So I finally got around to seeing "The Queen," and although most of the performances were spot-on, I felt like the guy playing Prince Philip must have caricatured him a bit. Nobody could be that brash, could they? ... Could they? It seems they could. Here are some quotes from the real Prince Philip: On meeting Aborigines in Australia: Do you still throw spears at each other? At a 1986 World Wildlife Fund meeting: If it has got four legs and it is not a chair, if it has got two wings and it flies... READ ON
Today's archival tidbit comes from Condensed Knowledge: Chocolate chip cookies have 15 times as much energy as the same weight of TNT—which is used as an explosive because it can release energy quickly, not because it has a... READ ON
One of the most stunning sights we've seen in Grenada has been Carib's Leap, a cliff at the northern point that can leave a visitor speechless -- and not just because it's a beautiful view: It is said that the ancient Carib aboriginals had settled in vast numbers in Grenada before Columbus discovered the island. The Caribs practiced a largely sustainable livelihood of fishing, hunting, and farming until the English disturbed them in 1609 and the French in 1638. A French colony was established in 1650... READ ON
I found Edward Lorenz while doing some research on chaos theory for an upcoming m_f article. Who would have thought the guy who gave us one of the thorniest fields in all science was actually a glorified weatherman? Here's what I wrote: "Chaos theory got started with a computer simulation of the weather, albeit one that didn't work. In the early '60s, a meteorologist named Edward Lorenz came up with 12 equations describing temperature, air pressure, and so on, and programmed them into a... READ ON
Today's archival tidbit comes from Condensed Knowledge: One of the strangest novels ever written may be "Gates of Paradise" by Polish writer Jerzy Andrzejewski (1909-1983). It is one sentence long, unpunctuated, and 40,000... READ ON
Elizabeth Williamson writes in the Washington Post: "Fake fur and real fur and jewelry and Jet Skis, Crystal and Segways and bubbly and Caddies, Race cars and leather and plasma TVs -- These are a few of Kim's favorite things." Here's my question: Who do you think it is, Lil' Kim or Kim Jong... READ ON
found 'em all on... READ ON
Today's archival tidbit comes from Condensed Knowledge: On the one hand you've got the BC and AD camp, on the other you've got BCE and CE. What's the difference? As a young John Lennon once said about his flowing hair, "It's just fashion." If you grew up with BC and AD and now find yourself dealing with BCE and CE, remember that academic styles change. Late in the 20th century, some historians decided that BC and AD wouldn't do anymore. Those... READ ON
In Europe they have the Eurovision Song Contest; in Carriacou, there's Parang, which features slightly less ridiculous outfits but has all sorts of other elements of competitive showmanship: The main objective of organizing the festival was to revive and keep alive the "house to house" serenading of string bands. At that time this indigenous aspect of our culture was slowing dying. "¦ Carriacou Parang is filled with fun, humor and excitement. The lyrics in the songs are rather... READ ON
As a science writer, I occasionally get random unsolicited pitches, announcements, and deep thoughts from scientists and science buffs. Most of the time they're either irrelevant or slightly touched by insanity, but I do try to read them. So this email, which just appeared in my inbox, seemed to be one of those at first: Physics is often said to be the "fundamental science" (chemistry is sometimes included), because each of the other sciences (biology, chemistry, geology, material science, engineering,... READ ON
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Fatherly Advice
5 Questions: Nervous "Rex"
How Many Vice Presidents Can You Name in 10 Minutes?
France's last execution via guillotine was in 1977.
