I used fifteen minutes of my life to collect some of the most outrageous/anti-subtle subtle, non sequitur, and just plain odd pseudonyms used by the great [redacted - answer at the link] in his long and wide writing career... There are many others.
The partial list: Agb, Anita M. Bobe, Conmore Aple Brun, Bnashi Basouk, Oogum Bem, Hamin Benjarrison, Joel Ffrad Bink, A. Brute, Salder Bupp, Choggins, Clementina, Clericus, Purzil Crofe, Ambat Delaso, Arion Spurl Doke, Etcetera, Almira Faircheek, Booley Fito, Aramis Loto Frope, Bissel Gip, Boot Gish, Dod Grile, Hestiba, Jamrach Holobom, Gat Huckle, Ignotus, Infallible, An Insulted Giant, Jebel Jocordy, Little Johnny, Opoline Jones, A Mandarin of the Order of the Golden Teapot, Atla Mipo, Jupiter Muke, N.P. Nopput, Naramy Oof, Orm, Pludge, Phela Orm, Pylades Nupkins, Phrytz, Bogul S. Purvy, Jobo Rem, Doddington Pry, Samboles, Dr. John Satan, Dudley Spink, Statanella, J. Milton Sloluck, Theophilus Smallbeer, Venable Strigg, Sukker Uffro, Barlow Vode, and many others. Oh: and John Smith.
22 March 2020
Do you know which author used these pen names ?
As recorded by John Ptak:
We are now living in an Edward Hopper painting
An interesting observation (credit). And with many restaurants closed, someone edited Edward Hopper's Nighthawks painting like this -
Language in "Gulliver's Travels"
"These fields were intermingled with woods of half a stang..." In land measure, a pole, rod, or perch (equal to 5.5 yards).Interesting side note. I've had the book shown in the photo ever since I was a child. It was issued as part of the Grosset and Dunlap "Illustrated Junior Library" in 1947 - high-quality printings with very readable fonts and generously illustrated. When I completed this final read I though perhaps it might carry a premium for resale on eBay. Not so. Some are offered at high prices, but they sell cheaply, including one lot of 24 different books that sold for $31+ 19 ship. It's amazing to me how little interest the public shows in quality hardback books.
"My son Johnny... was at the Grammar School, and a towardly child." Promising, propitious. Seems to be a word whose negative (untoward) has survived better than the positive version.
"Our provisions held out well, our ship was stanch, and our crew all in good health." "I tried my canoe in a large pond... stopping all the chinks with tallow, till I found it stanch..." Strong and tight, from old French (equivalent to staunch). A word that has survived better as a verb than as an adjective.
"[the farmer] called his hinds about him and asked them..." A servant, especially an agricultural laborer (from Old English).
"... the Queen had ordered a little equipage of all things necessary for me while I was in her service..." Equipment or supplies (or a carriage); in context a set of household articles like dinnerware. From the French.
"The under surface [of the Flying Island]... is one even regular plate of adamant..." A legendary rock or mineral of surpassing hardness (used to describe diamond, or sometimes magnetic lodestones). Middle English, from Latin, from Greek "invincible." Yet another word that has survived as an adjective but not as a noun.
"There were three nags, and two mares... These seemed but ordinary cattle..." Typically domesticated bovines, but also used for other livestock such as pigs, sheep, and horses. You learn something every day. From Anglo-Norman "personal property" cf "chattel."
Jonathan Swift explains why wars happen
"As to the first, you are to understand,
that for about seventy moons past there have been two struggling parties
in this empire, under the names of Tramecksan and Slamecksan,
from the high and low heels of their shoes, by which they distinguish
themselves. It is alleged, indeed, that the high heels are most
agreeable to our ancient constitution; but, however this be, his majesty
has determined to make use only of low heels in the administration of
the government, and all offices in the gift of the crown, as you cannot
but observe; and particularly that his majesty’s imperial heels
are lower at least by a drurr than any of his court (drurr
is a measure about the fourteenth part of an inch). The animosities
between these two parties run so high, that they will neither eat, nor
drink, nor talk with each other. We compute the Tramecksan,
or high heels, to exceed us in number; but the power is wholly on our
side. We apprehend his imperial highness, the heir to the crown,
to have some tendency towards the high heels; at least we can plainly
discover that one of his heels is higher than the other, which gives
him a hobble in his gait.
