Author Archives
In 2018 I semi-retired by retiring from Weston High School after my 21st year teaching mathematics there. This was also my 44th year as a teacher altogether. In 2023 I retired fully, adding in my 18 years at Harvard’s Crimson Summer Academy each summer. For 21 years I had taught at the Saturday Course in Milton, MA, and I used to serve on the board of the Dorchester Historical Society.
I read, cook, and spend a lot of time building my model railroad. For some reason I’m left with less free time than would be ideal, considering that I’m supposed to be retired, but somehow I also manage to devote time to my wife, Barbara, and to our varying number of cats (once up to six, but now sadly down to one).
Larry Davidson
ljd@larrydavidson.com
-
They say that Welsh is impossible to pronounce — but is that really true?
Admittedly, Welsh does look impossible to pronounce, at least for Americans. But that’s mostly because of the frightening spelling, with words like ffrwyth, cynysgaeddir, and ymddwyn. (And don’t forget, of course, the famous town in Wales, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. That name is… Read More ›
-
Petard
Is this really what MIT is like? Or, rather, what it will be like in ten years or so? I’m talking about Cory Doctorow’s science fiction story, “Petard: A Tale of Just Deserts.” Perhaps, like the author of an otherwise… Read More ›
-
Concordia Language Villages
If only these language villages had existed when I was a teen! Actually, a few of them already existed — but unfortunately I hadn’t heard about them at the time. Such is life. Where, you ask, are they located? Well,… Read More ›
-
“To tell you the truth… everybody lies.”
Says who? Well, the quotations above consists of the title plus subtitle of a new novel by Gilly Macmillan, all squished into one short sentence. This novel is supposedly “an unsettling and atmospheric thriller that’s almost impossible to put down,”… Read More ›
-
Breaking Silence: a truly outstanding documentary!
Maybe it’s especially resonant if you’re a baby boomer. Or maybe if you’re from New Jersey. Maybe if you’re a long-time folkie. Maybe if you were a teacher or a student at Lincoln-Sudbury. Maybe if you’re Jewish. Actually, I don’t… Read More ›
-
RIP Tom Lehrer, 1928–2025
-
How to sleep comfortably
Why does Cassie have to sleep with one leg resting on her brother’s head? (For some reason it doesn’t seem to bother him.)
-
Ceci n’est pas une statue.
Cassie is looking statuesque.
-
Totto Ramen
Lovely light lunch yesterday at Totto Ramen, at the corner of the South Bay mall in Dorchester. Char Siu Bao (for Barbara) and Miso Ramen (for me). These left enough room for a stop at JP Licks on the way… Read More ›
-
Switcheroo
The third and newest in E.J. Copperman’s Fran & Ken Stein series of mysteries, Switcheroo is both amusing and serious. The amusing parts evince Copperman’s trademark style. He is one of my favorite mystery authors, and if you type Copperman… Read More ›
-
Singing in Mandarin? How is that even possible?
Your first reaction might well be one of puzzlement: Why shouldn’t it be possible to sing in Mandarin? What’s the issue here? The issue, of course, is tones. As you probably know, Chinese in general — and Mandarin in particular… Read More ›
-
The metric system has gotten an update!
What are they doing to the metric system, a.k.a. SI? I thought we all knew the standard prefixes, like kilo- for 10^3, mega- for 10^6, and so forth. So who or what is ronna-? Well, I just learned about it… Read More ›
-
Rare Tongues
“When a language disappears, a unique way of understanding the world vanishes with it.” If I had to pick a single sentence from Lorna Gibb’s Rare Tongues, that sentence (164 pages into the text) might be my choice. But the… Read More ›
-
The kittens keep inventing new poses for taking their nap. Now just close your eyes…
-
Please listen to our next president. (We can hope.)
Please listen.
-
As Tom Lehrer says, that’s mathematics!
Tom Lehrer is 97 years old! (Actually, I missed his birthday, which was three months ago.) Needless to say, he isn’t performing anymore. But still, his longevity might be attributable to his music, since so many musicians seem to live… Read More ›
-
Julingo teaches us the key points of ____________ [insert language here]
Who, I hear you ask, is Julingo? Well, her real name is Julie Maksimova, and she hosts a wonderful series of short and not-so-short videos giving you snapshots of quite a variety of languages, such as Papuan, Ukrainian, Sumerian, Estonian,… Read More ›
-
The kittens love each other.
-
Melting kittens
T
-
The Plinko Bounce
You probably know what the title refers to, but I certainly had no idea what “Plinko” meant when I started reading this mystery a couple of weeks ago. In fact, I was halfway through the book when I finally found… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 