November 21, 2008
Misconceptions abound.
Many of them are widely assumed to be true. They have been repeated over and over and have become part of human history.
Yet, they are still misconceptions.
Conversely, there are also what have long been considered misconceptions, or possibly urba... continue reading...
October 22, 2008
Man is fascinated by best-of lists.
And man also loves music.
The two factors lead to many combinations of lists of great tunes, but one of the most renowned lists of great music is 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It is a musical reference book edit... continue reading...
Tags: bob dylan,
buck owens,
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dave brubeck,
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wikipedia October 3, 2008
He was born in a farmhouse in England. He grew up on the farm, and as a child developed a passion for the American Old West.
He enjoyed writing poetry, and if you have never heard of Bernie Taupin, the poet, you have surely heard of the man who has been putting his words to music for f... continue reading...
Tags: bernie taupin,
dozens,
elton john,
farmhouse,
forty years,
full albums,
goodbye yellow brick,
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wikipedia,
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yellow brick road October 1, 2008
The Roman world was at once decadent, advanced, complicated, and organized.
Take gladiators, for instance.
Gladiatorial bouts were the ultimate blood sport. A gladiator may well be giving up his life in full public view.
On the other hand, successful gladiators enjoyed a life o... continue reading...
Tags: adulation,
arm guard,
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bouts,
gladiatori,
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wikipedia,
wooden swords September 19, 2008
Australia is a country that is at once beautiful and dangerous.
The beauty of the continent can not be denied, from the Great barrier Reef to Ayers Rock to Sydney Harbor.
But the dangers lurk there as well, including crocodiles, box jellyfish, ringed octopi, poisonous snakes, and drop bear... continue reading...
Tags: australia,
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wikipedia September 13, 2008
Today's FamilyFirst pick will combine two of my favorite things: Wikipedia, and Firefox.
Wikipedia, YOUR encyclopedia, is the source for much of the research that I use for my Boomer nostalgia blog.
If you type a search subject into Google, odds are that Wikipedia's entry on the subj... continue reading...
Tags: blog,
default browser,
encyclopedia,
explorer ie,
favorite things,
firefox,
future releases,
google,
internet explorer,
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odds,
security holes,
wikipedia September 9, 2008
The universe is a mind-boggling place.
Our own solar system is pretty amazing, too.
Astronomers have spent untold hours spotting and mapping objects out there that are orbiting our sun.
One such object, which I'm willing to bet that you've never heard of, is called 3753 Cruithne.
This ... continue reading...
Tags: animated gif,
chunk,
cruithne,
dial up connections,
earth,
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mapping objects,
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wikipedia August 16, 2008
Every year, one t6he most coveted major league baseball awards goes to the pitcher in each league who has proven himself head and shoulders above the rest.
Starting pitchers generally have two annual goals: win 20 games, and win a Cy Young award.
Just who was this Cy Young, anyway?
That que... continue reading...
Tags: 511,
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wikipedia,
year one August 11, 2008
So, have you ever heard that China's Great Wall is thwe only manmade object visible from space?
Or how about that marie Antoinette said "Let them eat cake" about her rebellious subjects?
Or that fingernails continue to grow after one's death?
Well, the statements above are all ... continue reading...
Tags: ad nauseum,
biological evolution,
china,
common misconceptions,
coriolis effect,
electrons,
fingernails,
manmade object,
marie antoinette,
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plethora,
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speed of light,
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wikipedia July 28, 2008
Certain archaeological finds have redefined history.
For instance, the Rosetta Stone allowed for the translation of languages previously unknown.
Pontius Pilate was assumed to be a fictional character until his name was unearthed from 2,000 year old ruins.
And ancient Medit... continue reading...
Tags: amazing stuff,
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wikipedia