Showing posts with label charles babbage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label charles babbage. Show all posts

Sunday, June 14, 2009

"Do these horizontal stripes make the flag look fat?"

Tiffany Blum-Deckler, as Betsy Ross, dresses up for Flag Day in the United States. She must have been paid a lot of money to wear that tacky gray outfit.

Today is also auspicious in a global sense. On this day, 187 years ago, a paper was published by the Royal Astronomical Society in which inventor Charles Babbage proposed the creation of a "difference engine," which was basically the first modern math calculator. It was hand cranked. He later proposed a more advanced version he called an analytical engine, more like a true computer. How might history have changed if the computer had caught on over a century earlier than it did? There is a Daria fanfic that attempts to find out: Legendeld's "Other Side," the only existing steampunk fanfic in this fandom. Would a steampunk world be better than ours? Jane Lane doesn't think so.

FF.net
  • John Lane 40: Starry Eyes Open (COMPLETE!): Ms. Li's voice announced over Lawndale High's P.A. system, "Welcome back students and remember, the school nurse is in and ready to take your voluntary urine sample. Show your Lawndale High spirit with the gift of urine!" Walking down the hallway with Daria, John looked up at one of the speakers. "She didn't really say that, did she?"
  • Just Friends, by Pinkminx (Part 11): "Daria? Is that you?" Jane's voiced echoed through the expansive flat, followed by the sound of rushed steps as she descended from the upper level meeting Daria in the hall. "Great, you're finally home. So, how'd it go?"
  • Unfavorite Daughter, by Richard Lobinske (COMPLETE!): "Oh, don't bother," one of two boys said as an auburn-haired girl walked by them. "It's that brainy chick." The 16-year-old girl didn't give them a glance as she snapped, "Darn, and I wouldn't have been able to resist your manly good looks."

PPMB
  • Apocalyptic Daria: Scarlett's Tale, by Doggieboy (Part 10): After their meal, it was fully dark outside. Roger and Scarlett deposited the bowls in the kitchen sink. At that time, he looked out the window at the car and asked, “Is that your car? Or does it belong to your parents?” She shook her head and blinked as she looked down. “It belonged to John,” she said. “I took it from him when I k--, I mean, escaped from him.” (SFMB)
  • Caught, by Legendeld (Part 1): The kitchen table jumped when Quinn Morgendorffer stuck both palms onto its surface. “Daria, tell Jane she’s being unreasonable.” Daria rolled her eyes as she lifted her novel higher to block the fighting duo from view. “All I said is that I think it would be cool if you acknowledged me at school.” Jane pulled out a chair from the table and plopped down in it. “You’re the one that wants to keep our dating a secret. You don’t get it both ways.”
  • Expecting Trouble, by Legendeld (COMPLETE!): Quinn sat between her sister and Sandi Griffin as the television show came back on. “She looks so strong,” she whispered to Sandi. “I wish she had gone with her hair up though. The pigtails are making her look childish.” Sandi whispered back.
  • Gimme Skelter, by TAG and Brother Grimace (Part 7): Between those interruptions, as his left arm throbbed and a warm dry breeze blew over him from the driver’s view port, Mackenzie found himself falling into a different world. A few pages of typed commentary were appended to the main body of paper-clipped text, which was a carbon-copy transcription of what Daria, whoever she was, had been transmitting from California. (HTML)
  • Lawndale's Finest: Action Stories Issue Three: Two Knights Defense, by NightGoblyn (Part 1): The hallways of Lawndale High were filled with students milling around, talking with friends, and unloading books into lockers. The traffic was mostly headed in a single direction, and carried Jane and Quinn along with it. “What are we being dragged into the auditorium to listen to this time?” Jane grumbled. “Heck if I know,” Quinn answered with a shrug. “I still have flashbacks to the riot that broke out after our self-esteem speeches.”
  • Stacy Rowe, Seeker (Part II), by jtranser (continued): [Looks like Luhrman is going to be a bit tied up in his work.]
  • Things Fall Apart, by Doggieboy (Part 16): On his first flight over Svalbard Island, Martin Peters took Tatyana Petrova with him. He concentrated on scanning the area for any undead, while she was ecstatic from the thrill of the experience. “I can’t believe this!” she said and looked at him. Her expression showed her happiness. “Doesn’t this thrill you?”
  • Two Halves, by Dark Kuno (Chapter 4, Part 1): Jane opened the front door of her home and greeted her two best and only friends with a semi-lucid “Yo.” “Morning to you too, sunshine,” responded Daria dully, drawing a smirk from her brother.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Boxing Day! Woo-hoo!

It's Boxing Day once again, celebrated everywhere throughout the Commonwealth except in the U.S., which did not get the memo. I believe you are supposed to give little presents to all your house servants today, which is a good thing because I don't have any, so I don't have to spend anything. Everyone else, however, must spend the day inside a box.

This is also the second of the Twelve Days of Christmas, not celebrated everywhere but everyone knows the song, which is about the same thing.

Writers who want to create Steampunk Daria tales should take note that today is the 217th birthday of the esteemed Charles Babbage, who came THAT CLOSE to changing all history, starting the Computer Age a century before its regularly scheduled time.

A famous comedian and commentator, Steve Allen, was also born this day 87 years ago. Mr. Allen became a harsh critic of television after having long been one of its greatest promoters; he is today regarded as one of the most influential and important TV personalities ever. Daria may have found his writings and commentary of some interest, though she was quite a fan of the vulgarity that so appalled Mr. Allen.

Finally, today is the 117th birthday of U.S. author Henry Miller, who wrote a lot about sex, which we don't talk much about here. Did Daria read anything by Henry Miller? If she did, we won't talk about it here.

Wouter has some rather boobular Stacy artwork, though it is G rated (at least on PPMB).

The ultimate fate of a Daria serial hangs in the balance. Have you voted yet? (I'd like to see more of it.)


PPMB
  • John Lane 38: Yeah, It's Summer, by Richard Lobinske (Part 3): ALISON!!! And now we just wait for the angst to hit the fan.
  • Two Halves, by Dark Kuno (Part 4): “Welcome to Casa de Morgendorffer. Please check your overhead baggage and remember to keep your arms and legs inside the house until the weekend has come to a complete stop,” intoned Alex as he began to climb the stairs.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

"I stand for Truth, Justice, and . . . rrrROWRrrr! Wonder Woman, you look super-luscious today!"

Merely 70 years ago today, Superman appeared for the first time ever in a comic book: Action Comics issue #1. Seems like yesterday.

Hope you don't mind me using Super Upchuck again. I thought it was appropriate, but . . . maybe not.

Also of interest because you and I are interacting by computer, it was 126 years ago today that British inventor Charles Babbage (for whom the Babbage's software stores were named) wrote a paper for the Royal Astronomical Society entitled: "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of astronomical and mathematical tables." He wanted to build what he called a difference engine, basically a prototype mechanical computer. Babbage later developed an Analytical Engine with an even better calculation system, capable of performing a variety of mathematical tasks. Had his AE been developed, we would have had computers and, likely, the Internet about a century earlier than now, and . . . and I'm not sure what would have happened. There have been some guesses about the appearance of this alternate universe. You can make your own. Anyone's guess how Daria would fit in.

That "Evil Jane" thread on PPMB is picking up some nasty stories. I love it.

The format errors in Part 2 of "The Cynic and the Defender" have been removed. Yay! Thank you, Richard Lobinske.


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More later. Have to go to a wedding (not mine, someone else's).