Steampunk finance

They dealt with bankers ruining us very differently in Lovelace and Babbage's day (the former was the first computer programmer, the latter invented computers, or as he called them, Difference Engines).

I particularly like Wellington's approach to stabilising the financial system ("I had some bankers shot…") and there's a Sterling Engine pun in part 2, something to which I'm partial.

Have a good holiday. I'm working at home tomorrow, then off to see my mammy and may check in from time to time, but I'm not sure what web access I'll have in Cambridge. I believe they send boys with messages there still and read things called 'books' and 'newspapers'.

Don't forget the demo on Saturday, and happy birthday to Laura, Sarah and Mark.

Teaching and reading

I've spent the morning mainlining Civil War texts - no room in the curriculum for pamphlets, Ranters, Diggers, Levellers etc but Milton, Bacon, Pepys, Donne and Lovelace aren't bad - remains to be seen how well the kids take it, but I do despair at how we can summarise one of the most intellectually fascinating periods of history in 2 hours… It has reminded me how much fun all this stuff is.