Today I Learned

In the late 1980’s I liked to collect “taglines” to include in my interactions with people. While these included many “pithy” statements...

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...

Stevie Wonder is one of those truly great artists whose music permeates our culture. I had never actually listened to the album “Songs...

You need to come up with something, so keep it simple. Even if it starts out with only six words, you can always add more later. ...

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...

Canadians have a reputation for being nice. I’d like to think it’s well-deserved, but it’s more of a notional goal than a day-to-day...

Yesterday, I sat down to start writing a post, and realized that I couldn’t think of anything to write about. Usually, I think of...

The film Highlander ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highlander_(film )) was enormously popular when it came out, as were several of the...

Recently, after I described the way I was approaching a project and its “ultimate goal”, a colleague laughed, and called me a dreamer. ...

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Chamber_of_Secrets ), there is a scene...

One of the key catch-phrases of the classic “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_t...

The phrase “full of sound sound and fury, signifying nothing” is part of one of the most famous soliloquies in the English language. It...

Risk ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_%28game%29 ) is one of those games that seems to endure. It’s a simple game, which is probably...

The start of school is often a busy time, but it gave me a bit of time to think about my high-school experience and led me back to...

This might look like a standard cup game, but it’s actually a very interesting test. I won’t spoil it for you – give it a try. ...

Well, the illustration above IS normal, but that’s actually a bit unusual. It’s “normal” to assume that everyone has the same...

When one thinks about blood, one of the most obvious connections will probably be to vampires, especially if you are a fan of horror...

We have endless opportunities to learn, if only we take them. I recently commented on the survival of the learner (...

Back in the dark ages, before the World Wide Web, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and films were actual film and played on film...

In the classic Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2 Century ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Dodgers_in_the_24%C2%Bdth_Century ), Duck Dodgers...