The stories behind modern linguistic touchstones like 'nerd,' 'cyberspace,' and moreWikimedia Commons The English language is ever-evolving, and in our current era of instant communication, Twitter, and text-message shorthand, it just might be evolving more quickly than ever. We've always been fascinated by the way words are invented and take on meaning, and the way an obscure reference can become ubiquitous in an extremely short period of time—particularly those obscure references that come from our favorite manipulators of language, books. In the interest of pursuing that idea, we decided to take a look at a few everyday words that originated in literature, from plays to poems to novels to children's books. Look below to see our a few of our favorite literary neologisms. Please use ... Continue reading →
Brighton-Oslo cycle for Journalists' Charity Fundraiser: John Thompson My page: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/johncthompson Hello, thank you for visiting my page.On 8 June 2012, I will embark on a solo, unsupported cycle ride of more than 850 miles from Brighton to Oslo. I am aiming to complete the journey in 11 days.I am 50 years old, only moderately fit, and the owner of the online news site for journalists http://www.journalism.co.uk. I have run this site for 14 years now and it has provided me with a reasonable (if sometimes precarious) living. Now it's time to put something back.My plan is to cycle from Brighton, UK to Oslo, Norway and raise money for a special organisation that charitably supports what some might describe as an unpopular cause.In these times ... Continue reading →
Rich Addicks for The Wall Street Journal The Battlefort: Brothers Noah and Jacob take a break from engineering with some recreational gun play near their cardboard-box stronghold. Like a lot of boys, Jacob and Noah Budnitz like to build things. And they like to take things apart. First it was Bristle Blocks, then Tinkertoys. They went through Legos—lots of Legos. But now, Jacob, age 10, and Noah, age 8, have graduated to other types of building materials: Doorknobs, alarm clocks and telephones. Plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. Scotch tape. Duct tape. Keys without locks, locks without keys. One thing they don't use? Directions. When the boys use imagination and whatever they find at hand to create something, their mother, Tina Budnitz, calls it tinkering. Their ... Continue reading →
