I’m connected with Ulysses Grant because he read Mark Twain’s “Innocents Abroad,” and so have I. (He read it while traveling through the same areas that Twain had written about. I love the idea of doing that, but I’ve often found that I’ve read the appropriate book months after, or before, getting to the place […]
Unique and Monique
We all know that words often change meaning over time. No one expects “answer” to mean “swear in response” as it did in Old English. But while they’re in flux, those who know a word’s original meaning usually consider it wrong to use it differently. Time goes on and either the new meaning becomes acceptable […]
Science in the Simpsons
Interview about science and the greatest show humanity has ever produced.
In Defense of Ear Plugs
I have a baby, who cries at night. She cries because she needs to be fed. In our house, the baby eats nothing but breast milk, so I can’t actually feed her without dipping into the precious supply of refrigerated (or frozen) breast milk we have on hand so that my wife can occasionally be […]
How Dare You Say Tushy in My House!
I would have thought that polite society goes only one way, which is down. That is, that over the years, more offensive words are allowable as people become used to them. For example, when I was growing up, no one said “ass” on tv, unless very specifically referring to a donkey. It just wasn’t done. […]
Shocking Truth
I’m as surprised as you are, but I returned the Sony Reader and asked for my money back. Amazing but true. In other news, I’ve just started reading “The Mighty and the Almighty,” by Madeleine Albright. Regardless of her politics, I think we can all agree that she’s smart, that she’s thought a lot about […]
Another Day in the Frontal-ZZZZZZzzzzz
Not long ago, I posted about a book that wasn’t written very well, but was so compelling in its content that all was forgiven. Unfortunately, I followed it up with one that more or less misses the mark. “Another Day in the Frontal Lobe,” by Katrina Firlik, sounds like an interesting read. Firlik is a […]
Why Haven't You All Bought This Set?
Shakespeare. Seriously. Under 90 bucks and free shipping for 38 little hardback books with ribbon markers. The books are solid and workman-like, not frilly, and they have good introductions, good notes, and are such an incredible bargain ($2.36 a book!) that I don’t understand why everyone hasn’t ordered them. Especially if you have smallish kids, […]
Two Nifties
Nifty number 1: The Sony Reader. I actually posted something about this a while back, but now I have one in my hot little hands. It’s really great at what it does. That is, it replaces the many pounds of cloth and glue and paper that you’d need to carry around in order to have […]
Maggots and More
Just finished reading Death’s Acre, all about the “Body Farm,” (which is the world’s only facility dedicated to understanding how human bodies decompose), and how the information gleaned from that facility has helped to solve crimes. It’s written by the founder of the body farm, Bill Bass, and a journalist co-writer. If you can handle […]