Best Venn Diagram Ever

The Dangers of Poetry

I have developed a crush on Ada, Countess Lovelace (1815-1852).

This is all the doing of Ms. Sydney Padua, animator, and author of the 'Lovelace and Babbage' comics, one of which adorns this post. She is even more besotted with Ada than I am. I quote: "Is there a support group for 'Someone you love is manic-depressive, and has been dead for 150 years.'?"


Ada was the daughter of Lord Byron, the poet, who was famously described as 'mad, bad, and dangerous to know'. Fearing that the child might have inherited her father's 'wild blood', which we would now recognise as manic depression or bipolar disorder, she resolved to have Ada educated in mathematics, to save her from the dangers of poetry.

Ada became quite a gifted mathematician and is recognised as the world's first computer programmer, for the work she did on Charles Babbage's Difference Engine.

To follow the cartoon adventures of Lovelace and Babbage and fall helplessly in love (if you're mad enough) [*], visit the artist's website at 2D Goggles, and if you have a taste for outrageous Victorian science fiction, visit the Steampunk Art exhibition at the Museum of the History of Art, Oxford.

[*] Those of you who aren't the right kind of crazy to fall in love with a geeky, pipe-smoking, bi-polar English countess may swoon over the 'alpha dog' bad boy that is Isambard Kingdom Brunel. He's in the episode 'Lovelace and Babbage vs The Economy'.

Dr Seuss Day

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

Today is Dr Seuss' 105th anniversary. So you know what to do, people. Put down the Internet, and go and read a book.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Sometimes, Reason Is A Disease

Since I'm a person who got labelled "clever" at an early age (and a very empowering label it has been. mostly) I feel pleased and relieved that my intelligence hasn't led me into the dead end that some people get into.

This BBC article describes what's like to be completely rational, all the time.

Elliot endlessly deliberated over irrelevant details, like whether to use a blue or black pen, or what radio station to listen to, or where to park his car.

When choosing where to eat lunch, Elliot would carefully consider the restaurant's menu, seating plan, and lighting scheme. He would then drive to each restaurant to see how busy it was.

But all this analysis was for naught. Elliot still didn't know what to do. Pure reason is a disease.

Bollocks to that, say I. I like my emotions.
I like to write songs. I like to rock and roll.

I don't want to be rational, thank you.
I'd rather be a crazy deranged fool.