Odds and Ends Archive
February 21, 2013
Quotation Of The Week
“I’ve long been amused when academics talk about the deep meaning in pop culture, which is often just sophisticated-sounded nonsense spewed over vapid and temporary mediocrities.” – Ed Brayton at Dispatches from the Culture Wars...Read all of "Quotation Of The Week"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:36 PM
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January 24, 2013
Blogging Hiatus Slowdown
As the two of you who read this blog on a regular basis know, things have been a little slow around here for a couple of months and what there has been has not been all that abnormal or all...
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Posted by Duane Smith at 8:22 PM
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January 18, 2013
Still Another Quotation Of The Day
That Armstrong is a fraud who doesn’t deserve the millions of dollars he’s sitting on right now isn’t even a question anymore. The only real question is…is professional cycling roughly equivalent to professional wrestling on the hokum scale? From PZ...Read all of "Still Another Quotation Of The Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:01 PM
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January 16, 2013
Quotation Of The Day
The fact is that thinking critically, being consistent in applying the same standard of reasoning to all arguments whether we agree with the conclusions or not, takes real effort. It requires questioning ourselves on our motives and refusing to take...Read all of "Quotation Of The Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:06 PM
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January 8, 2013
This Just Might Indicate A Negative Review
“. . . the worst piece of incoherent and morally reprehensible tripe I think I’ve ever read in my life. [M. G. Piety on Stephen T. Asma’s article, “In Defense of Favoritism”] Via Leiter Reports...Read all of "This Just Might Indicate A Negative Review"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:47 PM
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December 31, 2012
Happy New Year
Special day mysticism isn’t really my thing. Still, certain days aid in marking the unfolding of life. Along with birthdays and anniversaries, New Year’s Day is certainly such a day. So be safe tonight (if I’m not too late). Enjoy...Posted by Duane Smith at 4:45 PM
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December 16, 2012
Thank You Microsoft
The Abnormal Interest server was abnormally down between 2:30 this morning and a few minutes ago. Microsoft was kind enough to provide a security update but couldn't quite get the server to restart properly. How did I fix the problem?...Read all of "Thank You Microsoft"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:52 AM
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December 4, 2012
A Quotation With Many Applications
„Wie er zu dieser Einschätzung gelangt ist, bleibt ein Ratsel” – something like, “How he came to this assessment remains a puzzle.” This is from Josef Tropper and Juan-Pablo Vita, "Die keilalphabetische Inscript aus Tiryns," UF 42 (2010), 693. They...Read all of "A Quotation With Many Applications"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:05 PM
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November 24, 2012
What We Know Is Wrong
Is this even possible? Not if we actually know it. About once a month our philosopher daughter, Shirley, and I engage in a discussion of epistemology. Often this conversation, by necessity, wonders into metaphysics. This morning was no exception. I...Read all of "What We Know Is Wrong"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:21 PM
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November 19, 2012
A Day To Give Thanks
and a day to remember those in need. According to Scott Huler writing for Scientific American, today is World Toilet Day. Yep. You heard me: Nov. 19 is World Toilet Day. Brought to you by the Water Supply and Sanitation...Read all of "A Day To Give Thanks"
Posted by Duane Smith at 11:26 AM
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November 17, 2012
Steven Pinker On Writing Classic Prose
Steven Pinker’s talk on written communication in the sciences applies as well to written communications in the humanities. He offers an abnormally interesting set of suggestions on how to improve written communications. He also suggests several obstacles to good communication....Read all of "Steven Pinker On Writing Classic Prose"
Posted by Duane Smith at 7:15 PM
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November 8, 2012
We Lost With Over 60% Of The Vote
There may be two or three abnormal readers, that is 50% of you, who are curious about how the ballot measure I worked on fared. We poled 60.22% of the vote. That may sound good but we needed two thirds...Read all of "We Lost With Over 60% Of The Vote"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:03 PM
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November 6, 2012
It’s Election Day
and there’s little I can do about it now. I no longer have what amounts to a full time job with lots of overtime and no pay. No more Save the Pomona Public Library signs to deliver. No more door...Read all of "It’s Election Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:17 AM
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October 5, 2012
Slow Blogging – Fast Politicking
If anyone cares, blogging will be slow for the near future. While I will continue to post from time to time, most of the time that I (ab)normally use for blogging and the research that drives many of my posts...Read all of "Slow Blogging – Fast Politicking"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:18 PM
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September 28, 2012
Reflections On Fairness And Funding Of Our Public Library
Yesterday two of us advocates for a ballot measure that would provide continuing funding for our local Pomona Public Library had an encounter with our opposition. We didn’t intend for it to be an encounter; we hoped it would be...Read all of "Reflections On Fairness And Funding Of Our Public Library"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:00 PM
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September 23, 2012
Over 5,300 Travel Miles But I’m Back Again
Shirley and I took a road trip two thirds of the way across the US – the longest road trip we have ever taken. We visited our daughter in Kent, OH. While there we also met face to face for...Read all of "Over 5,300 Travel Miles But I’m Back Again"
Posted by Duane Smith at 8:56 AM
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August 11, 2012
The Two Lost Last Weeks Of July
If anyone cares, you can see how Shirley and I filled the days between July 17 and July 31 by checking out our Mediterranean 2012 Flicker Set. The nice thing about a link is that there is no need to...
