Where nothing has a place

The Joseph Smith Papers -- Impressions and Reflections No. 3

2009-10-11T16:00:00.002-07:00

The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Vol. 1, 1832 -1839 (JSP Journals Vol. 1) has an exhaustive editorial method of interrelating all of the documents and marking the writer of each portion of the documents. Joseph Smith used a number of scribes, some of whom wrote in their own words. Only a minor portion of the text originally appeared in Joseph Smith's own handwriting. In considering those

Listen to the words

2009-10-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Then you will know where nothing has a place.

The Joseph Smith Papers -- Impressions and Reflections No. 2

2009-10-04T11:14:00.002-07:00

One of the unique features of The Joseph Smith Papers publications is the simultaneous publication of the documents online on the Joseph Smith Papers Project Website. The Rights and Use Information for the Website is extremely restrictive. Even as a practicing attorney, I had to think for some time about whether or not to even comment on the publications in fear of violating the restrictions. I

The Joseph Smith Papers -- Impressions and Reflections No. 1

2009-10-04T08:17:00.005-07:00

One of the dominating trends of modern historical research is the refreshing trend towards reliance on primary source material, such as diaries, letters, interviews, speeches, photographs, census records, newspaper and magazine articles written at the time of an event. See "Finding Primary Source Materials for History", University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, Anderson Library. See also, "Using

2009-09-23T05:42:00.001-07:00

The Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations: Manuscript Revelation Books by Dean JesseeMy rating: 5 of 5 starsThis is probably the most fabulous book first printed in my lifetime.View all my reviews >>

Mormons Made Simple -- Attending a Mormon Church Service

2009-09-18T18:59:00.001-07:00

The Internet Safety Wiki

2009-08-30T10:29:00.002-07:00

The Internet Safety Wiki is described on their Website as follows:How Does the Wiki Work? Want to find out what Twitter is all about? Not sure exactly what "sexting" is? We recommend that you start by typing a word or phrase into the search bar. From the initial page on any given topic--cyberbullying, spyware, Facebook, you name it--you'll be taken to a concise definition of the term with a brief

Sculpture on the head of a pin

2009-08-30T10:12:00.003-07:00

Since I am so uncoordinated and my hands shake, I really appreciate people who can do very small things that require a lot of manual dexterity. Here is a modern example of the old tradition of minature sculptures. Link to sculpture gallery.The artist is Willard Wigan. His work can be seen at the My Little Eye Gallery in London, across from the British Museum.

The Ninth Temple -- A Light in the Desert

2009-08-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

The ninth temple: A light in the desert Mesa, Arizona, 1927 to 2002, seventy-five years by Evan T PetersonA really good history of the Mesa, Arizona Temple.View all my reviews >>

If I had a favorite...

2009-08-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

It would include:Not that it matters to anyone but me.

Collection of online resources for astronomers

2009-08-17T21:24:00.003-07:00

Cnet News Webware had a recent article outlining several online resources aimed at the amateur astronomer (their characterization). In fact, there are a huge number of online resources, some of which can hardly be called amateur.Interestingly, the list did not refer you to Astronomy.com, the Website for the Astronomy magazine. This site has news, video, blogs, podcasts, forums and a store. It

Fully 100% of Mormons Believe in God

2009-07-26T21:09:00.003-07:00

A survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, found that, "Fully 100% [of Mormons] say they believe in God or a supreme being, which is higher than among any other religious group. Moreover, nine-in-ten Mormons (90%) are absolutely certain in this belief. A similar proportion (91%) sees God as a person with whom one can have

Mormon Channel now on Facebook and Twitter

2009-07-19T20:19:00.002-07:00

The Mormon Channel is now on Facebook and Twitter. You can receive the latest updates and share your thoughts and ideas with them.

