This gorgeous animation is about a cat in a box -- a very happy and very much alive cat. A devilcat, perhaps, but one that is nonetheless loved and indulged. (See here for an explanation of Schrödinger's Cat, quite another cat in a box.) It isn't the first Simon's Cat video I've posted on this … Continue reading A much happier cat than Schrödinger’s
Get over it: English is a living language
Recently, a press release from the Plain English Foundation crossed my desk at work and immediately snagged my attention. It was titled "Fugitive emissions" tops the list of 2011's worst words and highlighted such iniquities as Nicole Kidman's "gestational carrier" and the obfuscation "negative good" in relation to the effects of teeth whitening. Now, I would argue these are … Continue reading Get over it: English is a living language
Martha Tilston’s take on Wall Street
For those not familiar with folk music, it might be easy to assume that today's folk scene is entirely comprised of ancient dances and story ballads. Men and women in weird costumes jigging to the jolly sounds of fiddles and tin whistles... or the minstrel in the corner strumming a guitar and singing about the … Continue reading Martha Tilston’s take on Wall Street
The naming of cars
Another of my new year initiatives is to undertake Kristen Lamb's course for writers who blog. Its aim is to help our blogs be of interest to readers beyond other writers -- basically to encourage us to blog about topics other than writing. We're in the third week of the online course now, and it's … Continue reading The naming of cars
cool word: syzygy
This word is cool for two reasons: SYZYGY - has 3 Ys alternating, not to mention a Z. What an awesome scrabble word! SYZYGY - means 1. An alignment of three objects, for example, sun, moon, and earth during an eclipse. 2. A pair of related things. The first meaning is celestial so I love … Continue reading cool word: syzygy
An evocative word: darkle
Today I highlight a wonderful word that seems custom-made for the fantasy genre. Darkle verb tr., intr.: To make or become dark, indistinct, or gloomy; to be seen darkly. According to A.Word.A.Day, it's a back-formation from darkling (adv., a.: in the dark), from Middle English derkeling. Earliest documented use: 1819. As far as I can … Continue reading An evocative word: darkle
Ellen Gregory 