JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post (Overall Post 5115)
I found an interesting article by Francis Galton in an 1884 issue of Nature magazine, the polymath addressing a device
called "the Identiscope", which sounds a bit like Victorian facial recognition. Well, he was actually discussing an
advertisement for the instrument and found it wanting, interesting and too-early as it was. What was even more
interesting were the little articles and notices that surrounded the Galton. Like the post I made here a few days ago,
the titles and the ideas were just lovely, so I decided to share them here. The "Identiscope" itself has a lot to recommend itself, the "-scope" part of it being fairly uncommon at this time
(save for things like the tele- and micro-). Other articles suggesting an immediate read were titled:
"The Red Light round the Sun—the Blue or Green Light at Setting"; "The Volcanic Dust Phenomena"; "After-glow"; "Curious Phenomena"; "The Algeic Flora of the Arctic Seas"; "Researches on the Origin and Life-Histories of the Least and the Lowest of Living Thing"; "Whirlwinds and Waterspouts"; and of course "A Rainbow after Sunset". The are perfect nightable additions—theoretically, anyway.
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