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May 21, 2024
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FREEMusic Appreciation Song CurioFree2 CQ
Some things are hard to talk about, but they’re often the things that musicians step up to sing about. That was certainly the case on this day in 1970, when folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded Ohio. The protest anthem is about events that took place just weeks before its recording, when U.S. National Guard soldiers shot four unarmed students at Kent State University in Ohio. The students had been peacefully protesting the Vietnam War, and their killings became a flashpoint in the anti-war movement. The song’s lyrics pull no punches in asking listeners to stand up for their rights rather than turn away in fear: “What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground/How can you run when you know?” In the song’s full version, the words “four dead in Ohio” are repeated more than 30 times, driving home its message in no uncertain terms. The song’s steady beat, straightforward tune, and harmonized but uncomplicated vocals make it easy to remember and sing along with. That’s a pretty important feature when it comes to protest songs. After all, the goal is for people to raise their voices!
Some things are hard to talk about, but they’re often the things that musicians step up to sing about. That was certainly the case on this day in 1970, when folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young recorded Ohio. The protest anthem is about events that took place just weeks before its recording, when U.S. National Guard soldiers shot four unarmed students at Kent State University in Ohio. The students had been peacefully protesting the Vietnam War, and their killings became a flashpoint in the anti-war movement. The song’s lyrics pull no punches in asking listeners to stand up for their rights rather than turn away in fear: “What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground/How can you run when you know?” In the song’s full version, the words “four dead in Ohio” are repeated more than 30 times, driving home its message in no uncertain terms. The song’s steady beat, straightforward tune, and harmonized but uncomplicated vocals make it easy to remember and sing along with. That’s a pretty important feature when it comes to protest songs. After all, the goal is for people to raise their voices!
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2876Free1 CQ
Where do spiders listen to music? On the web, of course! Scientists at Binghamton University and Cornell University have discovered that spiders can use their webs to detect sounds in the air, and this insight might lead to innovations in hearing aid technology for people. Orb weaver spiders are consummate hunters, setting up large webs that trap their prey in an inescapable silk prison. As the prey struggles, its thrashing sends vibrations through the whole web, alerting the spider to the prey’s presence via sensory organs (the spider’s version of “ears”) on the arachnid’s legs. Now, researchers have learned that the spider's ability to detect vibrations actually extends far beyond the web itself. In fact, they observed that spiders react to sounds directed at their webs by crouching or flattening out, even if there is nothing on the web. Spider silk is excellent at responding to sound waves thanks to its light and flexible nature. Even a single strand can respond to sound waves, so an entire web can act as a giant microphone, giving the spider a much larger hearing surface than could be contained by its own, small body. Spiders can even adjust the tension of individual silk strands in order to hone in on different frequencies. Professor Ron Miles of Binghamton University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering said in a statement, “The spider is really a natural demonstration that this is a viable way to sense sound using viscous forces in the air on thin fibers. If it works in nature, maybe we should have a closer look at it.” This is an enormous development for Miles, who has been looking for a way to improve microphones on hearing aids and other devices. In principle, mimicking the properties of spider silk could lead to a microphone that is more sensitive and adjustable than conventional devices. It’s a sound idea, for sure.
[Image description: A black-and-yellow spider on a web.] Credit & copyright: Jimmy Chan, PexelsWhere do spiders listen to music? On the web, of course! Scientists at Binghamton University and Cornell University have discovered that spiders can use their webs to detect sounds in the air, and this insight might lead to innovations in hearing aid technology for people. Orb weaver spiders are consummate hunters, setting up large webs that trap their prey in an inescapable silk prison. As the prey struggles, its thrashing sends vibrations through the whole web, alerting the spider to the prey’s presence via sensory organs (the spider’s version of “ears”) on the arachnid’s legs. Now, researchers have learned that the spider's ability to detect vibrations actually extends far beyond the web itself. In fact, they observed that spiders react to sounds directed at their webs by crouching or flattening out, even if there is nothing on the web. Spider silk is excellent at responding to sound waves thanks to its light and flexible nature. Even a single strand can respond to sound waves, so an entire web can act as a giant microphone, giving the spider a much larger hearing surface than could be contained by its own, small body. Spiders can even adjust the tension of individual silk strands in order to hone in on different frequencies. Professor Ron Miles of Binghamton University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering said in a statement, “The spider is really a natural demonstration that this is a viable way to sense sound using viscous forces in the air on thin fibers. If it works in nature, maybe we should have a closer look at it.” This is an enormous development for Miles, who has been looking for a way to improve microphones on hearing aids and other devices. In principle, mimicking the properties of spider silk could lead to a microphone that is more sensitive and adjustable than conventional devices. It’s a sound idea, for sure.
