Blogtrek

Icarus on a motorcycle

Today I listened to the car radio play "Icarus" by Paul Winter, which ends with a falling string motif symbolic of legendary Icarus' fall when he flew too close to the sun. When I heard that falling part, I also heard the roar of a nearby motorcycle, leading me to think, if Icarus had tried to fly on a motorcycle, like Evil Knievel, would he have fallen to the ground? Perhaps, but maybe he would have landed on wheels and survived.

Big project at work, but what is its purpose?

I was given a big project at work today, entitled by a noun phrase. I saw no verb in it, so I am naturally wondering, what is the goal of the project? It involves formulas like the economic order quantity, and fine, I know the formula and can derive it. But what does that have to do with the real situation? I need more to go on. But if I don't get that, can I make up my own? Turn the project into something that satisfies me more? Maybe that is what an ill-defined project deserves. It winds up being something completely different.

Ohio P

I finally found an Ohio P quarter today - twice, once in a vending machine, and once at a toll booth. According to Coin World, Ohio P is the rarest of the state/mint combinations, with only 217 million such coins made. The reason for the rarity is the shutdown of the Philadelphia Mint in late March.