A RUBE GOLDBERG-SORTA TALE
THE MARCH 2, 2026, AAAS SCIENCE HAS REVIEWS of fourteen books selected from two lists prepared annually by the National Science Teaching Association and the Children’s Book Council—the “Best STEM … Continue reading
FEELING CRUSTY AND BARBED? PART 2
YESTERDAY WE BEGAN GOOD FUN gleaning barbs among theatrical folks from Colin M. Jarman’s collection of Barbed Quotes. Here in Part 2 we continue the dissing with folks ranging from … Continue reading
FEELING BARBED AND CRUSTY? PART 1
FORTUNATELY, I HAVE JUST THE BOOK about dishing out barbed and crusty quotes: Indeed, its full title is Barbed Quotes: Mudslinging, Backstabbing, and Celebrity Dirt Dishing. It has already made … Continue reading
CELEBRATING HISTORY EXTRA
I’VE LONG ENJOYED BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE, now rebranded History Extra. Its February 2026 number is no exception, with cover-blurbed features that are varied indeed: Lucy Worsley recounting a competitor of … Continue reading
WHAT’S THE LAST MASS MARKET PAPERBACK YOU’VE READ?
I REMEMBER VIVIDLY THE LAST TIME I read a mass market paperback: It was right after I had my cataract surgery that (thank you, Dr. Rowen!) gave me 20/15 vision … Continue reading
THE PALIMPSEST OF ARCHIMEDES PART 2
YESTERDAY, WE BEGAN SHARING CLAIRE HALL’S LRB REVIEW “Maths is Second Best” of Nicholas Nicastro’s Archimedes: Fulcrum of Science. Today, we pick up with her analysis of the Hellenistic world … Continue reading
THE PALIMPSEST OF ARCHIMEDES PART 1
THE WORD “PALIMPSEST” MAY JOG THE MEMORY of longtime readers of this website: “Medieval DNA Sleuthing,” SimanaitisSays, August 7, 2017, described “A palimpsest is a piece of writing material, parchment, … Continue reading
CELEBRATING HUMOR IN SEX PART 2
YESTERDAY, BUILDING UP TO TODAY’S ST. VALENTINE’S, Brit humourist Gyles Brandreth began sharing tidbits from his book Even Greater Sexual Disasters. They continue today; again, quotes passages are Brandreth’s. The … Continue reading
CELEBRATING HUMOR IN SEX PART 1
EARLY ON WITH SIMANAITISSAYS, I OPTED to keep topics acceptable to my grandkids. These days, now that Lily and Carter are both in college, I figure what the hell. And … Continue reading
WHA’CHA’ CALL IT? AND WHERE Y’AT?
WE ARE AN ENGLISH-SPEAKING NATION, SORTA. But our regional dialects and slang are entertaining too. I’ve written about this from time to time. And recently I came upon The American … Continue reading
Simanaitis Says 