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Combinatorials
Back in, say, 1600 or so, if you were going to combine two things, you were probably very pleased to be able to choose between two relatively new words: “conflate” and “commingle.” “Conflate”, at least in the 1600s, meant “put together,” and “commingle” meant (and still means) “mix together.” Pretty close to the same thing, Continue reading
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January 21
Welcome to January 21. It’s a date that seems to sit slightly off to the side, just a little bit out of the spotlight. Some dates are like that; they don’t feature the main events, but the supporting cast. For instance, January 21 is the birthday of a central figure in the epic tales of Continue reading
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January 20
The twentieth of January has seen some “move-ins” as a new crew entered to try to control an established place. Remember back in 1997 when Great Britain returned Hong Kong to China after their 99-year lease expired? As it happens, there’s a lot more to the Hong Kong story. The English originally occupied the Hong Continue reading
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Otter’s Trick
Raccoon snorted and jumped up. Otter was shaking her awake. “Hey, Raccoon, you fell asleep.” “Drat, how could I let myself fall asleep?” Raccoon muttered. “Did I miss it?” “Miss what?” asked Otter. “Sloth, of course,” said Raccoon. “Look out, Otter, you’re blocking my view of the tree.” “You want to look at a tree? Continue reading
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Muse
If you find yourself musing about something, are you in thrall of the Muses of ancient Greece? Is that where music comes from, which we can use for amusement and which, in some forms, we might find bemusing? Well…no. It’s more complicated than that. Although some of the words above are related, others aren’t. The Continue reading
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Bric-a-brac
After living in one place for an extended time, even if they don’t technically qualify as “hoarders,” many people find themselves surrounded by bric-a-brac. Tchotchkies. Knick-knacks. Odds and ends. Ornaments. Items, in other words, that were very likely purchased in those inexplicable establishments that seem to exist simply to purvey purposeless paraphernalia: gift shops (or, Continue reading
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Gotham
“Gotham” has been a nickname for New York City since 1807, when Washington Irving used it in a magazine called Salmagundi. The magazine ran for 20 issues, and besides writing for it, Irving was also the publisher. The whole point of the publication was to satirize the city and everyone in it. The reason Irving Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate Bossypaws. I shouldn’t be surprised, but 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.
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peterharbeson@me.com