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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.
May 14, 2024
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FREEMusic Song CurioFree2 CQ
It was written on the recommendation of a movie star and named for one of the world’s most iconic rock songs—that’s a lot for one musical! On this day in 2002, We Will Rock You, a musical based on the songs of legendary rock band Queen, opened at London’s Dominion Theatre. Its 12-year run made it the Dominion's longest-running musical. Perhaps more impressive is the way the musical got started. It’s title is obviously based on Queen’s 1977 rock anthem We Will Rock You, a bare-bones yet pulse-pounding song featuring Freddie Mercury’s signature yowling vocals atop rhythmic claps and stomps. As for the musical’s inspiration, it came from a meeting between Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor and actor Robert De Niro, whose daughter was a Queen fan. De Niro asked if the band had ever considered making a musical based on their songs. Afterward, May and Taylor teamed up with playwright Ben Elton to craft a story set 300 years in the future, in which counterculture youths fight to overthrow the corporate overlords that control their society. It seems like just the sort of romantic sci-fi story that Mercury himself would have loved.
It was written on the recommendation of a movie star and named for one of the world’s most iconic rock songs—that’s a lot for one musical! On this day in 2002, We Will Rock You, a musical based on the songs of legendary rock band Queen, opened at London’s Dominion Theatre. Its 12-year run made it the Dominion's longest-running musical. Perhaps more impressive is the way the musical got started. It’s title is obviously based on Queen’s 1977 rock anthem We Will Rock You, a bare-bones yet pulse-pounding song featuring Freddie Mercury’s signature yowling vocals atop rhythmic claps and stomps. As for the musical’s inspiration, it came from a meeting between Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor and actor Robert De Niro, whose daughter was a Queen fan. De Niro asked if the band had ever considered making a musical based on their songs. Afterward, May and Taylor teamed up with playwright Ben Elton to craft a story set 300 years in the future, in which counterculture youths fight to overthrow the corporate overlords that control their society. It seems like just the sort of romantic sci-fi story that Mercury himself would have loved.
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FREEBiology Daily Curio #2872Free1 CQ
The story of Earth isn’t one of life or death, but life and death. Perhaps nothing encapsulates that idea as well as the recent discovery that deadly cosmic radiation was once responsible for giving complex life an evolutionary boost. Life on Earth is partly possible due to the planet’s magnetic field, which prevents dangerous levels of cosmic radiation from entering the atmosphere. But around 590 million years ago, the magnetic field almost collapsed, allowing radiation to pour in and reach the surface of the planet. This weakening of the magnetic field lasted around 26 million years, and the field was one thirtieth the strength it is today. For decades, scientists believed that this should have been catastrophic to early organisms on Earth, and perhaps it was, because biodiversity was in decline during this time. Oddly enough, though, the weakening of the field also coincides with the Ediacaran period, which is defined by a massive leap in the diversity of multicellular life.
It may seem paradoxical, but it’s actually not. According to recent findings by Earth scientists at the University of Rochester, the weak magnetic field led to a boost in the amount of oxygen in the seas and atmosphere by allowing solar winds to knock hydrogen ions loose. With less hydrogen to bond to, more oxygen remained free to be used by increasingly complex, energy-hungry, multicellular organisms. In this oxygen rich environment, a wide variety of multicellular organisms appeared and disappeared in a sort of early evolutionary arms race. For much of the Ediacaran period, biodiversity continued to decline as many evolutionary lines died off, but the survivors of this period came to dominate the Cambrian period, which saw an explosion of diversity. The Cambrian explosion also saw the first insects and early animals, complex lifeforms with high metabolic requirements that could not have been met without the oxygen created in the preceding period. Life really has its ups and downs.
