As you probably have noticed, my blog has shifted towards being almost exclusively about technology in the past few years. This is not because I’m no longer interested in other subjects – it’s probably rather because it’s easier to write about technology. But I’d really like to change it a bit, and today I have a nice opportunity.
It’s a rare thing when I write reviews of any kind here, but I’ll make an exception again. If you haven’t yet watched The Unconquered, please do. It lasts less than five minutes, and you might be really surprised by what you learn. It’s not a comprehensive course in modern Polish history, of course – there’s much more to it than what is shown, and we are not ideal, either – but it should be more than enough to pique your interest. The history of our nation is a tough one, partially due to the fact that our country is located right between two, let’s say, very ambitious other ones. And we are not without our ambitions, too.
In particular, if you are an European (or even not), you may want to know that actually saving Europe has been kind of a habit of ours. You might want to consult a good history book to learn about 1683 or 1920, for instance; some other historical facts are mentioned in The Unconquered. (Also, Squadron 303 makes a very good reading.)
Apart from that, if you are more mathematically-inclined, you may want to know that – contrary to what many people think – it was not Alan Turing alone who decrypted the famous Enigma, but much of the work was done by the famous trio of Polish cryptologists. (In fact, I’m quite proud to say that they worked at my university.)
In any case, please watch The Unconquered, if only to know that if you read about the “Polish” concentration camps in some unreliable newspaper, this should probably remind you about the (in)famous Murray Gell-Mann effect, and that not only Poles are among the Righteous Among the Nations, but they are actually the most represented nation there.
Thank you.