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Coincidence of the Week
Seth also chose this week to write about entropy.
"Sooner or later, unless you push back, you’ll end up at room temperature."
Photo Memory of the Week
Music of the Week
Quotes of the Week
“Only entropy comes easy.” - Anton Chekhov (c.1900); also stated by Lewis Mumford (1970)
“You should call it entropy, because nobody knows what entropy really is, so in a debate you will always have the advantage.” - John Neumann (c.1939), suggestion to Claude Shannon on what to call his new formula for information
“Just as the constant increase of entropy is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to be ever more highly structured and to struggle against entropy.” - Vaclav Havel (1986), Czech playwright
Source: EOHT
Posted: 2026 Jan 10
Category Archives: Through Space
Goodwith That
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Continue reading
If You Can’t Stand the Answer
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. That’s a great tit. I try not to startle: the young man beside me is not looking at me (Go figure!), he’s staring at the bird feeder that … Continue reading
Keep Your Distance
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Psst! Does ‘mean’ mean ‘cheap’? Listing to his left, the psst-ing American to my right is being thoughtful, not rude. Our host, the umpteenth baronet of something-or-other, is … Continue reading
A Persistence of Beavers
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Look! Wood chips! Speaking in hushed, not to say reverential, tones, our guide points out this indisputable evidence of, poetically enough it seems, Castor fiber, the European/Eurasian beaver. … Continue reading
The Other Kate
Exploring the perspective on history enjoyed by those who actually have some. Well, by ‘recent’ I mean ‘not medieval’. The speaker this time is neither a precocious three-year-old nor a witty 70-something — it is a young woman who … Continue reading
A Wink and a Nudge
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Because it keeps the witches away. The interrupter is three, or so said his grandfather in introducing him to our tour group. As a second son (the three-year-old, … Continue reading
An Embarrassment of Marmalades
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. It’s Elizabeth Barrett Browning meets Count von Count from Sesame Street: How do I love thee, Scotland? Let me count the ways. One, two, three: three kinds of … Continue reading
Edumacation and Unedification
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. It is our first full day in Scotland, and full is the operative word. We sleep late, figure out how to use the tricky switched electrical sockets, resist … Continue reading
Are You Serious?
One of a miscellany of short observations from a trip to Scotland. Haggis. An inevitability of Scotland according to everyone we know who’s been here before us. And everyone has advice on how to relax and enjoy the inevitable. It’s … Continue reading