I'm NBT (Nigel Brookes-Thomas). I build things, test things and love Ruby things.
Some of my things might be useful to you, the larger ones can be found on my Projects page and much else on Github.
This site is my aide-memoire. I use it to collect snippets I've learned and desire not to forget. Mostly Ruby-isms.
Billy Ruffian
HMS Bellerophon was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1786, she served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, mostly on blockades or convoy escort duties. She fought in three fleet actions: the Glorious First of June, the Battle of the Nile and the Battle of Trafalgar. She became famous as the ship upon which Napoleon surrendered and which transported him into exile in 1815.
Her sailors, not being educated in the Classics, struggled to pronounce her name and so she became known as the Billy Ruffian and her crew as the “Billy Ruffians”. The name stuck and was used as a nickname for the ship for the rest of her career.
Since no one in coffee shops can spell my name, I adopted ‘Billy’ which turned into ‘Billy Ruffian’. It’s also a bloody good story.