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Sferics
One characteristic of English that makes word games possible is the typical patterns of letter combinations. For instance, there are combinations like “st” and “pr” that you run into all the time. On the other hand, you hardly ever see “kf” or “jp” in combination. When you find a word that includes a rare combination,… Continue reading
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Charlie Chaplin
April 16 is Charlie Chaplin’s birthday, so there’s a certain argument that this shouldn’t be written down at all, but pantomimed, in monochrome, accompanied by piano or organ music and with a few narrative cards inserted. That’s the way Chaplin himself would have done it during the prime of his career in silent films. But… Continue reading
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Robert Edison Fulton, Jr.
April 15 is the day Robert Edison Fulton, Jr. was born in New York City, in 1909. He was pretty well known, at least in the US, during his lifetime, but I bet you never heard of him. He was a rich kid — his father was the president of an early truck manufacturer, Mack,… Continue reading
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The steam versions had the best whistles
Even if you find these discussions hebetating, isn’t it better than being kept in a state of inscience, particularly in regard to the frequently-mixed-up words “then” and “than”? “Then,” as you might already know, has to do with things that happen in sequence. First your nose itches, then you sneeze. “Than” is for comparisons, like… Continue reading
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Tin Pan Alley
When you hear the phrase “tin pan alley,” if you think of anything at all, you probably think of the US music business. The term began to be used around the turn of the 20th Century, and at the time referred to a specific location: 28th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue. That was where… Continue reading
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Honk!
Sometimes you hear a performance called the performer’s “swan song.” It’s supposed to mean that it’s a last performance. The final speech of an ousted politician is sometimes called the same thing. But what do swans have to do with it, and why a song? Swans don’t sing — different kinds of swans make different… Continue reading
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Imogen Cunningham
Imogen Cunningham was an American photographer born April 12, 1883. Her parents named her “Imogen” after the character in Cymbeline, a play by Shakespeare. She was born in Portland, Oregon, and was interested in art from a very early age. The schools there didn’t teach art, but her parents sent her to art lessons and… Continue reading
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Not Exactly Eli
If you visit Yale University, you might view the portico of Davenport College, or even catch a glimpse of the official banner of the university’s president. If you do, you’ll see a yale. Not, mind you, a Yale — that would be a direct descendant of Elihu Yale, who was a governor of the British… Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer (among other things) located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. No surprise, she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.
Check out my other blog, Techlimitics, where I’m grappling with the nature of simplicity. You can also find some of my minor software projects at GitHub. Nothing very impressive. I mostly write tiny utilities in Python.
I find myself suddenly de-corporatized (their choice, not mine). To help keep the lights on, buy me a coffee!
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Contact
peterharbeson@me.com