Forum 2.0

Puzzledom

Young England is “An Illustrated Magazine for Young People” which was published from 1880 through 1937. I recently bought a bound edition, the 15th annual, from 1894. Each issue features a “Puzzledom” page, each with a variety of different kinds of b

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RIP Dame Vera Lynn

Obituary  And so is lost one of the last links to another world, another time.  103 years, the things that woman saw...

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Secret Knowledge / Hidden Wisdom

Three philosophies presented unedited. Take from them what thou wilt.

THE MEANING OF LIFE:

Try to be nice to people.

Avoid eating fat.

Read a good book every now and then.

Get some walking in.

Try to live together in peace and harmony with people of

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Milton Glaser, designer of the DC Bullet, dies at 91

Ace graphic designer Milton Glaser co-founded New York Magazine, too: "Milton Glaser, Co-Founder of New York Magazine and Creator of ‘I❤NY,’ Dies at 91" 

He created this well-known device:

Not only that, he created the Wonder Woman logo that replac

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Whiskey, Cocktails & Mixed Drinks

I am going to start this discussion, then take the rest of the week off.

I am going to start by talking about Martinis, but you can talk about any drink you want.

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Any cord-cutters on the site?

If so, how have you fared? Is there one system over another you prefer? Do over-the-air antennae work? How do you get local shows? What have you given up to settle on one provider over another?

I'm looking at going with Sling and an OTA antenna for l

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I won't be on again until the 2nd, so, Happy New Year, folks!

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Welcome Two New Members

Hi everyone -- we've just had two new members join, Delfin Barral and Marc A. Chibitty. 

Welcome, gentlemen! We're glad you're here!

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The Turtle Soup Game

Many years ago, I taught folklore at a summer camp(we had new campers each week of different ages, from 8-15). At the time, the folklore class was pretty unstructured, so I could more or less do as I pleased. Sometimes I told ghost stories, sometimes

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Words Commonly Confused

I'm not a copy editor, nor do I play one on TV, but I find myself irritated by the misuse of similar-sounding words. I'm going to post some examples to start. Others are invited to add more. 

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The Nerd Canon

In my columns over the years, I've sometimes referred to the "Nerd Canon" (which has amused my editors no end). These are the books that the fanboys and fangirls in my generation sought out as the seminal works we needed to have read to have nerd cre

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Four Quizzes

In each of the quizzes below, match a numbered item in the left column with a lettered item in the right column. What’s the basis for the matching? That’s the puzzle. There are four principles – different but related – one for each quiz.

If you can’t

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NYPL's Most Checked-Out Books

The New York Public Library has released its list of the 10 most often checked out books since 1895.

1. The Snowy Day, by Exra Jack Keats (1962)

2. The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss (1957)

3. 1984, by George Orwell (1949)

4. Where the Wild Things Are,

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Just released: HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE

Hello Everyone.

Hope this isn't too forward of me, but while there have been numerous short stories in recent years, I now have a new book release!

HUGH MONN, PRIVATE DETECTIVE, BOOK 3: FEMME FATALE is now available on Amazon in both print and Kindle

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Freeman Dyson, Rest in Peace

Thinker, mathematician, and theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson has left the building. He was 96.

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Dagwan

My Facebook memories just reminded me that it's been five years since we lost our friend Brian Jacoby, aka Dagwan. He was a special guy, a warm and friendly soul. I'll be among friends, and raising a glass to him tonight.

Take good care of yourselves

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Disneyland's Marvel-themed park a go for 2020

At the D23 Expo, Disney has outlined the specifics of its Avengers Themed Park, which it announced some time ago. The addition to the California park will open in 2020, and similar operations will open elsewhere in the world. The Avengers will have t

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The Mindset List for 2023

Once again, friends, it's time for the latest guidance from Marist College, which has inherited the Mindset List from Beloit College.

See the 2022 list here, the 2021 list here, the 2020 list here, and the 2019 list here.

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That "Weird Expressions" thread

I noticed one day that I use a lot of metaphorical expressions picked up over the years (mostly as a child from family) whose origin I haven't any idea about. I know what I mean, others know what I mean, but I don't know what they mean in a literal s

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My recent loss

Hello folks.

Some of you are friends with me on Facebook.  For any of you that are not, my wife Tracy passed away on Sept 17 after a long battle with primary biliary cirrhosis or liver disease.  It is a condition that she inherited genetically.  You

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