Pylimitics

"Simplicity" rearranged

  • AI strictly as a business

    This is a really interesting analysis of the business of AI models. It’s a pretty convincing argument that it’s a pretty bad business, for some very thoughtful reasons. Continue reading

  • A great disturbance in the force

    There’s something out of kilter about the way we use the word “kilter.” The word’s first appearance in print (in modern form) was around 1600. For about a century before that it was “kelter.” Both kilter and its immediate predecessor “kelter” mean “in good order or good condition.” But various dialects of English have had… Continue reading

  • November 30

    It’s November 30, which is not the day the gigantic Louisiana Purchase took place — that was the time in 1803 that the US purchased over 800,000 square miles of land from France, just about doubling the size of the country. But November 30, 1802 had something to do with the purchase, because it was… Continue reading

  • Grade inflation

    I’ve been noticing something for years, after (in order): What I’ve been noticing is that US education has been in decline for a long, long time. I managed to do well in school, but I’m not sure I could have been as successful in earlier decades because the material back then was more difficult and… Continue reading

  • Book ’em, Dan-O

    Back in the 1800s, the name “Maria” was roughly as common as it is today, but it was pronounced “mah-RYE-ah” instead of what’s common today, “mah-REE-ah.” We still use the old pronunciation, but only when the name is spelled with an “h:” “Mariah.” But if you were in New York City around the 1830s, and… Continue reading

  • Thanksgiving

    Holidays are really keen;Whole family’s home! I got whipped cream!Extra walks! It’s great! I mean,Today is cool but I’m no fool —There could still be sorrow…But there’s leftovers tomorrow! -Chocolate Continue reading

  • Humans

    Their rules are pedantic,Their feet are gigantic.Among their many epic fails,They’ve somehow gone and lost their tails. For all their talk of giant brainsIt’s hard to teach them woofs or yelpsIt’s a wonder how they still remain;That’s why they really need my help. In spite of what I once intendedI found some I’ve close-befriended;We like… Continue reading

  • November 29

    Today is the anniversary of the day that Enos, the only chimpanzee to orbit the earth, was launched aboard Mercury-Atlas 5 in 1961. It was the final rehearsal of the Mercury program before John Glenn’s orbital flight. Enos completed two orbits, then his capsule reentered the atmosphere and splashed down in the Atlantic. Enos was… Continue reading

  • Habitual Habiliments

    The habitual habiliments of nuns are habits. “Habit”, meaning the uniform of a Catholic nun, is not related to the word “habiliment” (which means clothing), even though it sounds like it might be. Instead, a nun’s “habit” is short for “habitual” because they wear the same outfit all the time. You might wonder why the… Continue reading

  • November 28

    It seems like an unusual date to pick — November 28, 1895 — if only because November in Chicago isn’t known for having the most hospitable weather of the year. If you’re going to schedule an event that’s entirely outside, you might be tempted to lean toward, say, July or August. But no, that was… 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. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.

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