Author: Headlight

Sunday

The long-running video game classic “Tetris” involves stacking various shapes, each made up of four squares. Hence, the title combines the words “tetra” (Greek for four) and “tennis,” the game developer’s favorite sport.

Monday

Mario, that globally-known mustachioed hero of the Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers video games, was originally just known as “Jumpman.” While developers at Nintendo’s suburban Seattle US headquarters were brainstorming better names, landlord Mario Segale angrily interrupted to berate the company’s president for being late on rent. When he left, employees immediately named the character “Super Mario.”

Tuesday

The runaway arcade hit Pac-Man was called “Puck Man” when released first in Japan, but was retitled before the 1980 US release to prevent the defacing of machines into a less family-friendly title.

Wednesday

If you’ve ever noticed that Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog are both side-scroller games involving high-flying characters collecting floating gold circles (coins vs. rings) seeking to defeat an ultimate bad guy (Bowser vs. Dr. Robotnik), it is because Sonic was created by Sega to compete with Nintendo’s very successful Mario. In Sonic’s original backstory, he is named Sonny and comes from a poor hedgehog family that subsists on bugs, slugs, and food scraps from a nearby burger joint in Hardly, Nebraska. The design of Dr. Robotnik is based upon President Teddy Roosevelt wearing pajamas.

Thursday

The original conception of the 1978 classic shooter Space Invaders had the alien ships replaced by humanoid beings, but this idea was nixed so as not to suggest that shooting at people was morally acceptable.

Friday

The name “Atari” is taken from a position in the ancient strategy game Go in which one player’s piece is in imminent danger, similar to a king being in check in chess. Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell was a big Go enthusiast.

Saturday

The big ape in Donkey Kong may remind you of King Kong, but the trademark infringement fight has already been lost. Universal City Studios sued Nintendo in 1982, but Nintendo’s lawyer noted that the movie studio itself had proven in earlier litigation that King Kong’s story and characters were already in the public domain. Accordingly, the court ruled that Universal had no right to the character, they had filed the case in bad faith, and were now themselves liable for damages. Years later, the Mario Brothers character “Kirby” was named for Nintendo’s prevailing lawyer, John Kirby.

Sunday

Healthy self-esteem is great, but extremely self-absorbed people are called “narcissistic.” This term comes from Narcissus, a hunter in Greek mythology who was so attractive that women, men, and nymphs often fell in love with him on sight. Cocky Narcissus was unmoved by these advances but finally fell madly in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Unable to leave his beautiful image, he died of starvation and thirst (or suicide, in some accounts), leaving only the narcissus flower in his place, which also still bears his name.

Monday

Among those who pursued Narcissus was Echo, a comely mountain nymph who had been cursed by Hera to only repeat the last words which were said by another. Needless to say, her conversation with Narcissus did not impress him. Rebuffed and despairing, Echo wastes away until only her voice remained. This is what you hear when your voice “echoes.”

Tuesday

By some accounts, it was Nemesis, goddess of divine revenge and retribution, who led haughty Narcissus to that reflecting pond which he could not leave. Nemesis’ specialty was checking human arrogance, and we still invoke her name to describe an arch rival.

Wednesday

A strong person’s weakness is called their “Achilles’ heel” because, according to myth, infant Achilles was held by the heel when his mother dipped him into the River Styx to give him immortality. Thus, his heel stayed dry and was his vulnerable point, and ultimately the site of his mortal wound.

Thursday

“Epicureans” pursue pleasures of the senses, especially with food and drink, since it was Epicurus’ philosophy which focused on pleasure and tranquility as life’s purpose.

Friday

An enormous task might be called “Herculean” because half-human Hercules had to complete twelve superhuman tasks to achieve immortality, often aided by his great strength or helpful gods.

Saturday

“Pandora’s box” is metaphor for creating or unleashing big problems. According to myth, Pandora was the first mortal woman created by the gods and was given many gifts by them, including a beautiful box (or jar in some versions) containing the world’s yet-unknown miseries and woe. When the instructions never to open it were forgotten, the awful contents flew out.

Sunday

“Orwellian” usually refers to some aspect of a totalitarian government and/or dystopian future, as described in George Orwell’s classic novel “1984.”

Monday

“Kafkaesque” usually describes baffling, overcomplicated, and irrational bureaucracies, or some other utterly illogical nightmare scenario, as endured by characters in Franz Kafka’s writings.