[Image description: A black-and-yellow spider on a web.] Credit & copyright: Jimmy Chan, Pexels
May 20, 2024
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
Would you buy a painting of yourself looking at a painting by the painter who painted you? Honoré Daumier was a French painter and caricaturist who contributed to the rise of Impressionism. His piece above, Art Lovers, is a mostly black-and-white image of charcoal and watercolor with only small bits of color. A group of men are looking at various paintings on display, and the one at the very front is crouching down for a closer look. Daumier’s work could be anything from dark and satirical to pointed and melancholy. Whether in caricatures, paintings, or prints, Daumier excelled at producing vibrant human figures, depicting movement and emotion with striking silhouettes and sometimes grotesque details. Art Lovers is one of his more subdued works but still characteristic of his style. Apparently, Daumier liked to paint art collectors as they browsed his works, and these pieces were sold to the collectors themselves. It’s possible, then, that this piece was sold to the very person it depicts. Now that’s a hustle!
Art Lovers, Honoré Daumier (1808–1879), 1863, Gray and black wash, charcoal, and graphite, with watercolor, on cream laid paper, 10.31 x 7.62 in. (26.2 x 19.4 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1927.208. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.Would you buy a painting of yourself looking at a painting by the painter who painted you? Honoré Daumier was a French painter and caricaturist who contributed to the rise of Impressionism. His piece above, Art Lovers, is a mostly black-and-white image of charcoal and watercolor with only small bits of color. A group of men are looking at various paintings on display, and the one at the very front is crouching down for a closer look. Daumier’s work could be anything from dark and satirical to pointed and melancholy. Whether in caricatures, paintings, or prints, Daumier excelled at producing vibrant human figures, depicting movement and emotion with striking silhouettes and sometimes grotesque details. Art Lovers is one of his more subdued works but still characteristic of his style. Apparently, Daumier liked to paint art collectors as they browsed his works, and these pieces were sold to the collectors themselves. It’s possible, then, that this piece was sold to the very person it depicts. Now that’s a hustle!
Art Lovers, Honoré Daumier (1808–1879), 1863, Gray and black wash, charcoal, and graphite, with watercolor, on cream laid paper, 10.31 x 7.62 in. (26.2 x 19.4 cm.), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund 1927.208. Public domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation. -
FREEHumanities Daily Curio #2875Free1 CQ
How do you dust a dinosaur? That’s the sort of unique challenge you deal with when you work in a museum. International Museum Day might have come and gone just a couple of days ago, but the work of keeping displays spotless continues. A lot of time and often tedious effort goes into keeping delicate museum displays presentable. For example, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has a wealth of fossils available for public viewing, and they follow a strict routine to keep the exhibits clean. At the front lines of the war against dust are the museum’s fossil preparators, who are responsible for protecting these ancient biological relics of a bygone era. Even though the fossils are usually surrounded by glass, small amounts of dust make their way into the cases, which the preparators must carefully and routinely clean with an array of specialized vacuums and feather dusters. During this process, they must be careful not to damage the fossils, because every bit of lost fossil material is also lost data for future researchers. This can get tricky when cleaning massive displays like dinosaur skeletons, which require ladders and several consecutive days to clean thoroughly. But fossils aren’t the only museum artifacts that require regular maintenance, and there’s a rigorous and strict protocol for every kind of display—from marble statues to oil paintings. Such matters are the purview of organizations like the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), which prescribes a method and solution for every kind of museum housekeeping as well as how often they must be done. Much of the work is overseen by conservators, and the steps to cleaning any given artifact depend on the material it’s made of. For the most part, the CCAHA recommends against the use of harsh chemicals, and even offers instructions on how to identify different types of dust under a microscope to better formulate a plan against them. Imagine keeping up with that kind of upkeep.
