On Receiving a Calendar

I received in the mail today a package I was not expecting. It was the Colonial Williamsburg 2010 Wall Calendar. I’ve been contributing to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation for a few years now, even though it’s someplace I’ve never been, though I’ve always meant to go. They produce a nice history magazine, and I enjoyContinue reading “On Receiving a Calendar”

On Reading and Writing, but Not Arthmetic

We’ll start with reading. A few weeks ago, on TrekBBS, novelist Greg Cox recommended in a discussion about alternate histories, a series by Harry Harrison and Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey (writing as John Holm) — The Hammer and the Cross. The premise? The Norse religions put up more of a fight against Christianity in theContinue reading “On Reading and Writing, but Not Arthmetic”

On Glenn Beck’s Common Silliness

Recently, out of curiosity (though a friend of mine called it “masochism”), I read one of Glenn Beck’s books — Glenn Beck’s Common Sense. In some respects, I live in a bubble, and I will say that my knowledge of Beck is nil, or very nearly so. I know he’s a Fox News personality ofContinue reading “On Glenn Beck’s Common Silliness”

On The Writer’s Almanac

The Writer’s Almanac. It’s a public radio program distributed by American Public Media that appears on some NPR stations. Garrison Keillor spends about five minutes reading poetry, talking about interesting facts about the day in history, talking about writers who were born and died on the day in question. I like the program. But IContinue reading “On The Writer’s Almanac”

On Health Care Reform and the Debate

Can we invoke Godwin’s Law on the protestors railing against health care reform? We have cases such as these: A woman in Massachusetts compares reform to Nazism and holds up a sign of President Obama with a Hitler-esque mustache, prompting Representative Barney Frank to ask her what world she lives in and compare speaking withContinue reading “On Health Care Reform and the Debate”

On xkcd and the Voynich Manuscript

Today’s xkcd webcomic is about the Voynich Manuscript. No one’s really sure what it is, except that it’s a guidebook of sorts to Europe of the High Middle Ages. It’s written in no known language, using no known alphabet, and it’s illustrated at length. Judging by the illustrations it covers a wealth of scientific knoweledge,Continue reading “On xkcd and the Voynich Manuscript”

On Galileo’s Birthday

Four hundred and forty-five years ago today, Galileo was born. One of the leading scientists of the early modern period, Galileo pioneered the use of the telescope, championed the Copernican heliocentric system, and was considered the father of modern science. I received a few days ago a NASA press release — 2009 has been namedContinue reading “On Galileo’s Birthday”

On Today’s Birthdays

Today, two hundred years ago, Charles Darwin was born. The man who formulated the theory of natural selection. Also, two hundred years ago today, across an ocean, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was born. When I was growing up in the Shenandoah Valley, my schoolbus carried me every day past theContinue reading “On Today’s Birthdays”

On the End of the Beginning

For a few months now, I’ve been referring to tomorrow’s inauguration of a new President by quoting Gerald Ford’s famous phrase from his address to the nation upon taking the office at Nixon’s resignation — “Our long national nightmare is over.” But that’s not exactly true. George Bush will be leaving office tomorrow at NoonContinue reading “On the End of the Beginning”