"Decoding Nazi Secrets"; Alan Turing's suicide; web cams and updates as of 02/07

Another quite evening after a hectic day. It was another of those days in which the simplest task became a quagmire. Things were not so much difficult as frustrating.

I've been watching NOVA since 2000 this evening. The subject has been "Decoding Nazi Secrets," an overview of the British and American efforts to crack the WWII Enigma cyphers. A very well-produced and accessible programs. One of the great intellectual victories of history. Alan Turing is prominently mentioned; of course there is no way he could not be. The program was very straightforward in its declaration that his suicide was caused by his persecution for being gay.

Of the journals I read, it is interesting to note how interrelated they are. Person A mentions something in B's journal; B talks of C's; C refers to D's; etc. It is especially fascinating to watch the interplay of the individuals from verbal grudges to budding romances.

Last night I wandered off to check some web cams. There are three that I enjoy in particular.

!reXcam! (As of this updating, 02/07, Rex has not written in months. He appears to have tired of journal writing as indicated by his last entry of June 23, 2006. Rex at some point was raped and contracted AIDS, but I've never understood the details.)

Sean Patrick Live! (One of the first gay cams that was widely written about at the time. In early 2001, he stopped writing. " I am now off to explore new web endeavors. I thank everyone for their support over the years. I wish I had more eloquent words to share but it seems fitting for SPL to exit as quietly as it arrived." However, nothing is ever totally defunct on the web. Visit Internet Archives and enter Patrick's address - seanpatricklive.com. The results will be sporadic and best for the years 1999 - 2001. Text only, or at least that's all I could bring up. The Internet Archives baffles me, I've found whole sites almost complete, with text and graphics, and others only in bits and pieces. There were a couple of very traumatic events in Patrick's live : the one I remember was a sever reaction to some medication for OCD. He wrote a truly terrifying piece about OCD. About having to get up in the middle of the night and count the roles of paper towels in the kitchen cabinets. And I vaguely remember there was a sexual incident, but this is very vague and may not be true.)

Thom On The Net Live!. (Amazingly, Thom is still around and has actually expanded his site with eight web cams. He has acquired a boyfriend. Still lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Thom must have one of the oddest cultural mixes of anyone. Born in Brazil to a traditional Chinese family, but now living in Canada.)

Each shows a guy attempting to be true to his own personhood. Sean Patrick may be the most well-known web cam operator after the publication of the various articles about him. Yet since, he moved, I've seen very little of him. Rex is a delight, and anybody with a cat named epsilon has to be a great guy. Thom has to be one of he hardest working guys I've ever seen.

(I've left the above paragraph as it was, even though much has changed.)

PAX!