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- September 4, 2025
- Remembering John McCarthy
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Not everyone in computers is a "sooner" such as myself.
I was very lucky to be certified in subject matter expertise in several critical areas as the result of inservice training with vendors during my career.
There are pedigreed individuals touting advanced degrees and academic accolades across the land. One such individual is the late John McCarthy. He was an American computer and cognitive scientist.
While I have extensive experience and utilized acquired skills with both common and Franz Lisp, I have never achieved any level of academic excellence toward that end.
He contributed to the founding of artificial intelligence and co-authored the document that coined that term "artificial intelligence" aka "AI".
He also developed the programming language family Lisp, influenced the design of the language ALGOL, and popularized time-sharing and and invented the automatic memory management in computers called "garbage collection".
He was born September 4, 1927 and died October 24, 2011.
As a computer scientist he founded the field of Artificial Intelligence.
John McCarthy pivotal figure in the field of artificial intelligence defining the discipline and establishing its first major research labs at MIT and Stanford.
He was awarded the Turing Award for his work, including the invention of the Lisp programming language and the concept of time-sharing, and his contributions shaped the course of AI research for decades, leading to developments like conversational AI and cloud computing.
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- September 3, 2025
- Remembering Judy Carne
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When I was a child one of those television programs I frequented was Rowan and Martin's Laugh In.
It was comedy in an era when the cruel hostilities associated with my every day existence made me able to use a laugh when and where one should present itself.
One of those regulars on the program was Judy Carne a Brit actress and comedian who became the "Sock It To Me" girl and as a result an overnight sensation.
Miss Carne was born Joyce Audrey Botterill on April 27, 1939 at Northampton, England. She passed on September 3 2025 at age 76 in the same location, which she considered "home".
She had two short marriages each lasting about 1 or 2 years. One was to actor Burt Reynolds the other to producer Robert Bergmann.
She penned her autobiography which was entitled "Laughing on the Outside, Crying on the Inside: The Bittersweet Saga of the Sock-It-To-Me Girl" in 1985.
The expose covered her frailties, marriages, bisexuality, and drug use.
Carne returned home to Northamptonshire, England, in the 1980s, living quietly in the village of Pitsford. There she passed this earthly existence from pneumonia on September 3, 2015 at a hospital in Northampton.
She was always a favorite of mine due to her Laugh In Days and that respite they brought to what was an otherwise intolerable existence. Rest in peace.
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- September 2, 2025
- VJ Day Anniversary 2025
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You hate to nuke an adversary to get them to stop attempting to dominate the world. However, "We will annihilate you" became that battle cry which came to fruition and stopped the Japanese nation from attacking and killing it's neighbors in some misguided attempt to be a set of asian Nazis seeking living room beyond their own borders.
Today is V-J Day. Victory in Japan.
It corresponds to V-E Day which designated Victory in Europe which occurs on May 8.
V-J Day is observed each September 2 in the US and commemorates the turning of the tide of the Second World War in favor of the Allies.
Conventional wisdom states that the Japanese Empire ultimately surrendered after the US bombed two major Japanese cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, with atomic warheads, causing such a concentrated and gigantic loss of Japanese citizens that afterwards there really was no viable hope of for victory thereafter.
There are iconic images from the time which still resonate with the American people of that era. My personal opinions are somewhat obscured by the fact that these events happened before my birth.
The portents were somewhat confusing.
All my Japanese friends have been good to me personally and I have no ill will toward any of them. My only negative experience was in Seventh Grade geography where I was told of the atrocities which precipitated the dropping of the bombs.
Nonetheless, Happy VJ Day to you !
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- September 1, 2025
- Labor Day 2025
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Here we have another Labor Day.
It is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September in honor and recognititon of the American labor movement as well as the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements in the United States.
It began as the trade union and labor movements grew in the late 19th century.
Trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor.
I view it all as a commie plot for get over federal employees to leech another day's work from the taxpayer to go along with their largely undeserved Navy disability payments.
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- September 1, 2025
- Acne Positivity Day 2025
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When I was in school I was always the "fat new kid with acne".
