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War in Ukraine - an explanation June 10, 2023

I’ve finally found the clearest and most convincing explanation of why Russia invaded Ukraine. The first step to understanding is to learn about the

Timothy Snyder’s History of Ukraine May 28, 2023 Timothy Snyder is a Yale historian whose lectures on Eastern Europe - especially Ukraine - are not only enlightening, but actually fun. I’ve learned

Fake Email Senders May 21, 2023 I’ve been fascinated for a long time by the creative names that people - okay, political campaigns and companies wanting to sell me something - put

More on language learning May 15, 2023 In a discussion with my college classmates last year (2022), I wrote: Thu, Dec 29, 2022, 6:22 PM This discussion prompted me to write up my

Effect and Cause April 29, 2023 (I wrote this in 2014. I think it’s an attempt at poetry, which explains all the repetition. Unfinished, but I like it.) When I was a little boy, I

Soros is my Co-Pilot April 17, 2023

It’s fun making a bumper sticker of my own

Note à une chère amie March 19, 2023 J’entends mon cerveau formant la phrase « T’es trop gentille, mon Amie! » afin de te remercier plus fortement que normalement. Mais je m’arrête en

Arnold Schwarzenegger March 8, 2023 Schwarzenegger’s messages are almost always clear and to the point. This talk on fascism is no exception. I found this thanks to the Daily Kos

Why Purim upsets me March 8, 2023

I first heard of Purim while serving in Gafsa, Tunisia, as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English in a lycée (high school). Gafsa still had 13

I was a Programmer Who Swore Constantly February 11, 2023

One of the most fundamental unanswered questions that has been bothering mankind during the Anthropocene is whether the use of swearwords in open

I perceive new things as my nerves slow down January 23, 2023 I walked into our living room just now holding a check in my right hand to ask my wife if she had an envelope. She said she did and started walking

B&N’s new president January 3, 2023 Ted Gioio has an interesting article on substack: What Can We Learn from Barnes & Noble’s Surprising Turnaround?. He claims that B&N is doing

Learning French with the FSI Method December 29, 2022

In late summer of 1964 I entered Peace Corps training in Carbondale, Illinois. What I want to describe here is the greatest learning experience of

Release time Xtian education in public school December 28, 2022

Rummaging through files that I’ve kept since childhood, I came across this certificate that I received in 6th grade of my elementary school in

The Bastard! He doesn’t exist! December 28, 2022

I made this note years ago, probably in the 90s, and have kept it taped to my wall ever since. I’m especially tickled by the language, which both

I used to have so much fun cutting pictures and words out of magazines and newspapers December 28, 2022

I had this up on my wall in my college dorm, I think. (I don’t see signs of tape or anything….)

Photoshop brushes drive me crazy! December 28, 2022

I’ve always been driven crazy by the fact that Ps brushes have TWO circles. I don’t know why. It’s the inner circle that seems to paint You can see

I warn people about confusing Dropbox behavior December 28, 2022

I got this question about a post I made on Reddit. u/areyouredditenough, I’m not sure I understand your question. The best I can think to do is to

2022-01-12 Tunisia’s spicy Harissa gets UNESCO heritage status December 1, 2022

You can read this story in French or English While in Tunisia, I learned to cook couscous Southern Tunisian style, in other words,the best kind of

Today is Thanksgiving 2022, aka Turkey Day. November 24, 2022

One tradition that I always observe is to use canned cranberry sauce on my turkey dinner. Cranberry sauce reminds me of my childhood because that’s