diff --git a/notes-to-self/blocking-read-hack.py b/notes-to-self/blocking-read-hack.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..76eabc0f81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes-to-self/blocking-read-hack.py
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import trio
+import os
+import socket
+import errno
+
+bad_socket = socket.socket()
+
+class BlockingReadTimeoutError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+async def blocking_read_with_timeout(fd, count, timeout):
+    print("reading from fd", fd)
+    cancel_requested = False
+
+    async def kill_it_after_timeout(new_fd):
+        print("sleeping")
+        await trio.sleep(timeout)
+        print("breaking the fd")
+        os.dup2(bad_socket.fileno(), new_fd, inheritable=False)
+        # MAGIC
+        print("setuid(getuid())")
+        os.setuid(os.getuid())
+        nonlocal cancel_requested
+        cancel_requested = True
+
+    new_fd = os.dup(fd)
+    print("working fd is", new_fd)
+    try:
+        async with trio.open_nursery() as nursery:
+            nursery.start_soon(kill_it_after_timeout, new_fd)
+            try:
+                data = await trio.run_sync_in_worker_thread(os.read, new_fd, count)
+            except OSError as exc:
+                if cancel_requested and exc.errno == errno.ENOTCONN:
+                    # Call was successfully cancelled. In a real version we'd
+                    # integrate properly with trio's cancellation tools; here
+                    # we'll just raise an arbitrary error.
+                    raise BlockingReadTimeoutError from None
+            print("got", data)
+            nursery.cancel_scope.cancel()
+            return data
+    finally:
+        os.close(new_fd)
+
+trio.run(blocking_read_with_timeout, 0, 10, 2)
diff --git a/notes-to-self/ntp-example.py b/notes-to-self/ntp-example.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..44db8cc873
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes-to-self/ntp-example.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+# If you want to use IPv6, then:
+# - replace AF_INET with AF_INET6 everywhere
+# - use the hostname "2.pool.ntp.org"
+#   (see: https://news.ntppool.org/2011/06/continuing-ipv6-deployment/)
+
+import trio
+import struct
+import datetime
+
+def make_query_packet():
+    """Construct a UDP packet suitable for querying an NTP server to ask for
+    the current time."""
+
+    # The structure of an NTP packet is described here:
+    #   https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5905#page-19
+    # They're always 48 bytes long, unless you're using extensions, which we
+    # aren't.
+    packet = bytearray(48)
+
+    # The first byte contains 3 subfields:
+    # first 2 bits: 11, leap second status unknown
+    # next 3 bits: 100, NTP version indicator, 0b100 == 4 = version 4
+    # last 3 bits: 011, NTP mode indicator, 0b011 == 3 == "client"
+    packet[0] = 0b11100011
+
+    # For an outgoing request, all other fields can be left as zeros.
+
+    return packet
+
+def extract_transmit_timestamp(ntp_packet):
+    """Given an NTP packet, extract the "transmit timestamp" field, as a
+    Python datetime."""
+
+    # The transmit timestamp is the time that the server sent its response.
+    # It's stored in bytes 40-47 of the NTP packet. See:
+    #   https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5905#page-19
+    encoded_transmit_timestamp = ntp_packet[40:48]
+
+    # The timestamp is stored in the "NTP timestamp format", which is a 32
+    # byte count of whole seconds, followed by a 32 byte count of fractions of
+    # a second. See:
+    #   https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5905#page-13
+    seconds, fraction = struct.unpack("!II", encoded_transmit_timestamp)
+
+    # The timestamp is the number of seconds since January 1, 1900 (ignoring
+    # leap seconds). To convert it to a datetime object, we do some simple
+    # datetime arithmetic:
+    base_time = datetime.datetime(1900, 1, 1)
+    offset = datetime.timedelta(seconds=seconds + fraction / 2**32)
+    return base_time + offset
+
+async def main():
+    print("Our clock currently reads (in UTC):", datetime.datetime.utcnow())
+
+    # Look up some random NTP servers.
+    # (See www.pool.ntp.org for information about the NTP pool.)
+    servers = await trio.socket.getaddrinfo(
+        "pool.ntp.org",               # host
+        "ntp",                        # port
+        family=trio.socket.AF_INET,   # IPv4
+        type=trio.socket.SOCK_DGRAM,  # UDP
+    )
+
+    # Construct an NTP query packet.
+    query_packet = make_query_packet()
+
+    # Create a UDP socket
+    udp_sock = trio.socket.socket(
+        family=trio.socket.AF_INET,   # IPv4
+        type=trio.socket.SOCK_DGRAM,  # UDP
+    )
+
+    # Use the socket to send the query packet to each of the servers.
+    print("-- Sending queries --")
+    for server in servers:
+        address = server[-1]
+        print("Sending to:", address)
+        await udp_sock.sendto(query_packet, address)
+
+    # Read responses from the socket.
+    print("-- Reading responses (for 10 seconds) --")
+    with trio.move_on_after(10):
+        while True:
+            # We accept packets up to 1024 bytes long (though in practice NTP
+            # packets will be much shorter).
+            data, address = await udp_sock.recvfrom(1024)
+            print("Got response from:", address)
+            transmit_timestamp = extract_transmit_timestamp(data)
+            print("Their clock read (in UTC):", transmit_timestamp)
+
+trio.run(main)