[Image description: A fossil from the Ediacaran, the first of three periods that made up Earth’s Neoproterozoic Era.] Credit & copyright: Smthsonian, Tribrachidium heraldicum Glaessner & Daily, 1959. CC0, Public Domain.The story of Earth isn’t one of life or death, but life and death. Perhaps nothing encapsulates that idea as well as the recent discovery that deadly cosmic radiation was once responsible for giving complex life an evolutionary boost. Life on Earth is partly possible due to the planet’s magnetic field, which prevents dangerous levels of cosmic radiation from entering the atmosphere. But around 590 million years ago, the magnetic field almost collapsed, allowing radiation to pour in and reach the surface of the planet. This weakening of the magnetic field lasted around 26 million years, and the field was one thirtieth the strength it is today. For decades, scientists believed that this should have been catastrophic to early organisms on Earth, and perhaps it was, because biodiversity was in decline during this time. Oddly enough, though, the weakening of the field also coincides with the Ediacaran period, which is defined by a massive leap in the diversity of multicellular life.
It may seem paradoxical, but it’s actually not. According to recent findings by Earth scientists at the University of Rochester, the weak magnetic field led to a boost in the amount of oxygen in the seas and atmosphere by allowing solar winds to knock hydrogen ions loose. With less hydrogen to bond to, more oxygen remained free to be used by increasingly complex, energy-hungry, multicellular organisms. In this oxygen rich environment, a wide variety of multicellular organisms appeared and disappeared in a sort of early evolutionary arms race. For much of the Ediacaran period, biodiversity continued to decline as many evolutionary lines died off, but the survivors of this period came to dominate the Cambrian period, which saw an explosion of diversity. The Cambrian explosion also saw the first insects and early animals, complex lifeforms with high metabolic requirements that could not have been met without the oxygen created in the preceding period. Life really has its ups and downs.
[Image description: A fossil from the Ediacaran, the first of three periods that made up Earth’s Neoproterozoic Era.] Credit & copyright: Smthsonian, Tribrachidium heraldicum Glaessner & Daily, 1959. CC0, Public Domain.
May 13, 2024
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FREEArt Appreciation Art CurioFree1 CQ
This sure beats an ID card on a lanyard. During the Ming dynasty (14th to 17th century), Chinese officials were given elaborate, woven badges to show their rank. The piece above depicts a white bird flying over water, surrounded by vibrant flowers hanging from tree branches. The image is made of different colored threads in the overall shape of a square. Rank badges such as these were worn on the front and back of military robes. The image denoted a person’s rank through iconography, with birds representing civil officials and terrestrial animals representing military officials. The red circle on the upper left is the sun, which represents the emperor, and shows the official’s allegiance to him. More than a form of identification, these were also intricate works of textile art. This type of tapestry is called kesi, and dates back to the Tang dynasty (7th to 10th century). Kesi combined silk and metal threads to create detailed images, and some kesi even had different images on both sides. Now those are some sharp threads!
Rank Badge (buzi), 1736–95, Silk, satin weave; silk, gold metal thread, and peacock feather embroidery, 12.25 x 12.25 in., The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright:The Cleveland Museum of Art. Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1948.70. Public Domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.]This sure beats an ID card on a lanyard. During the Ming dynasty (14th to 17th century), Chinese officials were given elaborate, woven badges to show their rank. The piece above depicts a white bird flying over water, surrounded by vibrant flowers hanging from tree branches. The image is made of different colored threads in the overall shape of a square. Rank badges such as these were worn on the front and back of military robes. The image denoted a person’s rank through iconography, with birds representing civil officials and terrestrial animals representing military officials. The red circle on the upper left is the sun, which represents the emperor, and shows the official’s allegiance to him. More than a form of identification, these were also intricate works of textile art. This type of tapestry is called kesi, and dates back to the Tang dynasty (7th to 10th century). Kesi combined silk and metal threads to create detailed images, and some kesi even had different images on both sides. Now those are some sharp threads!
