So it’s the day after July 4th. The Declaration of Independence is all signed, the revolution is won, and it’s now “Sam Adams Time.” They can take a pause and relax because the job is done. Popular imagination, fueled by John Trumbull’s apocrvaphyl painting, often envisions an
When I was a child, at the end of a visit to the family doctor, the doctor would open his drawer and there would be a box of lollipops. I would always ask for the “green one,” which meant the lime-flavored lollipop. It was this association between the color
In my book, there is a discussion of something called The Whatever Axiom: On the poster [in my office] was a pseudo-equation that we in the office called The Whatever Axiom: We all knew that cynical statement that if a lie is told often enough, it becomes the truth.
I was at a wedding a while back, and during the reception, I was seated with the peers of the newly betrothed. I often enjoy the opportunity to converse with the younger set and was looking forward to enjoying the reception. At the table, amongst others, were Joshua and Bryanna—
An exploration of Thomas Jefferson’s wheel cipher, an ingenious 18th-century cryptographic invention utilizing 36 rotating wooden disks on a spindle. This essay breaks down the mechanics of early American diplomatic encryption and Enlightenment-era technology.
As was much of the world, I was astonished when the U.S. government issued an order forbidding the sale and use of Claude’s new release, Fable 5. The concern is that Fable, through ingeniously constructed and timed prompts, can be made to do things that it is not
Think of all the things you may have done today. You made breakfast for your family. You drove the car, following all traffic rules. You held the door open for your office mates. You pressed the correct door-open button so those hurrying to get on the elevator didn’t
Unfortunately, symphonic and chamber music forms are not taught at all in school. In English class, we learn all the analytical terms for literature: foreshadowing, similes, irony, and character development. But we learn nothing for music. Terms such as sonata-allegro form, rondo, and the development section; none of these
George Washington’s inaugural address was quite the affair. There were thousands of people packed along Wall and Broad streets in New York City. Quipping that he “felt like a culprit going to his execution,” the future first president was visibly nervous. He had great things to say and he
There are many bromides that annoy me, but stating that one “is on the right side of history” is by far the most grating. Declaring that one is on the right side of history is often used as a bullying tactic, a sweeping invalidation of a different point of view.
The world has become gray. Creativity has come to a standstill. I’m not talking about the normal institutional sameness, like yet another Spider-Man movie, but a real crisis in creativity. No new books have been published, all the TV shows are in reruns, and even YouTube is moribund.
I was late for the train and had to settle for one of the end seats in the passenger car where the passengers face each other. A man was sitting across from me and maneuvered politely as I nestled into the tight space. The man, wearing a bowler hat, wasn’