[Image description: An exhibit in the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland, showing dinosaur skeletons and models on several displays.] Credit & copyright: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons. Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.How do you dust a dinosaur? That’s the sort of unique challenge you deal with when you work in a museum. International Museum Day might have come and gone just a couple of days ago, but the work of keeping displays spotless continues. A lot of time and often tedious effort goes into keeping delicate museum displays presentable. For example, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History has a wealth of fossils available for public viewing, and they follow a strict routine to keep the exhibits clean. At the front lines of the war against dust are the museum’s fossil preparators, who are responsible for protecting these ancient biological relics of a bygone era. Even though the fossils are usually surrounded by glass, small amounts of dust make their way into the cases, which the preparators must carefully and routinely clean with an array of specialized vacuums and feather dusters. During this process, they must be careful not to damage the fossils, because every bit of lost fossil material is also lost data for future researchers. This can get tricky when cleaning massive displays like dinosaur skeletons, which require ladders and several consecutive days to clean thoroughly. But fossils aren’t the only museum artifacts that require regular maintenance, and there’s a rigorous and strict protocol for every kind of display—from marble statues to oil paintings. Such matters are the purview of organizations like the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), which prescribes a method and solution for every kind of museum housekeeping as well as how often they must be done. Much of the work is overseen by conservators, and the steps to cleaning any given artifact depend on the material it’s made of. For the most part, the CCAHA recommends against the use of harsh chemicals, and even offers instructions on how to identify different types of dust under a microscope to better formulate a plan against them. Imagine keeping up with that kind of upkeep.
[Image description: An exhibit in the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland, showing dinosaur skeletons and models on several displays.] Credit & copyright: Daderot, Wikimedia Commons. Finnish Museum of Natural History, Helsinki, Finland. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law.
May 18, 2024
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FREESports Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
It’s the ultimate test of digit-al strength! Last week, 150 men gathered in the Bavarian town of Bernbeuren to compete in the national Fingerhakeln championship, one of the world’s strangest sporting events, hands down. Fingerhakeln, also called finger wrestling in English, is a serious athletic tradition developed in the Alpine communities of Bavaria and Austria. Originally, Fingerhakeln was a means to settle disputes, but it evolved into a competitive sport over time. The rules are simple: each round sees two finger wrestlers facing off, with each hooking one finger through a leather loop. They then pull as hard as they can, hoping to hold on longer than their opponent. Competitors usually use their middle fingers, and it’s common for fingers to get pulled out of their joints. Whoever wins moves on to another round, and the rounds continue until one man is crowned champion. Many competitors, like this year’s champion Luis Koegel, take the sport very seriously, and it’s not uncommon for men to train by hanging weights from their fingers. Finger wrestlers come in a wide range of ages, with the youngest and oldest competitors this year being 15 and 70. However, there were no competitors from outside Bavaria this year, as the region handily dominates the sport in Germany.
It’s the ultimate test of digit-al strength! Last week, 150 men gathered in the Bavarian town of Bernbeuren to compete in the national Fingerhakeln championship, one of the world’s strangest sporting events, hands down. Fingerhakeln, also called finger wrestling in English, is a serious athletic tradition developed in the Alpine communities of Bavaria and Austria. Originally, Fingerhakeln was a means to settle disputes, but it evolved into a competitive sport over time. The rules are simple: each round sees two finger wrestlers facing off, with each hooking one finger through a leather loop. They then pull as hard as they can, hoping to hold on longer than their opponent. Competitors usually use their middle fingers, and it’s common for fingers to get pulled out of their joints. Whoever wins moves on to another round, and the rounds continue until one man is crowned champion. Many competitors, like this year’s champion Luis Koegel, take the sport very seriously, and it’s not uncommon for men to train by hanging weights from their fingers. Finger wrestlers come in a wide range of ages, with the youngest and oldest competitors this year being 15 and 70. However, there were no competitors from outside Bavaria this year, as the region handily dominates the sport in Germany.
