Weeknotes 323

Three gyms. Prawn cracker on the gym stairs. A man reading a paper book, two-handed, on the treadmill. Three and a bit hours of Shroud left.

On Monday I braved the Northern line and met Chris L in Kings X for AF beers — including my first ever Radler, which is not an experience that I can see catching on, but neither is it one which I regret — and wistful chat about the demise of thought.

On Wednesday I took the Overground to Hackney Wick for Russell’s party. I saw lots of people I haven’t seen for ages but mostly nodded mutely at a distance. Alice and Tom were just about within earshot over the music so it was nice to catch up with them.

On Saturday I popped out for lunch on Columbia Road again. An oasis.

Yesterday I cycled to Bethnal Green for more AF beers with Chris P, Leo & Paul while the latter was briefly in town.

The sun came out for my ride.

Then to my parents’ and back today on the trains. We popped down the road to collect a takeaway for lunch and their car got a flat tyre halfway, but we managed to limp back, so that’s tomorrow’s (and crucially no longer my) problem.

Tony Hoare died, sadly. I’ll take this opportunity to wheel out that evergreen quote from his Turing Award lecture, because it had a significant effect on my young mind a long time ago:

I conclude that there are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies.

The first method is far more difficult. It demands the same skill, devotion, insight, and even inspiration as the discovery of the simple physical laws which underlie the complex phenomena of nature. It also requires a willingness to accept objectives which are limited by physical, logical, and technological constraints, and to accept a compromise when conflicting objectives cannot be met. No committee will ever do this until it is too late.

An elegant weapon for a more civilised age.

I watched the new ContraPoints video about the Saw films, sort of, and enjoyed it a normal amount. Like her Twilight video it was decent but didn’t reach the exhilarating heights of conspiracies, bigotry or J. K. Rowling. Still a pleasant, mindful way to unwind after another unpleasant, mindless day.