THE BEST OF LINES
“I WISH I HAD said that,” Oscar Wilde remarked. “You will, Oscar, you will,” responded James McNeill Whistler. I’ve often shared Oscar Wilde’s wish, though the fear of stumbling into … Continue reading
HOORAY FOR SCHMALTZ
IT’S OFFICIAL. Even The New York Times acknowledges that “Schmaltz Finds a New, Younger Audience.” Nutritionally incorrect though it may sound, author Melissa Clark and photographer Andrew Scrivani make a … Continue reading
ONE HUGE PRELUDE
WHEN IS a ship more than a ship? When it’s the Prelude F.L.N.G. There’s fascinating technology in this Floating Liquefied Natural Gas facility, described in “The Biggest Ship in the … Continue reading
ON BILINGUAL TROLLEY ACCIDENTS
DO OUR morals depend on which language we’re speaking? Can something be ethically acceptable in a second language, but not in our native tongue? Researchers in cognitive sciences say “yes,” … Continue reading
CIVILIZATION, IN A FEW WORDS
AN OP-ED piece in The New York Times, March 30, 2014, “Civilization’s Starter Kit” by astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell discussed an interesting question. It was first posed by physicist Richard Feynman: … Continue reading
THERE’S A WORD FOR THAT
ALL LANGUAGES, not only English, are subject to evolution, often by borrowing words or concepts from other languages. A recent article in The New York Times, July 25, 2013, (http://goo.gl/PA8ktc), … Continue reading
THIS RECTANGLE IS GOLDEN
WHICH RECTANGLE do you think is aesthetically more pleasing? Most people believe it’s the one on the left. The rectangle on the left is an example of the “golden rectangle,” … Continue reading
