Gone like a cool breeze

I have three scheduled meetings today and a couple of people I hope to see, but haven't made appointments yet. I'll be out of here by three so I can get home in time for a birthday party.

Last night's Red Sox/Yankees game was broadcast on ESPN. Because the Yankees have their own cable channel with exclusive rights to broadcasts in this area, ESPN was blocked in the hotel room.

In 1990 or so, Terry Bisson wrote a short story for the now-defunct Omni magazine. The story, "They're Made Out of Meat," describes how visitors from another planet are shocked when they learn that our computers (us) are made out of meat. "ThatÂ’s ridiculous. How can meat make a machine?" The story is now a seven-minute video, well worth the time to watch it.

Next stop in the Quiz Department: by looking at pictures, can you tell who invented a computer programming language and who is a serial killer? Here's the test. My score? Eight of 10.

IBM has come a long way from the white shirt and tie days, but it still draws the line regarding appearance. For example, it appears that IBM didn't like this guy's pink hair.

It looks as though 911 is out of service. (via) Do we call 912?

In 2002 a beagle named Woodsie was trapped in a culvert for nearly a day and half. Mike was part of the rescue team. At Tess's first communion party, we saw Woodsie's family. The dog is still doing fine. Last month, a dog in Texas was trapped in a pipe. Here's the story (via). Huskies avoid open water, even when in temperate climes, because their arctic instincts tell them falling into the water can mean death. (At least one reader of this journal used to train huskies; he may be able to elaborate on that.) You'd think that other breeds of dogs might have figured out that pipes are not their friends.

While on a business trip in 1998, I was driving on U.S. Route 101 in Santa Clara, California, when I received a call on my cell phone from Sandra. She told me that we had a new granddaughter, named Tess Mary.

Happy 8th Birthday, Tess.