Gates of Fire is a novelization of the Battle of Thermopylae. There 300 hundred Spartans under King Leonidas held the pass against an overwhelming Persian force long enough for the Greek city states to rally their forces for a successful defense. Their heroism was an inspiration to their fellow Greeks and has continued to be an inspiration down through the ages.

Steven Pressfield brings to life both the harsh realities and the nobility of the ancient Greeks. Life was hard, but there was also beauty, gentless, and compassion. His dramatization of events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and it's aftermath shows how ordinary people can come to do extra-ordinary things.

I'm interested in Agent Based Simulation and have played with Swarm a bit. While Objective-C is OK, I prefer dynamic languages and have thought about building something in Python.

Pietro Terna has already done this as he describes in Agents in Simulation Models, using a Swarm-like Agent Protocol in Python. His SLAPP package is available here. SLAPP is still young, but can be used to build interesting models.

Congratulations to the Armadillo Aerospace team for winning the Phase 2 Lunar Lander Challenge today. Best of luck in their future endeavors.

I had a good day at the Longs Peak Highland Games yesterday. I made good (for me) throws in all events and had a personal record in the Heavy Hammer. Time to hang up the kilt for the season.

As is his custom, Glen Reynolds has some excellent links for 9/11. Never forget.

From the press release: "Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Oliver and Major Tony Lancashire of the British Royal Marines sailed, rowed and when necessary dragged their NorseBoat 17.5 across the ice in a historic 1400 mile voyage through the arctic's Northwest Passage. For centuries the Northwest Passage has been a lure to adventurers and explorers seeking a northern link between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean."

Norseboats are on my short list for a sailboat when and if I return to sailing. I doubt that I'd attempt the Northwest Passage, but the Everglages Challenge is tempting.