You'd better cancel your afternoon meetings, as you'll need the time to read this lot:
Happy invoicing!
- Outlier - "When you ask members of the Jasper Parks Canada visitor safety team if they remember the search for George Joachim, a common response is a deep sigh, and something like: “Ah yes…George.” Four years later, the name still conjures head shaking and wary glances… Joachim unintentionally misled searchers by listing his destination incorrectly in the climber’s registry, and then behaved so unlike other people previously have in his circumstance that he was repeatedly missed in the search. Parks Canada’s search and rescue community considers his case a valuable learning experience and have since tweaked search protocols to account for other behavioral outliers.” George and his would-be rescuers explain why each acted in a manner that led them to miss each other for over a week.
- What it's like when you're an American using Britain's NHS - Spoiler alert: it’s good. ”I recently returned to London after 20 years in America, and after a few doctors' appointments I've come to see the NHS through American eyes… my overall impression is that currently, the Brits' complaints that the NHS isn't hitting that 95% mark is akin to saying, "This Rolls Royce isn't moving fast enough!"”
- Dinner in the Iguanodon - A curious dinner party: ”The scene depicts a collection of gentlemen sitting around a table inside one of the Iguanodon models under construction over the winter 1853-54. In the image, waiters deliver dinner. On the floor are pieces of the mould used to cast the model… Because the Iguanodon model stood tall, a stage was required for waiters and guests to reach inside.”
- The Parable of the Two Programmers - Old but good; to be precise, Neil W. Rickert writing in 1985: ”Alan, having had experience in difficult programming projects, decided to use the PQR structured design methodology… Back at Consolidated, Charles spent some time thinking about the problem. His fellow employees noticed that Charles often sat with his feet on the desk, drinking coffee. He was occasionally seen at his computer terminal, but his office mate could tell from the rhythmic striking of keys that he was actually playing Space Invaders.”
- Historic Railway - "A map highlighting the Historic Railway Network."
- Distaff Lane – How London Streets Have Changed Over The Centuries - "Distaff Lane is to be found on the western edge of the City. Just south of St. Paul’s Cathedral and running down from Cannon Street, past the church of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey to Queen Victoria Street… Distaff Lane is a perfect example of how the City streets have changed over the centuries and what may appear today to be original City streets and lanes are a creation of the last 60 years.”
- HFT in my backyard – I - "I’ve researched and written about high-frequency trading (HFT) since 2012, and am quite aware of the microwave networks used by some fast players, but I did not know that as of January 2013 Jump Trading owned a tall tower in Belgium – in my backyard… I discovered too many things to discuss in a single post, so I’ve split my story into five parts. This first part we’ll call “Mapping the HFT Microwave Networks” – even if “How I Became an Expert in Potato Fields” would be as accurate.” Continue reading with Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part IV episode 2 and Part V. (There are also some supplementary posts on the blog.)
- Ker-ching! Early medieval compensation claims. - "This past week I’ve been translating a set of laws from the year 600, the kind of thing the Anglo-Saxon Monk must do for his penance. Mind you, Æthelberht’s Code, as these laws are now known, has certainly thrown up some interesting stuff… What Bert did was introduce the idea of financial compensation as recompense for acts of violence against the person: a way of terminating a feuding quarrel, and thus of preventing the typical testeronic escalations of death and destruction.” Where there’s a thane, there’s a claim
- Interview with Michael Moorcock: Part One, Part Two, Part Three - Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried of the Norse Mythology Blog talks to the famous author about writing, myths, and of course Hawkwind: ”I've had my stories told back to me as urban myths by stoned dealers in the Mountain Grill and the Princess Alexandria. It's a very strange experience.”
- The Eerie Abandoned Neighborhood of Lincoln Way - Photographer and urban explorer Johnny Joo on a strange, abandoned street in Clairton, Pennsylvania: ”What exactly happened on Lincoln Way that made everybody abandon their homes in such a mad dash? What kind of stories sit buried in the remnants left behind by each family previously inhabiting these 16 houses? Was it a matter of fear as urban legends state, or simply the environment? Asking local authorities, or even the locals surrounding town, you can never exactly get a straight answer, while most will avoid answering completely.”
Happy invoicing!
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