Selected Readings on Internet History

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A Brief History of the Internet, from DARPA to the FNC, by the Internet Society.

Vannevar Bush’s “As We May Think,” seminal 1945 essay on a future machine that could visually trace user paths through a network of hypertextual content.

The Hut Where the Internet Began. It was in the Philippines that the late Douglas Engelbart first read Vannevar Bush’s essay and conceptualized a future network of humans interconnected via computer interfaces. He also demoed the first mouse.

Also see: CBC’s 1993 news story on Internet:

A 1994 feature on “the infobahn”:

And a 1995 “how to use the internet” feature:

Meadowlark

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Meadowlark Botanical Gardens was almost ridiculously beautiful when we visited on Saturday afternoon.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

We hadn’t been there for a few years (since we got the car in 2010). It was nice to see the Korean Bell Garden all finished.

Meadowlark Korean Bell Garden

Bees sipped from obedient plant flowers on the Potomac Valley trail.

Obedient Plant and Bee

And in Lake Caroline one could go out to the gazebo and look down at carp swimming around a giant snapping turtle with a moss-covered shell.

Carp and Snapping Turtle with Mossy Shell

More photos here.

Waffle House

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Waffle House Hash Brown Terminology A few things you should know about me and Waffle House:

  • I only know about Waffle House because of Homestar Runner.
  • The closest Waffle House to me is 30 miles away in Dumfries, Virginia, so I don’t get to eat at Waffle House much, which makes it a momentous event when I do.
  • There is a specific terminology for ordering hash browns with toppings. My preference is “Smothered, Covered, Peppered, Capped.”
  • You can get a bowl of grits with cheese, eggs, and ground sausage on top. With the hash browns and coffee it’s a complete breakfast.

Sausage egg and cheese grits

This particular Waflle House was really just a stopover on our Saturday trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Corpse Flower and Circles

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We visited the Botanic Gardens on Sunday in hopes of seeing (and smelling) the famous Titan Arum “corpse flower”. Too late, alas, the flower had wilted and no offensive odors were to be had.

Wilted corpse flower

We also ate some grilled bison and salmon with wild rice and orange beets with fennel at Mitsitam Cafe and on the way in to the NMAI I got this photo of the dome:

Dome, Smithsonian NMAI

Nothing I haven’t seen before on countless visits to that museum, but I love those circles.

Caturday!

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Martha and Amelia are coming up on ten months of age now. They’re huge compared to when we first got them, and still growing, but cuddly and adorable as always. Pictures follow:

Martha and Amelia kittens
Amelia Kitten yawns and stretches Amelia Kitten peeks out from under my laundry pile
Kittens on bed
Martha Kitten peeking out the window Martha Kitten
Amelia and Martha Kittens

Chincoteague Again

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I stayed on Chincoteague Island back in April for the NASA Social Antares launch event, but didn’t really get to see as much of the scenery as I’d have liked. This summer Amy and I hopped back over to get the full summer beach-and-pony experience for a few days — and break in the new car with a nice trip to the shore.

Continue reading Chincoteague Again

New Work, New Car

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Been about four months now since I left US News, but it hasn’t been all unemployment; I’ve been fortunate enough to work with Tac and Keith on Survos, plus a few other small projects on the side to help make ends meet through the job search.

Quote from Whitman's "The Wound Dresser," Dupont Circle Metro

This week, however, I return to fulltime work with Valador, Inc., doing front end web design for federal government agencies, mostly NASA. I’m passionate about both web design and space, so the professional mix is a dream come true. Also, the office has a classic Doctor Who pinball machine.

Continue reading New Work, New Car