Recent Posts - page 2
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Greek! (The Ingenious Language)
Where do I begin when I try to describe this marvelous book? If you look at the cover (see image at the bottom of this post), you’ll see that the full title of this book is The Ingenious Language: Nine Epic… Read More ›
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Semper Augustus, a short novel
A short novel? Maybe it’s a long novella. In any case, it’s well worth reading. This dystopian work by the well-known science fiction author Nancy Kress is set in the near future, and I do mean “near.” The wealth gap… Read More ›
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A math problem for the season
From this week’s issue of The New Yorker:
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Pawliamentary immunity
Yay! News out of Israel that’s about cooperation, not conflict. According to YNet, Israel’s major English-language news source, the 30 stray cats who hang out in the backyard of the Knesset have started entering the building, with the response that…… Read More ›
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Can’t have too much Tavolo!
Excellent dinner on the patio at Tavolo last night, all supported by server extraordinaire Michaela Collins. Barbara started with an enormous Chef’s Burrata (burrata, mixed greens, candied walnuts, gala apples, vincotto, evoo) accompanied by a Summer Lemonade cocktail (it is… Read More ›
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Popularizers III: George Gamow
What? Why was I reading without my eyeglasses? That’s easy. This photo, my semi-official portrait at age 11, was taken just before I got glasses. And that was all because of a substitute teacher! My regular teacher always had always… Read More ›
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A Cat
Why had I never heard of this book before? Well, at least I’m not alone. A Cat is a little-known 1995 work written by Leonard Michaels and illustrated by Frances Lerner. I read the 2018 Tin House hardcover version, which I… Read More ›
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Hebrew Script Hacking
How is this book different from all other books in the series? I’m referring to Teach Yourself Library’s Script Hacking series, which teaches you several alphabetical writing systems — a limited objective, and the series does a good job with it. Little… Read More ›
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Is this box small enough for you?
William says “Where I fits, I sits.” But does he fit?
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Facts, truth, math, and Donald Trump
Given Donald Trump’s uneasy relationship with facts (and a few other flaws), we all wonder how he has managed to maintain rock-steady approval from about 40% of Americans for the past four years. I was unwillingly forced to think about… Read More ›
Featured Categories
Books ›
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Is it fantasy? Or is it science fiction? Some ruminations.
September 26, 2020
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Popularizers IV: Douglas Hofstadter
September 22, 2020
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Sometimes Zippy actually makes sense.
September 17, 2020
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Greek! (The Ingenious Language)
September 14, 2020
Dorchester/Boston ›
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Can’t have too much Tavolo!
September 9, 2020
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Is this box small enough for you?
September 2, 2020
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Ashmont Grill patio under the tent
August 28, 2020
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A walk in JP
August 20, 2020
Food & Restaurants ›
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Ashmont Grill has reopened!
July 25, 2020
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Tavolo is back!
July 8, 2020
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Finally venturing out to a restaurant (outdoors, of course)
June 26, 2020
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Zia Gianna (and a bonus visit from William)
June 19, 2020
Life ›
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If 2020 hasn’t been depressing enough…
September 23, 2020
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“Even Racists Got the Blues”
September 20, 2020
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There is still hope.
September 19, 2020
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My slightly updated ethnicity
September 18, 2020
Linguistics ›
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Is translation even possible?
September 25, 2020
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Greek! (The Ingenious Language)
September 14, 2020
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Hebrew Script Hacking
September 4, 2020
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Quite a bicycle!
August 29, 2020
Math ›
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A math problem for the season
September 11, 2020
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Popularizers III: George Gamow
September 8, 2020
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Facts, truth, math, and Donald Trump
September 1, 2020
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Popularizers II: the amazing Martin Gardner
August 30, 2020
Model Railroading ›
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Model trains are not cat toys!!!
August 3, 2020
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Bay State Model Railroad Museum Open House
March 9, 2020
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The huge Amherst Railway Society Railroad Hobby Show
January 26, 2020
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Murder on the Toy Town Express
December 2, 2019
Movies & (occasionally) TV ›
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Buffy and Star Trek — and the Jews
August 16, 2020
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The Existential Joss Whedon: Evil And Human Freedom in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly And Serenity
August 7, 2020
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Grim fairytales
June 15, 2020
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Leonard Cohen; The Doors; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer; Jimi Hendrix; The Who; and so forth
April 11, 2020
Teaching & Learning ›
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More about teaching remotely
September 16, 2020
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Popularizers I: Asimov on Numbers
August 25, 2020
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Looking back over a summer of teaching remotely with Zoom and Canvas
August 15, 2020
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Should everyone in your class be able to earn an A?
August 12, 2020
Technology ›
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What— hieroglyphics in AI??? (and in Google?)
August 9, 2020
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Nobody sends messages by fax anymore… or do they?
August 6, 2020
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I can’t give secure assessments in a remote teaching-and-learning setting!
July 28, 2020
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Zoom vs. MCET: compare and contrast.
July 7, 2020
Travel ›
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A Moroccan teen blogs about linguistics (and other matters…).
June 6, 2020
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What are your favorite poems?
May 24, 2020
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How about a nice, relaxing cross-country bus ride from NYC to LA?
January 13, 2020
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Seattle 4: The Food
October 30, 2019
Weston ›
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A Cat
September 6, 2020
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Stuck in the past
July 27, 2020
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On the other hand… Gödel (but not Escher or Bach)
July 1, 2020
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What’s wrong with Advanced Placement tests?
May 19, 2020
