Content about history, economics, human rights, and other lighthearted topics.
26 Nov 2023 2 minute read 0 comments Nihilsum
The beginnings of Christian monasticism are found in the deserts of the Middle East, particularly Egypt and the area around Jerusalem and Bethlehem in Palestine. Many of the desert fathers were not educated men; they were often little more than peasa...
19 Sep 2023 1 minute read 3 comments Nihilsum
I recently built a small but scalable 24v off-grid solar power system as a fun/educational project for myself and a backup power source. I had no prior electrical experience but read and studied obsessively. I built the system for a little under $100...
13 Aug 2023 1 minute read 3 comments Nihilsum
I've been to Singapore several times over the years. It's a beautiful and well-run country with great food and great history. Fortunately for me, it is legal to detect the beaches of Singapore and I decided to bring my detector and see how things wou...
9 Aug 2023 1 minute read 0 comments Nihilsum
One of the dreams of many metal detectorists is to find a gold coin. While I've found a decent amount of gold jewelry in the last seven years of metal detecting, this was my first gold coin. I'm American, but was in the UK for a few weeks to attend...
6 Aug 2023 1 minute read 2 comments Nihilsum
I am appalled by the near-complete failure of public education in America with regard to history. As a historian, I am in contact with college students every day who have been massively let down by their history "educators", who more often than not a...
22 May 2023 4 minute read 0 comments Nihilsum
On January 11, 1923, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr Valley of Germany, an important area containing industrial centers as well as coal and other natural resources. Germany had fallen behind in her reparation payments, which were becoming...
21 May 2023 2 minute read 0 comments Nihilsum
Lysistrata is a play by Aristophanes, a Greek playwright of the fifth century BC. The work is set in the late fifth century, during the Peloponnesian Wars, which were fought among the Greek city-states, including Athens, Sparta, Corinth, and others....