The Feynman Lectures on Microsoft Research

2009-07-18T14:34:00.002-07:00

Seven famous lectures given by Richard Feynman at Cornell University in 1964 are now completely available on the Microsoft Research Website as part of Project Tuva. Richard Feynman "was an American physicist known for the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as work in

Deseret Book outlets to carry LDS Church Distribution items

2009-07-15T19:06:00.001-07:00

In an article featured in the Deseret News for July 15, 2009, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that six Deseret Book stores will begin distributing curriculum products and temple-clothing products. The locations are in downtown Salt Lake City; Ogden; St. George; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Las Vegas; and the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, Ore.The article states:Current pricing

Mormon Urban Legend Website

2009-07-15T14:54:00.002-07:00

From hitchhiking Nephites to the LDS Church owning Coca Cola, HolyFetch.com is a site dedicated to either confirming or exploding the myths of Mormonism. In reading through the offerings, except for the supposedly famous people who are supposed to be Mormons, who I have never heard of, most of the legends are pretty familiar stories, some of which I have heard since I was a teenager.It appears

MIT developes fabric that can take pictures

2009-07-08T06:28:00.002-07:00

Cloaking devices are on the way. The development of a new fibers which each can detect two frequencies of light, produced signals that when amplified and processed by a computer reproduced an image of a smiley face near the mesh.This may not sound like much, but it is suggested that the technology, if developed further, could give a soldier a uniform that would help him see threats in all

LDS Edition of the Holy Bible in Spanish

2009-07-07T19:49:00.002-07:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the publication of the Santa Biblia [Holy Bible] in Spanish. The scriptural portion of the text is based on the 1909 edition of the Reina-Valera Bible used by the LDS missionaries and by Church members for years. The Church notes that the text "underwent a very conservative revision, focusing on modernizing some of the outdated grammar

The Josesph Smith Papers

2009-07-07T19:32:00.002-07:00

The Joseph Smith Papers is an important scholarly project to publish all of the extant documents either authored by Joseph Smith or a member of his staff under his direction. This project has been endorsed by the National Archives' National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). All of the documents that meet the standards of the Project will be published both electronically and

Digitization of the oldest Greek Biblical text

2009-07-06T17:56:00.003-07:00

Quoting from the Website of Codex Sinaiticus:Codex Sinaiticus is one of the most important books in the world. Handwritten well over 1600 years ago, the manuscript contains the Christian Bible in Greek, including the oldest complete copy of the New Testament. Its heavily corrected text is of outstanding importance for the history of the Bible and the manuscript – the oldest substantial book to

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Facebook

2009-07-04T22:42:00.002-07:00

LDS Media Talk announces that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons or LDS) is developing pages for Facebook. Preliminary pages have been created including:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on FacebookLDS Newsroom (facebook.com/LDSNewsroom)Liahona magazine (facebook.com/liahona.magazine)Ensign magazine (facebook.com/ensign.magazine)New Era magazine (facebook.com/

You are the new day

2009-06-29T20:45:00.001-07:00

Just some positive thoughts.I will love you more than meand more than yesterdayIf you can but prove to meyou are the new daySend the sun in time for dawnLet the birds all hail the morningLove of life will urge me sayyou are the new dayWhen I lay me down at nightknowing we must payThoughts occur that this night mightstay yesterdayThoughts that we as humans smallcould slow worlds and end it alllie

Teens and the media

2009-06-29T18:12:00.002-07:00

Common folklore has the average teenager glued to the video game and online all day. Apparently, reality is that teens are just like their parents except less so. In a recent Nielsen study, the conclusion was that teens are pretty normal in their media usage. The key findings are as follows:Teens are NOT abandoning TV for new media: In fact, they watch more TV than ever, up 6% over the past

Mormon Myths

2009-06-24T14:40:00.002-07:00

Polygamy, black suits, avenging angels, oh my! Myths about the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are rampant. Despite a huge media relations department and tons of TV advertising, the average person still has some pretty strange ideas about the Church members. First and foremost, under most circumstances you would be hard pressed to identify good church members

What mite happen to you

2009-06-21T14:45:00.004-07:00

Wikipedia A microscopic mite Lorryia formosa.One thing is certain, if you walk out into the grass and/or weeds in the mid-west in early summer you will get chigger bites. OK so now I have five or six intensively uncomfortable itchy bites, so what do I do? Look them up in Wikipedia of course. What do I find out?Well, to start with, chiggers are the larval stage of trombiculid mites.Wikipedia Adult

