July 9 - the Enigma machine was cracked

 Funny, I just watched the Imitation Game the other day.

On July 9, 1941 British cryptologists cracked the code of the Germans Enigma machine.

July 8 - Freezer Pop Day & Happy Birthday Bacon

My nostalgic memory of quintessential summer - Mr. Freezies.  The scraping of the plastic against the corners of your mouth, learning how to lean the freezie in just a way in the freezer that it has that air pocket at the top (tell me that isn't just me that does that) and as I just learned this year - white is cream soda (not coconut).

Now, that's obviously, a national day usually doesn't do a 'brand' name, so it's just National Freezer Pop Day.

In the USA tho'.  I couldn't find anything for Canada or internationally.  It is also Math 2.0 day in the US (World Maths Day coincides with Pi Day).

But what is Math 2.0?  Is there a math 1.0?

Also, it's Kevin Bacon's birthday.

July 7 - It's World Chocolate Day

 July 7th is World Chocolate Day.

I found this odd as typically, one of the calendars I checked didn't mention it at all.

Then, via the Wikipedia page (usually my last resort to find something) it turns out that page I was using was American, and the US folks observe international chocolate day on a different day to coincide with Mr. Hershey's birthday.

Oh the US, just gotta be different eh?

Writing about the days

 Okay, so I should start using my personal blogger more - I know.  I've only written that 100x before on this site.

Started a new blog over at www.smallbiztbay.ca and it's got me a bit writing charged.  But what to write about?  You don't care about every little detail, right?

Well, I thought I'd write about the days...

...sounds odd for a blogger to say they're going to write about the days - isn't that a journal then?

Not exactly.  For those that have had the sheer pleasure of being on videoconference with me will have noticed that since about November I've been playing with the backgrounds.

Sure, most people like to put in the helm of the starship Enterprise, or the wall from The Office.

Me, I want the background to mean something.  So, each morning I spend a little bit of googling "significance of [date]".

Is it a national day?  An international day?  Someone's birthday? A special event.

Well, it's come to a point a lot of people now wait for "okay, Ryan, what day is it"

I'll try to remember to share them with you as I go through.

Should have done this 8 months ago.

44... I'm 44 now

Man, never really imagined I'd be getting old.

Even tho' that's a big number, bigger than 42... but there's something about the number 4 I've always liked and it's "all the fours" today, so I think it's going to be a good year.  Not that I'm a numerologist or anything, I just like it

What's special about 44?

• it's a "Happy Number"
• you take each digit, square them and then add 'em together.  Then do the same again with that number, and eventually 'happy numbers' will eventually just be reduced to 1.  So 4²+4² = 32 ... 3² + 2² = 13 ... 1² + 3² = 10 ... 1² + 0² = 1
• it's a palindrome
• it's octahedral (picture a pyramid that starts with 4 and is mirrored blow ground)
• the 44th president of the US was Barack Obama
• Mark Twain used it to refer to the devil's nephew
• Maxwell Smart (who also voiced Inspector Gadget) was Agent 44
• Julius Caesar was killed in 44BC
• in Bingo it's called "Droopy Drawers, all the fours"... that's weird

What's special about today besides my birthday?  

• Stan Laurel's birthday (b. 1890)
• Adam Smith - the 'father of economics'
• I have a few 'birthday buddies' - Stacia (my old supervisor), Ste (another android blogger in UK)
• It's national fudge day (in the US)
• It's International Day of Family Remittances

this... updated?

Wow... Like really? It updated?

To be clear... The app from the PlayStore is updated.

Hey, I can solve a Rubik's Cube now!

It's very nerdy/geeky, but I'm a little proud of myself for being able to do it.

For some reason, Dean's class had become interested in them.  And when I was young I could do one side.  Well, wanting a challenge, I guess, I endeavoured to figure out how to solve it.

I followed this guide:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ron6MN45LY&t=528s

I found his explanations and methodology easiest to go along with.

Here's me going through the thought process as he kind of explained it.

So, the whole thing took me about a week to really 'get'.  I had to watch it and do each step about a dozen times to really understand what I was doing.

There was some confusion with the solving the second layer, but after a while it sunk in.

Doing the final corners I screwed up constantly.  I had to put it down for about a few days and just leave it, then came back, and was realizing I was doing it right, but of the 4 moves, I'd do it until the corner piece was in right, but it'd go in on the 3rd... but for the move to work, you have to still do the 4th.  I'd forget that last one and then blam, you're eff'd.

Anyways, now I can do it without fail.

Kinda proud of myself.