A motley collection of ideas
Mathematics is often described as the universal language—a structured, elegant system of ideas that underpins everything from the rhythm of music to the motion of planets. At its core lies a dance of abstraction and logic, allowing us to perceive patterns, predict phenomena, and articulate the hidden architecture of reality. But beneath its evident power … Read more
Some time ago, if I remember correctly, I got this instrument for 1,000 forints, and more recently I parted with it due to lack of spac. The first impression, despite being a tube instrument, is that it is incredibly light. No doubt, it’s a rather large unit—and you could practically keep a guinea pig in … Read more
Carrot season is here! Besides being sweet, crunchy, and great in soups, carrots are packed with beta-carotene, which your body turns into vitamin A. That’s what helps your eyes adjust better in dim light. A Hungarian saying goes, “Eat lots of carrots so you’ll learn to whistle!” — but the truth is, carrots won’t help … Read more
“Words can act like tiny doses of arsenic: they are swallowed unnoticed, they seem to have no effect, and then after a little time the toxic reaction sets in.” — Victor Klemperer You can download it free from Internet Archive, or purchase it on Amazon.com. The Hungarian edition was published by Gabo Publishing in 2015 and … Read more
Dear Children, I thought I would show you a circuit that is not only for fun, but can also be useful at home for your parents and siblings. Surely it has happened before that someone forgot to close the refrigerator door, or didn’t shut it properly. This device gives a warning in such cases. Most … Read more
This book is a historical curiosity for the 21st-century reader: it sheds light on details of English justice in the 19th–20th centuries, seen through the eyes of an unusual figure. It is not a novel, but neither is it a cold, dry document: its personal voice and sensitivity to detail make it accessible and engaging. … Read more
I came across this interesting device in a Facebook post. The person who shared it didn’t explain what it actually is, and the comments, as usual, were rather uninformative. So I looked it up in Russian sources to find out what it is. The Soviet space program used completely different controls and instruments from American … Read more
The oscilloscope type 1536 is used in servicing, by amateurs, and in education. Its small dimensions and low weight allow it to be carried in hand luggage. The cathode-ray tube has a useful screen area of 4.8 × 6 cm. The instrument has one vertical channel and a time-base generator. The separate X-input also makes … Read more
According to the Gregorian calendar, today is August 17, the day of Hyacinth. Exactly 48 years ago, the TIT Budapest Planetarium opened in Népliget, and also 48 years ago, the Russian nuclear icebreaker Arktika broke through the ice cover of the Arctic Ocean basin for the first time in the history of navigation and reached … Read more
www.youtube.com/@BluePawPrint It is a widespread – and completely false – belief that the first television broadcast through which humanity unintentionally announced its presence to the Universe was Adolf Hitler’s speech at the opening ceremony of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. This myth entered popular culture largely thanks to Carl Sagan’s novel Contact. In reality, that was … Read more