Rank Badge (buzi), 1736–95, Silk, satin weave; silk, gold metal thread, and peacock feather embroidery, 12.25 x 12.25 in., The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
[Image credit & copyright:The Cleveland Museum of Art. Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1948.70. Public Domain, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) designation.] -
FREEBiology Daily Curio #2871Free1 CQ
If you’re reading this, you certainly know your ABCs, but so might some cetaceans. Sperm whales are known for communicating underwater using a series of clicks and popping sounds, and researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have just found that these noises show signs of a complex lexicon that uses an alphabet-like system. Seeing as how they have the biggest brains on the planet, it shouldn’t be any surprise that sperm whales are incredibly smart. Scientists have long wondered, though, whether the complex sounds these animals make could qualify as a type of language. Language itself is defined by its complexity, and a universal trait of language is the way that words can be combined in different ways to convey different meanings. That’s different from, say, a dog knowing what “sit” or “roll over” means. In their case, they merely associate those sounds or the tone with which they are spoken with specific actions, but they can’t understand variations on those commands unless they’ve been trained to recognize them. Sperm whales, on the other hand, seem to be capable of a kind of speech with grammar. Researchers from Project CETI used AI to analyze recordings of communicating sperm whales, and they found patterns in the clicks and pops that seem to be the components of a phonetic alphabet. Specifically, the whales vary the length, tempo, and rhythm of the clicks to form what the researchers are calling “codas.” Codas are the equivalent of human words or sentences. So far, they’ve identified around 156 distinct codas. When the whales converse with each other, they repeat certain codas and modify them with “ornamentation,” a distinct sound at the end of the coda, to change its meaning. Researchers say that whales have likely been speaking for far longer than humans have, and that among whales, it’s not rude to talk all at the same time. Their family reunions must get pretty loud.
[Image description: The gray tail of a sperm whale breaching the ocean’s surface.] Credit & copyright: Marion & Christoph Aistleitner. Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.If you’re reading this, you certainly know your ABCs, but so might some cetaceans. Sperm whales are known for communicating underwater using a series of clicks and popping sounds, and researchers at Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative) have just found that these noises show signs of a complex lexicon that uses an alphabet-like system. Seeing as how they have the biggest brains on the planet, it shouldn’t be any surprise that sperm whales are incredibly smart. Scientists have long wondered, though, whether the complex sounds these animals make could qualify as a type of language. Language itself is defined by its complexity, and a universal trait of language is the way that words can be combined in different ways to convey different meanings. That’s different from, say, a dog knowing what “sit” or “roll over” means. In their case, they merely associate those sounds or the tone with which they are spoken with specific actions, but they can’t understand variations on those commands unless they’ve been trained to recognize them. Sperm whales, on the other hand, seem to be capable of a kind of speech with grammar. Researchers from Project CETI used AI to analyze recordings of communicating sperm whales, and they found patterns in the clicks and pops that seem to be the components of a phonetic alphabet. Specifically, the whales vary the length, tempo, and rhythm of the clicks to form what the researchers are calling “codas.” Codas are the equivalent of human words or sentences. So far, they’ve identified around 156 distinct codas. When the whales converse with each other, they repeat certain codas and modify them with “ornamentation,” a distinct sound at the end of the coda, to change its meaning. Researchers say that whales have likely been speaking for far longer than humans have, and that among whales, it’s not rude to talk all at the same time. Their family reunions must get pretty loud.
[Image description: The gray tail of a sperm whale breaching the ocean’s surface.] Credit & copyright: Marion & Christoph Aistleitner. Wikimedia Commons. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
May 12, 2024
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FREEWorld History PP&T CurioFree1 CQ
It’s one of the most tragic tales in all of history; a massive loss of knowledge that set humanity back by decades…right? Maybe not. The burning of the Library of Alexandria is certainly a dramatic tale, but in recent years many scholars have begun to question its validity. Not only do most accounts of the library’s burning come from many years after the supposed event itself, no one can even agree on who did the actual burning.
The Library of Alexandria, built some time around 331 B.C.E. in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the most massive and comprehensive libraries of its day. Part of a research institution called the Mouseion (which later came to include another, smaller library) the Library of Alexandria was likely the brainchild of Ptolemy I Soter, pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, who began collecting papyrus scrolls for it long before a building was created to house them. His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, is more likely to have overseen the actual construction of the library itself during his own, subsequent reign. It was an ambitious project. The idea was for a true, universal library—where all knowledge from around the world could be stored. To that end, Ptolemy II Philadelphus collected scrolls from wherever and whoever he could (scrolls, not bound books, were the way that written works were distributed, at the time.) The pharaoh might have been considered a hoarder of knowledge if not for one important detail —he made high-quality copies of almost every scroll he received and gave them back to the people who had provided the originals—usually historians or other scholars. After all, it would have caused bad blood and alienated Philadelphus from the scholarly world if he had simply taken these works for himself, without permission…and permission usually hinged on a copy being provided. This means that, though the Library of Alexandria housed an impressive collection of knowledge that made Alexandria itself famous as a city of learning, much of that knowledge also still existed outside of the library’s walls.
