Tuesday was the start of a week  of lectures.  During the week I will attend four lectures, all with very different themes. Tuesday's lecture was entitled Security and Privacy for a Smart Grid.  A professor from the University of Illinois conducted the lecture. The electric power grid predates computer and digital networking technologies. As these technologies have progressed the power grid has shifted from electro-mechanical devices toward networked computers as a foundation for intelligence and control. This trend has culminated in the concept of the "smart grid," which envisions the use of networked computers to transform the reliability and efficiency of power delivery. While providing many benefits, this change also invites some of the security and privacy threats that have plagued networked computers in other application areas. The talk looked at a selection of research efforts to address these threats in various power grid environments, including the home environment and the substation environment. On the walk between the lecture hall and the UT School of Music I spotted a large painted birthday cake in one of the windows on campus.  The painted cake honors the UT Tower which has a birthday next week.  At the music department I sat in on one of the String Quartets while they practiced their sight reading.  Today I will attend several things relating Barbara Jordan.