2014 — 6 April: Sunday
Alas, my unwashed (empty) crockpot patiently awaits my attention1 while I sup the cup that cheers and munch a pre-breakfast plum. The pink blossom of the Japanese cherry and white of the (unknown) pear also add to the cheer even though the rain is a bit dreary.
There are numerous...
... juicy bites in Michael Lewis's own 'adaptation' of his latest book. This is merely one of them. Source and snippet:
People always assumed that because he was Asian, Brad Katsuyama must be a computer wizard. In reality, he couldn't (or wouldn't) even program his own DVR. What he had was an ability to distinguish between computer people who actually knew what they were talking about and those who didn't. So he wasn't exactly shocked when RBC finally gave up looking for someone to run its mess of an electronic-trading operation and asked him if he would take over and try to fix it. He shocked his friends and colleagues, however, when he agreed to do it, because A) he had a safe and cushy $1.5-million-a-year job running the human traders, and B) RBC had nothing to add to electronic trading. The market was cluttered; big investors had use for only so many trading algorithms sold by brokers; and Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse had long since overrun that space.
My emphasis. After all, that's a very useful ability.
Statement of...
... what could be called "the bleedin' obvious", surely?
Ought not a Culture Secretary to know better? (I bet she doesn't stay in her post much longer.) Furthermore, how can MP1 describe MP2 as "a reasonable and honest person" when MP2 has been caught fiddling her expenses? Explain that, 'cos I'm clearly too thick to understand.
My cunning...
... lunchtime plan (prawns added to a salad) had to be re-thought when I belatedly realised the "14" in the "Use By" date string printed on the pack of fishy goodness referred to the year, and not to the day of the month. A recent episode of "House" featured a surgeon (played by the same chap whom the "Mentalist" loved to torment as a coroner) who had a very nasty reaction to seafood. That was good enough for me. Out they went.
On this day...
... in 1971, Dr KE Iverson was one of three new IBM Fellows named in New York, for his work on APL.
Talking about his plans to use the freedom of his next five years, he says "There are too many nonproblems in the computer business." A nonproblem is? "something which seems complicated only because people approach it with complicated notions based on their past way of doing things."
Now, ain't that the truth?
This new-fangled "seven to ten" pieces of fruit and veg (with the emphasis on veg, I gather) per day is causing some strain in my smoothly-running menu planning. Can't I just get by on chocolate? [Pause] Oops. My smartphone was down to 4% charge. How do I get into the habit of using it, I wonder?