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Amok. Running, that is.
It’s either an idiosyncrasy of English, or possibly of human nature: the only way to arrive at being “amok” appears to be by running. It’s been like that ever since the 1600s: “Like a raging Indian..he runs amucke (as they cal it there) stabbing every man he meets.” The word comes from Malaysia. When the Continue reading
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Claude Shannon
A master’s thesis is not typically a work of entirely original research or scholarship, like a PhD dissertation. Instead, it’s supposed to demonstrate, well, “mastery” of a field. But every once in a while, a student writes a master’s thesis that’s original and even groundbreaking. That’s what Claude Shannon did, back in the late 1930s. Continue reading
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Not so hot
Hot is hot and cold is cold, and in the middle is “warm.” If you’re talking about certain things (a day or a slice of toast for example), “warm” is a word you’d be likely to use. But other things (for some reason, liquids; water or milk) you might use “lukewarm” even though they could Continue reading
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How soothing
If you visit a “soothsayer”, what you’re looking for is a prediction of the future. You might or might not find the prediction soothing — a word that comes from the same origins. “Sooth” is an ancient word meaning truth. It was originally Old English, and by the 1700s it was already archaic and obsolete. Continue reading
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John Stewart (Jack) Williamson
Have you noticed that there’s a certain cycle of “technological dangers” that for a while are probably going to end life as we know it — then something else comes along and the first one is mostly forgotten. Nuclear winter was one, nanotechnology was another, and the current existential threat and generator of countless essays Continue reading
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“Distress, dat dress, I’m distraught”
To be “canny” means being prudent or knowing about something. It originated in Scottish and in northern English dialects as a modification of the word “can,” as in “able to.” The word entered literary English in the 1600s and at first tended to be applied to Scots themselves. The common stereotype of Scottish people even Continue reading
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Not a beadle
A “beadle” used to be a minor official, particularly in England. The word has been around for centuries, although by now it’s mostly obsolete. In all that time it’s been used in various ways, from a “herald” — sort of a town crier who shouted out the latest news or proclamations — to a person Continue reading
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Charles Farrar Browne
If you enjoy comedy clubs, humor in general, and standup comedians in particular, you’ll be ready to celebrate today. It’s the 190th anniversary of Charles Farrar Browne, who’s considered to be the first standup comedian and was a well-known humorist in the 1800s. He was born Charles Brown, without the “e,” in a small town 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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