Mormon Channel iPhone App Now Available

2009-06-20T10:30:00.002-07:00

In an announcement on LDS Media Talk, the following was made:I am pleased to report that the free Mormon Channel iPhone application is now available. This application allows iPhone users to tune into content being broadcast on the Mormon Channel, as well as listen to audio recordings of General Conference addresses, magazine articles, and the Church’s standard works. This application also works

Time travel and robots

2009-06-20T07:30:00.003-07:00

Two of the dominant themes of science fiction are no closer than when they were first envisioned years and years ago. As it turns out reading old science fiction is usually mildly amusing because of the "modern" perspective. There are certain things that the science fiction writers consistently get wrong.Think of the movie and the book, "2001," now think about the difference between the space

iPod saves life of girl struck by lightning

2009-06-19T14:27:00.003-07:00

This is not an urban legend (yet). A girl in England was standing under a tree, holding hands with her boyfriend, when she was struck by lightning. Her name is Sophie Frost of Southend-on-Sea, England. Although she remembers nothing about the incident, doctors (whoever) say that she survived because she had her iPod headphones hanging around her neck. However, it is lucky she wasn't actually

Apple iPhone to get new video and new operating system

2009-06-13T17:11:00.002-07:00

Apple is upgrading both the operating system and and the hardware with the new iPhone 3G S. The phone, which is currently beginning to be available, now comes with a 3 megapixel camera and can shoot video at 30 fps at VGA (640x480). Users can also share videos e-mail, MMS, Apple's MobileMe service, and YouTube.In keeping with Apple's graphic dominance, "people can "scrub" through a video--that is

New LDS Church History Library

2009-06-12T19:37:00.005-07:00

Opening of a new library is an event in our household. We have been known to take out-of-town visitors on a tour of the local public library as a treat. We are especially anxious to visit the new Church History Library of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. Not to be confused with the Family History Library, the new structure opened for the first visits on

The First Church of the Starbucks

2009-06-07T16:02:00.002-07:00

Somethings are so strange to me that I can hardly believe they are happening. Today I saw one of those things. Our local televangelist church now has a resident Starbucks. No, I did not make this up. They have a sign up in front of the church. This church advertises something for everyone and now, they are true to their word. Of course, as a Mormon who doesn't drink coffee for religious reasons,

Serious pornography problem with Microsoft Bing

2009-06-03T18:40:00.002-07:00

PLEASE PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO THOSE WHO MIGHT BE HARMED!Recent news articles have touted the new Microsoft search engine, Bing. Microsoft is committing a huge amount of resources to push its new product. However, there are some serious and dangerous drawbacks to Bing.In an article entitled "Parents beware: Bing previews video porn" cnet explains that "Microsoft's new Bing search engine has a

New Yorker cover created on iPhone

2009-06-02T21:12:00.002-07:00

This is an amazing video. All of the graphics for a New Yorker magazine cover created on an iPhone:Check it out. These days, all you need to create magazine cover-worthy artwork is an iPhone and Steve Sprang's $4.99 Brushes app. Oh, and insane talent.

I am David

2009-05-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

I Am David by Anne Holm My review rating: 5 of 5 starsOne of the best short novels I have ever read. View all my reviews.

Video on Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time

2009-05-29T20:05:00.001-07:00

Here is a message for our difficult times.

Major discovery made in LDS Church's First Presidency Vault

2009-05-27T13:28:00.002-07:00

In a Church News article dated May 22, 2009, Robert Woodford of the LDS Church History Department Joseph Smith Papers Project spoke to a plenary session of the Mormon History Association meeting in Springfield, Ill. and announced that among historical documents in possession of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) included the original manuscript of the

Waze -- the future of GPS

2009-05-23T08:37:00.001-07:00

A significant portion of the GPS market is aimed at day-to-day driving. An Israeli start-up company, Waze, is collecting real-time traffic and driving conditions data from its users. This appears to be the most useful of all of the traffic and mapping systems yet devised.The service is presently only available in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago and Boston in the U.S. The Waze system is

Google's Android competition to iPhone?

