Lots of witty quotes in this article, such as:

... the true tests (such as the dissertation requirement) in graduate school are really designed to discover whether at some point one is willing to just turn the damn thing in.

The willingness to do hard, mundane work may be the most under-rated quality in all of modern life.

I think too little is made of the how the Internet and its various forms of instant entertainment make it all too easy to sidestep the mundane nature of most valuable work. It's worth considering the many long-term consequences.

Speaking of which, it's time to get back to work.