That’s lucky, since the library did eventually come to ruin. How, exactly, that happened is still a source of debate, despite the longstanding myth that the library was purposefully burned in a single day. At the height of its popularity, the library housed somewhere between 40,000 to 400,000 scrolls, but that popularity eventually waned. In 145 B.C.E., Ptolemy VIII Physcon, who had very different ideas about knowledge than his predecessors. His reign was a violent one, and included several massacres which saw many Alexandrian intellectuals killed or exiled. Scholars had been the lifeblood of Alexandria’s library, and without them it fell into decline. Then, there was a fire. The two most common stories about the library’s burning implicate either Julius Caesar or Caliph Umar, who led the Arab conquest of Alexandria in 642 C.E. The second story is easily dismissed, since other sources point to the library already being gone by the time of that particular invasion. As for Caesar, he may have burnt the library…but it was probably an accident. According to the ancient Greek philosopher and historian Plutarch, in 48 B.C.E., during Caesar’s civil war, Caesar set fire to a fleet of Egyptian ships in Alexandria’s harbor. Due to windy weather, the flames spread to the library, which burned with all the scrolls inside. However, many historians now believe that the library survived this accidental burning, and may have even been rebuilt afterward, since there are records of other historical figures visiting the library after Caesar’s war was over.
Ultimately, the library likely died due to a problem that still plagues libraries today: a lack of funding. During the Roman period, those in power simply stopped prioritizing the library’s upkeep, and it fell into disrepair. The Palmyrene Invasion of 270 C.E. likely destroyed the rest of the already-unkempt structure. Still, it’s unlikely that the loss of the library set humanity’s overall progress back, despite stories to the contrary. After all, much of the knowledge inside had already been copied. Then, as now, it pays to back up your work!
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration depicting the burning of the Library of Alexandria with a crowd of people rushing toward the flames.] Credit & copyright:
Ambrose Dudley (1867–1951), The Burning of the Library at Alexandria in 391 AD. Bridgeman Art Library: Object 357910, Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.It’s one of the most tragic tales in all of history; a massive loss of knowledge that set humanity back by decades…right? Maybe not. The burning of the Library of Alexandria is certainly a dramatic tale, but in recent years many scholars have begun to question its validity. Not only do most accounts of the library’s burning come from many years after the supposed event itself, no one can even agree on who did the actual burning.
The Library of Alexandria, built some time around 331 B.C.E. in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the most massive and comprehensive libraries of its day. Part of a research institution called the Mouseion (which later came to include another, smaller library) the Library of Alexandria was likely the brainchild of Ptolemy I Soter, pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt, who began collecting papyrus scrolls for it long before a building was created to house them. His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, is more likely to have overseen the actual construction of the library itself during his own, subsequent reign. It was an ambitious project. The idea was for a true, universal library—where all knowledge from around the world could be stored. To that end, Ptolemy II Philadelphus collected scrolls from wherever and whoever he could (scrolls, not bound books, were the way that written works were distributed, at the time.) The pharaoh might have been considered a hoarder of knowledge if not for one important detail —he made high-quality copies of almost every scroll he received and gave them back to the people who had provided the originals—usually historians or other scholars. After all, it would have caused bad blood and alienated Philadelphus from the scholarly world if he had simply taken these works for himself, without permission…and permission usually hinged on a copy being provided. This means that, though the Library of Alexandria housed an impressive collection of knowledge that made Alexandria itself famous as a city of learning, much of that knowledge also still existed outside of the library’s walls.