2009-05-22T13:41:00.002-07:00

As an iPhone user I am always interested to see what might end up being competition. Cnet ran an interview with Google's director of mobile platforms about the future of Google's Android. I circulate in a group of people that are always actively searching for newer and faster technology, especially if the innovations can increase productivity and make working easier. I wouldn't characterize

Legos go architectural -- Frank Lloyd Wright

2009-05-22T11:05:00.003-07:00

Lego Architecture(Credit: Lego)If I were Frank Lloyd Wright, (which fortunately I am not, because I would be dead) I don't know if I would be honored or insulted by the latest development in children's toys. Lego has introduced a line of architectural construction sets and has begun with a Lego Guggenheim and Falling Water House. The release comes in conjunction with fiftieth anniversary of the

Science Fiction -- more fiction than science

2009-05-20T18:59:00.001-07:00

I have been rereading some of the older science fiction stories. It is always interesting to see how the authors got a little bit right and a lot wrong. Almost uniformly SF writers overestimate both the pace and extent to which technology will change in the future. Orville's 1984 is a prime example. George Orwell's so-called vision of the future was very, very far off the mark. But even such

Happy 30th Anniversary to the first commercial video game

2009-05-19T14:30:00.003-07:00

As usual, Google give us insights into things we never knew we needed insights into. The first commercial video game was called Galaxy Game and was located in the Stanford Student Union. Here is the Wikipedia explanation of the game:The Galaxy Game is the earliest known coin-operated computer or video game. It was installed at the Tresidder Union at Stanford University in September, 1971, two

Top ten books searched on WorldCat

2009-05-18T14:58:00.003-07:00

WorldCat is the most extensive catalog of libraries in the world. It catalogs over 1 billion items in over 10,000 libraries. Each month they publish a list of the top twenty search items in the whole world. Here is the list of the top ten this month.You may note that Stephenie Meyer has three of the top ten books! Maybe I should try again to read one? Nope, answered that question real fast.

The Mormon Channel

2009-05-18T12:28:00.002-07:00

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new online radio service called the Mormon Channel.The content for the Mormon Channel comes many different sources. First, many of the programs come from the vast archives of the Church. Second, working with the various departments of the Church, a large number of new programs and series

No man has found pure space

2009-05-11T19:18:00.004-07:00

Until the early 1900s, many people still believed that the earth, or at least the solar system was at the center of the universe. It wasn't until the time of Howard Shapley, in the 1920s and after, that the true size and arrangement of the universe was generally accepted. It is claimed that Shapley was the first to appreciate the size of the Milky Way Galaxy. The history of science is full of

The name of this blog

2009-05-09T15:57:00.002-07:00

The title of this blog comes from an old hymn called "If you could hie to Kolob."1. If you could hie to Kolob In the twinkling of an eye, And then continue onward With that same speed to fly, Do you think that you could ever, Through all eternity, Find out the generation Where Gods began to be?2. Or see the grand beginning, Where space did not extend? Or view the last creation, Where Gods and

Worry items seriously questioned

2009-05-05T07:09:00.003-07:00

I spent a lot of time worrying about my last post and finally decided that I had really missed the essence of the the American psyche and its motivational worries. It was obvious to me, upon reflection that the list was way off. I had ignored the real causes of worry in our contemporary society. So after a sleepless fifteen or twenty minutes, I came up with an alternative list of the things

What me worry?

2009-05-04T21:08:00.003-07:00

Look after a couple of weeks of Swine Flu, I thought we might need something else to worry about for a while. So I have compiled a little list of things to worry about. There are thirty one of them, one for each day of the month. Now when you wake up in the morning you don't have to think, "What will I worry about today?" I have a list. All you do is post the list in a conspicuous place, like the

Lord of the Rings after forty-three years

2009-05-03T19:55:00.006-07:00

I first read Lord of the Rings about forty-three years ago. This book has been called one of the most popular and influential books of the 20th-century. Some time later, while I was in Panama, I found a copy of The Hobbit and read that also. I wish I could say that reading the books was a watershed time in my life, but at that time I found the books interesting and fairly long. Some of the parts

Red Planet and Tunnel in the Sky

2009-05-01T16:41:00.003-07:00

As near as I can tell, I started reading science fiction in 1954 or so. As I look back at the lists of books from various authors, I realize that not much had happened before that time. Robert Heinlein published his first novel, Rocket Ship Galileo, in 1947. By 1955, he had written 12 books, including the Red Planet and Tunnel in the Sky. If you thought that Star Gate was innovative, you probably

