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wiki archive

I use this to keep track of wikipedia articles I find interesting. By no means do I endorse, sponsor, hold, or promote any of these ideas. It's just random wikipedia articles.

There are currently 371 articles referenced here.

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Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure

2004 video game Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure

Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure is a 2004 video game released for Game Boy Advance based on the Dragon Ball franchise.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/13/25


Quantum logic gate

Basic circuit in quantum computing Quantum logic gate

In quantum computing and specifically the quantum circuit model of computation, a quantum logic gate is a basic quantum circuit operating on a small number of qubits. Quantum logic gates are the building blocks of quantum circuits, like classical logic gates are for conventional digital circuits.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/13/25


Laser cooling

Cooling technique in atomic physics Laser cooling

Laser cooling includes several techniques where atoms, molecules, and small mechanical systems are cooled with laser light. The directed energy of lasers is often associated with heating materials, e.g. laser cutting, so it can be counterintuitive that laser cooling often results in sample temperatures approaching absolute zero. It is a routinely used in atomic physics experiments where the laser-cooled atoms are manipulated and measured, or in technologies, such as atom-based quantum computing architectures.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/13/25


Magneto-optical trap

Apparatus for trapping and cooling neutral atoms Magneto-optical trap

In atomic, molecular, and optical physics, a magneto-optical trap (MOT) is an apparatus which uses laser cooling and a spatially varying magnetic field to create a trap which can produce samples of cold neutral atoms. Temperatures achieved in a MOT can be as low as several microkelvins, depending on the atomic species, which is two or three times below the photon-recoil limit. However, for atoms with an unresolved hyperfine structure, such as 7Li, the temperature achieved in a MOT will be higher than the Doppler cooling limit.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/13/25


Linear optical quantum computing

Paradigm of quantum computer

Linear optical quantum computing or linear optics quantum computation (LOQC), also photonic quantum computing (PQC), is a paradigm of quantum computation, allowing (under certain conditions, described below) universal quantum computation. LOQC uses photons as information carriers, mainly uses linear optical elements, or optical instruments (including reciprocal mirrors and waveplates) to process quantum information, and uses photon detectors and quantum memories to detect and store quantum information.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Holography

Recording to reproduce a three-dimensional light field Holography

Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interferometry. In principle, it is possible to make a hologram for any type of wave.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Holographic will

Handwritten and signed will and testament Holographic will

A holographic will, or olographic testament, is a will and testament which is a holographic document, meaning that it has been entirely handwritten and signed by the testator. Holographic wills have been treated differently by different jurisdictions throughout history. For example, some jurisdictions historically required that a holographic will had to be signed by witnesses attesting to the validity of the testator's signature and intent.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Optics

Branch of physics that studies light Optics

Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour, manipulation, and detection of electromagnetic radiation, including its interactions with matter and instruments that use or detect it. Optics usually describes the behaviour of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light. The study of optics extends to other forms of electromagnetic radiation, including radio waves, microwaves, and X-rays. The term optics is also applied to technology for manipulating beams of elementary charged particles.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Paperweight

Small object used to prevent papers from moving Paperweight

A paperweight is a small solid object heavy enough, when placed on top of papers, to keep them from blowing away in a breeze or from moving under the strokes of a painting brush. While any object, such as a stone, can serve as a paperweight, decorative paperweights of metal, glass, jade or other material are also produced, either by individual artisans or factories.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Snow globe

Decorative water filled small glass sphere enclosing a miniaturized scene Snow globe

A snow globe is a transparent sphere, traditionally made of glass, enclosing a miniaturized scene of some sort, often together with a model of a town, neighborhood, landscape or figure. The sphere also encloses the water in the globe; the water serves as the medium through which the "snow" falls. To activate the snow, the globe is shaken to churn up the white particles. The globe is then placed back in its position and the flakes fall down slowly through the water. Snow globes sometimes have a built-in music box that plays a song. Some snow globes have a design around the outerbase for decoration. Snow globes are often used as a collectible item.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


India ink

Simple black or colored ink India ink

India ink is a simple black or coloured ink once widely used for writing and printing and now more commonly used for drawing and outlining, especially when inking comic books and comic strips. India ink is also used in medical applications.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/12/25


Homo habilis

Archaic human species from 2.4 to 1.65 mya. Homo habilis

Homo habilis is an extinct species of archaic human from the Early Pleistocene of East and South Africa about 2.4 million years ago to 1.65 million years ago (mya). Upon species description in 1964, H. habilis was highly contested, with many researchers recommending it be synonymised with Australopithecus africanus, the only other early hominin known at the time, but H. habilis received more recognition as time went on and more relevant discoveries were made. By the 1980s, H. habilis was proposed to have been a human ancestor, directly evolving into Homo erectus, which directly led to modern humans. This viewpoint is now debated. Several specimens with insecure species identification were assigned to H. habilis, leading to arguments for splitting, namely into "H. rudolfensis" and "H. gautengensis" of which only the former has received wide support.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Dyslexia

Specific learning disability characterized by troubles with reading Dyslexia

Dyslexia, previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, writing words, "sounding out" words in the head, pronouncing words when reading aloud and understanding what one reads. Often these difficulties are first noticed at school. The difficulties are involuntary, and people with this disorder have a normal desire to learn. People with dyslexia have higher rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental language disorders, and difficulties with numbers.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


The First Law

Fantasy series by Joe Abercrombie The First Law

The First Law is a fantasy series written by British author Joe Abercrombie. The First Law is the title of the original trilogy in the series, but is also used to refer to the series as a whole. The full series consists of a trilogy, three stand-alone novels, short stories, and a second trilogy, titled The Age of Madness, of which the third book was published in September 2021.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


J. G. Ballard

English writer (1930–2009) J. G. Ballard

James Graham Ballard was an English novelist and short-story writer, satirist and essayist known for psychologically provocative works of fiction that explore the relations between human psychology, technology, sex and mass media. Ballard first became associated with New Wave science fiction for post-apocalyptic novels such as The Drowned World (1962). He later courted controversy with the short-story collection The Atrocity Exhibition (1970), which includes the 1968 story "Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan", and later the novel Crash (1973), a story about car-crash fetishists.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Wildland–urban interface

Transition zone between wilderness and developed land

The wildland–urban interface (WUI) is a zone of transition between wilderness and land developed by human activity – an area where a built environment meets or intermingles with a natural environment. Human settlements in the WUI are at a greater risk of catastrophic wildfire.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Pyrogeography

Study of the distribution of wildfires Pyrogeography

Pyrogeography is the study of the past, present, and projected distribution of wildfire. Wildland fire occurs under certain conditions of climate, vegetation, topography, and sources of ignition, such that it has its own biogeography, or pattern in space and time. The earliest published evidence of the term appears to be in the mid-1990s, and the meaning was primarily related to mapping fires The current understanding of pyrogeography emerged in the 2000s as a combination of biogeography and fire ecology, facilitated by the availability of global-scale datasets of fire occurrence, vegetation cover, and climate. Pyrogeography has also been placed at the juncture of biology, the geophysical environment, and society and cultural influences on fire.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Wildfire

Uncontrolled fires in forests or open spaces Wildfire

A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Modern forest management often engages in prescribed burns to mitigate fire risk and promote natural forest cycles. However, controlled burns can turn into wildfires by mistake.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Undefined

Topics referred to by the same term

Undefined may refer to:

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/11/25


Scott catalogue

Catalog of the world's postage stamps

The Scott catalogue of postage stamps, published by Scott Publishing Company, now a subsidiary of Amos Media, is updated annually and lists all the stamps of the world that its editors recognize as issued for postal purposes. It is published in fourteen large volumes that include twelve volumes containing all the countries of the world that have ever issued postage stamps, the United States Specialized Catalog, and the 1840–1940 Classic Specialized Catalogue. The numbering system used by Scott to identify stamps is dominant among stamp collectors in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Neopost web-enabled stamps

undefined Neopost web-enabled stamps

Neopost web-enabled stamps or Neopostage is a postage stamp that is part of the family of computerized postage. These stamps were developed by Neopost Online and Northrop Grumman Corporation. The joint effort resulted in an innovative self-service stamp vending system. Neopost Online is a US subsidiary of Neopost Inc. Testing of this system was authorized by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in March 2001.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Postage meter

Machine for printing proof of postage payment Postage meter

A postage meter or franking machine is a mechanical device used to create and apply physical evidence of postage to mailed items. Postage meters are regulated by a country's postal authority. A postage meter imprints an amount of postage, functioning as a postage stamp, a cancellation and a dated postmark all in one. The meter stamp serves as proof of payment and eliminates the need for adhesive stamps.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Postzegelcode

Hand-written method of postal franking in the Netherlands Postzegelcode

A postzegelcode is a hand-written method of franking in the Netherlands. It consists of a code containing nine numbers and letters that customers can purchase online from PostNL and write directly on their piece of mail within five days as proof of payment in place of a postage stamp.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Digital stamp

undefined

A digital stamp in crafting, stamping, card making and scrapbooking is a digital image printed onto paper from the user's printer. Digital stamps come in a variety of formats, including PNG, JPG, and TIFF. Digital stamps offer many advantages over traditional rubber stamps because of their ability to be flipped, resized, rotated and easily stored.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Postage stamp

Piece of paper which shows payment for postage Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage. Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover —which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. Next the item is delivered to its address.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Agent of influence

Person influencing public opinion for a foreign power

Agent of influence is a controversial term used to describe people who are said to use their position to influence public opinion in one country or decision making to produce results beneficial to another.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


Useful idiot

Derogatory term in political jargon

A useful idiot or useful fool is a pejorative description of a person, suggesting that the person thinks they are fighting for a cause without fully comprehending the consequences of their actions, and who does not realize they are being manipulated by the cause's leaders or by other political players. The term was often used during the Cold War in the Western bloc to describe non-communists regarded as susceptible to communist propaganda and psychological manipulation.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/10/25


List of cloud types

Types of clouds List of cloud types

The list of cloud types groups all genera as high, middle (alto-), multi-level, and low. These groupings are determined by the altitude level or levels in the troposphere at which each of the various cloud types is normally found. Small cumulus are commonly grouped with the low clouds because they do not show significant vertical extent. Of the multi-level genus-types, those with the greatest convective activity are often grouped separately as towering vertical. The genus types all have Latin names.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


Editor-in-chief

Publication's editorial leader

An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members and managing them. The term is often used at newspapers, magazines, yearbooks, and television news programs. The editor-in-chief is commonly the link between the publisher or proprietor and the editorial staff.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


Matthew Prince

American business executive (born 1974) Matthew Prince

Matthew Browning Prince is an American billionaire businessman and executive. He is the co-founder, executive chairman, and chief executive officer of the technology company Cloudflare. With a net worth of US$5.5 billion as of February 2025, Prince is the wealthiest person in Utah.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


Emergence

Unpredictable phenomenon in complex systems Emergence

In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


Submarine communications cable

Transoceanic communication line placed on the seabed Submarine communications cable

A submarine communications cable is a cable laid on the seabed between land-based stations to carry telecommunication signals across stretches of ocean and sea. The first submarine communications cables were laid beginning in the 1850s and carried telegraphy traffic, establishing the first instant telecommunications links between continents, such as the first transatlantic telegraph cable which became operational on 16 August 1858.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


The king is dead, long live the king!

Proclamation The king is dead, long live the king!

"The king is dead, long live the king!" is a traditional proclamation made following the accession of a new monarch in various countries. The seemingly contradictory phrase simultaneously announces the death of the previous monarch and asserts continuity by saluting the new monarch.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/9/25


Loperamide

Medicine used to reduce diarrhea Loperamide

Loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, among others, is a medication of the opioid receptor agonist class used to decrease the frequency of diarrhea. It is often used for this purpose in irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, short bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis. It is not recommended for those with blood in the stool, mucus in the stool, or fevers. The medication is taken by mouth.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Translation (Mormonism)

In Mormonism, being changed into an immortal state without dying

In Mormonism, translation refers to being physically changed by God from a mortal human being to an immortal human being. A person that has been translated is referred to as a translated being. According to Mormonism, Enoch, Elijah, Moses, John the Apostle, the Three Nephites, and others were translated.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Heaven and Hell (Swedenborg book)

Book giving a detailed description of the Afterlife Heaven and Hell (Swedenborg book)

Heaven and Hell is a book written by Emanuel Swedenborg in Latin, published in 1758. It gives a detailed description of the afterlife; how people live after the death of the physical body. The book owes its popular appeal to that subject matter.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


UL (safety organization)

Global safety certification company UL (safety organization)

The UL enterprise is a global private safety company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, composed of three organizations, UL Research Institutes, UL Standards & Engagement and UL Solutions.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Emanuel Swedenborg

Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian (1688–1772) Emanuel Swedenborg

Emanuel Swedenborg (; Swedish: [ɛˈmɑ̂ːnʉɛl ˈsvêːdɛnˌbɔrj] ; born Emanuel Swedberg; was a Swedish polymath; scientist, engineer, astronomer, anatomist, Christian theologian, philosopher, and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, Heaven and Hell.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Christian universalism

Christian belief that all will be reconciled to God

Christian universalism is a school of Christian theology focused around the doctrine of universal reconciliation – the view that all human beings will ultimately be saved and restored to a right relationship with God. "Christian universalism" and "the belief or hope in the universal reconciliation through Christ" can be understood as synonyms.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats

English Doom Metal band Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats

Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats are an English doom metal band, formed in Cambridge by Kevin Starrs in 2009. The band has released six studio albums and one live album. Their most recent studio album Nell' Ora Blu, was released in May 2024 – as well as a number of singles. The band appears regularly at festivals around Europe.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Degrees of glory

Mormon afterlife concept Degrees of glory

In the theology and cosmology of Mormonism, in heaven there are three degrees of glory which are the ultimate, eternal dwelling places for nearly all who have lived on earth after they are resurrected from the spirit world.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Heroes Chronicles

2000 video game Heroes Chronicles

Heroes Chronicles is an episodic series of level packs for Heroes of Might and Magic III, a turn-based strategy video game. Eight installments were released from September 2000 to June 2001, developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing and published by the 3DO Company. Heroes Chronicles tells the story of Tarnum, a barbarian judged unworthy of Paradise due to his crimes. He is made immortal and sent through time by the Ancestors to aid in various quests as punishment.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Maupertuis's principle

Principle of least length in physics

In classical mechanics, Maupertuis's principle states that the path followed by a physical system is the one of least length. It is a special case of the more generally stated principle of least action. Using the calculus of variations, it results in an integral equation formulation of the equations of motion for the system.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Action principles

Fundamental mechanical principles

Action principles lie at the heart of fundamental physics, from classical mechanics through quantum mechanics, particle physics, and general relativity. Action principles start with an energy function called a Lagrangian describing the physical system. The accumulated value of this energy function between two states of the system is called the action. Action principles apply the calculus of variation to the action. The action depends on the energy function, and the energy function depends on the position, motion, and interactions in the system: variation of the action allows the derivation of the equations of motion without vectors or forces.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Road Rash (1994 video game)

1994 racing video game Road Rash (1994 video game)

Road Rash is a 1994 racing and vehicular combat video game originally published by Electronic Arts (EA) for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. A version for the Sega CD was developed simultaneously and released in 1995 to act as a "bridge" between the 3DO version and the Sega Genesis title Road Rash 3, and the game was subsequently ported to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows in 1996. The game is the third installment in the Road Rash series, and is centered around a series of motorcycle races throughout California that the player must win to advance to higher-difficulty races, while engaging in unarmed and armed combat to hinder the other racers.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/8/25


Fundraising

Process of gathering donations Fundraising

Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Mendicant

Person who relies primarily on alms Mendicant

A mendicant is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many instances members have taken a vow of poverty, in order that all their time and energy could be expended on practicing their respective faith, preaching and serving society.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Charity (practice)

Voluntary giving of help to those in need Charity (practice)

Charity is the voluntary provision of assistance to those in need. It serves as a humanitarian act, and is unmotivated by self-interest. Various philosophies about charity exist, with frequent associations with religion.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Begging

Asking others for a favor with no expectation of return Begging

Begging is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public places such as transport routes, urban parks, and markets. Besides money, they may also ask for food, drink, cigarettes or other small items.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Internet begging

Asking people for money online

Internet begging, cyber-begging, e-begging or Internet panhandling is the online version of traditional begging, asking strangers for money to meet basic needs such as food and shelter.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Great Leap Forward

