Colin Fine
@colinfine.bsky.social
North Yorkshire.
Theatre owner, accordianist and pianist, tour guide at Fountains Abbey and Treasurers House, amateur linguist, member of the More To Life community
Theatre owner, accordianist and pianist, tour guide at Fountains Abbey and Treasurers House, amateur linguist, member of the More To Life community
2/n. It took something like a minute.
I observed that the input was nearly all in order to start with, so I reversed the algorithm, and it went much faster.
I had no idea there were standard sorting algorithms. I'd never heard of Computer Science.
I observed that the input was nearly all in order to start with, so I reversed the algorithm, and it went much faster.
I had no idea there were standard sorting algorithms. I'd never heard of Computer Science.
November 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM
2/n. It took something like a minute.
I observed that the input was nearly all in order to start with, so I reversed the algorithm, and it went much faster.
I had no idea there were standard sorting algorithms. I'd never heard of Computer Science.
I observed that the input was nearly all in order to start with, so I reversed the algorithm, and it went much faster.
I had no idea there were standard sorting algorithms. I'd never heard of Computer Science.
The very first task I was given, in my very first job (part of National Control Reprogramming with the CEGB): write code to sort a list of substation names.
So I wrote some code (pretty well my first ever) to do it in an obvious way.
It worked, but slowly. 1/n
So I wrote some code (pretty well my first ever) to do it in an obvious way.
It worked, but slowly. 1/n
November 18, 2025 at 7:13 PM
The very first task I was given, in my very first job (part of National Control Reprogramming with the CEGB): write code to sort a list of substation names.
So I wrote some code (pretty well my first ever) to do it in an obvious way.
It worked, but slowly. 1/n
So I wrote some code (pretty well my first ever) to do it in an obvious way.
It worked, but slowly. 1/n
Brought by Dutch weavers, I'll hazard
November 18, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Brought by Dutch weavers, I'll hazard
It's not quite the same phenomenon, but this reminds me of gemination in Japanese.
The preceding morpheme (originally a closed syllable in Middle Chinese) on its own is realised bisyllabically (eg itsu, tachi).
But preceding certain consonants it produces a geminate, eg ichi+sho -> issho.
The preceding morpheme (originally a closed syllable in Middle Chinese) on its own is realised bisyllabically (eg itsu, tachi).
But preceding certain consonants it produces a geminate, eg ichi+sho -> issho.
November 17, 2025 at 10:44 AM
It's not quite the same phenomenon, but this reminds me of gemination in Japanese.
The preceding morpheme (originally a closed syllable in Middle Chinese) on its own is realised bisyllabically (eg itsu, tachi).
But preceding certain consonants it produces a geminate, eg ichi+sho -> issho.
The preceding morpheme (originally a closed syllable in Middle Chinese) on its own is realised bisyllabically (eg itsu, tachi).
But preceding certain consonants it produces a geminate, eg ichi+sho -> issho.
I came here to say that!
November 17, 2025 at 10:26 AM
I came here to say that!
I suspect that's not the demographic the Telegraph is addressing
November 14, 2025 at 9:47 AM
I suspect that's not the demographic the Telegraph is addressing
Nostalgia isn't what it was.
November 14, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Nostalgia isn't what it was.
Wow! I knew "quoth" was OE, but I always supposed "quote" was somehow derived from it.
November 9, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Wow! I knew "quoth" was OE, but I always supposed "quote" was somehow derived from it.
Yn Esperanteg (?) mae "vi"'n Swedeg "ni" a mae "ni"'n Swedeg "vi".
Ac yn Hebraeg mae "mi"'n "who", mae "hu"'n "he", a mae "hi"'n "she"
Ac yn Hebraeg mae "mi"'n "who", mae "hu"'n "he", a mae "hi"'n "she"
October 10, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Yn Esperanteg (?) mae "vi"'n Swedeg "ni" a mae "ni"'n Swedeg "vi".
Ac yn Hebraeg mae "mi"'n "who", mae "hu"'n "he", a mae "hi"'n "she"
Ac yn Hebraeg mae "mi"'n "who", mae "hu"'n "he", a mae "hi"'n "she"
Masham.
It's "mass-em", but them not from round here (like me ten years ago) always say "mash-em"
It's "mass-em", but them not from round here (like me ten years ago) always say "mash-em"
October 10, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Masham.
It's "mass-em", but them not from round here (like me ten years ago) always say "mash-em"
It's "mass-em", but them not from round here (like me ten years ago) always say "mash-em"
Do you know Farah Mendlesohn's "The pleasant profession of Robert A Heinlein"? I think you'd enjoy it.
October 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Do you know Farah Mendlesohn's "The pleasant profession of Robert A Heinlein"? I think you'd enjoy it.
Absolutely.
I'm currently rehearsing a (non -professional) production of Macbeth, and it is very obvious which of the other actors understand what they're saying, and which don't quite. I am hoping the latter get it by the time we go up.
I'm currently rehearsing a (non -professional) production of Macbeth, and it is very obvious which of the other actors understand what they're saying, and which don't quite. I am hoping the latter get it by the time we go up.
October 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Absolutely.
I'm currently rehearsing a (non -professional) production of Macbeth, and it is very obvious which of the other actors understand what they're saying, and which don't quite. I am hoping the latter get it by the time we go up.
I'm currently rehearsing a (non -professional) production of Macbeth, and it is very obvious which of the other actors understand what they're saying, and which don't quite. I am hoping the latter get it by the time we go up.
Surely, it's umgazine.
October 4, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Surely, it's umgazine.
When I was doing some work about technology for blinds and partially sighted people, in stone 1994, I came across an auditory version or adaptation of Windows, where the sound icon for opening a window was the sound of opening a casement window. Visual -> verbal -> auditory.
February 10, 2025 at 10:54 PM
When I was doing some work about technology for blinds and partially sighted people, in stone 1994, I came across an auditory version or adaptation of Windows, where the sound icon for opening a window was the sound of opening a casement window. Visual -> verbal -> auditory.
You quite often get comments on posts along the lines of "PIE isn't a language, it's just a made-up thing".
February 10, 2025 at 8:42 AM
You quite often get comments on posts along the lines of "PIE isn't a language, it's just a made-up thing".
In my first job, in 1974, we used punched tape.
This was the National Control Reprogramming for the Central Electricity Generating Board.
National Control ran on a pair of Ferrari Argus 500s, with 32K words of memory in each.
This was the National Control Reprogramming for the Central Electricity Generating Board.
National Control ran on a pair of Ferrari Argus 500s, with 32K words of memory in each.
February 4, 2025 at 11:54 AM
In my first job, in 1974, we used punched tape.
This was the National Control Reprogramming for the Central Electricity Generating Board.
National Control ran on a pair of Ferrari Argus 500s, with 32K words of memory in each.
This was the National Control Reprogramming for the Central Electricity Generating Board.
National Control ran on a pair of Ferrari Argus 500s, with 32K words of memory in each.
In social media (and some other modes) "political" means "I don't like it".
Nobody ever calls a statement they approve of "political".
Nobody ever calls a statement they approve of "political".
January 30, 2025 at 12:34 AM
In social media (and some other modes) "political" means "I don't like it".
Nobody ever calls a statement they approve of "political".
Nobody ever calls a statement they approve of "political".
I've used it as the browser on my phone for years.
January 28, 2025 at 11:30 AM
I've used it as the browser on my phone for years.