Ryan's blog

July 27 - A Diabetic Bunny with a chanter

2026-07-27T16:06:41.187-04:00

In 1921 Banting and Best discovered Insulin

Then in 1940 Bugs Bunny made his debut

And everyone loves Bagpipes, right? Show your appreciation for Bagpipe Appreciation Day

Images were generated by Google's Gemini

July 23 - The Jacobites can see Canada far away

2026-07-23T14:17:49.342-04:00

A couple interesting facts today.

1745 am Prionnsa Tearlach (Bonnie Prince Charlie) lands at Eriskay to bolster the Jacobites

1840 Britain combines Upper and Lower Canada into the 'province' of Canada

1999 the Chandra telescope is launched to see into the depths of space

[Gemini generate these images based on the facts]

June 29 - Call a fire department about the ozone

2026-06-29T10:09:47.928-04:00

1613 the Globe Theatre burned down due to a canon prop that misfires

1990 the world bans CFCs to help protect the ozone layer

2007 the first iPhone goes on sale

[images are AI generated]

June 23 - Typing out a treaty on a console

2026-06-23T12:08:11.362-04:00

June 23rd has a few interesting facts.

The patent for the QWERTY typewriter was received by Christopher Soles, Carlos Glidden and Samuel Soule in 1868.

The Antarctic Treaty (which has come up in a bunch of my youtube algorithm feeding me the hilarious videos where scientists have to deal about debunking flat earthers) was signed in 1959 but went into effect on this day in 1961.

And this one, realizes I'm old, and I was even a little too old for this; the Nintendo 64 came out in 1996.

June 17 - Never look a French gift in the mouth

2026-06-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

Did you know that when the French gifted the US the Statue of Liberty, that it came disassembled? I have no idea why that sounds 'new' to me, but it makes sense, right? They wouldn't just float over an entire statue that size

It arrived in New York today in 1885

June 16 - Woman Space Driver

2026-06-16T14:05:00.000-04:00

Okay, extra special day (for me), but did you know also that today was the day the Ford Motor Company incorporated in 1903 and officially the first woman was in space - Valentina Tereshkova - flew a solo mission in 1963 on the Vostok 6

June 15 - Flying the Law

2026-06-15T14:09:00.000-04:00

In today's bit of history - there's 1752 where Ben Franklin was said to have flown his kite with a key... there's some clarification on what he actually did, but it happened.

Also in 1215 one of the first major 'laws' came out to help limit the rule of law, to tamp down the over reach of the king and set limits; the Magna Carta

October 24 - Jumping Jays Info

2025-10-24T10:25:00.009-04:00

So in 2025 the Blue Jays just made it into the World Series and today is going to be game 1, and it was a reminder for those of us who remember the '92 and '93 back to back World Series winners, and on today in 1992 was the first time they won the full series -- and it was the first time a non-US team had won.

From J(ay)s to Ks, today is also World Kangaroo Day.

Lovable creatures from down-under.

Connecting from North America to Down-Under requires a good deal of tech and international agreements needed to be developed, and in light of that Information Tech needed, today is also World Development Information.

I'm 47

2024-06-16T08:40:00.012-04:00

It's been a crazy busy few weeks and I haven't really had the time to reflect on my latest birthday. I like being busy.

Work, football, band...

Work is... well, it's still a new role and figuring it out.

Football - we're continuing to grow and have more opportunities for kids so it really means keeping up and not a lot of down time (I can't complain, parents and coaches are committing way more time to it than I am, so I can't let them down).

Band - so many graduations, and then readying for competition, on top of a parade season.

It's a lot going on.

All the while I've turned 47. What does that mean. I'm that inch closer to retirement I guess, the far off horizon seems much more measurable.

But, as I've done on these posts for birthdays, I want to focus on the number. What is 47

It's not even, and not a divisible by 4 which I like... it's close.

But, it's prime. That's neat. Gives you the 'prime year' feel. Maybe this is it.

It's the atomic number of silver. Silver... 2nd place. That's not bad (tho' some will tell you 2nd place is 1st place loser).

