Items of Interest

David Attenborough's A Life On Our Planet

This week I watched David Attenborough's excellent documentary film A Life On Our Planet on Netflix. David himself describes the film as his witness statement of the destruction of the bio-sphere that he has witnessed in his lifetime. It is harrowing viewing but ends in an optimistic call to action about what needs to be done to stop ourselves from destroying the planet. It is mandatory viewing for everyone, especially for those with children or in positions of power or influence.

Improvements To The Travelling Salesman Problem

The travelling salesman problem is a famous network optimisation problem that hasn't been improved upon in forty-four years, until now! Researchers Nathan Klein, Anna Karlin and Shayan Ovies Gharan at the University of Washington have created a new algorithm that improves on the general traveling salesman problem, by 0.2 billionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a percent!

John Spillane & Pauline Scanlon at Cork Folk Festival

Every few years I'm reminded of John Spillane's great music, from The Dunnes Stores Girl to The Ferry Arms to The Songs We Learned In School. The continued output is a testament to his work ethic. This week, after 37 years of performing at The Cork Folk Festival, John headlined the festival with a concert alongside singer Pauline Scanlon. The gig was streamed and recorded by TG4 and features songs from their upcoming new album 100 Snow White Horses.

Colour Controversy

I often have "discussions" with my wife over the designation of particular colours, particularly the colour of the paint in our sitting room which I say is grey and she says is light blue. Have some mindless clicking fun this Friday afternoon with Colour Controversy, a site that serves you up a colour and asks you to pick from two possible answers. The percentage answers are shown after you pick, and you can even see a leaderboard of the most controversial colours!

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