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August 11
If you do the (tedious, but straightforward) math converting a base 20 numbering system to base 10, then count backwards, then interpolate different calendar systems (which have changed regularly over the centuries), you eventually arrive at August 11, 3114 BCE in the Gregorian calendar. Exactly 5,135 years ago today. Technically that’s the “proleptic” Gregorian calendar, Continue reading
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Party, games
Around the mid 1600s somebody in Scotland thought it would be fun to organize a group into two teams, get a ball, give everybody a curved stick to hit the ball with, and make a game of it. It was a little like field hockey, but that’s not what they called it. What they did Continue reading
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August 10
August 10 provides a good object lesson in how fast the world works now compared to the 1700s. It was July 4, 1776 that the British colonies in North America issued the Declaration of Independence. But the anniversary of the news finally reaching England is today, August 10. The phrase “breaking news” didn’t even exist Continue reading
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The vile file
In ancient Rome they used the word “vilis” to mean worthless or cheap. In the mid 1200s the word, which had become part of Old French, entered English (Middle English at the time) as “vile.” In English it came to mean worse than just lack of economic value; it acquired a moral aspect and tended Continue reading
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August 9
On August 9, 1899, Pamela Lyndon Goff was born in Queensland, Australia. She grew up to be an actress, and used the stage name “Pamela Lyndon Travers” because her family objected to her acting career. She was pretty good, though, and joined a traveling Shakespearean acting company in Australia. From there she moved to England, Continue reading
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A mint-condition, late-model castle
If you mention a “surprise” without a lot of other context, most people take it with a generally positive implication. They might think of a gift, a party, or something else that appears unexpectedly. But the main point is that nowadays a surprise is often a good thing. Surprisingly enough, this was not always the Continue reading
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Paul Dirac
People love a good prediction. One of the most important features of a scientific theory is that it can predict the results of experiments nobody has yet performed. Even though there isn’t much of a testable theory behind it, lots of people still read daily astrology columns— and a finalist for yesterday’s birthday person was Continue reading
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August 8
The Wright Brothers made their first flight on August 8 in 1903. Only five people were there to see it. Their first plane, the Flyer I, only flew that one day, and then a gust of wind flipped it over and wrecked it. All they had was a photograph and the reports of the handful Continue reading
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Fend for yourself
Most people in the modern world see a lot of fenders every single day. Cars, after all, have four of them, and bikes often have one or two. But even assuming that the average American sees approximately 2,500 different cars every day, which would add up to 10,000 fenders, that’s not all the fenders you Continue reading
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Kith and kin
“Daughters, brothers, sisters, kith and kin,” wrote George Byron in 1824. “Kith and kin” is an expression that’s still in occasional use, although it’s in decline. And it’s been around for centuries. It’s pretty common knowledge that “kin” means family, but what about “kith”? “Kith” comes from Old English, and back then it meant “knowledge.” Not 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