Happy Birthday Taliesin

2009-04-29T19:42:00.002-07:00

My life has seemed to be intertwined with Taliesin. When I was in the sixth grade, my very enlightened teacher sent three of her students, including me, to visit the Women's Club in downtown Phoenix. The speaker that day was Frank Lloyd Wright. I still remember his dramatic entrance in a long black coat with his flat looking black hat and his stunning white hair. I can't remember what he said,

A Pebble in the Sky -- the start of a journey unfinished

2009-04-28T14:16:00.003-07:00

In 1950 Isaac Asimov published his first novel, A Pebble in the Sky. I am not certain how I came about to have a copy of this book, but I first read the book in about 1954 or 1955. This was my introduction to the world of science fiction. From that time to the present, I have been a science fiction fan. During that time of my life, I would spend the entire summers reading books. Two or three

Scientists' study of TV's effects discredited

2009-04-27T07:37:00.002-07:00

The response to the extensive scientific study detailing the effects of watching TV were quickly questioned and discredited. After receiving a large sum of money from various cable TV suppliers and national networks, an equally prestigious study shows that despite the claims of the prior study, TV watching actually stimulates brain development in infants and teenagers. It is also reported, in a

Study shows TV softens brain tissue

2009-04-26T21:16:00.002-07:00

A recent study, conducted under the most stringent scientific conditions, concluded that more than two hours of watching TV a week tenderized the average brain. The study, conducted by real scientists, compared the brains of people who watched up to 168 hours of television a week to those who lived in remote cabins without electricity and were unable to watch TV. The brains of the TV watchers

My worst ever movies of all time

2009-04-25T15:19:00.005-07:00

There is no doubt that the worst movie I have ever suffered through was so bad it set the standard for all subsequent measures of poverty of expression. This movie is so bad that it doesn't even have site on Wikipedia. The movie was released by Universal Pictures in 1961 and it is called Tomboy and the Champ. I would love to link this title to a review, but no one, that is, no one at all on the

Dare I say, my top ten movies?

2009-04-21T15:13:00.003-07:00

One of my grandchildren asked me my favorite bird. I don't usually have favorites at all. Favorites show that you haven't had that much experience. My favorite is usually the next thing I see in that category. So my favorite bird is whatever is the next lovely bird I see, or flower, or book I read and so forth. I would only compile a list of the top ten (or ten thousand) for illustrative

Weirdward Experiences

2009-04-19T20:17:00.002-07:00

It is thirty miles from Holbrook to St. Johns, Arizona. Late one night, when I was very young, my father was driving his car from Holbrook, home to St. Johns. The roads at that time were very bad and the cars were 1950s cars, so you can imagine that the trip took considerably more time back then, than it does now. On that trip, my father and mother were talking to each other and suddenly they

Find diamonds in the United States?

2009-04-15T18:19:00.005-07:00

It is not generally known, but the United States has many profitable diamond producing sites. The huge consortium of diamond dealers, from Southern Africa have dominated the sale and advertising of diamonds for so long that there is almost no media coverage of the various diamond mines and possible locations throughout the United States.The most famous, if that term can be used, is near

Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise"

2009-04-11T15:08:00.001-07:00

Here it goes folks, you asked for it, you got it....He, he he he he

Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie

2009-04-11T08:21:00.002-07:00

Well, I got started on Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett I thought it would be a good thing to educate the less knowledgeable of my readers with a Nothing cultural exchange. Here it goes:If you loved that one, look at this:You can now see all of the culture you missed not growing up in the 50s.

