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Is it really all about fear?
At emptywheel, Ed Walker posted an interesting essay about why so many people voted for “a revolting bag of guts [who] has no integrity, no loyalty to the Nation or anyone besides himself, and no reason to want to be president other that personal gratification and staying out of jail.” He turned to Rousseau, who Continue reading
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Reverse Robin Hood, revisited
Kevin Drum summarizes Republican taxation plans: cut taxes for the rich and pay for it by cutting benefits for people in the middle-class and lower economic tiers. This seems to have been the only idea Republicans have had for the last half-century. Maybe longer; I’m not an historian; I’m just old enough to remember Reagan Continue reading
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The most important meal of the day
Breakfast is my favorite meal,but first I have a job.My first task is to wake my friend;the one who does doorknobs. Our first inspection? My back yardI check that it’s all fine.Then back inside and in a flashA breakfast dish is mine. My friend does silly human stuff;“Coffee” he will say.It doesn’t matter much to Continue reading
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A Sunday drive
In the early days of automobile design, none of the standards we’re used to had emerged yet, even the most basic ones. Most very early cars didn’t have steering wheels. you steered them with a lever, which was called a “tiller.” English has two “tiller” words. The first has to do with farming; a tiller Continue reading
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MIT center for constructive communication
I never heard of the MIT center for constructive communication before today. It’s associated with the Media Lab, and has a “commitment to reach both within and beyond academia to work closely with locally based organizations to launch pilot programs focused on building a culture of listening and dialogue that promotes a sense of shared Continue reading
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This post costs you nothing
Just to show that it isn’t just obscure words that have interesting stories… Back in the 900s if you asked someone for “bread” in the British Isles, you’d either get a random piece of some kind of food or a blank stare. The word “bread” was rarely used at that time, and didn’t mean what Continue reading
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Never give up
Those squirrels are annoyingwith their chatter and their scoldsI always try to catch themjust to see the chase unfold. I’ve tried before —so far I’ve missed.But I won’t stop;I’m an optimist! -Chocolate Continue reading
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Even marketing gurus sometimes get it
From Seth Godin:“Marketing puffery: • Burns trust• Puts strain on your customer service team• Often causes users to make bad choices• Teaches your loyal customers not to believe you• Generates negative word of mouth• and it can even lead to lawsuits“ Seth Godin definitely qualifies as a “marketing guru!” Continue reading
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It was that left turn at Albuquerque
If you were to delve into ancient books and texts you might fairly often run across a stylistic quirk in the way they were laid out. Choosing artistic presentation over legibility, many old manuscripts would print alternate lines of text in opposite directions. That is, the first line might start at the left and proceed Continue reading
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Just a spoon full of of sugar…🎶
What people in the US call “molasses” is called “treacle” in England; it’s the same stuff. The word “treacle”, though, has the more interesting history. The original form of the word was “triacle,” and at first it mean an antidote to a snake bite. It came from the Greek word “theriake,” which also meant an 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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