Author Archives: Sean

About Sean

Software developer in the Twin Cities area, passionate about software development and sailing.

Woman Suffrage

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Sean

woman suffrage. Article #44 Vol 12, pg 733. It’s always a bit amazing how long it takes to convince society to grant a basic human right that was previously being withheld.  Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony began working … Continue reading →

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Zuid-Holland

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Sean

Zuid-Holland. Article #43 Vol 12, pg 940. Zuid-Holland (South Holland) can effectively argue for my attention in a number of different ways.  It’s home to the 4th largest port in the world (Rotterdam).  It includes some of the famous “flower fields“, … Continue reading →

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Orchil

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Sean

orchil. Article #42 Vol 8, pg 985. What’s more exciting than a purple dye that you somehow extract from a boring brown lichen? Britannica tells us that “orchil” can refer to the dye extracted from the lichen, or to the lichen … Continue reading →

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Great Mogul Diamond

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Sean

Great Mogul Diamond. Article #41 Vol 5, pg 446. The Great Mogul Diamond was the largest diamond ever discovered in India.  Discovered in 1650, it was estimated at  780 carats as a rough stone and then very badly cut by a … Continue reading →

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Carbet Mountains

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Sean

Carbet Mountains. Article #40 Vol 2, pg 846. There are a handful of things that we need to know before understanding exactly where (and what) the Carbet Mountains are. For starters, we need to find the Caribbean Sea. (Hint–it’s near Florida). … Continue reading →

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Sports Medicine

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Sean

sports medicine. Article #39 Vol 11, pg 177. Here’s the basic idea of sports medicine (the four steps that comprise sports medicine today). Preparation of the athlete.  Focus on conditioning and training. Break it to the athlete that he’s going to … Continue reading →

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Baron Johan August Gripenstedt

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Sean

Gripenstedt, Johan August, Friherre. Article #38. Vol 5, pg 505. Baron (Friherre) Johan August Gripenstedt (1813-1874) was a Swedish politician who served as Minister of Finance for ten years (1856-1866) and Member of Parliament for six years (1867-1873). Gripenstedt was a … Continue reading →

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Moche

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Sean

Moche. Article #37. Vol 8, pg 212. The Moche was a civilization that existed between the 1st and 8th century AD, along the north coast of Peru. The Moche culture existed as a series of independently ruled towns and cities in … Continue reading →

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Chinoiserie

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Sean

chinoiserie. Article #36. Vol 3, pg 241. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.  But sometimes imitation goes beyond duplication and leads to the evolution of something entirely new. That’s the case with the decorative style known as chinoiserie, a French … Continue reading →

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Gruiform

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Sean

gruiform. Article #35. Vol 5, pg 522. The gruiformes are an order belonging to the class of Aves (birds) and consisting of 11 living families, with about 190 species spread across these families. (Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order = Animalia-Chordata-Aves-Gruiformes) The most well known of the gruiformes … Continue reading →

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