My first 6b

Another evening of climbing, despite a certain tiredness, for it seems I'm just a belayer who can't say no. I managed a couple of successes, including a 6b — officially the hardest thing I've ever sent — largely thanks to M who refused to let me quit when I was convinced I couldn't go any further. When I got back down and tried to review what I'd done, I realised I'd made life even harder for myself pinching on to the arete, when I should have been using a set of holds tucked away around the corner. But I suppose those are the breaks when you don't bother to read your route properly first.

Crosswords meet computers

Via Paul in today's Guardian, a combination of crosswords and computers: Measure in computer language left smoke, in the words of Keats, to rise (8) which, after an embarrassingly long time, I worked out as megaflop.

(I think the clue is a charade that parses as: left is l, smoke is fag, the words of Keats is poem; in is an envelope indicator and to rise indicates a reversal. Works for me...)