And a very Happy Purim to everyone! The photo below is from the Megillah reading this morning (just as we were about to start). The Book of Esther has all the makings of a hit soap opera. Sex, violence, double crossing and intrigue. I'm always struck by the ending though. At this point, the King has...

Joe Marshall is documenting his journey from being unimpressed by computers, to be being a Lisp Hacker. They are a wonderful read: here, here and here. Oh, what the heck, just read his blog. I wish my journey were as exotic. Before my senior year in high school, I really had no idea what I was going...

I'm typing this note from the Sydney Airport, as I prepare to head back home. I'm typing this note from one of those Internet Kiosks, where you effectively pay by the minute. It's not too expensive (a little over a dollar for 20 minutes - enough time to jot out this blog post), but I still feel kind...

I spent the day entertaining myself in Hereford, a little town in the middle of nowhere, about 3 hours from London. Just beyond our hotel is the Hereford Cathedral, where I spent a good bit of time wandering around. The cathedral dates from the about 1000 years ago and has been growing and changing ...

Wow, international travel is amazing. 7 hours ago we were on a sleety airport in Washington, DC and now I'm in Heathrow airport in England. Everything about the flight was smooth - no delays, screaming babies, snoring seat mates, meal mix-ups or hold ups in customs. My only complaint is that my work...

I wanted a hard copy of the classic Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie. I also wanted it in a hurry. The good news is that it's availabe under Creative Commons (http://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/). But, at 300+ pages, I didn't want to use my home printer for the project. So, I gave Kinkos a shot - and...

It's hard to believe that just about a year ago, I had the opportunity to join Shira on a short trip to West Virginia. Well, I'm back again! Once again, we lucked out on the weather, and I managed to get in a terrific run around town in the 50's instead of in the 20's and snow. I have to say, I stil...

Shira and I hit my bro David's house warming party. What a good time! Lots of great food, and Dave's roomates and friends were lots of fun.I even engaged in what I'd like to propose as the Simon House Warming Triathlon. It consists of a strength zapping game of Bocce Ball, a grueling round of Make A...

There's this trend flying around Facebook where you author 25 random tidbits about yourself and then tag others to do the same: Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You ha...

There was an interesting interaction on the latest This Week with George Stephanopoulos, where you had Sen. Jim DeMint, Eric Schmidt and Rep. Barney Frank, among others, talking about the stimulus plan. Here's the first exchange: SCHMIDT: I'm sure this stuff is going to get fixed by -- by you guys, ...