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September 9
September 9 is memorable in quite a few ways. In the annals of monarchy, it’s the day in 1543 that Mary Stuart crowned “Queen of Scots.” She was only 9 months old at the time. Then a mere 472 years later, Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning monarch of the UK. She was only 89 years Continue reading
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Continuity
When I was about three years old we lived in a little ranch house on a cul-de-sac. We were right at the end, and our driveway opened onto the round paved end of the street. There was no through or cross traffic, and I was allowed to ride my tricycle there. But it was down Continue reading
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Sloth Arrives. Somehow.
Squirrel was astonished, one morning, to meet someone new in the branches of her home tree. He — or possibly she — was hanging upside down from a sizable limb, apparently asleep. Squirrel stared for a few moments, then started to jump past, thinking he’d come back later when the strange visitor woke up. “Good Continue reading
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Foretellomancy
Many people are so eager to think that they know what the future holds that they’ll seize on almost anything that they believe — or at least hope — holds a promise of divination. Many other people are so eager to take advantage of that first group that they’ll seize on almost that they believe Continue reading
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Nerds and Geeks
There are lots of people today who proudly (or at least happily) describe themselves as nerds, geeks, or both. It’s quite a turnaround, because both words used to have somewhat negative connotations. They’ve also tended to converge in meaning, so that it’s not really clear what the difference is, if any (and if you’re about Continue reading
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Born today: Samuel McLaughlin
Have you ever noticed that automobiles, which at this point are very well understood technology, are manufactured by relatively few companies? Not only that, but they’re based in relatively few nations. There are American, Japanese, German, Italian, Chinese, and Indian cars, but why, for instance, aren’t there any Canadian automobile companies? The answer is that Continue reading
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September 8
Today is not the “Day of the Workers in the Oil, Gas, Power, and Geological Industry” — a national holiday in Turkmenistan. It’s celebrated on the second Saturday in September, so you’ve still got time to stock up for your party. Turkmenistan is a bit unique in having various “professional holidays” — there’s one for Continue reading
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Bohemian
Word of the day: Bohemian As early as the 1500s there were groups of people in England who spoke their own language and lived nomadically, preferring not to settle in existing towns or villages. They looked a bit different from most people too; clearly they had come from somewhere else. Possibly because these people didn’t Continue reading
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Abditory
I found this information in an abditory. If this were written in Latin, that would be “abditorium,” which is the source of “abditory.” The word has been around since at least 1658, when it was used by somebody known only as J Robinson in a publication called “Endoxa:” “In the center of the kernel of Continue reading
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Born today: Georges-Louis Leclerc
In centuries past, when Europeans began to emerge from a long period of (self-imposed) ignorance and a few thought leaders started to report findings based on actual observations and experiments rather than religious dogma, church officials took a dim view of the whole thing. Whether because they enjoyed the positions of power they had, or 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