We have recently learned of an ancient Jewish celebration: the Sukkot. This has WLBOTT written all over it! Temporary outdoor structures, agricultural roots, branches overhead, communal meals, ancient tradition, and a certain theological acceptance that the roof is not supposed to be particularly good. As Elder G summarizes: And there’s a lot here worth exploring […]
The WLBOTT Thin Books With Pictures Society recently discussed Andy Weir‘s short story, The Egg. The Egg is a very though-provoking, humorous, and poignant story. Weir published the story on galactanet.com, and you can read it for free in any of 32 languages. As we look into the story, there will be spoilers, so if […]
WLBOTT is proud to announce the production of the big budget, technicolor musical extravaganza – Her Eggcelency! It is the story of greed and lust for power, as a monomaniacal evil Queen Regina Ovata attempts to take control of the world’s egg supply. Casting All the big stars vied for the coveted title role of […]
part 2 of 27 We continue with the misfiring of creaky neurons: Pigeon head-bobbing → motion parallax → astronomical parallax → distances to nearby stars → calibration of Cepheid variable stars → distances to nearby galaxies → compare galaxy distance with spectral redshift → Hubble–Lemaître law → Hubble constant. Today, let’s talk parallax. As a […]
part 1 of 27 Here’s today’s misfiring of creaky neurons: Pigeon head-bobbing → motion parallax → astronomical parallax → distances to nearby stars → calibration of Cepheid variable stars → distances to nearby galaxies → compare galaxy distance with spectral redshift → Hubble–Lemaître law → Hubble constant. Today, let’s talk pigeon head-bobbing. But first: I’m […]
Under the patient and watchful eye of Elder MJ, the WLBOTT Ag Extension Service (Go Waggies!) planted a sprouting ginger root this spring. In early May, we planted it in a pot, and later transplanted it to a larger pot. It turns out, as it was meant to turn out, that our ginger doesn’t care […]
History is Personal for MeHistory professor Donna Seger enjoys following her curiosity. As a longtime Salem resident, she wanted to explore more than the city’s most infamous period. Following her curiosity, she started blogging about local history and culture. Now her blog, Streets of Salem, is over 15 years old with more than 12,000 ardent […]
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin WLBOTT, razor-focused on shareholder value, has decided to pursue a fashion line based on the headwear of our Olmec ancestors. Again, our unpaid marketing interns were eager and started the advertising campaign before getting approval or even a budget, […]
While looking into the history of Mexico, leading up to the birth of Elder MJ’s mother, we found a delightful rabbit hold: The Olmec. This civilization flourished around 1500-400 BCE in what is now southeastern Mexico. Although the Olmec thrived near what is now Veracruz, 1,750km from Chihuahua, they played an important role in the […]
One of our Elders, Elder MJ, has a fascinating family tree. We’re going to focus on Elder MJ‘s mother, Lupita, born in the Mexican state of Chihuahua in 1913. Today we’ll start with the big picture and drill down a bit. 1913 – The Drill-Down The Universe On January 1, 1913, the universe was approximately […]