Happy Birthday Jim Bowie

2009-04-10T20:50:00.003-07:00

Yes, all you Alamo fans, today is the birthday of James "Jim" Bowie born on April 10, 1796. Despite his impeccable Texas credentials, he was actually born in Kentucky and lived most of his life in Louisiana. When I was young, the school library had a selection of red library bound books on famous Americans. One of those was about Davy Crockett who also died in the Battle of the Alamo. The battle

History of the Refrigerator Magnet

2009-04-08T14:01:00.007-07:00

It is reported that the first refrigerator magnet patent was obtained by William Zimmerman of St. Louis, Missouri, in the early 1970s. Zimmerman patented the idea of small, colored, cartoon magnets to be used for decorative display and convenience. Wikipedia. The largest collection of refrigerator magnets was reportedly accumulated by Louise J. Greenfarb (apparently her real name), to quote from

Explosions as a plot element

2009-04-05T17:27:00.003-07:00

There seem to be few movies made lately that don't have at least one major explosion as part of the story. Fortunately, I don't have to watch too many movies because the vast majority are more objectionable than I will tolerate, but those I do watch seem to be fixated on explosions. Even movies that don't have anything to do with war or fighting seem to work in an explosion or two just to keep up

Running Free -- The New Milo and Otis

2009-04-04T07:20:00.002-07:00

Animal movies have always been a small but significant sector of the overall movie market. The pinnacle of animal movies has always been The Adventures of Milo and Otis. Released in 1986 in Japan and 1989 in the U.S., it has shaped the culture of the 3 to 5 year old market as no other picture. Move over Milo and give way Otis, we have another contender for the cutesy animal picture of the 21st

Nano Nano Layla

2009-04-03T18:24:00.002-07:00

It is nice to know that the billions of dollars spent by the U.S. research facilities are finally producing some really useful products. Introducing, the single nanotube radio that can actually detect and play songs. Yes, folks, you guessed it. An invisible radio. The Physics Department at the University of California, Berkeley has recorded Eric Clapton singing "Layla" for your benefit. You can

Happy Birthday Edmond Eugene Alexis Rostand

2009-04-01T06:00:00.001-07:00

When I was in high school, one of the highlights of the day was the lunch period. By my senior year we had quite a group of people who would eat lunch together each day. One thing I do remember is that we would quote poetry and sometimes plays. One of the favorite quotes from a play was from Cyrano de Bergerac. We all loved Cyrano and of course, Edmond Rostand.Probably one of the ironies of the

Fastest Barefoot Run on Ice and Why?

2009-03-31T07:40:00.002-07:00

In the never ending quest to be unique and establish a world record, Nico Surings of Eindhoven, Netherlands holds the world record for the fastest time to run 100 m barefoot on ice in 17.35 seconds. Now, all you runners, there has to be someone who can run the 100 m dash on ice in less than 17.35 seconds since the world record is down to 9.9 seconds. Come on, how much harder could it be to run

Garden

2009-03-29T19:29:00.002-07:00

The word above in the title is either a noun or a verb, take it as you wish. Gandhi said, "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves." Orson Scott Card said, "Unemployment is capitalism's way of getting you to plant a garden." There ought to be a lot of gardeners out there with unemployment reaching more than 10% in some states. Thomas Cooper said, "A garden is

Happy Birthday Thomas Clarkson

2009-03-28T14:45:00.003-07:00

Lest we forget that many great men gave their lives working for the good of others, it is important to remember men like Thomas Clarkson. A close associate of William Wilberforce, both men were instrumental in the abolution of slavery in the British Empire and ultimately in the United States.Amazing Grace, a film about Wilberforce and the struggle against the slave trade, directed by Michael

Hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian

2009-03-27T13:16:00.004-07:00

No, this word does not mean a four footed hippopotamus, what is does mean is pertaining to a very long word. Antidisestablishmentarianism is hippopotomonstrosesquipedalian, but is outdone by floccinaucinihilipilification by one letter. These words exist just so someone can use them to show that they know a very long word. Once you figure out that other than impress the illiterate they have few,

Floccinaucinihilipilification

2009-03-26T09:53:00.004-07:00

No I didn't make up this word. Yes, it really is a word and yes, it really has a meaning. Can I actually say this word? Would I use this word in casual conversation? Both of those are good questions. The Oxford English Dictionary defines floccinaucinihilipilification as "the action or habit of estimating as worthless."The first known written instance of floccinaucinihilipilification, as recorded

Enchanted

2009-03-26T06:59:00.002-07:00

Although the title sounds like a high society greeting, the movie Enchanted is quite a surprise. I would never put this Walt Disney production into a list of best movies, but it is pure entertainment and has all the qualities that make a movie enjoyable, that is, if you can make it through the first 10 or 15 minutes of animation. I had to literally grit my teeth to keep watching the film until