Tuesday

“Dickensian” usually (but not always) suggests poor and squalid working and living conditions, as those described in 19^th century England in Charles Dickens’ works.

Wednesday

To attain and keep power by scheme, craft, and deceit is often called “Machiavellian” after the whatever-it-takes power grabbing principles laid out by Niccolo Machiavelli in his 1513 book The Prince.

Thursday

“Darwinian” refers to the natural selection concepts of naturalist Charles Darwin, often summarized as “survival of the fittest,” or, more broadly, as the long-term selection for the traits of those organisms best suited to their environment.

Friday

“Hobbesian,” is named for philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who viewed humans as naturally inclined to pursue advantage by competing rather than cooperating, even though cooperation may be more productive. A “Hobbesian trap” describes a situation where each of two rivals (which could be individuals, groups, or nations) knows the other might destroy them, so each is inclined to acquire greater armament, thereby inviting further distrust, or attack the other first in a preemptive strike.

Saturday

“Homeric” is synonymous with “epic and heroic” since the ancient poet Homer’s poetry was this in nature.

Sunday

…is named after the sun.

Monday

…is named for the moon, and the next four are for Norse gods:

Tuesday

…is for Tiu/Tiw, god of war.

Wednesday

…is for Woden, aka Odin, supreme deity and Tiu’s father.

Thursday

…is for Thor, god of thunder.

Friday

…is for the goddess Frigga, who was also Odin’s wife, and

Saturday

…is for Saturn, Roman god of feasting and fun (fittingly).

Sources for all day names:

Sunday

When an artist releases an “LP,” this is short for “Long Play,” which was a full-length album on a 12-inch vinyl record played at 33 RPM (rounds per minute).

Monday

The “single” was released on a 7-inch record that played at 45 RPM, also known as “a 45.”

Tuesday

Between the single and the LP in length is the “EP” for “Extended Play,” which typically has 3-6 songs on it.

Wednesday

The 45 RPM record could hold roughly 3 minutes of music per side, and having a 45 record was essential to get an artist’s songs played on the radio and build their fanbase. Accordingly, the 3-minute song became the standard. Despite the near-limitless song length now offered by digital media storage, the vast majority of songs released are still under 5 minutes long.

Thursday

The “B side” or “flip side” of a 45 RPM record often had a less radio-ready song on it, though many B-sides songs still became successful in their own right.

Friday

Some of the earliest sound recordings were made on wax cylinders (though calling them metal soaps is more chemically accurate), hence the reason records are occasionally called “wax.”

Saturday

Since about the 1940s, records have been made from the polymer polyvinyl chloride, hence the nickname “vinyl.”

Sunday

“Ad lib” means to improvise and perform spontaneously. The term is a shortening of “ad libitum,” or “according to pleasure.”

Monday

“Quid pro quo” means “something for something,” as in an exchange.

Tuesday

“Semper fi” is a shortening of “semper fidelis” or “always faithful,” and is the US Marine Corps’ motto.

Wednesday

“Vice versa” translates to “in a turned position,” but in modern English means interchanged or a switched position.

Thursday

“Per se” means “in itself” or “intrinsically.”

Friday

“Pro bono” shortens “pro bono publico” which means “for the public good” and usually refers to professional services (especially legal) offered for free.

Saturday

“E.g.” might appear before an example, since it stands for “exempli gratia” or “for the sake of example.”

Sunday

Boxing rules forbid hitting an opponent below the waist, so both the terms “low blow” and “below the belt,” indicating unfair conduct, come from this sport.

Monday

A bell marks the end of a boxing round but also stops a knockout count, so the term “saved by the bell” indicates being rescued from a bad situation.

Tuesday

A boxer’s trainer can throw a towel into the ring to stop the fight if it is too dangerous for the boxer to continue, so “throw in the towel” means quitting or surrendering an endeavor.

Wednesday

“Down and out” means a knocked-out boxer, or a destitute or defeated-feeling person, as opposed to being “down but not out,” when you’ve taken hits but may still recover.

Thursday

“On the ropes” initially referred to a boxer who has been forced back against the ropes by an opponent with his or her movement also restricted, and is likely in trouble.

Friday

Each boxer has a designated corner where they recover between rounds with their trainer and any other support team members. This is the origin of “to have someone in your corner.”

Saturday

Boxing gloves offer some cushion for both puncher and punched, but when “the gloves are off,” it’s raw, bare-knuckle brawling.

