Q

An American explains Easter to a Martian

If you celebrate Easter, enjoy your festival, I’m afraid it’s quite alien to me. Mind you, same goes for Ostara and Purim. Higan also looks pretty interesting.

Still, happy Persian New Year(and beginning of the Bahá’í year), and happy birthday for yesterday, Mohammed!

For everyone else, (in the northern hemisphere) happy vernal equinox, enjoy Spring! (Autumn, if you’re in the southern hemisphere, driving around Australia in a car you bought on the first day you got there, for example)

Don’t forget to put your clocks forward on the 30th. Ah, British Summer Time. Because equinoxes weren’t confusing enough. I’m off to balance an egg on its end.

FCC Okays Nudity On TV If It’s Alyson Hannigan

Made me giggle. Found it from Mil’s mailing list.

As Andy blogged, Arthur C. Clarke has died.

When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - 2008), Clarke’s first law

Only a couple of days ago, I was talking with Dan about this quotation. I really hope I become so distinguished a scientist that when I predict something is impossible, my quotation ends up on a wall next to an explanation of the technology that has eventually proven me wrong.

His writings have been a constant source of inspiration for me both in science and philosophy. They will continue to do so, not only because a lot of his collection I haven’t yet read, but also because I keep going back to what I have read, seeing new things every time. I’m sad that he has gone, but his work will live on for generations to come — which is as good as it gets for us carbon-based bipeds.

Dear Claire,

I am pleased to inform you that you have been shortlisted as an APRS*
candidate. Please attend for informal interview at 2.30pm on Wednesday
12 March in the CIS room. Please report to Computer Science reception
first.

Regards,

Methinks this is a good sign.

*Aberystwyth Postgraduate Research Scholarship

I’m currently writing a survey paper, which is supposed to summarise an area of current issue in software engineering as an introduction for any software engineer. My topic is Software Systems Modelling. One of the papers I’m reading concentrates on metamodelling, which is, you guessed it, about modelling models. This quotation from it goes one step further, however:

A metamodel is a description of a modeling language. A metamodeling language is thus a language used to describe metamodels.

I need someone to untwist my brain.

Pollution causes better singing in male birds, attracts mates

I wrote a load of bollocks under this about evolution and intelligent design and GM, but then I deleted it. Because it was bollocks. Story’s interesting, though.