Henry Woodbury » Life

The weather report

Henry — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:52:59 +0000

Inspired by the best blogger of the Intertunnel, SippicanCottage.

Kasparov rules

Henry — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:56:03 +0000

The Putin-backed candidate for mayor of Sochi speaks at a ceremony “commemorating the Armenian genocide during World War I, a crucial gesture to the city’s large Armenian population.” Former grandmaster Gary Kasparov, half-Armenian himself, somehow moved from signing autographs to taking over the podium:

Two minutes and 33 seconds into Mr. Kasparov’s speech, a local official stepped forward and said his time was up. Mr. Kasparov turned to the crowd with an incredulous look.

“What’s happening?” he said loudly. “I cannot speak? Maybe it’s better to be silent?”

Zuzwang.

I credit my success to Pong

Henry — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 01:41:48 +0000

Good news for boys (is bad news for girls):

A new study conducted by researchers at Michigan State University suggests that playing video games helps foster the development of visual-spatial skills among middle school students. Cultivating the ability to think visually is crucial to excelling in fields like engineering and surgery…

(h/t Instapundit)

Just Back from Vacation

Henry — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:44:55 +0000

I read recently, in Gregory Clark’s A Farewell to Alms, that the diet of the rural English worker before the industrial revolution probably delivered 4500 calories a day. That’s the kind of energy you need if you’re going to do manual labor 12 to 16 hours out of every 24.

That’s what I need to plan for my next vacation, if I’m going to keep up with the six-year-old and the four-year-old and Sir Edmund one-year-old. Rest is hard to guarantee, but 4500 calories a day should be easy.