1958–1962 Chinese socioeconomic campaign Great Leap Forward

The Great Leap Forward was an industrialization campaign within China from 1958 to 1962, led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Party Chairman Mao Zedong launched the campaign to transform the country from an agrarian society into an industrialized society through the formation of people's communes. The Great Leap Forward is estimated to have led to between 15 and 55 million deaths in mainland China during the 1959–1961 Great Chinese Famine it caused, making it the largest or second-largest famine in human history.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Gondwana

Neoproterozoic to Cretaceous landmass Gondwana

Gondwana was a large landmass, sometimes referred to as a supercontinent. The remnants of Gondwana make up around two-thirds of today's continental area, including South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Zealandia, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Intertek

British multinational assurance, inspection, product testing and certification company Intertek

Intertek Group plc is a British multinational assurance, inspection, product testing and certification company headquartered in London, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


IEC 60320

Set of standards for AC power connectors used on domestic appliances on the appliance side IEC 60320

IEC 60320, entitled "Appliance couplers for household and similar general purposes", is a set of standards published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that defines non-locking appliance couplers for connecting power supply cords to electrical appliances. These couplers are intended for use with devices operating at voltages up to 250 V (AC) and currents up to 16 A. The standard specifies various types of connectors, differentiated by shape and size, to accommodate different combinations of current ratings, temperature tolerances, and earthing requirements.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


AC power plugs and sockets

Connector used to connect to mains power AC power plugs and sockets

AC power plugs and sockets connect devices to mains electricity to supply them with electrical power. A plug is the connector attached to an electrically operated device, often via a cable. A socket is fixed in place, often on the internal walls of buildings, and is connected to an AC electrical circuit. Inserting the plug into the socket allows the device to draw power from this circuit.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Natural Color System

Proprietary perceptual color model Natural Color System

The Natural Colour System (NCS) is a proprietary perceptual color model. It is based on the color opponency hypothesis of color vision, first proposed by German physiologist Ewald Hering. The current version of the NCS was developed by the Swedish Colour Centre Foundation, from 1964 onwards. The research team consisted of Anders Hård, Lars Sivik and Gunnar Tonnquist, who in 1997 received the AIC Judd award for their work. The system is based entirely on the phenomenology of human perception as opposed to color mixing. It is illustrated by a color atlas, marketed by NCS Colour AB in Stockholm.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Spring green

Color Spring green

Spring green is a color that was traditionally considered to be on the yellow side of green, but in modern computer systems based on the RGB color model is halfway between cyan and green on the color wheel.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Rose (color)

Color between red and magenta plus its shades Rose (color)

Rose is the color halfway between red, magenta and white on the HSV color wheel, also known as the RGB color wheel, on which it is at hue angle of 330 degrees.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/7/25


Interactive fiction

Software genre

Interactive fiction (IF) is software simulating environments in which players use text commands to control characters and influence the environment. Works in this form can be understood as literary narratives, either in the form of Interactive narratives or Interactive narrations. These works can also be understood as a form of video game, either in the form of an adventure game or role-playing game. In common usage, the term refers to text adventures, a type of adventure game where the entire interface can be "text-only", however, graphical text adventure games, where the text is accompanied by graphics still fall under the text adventure category if the main way to interact with the game is by typing text. Some users of the term distinguish between interactive fiction, known as "Puzzle-free", that focuses on narrative, and "text adventures" that focus on puzzles.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/6/25


Scout Motto

Motto of the Scout movement Scout Motto

The Scout Motto of the Scout movement is, in English, "Be Prepared", with most international branches of the group using a close translation of that phrase. These mottoes have been used by millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. Most of the member organizations of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) share the same mottoes.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/6/25


Bountiful (Book of Mormon)

Name of two places described in the Book of Mormon

Bountiful is the name of two places described in the Book of Mormon, a religious text dictated in 1829 by Joseph Smith. The first location is set in the Old World near Jerusalem, and the second location is set somewhere in the Americas. While secular and non-LDS scholars consider the Book of Mormon to be a work of fiction, Latter Day Saints view the book as a chronicle of actual indigenous American people. Accordingly, several scholars in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have attempted to coordinate the Book of Mormon text relating to Bountiful with actual locations in the Old World and the New World.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/5/25


Internet geolocation

Determining the physical location of internet user

In computing, Internet geolocation is software capable of deducing the geographic position of a device connected to the Internet. For example, the device's IP address can be used to determine the country, city, or ZIP code, determining its geographical location. Other methods include examination of Wi-Fi hotspots.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/5/25


Tetris Battle Gaiden

1993 video game Tetris Battle Gaiden

Tetris Battle Gaiden is a puzzle video game developed and published in 1993 by Bullet-Proof Software for the Super Famicom. Released only in Japan, the game is a variant of the Tetris series involving multiplayer battles comparable to those of the Puyo Puyo and Columns series of video games. The game received its first international release via the Tetris Forever (2024) video game compilation.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/5/25


List of Sunsoft video games

This is a list of video games developed or released by Sunsoft.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/4/25


Independence Day (United States)

July 4th national birthday celebration Independence Day (United States)

Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July or July 4th, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/4/25


Student boilersuit

Costume used in student events Student boilersuit

Student boilersuit are boilersuits widely used for specific events at universities and polytechnics in Sweden, Finland, and Canada. Typically, the suits are procured by the student associations of faculties or programmes. At the major Swedish universities the use of boilersuits is limited to engineering students, however at Stockholm they are also worn by students of other programs, but their use has spread to students in other fields at some of the smaller university colleges. In Finland, boilersuits have also been foremost identified with engineering students, but see extensive use in all of the student organizations of Finnish institutions of higher learning, such as the University of Helsinki and Aalto University.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Boilersuit

Loose-fitting protective suit Boilersuit

A boilersuit, also known as coveralls, is a loose fitting garment covering the whole body except for the head, hands and feet.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Combat uniform

Military uniform Combat uniform

A combat uniform, also called a field uniform, battledress, or fatigues, is a casual uniform used by military, police, fire, and other public uniformed services for everyday fieldwork and duty, as opposed to dress uniforms for formal functions and parades. It generally consists of a jacket, trousers, and shirt or T-shirt, all cut to be looser and more comfortable than more formal uniforms. Combat uniform designs vary by regiment or service branch. Uniform fabrics often come in camouflage, disruptive patterns, or otherwise olive drab, brown, or khaki monochrome, to approximate the background and make the soldier less conspicuous in the field. In Western dress codes, field uniforms are considered equivalent to civilian casual wear, less formal than service dress uniforms, which are generally for office or staff use, as well as mess dress uniforms and full dress uniforms.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Mottle

Pattern of irregular marks on plants or animals Mottle

Mottle is a pattern of irregular marks, spots, streaks, blotches or patches of different shades or colours. It is commonly used to describe the surface of plants or the skin of animals. In plants, mottling usually consists of yellowish spots on plants, and is usually a sign of disease or malnutrition. Many plant viruses cause mottling, some examples being:Tobacco vein mottling virus Bean pod mottle virus

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Brobdingnag

Fictional land in Gulliver's Travels Brobdingnag

Brobdingnag is a fictional land that is occupied by giants, in Jonathan Swift's 1726 satirical novel Gulliver's Travels. The story's main character, Lemuel Gulliver, visits the land after the ship on which he is travelling is blown off course. As a result, he becomes separated from a party exploring the unknown land. In the second preface to the book, in 1727, Gulliver laments that the publisher misspelled the land's name, which Gulliver asserts is actually called Brobdingrag.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Fodder

Agricultural foodstuff used to feed domesticated animals Fodder

Fodder, also called provender, is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, rabbits, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. "Fodder" refers particularly to food given to the animals, rather than that which they forage for themselves. Fodder includes hay, straw, silage, compressed and pelleted feeds, oils and mixed rations, and sprouted grains and legumes. Most animal feed is from plants, but some manufacturers add ingredients to processed feeds that are of animal origin.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Silage

Fermented fodder preserved by acidification Silage

Silage is fodder made from green foliage crops which have been preserved by fermentation to the point of souring. It is fed to cattle, sheep and other ruminants. The fermentation and storage process is called ensilage, ensiling, or silaging. The exact methods vary, depending on available technology, local tradition and prevailing climate.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Corn stover

Corn (maize) plant parts left in field after harvest Corn stover

Corn stover consists of the leaves, stalks, and cobs of corn (maize) plants left in a field after harvest. Such stover makes up about half of the yield of a corn crop and is similar to straw from other cereal grasses; in Britain it is sometimes called corn straw. Corn stover is a very common agricultural product in areas of large amounts of corn production. As well as the non-grain part of harvested corn, the stover can also contain other weeds and grasses. Field corn and sweet corn, two different types of maize, have relatively similar corn stover.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Columbian exchange

Transfers between the Old and New Worlds Columbian exchange

The Columbian exchange, also known as the Columbian interchange, was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemisphere, from the late 15th century on. It is named after the explorer Christopher Columbus and is related to the European colonization and global trade following his 1492 voyage. Some of the exchanges were deliberate while others were unintended. Communicable diseases of Old World origin resulted in an 80 to 95 percent reduction in the Indigenous population of the Americas from the 15th century onwards, and their extinction in the Caribbean.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Polyculture

Growing multiple crops together in agriculture Polyculture

In agriculture, polyculture is the practice of growing more than one crop species together in the same place at the same time, in contrast to monoculture, which had become the dominant approach in developed countries by 1950. Traditional examples include the intercropping of the Three Sisters, namely maize, beans, and squashes, by indigenous peoples of Central and North America, the rice-fish systems of Asia, and the complex mixed cropping systems of Nigeria.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Three Sisters (agriculture)

Agricultural technique of Indigenous people in the Americas Three Sisters (agriculture)

The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of various indigenous people of Central and North America: squash, maize ("corn"), and climbing beans. In a technique known as companion planting, the maize and beans are often planted together in mounds formed by hilling soil around the base of the plants each year; squash is typically planted between the mounds. The cornstalk serves as a trellis for climbing beans, the beans fix nitrogen in their root nodules and stabilize the maize in high winds, and the wide leaves of the squash plant shade the ground, keeping the soil moist and helping prevent the establishment of weeds.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Push–pull agricultural pest management

Intercropping strategy for controlling agricultural pests Push–pull agricultural pest management

Push–pull technology is an intercropping strategy for controlling agricultural pests by using repellent "push" plants and trap "pull" plants. For example, cereal crops like maize or sorghum are often infested by stem borers. Grasses planted around the perimeter of the crop attract and trap the pests, whereas other plants, like Desmodium, planted between the rows of maize, repel the pests and control the parasitic plant Striga. Push–pull technology was developed at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Kenya in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, UK. and national partners. This technology has been taught to smallholder farmers through collaborations with universities, NGOs and national research organizations.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Maize

Species of grass cultivated as a food crop Maize

Maize, also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native Americans planted it alongside beans and squashes in the Three Sisters polyculture. The leafy stalk of the plant gives rise to male inflorescences or tassels which produce pollen, and female inflorescences called ears. The ears yield grain, known as kernels or seeds. In modern commercial varieties, these are usually yellow or white; other varieties can be of many colors.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Genetically modified maize

Genetically modified crop Genetically modified maize

Genetically modified maize (corn) is a genetically modified crop. Specific maize strains have been genetically engineered to express agriculturally-desirable traits, including resistance to pests and to herbicides. Maize strains with both traits are now in use in multiple countries. GM maize has also caused controversy with respect to possible health effects, impact on other insects and impact on other plants via gene flow. One strain, called Starlink, was approved only for animal feed in the US but was found in food, leading to a series of recalls starting in 2000.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Sweet corn

Variety of corn Sweet corn

Sweet corn, also called sweetcorn, sugar corn and pole corn, is a variety of maize grown for human consumption with a high sugar content. Sweet corn is the result of a naturally occurring recessive mutation in the genes which control conversion of sugar to starch inside the endosperm of the corn kernel. Sweet corn is picked when still immature and prepared and eaten as a vegetable, unlike field corn, which is harvested when the kernels are dry and mature. Since the process of maturation involves converting sugar to starch, sweet corn stores poorly and must be eaten fresh, canned, or frozen, before the kernels become tough and starchy.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Corn roaster

Large grill for cooking corn Corn roaster

A corn roaster is a large grill for cooking large batches of ears of corn at the same time. The term "corn roaster" can also refer to a person who roasts corn. Corn roaster machines have existed in the United States since at least 1900. Corn roasters are used by concession vendors at festivals, fairs, events, parties, and holidays, such as the Fourth of July in the United States. Roasted corn is a very popular festival food in the American South, Southwest, and Northwest. Corn roasters can also cook foods such as turkey legs, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. They may also be used by street food vendors. Street vendors may operate seasonally, per the seasonality of corn crops. Some organizations that operate corn roasters at events, such as fairs, donate their proceeds to charities.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Powdered corn cob

Powdered corn cob (PCC) is a rodenticide, marketed as a natural and environmentally-friendly alternative to anticoagulant types. The preparation was approved in July 2013 under the European Biocide Directive Program. It works by causing acute and ultimately lethal dehydration.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Corn on the cob

Whole sweet corn, consumed as food Corn on the cob

Corn on the cob is a culinary term for a cooked ear of sweet corn (maize) eaten directly off the cob. The ear is picked while the endosperm is in the "milk stage" so that the kernels are still tender. Ears of corn are steamed, boiled, or grilled usually without their green husks, or roasted with them. The husk leaves are removed before serving.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Pedagogy

Theory and practice of education Pedagogy

Pedagogy, most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as an academic discipline, is the study of how knowledge and skills are imparted in an educational context, and it considers the interactions that take place during learning. Both the theory and practice of pedagogy vary greatly as they reflect different social, political, and cultural contexts.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Inoculation

Method of inducing immunity against disease

Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or other microbe or virus into a person or other organism. It is a method of artificially inducing immunity against various infectious diseases. The term "inoculation" is also used more generally to refer to intentionally depositing microbes into any growth medium, as into a Petri dish used to culture the microbe, or into food ingredients for making cultured foods such as yoghurt and fermented beverages such as beer and wine. This article is primarily about the use of inoculation for producing immunity against infection. Inoculation has been used to eradicate smallpox and to markedly reduce other infectious diseases such as polio. Although the terms "inoculation", "vaccination", and "immunization" are often used interchangeably, there are important differences. Inoculation is the act of implanting a pathogen or microbe into a person or other recipient; vaccination is the act of implanting or giving someone a vaccine specifically; and immunization is the development of disease resistance that results from the immune system's response to a vaccine or natural infection.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Cotton Mather

Puritan clergyman (1663–1728) Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting House in Boston, then part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he preached for the rest of his life. He has been referred to as the "first American Evangelical".