May 17, 2024
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FREEUS History Daily CurioFree1 CQ
This may just be the most comforting of all comfort foods. Good old macaroni and cheese has been an ooey-gooey American staple for centuries. It exists in all sorts of forms, from boxed pasta with powdered cheese to fancy restaurant-grade dishes with herbs and meat mixed in. They all have an interesting history though, stretching all the way back to America's earliest days...and beyond.
Macaroni and cheese is a pasta dish of macaroni noodles (noodles shaped like small tubes) and cheese sauce. This sauce is usually made with cheddar cheese to give it a tangy quality, combined with ingredients like butter, milk, or cream. Traditionally, macaroni and cheese is baked in the oven as a casserole (sometimes topped with shredded cheese or bread crumbs) but many variations don’t require the use of an oven. In fact, one of the most common forms of macaroni and cheese is the prepackaged variety, which requires that noodles be boiled and powdered cheese be made on the stove top or in the microwave. Either way, macaroni and cheese is a creamy, tangy, easy-to-make dish.
As with any popular food, there are plenty of stories about where, exactly, macaroni and cheese came from. Combinations of cheese and pasta have existed since at least 160 BCE, when Roman senator Marcus Porcius Cato wrote down a recipe for a dish made with whole grain dough and layers of cheese. Such dishes remained common in Italy for centuries, and eventually spread throughout Europe, becoming especially popular in France. As for how macaroni and cheese made its way to America, we likely have James Hemings, a man born into slavery in 1765, to thank for that. At age eight, Hemings was purchased by Thomas Jefferson, who also owned several other members of his family. When Jefferson was appointed Minister to France in 1785, he brought Hemings with him to Paris and paid for him to attend culinary classes. Hemings proved himself a talented cook, and soon began working as Jefferson’s personal chef, serving French dishes at Jefferson’s lavish dinner parties. Hemings’ cooking helped popularize several French dishes in the American South, including macaroni and cheese. In 1796, Hemings was able to negotiate with Jefferson for his freedom and went on to work as a professional cook in Philadelphia.
Hemings’ macaroni and cheese was made the French way, with gruyere cheese and other expensive ingredients, but the dish’s popularity could not be contained. Over the next century, thanks to the prolific publication of American cookbooks, the dish went from being a food of the elite to a food of the people, going from titles like “Macaroni a la Sauce Blanche” to simply “Macaroni.” Fancy cheeses were substituted for easier-to-find cheddar, and fancy seasonings were often held in favor of simple salt and pepper. By the time Canadian businessman James Kraft introduced his Kraft Dinner (aka boxed macaroni and cheese) in 1937, macaroni and cheese was already one of the most popular foods in America. Today, it remains a staple of children’s menus and adult dinner tables alike. It’s hard to go wrong when there’s cheese involved.
[Image description: Macaroni and cheese with a few bacon bits on top.] Credit & copyright: Florentino Floro, Judgefloro, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide.This may just be the most comforting of all comfort foods. Good old macaroni and cheese has been an ooey-gooey American staple for centuries. It exists in all sorts of forms, from boxed pasta with powdered cheese to fancy restaurant-grade dishes with herbs and meat mixed in. They all have an interesting history though, stretching all the way back to America's earliest days...and beyond.
Macaroni and cheese is a pasta dish of macaroni noodles (noodles shaped like small tubes) and cheese sauce. This sauce is usually made with cheddar cheese to give it a tangy quality, combined with ingredients like butter, milk, or cream. Traditionally, macaroni and cheese is baked in the oven as a casserole (sometimes topped with shredded cheese or bread crumbs) but many variations don’t require the use of an oven. In fact, one of the most common forms of macaroni and cheese is the prepackaged variety, which requires that noodles be boiled and powdered cheese be made on the stove top or in the microwave. Either way, macaroni and cheese is a creamy, tangy, easy-to-make dish.
