Friday Four

1. A beer blogger discusses the impact of "Beowulf and Beer" sessions on J.R.R. Tolkien's creative work, and a commenter notes the following: "The pub that Tolkien and Lewis (along with the rest of the [I]nklings) drank at was called the Eagle and the Child[, and it was] just near Oxford. It was so influential that there are connections to the pub in the Shire township Mitchel Delving where the main pub/inn is none other than the Bird and the Baby."

2. Three-Dimensional Printing has come a long way since I saw a crude demo of the concept at a German science museum when I was in college. At the site 3D Printing, you can see video of a usable crescent wrench being scanned and printed -- and used to tighten a bolt about ninety minutes later. Wikipedia quotes The Economist on the process as, "mak[ing] it as cheap to create single items as it is to produce thousands and thus undermin[ing] economies of scale."

3. Having neither the time, the space, nor the money to indulge my childhood hobby of model railroading, I nevertheless enjoy seeing the occasional model train show or visiting a particularly well-executed train layout. This means that I must visit the Tech Model Railroad Club some time. Notably, the venerable club has made quite a few notable contributions to computer jargon, including the term hacker.

4. ls young Jozy Altidore of the United States Men's National Soccer Team finally living up to the hype? I certainly hope so, and this sounds promising: "Critics have quieted way down of late because the U.S. national team forward has been on fire since arriving at AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch league over the summer. Altidore has scored seven goals in 11 matches so far, three in league play and four in Europa League games."

-- CAV