[scribd id=653027453 key=key-P7tOr34g7kEeCWbhnnN8 mode=slideshow]
Stewart’s
NPR
This story starts — but certainly doesn't end — in 19th century Maryland, when John Townshend updated his will.
Townshend grew convinced at the end of his life that God would punish him if he did not free the enslaved people he owned and give them all of his property. But Townshend's relatives challenged his final wishes in court, arguing that his decision had been the result of a delusion.
That 1848 case was the first U.S. appearance of what became known as the "insane delusion rule," which remains grounds for contesting wills to this day. And Townshend v. Townshend itself has been cited in at least 70 other cases across the country — from New Hampshire to California — over the years, as recently as 2007. How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization Race How to properly celebrate Juneteenth in the age of commercialization
It's one of thousands of cases involving enslaved people that lawyers and judges continue to cite as good precedent, more than a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the U.S.
Survivorship Bias
Survivorship bias is a really powerful force that colors our views of the past. Often you hear about how much better made things were in the past, how much simpler and more reliable. But the truth is often more complicated. Often old devices that didn’t hold up were quickly discarded and forgotten while only the best devices continue to be used today.
The Long And Winding Road (Remastered 2009)
Lazy Evaluation
The fact that R does lazy evaluation can lead to some real surprises at times. Things can be super fast until things have to be actually evaluated.
None of that eager evaluation in R that is common in C, Python and other languages where the computer will do things that at first possible moment, even if you don’t need to do it until later.
Help! I’m stuck on the Elevator
Elevator stopped this morning mid floors with me on it. The floor display said – – – and was completely dead with the door open and close buttons not working.
Had to call the state police with the elevator call button. They told me to hold the elevator close button for 5 seconds, then hold the elevator open button for five seconds. Very slowly the elevator descended to floor 1 and opened.
I thanked them and was on my way, taking a different elevator to work. That elevator remains out of service as of this afternoon.