The Deadly Nyms
Acronyms, not to be confused with antonyms, synonyms, aptronyms, autonyms, tautonyms or pseudonyms, which I might need after this post, are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in…
It All Adds Up. (Discounts, too.)
August 21, 1888. William S. Burroughs patents the first successful adding machine. His first calculating machine (1885), had proved to be commercially impractical, but this ’88 model brought him closer.…
The Second Pioneer
It was April 24, 1777, and Daniel Boone was in big trouble. About 100 Indians ambushed him outside Boonesborough. A gunshot wound broke his leg. As a Shawnee raised his…
Boomtown to Ghost Town
In the 19th century it was home to Mexico's richest silver mine, boasting its own mint and a population of 15,000. When the price of silver fell steeply at the…
A Satchel Full of Steamers
You'll recall our recent interview with singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault in which he talked with us about his new album, Blood Brothers. If you missed the interview, you can read it here. Jeffrey…
Getting to Be a Habit
Other people's working habits are always fascinating. I can sit and read about them for hours. Aristotle said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is therefore not an act…
Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
"Leander, Leander, Leander," cried the British. "Harvard, Harvard, Harvard," answered the Americans. The 1914 Harvard Second Varsity Eight nosed across the finish line ahead of the vaunted British club with…
Counting the Minutes
"I just have a few things." Portuguese Proverb: “Visits always give pleasure—if not the arrival, the departure.” "Hospitality is making your guests feel at home, even if you wish they…
Between Points A and B.
Behold the beauty of maps. Utilitarian, certainly. But beyond that: works of art. The best objects in life can whop you with a double-whammy of usefulness and beauty. A sleek…
July 3, 1776
A storm, the previous day, had broken a spell of humid days. It was mercifully cooler. Although not so much indoors, where the Second Continental Congress was meeting in the…