i was today years old when i lesrned this thing

[Dark Lightning]

Indeed. When my mother died, we used a local funeral home. We rented a casket, and had her cremated. But it was still $9k by the time we were done. That industry preys on the sorrow and guilt (potentially) of the survivors. She was a devout Catholic, so there was no way there wasn't going to be a mass for her funeral. She grew up dirt poor on a farm and would have been appalled at what her funeral cost. I'm looking at donating my sorry carcass to science when I die. At least some use will come of any organs that scientists can use, and the eventual cremation is paid for. Still wasteful. I'm also considering being buried for use as fertilizer under a tree. One more crab apple can't be a bad thing. 

[billy rubin]

the world is getting stranger and stranger.

today i learned about dinosaur erotica:



interestingly, it doesnt have anything to do with dinosaurs having sex with other dinosaurs. its somewhat, ah, more risque than that. and theres lots of them:

wet hot allosaurus summer

don juan velociraptor

triceratops and bottoms

and the ever favourite

all i want for christmas is utahraptor

just when you though 2025 coul;dnt get any weirder.

[Recusant]

The word "cubewano." I was rummaging around in the controls and options in the Stellarium program (a free planetarium program I've mentioned here before). In one of the menus I saw something unfamiliar, and I've been paying attention to astronomy for a while.

A cubewano (pronounced "kyoo-bee-wuh-noh") is a classical Kuiper Belt object. The word comes from the final few digits of the provisional designation of the first observed Kuiper Belt object (other than Pluto and Charon): (15760) 1992 QB₁ now known as 15760 Albion (Wikipedia link). As far as I'm aware I've never previously encountered the word. A pleasure. 

A reminder that though I am more up to date with and cognizant of astronomy than the average bear, I'm no astronomer!

[Ecurb Noselrub]

I just finished the "Hunchback of Notre Dame", and I came across the word "lucubrate". It means "write or study, especially by night" - a scholar burning the midnight oil. First time I had encountered the word in my 73.5 years.

[Icarus]

We are expanding our vocabulary. Thanks Bruce.

Rec, with his impressive vocabulary,  has often caused me to consult my OED, which has expanded my brain a tiny bit.

It can be argued that in order to understand a concept, one must be familiar with a word that describes the concept.

[Recusant]

I just finished the "Hunchback of Notre Dame", and I came across the word "lucubrate". It means "write or study, especially by night" - a scholar burning the midnight oil. First time I had encountered the word in my 73.5 years.

In my reading, mostly encountered as "lucubration" or "lucubrations." As in "Her lucubrations were interrupted by an untimely visitor."  It's a bit over-the-top, but a translation of Victor Hugo seems like a natural place for it.

[Recusant]

We are expanding our vocabulary. Thanks Bruce.

Rec, with his impressive vocabulary,  has often caused me to consult my OED, which has expanded my brain a tiny bit.

It can be argued that in order to understand a concept, one must be familiar with a word that describes the concept.

One of my most memorable purchases when I had a bit of money of my own was a Merriam-Webster's Unabridged in the big single volume edition.

It was reading 19th century writers that got me on that trail--they were much more willing to use arcane words in their work than contemporary writers. I got many superb words from Herman Melville for instance. From his short but excellent novel The Confidence Man my list of new words came close to 20 as I recall. The Merriam-Webster's was lost in a minor disaster, so now like you I go to the OED. Maybe eventually a hard copy but for now through my library I get access to the online version.

I have a 2-volume Funk & Wagnalls unabridged that cost practically nothing and it's proven useful on occasion but the OED is unquestionably the gold standard.

[Ecurb Noselrub]

When I was 15 a friend of mine and I wrote stupid songs at his house. He had a second-hand electric guitar, and I used his Funk & Wagnalls as a drum, hitting it with a spoon from his kitchen. We recorded the music. Needless to say, that was an off-label use of a Funk & Wagnalls. Later, I learned the correct purpose.

[Recusant]

To have a publisher of reference works with such a name was a splendid thing. In their time they were fairly respected in the business.