Author Archives: Anton

les pissoirs du monde

Posted on Thursday, 2002 October 10 by Anton

The urinals of the Martin A. Pomerantz Observatory at the South Pole: When [the barrel] is full, . . . it is shipped to Port Hueneme, California, for disposal. Who’d have thunk. I wonder, though — is it only because I’ve read … Continue reading →

Posted in technology | Leave a comment

words on planets

Posted on Wednesday, 2002 October 09 by Anton

I did not know that Astronomy Picture of the Day is mirrored in multiple languages. (That list misses at least one: romanised Russian.) I stumbled onto the mirrors while seeking the origin of the name of a feature on Venus. … Continue reading →

Posted in astronomy, language | Leave a comment

one foot in the cradle?

Posted on Monday, 2002 October 07 by Anton

Turns of Phrase: Meldrew Last week [August] a poll by the survey firm MORI identified Meldrews as a new social type — aged between 35 and 54, rebellious and with little time for authority, unhappy with their lives and the … Continue reading →

Posted in humanities | Leave a comment

a co-alum triumphs

Posted on Sunday, 2002 October 06 by Anton

Theo Gray won the IgNobel Prize in Chemistry for his Periodic Table table (which I had mentioned recently).

Posted in sciences | Leave a comment

race and medicine

Posted on Saturday, 2002 October 05 by Anton

In an advertisement for a new drug, I was mildly surprised to hear something to the effect that “Black people are more likely to have an adverse reaction.” Is this new? I’ve long noticed that PSAs about hypertension tend to … Continue reading →

Posted in medicine | Leave a comment

“a polite society” goes both ways

Posted on Saturday, 2002 October 05 by Anton

Craig Biggerstaff (quoted by Possum — and how come the permalink syntax is correct on the latter and wrong on the former?) writes: I have considerable respect for the argument that past US interventions have created ill will abroad. But … Continue reading →

Posted in militaria | Leave a comment

fontomentals

Posted on Friday, 2002 October 04 by Anton

Most people seem to read the Web in schoolmarmish Times Roman. I read it in friendlier Lucida Sans. I wonder what effect font has – when the reader chooses it – on the perception of tone in writing.