Some symbolism and translations from the familiar American $1 bill. Sources for all info at bottom.

Sunday

Above the pyramid, it says “Annuit Coeptis,” or “Providence has favored our undertakings.” Charles Thomson, who was involved in the original money designs in 1782, explained that this phrase “alludes to the many signal interpositions of providence in favor of the American cause.”

Monday

Below the pyramid it says “Novus Ordo Seclorum,” or “A new order for the ages.” Thomson said this referred to the new form of government which had just been created, and signified “the beginning of the new American Era.”

Tuesday

The eagle holds a banner in its beak reading “E Pluribus Unum,” or “Out of many, one.”

Wednesday

The unfinished pyramid represents “strength and duration” and the eye in the radiating triangle above the pyramid is a Masonic symbol for the all-seeing eye, representing The Great Architect of the Universe.

Thursday

The eagle holds both symbols of war and peace: arrows in his left talon and an an olive branch in his right. This is important in symbology, where the right is considered dominant. Short-lived earlier eagle designs on silver coins showing arrows in the right talon were held by some Europeans as evidence that the young US planned militarily agression. The circles containing the pyramid and eagle together make up both sides of “The Great Seal of the United States.” Notably, Benjamin Franklin considered the eagle to be a bird of “bad moral character” and strongly favored the “more respectable” turkey on the seal instead, while he and Thomas Jefferson both preferred an image of an Egyptian pharaoh chasing the Israelites through the parted Red Sea accompanied by the motto “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God,” but these designs didn’t make the final cut.

Friday

Many numbers on the bill are logistical, such as serial number, year of printing, numbers representing the location of printing, plate serial number, and the like, though this information is also useful to help identify counterfeits. Beyond that, look for a lot of thirteens. In the chevron in the middle of the seal of the Department of The Treasury, there are 13 stars in honor of the thirteen original colonies. There are also 13 stars above the eagle’s head representing “a new constellation taking place in the universe,” 13 arrows in the eagle’s left talon, 13 stripes on the eagle’s shield, and 13 rows of blocks in the pyramid.

Saturday

The number 1776, the year when the US was founded, also appears in Roman numerals on the pyramid’s bottom row.

Sunday

The state of Louisiana is named for King Louis XIV of France, since French explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle first claimed the Louisiana Territory.

Monday

The state of Virginia is named for “The Virgin Queen,” Elizabeth I of England, who gave explorer Sir Walter Raleigh permission to colonize it in 1584.

Tuesday

The state of Georgia is named for King George II of England, since the US was not yet a country when this future state was named by Europeans in 1733.

Wednesday

Maryland was named for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of King Charles I, the English king who granted the charter to form the Maryland colony.

Thursday

King Charles I also granted the charter for the colony of what is now the Carolinas, and they are named after the Latinized version of his name, Carolus.

Friday

Pennsylvania, or “Penn’s Woodlands” is named for William Penn, who granted the land to King Charles II to repay a debt owed by his admiral father.

Saturday

Washington is named for…yep, George Washington, and is the only state named for a president.

Sunday

“Covid-19” stands for “COronaVIrus Disease 2019”

Monday

Coronaviruses are a class of viruses which have crown-like spikes on their surfaces. “Corona” means crown in Latin and Spanish.

Tuesday

Despite the damage they do to living things, viruses themselves are not technically alive, since they need host cells to survive and reproduce.

Wednesday

The word “quarantine” derives from “quaranta giorini” or “forty days” in Italian. Starting in the 1500s, ships arriving in Venice from ports affected by the bubonic plague had to anchor 40 days and wait before landing, extending the initial 30 day waiting requirement enforced in the city of Ragusa, and this law spread as a protection measure for European coastal cities.

Thursday

“Vaccine” derives from “vaccina,” a name for cowpox virus (vacca = cow in Latin). In a realization that effectively began modern vaccine science, British physician Edward Jenner observed that local milkmaids who’d already had cowpox never got the more pernicious smallpox which frequently ravaged 18th century English towns. He used a preparation of cowpox virus to immunize people against the closely-related smallpox (though modern virologists suspect it was really horsepox providing the immunity).

Friday

Transmission studies of the closely-related SARS CoV-1 virus produced the familiar 6 feet / 2 meter social distancing figure, which was officially made part of CDC guidelines during the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus.

Saturday

Washing / sanitizing your hands reduces their potential as spreaders of viruses and other germs by physically removing or destroying these agents so they don’t remain on your hands and do more damage.