@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social
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curmudgeonaf

@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social

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davemark, to apple
@davemark@mastodon.social avatar

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, definitely my favorite from my previous post.

Look at the fondness in their smiles. Wonder what they were thinking.

curmudgeonaf,
@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

@davemark Steve is saying to Bill, “Thanks for the money”. Microsoft funded Apple in the 90s, to avoid another antitrust lawsuit.

GrittyLipids, to philosophy
@GrittyLipids@c.im avatar

Serious vibes in the series finale of . I’m not an educated classicist and I know they had to change things for the show and its collapsing budget by this point, but I’m a bit skeptical that the real story was like this.

No wonder people see this show as a precursor to Game of Thrones - I may get round to watching that. I’ll have to rewatch season 1 later.

I also just bought Ten Caesars and will read it soon.




@bookstodon

curmudgeonaf,
@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

@GrittyLipids @bookstodon Is that the show from the early 2000s? Yeah, it was really good. Too bad it was only a couple seasons.

curmudgeonaf,
@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

@GrittyLipids @bookstodon The first few seasons of GOT are better than the later seasons. So if you already think it’s meh, then it might not be worth it.

I watched it all, but largely for “sunk cost fallacy” reasons, and wanted to know how it would end lol

curmudgeonaf,
@curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

@GrittyLipids @bookstodon Same. I also prefer historical or educational content. I used to watch a lot of fictional / scripted stuff, but I barely what it anymore. It could be that my tastes have changed over time, or it could be the quality of fictional stuff just isn’t what it used to be.

amyfou, to egypt
@amyfou@lingo.lol avatar

deleted_by_author

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    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @amyfou Wait until you learn that the Ptolemaic Dynasty lasted for a few hundred years and that Cleopatra VII was actually a relatively minor figure, overall.

    Tutankhamen was also a very minor Pharaoh in Egyptian history. That’s likely why his tomb was undisturbed.

    SFRuminations, to scifi
    @SFRuminations@wandering.shop avatar

    What pre-1985 science fiction are you reading?

    Now a column and reading/writing update on my site: https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2024/04/15/what-pre-1985-science-fiction-are-you-reading-update-no-xi/

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @SFRuminations Pre-1985, so 1984 counts? 😂

    gratefulwolf, (edited ) to Archaeology
    @gratefulwolf@archaeo.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @gratefulwolf It depends what you’re talking about and the way the rest of the sentence is structured. The back is good for clarification, unless you imply that you are referring to the past elsewhere in the sentence.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @gratefulwolf You didn’t say it was about archaeology. Like I said, it depends what you’re talking about.

    godsipclub, to folklore
    @godsipclub@thefolklore.cafe avatar

    #February was the month of purification, for ancient #Romans.
    One of the old rituals is #Lupercalia: young men (luperci) were initiated, and they hit the ground with goat-skin stripes in order to chase away evil spirits.
    Also, they "hit" women because the festivity was linked with #Juno, goddess of childbirth.

    #ValentinesDay is probably the #christianization of the Lupercalia festival.

    In general, it is quite a busy –and complicated– month!
    Read more 👉 https://godsip.club/articles/february-stars/

    #Folklore #Rome #History @folklore #folklorethursday #mythology @mythology

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @godsipclub @folklore @mythology The origin of Valentine’s Day is not that deep. It was created by marketing executives to sell cards, chocolates, flowers etc. February was chosen, because it didn’t have a major holiday already.

    Barros_heritage, to history
    @Barros_heritage@hcommons.social avatar

    "Colonial statues in post-colonial Africa: a multidimentional heritage" by Sophia Labadi (2023).

    "Is history being destroyed when colonial statues are removed from public space? This paper has explained that history is often being made when they are removed. Indeed, the hidden motivations for the construction and/or upkeep of these statues can then be revealed, along with their entangled colonial or racist legacies. Besides, their removals can aid in rectifying history, exposing in some cases the Eurocentrism of public spaces, and European epistemic domination. Such removal makes space for the erection of memorials for local heroes, who might have played more significant roles than colonial or racist figures".

    @academicchatter
    @histodons
    @histodon
    @anthropology
    @culturalheritage
    @archaedons

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2023.2294738

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @Barros_heritage @academicchatter @histodons @histodon @anthropology @culturalheritage @archaedons There’s a difference between remembering history and celebrating it. It’s important to remember the mistakes and ugly moments of the past, in order to learn from them. However, glorification through statues should be reserved for worthy people and causes who deserve it.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @Barros_heritage @academicchatter @histodons @histodon @anthropology @culturalheritage @archaedons History is also subjective and everyone has their personal biases, depending what side their own. Every notable figure is both a hero and a villain, simultaneously.

    appassionato, to books
    @appassionato@mastodon.social avatar

    To Begin the World Over Again: How the American Revolution Devastated the Globe

    The first exploration of the profound and often catastrophic impact the American Revolution had on the rest of the world
    While the American Revolution led to domestic peace and liberty, it ultimately had a catastrophic global impact—it strengthened the British Empire and led to widespread persecution and duress.

    @bookstodon
    #books
    #nonfiction
    #history
    #AmericanRevolution

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @appassionato @bookstodon The worst part is the eventual infection of American culture across the world. Consumerism, capitalism and corporate greed.

    JustCodeCulture, to internet
    @JustCodeCulture@mastodon.social avatar

    A bit ironic given this is disseminated over the Internet...