Yes, I suffered from acne and the others at school viewed it as a hygiene matter when it was not that at all. There was a preponderance of acne in our family which I can only attribute to my "inferior genetics" as I was told by Dr Bill Robinson the unskilled, defective personality quack.
Today is Acne Positivity Day.
It is observed each September 1 annually in the US.
Acne vulgaris is a skin disease that happens when oil and dead skin cells clog your hair follicles. It creates pimples, whiteheads, as well as blackheads. Though most common among teens, people of all ages may be affected by the scourge.
As common as it is, acne can be a prominent source of insecurity for many people, affecting other aspects of their lives, such as social and personal aspects. Some of my darkest memories include getting a pimple on the end of my nose and watching the eyes of those with whom I was convering flick down to it throughout the conversation ...
National Acne Positivity Day aims to end this by encouraging self-love, acceptance, and appreciation of this natural skin phenomenon and ourselves.
Good luck with that you pimpley poor hygiene oily faced brat.
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- August 31, 2025
- National South Carolina Day 2025
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I am a South Carolinian. This is due to my birth and geographic location.
I have to say I was much more patriotic in this regard than I am presently.
When I was a child I was a Navy brat. Military children typically run more on the patriotic side of attitudes than many others.
Today is National South Carolina Day.
It is observed each August 31st annually to mark the history, people, and culture of South Carolina.
We were one of the first states ot ratify the US Constitution and as such we have been a foundation in the annals of US history. South Carolina was first established in the late 17th Century as "Carolina" which was a colony of King Charles I. Soon it was divided into North and South segments.
We subsequently became the eighth state in the Union and became the site of some of those battles significant to the history of American independence. During the Civil War the state suffered losses and economic decline which were regained during and after reconstruction.
Textiles and policy were the turning point and although textiles have pretty much gone by the wayside as evidenced by the great mill between the Midway and Brookland communities, Lancaster, South Carolina.
However, that distinctive flavor which is Southern hospitality permeates the entirety of the state.
Happy National South Carolina Day to you.
See Also:
Military Brat's Day 2025
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- August 30, 2025
- International Whale Shark Day 2025
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Gigantic fish have always interested me.
I recall my first dead sunfish in Garrison's Bight at Key West, Florida.
The thing was huge and I went to where it was and looked at it a very long time.
This brings us to the Whale Shark. Another huge true fish, it is slow and gentle and would swim the shallows in that same region as the sunfish.
This is the largest shark species on the planet and to see one in person is awe inspiring.
This is an animal I wish people would forego as a food source. Alas, this is not the case.
The whale shark has an average food intake of 44 lbs of food daily. They start out at 16 to 24 inches and may grow from 40 to 60 feet. They have 300 rows of 3,000 teeth, which are 0.2 inches long and the animals feed primarily on plankton and krill.
They are hunted for meat, fins, and recreation. Their primary predators are Orcas, various shark species, and of course — man — I am happy to report that our Japanese brethren who think they have a right to take any living thing from the ocean because nobody has sufficiently told them NO primarily places these fish in Aquaria and as such is more of an attempt at conservation than anything else.
In a sad note, these magnificent animals have been placed on the endangered list of the world’s species.
Today is International Whale Shark Day.
It is a day to consider the place of the Whale Shark in the ecosystem and attempt protections from those predators who exist with the rest of us on the planet. It is an important effort to try and save them from those who think they own the world.
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- August 29, 2025
- GG Allin's Birthday 2025
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There was once an abomination named Kevin Michael Allin.
He was born on August 29, 1956 of modest beginnings in an off the grid style log cabin.
He was named "Jesus Christ" by his father based on religious delusions he harbored — but went by the stage name GG Allin. He was aka The Madman of Manchester.
He was a punk rock musician and songwriter.
Being a self identified extreme individualist who was anti authoritarian and a promoter of lawlessness and violence against police officers he engaged in disturbing visuals including self-mutilation as well as assaulting his audience during his stage acts. He blamed it all on his upbringing.
He formed a band with his brother and released several songs prior to his death by heroin overdose on June 28, 1993.
He was 36 years of age.
Though I have never and will never be a fan of his art, if any story in history could be called tragic it is certainly his.
Rest in peace.