As with any popular food, there are plenty of stories about where, exactly, macaroni and cheese came from. Combinations of cheese and pasta have existed since at least 160 BCE, when Roman senator Marcus Porcius Cato wrote down a recipe for a dish made with whole grain dough and layers of cheese. Such dishes remained common in Italy for centuries, and eventually spread throughout Europe, becoming especially popular in France. As for how macaroni and cheese made its way to America, we likely have James Hemings, a man born into slavery in 1765, to thank for that. At age eight, Hemings was purchased by Thomas Jefferson, who also owned several other members of his family. When Jefferson was appointed Minister to France in 1785, he brought Hemings with him to Paris and paid for him to attend culinary classes. Hemings proved himself a talented cook, and soon began working as Jefferson’s personal chef, serving French dishes at Jefferson’s lavish dinner parties. Hemings’ cooking helped popularize several French dishes in the American South, including macaroni and cheese. In 1796, Hemings was able to negotiate with Jefferson for his freedom and went on to work as a professional cook in Philadelphia.
Hemings’ macaroni and cheese was made the French way, with gruyere cheese and other expensive ingredients, but the dish’s popularity could not be contained. Over the next century, thanks to the prolific publication of American cookbooks, the dish went from being a food of the elite to a food of the people, going from titles like “Macaroni a la Sauce Blanche” to simply “Macaroni.” Fancy cheeses were substituted for easier-to-find cheddar, and fancy seasonings were often held in favor of simple salt and pepper. By the time Canadian businessman James Kraft introduced his Kraft Dinner (aka boxed macaroni and cheese) in 1937, macaroni and cheese was already one of the most popular foods in America. Today, it remains a staple of children’s menus and adult dinner tables alike. It’s hard to go wrong when there’s cheese involved.
[Image description: Macaroni and cheese with a few bacon bits on top.] Credit & copyright: Florentino Floro, Judgefloro, Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide.
May 16, 2024
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FREESTEM Nerdy CurioFree1 CQ
Get the lead out of your pants and pipes! With health professionals now saying that there is no safe level of lead exposure, more and more people are taking precautions against its presence in drinking water. While testing for lead can be costly and time consuming, a new device created by engineers at MIT, Nanytang Technological University, and several private companies might make the process as easy as turning on the tap, according to a paper published in Nature Communications. After Flint, Michigan, made headlines for its lead contaminated water in 2016, the issue of lead in drinking water hasn’t left the American public consciousness. Like many American cities, Flint’s drinking water system was largely composed of lead pipes. The malleable, durable metal has been used in plumbing for millennia, dating back to the ancient Romans. Unfortunately, reliance on this toxic metal has left around 56 percent of the U.S. with contaminated water. Testing for lead typically involves gathering samples and testing them for about $50 each in a lab, and it can take several tests to ensure accuracy. But cheap, frequent testing might be possible in the near future, thanks to researchers who developed a photonic chip that can detect lead in concentrations as low as 1 part per billion. Photonic chips rely on light to detect the presence of certain chemicals, and these chips use crown ethers (ring-shaped molecules composed of ether groups) embedded on the surface that trap lead ions. As of now, there isn’t a finished product on the market, but this innovation could make handheld lead detection devices a possibility. Anything to stop lead dead in the water.
[Image description: An 1838 illustration of a lead pipe rolling machine.] Credit & copyright: Department of the Interior. Patent Office (1849 - 1925). Robt [Robert] M. Scydle and Lewis Ward's Lead pipe Roller. This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Digital Public Library of America. Public Domain.
Get the lead out of your pants and pipes! With health professionals now saying that there is no safe level of lead exposure, more and more people are taking precautions against its presence in drinking water. While testing for lead can be costly and time consuming, a new device created by engineers at MIT, Nanytang Technological University, and several private companies might make the process as easy as turning on the tap, according to a paper published in Nature Communications. After Flint, Michigan, made headlines for its lead contaminated water in 2016, the issue of lead in drinking water hasn’t left the American public consciousness. Like many American cities, Flint’s drinking water system was largely composed of lead pipes. The malleable, durable metal has been used in plumbing for millennia, dating back to the ancient Romans. Unfortunately, reliance on this toxic metal has left around 56 percent of the U.S. with contaminated water. Testing for lead typically involves gathering samples and testing them for about $50 each in a lab, and it can take several tests to ensure accuracy. But cheap, frequent testing might be possible in the near future, thanks to researchers who developed a photonic chip that can detect lead in concentrations as low as 1 part per billion. Photonic chips rely on light to detect the presence of certain chemicals, and these chips use crown ethers (ring-shaped molecules composed of ether groups) embedded on the surface that trap lead ions. As of now, there isn’t a finished product on the market, but this innovation could make handheld lead detection devices a possibility. Anything to stop lead dead in the water.
