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chris_gerribOur wild weather in Chicago continues. This morning (early) it was 50 and raining, but now it's 30s with sleet. Oh joy.
Via advertisements on the History Channel, I now see that one can buy their very own CNC cutting machine. Technically called the Craftsman CompuCarve Computer-controlled Compact Woodworking Machine, the devices is a desktop or workbench device, which will do automatic cutting and carving. It's just like the CNC devices used in industry except much smaller.
I've been reading Desert Queen
, which is a biography of Gertude Bell. Ms. Bell was a Victorian-era woman from a wealthy family, who took up exploring in the Middle East. Her personal contacts were what T. E. Lawrence (AKA "Lawrence of Arabia") used during his exploits of WWI. She was the brains of the operation, and after the war, her and Winston Churchill created the country of Iraq over drinks and cigarettes. Her life was interesting, but the biography itself is only OK, with some dry writing. I'd still recommend it, especially for the way it reveals that the concept of "Iraqi Nationalism" just didn't exist prior to WWI.
Lastly, the very useful writer's website Speculations has closed its doors. It's been in operations for 14 years, which is a long time for a one-man volunteer operation. I'll miss it, even though traffic at the site has been falling off for months.
Via advertisements on the History Channel, I now see that one can buy their very own CNC cutting machine. Technically called the Craftsman CompuCarve Computer-controlled Compact Woodworking Machine, the devices is a desktop or workbench device, which will do automatic cutting and carving. It's just like the CNC devices used in industry except much smaller.
I've been reading Desert Queen
, which is a biography of Gertude Bell. Ms. Bell was a Victorian-era woman from a wealthy family, who took up exploring in the Middle East. Her personal contacts were what T. E. Lawrence (AKA "Lawrence of Arabia") used during his exploits of WWI. She was the brains of the operation, and after the war, her and Winston Churchill created the country of Iraq over drinks and cigarettes. Her life was interesting, but the biography itself is only OK, with some dry writing. I'd still recommend it, especially for the way it reveals that the concept of "Iraqi Nationalism" just didn't exist prior to WWI.Lastly, the very useful writer's website Speculations has closed its doors. It's been in operations for 14 years, which is a long time for a one-man volunteer operation. I'll miss it, even though traffic at the site has been falling off for months.
