Boxed thinking

There was a knock on Prof. William P. Thurston's Princeton office. A student from his undergraduate Maths course had come to ask him questions during office hours. A disembodied voice told him to step inside. The student entered gingerly. It was a stark office. Just a table, and a chair, and great big cardboard box on the table. However, no sign of the brilliant Professor.

"Er... Prof. Thurston..."

Immediately a panel on the cardboard box flew open, and there was Prof. Thurston! The boy stood gaping, like an old Haddock.

"You have heard of thinking outside the box? Well, I was thinking inside the box. It is nice and quiet in there, with no distractions" explained the great man.
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This is a story I heard about Bill Thurston, a Field medallist, and one of the best reseach mathematician going in the World. Now at Cornell.

By the way, talking about thinking inside the box, here is Calvin thinking outside the box... er... thermos: