While we're all appreciating the late Tom Stoppard, I want to throw in a good word for his under-appreciated espionage drama Hapgood. I missed the original West End production (in 1988), but was mesmerized by the version he revised for Stockard Channing at Lincoln Center in 1994. You can find many of the same physics and math themes in his later (and much more critically successful) Arcadia, but I think Hapgood deserves to be better known than it is.
It's December 2nd, which means that for the next 23 days, there's a high probability that you will encounter the classic film A Christmas Story broadcast on TV or streaming services. One of the plot points in the film concerns decrypting a radio message from Orphan Annie's Secret Society, which was based on a real radio program of the era. A while back I wrote up a little post on the (basic, but still interesting) cryptography involved.
Matt Blaze: The Cryptography of Orphan Annie and Captain Midnight
Presumably either the IG's report completely clears Hegseth's opsec, or the IG will be fired.
Journa.host
Steve Herman (@w7voa@journa.host)
NBC - Defense Secretary Hegseth today was given a final copy of the completed DoD Inspector General report that examined his sharing sensitive mili...
US Embassy Building, Wandsworth, London, UK, 2025. All the pixels, each unsure of which side of the road on which to drive, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/54586230547 #photography image
Commanders specifically ordered Navy SEALs to fire on and kill two survivors of (alleged) drug boat sinking in September. "The order was to kill everybody". Analyzing this as an unlawful order or as homicide or as a war crime is, of course, necessary, but at the same time it seems morally inadequate. It's a revolting, shameful stain on our country. https://wapo.st/49KbUJ1 [gift link]
Happy Thanksgiving, friends. Remember: check if the town dump is open before you head over there with your VW microbus full of trash, or be prepared to write a song about it later.
FFS. For the first time, non-citizens will be charged a hefty surcharge to enter US national parks (an extra $100/person, and annual passes for noncitizens will cost $250 instead of $80). Our national parks are absolute jewels, and a significant contributor to US tourism. Or were.
Entrance Passes (U.S. National Park Service)
The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series is your ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, covering entrance, standa...
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