1. Sir,

Lab coats are intended to be worn to protect one from bad things. One wears them when one is near (a) toxic, corrosive, or otherwise dangerous chemicals, or (b) contagious or staining biological (or medical) substances. One does not, as a rule, consider them appropriate garb for waiting at the bus stop, even if one has decorated said lab coat with The Pocket of Many Useful Items Such As Pens and Pencils, and even if one is a Very Important Doctor. Rather, one tends to look like a pompous old ass, especially if one’s hands are plunged deep into one’s pants pockets to stay warm.

You know, nobody who knows what they’re for (beyond signaling the wearer’s own self-image) wants to stand near a person with a lab coat on.

2. Folks,

When the instructor has stated several weeks in advance that class will be cancelled on a particular day, and when in addition there is an exam scheduled for the next week, and when by popular consent among the 20 or more students of said class it is agreed that a meeting for the purposes of review will still be held during the normal class session…. Well, where the fuck are ye? Eh? Sleeping in, I’ll warrant.

Smart mobs, indeed.