Now, in the midst of these intestine disquiets, we are threatened with an invasion from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe, almost as large and powerful as this of his majesty. For as to what we have heard you affirm, that there are other kingdoms and states in the world inhabited by human creatures as large as yourself, our philosophers are in much doubt, and would rather conjecture that you dropped from the moon, or one of the stars; because it is certain, that a hundred mortals of your bulk would in a short time destroy all the fruits and cattle of his majesty’s dominions: besides, our histories of six thousand moons make no mention of any other regions than the two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Which two mighty powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a most obstinate war for six-and-thirty moons past.
It began upon the following occasion. It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger end; but his present majesty’s grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the emperor his father published an edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us, there have been six rebellions raised on that account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. These civil commotions were constantly fomented by the monarchs of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire. It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death, rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end. Many hundred large volumes have been published upon this controversy: but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered incapable by law of holding employments. During the course of these troubles, the emperors of Blefusca did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors, accusing us of making a schism in religion, by offending against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral (which is their Alcoran). This, however, is thought to be a mere strain upon the text; for the words are these: ‘that all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.’ And which is the convenient end, seems, in my humble opinion to be left to every man’s conscience, or at least in the power of the chief magistrate to determine.
Now, the Big-endian exiles have found so much credit in the emperor of Blefuscu’s court, and so much private assistance and encouragement from their party here at home, that a bloody war has been carried on between the two empires for six-and-thirty moons, with various success; during which time we have lost forty capital ships, and a much a greater number of smaller vessels, together with thirty thousand of our best seamen and soldiers; and the damage received by the enemy is reckoned to be somewhat greater than ours... "
Now, in the midst of these intestine disquiets, we are threatened with an invasion from the island of Blefuscu, which is the other great empire of the universe, almost as large and powerful as this of his majesty. For as to what we have heard you affirm, that there are other kingdoms and states in the world inhabited by human creatures as large as yourself, our philosophers are in much doubt, and would rather conjecture that you dropped from the moon, or one of the stars; because it is certain, that a hundred mortals of your bulk would in a short time destroy all the fruits and cattle of his majesty’s dominions: besides, our histories of six thousand moons make no mention of any other regions than the two great empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu. Which two mighty powers have, as I was going to tell you, been engaged in a most obstinate war for six-and-thirty moons past.
It began upon the following occasion. It is allowed on all hands, that the primitive way of breaking eggs, before we eat them, was upon the larger end; but his present majesty’s grandfather, while he was a boy, going to eat an egg, and breaking it according to the ancient practice, happened to cut one of his fingers. Whereupon the emperor his father published an edict, commanding all his subjects, upon great penalties, to break the smaller end of their eggs. The people so highly resented this law, that our histories tell us, there have been six rebellions raised on that account; wherein one emperor lost his life, and another his crown. These civil commotions were constantly fomented by the monarchs of Blefuscu; and when they were quelled, the exiles always fled for refuge to that empire. It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suffered death, rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end. Many hundred large volumes have been published upon this controversy: but the books of the Big-endians have been long forbidden, and the whole party rendered incapable by law of holding employments. During the course of these troubles, the emperors of Blefusca did frequently expostulate by their ambassadors, accusing us of making a schism in religion, by offending against a fundamental doctrine of our great prophet Lustrog, in the fifty-fourth chapter of the Blundecral (which is their Alcoran). This, however, is thought to be a mere strain upon the text; for the words are these: ‘that all true believers break their eggs at the convenient end.’ And which is the convenient end, seems, in my humble opinion to be left to every man’s conscience, or at least in the power of the chief magistrate to determine.
