Author Archives: Greg Palmer

I was looking for historical information on the first definition of “nomenclator” (the assistant to Roman Senators who whispered the names of approaching dignitaries) when I came across this: An interesting variant is the nomenclator. Named after the public official who announced the titles of visiting dignitaries, this cipher combined a small codebook with largeContinue reading “Ciphers and Personal Assistants”

This strikes me as a convincing explanation for a big problem. Congestion would drop if prices on traffic meters and over-limit infractions rose. It’s simple, but a tough sell for local businesses in most places other than large cities (and perhaps there, too). I think back to when I lived in Bethlehem – business ownersContinue reading “Cheap Parking = Clogged Streets?”

Terrible widow at time.com. Doesn’t anyone check these things?

I’m keeping it low key tonight and staying in, catching up on the New Yorker, PBS, and other favorites. I even turned off my Blackberry; not just put it on silent, turned off the power. Crazy, I know. One of my favorite shows is PBS NOW. The scarcity of long-format journalism/interview programs makes NOW aContinue reading “Saturday Night In”