[Image description: An 1838 illustration of a lead pipe rolling machine.] Credit & copyright: Department of the Interior. Patent Office (1849 - 1925). Robt [Robert] M. Scydle and Lewis Ward's Lead pipe Roller. This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America, via its partner Digital Public Library of America. Public Domain.
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FREESTEM Daily Curio #2874Free1 CQ
Truly, it was one of the darkest days in history. This month in 1978, the first instance of the digital scourge known as digital spam was sent via email. Gary Thuerk, a marketing representative at Digital Equipment Corporation, sent the email on May 3, 1978. He was trying to sell a new computer system, but instead of reaching out to potential customers on an individual basis, Thuerk had his assistant send out a mass email to every user then on ARPANET, the early precursor to today’s internet. Granted, there were only 393 of them (although some sources report the number to exceed 400), but it nevertheless was the first-ever bulk email sent for commercial purposes. Most sources from the time state that the response to Thuerk’s digital outreach was quite negative, but that didn’t stop imitators down the line. Decades later, on the online discussion platform USENET, a law firm named Canter & Siegel began what is largely considered to be the first mass email campaign when they advertised their services to over 6,000 newsgroups. It was all downhill from there.
As for the origin of the term “spam”, it’s a reference to a sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. In the sketch, a diner waitress rattles off the establishment’s offerings to a confused couple, with the joke being that every menu item contains SPAM—even the lobster thermidor. Understandably, the makers of the canned ham, Hormel Foods Corp, weren’t crazy about their brand’s association with electronic junk mail. While they’ve mostly given up on taking legal action against organizations that refer to junk mail as “spam,” they’ve differentiated their product from the digital detritus by using all capital letters for SPAM, the food. Personally, we’d much rather get a can of luncheon meat in the mail than any more random fliers.
[Image description: A digital illustration of a word bubble with the word “spam” inside a red “no” symbol.] Credit & copyright: Author’s own work. CC0 Public Domain Dedication.Truly, it was one of the darkest days in history. This month in 1978, the first instance of the digital scourge known as digital spam was sent via email. Gary Thuerk, a marketing representative at Digital Equipment Corporation, sent the email on May 3, 1978. He was trying to sell a new computer system, but instead of reaching out to potential customers on an individual basis, Thuerk had his assistant send out a mass email to every user then on ARPANET, the early precursor to today’s internet. Granted, there were only 393 of them (although some sources report the number to exceed 400), but it nevertheless was the first-ever bulk email sent for commercial purposes. Most sources from the time state that the response to Thuerk’s digital outreach was quite negative, but that didn’t stop imitators down the line. Decades later, on the online discussion platform USENET, a law firm named Canter & Siegel began what is largely considered to be the first mass email campaign when they advertised their services to over 6,000 newsgroups. It was all downhill from there.
As for the origin of the term “spam”, it’s a reference to a sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus. In the sketch, a diner waitress rattles off the establishment’s offerings to a confused couple, with the joke being that every menu item contains SPAM—even the lobster thermidor. Understandably, the makers of the canned ham, Hormel Foods Corp, weren’t crazy about their brand’s association with electronic junk mail. While they’ve mostly given up on taking legal action against organizations that refer to junk mail as “spam,” they’ve differentiated their product from the digital detritus by using all capital letters for SPAM, the food. Personally, we’d much rather get a can of luncheon meat in the mail than any more random fliers.
[Image description: A digital illustration of a word bubble with the word “spam” inside a red “no” symbol.] Credit & copyright: Author’s own work. CC0 Public Domain Dedication.
