Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, October 27, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cogent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the SemicolonSemicolons ( ; ) are used for two main purposes: to separate lengthy or complex items within a list and to connect independent clauses. They are often described as being more powerful than commas, while not quite as a strong as what mark of punctuation? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 RootkitsIf your computer has ever had a virus, you might have encountered a rootkit—a Trojan that keeps itself, other files, registry keys, and network connections hidden from detection. It gives the attacker "root" access to the computer, which means it runs at the lowest level of the machine. Rootkits are often damaging and have gained notoriety as a form of malware—software designed to destroy data, steal information, or aggravate the user. When was the first virus for personal computers discovered? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Italian Public Administrator Enrico Mattei Dies in Plane Crash (1962)After World War II, Mattei was given the task of dismantling the Italian Petroleum Agency, a Fascist state enterprise. Instead, Mattei enlarged and reorganized it into the Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi (ENI), or National Fuel Trust. Under his direction, ENI developed large deposits of natural gas in Italy and negotiated important oil concessions in the Middle East. Mattei became a powerful figure in Italy before he died in a plane crash in 1962. What conspiracy theories exist about his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Niccolò Paganini (1782)An Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosity is the stuff of legend, Paganini was playing with an orchestra by the age of nine. By the time he reached adulthood, the renowned violinist had also earned a reputation as a shameless womanizer and inveterate gambler. The latter vice once even cost him his prized violin. Nevertheless, he had a profound influence on the evolution of violin technique. Why did the Catholic Church deny him burial in consecrated ground for years following his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame, as to be found false and perfidious.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in fee— law (specifically of land) In absolute legal ownership or subjection. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Vincent and the Grenadines Independence and Thanksgiving Day (2024)A group of islands in the West Indies, St. Vincent and the Grenadines gained independence from Britain on October 27, 1979, and its citizens celebrate their freedom with this national holiday. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: quietcoy, quiet - Coy and quiet derive from Latin quietus, "at rest, in repose," with coy coming from the Old French form coi (earlier quei), and quiet coming straight from Latin; the original sense of coy was "quiet, still." More... conticent - If something is hushed or quiet, it is conticent. More... q.t. - An abbreviation for "quiet," as in, on the q.t. (or QT). More... wildtrack, room tone - The wildtrack or room tone consists of the barely audible noises that make up a background sense of quiet. More... | |