(1694 – 1778). A key figure of European Enlightenment. His satirical writings played a role in the French Revolution
(also: 100 most influential people in the world)
(also: voltaire quotes)

(v.) to stand grandly; to prance about showily like a total pillock rubbing your delusions of self-importance in the face of another as though you're something special when we know full well you're not, Kyle.

Acting upon the Cain instinct.
(also: Cain instinct)

(n.) a contraption of silicon, glass and plastic that serves as a secondary brain so that people do not have to handle all that tedious thought by themselves

to torture someone who may or may not be guilty until they tell you they're guilty

a misunderstood free system of exchange that helps you move to the big city and get vaccinated on schedule

just like depression, it keeps you down.

(adj.) as in, caustic wit.

(also: biting)
(also: cutting)
(also: acidic)

(also: sarcasm)
(also: wit)
(also: humour)

archimedes of syracuse (287-212 BC) was perhaps the greatest mathematical mind of his day. a student of the mouseion of alexandria, archimedes returned to his home city of syracuse to become an inventor of great renown.

he is reputed to be the originator of the theory of fluid displacement (and, related, an early critic of your primitive notions of modesty), a quick and consistent calculation method for the volume of a sphere, the archimedes screw (not a sex act, a means of pumping water), and possibly even a death ray he used on roman invaders.

in 212 BC archimedes was supposedly killed by a roman legionary who had been instructed to find the great mathematician and bring him before his commander, marcellus. while this legionary looked for his quarry, he stumbled upon a scruffy old man drawing circles in the sand; the old man snapped at the legionary not to scuff his circles, and was killed for his impertinence. naturally the old man turned out to have been archimedes. heh. cosmic irony.

(1542-1604) third ruler of the mughal empire, which was based in india but whose ruling class was persian. akbar was a fascinating study in contradictions; although illiterate (possibly dyslexic), he was a patron of intellectuals and philosophers. although an accomplished military leader in a land of sectarian conflict, he promoted peace and understanding between his muslim and hindu subjects

under his rule, the mughal empire grew to encompass much of india, and reached a golden age characterized by unimaginable heights of prosperity. then everything just sort of fell apart after he died. ah well.

no, he was not a space squid, and he did not help destroy the death star

A super fighting robot who fights to save the world from the evil machinations of Dr. Wily and his robot masters. He's the main playable character in the series of challenging platform video games by the same name.

Pertaining to Malthus and his doctrines. Malthus believed in artificially limiting population, but found that it could not be done by talking. One of the most practical exponents of the Malthusian idea was Herod of Judea, though all the famous soldiers have been of the same way of thinking.
(also: the devils dictionary)

a media juggernaut spun off from a 1970s fantasy movie about samurai cowboys who reenact world war ii in space

it's so beloved that all its fans loathe it

adj. Compatible with the will of a judge having jurisdiction.

(also: law)


(also: The Devil's Dictionary)

(n.) a flatbread smeared with crushed tomato and cheeses, topped with the spicier forms of meat and perhaps more exotic toppings. widely enjoyed as a form of food which the eater does not have to make themselves

was invented by italians, probably as a form of atonement for either opera or mussolini

(n.) an itinerant band of loiterers who are either fleeing religious persecution or looking to sell someone a few reams of cheap foreign crap.

in britain, the term has come to mean a motor-home.

(n.) one who feels greater affinity for the clothes not customarily prescribed for those of their gender. famous transvestites include all lumberjacks and j. edgar hoover

(n.) "lowly, humble," literally "on the ground". an act of submission.

(also: humus)
(also: humble)
(also: humiliation)

(v.) stepping outside one's familiar reality, using nothing but your own half-blind, bootstrapped wits.
https://slatestarcodex.com/2015/04/21/universal-love-said-the-cactus-person/

(also: humility)
(also: the fool)

Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can.
(also: bicycle)