That’s lucky, since the library did eventually come to ruin. How, exactly, that happened is still a source of debate, despite the longstanding myth that the library was purposefully burned in a single day. At the height of its popularity, the library housed somewhere between 40,000 to 400,000 scrolls, but that popularity eventually waned. In 145 B.C.E., Ptolemy VIII Physcon, who had very different ideas about knowledge than his predecessors. His reign was a violent one, and included several massacres which saw many Alexandrian intellectuals killed or exiled. Scholars had been the lifeblood of Alexandria’s library, and without them it fell into decline. Then, there was a fire. The two most common stories about the library’s burning implicate either Julius Caesar or Caliph Umar, who led the Arab conquest of Alexandria in 642 C.E. The second story is easily dismissed, since other sources point to the library already being gone by the time of that particular invasion. As for Caesar, he may have burnt the library…but it was probably an accident. According to the ancient Greek philosopher and historian Plutarch, in 48 B.C.E., during Caesar’s civil war, Caesar set fire to a fleet of Egyptian ships in Alexandria’s harbor. Due to windy weather, the flames spread to the library, which burned with all the scrolls inside. However, many historians now believe that the library survived this accidental burning, and may have even been rebuilt afterward, since there are records of other historical figures visiting the library after Caesar’s war was over.
Ultimately, the library likely died due to a problem that still plagues libraries today: a lack of funding. During the Roman period, those in power simply stopped prioritizing the library’s upkeep, and it fell into disrepair. The Palmyrene Invasion of 270 C.E. likely destroyed the rest of the already-unkempt structure. Still, it’s unlikely that the loss of the library set humanity’s overall progress back, despite stories to the contrary. After all, much of the knowledge inside had already been copied. Then, as now, it pays to back up your work!
[Image description: A black-and-white illustration depicting the burning of the Library of Alexandria with a crowd of people rushing toward the flames.] Credit & copyright:
Ambrose Dudley (1867–1951), The Burning of the Library at Alexandria in 391 AD. Bridgeman Art Library: Object 357910, Wikimedia Commons. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.
May 11, 2024
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FREECars + Motorcycles Sporty CurioFree1 CQ
Oh, the suspen…sion! The Indianapolis 500 is coming up soon to kick off this year’s season of IndyCar, but what should have been a strong start for one of the most high-profile drivers and his teammates has been stalled due to a cheating scandal. Back on March 10, Indy500’s reigning champ, Josef Newgarden, finished first with his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power finishing third and fourth, respectively. However, IndyCar officials disqualified Newgarden and McLaughlin, and docked Power 10 points for using illegal software to manipulate the push-to-pass system. Also called P2P, the software is installed on all IndyCars and regulates the engine’s horsepower output. P2P made its debut in the 2009 season, and drivers are alloted up to 200 seconds of its use per race, gaining an additional 60 horsepower for 20 seconds at a time. Officials disable P2P on starts and restarts, but the three drivers for Team Penske were found to have bypassed this limit. Team Penske’s owner Roger Penske also suspended the team’s president Tim Cindric and three others: managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson. The suspended team members, led by Cindric, are accepting responsibility for the penalties, while drivers claim that they were misinformed about the rules regarding P2P. Nevertheless, the three drivers have also been fined $25,000 each and will forfeit their prize money from the race. With Newgarden’s disqualification, Pato O’Ward of McLaren Racing has now been awarded first place after originally finishing second. Now he’s second to none.
Oh, the suspen…sion! The Indianapolis 500 is coming up soon to kick off this year’s season of IndyCar, but what should have been a strong start for one of the most high-profile drivers and his teammates has been stalled due to a cheating scandal. Back on March 10, Indy500’s reigning champ, Josef Newgarden, finished first with his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power finishing third and fourth, respectively. However, IndyCar officials disqualified Newgarden and McLaughlin, and docked Power 10 points for using illegal software to manipulate the push-to-pass system. Also called P2P, the software is installed on all IndyCars and regulates the engine’s horsepower output. P2P made its debut in the 2009 season, and drivers are alloted up to 200 seconds of its use per race, gaining an additional 60 horsepower for 20 seconds at a time. Officials disable P2P on starts and restarts, but the three drivers for Team Penske were found to have bypassed this limit. Team Penske’s owner Roger Penske also suspended the team’s president Tim Cindric and three others: managing director Ron Ruzewski, Newgarden engineer Luke Mason and senior data engineer Robbie Atkinson. The suspended team members, led by Cindric, are accepting responsibility for the penalties, while drivers claim that they were misinformed about the rules regarding P2P. Nevertheless, the three drivers have also been fined $25,000 each and will forfeit their prize money from the race. With Newgarden’s disqualification, Pato O’Ward of McLaren Racing has now been awarded first place after originally finishing second. Now he’s second to none.