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Posted by Duane Smith at 3:20 PM
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August 9, 2012
Font Type And Impression
Errol Morris tells the story in the New York Times. Here’s a sample, Don’t get me wrong. The underlying truth of the sentence “Gold has an atomic number of 79” is not dependent on the font in which it is...Read all of "Font Type And Impression"
Posted by Duane Smith at 4:30 PM
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August 4, 2012
On Plagiarizing a Website
Mark Goodacre illustrates a rather clear undocumented use of one of his webpages in the commonly used Introducing the New Testament by John Drane. I’m sure the kind of paraphrasing Mark notes would garner a low, maybe failing, grade and/or...Read all of "On Plagiarizing a Website"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:18 PM
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July 31, 2012
I’m Back
For the last two weeks Shirley and I have been on an eating extravaganza occasional interrupted by some other actives like visiting museums and archaeological sites. Should the fatigue induced fog that now obscures my thought clear in the next...Posted by Duane Smith at 1:41 PM
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July 16, 2012
Now Caltech
The Los Angeles Times reports: Caltech, the school that couldn't succeed at sports if it cheated, has turned itself in to the NCAA for cheating. One of the country's losingest athletic programs has chosen to vacate wins it doesn't have,...Posted by Duane Smith at 7:03 AM
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July 10, 2012
“The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge”
Abraham Flexner, a founder of the Institute for Advanced Study, began his 1939 paper, “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge,” with these words, Is it not a curious fact that in a world steeped in irrational hatreds which threaten civilization itself,...Read all of "“The Usefulness Of Useless Knowledge”"
Posted by Duane Smith at 10:22 AM
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June 30, 2012
My Role In Money And Politics
The other day I send a modest contribution to the presidential candidate of my choice. It doesn’t matter which one. Well, it does matter but not for the purposes of this post. I’ll be sending some small money in support...Read all of "My Role In Money And Politics"
Posted by Duane Smith at 6:41 PM
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June 15, 2012
Just Another Day
Today seems like if should be a milestone day. I just sent off a paper I’ve been working on for quite some time. I hope the journal editor and the peer reviews see it as something they want to publish....Read all of "Just Another Day"
Posted by Duane Smith at 1:01 PM
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June 12, 2012
Lifetime Author Fee Model For Open Access Journals
The question of how to finance peer reviewed journals has been around for a while. Entangled with this is the question of copyright ownership and open access.. There are basically two approaches. There is the reader fee approach and the...Read all of "Lifetime Author Fee Model For Open Access Journals"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:51 PM
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June 7, 2012
eLogic Gallery
David Marans’ Logic Gallery is a chronologically ordered collection of quotations on logic from the most important thinkers in western civilization. At least from those who had anything to say on the subject. In addition to a quotation or two,...Posted by Duane Smith at 8:13 PM
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May 29, 2012
Is This Really Controversial?
From Rich Barlow writing at BU Today, Should the three Rs be four Rs, as in reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic, and ’rogramming? That’s the argument made by Carnegie Mellon computer scientist Jeannette Wing and increasingly by academics from a broad spectrum...Read all of "Is This Really Controversial?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:07 PM
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May 24, 2012
Illuminated Manuscripts Cookies
Anniina of Luminarium Blog shares her “Medieval Illuminated Initial Cookies.” Check them all out. They sure look good. Via Boing Boing...
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Posted by Duane Smith at 8:15 PM
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May 15, 2012
Slow Blogging For Now
I have a head cold and I can’t think and blog at the same time. Some readers may not be surprised at the second half of the conjunction. Abnormal blogging will resume when my head clears....Read all of "Slow Blogging For Now"
Posted by Duane Smith at 12:52 PM
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May 3, 2012
How Long Did It Take And How Much Did It Cost?