Now, the Big-endian exiles have found so much credit in the emperor of Blefuscu’s court, and so much private assistance and encouragement from their party here at home, that a bloody war has been carried on between the two empires for six-and-thirty moons, with various success; during which time we have lost forty capital ships, and a much a greater number of smaller vessels, together with thirty thousand of our best seamen and soldiers; and the damage received by the enemy is reckoned to be somewhat greater than ours... "
- from Gulliver's Travels, Part I, "A Voyage to Lilliput" (1726)
21 March 2020
Humphry Davy and nitrous oxide
Excerpts from a longread at Public Domain Review:
On Boxing Day of 1799 the twenty-year-old chemist Humphry Davy – later to become Sir Humphry, inventor of the miners’ lamp, President of the Royal Society and domineering genius of British science - stripped to the waist, placed a thermometer under his armpit and stepped into a sealed box specially designed by the engineer James Watt for the inhalation of gases, into which he requested the physician Dr. Robert Kinglake to release twenty quarts of nitrous oxide every five minutes for as long as he could retain consciousness...... and after knowing about Humphry Davy for about 50 years, it wasn't until writing this post this morning that I realized how his first name is spelled. You learn something every day. (here's a relevant ngram graph)
Now the gas took Davy to a dimension he had not previously visited. Objects became dazzling in their intensity, sounds were amplified into a cacophony that echoed through infinite space, the thrillings in his limbs seemed to effervesce and overflow; and then, suddenly, he ‘lost all connection with external things’, and entered a self-enveloping realm of the senses. Words, images and ideas jumbled together ‘in such a manner, as to produce perceptions totally novel’: he was no longer in the laboratory, but ‘in a world of newly connected and modified ideas’, where he could theorise without limits and make new discoveries at will...
In the early summer of 1799 the nitrous oxide trials began in earnest. In the evenings, after the Pneumatic Institution had closed, the nitrate of ammoniac reaction would begin to bubble in its upstairs drawing room as Davy and Beddoes’ circle - doctors and patients, chemists, playwrights, surgeons and poets - experimented on themselves and each other. Davy was master of ceremonies and also, by his own account, inhaling the gas himself three or four times a day. The laboratory became a philosophical theatre in which the boundaries between experimenter and subject, spectator and performer were blurred to fascinating effect, and the experiment took on a life of its own...
20 March 2020
Divertimento #175
How to get the maximum out of a one-day visit to the British Museum.
If you type "define anagram" into Google, it will ask you "Did you mean 'nerd fame again'?"
Monty Python and the Holy Grail was financed by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Genesis, and Jethro Tull.
"Congress is not fulfilling its constitutional duties. Much of the responsibility rests on the Senate. We are writing to encourage the creation of a bipartisan caucus of incumbent senators who would be committed to making the Senate function as the Framers of the Constitution intended." Opening paragraph of an open letter signed by 70 former U.S. Senators.
Bristol newspaper publishes names and photos of local men calling for violence against Greta Thunberg.
A longread on the history of plastic pollution.
A man gained access to telephone scammers' computers "and even their office CCTV system. The result is incredible footage of them at work, trying to scam Jim while he records them with their own security setup." Video at the BoingBoing link.
Humans Being Bros is a refreshingly upbeat website to browse during these troubling times.
Nobody should have to wait in line six hours to vote.
A book about plastic pollution entitled "F**k Plastic" is shipped wrapped in plastic.
"Human eyeballs are growing longer, from front to back, at an alarming rate,
resulting in a spike in the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness.
Among Americans, rates of myopia
have increased from 25% of people in 1971 to more than 40% today,
according to the National Eye Institute. In the major cities of
developed Asian countries, the rate exceeds 80% among students as they graduate from high school. But researchers and eye doctors, many of whom view myopia as a growing epidemic, are largely mystified over the mechanisms behind it."
A listing and brief description of dozens of "pandemic literature" books.
Republicans and Democrats have very different views of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Democrats should also consider breaking up populous Democratic states and “un-gerrymandering” the Senate. Perhaps there could be a North and South California, or an East and West Massachusetts. A new state of Long Island, an area that is geographically larger than Rhode Island, would be more populous than most of the presently existing states."
"Construction Workers Stumble Across Old Pots With 1,300 Pounds Of Ancient Roman Coins Inside."
An update on the Voynich manuscript.
"My [bad] Experience with a Timeshare (Wyndham) Sales Team in Vegas"
"Influencers" rent time in parked private jet planes in order to pretend they are flying in them.