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Junto (club)

Philadelphia club started by Benjamin Franklin

The Junto, also known as the Leather Apron Club, was a club for mutual improvement established in 1727 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. The Leather Apron Club's purpose was to debate questions of morals, politics, and natural philosophy, and to exchange knowledge of business affairs.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Parent management training

Treatment programs that aim to change parenting behaviors Parent management training

Parent management training (PMT), also known as behavioral parent training (BPT) or simply parent training, is a family of treatment programs that aims to change parenting behaviors, teaching parents positive reinforcement methods for improving pre-school and school-age children's behavior problems.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Gyo Fujikawa

American writer and illustrator

Gyo Fujikawa was an American illustrator and children's book writer. A prolific creator of more than 50 books for children, her work is regularly in reprint and has been translated into 17 languages and published in 22 countries. Her most popular books, Babies and Baby Animals, have sold over 1.7 million copies in the U.S. Fujikawa is recognized for being the earliest mainstream illustrator of picture books to include children of many races in her work, before it became common to do so.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/3/25


Colorfulness

Perceived intensity of a specific color Colorfulness

Colorfulness, chroma and saturation are attributes of perceived color relating to chromatic intensity. As defined formally by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) they respectively describe three different aspects of chromatic intensity, but the terms are often used loosely and interchangeably in contexts where these aspects are not clearly distinguished. The precise meanings of the terms vary by what other functions they are dependent on.Colorfulness is the "attribute of a visual perception according to which the perceived color of an area appears to be more or less chromatic ". The colorfulness evoked by an object depends not only on its spectral reflectance but also on the strength of the illumination, and increases with the latter unless the brightness is very high. Chroma is the "colorfulness of an area judged as a proportion of the brightness of a similarly illuminated area that appears white or highly transmitting". As a result, chroma is mostly only dependent on the spectral properties, and as such is seen to describe the object color. It is how different from a grey of the same lightness such an object color appears to be. Saturation is the "colorfulness of an area judged in proportion to its brightness", which in effect is the perceived freedom from whitishness of the light coming from the area. An object with a given spectral reflectance exhibits approximately constant saturation for all levels of illumination, unless the brightness is very high.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Magnificence (history of ideas)

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The word magnificence comes from the Latin “magnum facere”, which means to do something great. The Latin word draws on the Greek “megaloprépeia”. This noun conveys the meaning of doing something great which is fitting or seemly to the circumstance. Magnificence is a philosophical, aesthetic, and socio-economic notion deeply rooted in Western culture since classical antiquity.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Righteous indignation

Man's version of commination

Righteous indignation, also called righteous anger, is anger that is primarily motivated by a perception of injustice or other profound moral lapse. It is distinguished from anger that is prompted by something more personal, like an insult.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Virtue ethics

Normative ethical theories

Virtue ethics is a philosophical approach that treats virtue and character as the primary subjects of ethics, in contrast to other ethical systems that put consequences of voluntary acts, principles or rules of conduct, or obedience to divine authority in the primary role.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Curses (video game)

1993 video game Curses (video game)

Curses is an interactive fiction computer game created by Graham Nelson in 1993. Appearing in the beginning of the non-commercial era of interactive fiction, it is considered one of the milestones of the genre.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Inform

Programming language and design system

Inform is a programming language and design system for interactive fiction originally created in 1993 by Graham Nelson. Inform can generate programs designed for the Z-code or Glulx virtual machines. Versions 1 through 5 were released between 1993 and 1996. Around 1996, Nelson rewrote Inform from first principles to create version 6. Over the following decade, version 6 became reasonably stable and a popular language for writing interactive fiction. In 2006, Nelson released Inform 7, a completely new language based on principles of natural language and a new set of tools based around a book-publishing metaphor.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Z-machine

Virtual machine for interactive fiction games

The Z-machine is a virtual machine that was developed by Joel Berez and Marc Blank in 1979 and used by Infocom for its text adventure games. Infocom compiled game code to files containing Z-machine instructions and could therefore port its text adventures to a new platform simply by writing a Z-machine implementation for that platform. With the large number of incompatible home computer systems in use at the time, this was an important advantage over using native code or developing a compiler for each system.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)

1984 video game The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is an interactive fiction video game based on the comedic science fiction series of the same name. It was designed by series creator Douglas Adams and Infocom's Steve Meretzky, and it was first released in 1984 for the Apple II, Mac, Commodore 64, CP/M, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari 8-bit computers, and Atari ST. It is Infocom's fourteenth game.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Timequest

1991 video game Timequest

Timequest is an interactive fiction game released by Legend Entertainment, and written by Bob Bates. The game can be played online at the Internet Archive.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Fahrenheit 451 (video game)

1984 video game Fahrenheit 451 (video game)

Fahrenheit 451 is an interactive fiction game released in 1984 based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ray Bradbury. Originally released by software company Trillium, it was re-released in 1985 under the company's new name Telarium.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Note (typography)

Text placed at the bottom of a page or at the end of a chapter

In publishing, a note is a brief text in which the author comments on the subject and themes of the book and names supporting citations. In the editorial production of books and documents, typographically, a note is usually several lines of text at the bottom of the page, at the end of a chapter, at the end of a volume, or a house-style typographic usage throughout the text. Notes are usually identified with superscript numbers or a symbol.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


India and weapons of mass destruction

India and weapons of mass destruction

India possesses nuclear weapons and previously developed chemical weapons. Although India has not released any official statements about the size of its nuclear arsenal, recent estimates suggest that India has 180 nuclear weapons. India has conducted nuclear weapons tests in a pair of series namely Pokhran I and Pokhran II.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Occam's razor

Philosophical problem-solving principle

In philosophy, Occam's razor is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. It is also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony. Attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian, it is frequently cited as Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity", although Occam never used these exact words. Popularly, the principle is sometimes paraphrased as "of two competing theories, the simpler explanation of an entity is to be preferred."

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/2/25


Bruce Hornsby

American musician (born 1954) Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Randall Hornsby is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. His music draws from folk rock, jazz, bluegrass, folk, Southern rock, country rock, jam band, rock, heartland rock, and blues rock musical traditions.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Space Pen

Gravity-independent ballpoint pen Space Pen

The Space Pen, marketed by Fisher Space Pen Company, is a pen that uses pressurized ink cartridges and is able to write in zero gravity, underwater, over wet and greasy paper, at any angle, and in a very wide range of temperatures.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Miracle

Event not explicable by natural or scientific laws Miracle

A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific laws and accordingly gets attributed to some supernatural or praeternatural cause. Various religions often attribute a phenomenon characterized as miraculous to the actions of a supernatural being, (especially) a deity, a miracle worker, a saint, or a religious leader.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

1852 speech by Frederick Douglass What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?

"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" was a speech delivered by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852, at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, at a meeting organized by the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society. In the address, Douglass states that positive statements about perceived American values, such as liberty, citizenship, and freedom, were an offense to the enslaved population of the United States because they lacked those rights. Douglass referred not only to the captivity of enslaved people, but to the merciless exploitation and the cruelty and torture that slaves were subjected to in the United States.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Of the form

Mathematical phrase

In mathematics, the phrase "of the form" indicates that a mathematical object, or a collection of objects, follows a certain pattern of expression. It is frequently used to reduce the formality of mathematical proofs.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Cruising (driving)

Traveling by car for pleasure Cruising (driving)

Cruising is a social activity that primarily consists of driving a car. Cruising is distinguished from regular driving by the social and recreational nature of the activity, which is characterized by an impulsively random, often aimless course. A popular route is often the focus of cruising. Cruising can be an expression of the freedom of possessing a driver's license. "Cruise nights" are evenings during which cars drive slowly.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Sister Christian

1984 single by Night Ranger Sister Christian

"Sister Christian" is a song by the American hard rock band Night Ranger. A power ballad, it was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album Midnight Madness. It was ranked No. 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It was written and sung by the band's drummer, Kelly Keagy, for his sister. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and staying on the charts for 24 weeks. It also reached No. 1 in Canada. The song is used in several films, including Boogie Nights (1997), Superstar (1999), Friday the 13th (2009) and Ben Affleck's 2023 film Air (2023).

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Xenobot

Artificial organism Xenobot

Xenobots, named after the clawed frog, are synthetic lifeforms that are designed by computers to perform some desired function and built by combining together different biological tissues. There is debate among scientists whether xenobots are robots, organisms, or something else entirely.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Aaron Sorkin

American filmmaker (born 1961) Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an American screenwriter, playwright and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television, and film, Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globes.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 7/1/25


Kabuki syndrome

Medical condition Kabuki syndrome

Kabuki syndrome is a rare congenital disorder of genetic origin. It affects multiple parts of the body, with varying symptoms and severity, although the most common is the characteristic facial appearance.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Phosphene

Visual illusion Phosphene

A phosphene is the phenomenon of seeing light without light entering the eye. The word phosphene comes from the Greek words phos (light) and phainein. Phosphenes that are induced by movement or sound may be associated with optic neuritis.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Anamnesis (philosophy)

Concept in Plato's epistemological and psychological theory

In Plato's theory of epistemology, anamnesis refers to the recollection of innate knowledge acquired before birth. The concept posits the claim that learning involves the act of rediscovering knowledge from within oneself. This stands in contrast to the opposing doctrine known as empiricism, which posits that all knowledge is derived from experience and sensory perception. Plato develops the theory of anamnesis in his Socratic dialogues: Meno, Phaedo, and Phaedrus.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Savanna

Mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem Savanna

A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of grasses. Four savanna forms exist; savanna woodland where trees and shrubs form a light canopy, tree savanna with scattered trees and shrubs, shrub savanna with distributed shrubs, and grass savanna where trees and shrubs are mostly nonexistent.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Rangeland management

undefined Rangeland management

Rangeland management is a natural science that centers around the study of rangelands and the "conservation and sustainable management [of Arid-Lands] for the benefit of current societies and future generations". Range management is defined by Holechek et al. as the "manipulation of rangeland components to obtain optimum combination of goods and services for society on a sustained basis". The United Nations (UN) has declared 2026 the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, with the Food and Agriculture Organization leading the initiative.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Bureau of Land Management

Agency within the US Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than 247.3 million acres (1,001,000 km2) of land, or one-eighth of the United States's total landmass.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Silicon carbide

Extremely hard semiconductor Silicon carbide

Silicon carbide (SiC), also known as carborundum, is a hard chemical compound containing silicon and carbon. A wide bandgap semiconductor, it occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite, but has been mass-produced as a powder and crystal since 1893 for use as an abrasive. Grains of silicon carbide can be bonded together by sintering to form very hard ceramics that are widely used in applications requiring high endurance, such as car brakes, car clutches and ceramic plates in bulletproof vests. Large single crystals of silicon carbide can be grown by the Lely method and they can be cut into gems known as synthetic moissanite.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Fillet (mechanics)

Rounding of an interior or exterior corner Fillet (mechanics)

In mechanical engineering, a fillet is a rounding of an interior or exterior corner of a part. An interior or exterior corner, with an angle or type of bevel, is called a "chamfer". Fillet geometry, when on an interior corner is a line of concave function, whereas a fillet on an exterior corner is a line of convex function. Fillets commonly appear on welded, soldered, or brazed joints.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Chamfer

Flat transitional edge between two faces of an object Chamfer

A chamfer is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Megabyte

Multiple of the unit byte

The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is MB. The unit prefix mega is a multiplier of 1000000 (106) in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes of information. This definition has been incorporated into the International System of Quantities.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Wise old man

Jungian and literary archetype Wise old man

The wise old man is an archetype as described by Carl Jung, as well as a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character. The wise old man can be a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Absent-minded professor

Stock character in film Absent-minded professor

The absent-minded professor is a stock character of popular fiction, usually portrayed as a talented academic whose academic brilliance is accompanied by below-par functioning in other areas, leading to forgetfulness and mistakes. One explanation of this is that highly talented individuals often have unevenly distributed capabilities, being brilliant in their field of choice but below average on other measures of ability. Alternatively, they are considered to be so engrossed in their field of study that they forget their surroundings. The phrase is also commonly used in English to describe people who are so engrossed in their own world that they fail to keep track of their surroundings. It is a common stereotype that professors get so obsessed with their research that they pay little attention to anything else.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Sieve

Tool for separation of solid materials by particle size Sieve

A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift is a tool used for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. The word sift derives from sieve.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/30/25


Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 agreement ending the Mexican–American War Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/29/25


Gateway (video game)

1992 video game Gateway (video game)

Frederik Pohl's Gateway is a 1992 interactive fiction video game released by Legend Entertainment, and written by Glen Dahlgren and Mike Verdu. It is based on Frederik Pohl's Heechee universe. It was followed by a sequel Gateway II: Homeworld, in 1993.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/29/25


Beyond the Blue Event Horizon

1980 science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl Beyond the Blue Event Horizon

Beyond the Blue Event Horizon is a science fiction novel by the American writer Frederik Pohl, a sequel to his 1977 novel Gateway and the second book in the Heechee series. It was a finalist for two major annual awards, the 1981 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the 1980 Nebula Award. In the 1981 poll of Locus readers it finished second to The Snow Queen by Joan Vinge.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/29/25


Rice paddy art

Japanese art form Rice paddy art

Rice paddy art or tambo art is an art form originating in Japan where people plant rice of various types and colors to create images in a paddy field.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/28/25


Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy video game)

1990 video game Batman: The Video Game (Game Boy video game)

Batman: The Video Game is a 1990 action video game developed and published by Sunsoft for the Game Boy. Based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, it is inspired by the Warner Bros.'s 1989 film of the same name. In the main storyline, Batman must face the Joker. The Game Boy version was developed by most of the same staff at Sunsoft which had previously worked on the Nintendo Entertainment System adaptation based on the 1989 film. It was produced by Cho Musou, while soundtrack was composed by Naoki Kodaka, Nobuyuki Hara, and Shinichi Seya. The game garnered generally favorable reception from critics and retrospective commentarists.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/28/25


Oval Office

U.S. presidential office in the White House Oval Office

The Oval Office is the formal working space of the president of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/28/25


Apple Infinite Loop campus

Former corporate headquarters of Apple Inc. in California, United States Apple Infinite Loop campus

The Apple Campus is the former corporate headquarters of Apple Inc. from 1993 until 2017. In April 2017, it was largely replaced by Apple Park, but is still an Apple office and lab space. The campus is located at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California, United States. Its design resembles that of a university, with the buildings arranged around green spaces.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/28/25


Philosophy of happiness

Philosophical theory

The philosophy of happiness is the philosophical concern with the existence, nature, and attainment of happiness. Some philosophers believe happiness can be understood as the moral goal of life or as an aspect of chance; indeed, in most European languages the term happiness is synonymous with luck. Thus, philosophers usually explicate on happiness as either a state of mind, or a life that goes well for the person leading it. Given the pragmatic concern for the attainment of happiness, research in psychology has guided many modern-day philosophers in developing their theories.

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History of ethical idealism

History of ethical idealism

Ethical idealism, which is also referred to by terms such as moral idealism, principled idealism, and other expressions, is a philosophical framework based on holding onto specifically defined ideals in the context of facing various consequences to holding such principles and/or values. Such ideals, which are analyzed during the process of ethical thinking, become applied in practice via a group of specific goals relative to what has been learned over time about morality. As noted by philosopher Norbert Paulo, following ideals in a doctrinaire fashion will "exceed obligations" put on people such that actions "are warranted, but not strictly required."

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Earthship

Style of architecture that uses native materials and upcycled materials to build homes Earthship

An Earthship is a style of architecture developed in the late 20th century to early 21st century by architect Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as passive solar earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires. Earthships may feature a variety of amenities and aesthetics, and are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, managing to stay close to 70 °F (21 °C) regardless of outside weather conditions. Earthship communities were originally built in the desert of northern New Mexico, near the Rio Grande, and the style has spread to small pockets of communities around the globe, in some cases in spite of legal opposition to its construction and adoption.

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Explanatory style

Psychological attribute

Explanatory style is a psychological attribute that indicates how people explain to themselves why they experience a particular event, either positive or negative.

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Positive mental attitude

The importance of positive thinking as a contributing factor of success

Positive mental attitude (PMA) is a concept first introduced in 1937 by Napoleon Hill in the book Think and Grow Rich. The book never actually uses the term, but discusses the importance of positive thinking as a contributing factor of success. Napoleon, who along with W. Clement Stone, founder of Combined Insurance, later wrote Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, defines positive mental attitude as comprising the 'plus' characteristics represented by words as faith, integrity, hope, optimism, courage, initiative, generosity, tolerance, tact, kindliness and good common sense.

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Optimism

Positive mental attitude Optimism

Optimism is the attitude or mindset of expecting events to lead to particularly positive, favorable, desirable, and hopeful outcomes. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled with water to the halfway point: an optimist is said to see the glass as half full, while a pessimist sees the glass as half empty. In ordinary English, optimism may be synonymous with idealism—often, unrealistic or foolish optimism in particular.

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American exceptionalism

Idea of the United States as unique nation

American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is either distinctive, unique, or exemplary compared to other nations. Proponents argue that the values, political system, and historical development of the U.S. are unique in human history, often with the implication that it is both destined and entitled to play a distinct and positive role on the world stage.

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City upon a Hill

Phrase derived from the parable of Salt and Light

"City upon a hill" is a phrase derived from the teaching of salt and light in Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. Originally applied to the city of Boston by early 17th century Puritans, it came to adopt broader use in political rhetoric in United States politics, that of a declaration of American exceptionalism, and referring to America acting as a "beacon of hope" for the world.

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American civil religion

Sociological theory American civil religion

American civil religion is a sociological theory that a monotheistic nonsectarian civil religion exists within the United States with sacred symbols drawn from national history. Scholars have portrayed it as a common set of values that foster social and cultural integration. The ritualistic elements of ceremonial deism found in American ceremonies and presidential invocations of God can be seen as expressions of the American civil religion.

