Jabberwalking

While viewing Kate Beaton‘s Twitter page, I stumbled upon this webcomic about Lovelace and Babbage. I’ve heard these names in passing, but knew nothing of the historical figures, so I did a little Wikipedia search.

It turns out that Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was Lord Byron’s only legitimate daughter, and was a mathematical genius. Her mother wanted to weed out the supposed insanity in the family (which she perceived in Lord Byron; why ever would she think that??), so she had Lovelace schooled pretty much exclusively in math and science. Lovelace married well and became the “The Right Honourable Countess of Lovelace,” and was known for her incredible mathematical intellect. She was fascinated with Charles Babbage’s “Analytical Engine” (an early computer design), and in a set of extensive notes she wrote on the machine, she included “what is recognized as the first algorithm intended to be processed by a machine” (“a method for calculating a sequence of Bernoulli numbers with the Engine, which would have run correctly had the Analytical Engine ever been built.”) Because of these notes, she is widely considered the world’s first computer programmer, and the method in the notes is considered the first computer program. How awesome is that!?

I am especially impressed by the success of a woman fathered by the infamously rakish, notoriously flighty, and essentially unfit for fatherhood, Lord Byron. She could have been a mess, but turned out a genius with a relatively balanced and successful life. Here’s to you Ada Lovelace!
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

Kate Beaton’s take on Ada:

Source: http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=141

I’m back at school for the weekend to visit friends and do some birthday celebrating with Christy (for those who don’t know, my roommate and travel-buddy to Sevilla). Coming back to school is so much more fun when there’s no prospect of work to do…

Last night, Lisa and I hopped over to Dan’s apartment to watch Project Runway, which was of course a delight. Dan introduced us to a musical he found called Hamlet Cha-Cha-Cha. Yes. Musical Shakespeare. Google it to find out more, because it is ridiculously hilarious. After multiple rounds of hugging (Dan was leaving for home for the weekend, and I won’t see him until next year), Lisa, Katie (who arrived later), and I skipped back to the apartment to giggle the night away. (Fact check: we, in fact, pretty much crashed when we got back.)

Christy flew in today, and we’ve been lounging about and catching up with everyone. Sangria may or may not be in the works for later, and we are currently settling in to watch 500 Days of Summer. Contentment, I think, is the correct word for the current state of being. 🙂

Song for the mood: “Feeling Good Again” by Robert Earl Keen

My apartment-mate Lisa had introduced me to BBC’s Being Human, and I recently discovered that one of the stars, Aidan Turner (an Irish fellow who caught my attention…), plays Dante Gabriel Rossetti on a new BBC show called Desperate Romantics. That’s right, there is now a costume drama (or more of a dramedy) about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. My wildest dreams have come true!

It’s quite a fun show, and though it takes history a bit loosely, those boys look quite fab in their Victorian waistcoats and certainly know how to create some serious drama (like the Mean Girls kind). It’s a Victorian drama, rock-and-roll style: these blokes are like band-mates what with their womanizing, drugs (laudanum!! the coke of the 1900s!), addiction to fame, and obsession with their art. Take a peak at it on Youtube or some such site if you’re in need of some raunchy Victorian fun! (Paradox?)
A word of warning: there is quite a bit of nudity, sex, laudanum, and petulant artists. If any of these seriously offend your sensibilities, refrain from watching.

There are some wonderfully ridiculous bits of dialogue along the way. This is Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his muse/wife Lizzie Siddal the morning after he drunkenly purchased a small bird:
DGR: I bought him for you. I thought you had a fondness for bull-finch.
LS: I do. But that’s a canary you dullard.
DGR: A canary?
LS: A canary.
DGR: Really. Will that at least earn me a sly fondle?
LS: I’d love nothing more.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, you fox, you.

That is all. Adieu!

I have finally returned to the blogosphere. Yes, after years and years without my beloved Xanga (which I deleted after a matter of months out of fear that my parents would find it) I have returned to the internet medium to share my muddled thoughts!

I’ve hooked you in already, haven’t I?

I’ve been wanting to start a blog, but I finally recieved the perfect incentive when I decided to study abroad in Spain for a semester. This little blog will act as my travel diary come February, and I hope to keep my dedicated readers (all 2 of you) entertained and intrigued with stories of my many European adventures over the course of this spring semester. In the meantime, and in the time afterwords, it will simply be a medium for sharing thoughts, anecdotes, quotations, recipes, pseudo-tweets, careless banter, and all things ridiculous. In other words, there will be a lot of jabber. Often after a bit of walking (in Europe preferably). And at times the jabber and the walking will be concurrent, and punctuated by a great deal of nonsense. I think I’ve made my blog title sufficiently clear…

Is my English major showing?

Cheers for now!