May 15, 2024
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FREEWorld History Daily Curio #2873Free1 CQ
Reading ancient texts, deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, and publishing the translations—these may sound like the academic routines of seasoned Egyptologists, but they’re actually one teenager’s unusual hobbies. In fact, 16-year-old Michael Hoffen just helped translate an ancient Egyptian tale that is now available as a book. Co-authored with Egyptologists Christian Casey and Jen Thum, Hoffman is now the proud author of Be a Scribe!, which contains the story of The Instruction of Khety, originally written down on papyrus over 4,000 years ago with hieroglyphs. Contrary to popular belief, Egyptian hieroglyphics were used more like letters than pictographs. Each drawing or symbol had a phonetic value instead of representing an idea, and the writing system was used until the 4th century CE, when it was largely cast aside in favor of Coptic, which used the Greek alphabet.
As for the story in Be a Scribe!, it’s the tale of Khety, an Egyptian miner, who is traveling with his son, Pepi, up the Nile while discussing the child’s future career as a scribe. During their journey, the pair see workers from different trades and how they must toil to survive. Some of the descriptions give readers insight into how the ancient Egyptians viewed various trades and how difficult life was for those who could not secure a prestigious profession. For example, smiths and sculptors have “fingers like crocodiles” while the barber cannot rest “in order to fill his stomach, like a bee working to eat.” Worse still is the sandal-maker “who has the taste of leather in his mouth all day” and the gardener “who only rests when he dies.” On the other hand, Khety tells his son that, “Being a scribe is like nothing on earth. Fortune starts for him when he is only a child, people already seek advice from him.” Perhaps a similar destiny is in store for Hoffman, who first gained an interest in translating ancient texts while he was in middle school. In recognition of his efforts, The Concord Review awarded Hoffman the Emerson Prize for outstanding promise in history, making him the youngest ever recipient of the award. It seems like he didn’t just translate Khety’s advice, he took it too.
[Image description: A close-up photo of an ancient Egyptian seal and hyroglyphs.] Credit & copyright: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Provided under "OA Public Domain" License. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.Reading ancient texts, deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, and publishing the translations—these may sound like the academic routines of seasoned Egyptologists, but they’re actually one teenager’s unusual hobbies. In fact, 16-year-old Michael Hoffen just helped translate an ancient Egyptian tale that is now available as a book. Co-authored with Egyptologists Christian Casey and Jen Thum, Hoffman is now the proud author of Be a Scribe!, which contains the story of The Instruction of Khety, originally written down on papyrus over 4,000 years ago with hieroglyphs. Contrary to popular belief, Egyptian hieroglyphics were used more like letters than pictographs. Each drawing or symbol had a phonetic value instead of representing an idea, and the writing system was used until the 4th century CE, when it was largely cast aside in favor of Coptic, which used the Greek alphabet.
As for the story in Be a Scribe!, it’s the tale of Khety, an Egyptian miner, who is traveling with his son, Pepi, up the Nile while discussing the child’s future career as a scribe. During their journey, the pair see workers from different trades and how they must toil to survive. Some of the descriptions give readers insight into how the ancient Egyptians viewed various trades and how difficult life was for those who could not secure a prestigious profession. For example, smiths and sculptors have “fingers like crocodiles” while the barber cannot rest “in order to fill his stomach, like a bee working to eat.” Worse still is the sandal-maker “who has the taste of leather in his mouth all day” and the gardener “who only rests when he dies.” On the other hand, Khety tells his son that, “Being a scribe is like nothing on earth. Fortune starts for him when he is only a child, people already seek advice from him.” Perhaps a similar destiny is in store for Hoffman, who first gained an interest in translating ancient texts while he was in middle school. In recognition of his efforts, The Concord Review awarded Hoffman the Emerson Prize for outstanding promise in history, making him the youngest ever recipient of the award. It seems like he didn’t just translate Khety’s advice, he took it too.
[Image description: A close-up photo of an ancient Egyptian seal and hyroglyphs.] Credit & copyright: Metropolitan Museum of Art. Provided under "OA Public Domain" License. Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.