Once a month, I travel with W. Kahan and Jason Riedy to some location in the South Bay for the meeting of the IEEE 754 floating point arithmetic standard revision committee. It is a monthly lesson in arithmetic, computing history, and perhaps a bit of cultural anthropology. It's also a test of endurance and a penance, though I'm not sure for what it is a penance. We have dinner afterward, though, and this month was no exception. So if it's a penance, it's an imperfect one.

The IEEE meeting is not a red herring, a lame duck, or a shaggy dog. More's the pity.

I intended to do a little more work this evening after returning home, checking some equations, and writing my solutions to some homework for tomorrow. I've now returned home and finished with the problem set and the equations, and decided that there is little essaying any more for the day. I'll make a cup of red tea and end on a high note.

• Currently drinking: Cold water