Why Was a Computer Science Professor Wearing Chain Mail on the First Day of Class This Quarter?

Christmas at the Jacobs School computer science department is a time when two professors compete to get each other the most absurd, or original, gift--depending on how you look at it. One year, Geoff Voelker gave Stefan Savage a NASCAR shift lever toilet flusher. Savage reciprocated by giving Voelker a clock made of old hard drives. The gift exchange reached somewhat of an apex recently, when Savage got Voelker some chain mail and a pair of gauntlets. Voelker offered to wear the gifts on the first day of class this quarter. Here's a picture, taken by his students, proving that he followed through:

If you want to see first-hand some of the other gifts Savage and Voelker exchanged, head out to the CSE building: the NASCAR shift lever toilet flusher is now a door handle in the grad student lounge. The hard drive clock is on display on the third floor.

Thank you for the computer science and engineering department at the University of Washington for giving us a heads-up on this story with this post.