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Oh good
If English had any consistency at all, we could talk about the relative merits of three options as being “good,” “gooder,” and “goodest.” Another consistent option might be “bett,” “better,” and“best.” But instead, as you’re well aware, what we have is “good,” “better,” and “best.” The word “good” has, in fact, the same root as Continue reading
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October 7
Railroads are older than you think. That’s because when we think of railroads, we naturally envision a locomotive (diesel, electric, or steam powered) and railcars, all rolling on steel tracks. But what are the really essential parts of the system? Tracks, certainly, along with some kind of containers being conveyed along them in some way. Continue reading
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It might work
Raccoon was chatting with Sloth one morning when Squirrel skittered past. “G’morning, nice t’see ya, gotta run!” said Squirrel on his way by. Squirrel didn’t like to talk to Sloth — waiting for Sloth to finish saying anything made his tail twitch and he had to run up and down three trees afterward just to Continue reading
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A purse for your pocket
That thing that some people (even the late Queen Elizabeth) carry…is it a handbag, bag, purse, pouch, clutch, or something else? In fact it’s any of those, depending somewhat on where you live. “Pocketbook” originated in the 1600s, and at first actually meant a book you could fit in your pocket. It didn’t take long Continue reading
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Concinnity
When a craftsperson, artist, musician, or writer manages to fit a set of components together to make a congruous, harmonious whole, there used to be a word for it. Well, of course, there still are words for it — after all, I just used “congruous” and “harmonious.” And “consistency” and “elegance” could be added as Continue reading
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Born today: Yuknoom Yich’aak K’ahk
Many centuries ago, there were vibrant civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. When Europeans arrived, they destroyed the cultures — both purposefully and as a result of the new diseases they brought, which the indigenous people had no resistance to. Nowadays those civilizations are not as well remembered as ancient European and Asian cultures, partly because Continue reading
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October 6
Although it might seem like it’s been around forever, Instagram app was released exactly thirteen years ago today. It was available only for iPhones at first. An Android app came along two years later, along with a desktop version that works in a web browser. It appeared on Amazon Fire devices two years after that, Continue reading
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An Experiment Commences
Raccoon had spent hours making sure her house was safe from everything Hedgehog said she should worry about. She sat down in her favorite chair and sighed. Then she noticed Beaver’s book on the table beside her chair. The book that had the picture of the tree near Otter’s house. “Oh, right, that’s what I Continue reading
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Dulcarnon
A dulcarnon used to mean a difficult or impossible puzzle. But where that came from is quite a story. Chaucer wrote more than just The Canterbury Tales, and some of his other works are nearly as famous. He wrote “Troilus and Criseyde” around 1385 or so, for example. It’s a long poem that retells the Continue reading
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Atrabilious
It’s common to almost everyone that they figure out what they see, coming up with an explanation that seems reasonable, at least given what they know at the time. Before things like germs, viruses, and some of the actual processes operating in your body were discovered, people dreamed up any number of explanations for why 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