(Roughly) Daily

Posts Tagged ‘Neal Agarwal

“Darling, it’s better / down where it’s wetter”*…

From our old friend Neal Agarwal, a long (and illuminating) scroll from the surface to the “bottom” of the ocean (10,924 meters down)…

The Deep Sea,” from @neal.fun.

* “Sebastian, “Under the Sea,” The Little Mermaid

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As we dive: we might send connected birthday greetings to a man who put the sea floor to use, Clarence Mackay; he was born on this date in 1874. An early telecom entrepreneur, he supervised the completion of the first transpacific cable between the United States and the Far East in 1904. He laid a cable between New York and Cuba in 1907, and later established cable communication with southern Europe via the Azores and with northern Europe via Ireland. And in 1928, he became the first to combine radio, cables, and telegraphs under one management. (He sold his business, Postal Telegraph and Cable Corporation, to International Telephone and Telegraph Company [ITT] for an enormous amount of stock… just in time for the stock market crash in 1929, which wiped him out. He survived the Great Depression by selling his art and antiques.)

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Written by (Roughly) Daily

April 17, 2026 at 1:00 am

“Cyberspace undeniably reflects some form of geography”*…

Your correspondent in stepping again into the rapids, so (Roughly) Daily is going into a short hiatus. Regular service should resume on or around Nov 4. Here, something to enjoy in the meantime…

Our old friend Neal Agarwal has created an interactive museum of sorts, a stroll through the history of the internet, as manifest in the artifacts of important “firsts”– the first smiley, the first MP3, the first “LOL.” the first live-steamed concert, and so, so much more…

Browse through Internet Artifacts, from @nealagarwal.

* Sandra Day O’Connor

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As we touch the exhibits, we might send imperial birthday greetings to William Henry Gates III; he was born on this date in 1955. Gates is, of course, best known for co-founding the technology giant Microsoft, along with his childhood friend Paul Allen. He led the company from its packaged software beginnings onto the internet. After leaving the company in 2008, he founded several other companies, including BENCascade InvestmentTerraPowerbgC3, and Breakthrough Energy; but he has increasingly turned his attention to philanthropy.

Bill Gates

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Written by (Roughly) Daily

October 28, 2023 at 1:00 am