Some also say that 47 is '42' adjusted for inflation, and you know how much I like 42

In the game Hitman, the player is 'Agent 47'

Also interestingly enough, 47 was once touted as the 'quintessential random number'. Asked to pick a random number 1-100 and it comes up pretty often; and it was an inside joke on Star Trek that they tried to work the number into every episode. Maybe I should dedicate separate articles to every instance.

Well, back to your standard programming! Time to go celebrate them dads.

October 3 - Technical Drumming

2023-10-03T10:14:00.003-04:00

It's October 3rd and well, according to a website in the USA it's "National Techies Day".

Now, a techie... is that someone who works specifically in tech? Or is just any tech enthusiast? I think I fall into the latter category.

It's also the birthday of one of the ... well I'll call techie drummer. Tommy Lee.

Growing up as a Crue fan, just loved the driving beat of the band and if you'd seen them in concert, Tommy really did some 'funky stuff'. Putting himself in a cage and spinning it, or rotating the drums etc... that's some techie stuff right there.

This year, Tommy turns 61.

September 19 - They love the C

2023-09-19T13:48:00.002-04:00

Oh that old joke... what's a pirate's favourite letter?

You'd think it'd be the 'R'... for that Robert Louis Stevenson'esque style of speech that we now associate with pirates 'arr!' (which, prior to that, didn't seem to exist)

BUT

Pirates... they really love the C

Get it?

#DadJoke

Well, it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day

March 6 - periodic new York isn't New York

2023-03-06T14:18:00.000-05:00

Before this date in 1834 the place we now call Toronto (or trawna... t-dot...) used to be called York, Upper Canada. But the municipality incorporated as the new name of Toronto.

Neat.

In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev presents to the Russian Chemical Society his new method of displaying the elements in a 'table' format.

August 22 - A Caddy for you

2022-08-22T09:43:00.001-04:00

It was on this day in 1902 that one of the breakaways from the Henry Ford Company created the Cadillac Automobile Company.

July 26 - a day for a universal language that no one knows

2022-07-26T20:27:00.000-04:00

Yup, in 1885 on this day, the book on Esperanto was published. This would(n't)-be language was hopeful to be a language the whole world spoke.

Never took off tho'.

July 25 - Electric Judas

2022-07-25T10:17:00.007-04:00

It was on this day that Bob Dylan, famed folk singer, got booed on stage at the Newport Folk Festival when he put down his acoustic guitar for his electric.

JUDAS they shouted.

July 22 - Pie is good for the mousetrap

2022-07-22T11:03:00.004-04:00

Apparently, the poem about the Pied Piper of Hamelin was said that the piper led out the rats on this day in 1376.

So it's Ratcatcher's Day (the Brothers Grimm said it should have been June 26, 1284, who do you believe?)

To catch a rat you need good bait, and what better than pie? Well, for a mathematician, the best pie is pi.

Today is pi approximation day. July 22... 22 / 7 ... and if you divide 22 by 7, you can get an approximation of pi.

July 18 - Gonzo covers Mandela

2022-07-18T08:56:00.000-04:00

On this day in 1937, a man was born who would become known as the 'gonzo journalist' is born.

You may know Hunter S Thompson because of the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas movie... did you know that he was a real person?

Then in 2009, the UN decided to honour Nelson Mandela with his own day... today.

Which is also Nelson's birthday.

July 15 - subatomic language skills

2022-07-15T09:55:00.002-04:00

Today is World Youth Skills Day

Speaking of skills, learning a language is one of those, and when it comes to learning languages, they say that the Rosetta Stone was the first real link for several of them, and it was found on this day in 1799.

And a man with some skills, enough to earn him a Nobel Prize was Leon Lederman, who developed experiments to prove the existence of neutrinos.

He was born in 1922.

July 11 - Brucie's Bday

2022-07-11T08:21:00.000-04:00

It was on this day of 1274 that "Robert the Bruce" was born.

