A few months ago in alt.fan.miss-manners someone confessed ignorance that Hortense is feminine. That sent me to the books to learn its etymology. From E.G.Withycombe, The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, I learn that the Hortensii were a Roman gens (~clan). From the Oxford Classical Dictionary I learn of a dictator and a senator both named Quintus Hortensius.

As I listen to Rhino’s Super Hits of the Seventies: Have a Nice Day vol.9, divers questions come to mind.

• When Gary Glitter recorded “Rock and Roll Part 2” did it cross the mind of anyone concerned that I might be air-drumming to it thirty years later?
• Is Rick Springfield’s “Speak to the Sky” the only pop hit with a prominent tuba part?
• Why haven’t I heard “Popcorn” used in advertising?

Partly as a protest against the dirigisme presupposed in the institution of “Daylight Saving Time”, I’ve been tempted to set my computer’s clock to mean local solar time; I’m at 122 degrees West longitude, so my mail would be marked “–0808”. But nothing in my books will tell me how to change time-zone on Linux (let alone choose an irregular one), though I now know how to do it on Solaris.

One could go further ( . . more . . )

Jean-François Colonna makes elaborate and striking mathematical images. I only wish they had more annotation.

Catching up (as usual) – PvP has an interesting take on the furry issue.

I am advised by World Wide Words that Oxford University Press have just published a Dictionary of Catchphrases. Joy at the availability of a reference that could soothe many a mental itch is diluted by a touch of “Is nothing sacred?”. (Is there a word for the emotion expressed in that question?)

I see that Pobox’s spam filter has learned to spot at least some Nigerian scam letters. That must have been tricky, as they vary more and look a lot more like normal mail than most junkmail does.