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madbakerNeal Stephenson has a new book out, and since it was partly conceived with the "Long Now" foundation they threw an event. Obligatory author reading (he's still a terrible reader) and interview. Pseudo-Gregorian/Byzantine chanting, which was nowhere as horrible as it sounds. (The group wrote their pieces in conjunction with the book, and had practiced.) There was supposed to be a demo of "shovel fu", but since they ran two hours behind schedule and I was tired, I bagged it and went home. In a cab where the driver was completely unfamiliar with San Francisco streets. Rides like that make me want to go to London-style cab licensing.
Not a spectacular evening, but I have my signed book. I am vastly amused that the clock project - build a clock that theoretically can run for 10,000 years without human intervention - has 10 chimes solely because the possible number of combinations, e.g. 10!, is approximately 10,000 years' worth if you run one per day.
What I'm reading: Neal Stephenson, Anathem
Not a spectacular evening, but I have my signed book. I am vastly amused that the clock project - build a clock that theoretically can run for 10,000 years without human intervention - has 10 chimes solely because the possible number of combinations, e.g. 10!, is approximately 10,000 years' worth if you run one per day.
What I'm reading: Neal Stephenson, Anathem