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RAND Corporation

American global policy think tank founded in 1948 RAND Corporation

The RAND Corporation, doing business as RAND, is an American nonprofit global policy think tank, research institute, and public sector consulting firm. RAND engages in research and development (R&D) in several fields and industries. Since the 1950s, RAND research has helped inform United States policy decisions on a wide variety of issues, including the Cold War space race, the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, the U.S.–Soviet nuclear arms confrontation, the creation of the Great Society social welfare programs, and national health care.

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Addiction to power in The Lord of the Rings

Ring and power in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

The theme of addiction to power in The Lord of the Rings is central, as the Ring, made by the Dark Lord Sauron to enable him to take over the whole of Middle-earth, progressively corrupts the mind of its owner to use the Ring for evil.

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Saruman

Fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien Saruman

Saruman, also called Saruman the White, later Saruman of Many Colours, is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. He is the leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, the main antagonist of the novel. He comes to desire Sauron's power for himself, so he betrays the Istari and tries to take over Middle-earth by force from his base at Isengard. His schemes feature prominently in the second volume, The Two Towers; he appears briefly at the end of the third volume, The Return of the King. His earlier history is summarised in the posthumously published The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales.

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Henry Davy

English landscape painter Henry Davy

Henry Davy (1793–1865) was an English landscape painter, engraver and lithographer active in East Anglia.

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Shades of gray

Variations of the color gray Shades of gray

Variations of gray or grey include achromatic grayscale shades, which lie exactly between white and black, and nearby colors with low colorfulness. A selection of a number of these various colors is shown below.

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Grey

Intermediate color between black and white Grey

Grey or gray is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered sky, of ash, and of lead.

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Christianity in Middle-earth

Hidden Christianity in the fictional works of J. R. R. Tolkien

Christianity is a central theme in J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional works about Middle-earth, but the specifics are always kept hidden. This allows for the books' meaning to be personally interpreted by the reader, instead of the author detailing a strict, set meaning.

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J. R. R. Tolkien

English writer and philologist (1892–1973) J. R. R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

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Wizards in Middle-earth

Group of Wizards (Istari) in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium Wizards in Middle-earth

The Wizards or Istari in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction were powerful angelic beings, Maiar, who took the physical form and some of the limitations of Men to intervene in the affairs of Middle-earth in the Third Age, after catastrophically violent direct interventions by the Valar, and indeed by the one god Eru Ilúvatar, in the earlier ages.

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Gandalf

Fictional character created by J. R. R. Tolkien Gandalf

Gandalf is a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. He is a wizard, one of the Istari order, and the leader of the Company of the Ring. Tolkien took the name "Gandalf" from the Old Norse "Catalogue of Dwarves" (Dvergatal) in the Völuspá.

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Magician (fantasy)

Magicians appearing in fantasy fiction Magician (fantasy)

A magician, also known as an archmage, mage, magus, magic-user, spellcaster, enchanter/enchantress, sorcerer/sorceress, warlock, witch, or wizard, is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural, occult, or arcane sources. Magicians enjoy a rich history in mythology, legends, fiction, and folklore, and are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games.

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Nominative determinism

Correlation of name and career

Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people tend to gravitate toward areas of work or interest that fit their names. The term was first used in the magazine New Scientist in 1994, after the magazine's humourous "Feedback" column noted several studies carried out by researchers with remarkably fitting surnames. These included a book on polar explorations by Daniel Snowman and an article on urology by researchers named Splatt and Weedon. These and other examples led to light-hearted speculation that some sort of psychological effect was at work.

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Richard Einhorn

American composer of contemporary classical music

Richard Einhorn is an American composer of contemporary classical music.

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Cossacks

Ethnic group of current Ukraine and Russia Cossacks

The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Russia, countering the Crimean-Nogai raids, alongside economically developing steppe regions north of the Black Sea and around the Azov Sea. Historically, they were a semi-nomadic and semi-militarized people, who, while under the nominal suzerainty of various Eastern European states at the time, were allowed a great degree of self-governance in exchange for military service. Although numerous linguistic and religious groups came together to form the Cossacks, most of them coalesced and became East Slavic–speaking Orthodox Christians.

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Nippon Steel

Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel

Nippon Steel Corporation is Japan's largest steelmaker, headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company has four business segments, which are steelmaking, engineering, chemicals, and systems solutions. It is the largest producer of crude steel in Japan and the fourth largest in the world.

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Golden share

Nominal share which is able to outvote all other shares in certain specified circumstances

In business and finance, a golden share is a type of share of stock that lets its owner outvote all other shareholders in certain circumstances. Golden shares often belong to the government when a government-owned company is undergoing the process of privatization and transformation into a stock-company.

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U.S. Steel

American steel-producing company U.S. Steel

The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Steel that maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, including flat-rolled and tubular products for customers in industries across automotive, construction, consumer, electrical, industrial equipment, distribution, and energy. Operations also include iron ore and coke production facilities.

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Fletcher-class destroyer

1940s class of destroyers of the United States Navy Fletcher-class destroyer

The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.

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USS Kidd (DD-661)

US Navy Fletcher-class destroyer USS Kidd (DD-661)

USS Kidd (DD-661), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kidd was the first US flag officer to die during World War II and the first American admiral ever to be killed in action. A National Historic Landmark, she is now a museum ship, berthed on the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the only surviving US destroyer still in her World War II configuration. She is one of four remaining Fletcher-class destroyers in the world.

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Green Flake

Early African American LDS pioneer (1828–1903) Green Flake

Green Flake was an early African-American member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and was one of the three enslaved African-American Latter-day Saint pioneers who entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847. He was born into bondage on a plantation in Anson County, North Carolina. His enslaver, James Flake, took him to Mississippi in the early 1840s. There, James, his wife, and Green joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1844. The Flakes moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, in 1845. Green Flake received his freedom sometime in the early 1850s and married Martha Morris. Green and Martha had two children together.

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Donkey Kong Land

1995 video game Donkey Kong Land

Donkey Kong Land, known in Japan as Super Donkey Kong GB, is a 1995 platform game developed by Rare and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It condenses the side-scrolling gameplay of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Donkey Kong Country (1994) for the handheld Game Boy with different level design and boss fights. The player controls the gorilla Donkey Kong and his nephew Diddy Kong as they defeat enemies and collect items across 30 levels to recover their stolen banana hoard from the crocodile King K. Rool.

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Geodesy

Science of measuring the shape, orientation, and gravity of Earth Geodesy

Geodesy or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the geometry, gravity, and spatial orientation of the Earth in temporally varying 3D. It is called planetary geodesy when studying other astronomical bodies, such as planets or circumplanetary systems.

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United States Coast and Geodetic Survey

Former U.S. government scientific agency United States Coast and Geodetic Survey

The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey was the first scientific agency of the United States Government. It existed from 1807 to 1970, and throughout its history was responsible for mapping and charting the coast of the United States, and later the coasts of U.S. territories. In 1871, it gained the additional responsibility of surveying the interior of the United States and geodesy became a more important part of its work, leading to it being renamed the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1878.

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Geographic center of the United States

Central location of the 48 or 50 states Geographic center of the United States

The geographic center of the United States is a point approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota at 44°58′2.07622″N 103°46′17.60283″W. It has been regarded as such by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey and the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS) since the additions of Alaska and Hawaii to the United States in 1959.

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Large Hadron Collider

Particle accelerator at CERN, Switzerland Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) between 1998 and 2008, in collaboration with over 10,000 scientists, and hundreds of universities and laboratories across more than 100 countries. It lies in a tunnel 27 kilometres (17 mi) in circumference and as deep as 175 metres (574 ft) beneath the France–Switzerland border near Geneva.

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Particle accelerator

Research apparatus for particle physics Particle accelerator

A particle accelerator is a machine that uses electromagnetic fields to propel charged particles to very high speeds and energies to contain them in well-defined beams. Small accelerators are used for fundamental research in particle physics. Accelerators are also used as synchrotron light sources for the study of condensed matter physics. Smaller particle accelerators are used in a wide variety of applications, including particle therapy for oncological purposes, radioisotope production for medical diagnostics, ion implanters for the manufacturing of semiconductors, and accelerator mass spectrometers for measurements of rare isotopes such as radiocarbon.

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Spallation

Physical process Spallation

Spallation is a process in which fragments of material (spall) are ejected from a body due to impact or stress. In the context of impact mechanics it describes ejection of material from a target during impact by a projectile. In planetary physics, spallation describes meteoritic impacts on a planetary surface and the effects of stellar winds and cosmic rays on planetary atmospheres and surfaces. In the context of mining or geology, spallation can refer to pieces of rock breaking off a rock face due to the internal stresses in the rock; it commonly occurs on mine shaft walls. In the context of metal oxidation, spallation refers to the breaking off of the oxide layer from a metal. For example, the flaking off of rust from iron. In the context of anthropology, spallation is a process used to make stone tools such as arrowheads by knapping. In nuclear physics, spallation is the process in which a heavy nucleus emits numerous nucleons as a result of being hit by a high-energy particle, thus greatly reducing its atomic weight. In industrial processes and bioprocessing the loss of tubing material due to the repeated flexing of the tubing within a peristaltic pump is termed spallation.

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Cosmic ray

High-energy particle, mainly originating outside the Solar System Cosmic ray

Cosmic rays or astroparticles are high-energy particles or clusters of particles that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own galaxy, and from distant galaxies. Upon impact with Earth's atmosphere, cosmic rays produce showers of secondary particles, some of which reach the surface, although the bulk are deflected off into space by the magnetosphere or the heliosphere.

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Cosmic ray spallation

Natural reactions causing nucleosynthesis

Cosmic ray spallation, also known as the x-process, is a set of naturally occurring nuclear reactions causing nucleosynthesis; it refers to the formation of chemical elements from the impact of cosmic rays on an object. Cosmic rays are highly energetic charged particles from beyond Earth, ranging from protons, alpha particles, and nuclei of many heavier elements. About 1% of cosmic rays also consist of free electrons.

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Neutron star merger

Type of stellar collision Neutron star merger

A neutron star merger is the stellar collision of neutron stars. When two neutron stars fall into mutual orbit, they gradually spiral inward due to the loss of energy emitted as gravitational radiation. When they finally meet, their merger leads to the formation of either a more massive neutron star, or—if the mass of the remnant exceeds the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff limit—a black hole. The merger can create a magnetic field that is trillions of times stronger than that of Earth in a matter of one or two milliseconds. The immediate event creates a short gamma-ray burst visible over hundreds of millions, or even billions of light years.

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Arthur Eddington

British astrophysicist (1882–1944) Arthur Eddington

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington, was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician. He was also a philosopher of science and a populariser of science. The Eddington limit, the natural limit to the luminosity of stars, or the radiation generated by accretion onto a compact object, is named in his honour.

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Stellar nucleosynthesis

Creation of chemical elements within stars Stellar nucleosynthesis

In astrophysics, stellar nucleosynthesis is the creation of chemical elements by nuclear fusion reactions within stars. Stellar nucleosynthesis has occurred since the original creation of hydrogen, helium and lithium during the Big Bang. As a predictive theory, it yields accurate estimates of the observed abundances of the elements. It explains why the observed abundances of elements change over time and why some elements and their isotopes are much more abundant than others. The theory was initially proposed by Fred Hoyle in 1946, who later refined it in 1954. Further advances were made, especially to nucleosynthesis by neutron capture of the elements heavier than iron, by Margaret and Geoffrey Burbidge, William Alfred Fowler and Fred Hoyle in their famous 1957 B2FH paper, which became one of the most heavily cited papers in astrophysics history.

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Nucleosynthesis

Process that creates new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons, primarily protons and neutrons Nucleosynthesis

Nucleosynthesis is the process that creates new atomic nuclei from pre-existing nucleons and nuclei. According to current theories, the first nuclei were formed a few minutes after the Big Bang, through nuclear reactions in a process called Big Bang nucleosynthesis. After about 20 minutes, the universe had expanded and cooled to a point at which these high-energy collisions among nucleons ended, so only the fastest and simplest reactions occurred, leaving our universe containing hydrogen and helium. The rest is traces of other elements such as lithium and the hydrogen isotope deuterium. Nucleosynthesis in stars and their explosions later produced the variety of elements and isotopes that we have today, in a process called cosmic chemical evolution. The amounts of total mass in elements heavier than hydrogen and helium remains small, so that the universe still has approximately the same composition.

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Supernova nucleosynthesis

Production of the elements in a supernova explosion

Supernova nucleosynthesis is the nucleosynthesis of chemical elements in supernova explosions.

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Pingu

Animated children's television series Pingu

Pingu is a stop motion animated children's television series originally produced in Switzerland. It was co-created by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann. It centres on the titular anthropomorphic emperor penguin and his family, who live in the South Pole. The series aired on SF DRS for four series from 7 March 1990 to 9 April 2000, and was produced by the Swiss animation studio Pingu Filmstudio; with Swiss toy company Editoy AG, and later on, Pingu BV handling IP ownership of the series.

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Adultism

Discrimination favoring adults over children

Adultism is a bias or prejudice against children or youth. It has been defined as "the power adults have over children", or the abuse thereof, as well as "prejudice and accompanying systematic discrimination against young people", and "bias towards adults... and the social addiction to adults, including their ideas, activities, and attitudes". It can be considered a subtype of ageism, or prejudice and discrimination due to age in general.

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Lectures on Faith

Religious text of the Latter-day Saint movement Lectures on Faith

"Lectures on Faith" is a set of seven lectures on the doctrine and theology of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, first published as the doctrine portion of the 1835 edition of the canonical Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), but later removed from that work by both major branches of the faith. The lectures were originally presented by Joseph Smith to a group of elders in a course known as the "School of the Prophets" in the early winter of 1834–35 in Kirtland, Ohio.

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Natural theology

Theology reliant on rational and empirical arguments

Natural theology is a type of theology that seeks to provide arguments for theological topics, such as the existence of a deity, based on human reason. It is distinguished from revealed theology, which is based on supernatural sources such as scripture or religious experiences. It is thus a form of theology open to critical examination, aimed at understanding the divine.

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Faith

Confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept

Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, including "something that is believed especially with strong conviction", "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof".

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Epizeuxis

Repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession for emphasis

In rhetoric, epizeuxis, also known as palilogia, is the repetition of a word or phrase in immediate succession, typically within the same sentence, for vehemence or emphasis. A closely related rhetorical device is diacope, which involves word repetition that is broken up by a single intervening word, or a small number of intervening words.

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Troll (slang)

Person who sows discord online Troll (slang)

In slang, a troll is a person who posts deliberately offensive or provocative messages online or who performs similar behaviors in real life. The methods and motivations of trolls can range from benign to sadistic. These messages can be inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic, and may have the intent of provoking others into displaying emotional responses, or manipulating others' perceptions, thus acting as a bully or a provocateur. The behavior is typically for the troll's amusement, or to achieve a specific result such as disrupting a rival's online activities or purposefully causing confusion or harm to other people. Trolling behaviors involve tactical aggression to incite emotional responses, which can adversely affect the target's well-being.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Neurodevelopmental disorder Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and developmentally inappropriate. ADHD symptoms arise from executive dysfunction.

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Stellar evolution

Changes to stars over their lifespans Stellar evolution

Stellar evolution is the process by which a star changes over the course of time. Depending on the mass of the star, its lifetime can range from a few million years for the most massive to trillions of years for the least massive, which is considerably longer than the current age of the universe. The table shows the lifetimes of stars as a function of their masses. All stars are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust, often called nebulae or molecular clouds. Over the course of millions of years, these protostars settle down into a state of equilibrium, becoming what is known as a main sequence star.

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White dwarf

Stellar core remnant White dwarf

A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: in an Earth-sized volume, it packs a mass that is comparable to the Sun. No nuclear fusion takes place in a white dwarf; what light it radiates is from its residual heat. The nearest known white dwarf is Sirius B, at 8.6 light years, the smaller component of the Sirius binary star system. There are thought to be eight white dwarfs among the one hundred star systems that are close to the Sun. The unusual faintness of white dwarfs was first recognized in 1910. The name white dwarf was coined by Willem Jacob Luyten in 1922.

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Napoleon

Emperor of the French (r. 1804–1814, 1815) Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte, later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of military campaigns across Europe during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1796 to 1815. He led the French Republic as First Consul from 1799 to 1804, then ruled the French Empire as Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1814, and briefly again in 1815. He was King of Italy from 1805 to 1814 and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine from 1806 to 1813.

