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Born today: Leo Tolstoy
We know him in English as Leo Tolstoy, but he would have been more familiar with “Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy. He was born September 9, 1828 in Russia, into an aristocratic family (hence the title “Count”). He’s regarded as one of the greatest writers — not just from Russia, and not just from the 1800s… Continue reading
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Grapefruit
Citrus fruit includes, among others, grapefruit. It’s obviously called a “grapefruit” because of how much it resembles a grape, right? Or maybe not… The grapefruit is relatively recent, as fruits go. It evidently showed up in Barbados in the 1700s as a naturally-occurring cross between oranges and a lesser-known fruit today called a “pomelo.” The… Continue reading
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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
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 newsletter, Artisanal Scribbles, where I’m grappling with writing, authentic human authorship, integrity, and the craft of beauty in the AI age. You can also find some of my old software projects at GitHub. Nothing very impressive. I mostly wrote tiny utilities in Python and shell scripts. I’m mostly retired from coding nowadays.
I find myself suddenly de-corporatized (their choice, not mine). To help keep the lights on, buy me a coffee!
Recent Posts
- How much is that doggie in the window?
- Hang on, I’m busy
- Sometimes it’s not an improvement
- Do not call your friend…
- Once more, into the breach
Categories
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Chocolatiana
Essays
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Immorality
Incompetence
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Tales from the Forest
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Contact
peterharbeson@me.com