Rosetta Stone

The term "Rosetta stone" has been used to represent any crucial key in the process of decryption of encoded information. This is especially true when only a small but representative sample is recognized as being the clue to understanding a larger whole.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first figurative use of the term appeared in 1902. In H. G. Wells' 1933 novel The Shape of Things to Come, a manuscript written in shorthand provides a key to understanding additional material sketched out in both longhand and on typewriter.

Theodor W. Hänsch wrote in 1979 that "the spectrum of the hydrogen atoms has proved to be the Rosetta stone of modern physics" and understanding the key set of genes to the human leucocyte antigen has been described as "the Rosetta Stone of immunology."

The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum - by © Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 4.0

The original Rosetta Stone is a black granodiorite (an igneous rock similar to granite) slab that was found in 1799. It is inscribed with three versions of a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V.

Because the top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian (using hieroglyphic script and Demotic script, respectively) while the bottom is in Ancient Greek, the Rosetta Stone proved to be the translation key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Carved during the Hellenistic period, it is believed to have originally been displayed within a temple, but was probably moved during the early Christian or medieval period. It was rediscovered in 1799 as part of a the building material in the Fort Julien near the town of Rashid (Rosetta) in the Nile Delta by a French soldier during the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt.

Lithographic copies and plaster casts were made for European museums and scholars to study.

It has been on public display at the British Museum almost continuously since 1802 and is the most-visited object there, but ever since its rediscovery, the stone has been the focus of nationalist rivalries, including its transfer from French to British possession during the Napoleonic Wars, and demands for the stone's return to Egypt.


Some readers will know the term Rosetta Stone used as the title of translation and language-learning software published by Rosetta Stone Ltd.

Imagine Dragons

They are not the first band to keep the origin of their name a secret, but Imagine Dragons have definitely turned their name into a game.

They hit it big in 2013-2013 with “Radioactive” and “It’s Time,” (from NIGHT VISIONS) and naturally fans wanted to know the origin of the name.

It suggests a fantasy or children's book, but the band members have continued to say that the name is an anagram. That is a word, phrase, or name formed by rearranging the letters of another, such as cinema, formed from iceman.

Fans have come up with lots of possibilities by playing Scrabble with the letters. Someone even ran “Imagine Dragons” through an anagram generator and got more than 107,000 different combinations of words. How about “Adorning Images,” “A Roaming Design” or “Radioman Egg Sin?”
 
People have guessed that it was "ragged insomnia" because the band added that to their "On Top of the World" music video.

 Someone online claims that on the track "Cha-Ching (Till We Grow Older)" on the deluxe edition of Night Visions, there is a scrambled vocal that if played backward says "There is no anagram."  That one is reminiscent of the "Paul is dead" rumor/theory/meme that ran through fans of The Beatles in 1966.

The band has not confirmed or denied any guesses like "A Gemini So Grand," "Roman’s Big Angie" or "God Is in the manger."

“I really liked ‘God Is In The Manger,’” said guitarist Wayne  Sermon. “That one put me in some contemplation. The truth of the matter is all of them are better band names than Imagine Dragons. We probably should have gone with one of those.”

There is a good possibility that the whole anagram explanation is a hoax, or that the real basis for the name is not that interesting.

Lead singer Dan Reynolds has said that “We really had a phrase that we all agreed upon, and had meaning to us, particularly as artists. We just thought it would be cool to keep something to ourselves because you’re always exposing yourself as an artist.”

 

Marshmallows and S'mores

Modern marshmallows are made in a variety of colors and shapes

Most of us know the marshmallow as a candy confection. But I wondered how this sugar, water and gelatin whipped to a spongy consistency and molded into small cylindrical pieces with a corn starch coating got its name.

I had some vague recollection of marshmallow being a plant and some quick searching told me that I was correct.

The word marshmallow comes from the mallow plant (Althaea officinalis) that is a genus of an herb native to parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia.

"Marsh" is used because the mallow plant grows in marshes and other damp areas.

We don't know exactly when marshmallow plants led to the confection. As early as 2000 B.C, Egyptians were said to be the first to make marshmallows for eating. They were considered a delicacy for gods and royalty.

The root of the plant was used as a medicinal to soothe coughs and sore throats, and to heal wounds.

The edible version was made by boiling pieces of root pulp with sugar until it thickened, then strained, cooled and shaped.

choclate-covered marshmallows

In the early 19th century, French confectioners pioneered the innovation of whipping up the marshmallow sap and sweetening it, to make a candy similar to modern marshmallow. In the late 19th century, French manufacturers thought of using egg whites or gelatin, combined with modified corn starch, to create the chewy base.

Traditional marshmallows used marshmallow root, but most commercially manufactured marshmallows instead use gelatin. Vegans and some vegetarians avoid gelatin, so there are versions which use a substitute non-animal gelling agent such as agar.

Marshmallow creme and fluff products generally contain little or no gelatin (which is used to allow the confection to retain its shape) and generally use egg whites instead.

toasted marshmallow

A popular camping or backyard tradition in the United Kingdom,] North America, New Zealand and Australia is the roasting or toasting of marshmallows over an open flame.vHeld on the end of a stick or skewer over the fire, a caramelized outer skin with a liquid, molten layer underneath can be created.

S'mores are a traditional campfire treat in the United States, made by placing a toasted marshmallow on a slab of chocolate which is placed between two graham crackers. These can then be squeezed together to cause the chocolate to start to melt.

S'more is a contraction of the phrase "some more" and one early recipe for a s'mores confection is found in recipes published by the Campfire Marshmallows company in the 1920s. there it was called a "Graham Cracker Sandwich" that was already popular with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. In 1927, a recipe for "Some More" was published in Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.

The contracted term "s'mores" appears in conjunction with the recipe in a 1938 publication aimed at summer camps.

S'more about all this at wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshmallow