Monthly Archives: January 2013

Real Number

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Sean

real number. Article #23. Vol 9, pg 973. The set of real numbers is probably best described as the set of numbers that includes all numbers that most of us will ever care about. Put another way, the real numbers are: … Continue reading →

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James II (Great Britain)

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Sean

James II (Great Britain). Article #22. Vol 6, pg 482. The Stuarts came to power in England when James I took the throne in 1603. He and son Charles I were big on the idea that the king had all the power, … Continue reading →

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Letter of Barnabas

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Sean

Barnabas, Letter of. Article #21. Vol 1, pg 903. The Letter of Barnabas is an early church document, written in Greek.  Despite its name, scholars believe that it was written by some early church writer in the 1st or 2nd century, … Continue reading →

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Cable (engineering)

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Sean

cable (engineering). Article #20. Vol. 2, pg 705. A cable, or wire rope, is a rope made of several strands of metal wire, twisted together. Wire rope was invented in the 1830s by a German miner and used for hauling and … Continue reading →

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Pasig River

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Sean

Pasig River. Article #19. Vol. 9, pg 182. The Pasig River runs from Laguna de Bay, the largest lake in the Philippines, to Manila Bay, bisecting Manila.  The river isn’t much to write home about, described as shallow and sluggish, although … Continue reading →

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Zakat

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Sean

zakat. Article #18. Vol 12, pg 888. Along with declaring your faith, praying every day, fasting and heading to Mecca, zakat (almsgiving) is one of the five pillars of Islam.  Zakat, however, appears to be more of a pseudo-obligatory tax than … Continue reading →

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Jean de Muris

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Sean

Muris, Jean de. Article #17. Vol 8, pg 431. Jean de Muris (1290-1351) was a French philosopher who was a champion for the new musical style of the 14th century.  He must have really been digging the new scene, because at … Continue reading →

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Saint Anselm of Canterbury

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Sean

Anselm of Canterbury, Saint. Article #16. Vol 1, pg 434. Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was born in Italy, but found his way to France, where he eventually became the abbot of the monastery of Bec.  He later became Archbishop of Canterbury, … Continue reading →

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Hwicce

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Sean

Hwicce. Article #15. Vol 6, pg 183. The Hwicce were the inhabitants of one of the sub-kingdoms in Anglo-Saxon England, from around 580 AD to 780 AD.  I guess being just a sub-kingdom explains why Britannica only gives them about an … Continue reading →

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Carbon-14 Dating

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Sean

carbon-14 dating. Article #14. Vol 2, pg 850. Here’s how it works.  Without knowing it, we’re all breathing in Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of Carbon.  While we’re alive, the amount of Carbon-14 in our bodies, as a percentage of the total … Continue reading →

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