He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Coming out of a flu-induced down, this seemed like an appropriate reminder:

Ferei ¢olon ton kosmon
en taiV cersin
(repeat x3)

Ferei se kai me, adelfe
en taiV cersin
(repeat x2)
ferei ¢olon ton kosmon
en taiV cersin

Ferei ¢hmaV pantaV
en taiV cersin
(repeat x2)
ferei ¢olon ton kosmon
en taiV cersin

Ferei ton elaciston nhpion
en taiV cersin
(repeat x2)
ferei ¢olon ton kosmon
en taiV cersin

A brief pause

Radagast has been away ill. Give him time to catch up with things.

Can nobody spell anymore?

I walked past a coffee-shop this morning which sported a large sign saying "barristers and serving staff required."

I can just see it now: "would you like a tort with your coffee, sir?"

Leonard Euler and the Bridges of Konigsberg

Have just found Euler's original paper on the "Bridges of Konigsberg" problem (can you cross all the bridges exactly once?):

Now to find a mathematician who reads Latin...

The Zeitgeist

A discussion on Amy's blog led to the Google Zeitgeist site.

The top 10 Australian Google searches apparently are:

1. myspace
2. youtube
3. paris hilton
4. qantas
5. jetstar
6. afl
7. real estate
8. virgin blue
9. commonwealth bank
10. high school musical

In the UK they are:

1. bbc
2. mayo clinic
3. myspace
4. big brother
5. amazon
6. autotrader
7. easyjet
8. ryanair
9. pizco (social networking site)
10. faceparty (social networking site)

The commonalities are interesting -- people use Google to find sites, mostly to buy plane tickets. The differences are interesting too -- are we really obsessed by Paris Hilton?

Three things

Three things I discovered in England

1. There is no muffin man in Drury Lane.
   
2. Most service staff in England seem to be Eastern European nowadays.
   
3. New College Oxford has the old city wall running right through it:

Three things I hated about England

1. People smoking in restaurants.
   
2. Overcrowded trains.
   
3. People using mobile phones not wisely, but too well.

Three highlights of my trip to England

1. Visiting the British Museum, particularly the Rosetta Stone (above).
   
2. Walking through various college gardens, away from the bustle of the world outside.
   
3. Listening to the choir practice I Would Be True (to the tune Londonderry Air) at New College, in preparation for a wedding:

Heathrow

Just checked in for the flight back home...

Update: Have arrived, though very tired.

Such a Candle

On 16 October 1555, Bishops Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burnt at the stake at this spot in Broad Street, in central Oxford:

As a the fire was laid at Ridley's feet, Latimer famously said: "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."