Robert who aided in the revolt of Scotland against the English and won the Battle of Bannockburn. He was King in 1306 until his death in 1329.

June 27 - Celebrate Diversity

2022-06-27T09:55:00.004-04:00

Diversity almost always enriches and enhances any groupings. In Canada we've always celebrated the fact that we aren't the "melting pot" that is our southern friends, rather the 'tossed salad'.

We celebrate people's backgrounds and we even have a day dedicated to it: Canadian Multiculturalism Day, which is today!

June 22 - science and heresy sorta mix

2022-06-22T08:54:00.002-04:00

Draw me a map of our solar system... I don't care if you get the order of the planets right (I think it goes Venus, Mars then Earth... after that I'm lost).

But most importantly, you put the sun in the middle, right?

Well, the early Christians believed to think that was heresy. Obviously, we're the most important thing, so we're in the centre. But many scientists/astronomers tried to prove differently... like, look... math!

Galileo was one of these that believed in the heliocentric theory, and it was on this day in 1633 that with heavy threats by the Catholic church at the time he was forced to recant his beliefs in that theory... a scientist had to lie to save his own life. Sad.

I'd love to say we've come a far way from that 4 centuries later, right? Like, everybody listens to the scientists, openly... right?

June 20 - Called to try to escape a shark

2022-06-20T11:11:00.003-04:00

On this day in 1877, Alexander Graham Bell had the first commercial telephone service installed, in Hamilton of all places too.

Also on this day in 1951 there was a Convention on the Status of Refugees. 50 years later the UN would officially declare that June 20th is World Refugee Day.

All the more poignant this year as we see what's going on overseas.

It was also on this day that the 1974 book by Peter Benchley made its way onto the film and spawned a huge franchise ...

...and probably fueled some more fears of sharks.

June 6 - Overlord was the 6th Village Person

2022-06-06T10:54:00.002-04:00

June 6 ... 1944 was a big day for the allied troops as they launched en masse to the beaches of France to push back the Nazis.

Also known as D-Day. It's unimaginable to think about what the soldiers at the time went through, the movies you've seen probably don't do it really any justice.

100 years before that a group was founded in London for the Young Mens Christians Association, a place for establishing healthy bodies, minds and spirits.

Apparently, back then that included skills like drapery and embroidery as well as calisthetics.

June 2 - oh the year was 1774

2022-06-02T08:00:00.013-04:00

Not 1778 like the Stan Rogers tune goes... but on this date in 1774 the British Parliament passed the expansion of the Quartering Act; whereby British soldiers in North America could take unoccupied homes or barns for their barracks.

Obviously, not a well liked piece as originally it was just 'you need to give us barracks' to a "well, if there are none we like we'll just take what we do".

But, back to ol' Stan. I say old as he always sounded so old, with that deep baritone voice. Yet, even as he tragically died in a plane he was only 33 on this day in 1983.

I have belted out a many of his ballads myself and just revel in his fingerpicking (Witch of the Westmoreland... love it).

June 1 - golden milk for a god

2022-06-01T08:00:00.018-04:00

So like a million years ago, someone decided that the milk our mothers gave us was probably just as good as the milk that other animals give their kids and we determined that cows have the best milk.

Which, I don't disagree with. It's tasty. And it's what we celebrate on World Milk Day.

Another required beverage, especially for one with Alba heritage is uisce bheatha... or aqua vita... water of life.

Or, you might know it as whiskey. The first ever recounting of someone making it was of this monk, John Cor, that on this day in 1495 he's actually on the King's exchequer list.

"To Brother John Cor, by order of the King, to make aqua vitae VIII bolls of malt."

We should be celebrating this man, not that he invented, but the first that we know of that was getting paid for it. Similar to how there's songs for Charlie Mopps, why nothing for John Cor?

Well, those are elixirs worthy of a god. And one god I appreciated seeing on the big screen was when Alanis Morissette played God in Dogma. It was a quirky take on the whole catholic scene (the whole movie was).

Well, Alanis, with one hand in her pocket, is turning 48 years old today.