What is it about Trolls?

They are all over Norway, at least in places frequented by tourists–in restaurants, on sidewalks, on cruise ships, and the Continue reading →

The Antikythera Mechanism

Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, called it “one of the greatest basic mechanical inventions of Continue reading →

How the Internet Brought My Thesis to Life

A master’s thesis lies buried in my dresser drawer. It bears the title, “The Popular Front Government of France, June Continue reading →

Happy New Year — Again!

I love how the beginning of the New Year around the world is associated with the coming of light. January Continue reading →

Is the Electronic Medical Record a good thing?

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal carried an op-ed piece by a doctor who opposes the electronic medical record. He argued that Continue reading →

Time Travel

Who can resist a chance to travel in time? From The Chronicles of Narnia to the long-running television series Dr. Continue reading →

What the Grinch Forgot

In How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Suess lists the non-essential trimmings of the holidays: “It came without ribbons! It Continue reading →

Quarantine

Ebola has put it in the headlines. Quarantine:  an old and inescapable solution to the never-ending problem of contagious disease. Continue reading →