I had a great uncle, Charles, who was a radio man in WWII. He was one of the guys who would sneak behind enemy lines in the dark of night, and set up communication infrastructure for the following day’s assault. It was dangerous, and I’m certain, terrifying work. Of our family stories about him, my favorite is this:
He refused to carry a gun.
Whenever he had a working rifle or sidearm, he’d manage to lose it, break it, or give it away. After numerous reprimands, he was finally provided with a broken rifle, which he dutifly carried, until the end of his service. I doubt I would have had the same resolve.
Later in life, he was a repair technician, at a music shop in Pennsylvania, and according to family lore, was the only person who was allowed to work on Andrés Segovia‘s guitars whenever he came to Pittsburgh for a concert.
My uncle is at least partially responsible for my interest in both computers, and music. As I was growing up, he mailed to me many lessons, projects, and articles about both music and electronics, which were his two passions. They have become mine as well.
Charles was a quiet, and generous man, and I’m glad to have known him.
7:43:00 PM
CNET: U.S. government outsells Amazon. “The U.S. government sold more than $3.6 billion of products on the Internet in 2000, more than the $2.8 billion in sales the online retailer reported for the same period.”
4:43:37 PM
Jeff: “Andrea Frick and Oliver Wrede posted pictures from the Scripting News dinner in Amsterdam!”
1:01:05 PM
The Register: FTC blesses Amazon’s privacy sleight-of-hand. Yeesch.
12:32:25 PM
BBC: Jupiter probe in trouble. “A Nasa space probe exploring Jupiter and its moons is running into problems as it embarks on the latest stage of its mission.”
Strange… The article is mostly a positive account, explaining that Galileo has exceeded it’s expected life by more than three years, having had its mission extended twice, and yet the headline and sub-title are so negative. I’m confused.
12:31:53 PM
Jeff: “Well… It’s running again…” Been there, done that.
4:02:27 AM
Dictionary.com Word of the Day: obstreperous.
4:00:35 AM
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