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Windows 9x

Series of Microsoft operating systems Windows 9x

Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a line of discontinued Microsoft Windows operating systems released from 1995 to 2000 and supported until 2006, which were based on the kernel introduced in Windows 95 and modified in succeeding versions, with its underlying foundation based on MS-DOS. The first version in the 9x series was Windows 95, which was succeeded by Windows 98 and then Windows Me, which was the third and last version of Windows on the 9x line, until the series was superseded by Windows XP.

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Windows 95

Microsoft computer operating system released in 1995 Windows 95

Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft and the first of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products into a single product and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. There were also major changes made to the core components of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly cooperatively multitasked 16-bit architecture of its predecessor Windows 3.1 to a 32-bit preemptive multitasking architecture.

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Neologism

Recent term that is gaining acceptance

In linguistics, a neologism is any newly formed word, term, or phrase that has achieved popular or institutional recognition and is becoming accepted into mainstream language. Most definitively, a word can be considered a neologism once it is published in a dictionary.

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Echolalia

Speech disorder Echolalia

Echolalia is the repetition of vocalizations made by another person; when repeated by the same person, it is called palilalia. In its profound form it is automatic and effortless. It is one of the echophenomena, closely related to echopraxia, the automatic repetition of movements made by another person; both are "subsets of imitative behavior" whereby sounds or actions are imitated "without explicit awareness". Echolalia may be an immediate reaction to a stimulus or may be delayed.

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Clanging

Symptom of mental disorders

Clanging is a symptom of mental disorders, primarily found in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This symptom is also referred to as association chaining, and sometimes, glossomania.

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Agrammatism

Non-fluent aphasia

Agrammatism is a characteristic of non-fluent aphasia. Individuals with agrammatism present with speech that is characterized by containing mainly content words, with a lack of function words. For example, when asked to describe a picture of children playing in the park, the affected individual responds with, "trees..children..run." People with agrammatism may have telegraphic speech, a unique speech pattern with simplified formation of sentences, akin to that found in telegraph messages. Deficits in agrammaticism are often language-specific, however—in other words, "agrammaticism" in speakers of one language may present differently from in speakers of another.

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Paraphasia

Speech difficulty associated with aphasia

Paraphasia is a type of language output error commonly associated with aphasia and characterized by the production of unintended syllables, words, or phrases during the effort to speak. Paraphasic errors are most common in patients with fluent forms of aphasia, and come in three forms: phonemic or literal, neologistic, and verbal. Paraphasias can affect metrical information, segmental information, number of syllables, or both. Some paraphasias preserve the meter without segmentation, and some do the opposite. However, most paraphasias partially have both affects.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Thought insertion

Delusional belief that thoughts have been inserted into one's mind

Thought insertion is defined by the ICD-10 as the delusion that one's thoughts are not one's own, but rather belong to someone else and have been inserted into one's mind. The person experiencing the thought insertion delusion will not necessarily know where the thought is coming from, but makes a distinction between their own thoughts and those inserted into their minds. However, patients do not experience all thoughts as inserted; only certain ones, normally following a similar content or pattern. A person with this delusional belief is convinced of the veracity of their beliefs and is unwilling to accept such diagnosis.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Dream speech

Words in the mind during sleep

Dream speech is internal speech which occurs during a dream. The term was coined by Emil Kraepelin in his 1906 monograph titled Über Sprachstörungen im Traume. The text discussed various forms of dream speech, outlining 286 examples. Dream speech is not to be confounded with the 'language of dreams', which refers to the visual means of representing thought in dreams.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Intrapersonal communication

Communication with oneself Intrapersonal communication

Intrapersonal communication is communication with oneself or self-to-self communication. Examples are thinking to oneself "I will do better next time" after having made a mistake or imagining a conversation with one's boss in preparation for leaving work early. It is often understood as an exchange of messages in which sender and receiver are the same person. Some theorists use a wider definition that goes beyond message-based accounts and focuses on the role of meaning and making sense of things. Intrapersonal communication can happen alone or in social situations. It may be prompted internally or occur as a response to changes in the environment.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Conversation

Interactive communication between two or more people Conversation

Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus of language teaching and learning. Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational interaction.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Theia (hypothetical planet)

Hypothesized ancient planet Theia (hypothetical planet)

Theia is a hypothesized ancient planet in the early Solar System which, according to the giant-impact hypothesis, collided with the early Earth around 4.5 billion years ago, with some of the resulting ejected debris coalescing to form the Moon. Collision simulations support the idea that the large low-shear-velocity provinces in the lower mantle may be remnants of Theia. Theia is hypothesized to have been about the size of Mars, and may have formed in the outer Solar System and provided much of Earth's water, though this is debated.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Millennials

Cohort born from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s Millennials

Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years, with the generation typically being defined as people born from 1981 to 1996. Most millennials are the children of Baby Boomers. In turn, millennials are often the parents of Generation Alpha.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Soylent (meal replacement)

American brand of meal replacement products Soylent (meal replacement)

Soylent is a set of meal replacement products in powder, shake, and bar forms, produced by Soylent Nutrition, Inc. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Josephus Daniels

American diplomat and newspaper editor (1862–1948) Josephus Daniels

Josephus Daniels was a newspaper editor, Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Woodrow Wilson

President of the United States from 1913 to 1921 Woodrow Wilson

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only Democrat to serve as president during the Progressive Era when Republicans dominated the presidency and legislative branches. As president, Wilson changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Honorific

Title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank

An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It is also often conflated with systems of honorific speech in linguistics, which are grammatical or morphological ways of encoding the relative social status of speakers. Honorifics can be used as prefixes or suffixes depending on the appropriate occasion and presentation in accordance with style and customs.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Trash80

Musical artist Trash80

Trash80 is a micromusic/bitpop project from Timothy Robert Lamb, a pioneer of independent Game Boy music. He has published several songs online under a Creative Commons license (BY-NC-ND) under the Trash80 and Tresk banners. Whereas many Trash80 songs are ambient soundscapes featuring the use of Game Boy sounds, Tresk songs feature simple piano lines. Most prominently, Lamb's music has been featured on the soundtrack of the real-time strategy game Darwinia.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

Philosophical thought experiment If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" is a philosophical thought experiment that raises questions regarding observation and perception.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


2023 Chinese balloon incident

Airspace violation and shootdown incident 2023 Chinese balloon incident

From January 28 to February 4, 2023, a high-altitude balloon originating from China flew across North American airspace, including Alaska, western Canada, and the contiguous United States. On February 4, the U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon over U.S. territorial waters off the coast of South Carolina. Debris from the wreckage was recovered and sent to the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis. Following a preliminary analysis of the debris in June, U.S. officials stated that the balloon carried intelligence-gathering equipment but does not appear to have sent information back to China. U.S. President Joe Biden described the balloon as carrying two railroad cars' equivalent of spy equipment, however stated that it was "not a major breach", and that he also believed that the Chinese leadership was not aware of the balloon. The U.S. government said the balloon had a propeller for maneuverability.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Ground stop

Air traffic control measure that slows the flow of an aircraft inbound to an airport

A ground stop is an air traffic control procedure that requires all aircraft that fit certain criteria to remain on the ground. This could be airport-specific or perhaps equipment- or airspace-specific, depending on the exact event that caused the ground stop to occur. Downstream effects can occur from a ground stop. It causes flights to be delayed or canceled and planes and flight crew to be unable to reach the location of their next scheduled flight.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Willard Duncan Vandiver

American politician Willard Duncan Vandiver

Willard Duncan Vandiver was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Missouri. He is popularly credited with the authorship of the famous expression: "I'm from Missouri, you've got to show me," which led to the state's famous nickname: "The Show Me State". In an 1899 speech, he declared, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me." This attribution is doubtful, however, as the phrase was current earlier in the 1890s, so it appears that Vandiver merely popularized it.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Buck passing

English-language idiom meaning "to shift blame onto another" Buck passing

Buck passing, or passing the buck, or sometimes (playing) the blame game, is the act of attributing to another person or group one's own responsibility. It is often used to refer to a strategy in power politics whereby a state tries to get another state to deter or fight an aggressor state while it remains on the sidelines.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Eagle Scout

Highest rank in Scouts BSA Eagle Scout

Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of Scouting America. Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Scout rank has been earned by over 2.75 million youth.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

2025 military action

On June 22, 2025, the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Iran–Israel war. The Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center were targeted with fourteen GBU-57A/B MOP 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) bombs carried by Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and with a separate barrage of Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine. The attack, which was given the codename Operation Midnight Hammer, was the United States's first offensive action in the Iran–Israel war, which began on June 13 with surprise Israeli strikes.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


The Secret Garden

1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in The American Magazine. Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English children's literature. The American edition was published by the Frederick A. Stokes Company with illustrations by M. L. Kirk, and the British edition by Heinemann with illustrations by Charles Heath Robinson.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/23/25


Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

1959 book written by Alfred Lansing Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, is a 1959 book written by Alfred Lansing, about the failure of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, in its attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Chronic condition

Persistent human health condition or disease

A chronic condition is a health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Anti-revisionism (Marxism–Leninism)

Marxist–Leninist political position Anti-revisionism (Marxism–Leninism)

Anti-revisionism is a position within Marxism–Leninism which emerged in the mid-1950s in opposition to the reforms of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Airborne leaflet propaganda

Leaflets dropped via air during wartime Airborne leaflet propaganda

Airborne leaflet dropping is a type of propaganda where leaflets (flyers) are scattered in the air, normally by filling cluster bombs that open in midair with thousands of leaflets.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Grapher

Graphing calculator software bundled with macOS Grapher

Grapher is a computer program bundled with macOS since version 10.4 that is able to create 2D and 3D graphs from simple and complex equations. It includes a variety of samples ranging from differential equations to 3D-rendered Toroids and Lorenz attractors. It is also capable of dealing with functions and compositions of them. One can edit the appearance of graphs by changing line colors, adding patterns to rendered surfaces, adding comments, and changing the fonts and styles used to display them. Grapher is able to create animations of graphs by changing constants or rotating them in space.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


3Blue1Brown

Math YouTube channel 3Blue1Brown

3Blue1Brown is a math YouTube channel created and run by Grant Sanderson. The channel focuses on teaching higher mathematics from a visual perspective, and on the process of discovery and inquiry-based learning in mathematics, which Sanderson calls "inventing math".

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Enriched uranium

Uranium in which isotope separation has been used to increase its proportion of uranium-235

Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238, uranium-235, and uranium-234. 235U is the only nuclide existing in nature that is fissile with thermal neutrons.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


GBU-57A/B MOP

American GPS-guided "bunker buster" bomb GBU-57A/B MOP

The GBU-57 series MOP is a 30,000-pound -class precision-guided "bunker buster" bomb developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). At least 20 were built by November 2015. Composed of a BLU-127 bomb body and precision guidance kit, the GBU-57 comes in several variants and BLU-127 weights. It is much larger than earlier USAF weapons designed to destroy heavily fortified, deep underground bunkers such as the 5,000-pound (2,300 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37. The B-2 Spirit strategic bomber is the only in-service U.S. aircraft that can carry the heavy 20.5-foot (6.2 m)-long weapon.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant

Uranium enrichment facility in Iran

The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, officially the Shahid Ali Mohammadi Nuclear Facility, is an Iranian underground uranium enrichment facility located 30 kilometres (20 mi) north of the Iranian city of Qom, at a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base. The site is under the control of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). It is the second Iranian uranium enrichment facility, the other being the Natanz Nuclear Facility.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Hierophant

Religious function Hierophant

A hierophant is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy. As such, a hierophant is an interpreter of sacred mysteries and arcane principles.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/22/25


Puzzle Bobble 4

1997 video game Puzzle Bobble 4

Puzzle Bobble 4 is the third sequel to the video game Puzzle Bobble and is the final appearance of the series on the PlayStation and the only appearance of the series on the Dreamcast.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Frozen Bubble

2002 video game Frozen Bubble

Frozen Bubble is a free software clone of Puzzle Bobble for a variety of home and mobile systems.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Fred Rogers

American television host and author (1928–2003) Fred Rogers

Fred McFeely Rogers, better known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968 to 2001.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Sardonicism

Expressions of humor used during adversity: cynicism, derision, skepticism Sardonicism

Sardonicism is form of wit or humour, where being sardonic often involves expressing an uncomfortable truth in a clever and not necessarily malicious way, often with a degree of distrust or skepticism; or behavior disdainfully, cynically humorous, frequently based on scornful mocking. This gave birth to a literary genre emphasizing the behavior.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


No good deed goes unpunished

Sardonic saying No good deed goes unpunished

The phrase "No good deed goes unpunished" is a sardonic commentary on the frequency with which acts of kindness backfire on those who offer them. In other words, those who help others are doomed to suffer as a result of their helpfulness.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


The road to hell is paved with good intentions

Proverb

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" is a proverb or aphorism.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Clwyd

Preserved county of Wales Clwyd

Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Reel trailer

Utility construction equipment Reel trailer

A reel trailer is a piece of utility construction equipment towed by a powered vehicle like a truck. It is commonly used to transport spools of fiber, copper, conduit and electrical cable. The key feature that distinguishes reel trailers from other trailers is that they use a metal bar that runs through the center of the spool, suspending it above the trailer frame. This allows the spool to spin freely, and brakes may also be used to prevent the spool from moving. The reel can be controlled to allow the cabling to pay out.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


World Association of Ugly People

World Association of Ugly People

The World Association of Ugly People is an organization dedicated to fighting for the recognition of ugly people, in a society that places a high value on physical beauty. The group's motto is "A person is what he is and not what he looks like".

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Third place

Social space other than home or workplace Third place

In sociology, the third place refers to the social surroundings that are separate from the two usual social environments of home and the workplace. Examples of third places include churches, cafes, bars, clubs, libraries, gyms, bookstores, hackerspaces, stoops, parks, and theaters, among others. In his book The Great Good Place (1989), Ray Oldenburg argues that third places are important for democracy, civic engagement, and a sense of place. Oldenburg's coauthor Karen Christensen argues in the 2025 sequel that third places are the answer to loneliness, political polarization, and climate resilience. She also clarifies the difference between third places and public spaces.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Cyber City Oedo 808

Japanese original video animation series Cyber City Oedo 808

Cyber City Oedo 808 is a 1990 Japanese cyberpunk original video animation series created by Madhouse and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Set in the year 2808 in the city of Oedo (Tokyo), it tells the story of three criminals who are enlisted into fighting crime in exchange for reducing their sentences to the point where they are able to earn their freedom. The three criminals are the black-haired maverick Sengoku Shunsuke, the mohawk-doning hacker Gogul, and the androgynous bishōnen Benten.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Cyber City

Topics referred to by the same term

Cyber City or Cybercity may refer to:Cyber City Gurgaon, an industrial park in Gurgaon, India Cyber City Kochi, a proposed Special Economic Zone information technology park adjacent to Kochi, India Cyber City, Magarpatta a privately owned gated community in the Hadapsar–area of Pune, India Ebene CyberCity, a city on the island nation of Mauritius Cybercity 1, a planned city and part of the Multimedia Super Corridor project in Malaysia Cyber City Oedo 808, a 1990–91 cyberpunk original video animation Yadanabon Cyber City, the largest information technology center in Myanmar Cyber City, a fictional city in the role-playing game Deltarune: Chapter 2 Cybercity, a Danish Internet provider, now part of Telenor Denmark

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


.us

Internet country code top-level domain for the U.S. .us

.us is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United States. It was established in February 1985. Registrants of .us domains must be U.S. citizens, residents, or organizations – or foreign entities with a presence in the United States or a territory of the United States. Most registrants in the U.S. have registered for .com, .net, .org and other gTLDs, instead of .us, which has primarily been used by state and local governments, even though private entities may also register .us domains. The domain is managed by Registry Services, LLC, an acquired subsidiary domain name registry of GoDaddy, on behalf of the United States Department of Commerce.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Fuel cell

Device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity Fuel cell

A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel and an oxidizing agent into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually comes from substances that are already present in the battery. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as fuel and oxygen are supplied.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Fiat Phylla

Concept car by the Italian car manufacture Fiat Fiat Phylla

The Fiat Phylla concept car was unveiled in 2008 by the Italian car manufacture Fiat. Originally expected to form the basis of a production car in 2010, it remains a concept city car. The Phylla name means "leaves" in ancient Greek.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Disc herniation