An interesting read about perinatal and in utero strokes:
It’s nearly impossible to detect a stroke in utero, or even in the first few weeks after birth, since the symptoms can seem within the norm for infants: favoring one side, extreme sleepiness, mild seizures that seem like shivering or sudden stiffening. More obvious behaviors such as trouble walking and talking don’t usually become apparent until the child turns 2, and are associated with other childhood problems.Extensive flooding in Eastern Kentucky didn't make the national news (drone footage at the link).
Contrary to the claims of a Montana state legislator, the Constitution does not say you can shoot a socialist.
"People with dementia sit still less, are more active socially and physically and are in a better mood on a farm than in a daycare centre."
20 English proverbs that date back to the Middle Ages. "Clothes make the man," "While the cat's away the mice will play," "Let sleeping dogs lie," and others.
"A California man who said he wanted to fly to the edge of outer space to see if the world is round has died after his home-built rocket blasted off into the desert sky and plunged back to earth." Not clear why he couldn't just go for a ride in an airplane; probably was an adrenaline junkie.
"Apple forbids filmmakers from letting villainous characters use iPhones on screen. So if you see a character using an iPhone, that means that that character is not one of the bad guys." "This control seems to go back a long way. Check out this Wired article from way back in 2002, which pointed out that all the good guys in 24 use Macs, and all the bad guys use Windows PCs."
There are approximately 2 ears' worth of kernels in a can of corn.
"Known simply as “Purple Sands Beach”, this secluded expanse of land has earned a reputation around Canada for its awe-inspiring geological feature. The grains of sand can appear in a spectrum of chromatic hues, ranging from lavender to magenta and sometimes even pink. Vivid particles can appear smeared down the shore like an artist’s brushstroke, scattered in clusters across rocks and rippled beneath the water’s surface in the lake’s shallow bays."
A longread on how the CIA used codebreaking technology to spy on everyone (including allies).
"On Airbnb, it turns out, scams aren’t just the preserve of lone chancers. As the short-term rental goldrush gathers pace, Airbnb empires are being rapidly scaled and monetised, with professional operators creating scores of fake accounts, fake listings and fake reviews to run rings around Airbnb, local law enforcement and the guests who place their trust in the platform. Reviews from guests paint a grim picture of people who have been tricked into staying in accommodation with blocked drains, broken fixtures and fittings, filthy floors, dirty bed linen – or, in some cases, accommodation that they simply did not book."
How the coronavirus will supercharge American wealth inequality.
YouTubers explore an abandoned luxury hotel. A 30-min video worth browsing.
Video of the fastest 100-meter sprint time in the history of American high schools (only a half-second slower than Usain Bolt's world record). Impressive.
Pangolins postulated as the ultimate source for coronavirus.
"Astonishingly, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal, visitors to the [Kentucky] capitol building are banned from entering with umbrellas or sticks that are used for protest signs because they can be “used as weapons,” but guns and rifles are permitted."
"If You Want a Marriage of Equals, Then Date as Equals"
The embedded photos are selections from a Telegraph gallery of underwater babies.
Diversions while sheltering in place
Six webcams from the Georgia Aquarium. Obviously best viewed full-screen.
Readers are invited to post other interesting webcams in the Comments.
Also a suggestion from the Good News Network:
Readers are invited to post other interesting webcams in the Comments.
Also a suggestion from the Good News Network:
Google Arts and Culture has partnered with more than 2,500 museums and galleries around the world in order to offer virtual tours and online displays of their collections to internet surfers.
The “tours” allow users to wander through the interiors of the world’s most famous museums similarly to the Google Street View feature. Users can also download Google’s free Arts and Culture iOS or Android app for a much more immersive museum experience.
Garage sale treasure
In 2017 at ROADSHOW’s St. Louis event, Asian Arts appraiser Robert Waterhouse was approached by a guest named Ellen, who brought in a broken sculpture that was worth far more than might immediately meet the eye. Ellen said she purchased the figure... at a garage sale for $75 to $100...He gives her a staggeringly high estimate of its value, but his estimate is staggeringly too low.
Well, that sucks...
When the governor calls for a halt to all "non life-sustaining" businesses - including construction and contracting - and your only bathroom looks like this... what do you do?
The answer is in the Reddit discussion thread.
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