SCIENCE FOR ARTIES, POETRY FOR TECHIES
WE LAMENT THESE DAYS the chasms of thought between this and that, reds and blues, one thing and another. Occasionally, though, a unifying aspect appears. And so it is with … Continue reading
EVS AND THE POLITICAL SPLIT
RECENT ITEMS DISCUSS YET ANOTHER SPLIT between Republicans and Democrats: how best to accomplish the inevitable transition from internal-combustion to electric mobility. Indeed, my choice of the word “inevitable” places … Continue reading
BENJAMINS, MAJESTIES, GATES AND BRIDGES, AND OUR NATIONAL MUSHROOM
I GOT STARTED ON THIS with the Interesting Facts website saying, “Only One Building Outside Washington, D.C., is Featured on U.S. Banknotes.” Our National Pyramid. Here’s an architectural tour, starting … Continue reading
WORDS WE DON’T HAVE, BUT MAYBE COULD USE
I’M HAPPY TO ADD FOREIGN WORDS TO ENGLISH especially with their nuances. One of my favorites is Schadenfreude, from the German “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.” A source … Continue reading
LES MORTES DES ARTES
ARTISTIC DEPICTIONS OF DEATH vary from the peaceful to the horrific. This profoundity came to mind in reading “ ‘Lost Demon’ Uncovered in Joshua Reynolds Painting,” by Ian Youngs in … Continue reading
WHO’S COOKING?
“WORLDWIDE, WOMEN COOK TWICE AS MUCH as Men: One Country Bucks the Trend.” This, from NPR reporting on an annual survey by Gallup and Cookpad. What’s more, this survey organization … Continue reading
FAMILIAR WORDS, OLD FASHIONED USES
OUR LANGUAGE, OF COURSE, IS AN EVOLVING ONE. Not only do new words arrive (recently AI has become commonplace), but familiar words also lose context. Here are examples, with descriptions … Continue reading
HAVE YOU GOT THE TIME?
TOM JOHNSON TAKES ON the subject of time—and even the ending thereof—in “Take That, Astrolabe,” London Review of Books, October 19, 2023. It’s his review of Alle Thyng Hath Tyme: … Continue reading
INFANCY TIDBITS
ONE INTERESTING FACT LEADS to another. As an example, the Interesting Facts website recently noted that “Babies Blink Less Than Adults.” Here are tidbits gleaned from this report and from … Continue reading
STAYING DRY, MINISCULE-FASHION
THIS IS A SMALL SIMANAITISSAYS ITEM DESCRIBING really small stuff, nanoparticles that help to keep things dry. The report from A? Aalto University, October 23, 2023, announces, “Revised method to … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 