Books · Observations · Science

Crystal books and the opton reader in Stanislaw Lem’s novel “Return from the Stars”

Books are crystals with information imprinted in them. They were read with the help of an opton. The opton resembled a real book, only with a single page between the covers. At every touch, the next page of text appeared upon it. From the science-fiction novel Return from the

Archaeology · Science

Egg with preserved yolk and white, 1,700 years old, found at Roman site in Aylesbury

An egg with its yolk and white intact, 1,700 years old, has been found in England. The egg was discovered during the excavation of a Roman-period site in Aylesbury, 60 kilometres north-west of London, together with three other eggs, which broke on being dug out, releasing a

Science · Education · Society

Requirements for scholarship candidates, payment period and grounds for withdrawal

Following last year's presidential decree on the payment of Presidential postgraduate scholarships to 2,000 recipients in the amount of 75,000 roubles, a government resolution has been issued "on the rules for awarding and paying scholarships of the Presi. Candidates for the scholarships are citizens of

Architecture · Geography · Science · Nature

The German medieval town of Nördlingen is built in the crater of a meteorite that fell 15 million years ago and left a mark 25 km in diameter

The German medieval town of Nördlingen is built in the crater of a meteorite that fell 15 million years ago and left a mark 25 km in diameter. The walls of all the town's buildings are filled with micro-diamonds: the rock from which the local terrain is

Books · Observations · Science · Nature · Humour

Poem “The Struggle for Existence”, dedicated to Darwin, about a summer on the Istra

I read Yegor Kholmogorov's thorough rebuke of believers in Darwinism, and recalled a poem by the satirist Pyotr Shumakher (1817-1891), dedicated to Darwin himself. The Struggle for Existence (Dedicated to Darwin) I was on the Istra this summer, In a remote, forgotten corner; I lived as a

The East · Books · Science · Education · People

Nikolay Trubetskoy and the concept of the language union in his 1923 article

Those who enjoy studying languages will surely have come across the term Sprachbund, especially if they have ever set about the Balkan tongues. Sprachbund, or linguistic union, describes similarities that arise not from the genetic kinship of languages but from close linguistic and cultural contact. Different languages with no shared

Observations · Science · Humour

The American mathematician Claude Shannon, who coined the term "bit", founded information theory and worked as a cryptanalyst and engineer, once said: "I visualise a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans"

How soon do you think it will be?

NB! · Art · Moscow · Museums · Science

"Rouen Cathedral at Noon (The Portal and the Tour d'Albane)" and "Rouen Cathedral in the Evening"

"Rouen Cathedral at Noon (The Portal and the Tour d'Albane)" and "Rouen Cathedral in the Evening". The Pushkin Museum, exhibition "'Rouen Cathedrals'. A Study of Claude Monet's Paintings from the Collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts&

NB! · Archive · Science · People

The 81-year-old Nikola Tesla in 1937

Geography · Science · Nature

Melting of Kilimanjaro's glaciers, deforestation and glacial recession since the 1850s

The rapid melting of the glaciers on the "shining mountain" of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is nowadays linked to the ruthless felling of the rainforests on its slopes. It is believed that, with the disappearance of the forest, the slopes have ceased to store the moisture which they once

Books · Observations · Science · Mores · Humour

Character traits by hair type according to a book of 1765

Reading a person's character from the look of the hair, after a book of 1765. To my mind, it all holds together, and the science is the more exact for being ancient White hair shows a cold nature. If the hair goes grey before its time, it signifies

NB! · In the Press · Science · People · Humour

After Omni magazine named Richard Feynman the smartest man in the world, his mother, Lucille Feynman, said: “If that is the smartest man in the world, God help us”