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August 2
Subway trains are older than you might think. It was August 2, 1870 that the first one opened. It was in London, and would take you on a 1300 foot journey under the Thames, near the Tower of London. In 1870, of course, there weren’t any electric trains yet (although they were very, very close… Continue reading
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August 1
Today, August 1, would be a good day to have shredded wheat for breakfast. Why? Because August 1, 1893, is the day Henry Perky opened up an exhibit at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago to show off his “little whole wheat mattresses.” His original idea was that he’d sell the machines he’d come up… Continue reading
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Born Today: Elisha Gray
Everybody knows that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone — except that two years before Bell demonstrated his, Elisha Gray had a working prototype. The music synthesizer is usually attributed to Robert Moog, who showed his in 1964. But Elisha Gray demonstrated one in 1864. He also invented a version of the first fax machine… Continue reading
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A dizzying story
Quite a long time ago — about a thousand years, in fact — if you lived in the British Isles and did something foolish, you’d be called “dusilec,” or “dyslíc.” That’s a word that’s been obsolete for quite a long time too, so long that one of its derivatives doesn’t even make sense to us… Continue reading
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Ultracrepidarian
Dislike a journalist, website, or publication because of their political commentary? If you write a review, try to beat this: “His Journal, then, is a depository for every species of political sophistry and personal calumny. There is no abuse or corruption that does not there find a Jesuitical palliation or a bare-faced vindication. There we… Continue reading
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What’s all the fuss about?
Magpie surveyed the meadow from her perch on a branch on Hare’s tree. Beaver and Raccoon were just finishing the decorations, the Deer family were trimming the grass here and there, and Hare was loading up tables with all manner of snacks. Dog trotted in from the path with Ferret riding on her back. “Hello,… Continue reading
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Calendar – Does anybody really know what day it is?
Months are a mess. That is, the names of months are a mess. For instance, “September”, the ninth month, comes from the Latin root “sept-“, meaning seventh. Not only that, but “October” should be the eighth month, “November” the ninth, and “December” the tenth. The names we use for months come from Latin, and as… Continue reading
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Born today: Claudius
There’s a surprising birthday recorded on August 1: Claudius, the Roman Emperor (his full name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus). It’s surprising because Claudius was born in 10 BCE, and it’s extremely unusual to have a record of an individual’s birth from that long ago. The second reason why it’s surprising is that Claudius… Continue reading
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The Engine in your Motorcar
There are cars powered by gasoline, and they have engines. Then there are cars powered by electricity, and they have motors. A hybrid car, of course, has both a gas engine and an electric motor. The difference can’t just have to do with the fuel, because if you have a small boat, you can attach… Continue reading
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Everything is turned up to 11
Does it seem to you like people are right about at their limit of annoyance lately? It sure seems that way to me. Screaming at one another, completely losing their composure on airplanes, in stores, and for that matter, nearly wherever they happen to be. Not to mention shooting one another, which is getting more… 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