Injury to the intervertebral disc Disc herniation

A disc herniation or spinal disc herniation is an injury to the intervertebral disc between two vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical disability. The most conclusive diagnostic tool for disc herniation is MRI, and treatments may range from painkillers to surgery. Protection from disc herniation is best provided by core strength and an awareness of body mechanics including good posture.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/21/25


Bald eagle

Bird of prey species of North America Bald eagle

The bald eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle, which occupies the same niche as the bald eagle in the Palearctic. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Hand game

Game played using the hands Hand game

Hand games are games played using only the hands of the players. Hand games exist in a variety of cultures internationally, and are of interest to academic studies in ethnomusicology and music education. Hand games are used to teach music literacy skills and socio-emotional learning in elementary music classrooms internationally.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Rock paper scissors

Hand game for two players or more Rock paper scissors

Rock, Paper, Scissors is an intransitive hand game, usually played between two people, in which each player simultaneously forms one of three shapes with an outstretched hand. These shapes are "rock", "paper", and "scissors". The earliest form of "rock paper scissors"-style game originated in China and was subsequently imported into Japan, where it reached its modern standardized form, before being spread throughout the world in the early 20th century.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Gochujang

Spicy fermented Korean condiment Gochujang

Gochujang or red chili paste is a savory, sweet, and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochugaru, glutinous rice, meju powder, yeotgireum, and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice, cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process. Traditionally, it would be naturally fermented over years in jangdok (earthenware) on an elevated stone platform called jangdokdae in the backyard.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Puffed grain

Type of food Puffed grain

Puffed grains are grains that have been expanded ("puffed") through processing. They have been made for centuries with the simplest methods like popping popcorn. Modern puffed grains are often created using high temperature, pressure, or extrusion.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Cheetos

Brand of corn puff snack food Cheetos

Cheetos is a crunchy corn-cheese puff snack brand made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the United States. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In 1965 Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of The Pepsi-Cola Company, forming PepsiCo, the current owner of the Cheetos brand.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Hermit

Person who lives in seclusion from society Hermit

A hermit, also known as an eremite or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Micropub (protocol)

Client–server protocol based on HTTP to create, update, and delete posts

Micropub (MP) is a W3C Recommendation that describes a client–server protocol based on HTTP to create, update, and delete posts on servers using web or native app clients. Micropub was originally developed in the IndieWebCamp community, contributed to W3C, and published as a W3C working draft on January 28, 2016.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Micropub

Very small, one room public house Micropub

The term micropub was originally devised by the Campaign for Real Ale, in the 1976 edition of its Good Beer Guide, simply as a description for an unusually small but otherwise traditional pub. Examples of pubs described as such in this era included Manchester's Circus Tavern and The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds. In more recent years, the term came to be redefined much more tightly, as a very small, modern, one-room pub, serving no food other than snacks, and "based upon good ale and lively banter". The original of these newly defined micropubs is often cited as the Butchers Arms in Herne, Kent.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/20/25


Venetian Snares

Canadian electronic musician Venetian Snares

Aaron Funk, known as Venetian Snares, is a Canadian electronic musician based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is widely known for innovating and popularising the breakcore genre, and is one of the most recognisable artists to be signed to Planet Mu, an experimental electronic music label. His signature style involves meticulously complex drums, eclectic use of samples, and odd time signatures, in particular, 74.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Piano

Keyboard instrument Piano

A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temperament. A musician who specializes in piano is called a pianist.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Alaska Statehood Act

1958 United States law Alaska Statehood Act

The Alaska Statehood Act was a legislative act introduced by Delegate E. L. "Bob" Bartlett and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 7, 1958. Through it, Alaska became the 49th U.S. state on January 3, 1959. The law was the culmination of a multi-decade effort by many prominent Alaskans, including Bartlett, Ernest Gruening, Bill Egan, Bob Atwood, and Ted Stevens.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes

This list consists of American politicians convicted of crimes either committed or prosecuted while holding office in the federal government. It includes politicians who were convicted or pleaded guilty in a court of law. It applies to federal officeholders, whether elected or appointed.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


John Steinbeck

American writer (1902–1968) John Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social perception". He has been called "a giant of American letters."

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


East of Eden (novel)

1952 novel by John Steinbeck East of Eden (novel)

East of Eden is a novel by American author and Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, published in September 1952. Many regard the work as Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, and Steinbeck himself considered it his magnum opus. Steinbeck said of East of Eden, "It has everything in it I have been able to learn about my craft or profession in all these years;" the author later said, "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this." Steinbeck originally addressed the novel to his young sons, Thom and John. Steinbeck wanted to describe the Salinas Valley for them in detail: the sights, sounds, smells, and colors.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Identified patient

Member of dysfunctional family

Identified patient (IP) is a clinical term often used in family therapy discussion. It describes one family member in a dysfunctional family who is used as an expression of the family's authentic inner conflicts. As a family system is dynamic, the overt symptoms of an identified patient draw attention away from the "elephants in the living room" no one can talk about which need to be discussed. If covert abuse occurs between family members, the overt symptoms can draw attention away from the perpetrators.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Parenting styles

Psychological construct Parenting styles

A parenting style is a pattern of behaviors, attitudes, and approaches that a parent uses when interacting with and raising their child. The study of parenting styles is based on the idea that parents differ in their patterns of parenting and that these patterns can have an impact on their children's development and well-being. Parenting styles are distinct from specific parenting practices, since they represent broader patterns of practices and attitudes that create an emotional climate for the child. Parenting styles also encompass the ways in which parents respond to and make demands on their children.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Parent

Caregiver of offspring in their own species Parent

A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. A female can also become a parent through surrogacy. Some parents may be adoptive parents, who nurture and raise an offspring, but are not related to the child. Orphans without adoptive parents can be raised by their grandparents or other family members.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


Virtue signalling

Pejorative term

Virtue signalling is the act of expressing opinions or stances that align with popular moral values, often through social media, with the intent of demonstrating one's good character. The term virtue signalling is frequently used pejoratively to suggest that the person is more concerned with appearing virtuous than with actually supporting the cause or belief in question. An accusation of virtue signalling can be applied to both individuals and companies.

Wikipedia↗ ‽⸘ 6/19/25


History

Study of the past History

History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why and how it happened. Some theorists categorize history as a social science, while others see it as part of the humanities or consider it a hybrid discipline. Similar debates surround the purpose of history—for example, whether its main aim is theoretical, to uncover the truth, or practical, to learn lessons from the past. In a more general sense, the term history refers not to an academic field but to the past itself, times in the past, or to individual texts about the past.

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The Ascent of Ethiopia

1932 painting by Lois Mailou Jones The Ascent of Ethiopia

The Ascent of Ethiopia is a 1932 oil on canvas painting by American artist Lois Mailou Jones (1905–1998). It is in the collection of the Milwaukee Art Museum, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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Great Migration (African American)

African-American migration from Southern US between 1916 and 1970 Great Migration (African American)

The Great Migration, sometimes known as the Great Northward Migration or the Black Migration, was the movement of six million African Americans out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West between 1910 and 1970. It was substantially caused by poor economic and social conditions due to prevalent racial segregation and discrimination in the Southern states where Jim Crow laws were upheld. In particular, continued lynchings motivated a portion of the migrants, as African Americans searched for social reprieve. The historic change brought by the migration was amplified because the migrants, for the most part, moved to the then-largest cities in the United States at a time when those cities had a central cultural, social, political, and economic influence over the United States; there, African Americans established culturally influential communities of their own. According to Isabel Wilkerson, despite the losses they felt leaving their homes in the South, and despite the barriers which the migrants faced in their new homes, the migration was an act of individual and collective agency, which changed the course of American history, a "declaration of independence" which was written by their actions.

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Hail fellow well met

English idiom

"Hail fellow well met" is an English idiom used when referring to a person whose behavior is hearty, friendly, and congenial, typically in an excessive or insincere manner.

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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

2003 biography of Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life is a non-fiction book authored by American historian and journalist Walter Isaacson. Published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster, the biographical work details the life and times of prominent U.S. statesman and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin. The book has received praise from multiple publications including Foreign Affairs and The Guardian.

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Age of Enlightenment

17th- to 18th-century European cultural movement Age of Enlightenment

The Age of Enlightenment was a European intellectual and philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained through rationalism and empiricism, the Enlightenment was concerned with a wide range of social and political ideals such as natural law, liberty, and progress, toleration and fraternity, constitutional government, and the formal separation of church and state.

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Double agent

Type of special intelligence service

In the field of counterintelligence, a double agent is an employee of a secret intelligence service for one country, whose primary purpose is to spy on a target organization of another country, but who is now spying on their own country's organization for the target organization.

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Bridget Jones's Diary

2001 film by Sharon Maguire Bridget Jones's Diary

Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The film stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, a 32-year-old British single woman who writes a diary, which focuses on the things she wishes to happen in her life. However, her life changes when two men vie for her affection, portrayed by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones appear in supporting roles.

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Edward Bancroft

American physician (1745–1821) Edward Bancroft

Edward Bartholomew Bancroft was an American physician and chemist who became a double agent, spying for both the United States and Great Britain while serving as secretary to the American commission in Paris during the American Revolutionary War.

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Haile Selassie

Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974 Haile Selassie

Haile Selassie I was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia under Empress Zewditu between 1916 and 1930. Widely considered to be a defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, he is accorded divine importance in Rastafari, an Abrahamic religion that emerged in the 1930s. A few years before he began his reign over the Ethiopian Empire, Selassie defeated Ethiopian army commander Ras Gugsa Welle Bitul, nephew of Empress Taytu Betul, at the Battle of Anchem. He belonged to the Solomonic dynasty, founded by Emperor Yekuno Amlak in 1270.

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Autistic Pride Day

Annual celebration held on 18 June

Autistic Pride Day is a pride celebration for autistic people held annually on June 18. Autistic pride recognises the importance of pride for autistic people and its role in bringing about positive changes in the broader society.

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Chess annotation symbols

Notation indicating the writer's assessment of a chess move

When annotating chess games, commentators frequently use widely recognized annotation symbols. Question marks and exclamation points that denote a move as bad or good are ubiquitous in chess literature. Some publications intended for an international audience, such as the Chess Informant, have a wide range of additional symbols that transcend language barriers.

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Gömböc

Convex shape with one stable and one unstable position of equilibrium Gömböc

A gömböc is any member of a class of convex, three-dimensional and homogeneous bodies that are mono-monostatic, meaning that they have just one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium when resting on a flat surface. The existence of this class was conjectured by the Russian mathematician Vladimir Arnold in 1995 and proven in 2006 by the Hungarian scientists Gábor Domokos and Péter Várkonyi by constructing at first a mathematical example and subsequently a physical example.

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Fever Tree (band)

American rock band

Fever Tree is a former American psychedelic rock band of the 1960s, chiefly known for their anthemic 1968 hit, "San Francisco Girls ".

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Vinegar

Liquid consisting mainly of acetic acid and water Vinegar

Vinegar is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume.

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Salt (chemistry)

Chemical compound involving ionic bonding Salt (chemistry)

In chemistry, a salt or ionic compound is a chemical compound consisting of an assembly of positively charged ions (cations) and negatively charged ions (anions), which results in a compound with no net electric charge. The constituent ions are held together by electrostatic forces termed ionic bonds.

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Edmund Morgan (historian)

American historian (1916–2013)

Edmund Sears Morgan was an American historian and an authority on early American history. He was the Sterling Professor of History at Yale University, where he taught from 1955 to 1986. He specialized in American colonial history, with some attention to English history. Thomas S. Kidd says he was noted for his incisive writing style, "simply one of the best academic prose stylists America has ever produced." He covered many topics, including Puritanism, political ideas, the American Revolution, slavery, historiography, family life, and numerous notables such as Benjamin Franklin.

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Digital identity in Australia

In Australia, there are three main forms of digital identity:Online identity providers such as myID and Australia Post's Digital iD Services Australia's single sign-on portal myGov Digital versions of physical credentials or identity documents such as a Driver's License or a Medicare card

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Declaration of Conscience

1950 speech by U.S. Senator Margaret Chase Smith Declaration of Conscience

The Declaration of Conscience was a Cold War speech made by U.S. Senator from Maine, Margaret Chase Smith on June 1, 1950, less than four months after Senator Joseph McCarthy's "Wheeling Speech", on February 9, 1950. Her speech was endorsed by six other liberal-to-moderate Republicans. In it, she criticized national leadership and called for the country, the United States Senate, and the Republican Party to re-examine the tactics used by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and Senator McCarthy. She stated the basic principles of "Americanism" were:The right to criticize; The right to hold unpopular beliefs; The right to protest; The right of independent thought.

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Tin whistle

Six-holed woodwind instrument Tin whistle

The tin whistle, also known as the penny whistle, is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is a type of fipple flute, a class of instrument which also includes the recorder and Native American flute. A tin whistle player is called a whistler. The tin whistle is closely associated with Irish traditional music and Celtic music. Other names for the instrument are the flageolet, English flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, tin flageolet, or Irish whistle.

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Production designer

Person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event

In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Working directly with the director, cinematographer, and producer, production designers have a key creative role in the creation of motion pictures and television. The term production designer was coined by William Cameron Menzies while he was working on the film Gone with the Wind. Production designers are commonly confused with art directors as the roles have similar responsibilities. Production designers decide the visual concept and deal with the many and varied logistics of filmmaking including, schedules, budgets, and staffing. Art directors manage the process of making the visuals, which is done by concept artists, graphic designers, set designers, costume designers, lighting designers, etc. The production designer and the art director lead a team of individuals to assist with the visual component of the film. Depending on the size of the production the rest of the team can include runners, graphic designers, drafts people, props makers, and set builders. Productions Designers create a framework for the visual aesthetic of a project and work in partnership and collaboration with the Set Decorator & Set Decorating department to execute the desired look.

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Postmillennialism

Christian concept

In Christian eschatology, postmillennialism, or postmillenarianism, is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation which sees Christ's second coming as occurring after the "Millennium", a messianic age in which Christian ethics prosper. The term subsumes several similar views of the end times, and it stands in contrast to premillennialism and, to a lesser extent, amillennialism.

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Iridescence

Optical property Iridescence

Iridescence is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear gradually to change colour as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Iridescence is caused by wave interference of light in microstructures or thin films. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfly wings and seashell nacre, and minerals such as opal. Pearlescence is a related effect where some or most of the reflected light is white. The term pearlescent is used to describe certain paint finishes, usually in the automotive industry, which actually produce iridescent effects.

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Arthur Frank Mathews

American painter Arthur Frank Mathews

Arthur F. Mathews was an American Tonalist painter who was one of the founders of the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Trained as an architect and artist, he and his wife Lucia Kleinhans Mathews had a significant effect on the evolution of Californian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His students include Granville Redmond, Xavier Martinez, Armin Hansen, Percy Gray, Gottardo Piazzoni, Ralph Stackpole, Mary Colter, Maynard Dixon, Rinaldo Cuneo and Francis McComas.

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The Equals

English rock band The Equals

The Equals are an English rock band. They are best remembered for their million-selling chart-topper "Baby, Come Back", though they had several other chart hits in the UK and Europe. Drummer John Hall founded the group with Eddy Grant, Pat Lloyd and brothers Derv and Lincoln Gordon, and they were noted as being "the first major interracial rock group in the UK" and "one of the few racially mixed bands of the era".

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Positive feedback

Feedback loop that increases an initial small effect Positive feedback

Positive feedback is a process that occurs in a feedback loop where the outcome of a process reinforces the inciting process to build momentum. As such, these forces can exacerbate the effects of a small disturbance. That is, the effects of a perturbation on a system include an increase in the magnitude of the perturbation. That is, A produces more of B which in turn produces more of A. In contrast, a system in which the results of a change act to reduce or counteract it has negative feedback. Both concepts play an important role in science and engineering, including biology, chemistry, and cybernetics.

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Plaisance, Guyana

Town in Demerara-Mahaica, Guyana

Plaisance is a village in Guyana between Better Hope and Goedverwagting. It was purchased by freed slaves from cattle farmer A J Watershodt for $39,000 after the abolition of slavery in 1838. It was officially declared a village in 1892.

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Maynard Dixon

American artist (1875–1946) Maynard Dixon

Maynard Dixon was an American artist. He was known for his paintings, and his body of work focused on the American West. Dixon is considered one of the finest artists having dedicated most of their art to the U.S. Southwestern cultures and landscapes at the end of the 19th-century and the first half of the 20th-century. He was often called "The Last Cowboy in San Francisco."

