by M. W. Wollacott | Dec 8, 2024 | Podcast, Tales of the Runari
Amber and the Ancient Spark: How Pre-Industrial Cultures Understood Static Electricity Have you ever rubbed a balloon on your hair and watched it stick to the wall? Or felt a tiny shock after walking across a carpet? These sparks of static electricity are so common...
by M. W. Wollacott | Oct 9, 2024 | Etymology, Mark My Words, Podcast, What's in a Word
Germany is in uproar. The language authorities – something we English would never have, have given into those damn anglos. They have approved “the idiot’s apostrophe”. Well, in some uses and not others. Well, apart from being called idiots by the Germans (let...
by M. W. Wollacott | Oct 8, 2024 | Atlantis, Atlantis, History
Atlantis was an ancient civilisation famed for its advanced technology and ruinous fate. According to legend it had advanced further in technology than any other civilization in history. They could levitate stone or after the destruction, spread the word about farming...
by M. W. Wollacott | Oct 6, 2024 | Atlantis, Atlantis, Plato
The primary source of the legend of Atlantis is The Timaeus and Critias written by the Greek philosopher, Plato. This is, as far as we know, the only primary source for the legend. All others come later as commentaries, mentions of commentaries, or interpretations of...
by M. W. Wollacott | Oct 3, 2024 | History, Philosophy
“What made war inevitable was the growth of Athenian power and the fear which this caused in Sparta.” The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides A Thucydides Trap is when a rising power threatens the hegemony of an established power. When such a challenge arises...
