November 2nd - you're either a thrilled journalist or not

 In this era of computers, there's a ton of 1s and 0s floating around.  All of those flow through some sort of computer chip which is made up of a myriad of logic gates.  Logic gates work on a principal of checking values of the inputs and if they're both the same, or not they pass on a 1 or 0... I remember in Grade 12 physics designing a logic chip for a simple "if you see the fence open, or you see the fox, close the fence" kind of thing.

This is based on something we like to term 'boolean logic'. Things are boiled down to a 'true' or a 'false' (a 1 or a 0) and then something is done based on that value.  Lots of computer code is written this way.

The father of this is George Boole, who would have been 206 years old today.

He did other math things as well, but principally known for designing the symbolic display of this true/false.

People seeking for truths are often journalists who dig and uncover the real story for the general public.  Often this rubs people the wrong way and can have them at danger of physical harm (e.g Khashoggi).

Today is International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.

A long title for for something that just suggest that journalists shouldn't be harmed for doing good, and those that commit crimes against them should be held accountable.  It was established in 2015; saying that since 2006 up until 2020 over 1,200 journalists have been killed and that 90% of these crimes are unpunished (they use the term 'judicially unresolved').

To lighten the mood, seeing as just the other day was Hallowe'en, seems that Michael Jackson just missed the mark as his huge hit Thriller was released as a single this day in 1983.  

You would have thought he'd want to have it out before Hallowe'en.  We didn't even get to see the zombie dance until almost a month later.

November 1st - Apple the Patron Saint of Nuclear Vegans

 The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, who's held the role for over 10 years now (doesn't seem that long that Steve had passed) turns 61 today.

Apples, are something that a Vegan could eat.  Which is good as it's World Vegan Day.

Never could understand veganism, but found out from an episode of QI that apparently gladiators were vegans.

Just beware the Vegan Police.

Gladiators were always looking for the win, and what's helped won the last war was the invention of nuclear weapons.  In the subsequent arms race for the ultimate weapon, the Americans came upon Ivy Mike, a thermonuclear device, and was the first to be tested today in 1952.

10.4 MT explosion... wow.  The atomic bombs unleashed in WWII were in the kiltoton range, so this was a measure of magnitude in difference.

In war, a Christian soldier might have a chain with St. Michael, the patron saint of protectors and warriors.

Maybe they should have worn St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron of Peace.

There seems to be a patron saint of just about everything.  There's over 10,000 of them.  And there is one day to celebrate them all, All Saints Day - today on November 1

Not to be confused with all-spice day.

October 29 - D'oh, a really black stroke

 It's almost Hallowe'en and that's a spooky day, but even spookier was the "Black Tuesday" that happened in 1929 which was the start of the great depression.

16 million shares traded in a single day.  Billions of dollars... billions by 1929 valuation too.  Ouch.

Also scary for anyone is the risk of stroke.  It's World Stroke Day.

My mom suffered a stroke when I was in grade 8, it was scary.  It happens when blood supply is interrupted and can't get to your brain.

Sir Walter Raleigh had no fear of having a stroke, especially after today in 1618 as his head was removed by James I.

To help balance out the spooky and scary, today is also the birthday of Dan Castellaneta... you know, the voice of HOMER SIMPSON!  

He's 64 years old today.  D'oh

October 28 - Animation, Gulliver's Travels, Janine, the Doctor

 As a kid of the 80s, my life was just centred on cartoons.  Like it was all we wanted to get to the weekend to watch Saturday morning cartoons.  It was a ritual.

Today honours 'animation' as being International Animation Day.

Set up in 2002 by the International Animated Film Association.

An interesting thing I found out about a cartoon much later in life was the cartoon for the Ghostbusters had to be called "The Real Ghostbusters" as there already was a TV show called "Ghostbusters".

A character that's pretty underrated in that movie was Janine, the sarcastic / "I don't care" attitude was just 'cool' back in the day.

She was portrayed by Annie Potts who's now 69 years old.

Happy Birthday Annie - can't wait to see you reprise the role in the new movie "Ghostbusters Afterlife".

In another geeky jump dealing with the 'unexplained' is the Doctor and the 11th doctor, who was played by Matt Smith, turns 39 years old today.

Hope you celebrate with some fish fingers and custard!

The Doctor travelled to unknown places, and so did Lemuel Gulliver.  The book, written by Jonathan Swift was released today 295 years ago.

Great read.

October 27 - An Argument over Beer Recordings

 Today is World Day for Audiovisual Heritage.

What that means that it's a day chosen by UNESCO to show the importance of having recorded sound and video for historical records and archives.  Making sure we have those recordings to listen to, to watch in the future.

I was first introduced to Monty Python via listening to the radio broadcasts and was hooked.  It was funny.

One of the troupe is funny man, John Cleese, who is turning 82 today.  

Wow, and I betcha still as hilariously funny today as during the Python era or Fawlty Towers era.

I bet the Python crew tended to do their best writing over a pint.  And what better day to celebrate that than with the States' National American Beer Day.

I'll leave the 'near to water' jokes to your own imagination.

October 26 - A Million Ways to Die by Cyberdyne

 In the movie Terminator, the day of August 29th, 1997 was significant as it was the day that the Cyberdyne corporation's machines turn on us.  Billions of people dead.  Thankfully, John Connor helped with the resistance and then sent back Kyle to stop a ... well, I'm not going to tell you EVERYTHING, you can just watch the movie on it. 

The Terminator

It was released on this day in 1984 and man, as a kid, it was awesome.

Seth MacFarlane was 11 when it came out.  

Sounds like a killer birthday party to go see that movie.

Happy Birthday Seth (now where is my next season of the Orville?)

October 25 - Toronto Longbow Artistry

There's always been this long division between the French and the English.  Two major powers living so close to each other and having such a long history there it's like 2 siblings.

One such sibling rivalry that is famous if the Battle of Agincourt, which happened on this day in 1415 (which is also St. Crispin's Day).

The English were vastly outnumbered but eventually won the day with their longbowmen who used the terrain to their advantage.  It was one of those pivotal battles that allowed the English to rally and precipitate the end of the 100 Years War.

The English, eventually spread themselves to the new continent and eventually founded a city in Upper Canada and called it York.  Eventually, we'd know it as Toronto.

In 1861  with its central financial powers it created a Toronto Stock Exchange.

Another treasure in Toronto, according to some is the Maple Leafs, and my father's favourite player is the famous Wendel Clarke, who turns 55 today.

A good hockey player is like watching art, so they say.  And it's International Art Day as well.

Whether by design, or just one of those universal coincidences it's also the birthday of Pablo Picasso.

He would have been 140.