May 10, 2024
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FREEMind + Body Daily CurioFree1 CQ
Pucker up for some pie! As warm weather approaches, it’s only fitting to examine the history of what may be the world’s most refreshing pie: Key lime pie. While most pies, including most fruit pies, lean heavily into their sweetness, Key lime pie relies on a heavy dash of tartness to make it stand out from the dessert crowd. Despite a common myth, the “Key” in Key lime pie doesn’t actually refer to the Florida Keys. In fact, the pie’s origins might not lie in the Sunshine State…at least, not entirely.
Key lime pie’s famous, smooth, yellowish filling is made from a combination of egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk, and, of course, lime juice. The juice comes from Key limes which, though often grown in Florida today, were first cultivated in Southeast Asia. Key lime pies usually have a crumbly, graham cracker crust with a topping of either whipped cream or meringue and a lime slice or grated lime zest as a garnish. It’s sometimes served with no topping at all, though, making it quite the versatile dessert.
While legend points to Florida as the home of Key lime pie (and some Floridians even consider it the state dessert) it would be more accurate to say that the pie was invented in New York (besides, Florida already has an official state dessert: the strawberry shortcake.) Most food historians agree that today’s Key lime pie was based on a recipe for a lemon pie first published in a 1931 advertising brochure. The company that published the brochure, Borden, was based out of New York. To be fair, though, the next mention of a dessert similar to Key lime pie does come from a 1933 recipe in a Miami, Florida, newspaper—and that recipe actually used limes rather than lemons, so score one for the Sunshine State.
The truth is, regardless of where it came from, Key lime pie is one of the most unique American pies ever created. Whether you prefer it topped with meringue, garnished with lime zest, or with fresh lime juice squeezed over top, it’s sour, sweet, and scrumptious. Just mind all the crumbs from the graham cracker crust.
[Image description: A slice of key lime pie on brown paper.] Credit & copyright: Christina Nicole, PexelsPucker up for some pie! As warm weather approaches, it’s only fitting to examine the history of what may be the world’s most refreshing pie: Key lime pie. While most pies, including most fruit pies, lean heavily into their sweetness, Key lime pie relies on a heavy dash of tartness to make it stand out from the dessert crowd. Despite a common myth, the “Key” in Key lime pie doesn’t actually refer to the Florida Keys. In fact, the pie’s origins might not lie in the Sunshine State…at least, not entirely.
Key lime pie’s famous, smooth, yellowish filling is made from a combination of egg yolks, sugar, condensed milk, and, of course, lime juice. The juice comes from Key limes which, though often grown in Florida today, were first cultivated in Southeast Asia. Key lime pies usually have a crumbly, graham cracker crust with a topping of either whipped cream or meringue and a lime slice or grated lime zest as a garnish. It’s sometimes served with no topping at all, though, making it quite the versatile dessert.
While legend points to Florida as the home of Key lime pie (and some Floridians even consider it the state dessert) it would be more accurate to say that the pie was invented in New York (besides, Florida already has an official state dessert: the strawberry shortcake.) Most food historians agree that today’s Key lime pie was based on a recipe for a lemon pie first published in a 1931 advertising brochure. The company that published the brochure, Borden, was based out of New York. To be fair, though, the next mention of a dessert similar to Key lime pie does come from a 1933 recipe in a Miami, Florida, newspaper—and that recipe actually used limes rather than lemons, so score one for the Sunshine State.
The truth is, regardless of where it came from, Key lime pie is one of the most unique American pies ever created. Whether you prefer it topped with meringue, garnished with lime zest, or with fresh lime juice squeezed over top, it’s sour, sweet, and scrumptious. Just mind all the crumbs from the graham cracker crust.
[Image description: A slice of key lime pie on brown paper.] Credit & copyright: Christina Nicole, Pexels