News Chum Stew: Links from a Busy Week

With all the Anniversary stuff yesterday, I never got around to posting the Saturday News Chum Stew. So here are some tasty tidbits for your weekend enjoyment (some were shared previously on FB during the week):

• This Song’s For You. Here’s a really neat video — watch Elton John sing “Your Song” over the course of 43 years. One of the best editing jobs I’ve seen.
• The Co-Dependency Dance. I’m a big lover of Shel Silverstein. Most people know him from his children’s poems, but the man had a wonderfully warped and twisted mind. Somehow, I think he’d appreciate this “preview” for “The Giving Tree” as a horror movie. It’s an interesting take on the subject, as many do think of that book as a horror, celebrating co-dependency.
• There’s a Drug For That.  Ever wonder how drugs get named? This article explores the whole game of naming prescription medicine.
• I Can Write That Program in One Line. Many years ago, there was a game show called “Name That Tune”. Contestants would battle to name a song after hearing the fewest number of notes. We always envisioned a similar contest for programming, a “Write That Program” where you had to write the program in the fewest number of lines. Of course, the APL programmer would always win, because you can write any APL program in one line. Want to practice your APL skills? Here’s an APL emulator in Javascript.
• One Direction. I have a cousin that is obsessed with One Direction (the band, not a particular driving practice). I see this as the typical tween obsession with boy-crafted bands that has gone on for decades, across the generations, with different bands (Davey Jones and David Cassidy – yes, I’m looking at you). Of course, (a) the tween never sees the depth of the obsession at the time; and (b) occasionally, the music stands the test of time. So two One Direction things caught my eye this week and made me chuckle: the first was a report on one sister that pranked her sibling, a One Direction fan. The other was a collection of photos of dad’s at a One Direction concert.  Both are things that make me glad my daughter’s obsession has moved on to Elton John and Dolly Parton.
• And Lastly… This was was just too adorable: pictures of babies tasting a lemon for the first time.