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[personal profile] tcpip
A first cut of my second book in the VPAC series, the snappily entitled Sequential and Parallel Progamming with C and Fortran (ISBN 978-0-9943373-1-3) is now available on github. As Matt D., and the ever-reliable [livejournal.com profile] darklion conduct the necessary code reviews, I'll be working on finishing the third book, Mathematical Applications and Programming: R, Ocatve, and Maxima (the latter will be a significantly new component). Giving some thought on who would be appropriate to write the foreward to that one. Somewhat related, today was the Annual Penguin Picnic for Linux Users Victoria. A good turnout (about 30 in total) and with sufficient catering courtesy of my visit to the markets the day previous. As usual, some excellent conversations from this rather clever bunch of individuals. Congratulations are also due to Linux Conf AU which, as of a few hours ago, announced that their tickets to the 2016 Conference next month has sold out.

Played Cats Against Cthulhu on Thursday night, where we foiled a plan to ritually blow up a local church with congregation. Friday night was Eclipse Phase where we continue our misdventures in the quarantine zone of Mars. Last Sunday played All Flesh Must Be Eaten, which has been reviewed and posted on RPG.net, next up the D&D supplement Liber Mortis. Also have taken the opportunity to add new items to the RPG Review store under the auspices of the new incorporated association - in very good news in that regard there is a good chance that we'll be getting the old MARS library.

There has been a trio of celebrity deaths recently which have saddened me; Ian Kilmister ("Lemmy"), once a member of Hawkwind and the lead of Motorhead, who died on December 28; David Bowie, the high-fashion avant-garde glam-pop-experimental musician on January 10, and actor of many character types, Alan Rickman on Jnuary 14. Lemmy had just turned 70 (by four days), the other two died at 69, and each of cancer (brain, liver, and pancreatic respectively). Obviously all talented in their respective fields, I found each of the appealing for their erudite minds, and honesty. All expressed some disdain to those in power and the marketing of politics whilst presenting progressive liberal views (I suspect that Rickman was a Labour-socialist). The other thing of course that one finds about aesthetic leaders is that they provide legitimacy in lifestyle choices; I can see the appeal in Lemmy's hard space-rock approach, Bowie as an aesthete, and Rickman's as a surprisingly tough self-made Shakespearean. All lived great and inspiring lives.

Date: 2016-01-16 08:54 pm (UTC)
fidget: (Metropolis)
From: [personal profile] fidget
You're right about all three of the recent celebrity deaths. Usually, it's a few Facebook posts -- so-and-so died; I liked this show or that song -- but there was so much concentrated grief poured out for Lemmy, Bowie, and Rickman.

The good thing (if there is one), though, that seemed to happen: Art was everywhere. Drawings, tattoos, poems, songs -- art dominated the proverbial airwaves, once the shock wore off. And honestly, if I had to make a good guess, I think that that's what all three would have wanted.

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