Random Factoids
Feb. 18th, 2005 11:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jducoeurThere's a diary entry waiting to be written as soon as I have a bit of time. But first, two randomnesses that I've been meaning to mention for a day or two.
Randomness The First: My stepmother is currently reading a newish book called Blink, which is by Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point. I've only read the first chapter, but it seems to be a rather fascinating excursion into the concept of intuition -- more precisely, it's an examination of the way that area experts can instantly, almost preternaturally, size up something that is in their field, even if they can't quite explain how. Looks to be both interesting and well-written. (Yes,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
siderea, this particular randomness was mainly for you -- it seemed right up your alley, if you haven't already read it.)
Randomness the Second: My Dad has been reading into the life of Thomas Edison lately. One side observation that came out of this was that Edison was already using the term "bug" to mean exactly what we mean by it, back in the 1870s or so. (Contrary to standard computer-industry myth, which generally attributes the term to Admiral Hopper much more recently.) And by the 1890s, people were already complaining that he would come out to fix one bug, and introduce two more in its place. All of which goes to show just how little ever changes...
Randomness The First: My stepmother is currently reading a newish book called Blink, which is by Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point. I've only read the first chapter, but it seems to be a rather fascinating excursion into the concept of intuition -- more precisely, it's an examination of the way that area experts can instantly, almost preternaturally, size up something that is in their field, even if they can't quite explain how. Looks to be both interesting and well-written. (Yes,
siderea, this particular randomness was mainly for you -- it seemed right up your alley, if you haven't already read it.)Randomness the Second: My Dad has been reading into the life of Thomas Edison lately. One side observation that came out of this was that Edison was already using the term "bug" to mean exactly what we mean by it, back in the 1870s or so. (Contrary to standard computer-industry myth, which generally attributes the term to Admiral Hopper much more recently.) And by the 1890s, people were already complaining that he would come out to fix one bug, and introduce two more in its place. All of which goes to show just how little ever changes...