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- August 28, 2025
- Crackers Over The Keyboard Day 2025
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Over the years I have cultivated quite the taste for saltine crackers.
I like them either plain or with various toppings of my own concoction.
Peanut butter and sometimes jelly are two of my favorite toppings.
I am also one to build an intricate tuna salad with which I will eat saltine crackers as well.
Today is Crackers Over The Keyboard Day.
It is marked each August 28 under the auspices of Thomas and Ruth Roy and goes against that conventional wisdom that eating crackers around a keyboard is taboo. I'm fine with conventions which go in the face of what we've been told over the years. It is said that the day is not necessarily limited to crackers, that cookies are indeed a suitable substitute. Regardless, I hope you'll take a moment and enjoy the day.
Happy Crackers Over The Keyboard Day to you.
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- August 27, 2025
- Cookie the Cockatoo passed at age 83
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Birds are typically long lived animals, particularly varieties of parrot.
There was one known as both the oldest cockatoo in captivity and formerly known as the oldest living parrot.
He was a pink cockatoo (Cacatua leadbeateri) named Cookie.
He was hatched June 30, 1933 at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
He lived at Brookfield Zoo, near Chicago, Illinois, United States and exceeded the average lifespan for his species becoming one of the longest lived birds on record.
He held a listing in the Guinness World Records as the oldest living parrot in the world.
Attempts were made to introduce Cookie to a female pink cockatoo in the 1950s. The alliance failed because Cookie rejected her as "not nice to him".
He passed August 27, 2016 after a long and eventful life of recognition.
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- August 26, 2025
- National Toilet Paper Day 2025
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Today is National Toilet Paper Day.
It is it is observed each year on August 26.
It finds itself in use by most Americans and various others internationally.
Much of the time it's importance is emphasized when we enter a public restroom and realize there is none. Now, many more find themselves using toilet paper along with a bidet.
Before the advent of toilet paper, there were leaves and "thes tersorium" Which is a type of sponge which would be rinsed it off and left for the next person.
Aaaaaaaaargh !
It's really a simple invention which has found it's niche in the area of health and hygiene.
Happy National Toliet Paper Day.
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- August 25, 2025
- Kiss and Make Up Day 2025
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The act of "kissing and making up" signals the end of problematic relations between two people.
Some use the term "grudge" — although I say the word is a bit harsh.
Then there is the matter of the dreaded "kissy face" which simply incenses me to ferocity so can you really win with a gruff ruffian such as myself ?
Forgive and forget marks the tenet for continued relationships in the presence of strife and stress between two who have been otherwise lovebirds.
Relationships can be reworked and repaired and we bury the hatchet with the act of kissing and making up.
People are not static creatures. We are dynamic with physical and emotional ebbs and flows which culminate in that life we display.
Today is Kiss and Make Up Day.
They are said to be two essential moves toward settling any disagreement with a significant another. I have always been one to get those lips when appropriate. I am also less of a grudge bearer than I was earlier in life.I suppose we can all take note that kissing and making up makes a big difference in interpersonal relations between two who are close.
In the meantime I'll make all efforts not to beat you like I own you.
Happy Kiss and Make Up Day.
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- August 24, 2025
- Pluto Demoted Day 2025
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As a child I recall learning the planets.
At that time (and supposedly still) there are nine of them:
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Things were going well for a long time until one fateful day in 2006 when the International Astronomical Union decided they would reclassify Pluto as a "dwarf" planet.
Thus, we now suffer Pluto Demoted Day which is observed annually each August 24.
Our need to classify things invariably becomes some self limiting exercise in elitism and overstepping upon the public by some group of self serving so-called "experts".
We have this propensity for allowing people to apply their subjective notions to our universe when in actuality we should just poke an ungreased 10 gauge shotgun up their ass and fire — thereby eliminating the problem of constant interference by those who view themselves in the know.
To hell with the International Astronomical Union. They don't need to exercise such fine control over my life ...
OR my universe.
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- August 23, 2025
- Happy Birthday to My Sister 2025
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Happy Birthday, Vickey. I've been thinking of you and wanted to send my best wishes for your special day.
I hope it's filled with love and peace.
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