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How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film)

2025 film by Dean DeBlois How to Train Your Dragon (2025 film)

How to Train Your Dragon is a 2025 American fantasy adventure film that is a live-action remake of the 2010 animated film, itself loosely based on the 2003 novel by Cressida Cowell. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, the film is co-executive produced, written, and directed by Dean DeBlois. It stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gabriel Howell, Julian Dennison, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Peter Serafinowicz, and Nick Frost, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast from the animated films.

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Vicious circle

Self-reinforcing sequence of events Vicious circle

A vicious circle is a complex chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop, with detrimental results. It is a system with no tendency toward equilibrium, at least in the short run. Each iteration of the cycle reinforces the previous one, in an example of positive feedback. A vicious circle will continue in the direction of its momentum until an external factor intervenes to break the cycle. A well-known example of a vicious circle in economics is hyperinflation.

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Spiral of silence

Political science and mass communication theory Spiral of silence

The spiral of silence theory is a political science and mass communication theory which states that an individual's perception of the distribution of public opinion influences that individual's willingness to express their own opinions. Also known as the theory of public opinion, the spiral of silence theory claims individuals will be more confident and outward with their opinion when they notice that their personal opinion is shared throughout a group. But if the individual notices that their opinion is unpopular with the group, they will be more inclined to be reserved and remain silent. In other words, from the individual's perspective, "not isolating themself is more important than their own judgement", meaning their perception of how others in the group perceive them is more important to themself than the need for their opinion to be heard.

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Causal model

Conceptual model in philosophy of science Causal model

In metaphysics, a causal model is a conceptual model that describes the causal mechanisms of a system. Several types of causal notation may be used in the development of a causal model. Causal models can improve study designs by providing clear rules for deciding which independent variables need to be included/controlled for.

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Causal loop diagram

Causal diagram that aids in visualizing how different variables in a system are interrelated Causal loop diagram

A causal loop diagram (CLD) is a causal diagram that visualizes how different variables in a system are causally interrelated. The diagram consists of a set of words and arrows. Causal loop diagrams are accompanied by a narrative which describes the causally closed situation the CLD describes. Closed loops, or causal feedback loops, in the diagram are very important features of CLDs because they may help identify non-obvious vicious circles and virtuous circles.

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Catch-22 (logic)

Situation in which one cannot avoid a problem because of contradictory constraints Catch-22 (logic)

A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations. The term was first used by Joseph Heller in his 1961 novel Catch-22.

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World War III

Hypothetical future global conflict World War III

World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, like its two predecessors, and the use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, thereby surpassing all prior conflicts in scale, devastation, and loss of life.

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Snowball effect

Metaphorical term for a process that builds upon itself Snowball effect

A snowball effect is a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger, and also perhaps potentially more dangerous or disastrous, though it might be beneficial instead. This is a cliché in cartoons and modern theatrics, and it is also used in psychology.

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Scientific communism

Ideological term used in the Soviet Union

Scientific communism, is one of three major elements of Marxism. The communist literature defines it as "the science dealing with general socio-political laws and patterns, ways, forms and methods of changing society" along communist lines, according to the historical mission of the proletariat ; in other words, it is the science regarding the "working-class" struggle and the social revolution, about the supposed "laws behind the building of socialism and communism, and about the world revolutionary process as a whole." In a broader sense, "scientific communism" can mean Marxism–Leninism as a whole; the "scientific expression of the radical interests and objectives involved in the struggle of the working class." In other words, it was the Marxist-Leninist school of sociology.

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Player Piano (novel)

First novel published by Kurt Vonnegut in 1952 Player Piano (novel)

Player Piano is the debut novel by American writer Kurt Vonnegut Jr., published in 1952. The novel depicts a dystopia of automation partly inspired by the author's time working at General Electric, describing the negative impact technology can have on quality of life. The story takes place in a near-future society that is almost totally mechanized, eliminating the need for human laborers. The widespread mechanization creates conflict between the wealthy upper class, the engineers and managers, who keep society running, and the lower class, whose skills and purpose in society have been replaced by machines. The book uses irony and sentimentality, which were to become hallmarks developed further in Vonnegut's later works.

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Blood quantum laws

Laws on Native American status Blood quantum laws

Blood quantum laws or Indian blood laws are laws that define Native Americans in the United States status by fractions of Native American ancestry. These laws were enacted by the federal government and state governments as a way to establish legally defined racial population groups. By contrast, many tribes do not include blood quantum as part of their own enrollment criteria. Blood quantum laws were first imposed by white settlers in the 18th century. Blood quantum (BQ) continues to be a controversial topic.

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Technocracy

Form of government ruled by experts

Technocracy is a form of government in which decision-makers appoint knowledge experts in specific domains to provide them with advice and guidance in various areas of their policy-making responsibilities. Technocracy follows largely in the tradition of other meritocratic theories and works best when the state exerts strong control over social and economic issues.

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Somebody else's problem

Dismissive figure of speech

"Somebody else's problem" or "someone else's problem" is an issue which is dismissed by a person on the grounds that they consider somebody else to be responsible for it.

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Social loafing

Psychological effect which occurs in groups

In social psychology, social loafing is the phenomenon of a person exerting less effort to achieve a goal when they work in a group than when working alone. It is seen as one of the main reasons groups are sometimes less productive than the combined performance of their members working as individuals.

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Reductionism

Philosophical view explaining systems in terms of smaller parts Reductionism

Reductionism is any of several related philosophical ideas regarding the associations between phenomena which can be described in terms of simpler or more fundamental phenomena. It is also described as an intellectual and philosophical position that interprets a complex system as the sum of its parts. Reductionism tends to focus on the small, predictable details of a system and is often associated with various philosophies like emergence, materialism, and determinism.

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Project Cybersyn

Chilean economic project Project Cybersyn

Project Cybersyn was a Chilean project from 1971 to 1973 during the presidency of Salvador Allende aimed at constructing a distributed decision support system to aid in the management of the national economy. The project consisted of 4 modules: an economic simulator, custom software to check factory performance, an operations room, and a national network of telex machines that were linked to one mainframe computer.

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The First Slam Dunk

2022 Japanese animated film by Takehiko Inoue The First Slam Dunk

The First Slam Dunk is a 2022 Japanese animated sports film written and directed by Takehiko Inoue, produced by Toei Animation and DandeLion Animation Studio. It is based on Inoue's Slam Dunk manga series. It was released theatrically in Japan on December 3, 2022.

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Sublime Text

Text editor Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a text and source code editor featuring a minimal interface, syntax highlighting and code folding with native support for numerous programming and markup languages, search and replace with support for regular expressions, an integrated terminal/console window, and customizable themes. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, its functionality can be expanded with plugins written in Python. Community-contributed plugins can be downloaded and installed via a built-in Package Control system, or written by the user via a Python API. Sublime Text is proprietary software, but can be downloaded for free and used as an evaluation version with no time limit.

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Diffusion of responsibility

Sociopsychological phenomenon

Diffusion of responsibility is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. Considered a form of attribution, the individual assumes that others either are responsible for taking action or have already done so.

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Barack Obama

President of the United States from 2009 to 2017 Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004.

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Attribution (psychology)

Process by which individuals explain causes of behavior and events

Attribution is a term used in psychology which deals with how individuals perceive the causes of everyday experience, as being either external or internal. Models to explain this process are called Attribution theory. Psychological research into attribution began with the work of Fritz Heider in the early 20th century, and the theory was further advanced by Harold Kelley and Bernard Weiner. Heider first introduced the concept of perceived 'locus of causality' to define the perception of one's environment. For instance, an experience may be perceived as being caused by factors outside the person's control (external) or it may be perceived as the person's own doing (internal). These initial perceptions are called attributions. Psychologists use these attributions to better understand an individual's motivation and competence. The theory is of particular interest to employers who use it to increase worker motivation, goal orientation, and productivity.

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Video game graphics

Computer graphics related to video games

A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions such as the processing power of central or graphics processing units.

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Monkeys and apes in space

Space travel by primates Monkeys and apes in space

Before humans went into space in the 1960s, several other animals were launched into space, including numerous other primates, so that scientists could investigate the biological effects of spaceflight. The United States launched flights containing primate passengers primarily between 1948 and 1961 with one flight in 1969 and one in 1985. France launched two monkey-carrying flights in 1967. The Soviet Union and Russia launched monkeys between 1983 and 1996. Most primates were anesthetized before lift-off.

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List of individual monkeys

This annotated list of individual monkeys includes monkeys who are in some way famous or notable. The list does not include notable apes or fictional primates.

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Interrobang

Combined question mark and exclamation mark

The interrobang, also known as the interabang ‽, is an unconventional punctuation mark intended to combine the functions of the question mark and the exclamation mark. The glyph is a ligature of these two marks and was first proposed in 1962 by Martin K. Speckter.

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Albert II (monkey)

First primate and first mammal in space Albert II (monkey)

Albert II was a male rhesus macaque monkey who was the first primate and first mammal to travel to outer space. He flew from Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, United States, to an altitude of 83 miles aboard a U.S. V-2 sounding rocket on June 14, 1949. Albert died upon landing after a parachute failure caused his capsule to strike the ground at high speed. Albert's respiratory and cardiological data were recorded up to the moment of impact.

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Water stagnation

Water that does not flow Water stagnation

Water stagnation occurs when water stops flowing for a long period of time. Stagnant water can be a significant environmental hazard.

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Republic of Letters

Long-distance intellectual community in early modern Europe and the Americas Republic of Letters

The Republic of Letters was the long-distance intellectual community in the late 17th and 18th centuries in Europe and the Americas. It fostered communication among the intellectuals of the Age of Enlightenment, or philosophes as they were called in France. These communities that transcended national boundaries formed the basis of a metaphysical republic. Because of societal constraints on women, the Republic of Letters consisted mostly of men.

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James Oglethorpe

British Army officer and politician (1696–1785) James Oglethorpe

Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social reformer, he hoped to resettle Britain's "worthy poor" in the New World, initially focusing on those in debtors' prisons.

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Intellectual

Person who engages in critical thinking and reasoning Intellectual

An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or as a mediator, the intellectual participates in politics, either to defend a concrete proposition or to denounce an injustice, usually by either rejecting, producing or extending an ideology, and by defending a system of values.

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Dreyfus affair

1894–1906 political scandal in France Dreyfus affair

The Dreyfus affair was a political scandal that divided the Third French Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. The scandal began in December 1894 when Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a 35-year-old Alsatian French artillery officer of Jewish descent, was wrongfully convicted of treason for communicating French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent overseas to the penal colony on Devil's Island in French Guiana, where he spent the following five years imprisoned in very harsh conditions.

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You have two cows

Joke pattern pertaining to different economic systems You have two cows

"You have two cows" is a political analogy and form of early 20th century American political satire to describe various economic systems of government. The setup of a typical joke of this kind is the assumption that the listener lives within a given system and has two cows. The punch line is what happens to the listener and the cows in the system; it offers a brief and humorous take on the subject or locale.

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Research

Systematic study undertaken to increase knowledge Research

Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to controlling sources of bias and error. These activities are characterized by accounting and controlling for biases. A research project may be an expansion of past work in the field. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments, research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole.

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Inquiry

Any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem

An inquiry is any process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. A theory of inquiry is an account of the various types of inquiry and a treatment of the ways that each type of inquiry achieves its aim.

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In Soviet Russia

Form of joke In Soviet Russia

"In Soviet Russia", also called the Russian reversal, is a joke template taking the general form "In America you do X to/with Y; in Soviet Russia Y does X to/with you". Typically the American clause describes a harmless ordinary activity and the inverted Soviet form something menacing or dysfunctional, satirizing life under communist rule, or in the "old country". Sometimes the first clause is omitted, and sometimes either clause or both are deliberately rendered with English grammatical errors stereotypical of Russians.

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Antimetabole

Literary device

In rhetoric, antimetabole is the repetition of words in successive clauses, but in transposed order; for example, "I know what I like, and I like what I know". It is related to, and sometimes considered a special case of, chiasmus.

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Volcker Rule

American investment banking rule Volcker Rule

The Volcker Rule is section 619 of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The rule was originally proposed by American economist and former United States Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker in 2010 to restrict United States banks from making certain kinds of speculative investments that do not benefit their customers. It was not implemented until July 2015. Volcker argued that such speculative activity played a key role in the 2008 financial crisis. The rule is often referred to as a ban on proprietary trading by commercial banks, whereby deposits are used to trade on the bank's own accounts, although a number of exceptions to this ban were included in the Dodd–Frank law.

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The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences

1960 article by Eugene Wigner

"The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences" is a 1960 article written by the physicist Eugene Wigner, published in Communication in Pure and Applied Mathematics. In it, Wigner observes that a theoretical physics's mathematical structure often points the way to further advances in that theory and to empirical predictions. Mathematical theories often have predictive power in describing nature.

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Henry George

American political economist (1839–1897) Henry George

Henry George was an American political economist, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the economic philosophy known as Georgism, the belief that people should own the value they produce themselves, but that the economic value of land should belong equally to all members of society. George famously argued that a single tax on land values would create a more productive and just society.

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Eliezer Yudkowsky

American AI researcher and writer (born 1979) Eliezer Yudkowsky

Eliezer S. Yudkowsky is an American artificial intelligence researcher and writer on decision theory and ethics, best known for popularizing ideas related to friendly artificial intelligence. He is the founder of and a research fellow at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI), a private research nonprofit based in Berkeley, California. His work on the prospect of a runaway intelligence explosion influenced philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2014 book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies.

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Computational complexity theory

Inherent difficulty of computational problems

In theoretical computer science and mathematics, computational complexity theory focuses on classifying computational problems according to their resource usage, and explores the relationships between these classifications. A computational problem is a task solved by a computer. A computation problem is solvable by mechanical application of mathematical steps, such as an algorithm.

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Cognitive closure (philosophy)

Proposition in philosophy of mind

Cognitive closure refers to the concept in the philosophy of mind and philosophy of science that suggests human cognitive faculties are fundamentally incapable of solving certain philosophical problems. These problems, which have persisted throughout the history of philosophy, are considered beyond the reach of human understanding, not because of insufficient data or research, but due to inherent limits in the structure or capabilities of the mind.

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Special Air Mission

U.S. governmental flight service Special Air Mission

The United States Air Force Special Air Mission provides air transportation for the president of the United States (POTUS), vice president of the United States (VPOTUS), first lady of the United States (FLOTUS), presidential Cabinet, U.S. congressional delegations (CODELs), and other high-ranking American and foreign dignitaries.

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LessWrong

Rationality-focused community blog LessWrong

LessWrong is a community blog and forum focused on discussion of cognitive biases, philosophy, psychology, economics, rationality, and artificial intelligence, among other topics. It is associated with the rationalist community.

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Information hazard

Risk caused by disseminating information

An information hazard, infohazard, or cognitohazard is "a risk that arises from the dissemination of (true) information that may cause harm or enable some agent to cause harm". It was formalized by philosopher Nick Bostrom in 2011. It challenges the principle of freedom of information, as it states that some types of information are too dangerous, as people could either be harmed by it or use it to harm others. This is sometimes why information is classified based on its sensitivity.

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Implicit and explicit atheism

Types of atheism Implicit and explicit atheism

Implicit atheism and explicit atheism are types of atheism. In George H. Smith's Atheism: The Case Against God, "implicit atheism" is defined as "the absence of theistic belief without a conscious rejection of it", while "explicit atheism" is "the absence of theistic belief due to a conscious rejection of it". Explicit atheists have considered the idea of deities and have rejected belief that any exist. Implicit atheists, though they do not themselves maintain a belief in a god or gods, have not rejected the notion or have not considered it further.

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False dilemma

Informal fallacy involving falsely limited alternatives False dilemma

A false dilemma, also referred to as false dichotomy or false binary, is an informal fallacy based on a premise that erroneously limits what options are available. The source of the fallacy lies not in an invalid form of inference but in a false premise. This premise has the form of a disjunctive claim: it asserts that one among a number of alternatives must be true. This disjunction is problematic because it oversimplifies the choice by excluding viable alternatives, presenting the viewer with only two absolute choices when, in fact, there could be many.

