We had a nice cool grey Edinburgh day until late afternoon, but then the sun got through and now we’re sizzling away like everybody else. I walked around the garden by myself. Helen was planning to come, but she has plenty to do, so I said I’d do it by myself, and did. 2020 steps. Could be worse, I guess.

 

We had an interesting essay from Kate Davies yesterday about John Logie Baird and socks. When I pitched up in Glasgow in the fall of ’54 – talk about culture shock! – I had never heard of him. I guess I thought that we had invented television. Be that as it may, his daughter Diana became one of my undergraduate friends. One memorable day we went to Helensburgh to visit her aunt, JLB’s sister. Miss Baird and I discovered a mutual enthusiasm for Elsie Dinsmore (anybody?) and spent a happy afternoon reminiscing about her.

 

I’ve tried reading Wikipedia on both JLB and television, but it’s too hot to think, let alone knit. I think the industry went forward with an electronic system rather than the mechanical one JLB was using, and that RCA in America had as much to do with it as anyone. Lots of different scientists and inventors were involved, all over Europe and America. JLB seems to be the only one whose name has become attached to the invention.