Author Archives: Anton

who us?

Posted on Thursday, 2006 May 25 by Anton

One ought not to get wound up over what fictional characters say, but what if the character in question has the same name as his creator? Lizard: Five thousand years of selective pressure against pride and ego battered them into … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons | 1 Comment

the saga continues

Posted on Thursday, 2006 May 25 by Anton

Today I once again had an errand at a Feral office building. This time, when I asked the badge for information about the pointless rule that I wouldn’t be admitted to the building without showing evidence that some government somewhere … Continue reading →

Posted in security theater | Leave a comment

you say you want a revolution

Posted on Wednesday, 2006 May 24 by Anton

Paul Kay of Language Log is puzzled by a bit of Washington jargon: It’s easy to see what Ms. Stolberg intends by the “reverse revolving door” because we’re familiar with the revolving door as a characterization of the frequent passage … Continue reading →

Posted in general | 1 Comment

surnames in that other English-speaking country

Posted on Tuesday, 2006 May 23 by Anton

Once upon a time I linked to a website that will show you the relative frequency of a given surname in each of These United States. Apothecary’s Drawer cites one that does the same for counties(?) of Great Britain. Sherwood … Continue reading →

Posted in humanities | Leave a comment

i read the funnies so . .

Posted on Monday, 2006 May 22 by Anton

How long had Jon Rosenberg been saving this pun? “Google is ruining everything.” Is it me or is Maritza Campos‘s command of English slipping a bit? March 27: So that’s why you were hiding it from us? What did you … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons | Leave a comment

the panes of perception

Posted on Thursday, 2006 May 18 by Anton

Once, years ago, I got new eyeglasses and was startled because the world seemed flat. I had come to rely on blur as a distance cue, and that was suddenly taken from me. The effect was brief; binocularity reasserted itself … Continue reading →