of this mail between you and me.

Best wishes
Volker Schmidt




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