Rhodesia 1976

Here's a fascinating historical document, a 1976 news report from Rhodesia. For those who don't know, Rhodesia was a part of the British colonial possessions in Africa until the local government declared unilateral independence in 1965 rather than submit to the UK's terms of departure, which required one-man-one-vote, which would have put the a black government in power. Rhodesia was isolated politically, and fought a long guerrilla war against black nationalists backed by the Soviet Union and China, until final surrender in 1979. Rhodesia then became Zimbabwe.

Things did not go well for Zimbabwe; Robert Mugabe eventually turned flat-out tyrant, and the country is now one of the poorest in the world.

I can't quite read the reporters' accents, but one of the interviews mentions Australia, so I think that's where the report is from.

How it should work

-- Hello, I'm having a problem with my internet connection.
-- OK, try clicking on the up-and-down arrows in your browser to refresh your page.
-- Yeah, I'm not in IE and I already tried that half an hour ago. According to the modem diagnostics...
-- If that doesn't work, click on the X in the top right corner of the window...
-- ... Yeah, I already restarted fifteen minutes ago. Look, I think...
-- The next step is to restart your computer. Go to the bottom left corner...
-- I am a professional engineer and formally request exemption from elementary assistance.
-- ...
-- ...
-- Authenticate now.
-- So, when the buckled girder lets down the grinding span,
   'The blame of loss, or murder, is laid upon the man.
-- ...
-- ...
-- Pass phrase accepted. What distro are you running, and what is Wireshark telling you?

In the beginning was the command line

"What would the engineer say, after you had explained your problem, and enumerated all of the dissatisfactions in your life? He would probably tell you that life is a very hard and complicated thing; that no interface can change that; that anyone who believes otherwise is a sucker; and that if you don't like having choices made for you, you should start making your own."
-- Neal Stephenson, "In the Beginning was the Command Line"

Three functional programming languages

Scala is a functional programming language that is designed to work well with Java. That doesn't come free, of course. The language makes some compromises to play well with legacy Java code and the JVM, but it does make Scala a very good Java 2.0. If you are interested in functional programming and want a language that you may actually get to use professionally, Scala is the safe bet. But it will not cure your cynicism.

Programming in Scala

Lisp was shot in the head a generation ago by Algol-style syntax, but like Lisbeth Salander, it never quite died. A tenacious band of enthusiasts keeps insisting the language is special, and has never been proved wrong. If you want to learn a timeless classic of a language with a reputation for changing the way you look at programming, Lisp is a good choice. Also, Paul Graham will send you a mash note.

Practical Common Lisp

Haskell is a pure functional programming language known for extreme expressivity. SkyNet would be 300 lines in Haskell, tops. Its relentlessly orthodox functional nature will force you to confront, interrogate, and ultimately deconstruct the imperative paradigm you have been trained in. You will see imperative coding for the fire-lit cave that it is and depart for a sun-bright world of functional programming. (Actual results may vary -- Platonic enlightenment not guaranteed.)

Learn You a Haskell for Great Good

Interesting Problems

Why can't I have interesting problems like this?

Basically what happened yesterday is i drank an entire bottle of whiskey, stabbed myself in the hand (not my drawing hand), had some kind of delirious breakdown in the hospital, got stitched up and sent back home.
Today I go to see the hand surgeon about my hand and a therapist about my emotions.

I think this is where I'm supposed to make an ironic comment about artistic types. Or maybe pseudo-ironic; it's hard to keep track.

Moves from 1459

A Slovenian group of martial artists who study in the the European (rather than Asian) tradition have recreated the wrestling moves from the Thott 290 2º manuscript, written in 1459 by Hans Talhoffer. It looks like they had a lot of work to do, since each move only had a single illustration. Fascinating stuff.

Good judo clubs in Ontario

The list of athletes on the Ontario judo team makes for interesting reading. Some clubs are very well represented; others, not so much. If you are looking for a high-quality judo club in your town, you would do well to find one that produces top judokas, and the list makes it very clear where they are coming from.

Both of the clubs in Kitchener, Asahi and Kaizen, are well represented with 11 and 14 athletes, respectively.