Hello

Check out Apple's awesome new iPhone promo. I think you could make a pretty sweet MH puzzle out of that...

Ulf Milton

I discovered some file errors today, which means that I need to redo a lot of work before sleeping tonight. So I've brewed up the strong coffee and put on the music. Only a few more days of this before my escape to the USA.

Diversions

I had to go to a meeting in the Statistics department today, so I took the opportunity presented of being in the city centre during business hours to do two things I've been meaning to do for a while:

1. Photocopy a 1956 article from the Lancet, called "Physique of London Busmen: Epidemiology of Uniforms". In the days of double-decker London buses, there used to be drivers (who sat all day) and conductors (who ran up and down stairs collecting fares). Drivers were much more prone to early heart attack, and J.N. Morris wondered if the difference were confounded by how fat the two professions were on average. He tested his hypothesis by getting a catalogue of all the uniform measurements from the central company, enabling a cheap and accurate study.

   Turns out the drivers had quite a bit larger girth than conductors, but it wasn't just because they sat around all day, they were fatter on average on their first day on the job than conductors. A nice little study written up in a page and a half. Ahh, the good old days.




2. Purchase a quality cigar. My choice this time was a Montecristo No. 4 from Habana. I picked up two (a bit pricey) and thoroughly enjoyed the first this evening while on a break from work.

Nerd pride

There's a bloke on the WTCCC Analysis group who is hardcore CS and doesn't care a whit about the science we're doing, preferring to concentrate on developing software for largescale computing. He occasionally comes up with an awesome remark that brings me right back to MIT, like today when he replied to some outsider asking an implementation question:

Use the source, Luke!

Rocky mountain high

For some reason yesterday I felt the strong need to listen to John Denver. I downloaded some tunes, and let me just say that "Rocky mountain high" is a pretty awesome track. I think the guy's got a really amazing voice, so shoot me. Best line in the song, though?

Friends around a campfire...everybody's hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

In related news: I'm incredibly psyched for my trip to Colorado in March.

Air guitar hero

iTunes just shuffled its way to Journey's Don't Stop Believing, which for me always brings to mind my 2004 Sox playoff mix. Seriously, though, is there any song which is induces as strong an urge to rock out and go nuts on the air guitar?