Meanwhile Back at GTL...

The real reason for our stay in Metz this spring is my teaching at Georgia Tech - Lorraine. In addition to teaching courses on natural language processing and on empirical methods in human-computer interaction, I'm working with two GT graduate students, Joseph Rhodes and James Wert, on a model of animation in user interfaces. Here's a photo of the three of us in a research workshop earlier this week, where we refined the model and used it to design two versions of an interface for an MP3 player, one "intuitive" and one "counter-intuitive."

Georgia Tech - Lorraine

Georgia Tech - Lorraine's building forms part of the the Metz "Technopole," a kind of technology-oriented district that houses both educational and research institutions. The area resembles an American research park. The facilities--schools, dormitories, research units, tech companies-- encircle a large pond.

With Metz's winter temperatures, the pond is almost completely frozen over. There's a sign forbidding swimming and boating, but there's not much chance of either for the time being. Runners and bicyclists take advantage of a bike path around the pond; a pedestrian path below the bike path looked too icy to chance. The pond's two unfrozen surfaces are a very small area near where a creek flows in and a slightly larger area where the pond's waterfowl, mostly ducks and a few swans, are able to swim.

Here's the view from my office, looking east across the pond.

Getting Started at GTL

The cold weather that has blown across France has reached Metz, which spent the day under sunny skies but shivering with a high around 27 degrees Fahrenheit. And, in what seems to be a theme for our stay here, when Susie and I arrived at Georgia Tech--Lorraine this morning for our first visit we found everyone in their coats because the there was a problem with the heating system. As the day progressed, sounds of repairs echoed throughout the building. The good news is that classes don't begin until next week, so things were less chaotic than they might otherwise have been.

The staff at GTL are terrific--helpful, warm, and funny. They clearly care a lot about the students. They resolved issues of network access, helped me understand the schedule of courses, and generally made Susie and me feel welcome. I spent the afternoon and evening fighting my way through what turned out to be path-variable issues for installing software for a course. But now that's resolved, we've had dinner, and even leftovers are pretty good when washed down with Cahors and followed by rustic apricot tarts.