Happy Solstice!

I know we often say 'Winter' Solstice, but only because we act like Northern Hemisphere chauvinists.

In the Southern hemisphere they experience their longest day in December, and the height of summer.





The actual ‘sun standing still’ point happens at 18:35 UT.


Anyway – the latest edition of MQ came out for the Solstice, and I’d like to say (as chief wrangler for this edition) big thanks to Kentroversy (our founding editor, whose own blog gets a link on the right of the page) and to Admin (who put the whole package together) and to all the contributors.


You should find plenty to amuse and stimulate you.










PS: If you have trouble seeing the hidden card/code using the Magic Eye method in my piece on Playing Cards, what you should see looks roughly like this…

Same as it ever was...

Little magazines (OK 'zines) often flounder and disappear when the editor ends up writing all the stuff.

We know this. I set this blog up as a flexible alternative to trying to get people to write for the Maybe Quarterly. Fortunately, as you can see in that latest issue, people have risen to that challenge, so this blog might perhaps have fulfilled its purpose.

I feel inclined to leave it online, even if (at the moment) it seems to have turned into a one-man show (blush). Anyone who takes MLA courses gets access to the general forum, and anyone in the general forum can offer to contribute to this blog, keeping complete control over their posts, which you can hide or reveal, edit and delete, as you feel. That offer still stands. If you don't like the idea of sharing, I recommend starting your own blog anyway - - as have several MLA people. You can find links to their fascinating individual blogs on the right of this page.


Anyway, it seems we have an audience far and wide - I only put the link monitor on a few days ago...and look where people arrive from!

Hi and hello to everyone, sorry that I write all this in English...

One good bit of news - MLA Admin announced that anyone who signs up for a 2006 course ALSO gets a free membership to the general forum (currently $60 per year), which should liven up the cross-fertilization of minds.

Old's Cool

The most recent issue of MQ comes out for the solstice - and if you enjoy calendars you could also describe it as:

Gregorian: Wednesday, 21 December 2005
Mayan: Long count = 12.19.12.16.3; tzolkin = 8 Akbal; haab = 1 Kankin
French: 1 Nivôse an 214 de la Révolution
Islamic: 20 Dhu al-Qada 1426
Hebrew: 20 Kislev 5766
Julian: 8 December 2005
ISO: Day 3 of week 51 of 2005
Persian: 30 Azar 1384
Ethiopic: 12 Takhsas 1998
Coptic: 12 Kiyahk 1722
Chinese: Cycle 78, year 22 (Yi-You), month 11 (Wu-Zi), day 21 (Ji-Mao)
Julian day: 2453726
Day of year: Day 355 of 2005; 10 days remaining in the year
Discordian: Setting Orange, The Aftermath 63, Year of Our Lady of Discord 3171
'Pataphysical: 21 Sable 132 de l'Ere Pataphysique . [St. Tape, pompette]
Frank Zappa's Birthday 1940 CE

Bob wrote a piece to explain the benefits of using multiple calendars, back when people had got obsessed by a Gregorian millenium. You can find it here.

You can get the "Old's Cool" T-Shirt (and other great stuff) at Any Old Icon
Yes, I know they didn't write it in E-Prime.