Today I Learned

Words are weird. The word “weird” is a particularly weird word. Aside from the spelling, the way it has been used is hard to pin down,...

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...

It’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...

When the COVID-19 pandemic began (need to be specific here, to avoid confusion ...), I recall a lot of people emphasizing the need to...

“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...

Who’d have thought that music could be political? Or that musicians might have political views? Let’s take the song Killing in the Name ...

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...

It’s been a while, but the Latin plural should be “Linuces” ( 3 rd declension noun ), but don’t worry – I won’t use that. Non-technical...

The Greek philosopher Diogenes is famous for carrying a lantern during the day, claiming he was “searching for an honest man”. Yet...

“Why can’t we all just get along?” This was the question asked by the incomparable Jack Nicholson in Mars Attacks! Nicholson’s...

“That is the question!” Or is it? The problem with many questions nowadays lies in the motivations behind the asking. By quoting out of...

M. C. Escher has always been one of my favourite artists. From the moment I first saw his work (I think it might have been Waterfall ),...