On AEGEANET and ANE-2, Judith Weingarten directs us to ORBIS. ORBIS: The Stanford Geospatial Network Model of the Roman World reconstructs the time cost and financial expense associated with a wide range of different types of travel in antiquity. The...Read all of "How Long Did It Take And How Much Did It Cost?"
Posted by Duane Smith at 2:59 PM
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Titles Only From Here On
April 30, 2012
The Zeigarnik Effect
April 26, 2012
Just For Laughs
April 20, 2012
Your Work Should Remain Yours
April 6, 2012
On Outsourcing Work – To Customers
April 5, 2012
Big News On The Small Mammoth
March 17, 2012
More On The QWERTY (Supposed) Effect
March 14, 2012
The End Of Encyclopedia Britannica In Print
March 12, 2012
Can A Writing System Influence Meaning?
March 10, 2012
Curiosity, Education, Perception, And Humanity
March 9, 2012
Fun Divination Quotation
February 26, 2012
Audience Failure
February 13, 2012
Bruhns, Bach, Beethoven, Couperin And A Whole Lot Of Bull
February 10, 2012
A Reflection On Written And Oral History
February 9, 2012
The Colors Of The Season
January 24, 2012
Philosophy In Brazil: An Experiment In Democracy
January 22, 2012
Two Thoughts On The Commedia
January 20, 2012
Holy (Unsupported?) Snakes
January 19, 2012
A Slackers Apology Online
January 14, 2012
A Small Step In The Right Direction
January 7, 2012
Visit Yasemin's Kitchen
January 6, 2012
Quotation Of The Day
December 24, 2011
Have A Joyous, Merry, Happy One
December 14, 2011
A Matter Of Procedure
December 11, 2011
There Must Be A Word For Them
December 2, 2011
Medicare And A New Breast Cancer Treatment
November 24, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving
November 10, 2011
You Might Be Getting Ripped Off
November 5, 2011
A Very Domesticated Cat
November 2, 2011
Another Reason To Avoid ATMs
November 1, 2011
Trick Or Treat
October 22, 2011
Slow Blogging Ahead
October 18, 2011
Quotation Of The Day
October 3, 2011
Quotations Of The Day
October 2, 2011
The Big Piano And The Little Piano
September 25, 2011
Banned Books Week
September 22, 2011
Cognitive Bias in Sports?
September 20, 2011
Quotation Of The Day
September 19, 2011
My Problem Of The Day
September 12, 2011
Phrasal Stress Or Modal Ambiguity
September 11, 2011
Nearing The End (I hope)
September 10, 2011
On Mercurial Words
September 7, 2011
Homer Multitext
August 30, 2011
Publication and Profit
August 29, 2011
I Just Solved The Most Pressing Question In Philosophy
August 27, 2011
A Question Of Priorities Accompanied By A Rant
August 25, 2011
Philosopher Gets $1.5 Grant
August 21, 2011
“The End Of The Ship”
August 20, 2011
A Problem
August 17, 2011
On Translation
August 15, 2011
You Can See Russia From Alaska
August 6, 2011
Things To Do And People To See
July 22, 2011
Goodbye Minitel
July 19, 2011
West On P
July 17, 2011
Parkinson’s Law Inaction In Action
July 12, 2011
I’m Waiting And Worrying
June 24, 2011
You Know You’re Getting Old When . . .
June 22, 2011
Syntactic Dependencies In Herodotus Book I
June 14, 2011
Abnormal Clouds
June 3, 2011
Computers, Computers
June 2, 2011
Quotation(s) of Yesterday
May 28, 2011
Babies are Bayesians?
May 20, 2011
Wondering The Tracks Exhibits
May 14, 2011
On Theologians Economists
May 7, 2011
Happy Birthday David Hume
May 5, 2011
Solid Liberal
May 1, 2011
Strange Demographics
April 28, 2011
And Now For Something Completely Different
April 10, 2011
A Whole New Way To Waste My Time (And Yours)
April 5, 2011
Dealing With Error In Someone Else’s Work
April 4, 2011
The Viola As Fine Wine
March 31, 2011
A Minor Rant
March 18, 2011
Relative Abstraction and Instrumental Music
February 24, 2011
Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek-English Lexicon Online
February 18, 2011
Friday’s Question
February 14, 2011
On The Fear Of Accidental Plagiarism