Five centuries of scientific breakthroughs unveiled

The nine-year-old Mozart was not, as suspected, a midget adult. This and many other fascinating revelations are uncovered in a collection of historic scientific documents unveiled by the Royal Society this week. The society, formed in London in 1660, began publishing a journal titled Philosophical Transactions five years later – a journal which remains in […]



Will a slow walk to geekdom end in a date with Winona?

If you bring a lawsuit that appears ambitious, obscure or downright insane, you may find yourself accused of trying to create a circus atmosphere. One tip for people facing such accusations: don’t demand that Depeche Mode’s songwriter makes a live appearance with Winona Ryder as the support act. That’s what’s happening in a case brought […]

Dad Spoke Only Klingon to Child for Three Years

Minnesota linguist d’Armond Speers has a doctorate in computational linguistics. He says he isn’t much of a Star Trek fan. But he spent the first three years of his son’s life speaking to him only in Klingon! “I was interested in the question of whether my son, going through his first language acquisition process, would […]