Family

2009-03-24T07:23:00.002-07:00

George Bernard Shaw said, "Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to this country and to mankind is to bring up a family." I would leave off the "perhaps." As concluded by Ariel and Will Durant, "The family is the nucleus of civilization." The only human organization that persists through eternity is the family. No matter what your worldly achievements, as President

Secondhand Lions

2009-03-21T15:01:00.003-07:00

Movies that strike a chord in our lives are few and far between. Most of the famous movies, touted as classics leave me cold. I am not a fan of Casablanca or the dissolute downward spiral of Toulouse-Lautrec in the old version of Moulin Rouge. What I do like is a movie with fabulous acting, great characters and a touching and somewhat sentimental storyline. One of my favorite movies of all time,

Adoxography

2009-03-20T13:02:00.002-07:00

Adoxography is a term coined in the late 19th century, and means "fine writing on a trivial or base subject." It was a form of rhetorical exercise “in which the legitimate methods of the encomium are applied to persons or objects in themselves obviously unworthy of praise, as being trivial, ugly, useless, ridiculous, dangerous or vicious” – see Arthur S. Pease, ‘Things Without Honor’, Classical

Happy Birthday Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

2009-03-18T16:23:00.003-07:00

If he were still alive, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, would be the oldest person now living. However, since he was born in 1844 he didn't make it. He died in 1908 just over 100 years ago. When I was first becoming aware of "classical" music, one of my favorite pieces at that time was the Russian Easter Festival Overture. The tunes in the overture are largely from the Russian orthodox liturgy, based on

Computers

2009-03-16T21:08:00.002-07:00

Gerald Weinberg said, "If builders built houses the way programmers built programs, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization." I have to agree with Mr. Weinberg about programming. My first real introduction was with the main frame engineering department computer at the University of Utah, using a punch card machine and a stack of IBM punch cards. However, with my present

Chaos

2009-03-15T17:45:00.003-07:00

When I was in high school, I spent a great deal of time reading, I had read the word "chaos" and I had heard the word used in speech, but I hadn't associated the spoken version of the word with the written. One day in school, I was reading something in front of the class and pronounced the word as "chow-os" which caused a great deal of amusement to the teacher and the other students. That was

Treasure Island

2009-03-14T16:09:00.002-07:00

Let's face it, I couldn't write a mommy-blog if my life depended on it. I really could not gush over books written for toddlers and the latest recipes. My idea of a gourmet lunch is adding Salt and Vinegar Chips to my peanut butter sandwich with pickles (a Vitamin P lunch). Also what does an old decrepit grandfather who likes Enya and Inti-Illimani, whose favorite composer is Johann Sebastian

Happy Birthday to Giovanni Schiaparelli

2009-03-14T13:04:00.002-07:00

Born March 14, 1835, Giovanni Schiaparelli was an Italian astronomer and science historian. He is generally attributed to discovering the "canals" on Mars. During Italy's "Great Opposition" of 1877, he observed a dense network of linear structures on the surface of Mars which he called "canali" in Italian, meaning "channels" but mistranslated as "canals". While the latter term indicates an

In celebration of Pi Day

2009-03-13T19:39:00.002-07:00

Ho, Ho, children, it is Pi Day, Pi, Greek letter (), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535... Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14), due to π being roughly equal to 3.14. Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22, due to π being roughly equal to 22/7. Wikipedia.Some also celebrate Pi Approximation Day in addition to Pi Day, which can

Limitations

2009-03-11T20:41:00.002-07:00

We can only rise to the tether of our limitations or as Blaise Pascal said, "We are all something, but none of us are everything." Or as was said by Elbert Hubbard, "Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.We often spend too much of our lives worrying about what we cannot do, Helen Keller said, "When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so

Justice

2009-03-10T20:06:00.002-07:00

Not always necessarily connected with the American way, justice is one of the biggest words in the English language. It defies meaning and yet has meaning to all. In Wikipedia it has pages of definitions. But none of them define it. Aristotle said "It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered." Abraham Lincoln said, "I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict

