I have literally never heard of any of these things. I know the undergrads have a very unique subculture here, which grad students aren't really a part of.
trolling - studying. A troll is one who studies a lot.
flicking - playing
3AM runs to Tommy's? - just fun thing to do, just because
The Ride - The Ride of the Valkyries was played, and only played, at the beginning of finals week. The KCAL radio station in Page House would play it, then everyone with a stereo would tune in so it was all synchronized all over campus, all at maximum volume. Playing it any other time meant you'd get tossed in the pond.
finesse - doing something artful and clever, like redesigning a motor to be more efficient so more torque is produced.
brute force and ignorance - the straightforward approach, like upping the voltage so more torque is produced.
Trolling, flicking - I never heard anyone say these, but had heard they were used in the past. Along those lines, flaming or flaming out was used for failing out or needing to take terms off.
A few people still did 3AM Tommy's. Negative time Tommy's was a significant event in at least a few houses.
The Ride tradition was definitely around, with the only sanctioned playing on mornings of finals
I never heard anyone say finesse, brute force, or ignorance
BS 2001 graduate here. When I was there, Negative Time Tommy's Run was still a thing (although they did build a Tommy's like 5 minutes away). Also, I wonder how much of the undergraduate culture was visible/apparent to the graduate students.
Oh Negative Time Tommy's Run was done the night when Daylight saving time ended, so students could leave campus and come back before the time they left. :)
