Guest Post: When the Front Door Moves: How AI Threatens Scholarly Communities and What Publishers Can Do
AI-enabled discovery and summarization tools seem like magic to end users, but for publishers it looks like disintermediation.
The Devil is in the Details, Specifically, Titivillus, the “Medieval Demon of Typos”
Have you been visited by Titivillus, the demon of typographical errors?
Is Grammar an Inherent Product of the Human Brain?
A long-running academic controversy — do humans share a universal grammar that stems from the structure and evolution of the human brain?
Language Evolves, or rather, Constantly Cooks New Ways to Pass the Vibe Check
A millennial linguist dares to speak to a gen-alpha audience in their native tongue.
Cephalopod Update: First Video Footage of A Colossal Squid Recorded
Finally some good news, at least for afficionados of very large invertebrates.
An Elaborate, But Highly Accurate, 11 Second Microsoft Office Gag
If you’ve ever tried to move a photo in a Word document, you’ll appreciate this short reenactment.
In an Age of Chaos, Some Things Remain Constant. Like, Gravity…
In chaotic times, we must look for reliable things, like the joy of dropping stuff off a tall building…
A Tradition Like No Other: The Minnesota State High School All Hockey Hair Team
A spectacular crop of lettuce at this year’s edition of the traditional mullet spotting competition.
The Rules No Longer Apply: Octopus Edition
As if our world wasn’t already going crazy, now octopi apparently have shells.
DEI Under Threat: The Battle for Inclusive Research
With Executive Orders banning mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), what happens to research when these principles are erased? This post explores the risks of a ‘post-DEI’ society—lost data, eroded trust, and weakened scientific progress—and why inclusive research remains critical.
What We Can Learn About Languages from the Words for Parts of the Body
Because body parts have always been with us, they can tell us a lot about the development of languages.
The Chemistry of American Cheese
What exactly is American Cheese, and what can chemistry tells us about why it melts so much better than other types of cheeses?
The Most Complicated Word in the English Language
WIth only three letters, “run” has over 645 different meanings.
Digital Archiving: Andy Warhol’s Lost Amiga Art Found
The floppy discs behind a long lost digital piece of art are recovered.
Marketing and the Origins of Food Names
Where do common food names come from, and how does changing the name of a food reflect marketing and sales?