    The Internet would be far better if giant corporations didn't control platforms & endlessly surveille & profile & do so very unequally--to me that largely is a capitalism, governance & regulatory failure--power & control of infrastructure.

    @histodons @sociology @anthropology

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/11/home-internet-landline-amazon-smartphone/676070/

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @JustCodeCulture @histodons @sociology @anthropology Blame corporations all you want, but it’s shitty people that make the internet such a terrible place. Doesn’t matter how open or closed things are, if people are going to be terrible either way.

    Maybe if the internet was MORE regulated, such as, everyone was forced to use their real verified identities and real pictures, they wouldn’t be able to hide behind anonymous accounts, trolling everyone.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @peterbrown @JustCodeCulture @histodons @sociology @anthropology If only I was legally forced to use my real identity, I would be accountable for my online actions. That’s my point.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @peterbrown @JustCodeCulture @histodons @sociology @anthropology At least I’m offering a valid solution. Vaguely blaming corporations, and assuming that ownership is the problem, does not solve the actual problem of all the terrible users.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @Oozenet @nazgul @peterbrown @JustCodeCulture @histodons @sociology @anthropology That’s a good point. You’re less likely to start shit in person, for fear of being punched in the face. Perhaps all internet connected devices should be equipped with some sort of deterrent, like your phone will shock you when you say something dumb.

    paninid, to histodons
    @paninid@mastodon.world avatar

    “Some scholars have suggested that the Shakyas, the clan of the historical Gautama Buddha, were originally Scythians from Central Asia, and that the Indian ethnonym Śākya has the same origin as “Scythian,” called Sakas in India.”

    #HistoryNerds @histodons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Scythians

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @paninid @histodons Herodotus seemed to believe they might be tangentially related. Multiple separate groups or tribes across Asia, that shared some sort of umbrella culture.

    appassionato, to books
    @appassionato@mastodon.social avatar

    The Scythian Empire

    A rich, discovery-filled history that tells how a forgotten empire transformed the ancient world

    In the late 8th and early 7th centuries BCE, Scythian warriors conquered and unified most of the vast Eurasian continent, creating an innovative empire that would give birth to the age of philosophy and the Classical age across the ancient world—in the West, the Near East, India, and China.

    @bookstodon
    #books
    #nonfiction
    #AncientHistory
    #ScythianEmpire

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @appassionato @bookstodon I’m currently reading a book about the Scythians by Barry Cunliffe, that seems very good so far.

    CultureDesk, to languagelearning
    @CultureDesk@flipboard.social avatar

    What's the most difficult language to learn? Many linguists say it's Navajo, which has unique grammar, syntax and tonal pronunciation, and is so indecipherable to outsiders that it was used as a form of military code in WWII. Big Think's Tim Brinkhof looks at its complexities, why it's fallen into decline, and the efforts to revive the language.

    https://flip.it/vyCzDe

    #Language #History #Culture #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @CultureDesk Any language that isn’t phonetic is difficult, because it requires arbitrary memorization, rather than being able to sound it out.

    conansysadmin, to Travel
    @conansysadmin@mstdn.social avatar

    The antique land of Korinthia is a place of wonders, with temples to mysterious gods on rugged mountains. But travel along the caravan routes can be maddening. #travel #history https://cromwell-intl.com/travel/greece/trains.html?s=mc

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @conansysadmin Just taking the train from the airport into the center of Athens feels like you’re crossing half the country. They built the airport so far out!

    worldhistory, to history
    @worldhistory@historians.social avatar

    We tend to think of the Acropolis as an unchanged relic of classical Athens, but it turns out that a lot of stuff has happened there since the time of Pericles:

    #history @histodons

    https://open.substack.com/pub/worldhistory/p/historys-still-happening-on-the-acropolis-a46?r=7ecn0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @worldhistory @histodons I was just there a few weeks ago! In addition to the ruins themselves, the museum was very good and very informative.

    coldwarpod, to histodons

    What @coldwarconversations would have looked like back in the 1980s… @histodons

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @coldwarpod @histodons A/S/L, comrade?

    appassionato, to books
    @appassionato@mastodon.social avatar

    The Collapse of Complex Societies

    Political disintegration is a persistent feature of world history. The Collapse of Complex Societies, though written by an archaeologist, will therefore strike a chord throughout the social sciences. Any explanation of societal collapse carries lessons not just for the study of ancient societies, but for the members of all such societies in both the present and future.

    @bookstodon





    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @Grizzlysgrowls @appassionato @bookstodon People overvalue the nebulous concept of freedom. Many slaves were treated well, had the Roman equivalent of white collar jobs, and lived cushier lives than their “free” counterparts.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @mutinyc @Grizzlysgrowls @appassionato @bookstodon Cool. Have fun living in your liberal utopia, where everyone dies of cholera, due to basic sanitation, and the life expectancy is under 30.

    curmudgeonaf,
    @curmudgeonaf@mastodon.social avatar

    @BackFromTheDud @mutinyc @Grizzlysgrowls @appassionato @bookstodon Have you ever heard of Lee Kuan Yew? He was responsible for dragging Singapore from a poor fishing village into one of the richest and most modern places in the world. Liberalism and democracy is only possible in society that is already civilized and peaceful. It takes harsher means to lay the initial groundwork first.

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