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Punched tape

Data storage device Punched tape

Punched tape or perforated paper tape is a form of data storage that consists of a long strip of paper through which small holes are punched. It was developed from and was subsequently used alongside punched cards, the difference being that the tape is continuous.

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Patterns in nature

Visible regularity of form found in the natural world Patterns in nature

Patterns in nature are visible regularities of form found in the natural world. These patterns recur in different contexts and can sometimes be modelled mathematically. Natural patterns include symmetries, trees, spirals, meanders, waves, foams, tessellations, cracks and stripes. Early Greek philosophers studied pattern, with Plato, Pythagoras and Empedocles attempting to explain order in nature. The modern understanding of visible patterns developed gradually over time.

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Langton's ant

Two-dimensional Turing machine with emergent behavior Langton's ant

Langton's ant is a two-dimensional Turing machine with a very simple set of rules but complex emergent behavior. It was invented by Chris Langton in 1986 and runs on a square lattice of black and white cells. The idea has been generalized in several different ways, such as turmites which add more colors and more states.

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Emergence

Unpredictable phenomenon in complex systems Emergence

In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when a complex entity has properties or behaviors that its parts do not have on their own, and emerge only when they interact in a wider whole.

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Border Gateway Protocol

Protocol for communicating routing information on the Internet Border Gateway Protocol

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is a standardized exterior gateway protocol designed to exchange routing and reachability information among autonomous systems (AS) on the Internet. BGP is classified as a path-vector routing protocol, and it makes routing decisions based on paths, network policies, or rule-sets configured by a network administrator.

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Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy)

Basic distinction in philosophy

The distinction between subjectivity and objectivity is a basic idea of philosophy, particularly epistemology and metaphysics. Various understandings of this distinction have evolved through the work of countless philosophers over centuries. One basic distinction is:Something is subjective if it is dependent on a mind. If a claim is true exclusively when considering the claim from the viewpoint of a sentient being, it is subjectively true. For example, one person may consider the weather to be pleasantly warm, and another person may consider the same weather to be too hot; both views are subjective. Something is objective if it can be confirmed independently of a mind. If a claim is true even when considering it outside the viewpoint of a sentient being, then it may be labelled objectively true.

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God Only Knows

1966 song by the Beach Boys God Only Knows

"God Only Knows" is a song by the American rock band the Beach Boys from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. Written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher, it is a baroque-style love song distinguished for its harmonic innovation and complexity, unusual instrumentation, and subversion of typical popular music conventions, both lyrically and musically. It is often praised as one of the greatest songs of all time and as the Beach Boys' finest record.

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George Boole

English mathematician and philosopher (1815–1864) George Boole

George Boole was a largely self-taught English mathematician, philosopher and logician, most of whose short career was spent as the first professor of mathematics at Queen's College, Cork in Ireland. He worked in the fields of differential equations and algebraic logic, and is best known as the author of The Laws of Thought (1854), which contains Boolean algebra. Boolean logic, essential to computer programming, is credited with helping to lay the foundations for the Information Age.

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Boolean data type

Data having only values "true" or "false" Boolean data type

In computer science, the Boolean is a data type that has one of two possible values which is intended to represent the two truth values of logic and Boolean algebra. It is named after George Boole, who first defined an algebraic system of logic in the mid 19th century. The Boolean data type is primarily associated with conditional statements, which allow different actions by changing control flow depending on whether a programmer-specified Boolean condition evaluates to true or false. It is a special case of a more general logical data type—logic does not always need to be Boolean.

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Boolean algebra

Algebraic manipulation of "true" and "false"

In mathematics and mathematical logic, Boolean algebra is a branch of algebra. It differs from elementary algebra in two ways. First, the values of the variables are the truth values true and false, usually denoted by 1 and 0, whereas in elementary algebra the values of the variables are numbers. Second, Boolean algebra uses logical operators such as conjunction (and) denoted as ∧, disjunction (or) denoted as ∨, and negation (not) denoted as ¬. Elementary algebra, on the other hand, uses arithmetic operators such as addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division. Boolean algebra is therefore a formal way of describing logical operations in the same way that elementary algebra describes numerical operations.

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Sausalito, California

City in California, United States Sausalito, California

Sausalito is a city in Marin County, California, United States, located 1.5 miles southeast of Marin City, 8 miles (13 km) south-southeast of San Rafael, and about 4 miles (6 km) north of San Francisco from the Golden Gate Bridge.

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John Quincy Adams and abolitionism

John Quincy Adams' thoughts on slavery

Like most contemporaries, John Quincy Adams's views on slavery evolved over time. He never joined the movement called "abolitionist" by historians—the one led by William Lloyd Garrison—because it demanded the immediate abolition of slavery and insisted it was a sin to enslave people. Further, abolitionism meant disunion and Adams was a staunch champion of American nationalism and union.

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Icarus

Greek mythological figure Icarus

In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete. After Theseus, king of Athens and enemy of King Minos, escaped from the labyrinth, Minos suspected that Icarus and Daedalus had revealed the labyrinth's secrets and imprisoned them—either in a large tower overlooking the ocean or in the labyrinth itself, depending upon the account. Icarus and Daedalus escaped using wings Daedalus constructed from birds’ molted feathers, threads from blankets, the leather straps from their sandals, and beeswax. Before escaping, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too low or the water would soak the feathers and not to fly too close to the sun or the heat would melt the wax. Icarus ignored Daedalus's instructions to not to fly too close to the sun, causing the beeswax in his wings to melt. Icarus fell from the sky, plunged into the sea, and drowned. The myth gave rise to the idiom, "fly too close to the sun." In some versions of the tale, Daedalus and Icarus escape by ship. In some readings as well, his father made himself a pair of wings and that's why he knew he was going to die if he flew too close to the sun.

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Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

Sentence composed of homonyms Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

"Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically correct sentence in English that is often presented as an example of how homonyms and homophones can be used to create complicated linguistic constructs through lexical ambiguity. It has been discussed in literature in various forms since 1967, when it appeared in Dmitri Borgmann's Beyond Language: Adventures in Word and Thought.

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2021 Facebook outage

Outage affecting all Facebook operated services 2021 Facebook outage

On October 4, 2021, at 15:39 UTC, the social network Facebook and its subsidiaries, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Mapillary, and Oculus, became globally unavailable for a period of six to seven hours. The outage also prevented anyone trying to use "Log in with Facebook" from accessing third-party sites. It lasted for 7 hours and 11 minutes.

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Sons of Liberty

Dissident organization during the American Revolution Sons of Liberty

The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It played a major role in most colonies in battling the Stamp Act in 1765 and throughout the entire period of the American Revolution. Historian David C. Rapoport called the activities of the Sons of Liberty "mob terror."

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First Party System

Phase in U.S. electoral politics (1792–1824) First Party System

The First Party System was the political party system in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824. It featured two national parties competing for control of the presidency, Congress, and the states: the Federalist Party, created largely by Alexander Hamilton, and the rival Jeffersonian Democratic-Republican Party, formed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, usually called at the time the Republican Party.

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Era of Good Feelings

Period in the political history of the United States Era of Good Feelings

The Era of Good Feelings marked a period in the political history of the United States that reflected a sense of national purpose and a desire for unity among Americans in the aftermath of the War of 1812. The era saw the collapse of the Federalist Party and an end to the bitter partisan disputes between it and the dominant Democratic-Republican Party during the First Party System. President James Monroe strove to downplay partisan affiliation in making his nominations, with the ultimate goal of national unity and eliminating political parties altogether from national politics. The period is so closely associated with Monroe's presidency (1817–1825) and his administrative goals that his name and the era are virtually synonymous.

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Christopher Seider

First American killed in the American Revolution

Christopher Seider was a boy who is considered to be the first American killed in the American Revolution. He was 11 years old when he was shot and killed by customs officer Ebenezer Richardson in Boston on February 22, 1770. His funeral became a major political event, with his death heightening tensions that erupted into the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

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Boston Massacre

1770 shooting by British soldiers Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre, known in Great Britain as the Incident on King Street, was a confrontation, on March 5, 1770, during the American Revolution in Boston in what was then the colonial-era Province of Massachusetts Bay.

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Ticker tape

Digital communication media Ticker tape

Ticker tape was the earliest electrical dedicated financial communications medium, transmitting stock price information over telegraph lines, in use from around 1870 to 1970. It consisted of a paper strip that ran through a machine called a stock ticker, which printed abbreviated company names as alphabetic symbols followed by numeric stock transaction price and volume information. The term "ticker" came from the sound made by the machine as it printed.

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Speculation

Engaging in risky financial transactions Speculation

In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset with the hope that it will become more valuable in a brief amount of time. It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline in value.

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Polytetrafluoroethylene

Synthetic polymer Polytetrafluoroethylene

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, and has numerous applications because it is chemically inert. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemours, a spin-off from DuPont, which originally invented the compound in 1938.

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Anti-Masonic Party

1820s–1830s American political party

The Anti-Masonic Party was the earliest third party in the United States. Formally a single-issue party, it strongly opposed Freemasonry in the United States. It was active from the late 1820s, especially in the Northeast, and later attempted to become a major party by expanding its platform to take positions on other issues. It declined quickly after 1832 as most members joined the new Whig Party; it disappeared after 1838.

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Aaron Burr's farewell address

1805 speech to U.S. Senate

Aaron Burr's March 1805 farewell address to the United States Senate is remembered as one of the preeminent speeches of the American Vice Presidency. Burr spoke for 20 or 30 minutes, and upon concluding, departed the chamber solemnly, the sound of the closing door resounding through the room upon his exit. The speech left U.S. Senators in tears. At least one of fragment of the address has been preserved:This house is a sanctuary; a citadel of law, of order, and of liberty; and it is here—it is here, in this exalted refuge; here, if anywhere, will resistance be made to the storms of political phrenzy and the silent arts of corruption; and if the Constitution be destined ever to perish by the sacrilegious hands of the demagogue or the usurper, which God avert, its expiring agonies will be witnessed on this floor.

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Religious views of Thomas Jefferson

Religious views of Thomas Jefferson

The religious views of Thomas Jefferson diverged widely from the traditional Christianity of his era. Throughout his life, Jefferson was intensely interested in theology, religious studies, and morality. Jefferson was most comfortable with Deism, rational religion, theistic rationalism, and Unitarianism. He was sympathetic to and in general agreement with the moral precepts of Christianity. He considered the teachings of Jesus as having "the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man," yet he held that the pure teachings of Jesus appeared to have been appropriated by some of Jesus' early followers, resulting in a Bible that contained both "diamonds" of wisdom and the "dung" of ancient political agendas.

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Religious affiliations of presidents of the United States

Religious affiliations of presidents of the United States

Religious affiliations can affect the electability of the presidents of the United States and shape their stances on policy matters and their visions of society and also how they want to lead it. While no president so far has ever openly identified as an atheist, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and William Howard Taft were speculated to be atheists by their opponents during political campaigns; in addition, a survey during the first presidency of Donald Trump showed that 63% of Americans did not believe he was religious, despite his professed Christian affiliation. Conspiracy theorists also falsely circulated rumors that Barack Obama was a Muslim during his 2004 Senate campaign and later time as President. Conversely, other presidents, such as Jimmy Carter, used their faith as a defining aspect of their campaigns and tenure in office.

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Jefferson's Manual

Book by Thomas Jefferson Jefferson's Manual

A Manual of Parliamentary Practice for the Use of the Senate of the United States, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1801, is the first American book on parliamentary procedure. As Vice President of the United States, Jefferson served as the Senate's presiding officer from 1797 to 1801. Throughout these four years, Jefferson worked on various texts and, in early 1800, started to assemble them into a single manuscript for the Senate's use. In December 1800 he delivered his manuscript to printer Samuel Harrison Smith, who delivered the final product to Jefferson on February 27, 1801. Later, the House of Representatives also adopted the Manual for use in its chamber.

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Burr conspiracy

Alleged conspiracy to create a country led by Aaron Burr Burr conspiracy

The Burr conspiracy of 1805-1807, was a treasonous plot alleged to have been planned by American politician and former military officer Aaron Burr (1756-1836), in the years during and after his single term as the third vice president of the United States (1801-1805), during the presidential administration and first term of the third president Thomas Jefferson.

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Benedict Arnold

American-born military officer (1740–1801) Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in 1780. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, whereupon he fled to the British lines. In the later part of the war, Arnold was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army and placed in command of the American Legion. He led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.

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Aaron Burr

Vice President of the United States from 1801 to 1805 Aaron Burr

Aaron Burr Jr. was an American politician, businessman, lawyer, and Founding Father who served as the third vice president of the United States from 1801 to 1805 during Thomas Jefferson's first presidential term. He founded the Manhattan Company on September 1, 1799. His personal and political conflict with Alexander Hamilton culminated in the Burr–Hamilton duel where Burr mortally wounded Hamilton. Burr was indicted for dueling, but all charges against him were dropped. The controversy ended his political career.

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William Small

Scottish physician and professor William Small

William Small (1734–1775) was a Scottish physician and a professor of natural philosophy at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. There he became an influential mentor of Thomas Jefferson, who went on to be a leading proponent of the American Revolution, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States. From 1765, Small was an influential medical doctor in Birmingham, England, where he was a member of the Lunar Society.

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Thomas Jefferson and slavery

Exploration of the American founding father and president's views on slavery Thomas Jefferson and slavery

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, owned more than 600 slaves during his adult life. Jefferson freed two slaves while he lived, and five others were freed after his death, including two of his children from his relationship with his slave Sally Hemings. His other two children with Hemings were allowed to escape without pursuit. After his death, the rest of the slaves were sold to pay off his estate's debts.

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Thomas Jefferson

Founding Father, U.S. president from 1801 to 1809 Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was an American Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was the nation's first U.S. secretary of state under George Washington and then the nation's second vice president under John Adams. Jefferson was a leading proponent of democracy, republicanism, and natural rights, and he produced formative documents and decisions at the state, national, and international levels.

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Peter Fossett

Former slave (1815–1901) Peter Fossett

Peter Farley Fossett was an enslaved laborer at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's plantation, who after he attained his freedom in the mid-19th century, settled in Cincinnati where he established himself as a minister and caterer. He was a captain in the Black Brigade of Cincinnati during the Civil War. Fossett was an activist for education and prison reform. He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. His remembrances, Once the slave of Thomas Jefferson, were published in 1898.

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Jefferson Bible

1820 book constructed by Thomas Jefferson Jefferson Bible

The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, commonly referred to as the Jefferson Bible, is one of two religious works constructed by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson compiled the manuscripts but never published them. The first, The Philosophy of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1804, but no copies exist today. The second, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, was completed in 1820 by cutting and pasting, with a razor and glue, numerous sections from the New Testament as extractions of the doctrine of Jesus. Jefferson's condensed composition excludes all miracles by Jesus and most mentions of the supernatural, including sections of the four gospels that contain the Resurrection and most other miracles, and passages that portray Jesus as divine.

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Thoughts on Government

1776 essay by John Adams Thoughts on Government

Thoughts on Government, or in full Thoughts on Government, Applicable to the Present State of the American Colonies, was written by John Adams during the spring of 1776 in response to a resolution of the North Carolina Provincial Congress which requested Adams' suggestions on the establishment of a new government and the drafting of a constitution. Adams says that "Politics is the Science of human Happiness—and the Felicity of Societies depends on the Constitutions of Government under which they live." Many of the ideas put forth in Adams' essay were adopted in December 1776 by the framers of North Carolina's first constitution.

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History of books

History of books

The history of books begins with the invention of writing, as well as other inventions such as paper and printing; this history continues all the way to the modern-day business of book printing. The earliest knowledge society has on the history of books actually predates what we came to call "books" in today's society, and instead begins with what are called either tablets, scrolls, or sheets of papyrus. The current format of modern novels, with separate sheets fastened together to form a pamphlet rather than a scroll, is called a codex. After this invention, hand-bound, expensive, and elaborate manuscripts began to appear in codex form. This gave way to press-printed volumes and eventually led to the mass-market printed volumes that are prevalent today. Contemporary books may even start to have less of a physical presence with the invention of the e-book. The book has also become more accessible to the disabled with the invention of Braille as well as audiobooks.

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Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom

Forms of address for close relatives of peers

A courtesy title is a form of address and/or reference in the British system of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer, as well as certain officials such as some judges and members of the Scottish gentry. These styles are used "by courtesy" in the sense that persons referred to by these titles do not in law hold the substantive title. There are several different kinds of courtesy titles in the British peerage system.

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