Intertwined Connections

Today I got email from some guy in the UK (Hi Paul!) who corrected me on some typos in my blog. Why was he reading my blog, and how did he find it?

I think the trail was something like "Slashdot ClearLooks story" -> archived desktop-devel mail -> ?? -> jdub's blog -> your blog.

Just goes to show that the world is very connected, and the flow of ideas around the world really does benefit from blogging. There were some comments earlier this year made by someone saying the linking to other people's blogs was just for vanity seekers (i.e. the google juicers), or for those who had nothing to say themselves. While that can be true, it's also an important way for ideas to be built upon, linked together and for conclusions to be drawn. As it has been said, "we stand on the shoulders of giants", and blogging not only makes that possible, but also accessible, for all.

tech/misc | 02 Mar 2005 | #

Tornado

Another strange thing about living in Chicago, Illinois is the risk of tornados. Kansas isn't that far away...

Today at home, S and the kids were watching TV and all of a sudden the TV show stops and a weather warning replaces regular programming:

Tornado warning for Cook County in effect until 12 midday

No-one seems to raise an eyebrow, life continues as normal. My response is to just have a look around in the building that you're currently in and identify the room or rooms that are listed as "Tornado Shelters". About 3 times in the last 6 months the sirens at work gone off indicating that the risk of tornado is high. Talking to locals, there hasn't been a tornado in living memory around here, but nonetheless the warnings continue to go out.

travel/chicago | 02 Mar 2005 | #