Fusillade

2009-03-09T20:27:00.002-07:00

I hit the ground running as the fusillade came over the ramparts. Men were scattering in every direction as explosions rocked the earth and the noise and confusion reached epic proportions. (A fusillade is the simultaneous and continuous firing of a group of firearms on command. It stems from the French word fusil, meaning firearm, and fusiller meaning to shoot).In 1066 William the Conqueror, the

Cataclysm

2009-03-08T18:50:00.005-07:00

The cataclysm is the Greek expression for the Deluge, from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' (kluzein "wash" + kata "down"). Erudite Bible studies drew it into the English language in 1633. This, of course, brings up the issue of the Biblical Flood. Many people believe the account in Genesis literally. There is a marked correspondence in many cultures in stories about a catastrophic flood

Lackadaisical

2009-03-08T10:28:00.002-07:00

One of the all time best words in the English language is lackadaisical. However, it is easy to show no interest or enthusiasm for learning about the language. The term comes, courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary, from a medieval expression "alack-a-day" meaning "shame on this day." Eventually, it came to mean a person who was lazy or lacked enthusiasm, using the excuse that it was a bad day

Loquacious

2009-03-06T20:46:00.002-07:00

Winston Churchill said "Eating words has never given me indigestion." Perhaps he was not loquacious (From Latin loquacis, ‘talkative’, from loqui, ‘to speak’). I don't get the impression that he was talkative, chatty or given to excess conversation, either. Noah Webster said, "Language is not an abstract construction of the learned, or of dictionary makers, but is something arising out of the

Habeas Corpus

2009-03-06T06:57:00.002-07:00

Suspended by Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War, habeas corpus ad subjiciendum is one of those extraordinary remedies recognized most prominently in the U.S. Constitution, Article I,(habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it). The modern rules of civil procedure have done away with almost all the old English Common Law

Precarious

2009-03-05T14:01:00.003-07:00

We certainly live in precarious times. (From Latin precarius ("begged for", "obtained by entreaty") < Latin precari (“‘pray’”). Cognate with French précaire and Spanish, Portuguese and Italian precario.) The times could also be described as dangerously insecure or unstable; perilous. But as Charles Dickens said, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it

Pusillanimous

2009-03-04T20:12:00.003-07:00

Some things don't go together too well. Imagine the dastardly villian in the western movie saying "You pusillanimous coward!" instead of the usual "You yellow-bellied coward." In fact, pusillanimous (Derived from Latin pusillus ("very small") + animus ("spirit")) is difficult to imagine anyone saying, much less using it seriously. I think the word is best left to Scrabble and other word games. It

Popcorn Convection

2009-03-03T21:10:00.003-07:00

Every afternoon during the long summer months, high on the Colorado Plateau, I watched the clouds gather over the mountains to the south and begin to form in a random fashion out over the hot level ground. These clouds, showers and thundershowers that formed on a scattered basis with little or no apparent organization, usually during the afternoon in response to diurnal heating were caused by

Prestidigitation

2009-03-03T20:05:00.002-07:00

Living as I do with a total lack of manual dexterity, I am easily impressed by prestidigitation. Prestidigitation ("quick fingers") or léger de main (from the French for "lightness of hand") also known as slight of hand. Sleight, meaning dexterity or deceptiveness, comes from the Old Norse slœgð. Sleight of hand is often mistakenly written as slight of hand. Slight descends from the Old Norse

Solitude

2009-03-03T13:06:00.001-07:00

Solitude may be embraced or avoided. It is also a ski resort in Utah and a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Solitude is also state of seclusion or isolation. Social isolation is sometimes associated with aberrant behavior, it is more than avoiding crowds. Contrarily, solitude may be the basis of spiritual enlightenment. Autophobia (or Monophobia) is the phobia of being alone. The

Onomatopoeia

2009-03-01T21:36:00.002-07:00

Onomatopoeia (also spelled onomatopœia, from Greek: ονοματοποιΐα) is easier to define than it is to spell or say. It is what my wife does every time we pass ducks swimming on the canal. It is the sounds Scouts make when they are being especially rude and bothersome. In English, it is word or name creation usually popular in comic books and generally found in Calvin and Hobbs strips as in the