Oct 166 min readWelcome to the Rage Machine!One of my all-time favourite songs is Welcome to the Machine , by Pink Floyd. While the song appeared on the 1975 album Wish You Were...
Oct 95 min readRasputinIt’s been more than two years since I last posted, so I’m trying to remember which buttons to press to make this happen. Life has a...
Jul 24, 20223 min readJellies!When the COVID-19 pandemic began (need to be specific here, to avoid confusion ...), I recall a lot of people emphasizing the need to...
Jun 26, 20224 min readMove the Earth!“Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth” “δῶς μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω” Archimedes is described as a mathematician,...
Jun 5, 20223 min readApathy!As I have noted before, I tend to avoid politics as a primary focus of my writing. But this last Ontario election worries me quite a...
May 23, 20223 min readThe Plural of Linux!It’s been a while, but the Latin plural should be “Linuces” (3rd declension noun), but don’t worry – I won’t use that. Non-technical...
Apr 3, 20224 min readThe Wall!#TIL that the iconic image of the album cover for the famous album The Wall was not actually the original cover. In fact, the text “Pink...
Mar 27, 20224 min readAll in this Together!When I write, I sometimes have a topic in mind, and look for an interesting way to introduce it. This time, I ended up going down an...
Mar 20, 20224 min readTrust The Science!“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” A vastly amusing quote from Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, about which I will, erm, make...
Mar 6, 20222 min readNot a plumber!The great John Cleese describes the Dunning-Kruger Effect in a brilliantly concise way which is vastly entertaining. Brilliant!...
Feb 27, 20224 min readSchool!Over the decades, the way we listen to music has changed, and it’s interesting to wonder about the implications of those changes. Prior...
Feb 13, 20225 min readMoo!A farmer asked a physicist to help him figure out how to increase milk production. After gathering data and studying the problem, the...
Feb 6, 20226 min readLingua Franca!Recently, I was listening to an old episode of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, (actually, episode 803, dated 28-Nov-2020), in which...
Jan 30, 20224 min readMajor GeneralistIt’s interesting that everyone needs to come up with their own “process” for writing. And, while there are certain common elements, each...
Jan 23, 20224 min readWe go Wayback!Mr. Peabody (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Peabody) is a figure whose influence is truly incalculable. For any not familiar with...
Jan 9, 20224 min readI think I want a new keyboard!While thinking about a topic for this post, I listened to a podcast I had not previously included in my online playlist...
Dec 12, 20214 min readThe Haywain!In the late 1980’s I liked to collect “taglines” to include in my interactions with people. While these included many “pithy” statements...
Dec 5, 20214 min readWhen it hits the fan!I’ve heard a number of people say that they “don’t like X”, only to discover that their only exposure has been some “pop culture” version...
Nov 14, 20214 min readWhat a Jerk!Everyone knows what a jerk is. And everyone knows someone who is a jerk. But why? Why are some people jerks? Or rather, why do we...
Oct 24, 20214 min readA Kind of Magic!The film Highlander (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film)) was enormously popular when it came out, as were several of the...