A Polymath Opines: Charles Babbage’s Other Interests
Early writings of Charles Babbage.
History Repeats Itself in a Santa Barbara Oil Spill
Two pieces look at a 1969 oil spill in California
Debtors’ Prisons, Class, and Patriotism in 18th Century Ireland
In a paper for Eighteenth-Century Ireland, Martyn J. Powell discusses the politics that seem to have limited the use of debtors' prisons in Ireland.
Enslaved People in Texas and the Mexican Border
How the nearness of the Mexican border influenced formerly enslaved people in the state of Texas.
The Internet of Things: Totally New and A Hundred Years Old
The modern Internet of Things and E.M. Forster's short story, "The Machine Stops"
Good News, Coffee Drinkers!
A moderate amount of coffee might be genuinely good for you.
How to Disappear Completely: Linguistic Anonymity on the Internet
Is anonymity on the Internet linguistically possible?
Ota Benga and the Living Ethnographic Exhibit
In the book Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, Pamela Newkirk tells a tale that is more than astonishing.
Safe Rooms, Fear, and the Limits of Rational Thinking
Do safe rooms realistically protect people from outside threats?
The Real Anna Leonowens
The real-life story of Anna Leonowens is actually more interesting than her fictionalized life in "The King and I."