Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 22, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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proclivity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of FrequencyAdverbs of frequency (sometimes called frequency adverbs) tell us how often something happens or is the case. They cannot be used to modify what part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MountweazelsThe 1975 New Columbia Encyclopedia hails Lillian Virginia Mountweazel as a fountain designer and photographer renowned for her photos of rural mailboxes. Her entry notes that she was killed in an explosion while on assignment for Combustibles magazine. Alas, the amusing entry is fictitious. Incorrect articles purposely placed in reference works like dictionaries and encyclopedias have since become known as "Mountweazels." What legitimate purpose do these entries serve? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Storm Botnet Sends Record 57 Million Emails (2007)A botnet is a collection of software robots, or bots, that run automatically on groups of "zombie" computers controlled remotely by hackers. One of the most notorious botnets in hacking history, the so-called "Storm" botnet was named for the storm-related subject lines initially employed by its infectious emails. Of the billions of virus messages sent out by this botnet, 57 million were sent in one day alone. By September 2007, the botnet is believed to have been running on how many computers? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Denis Papin (1647)Unappreciated in his time, Papin was a French physicist and inventor who significantly advanced the development of steam power. In 1679, he invented a steam digester that was the forerunner of the pressure cooker, in the process demonstrating the influence of atmospheric pressure on boiling points. His observations of his digester then led him to design a steam-driven piston that became the basis for early steam engines. Despite his innovations, he died in relative obscurity. Where is he buried? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Men come and go as leaves year by year upon the trees. Those of autumn the wind sheds upon the ground, but when spring returns the forest buds forth with fresh vines.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hard on the eyes— Unattractive; ugly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hunterdon 4-H and Agricultural Fair (2023)The New Jersey Agricultural Fair, held in Flemington, New Jersey, at the end of August, is a traditional agricultural fair that was started by a group of local farmers in 1856, making it one of the oldest state fairs in the country. It features a statewide 4-H lamb show and sale, a tractor pull, a horse and pony pull, and all types of car racing (mini-stocks, modified stocks, midgets, and super sprints). The fair also offers programs and exhibits of flowers, the 4-H organization, nurserymen, and various commercial enterprises. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: needlegab - In mechanics, a hook or a notch in a rod or lever that then engages with a pin or needle. More... in the groove - An allusion to the reproduction of music by a needle on a gramophone record. More... needle - Has the same Indo-European base as Latin nere, "to spin," and Greek nema, "thread." More... feed dog - The part of a sewing machine that feeds the material under the needle. More... | |