Writing

Why Korean is Easier Than You Think

Intimidated by the angular characters and unfamiliar sounds of Korean? You shouldn't be. Contrary to its complex appearance, the Korean…

3 months ago

A, B, C: The Hidden Logic of Alphabetical Order

We learn the alphabet as children, but have you ever wondered why the letters are in that specific order? The…

3 months ago

Are You a Robot? The Grammar of CAPTCHA

From warped text to "select all images with traffic lights", how does a CAPTCHA test for humanity? These web security…

3 months ago

LTR vs. RTL: The Direction of Writing Compared

Ever wondered why English is written left-to-right while Arabic is written right-to-left? This post explores the fascinating history behind the…

3 months ago

The QWERTY Problem: Typing in a Non-Latin World

How do you type a language with thousands of characters on a keyboard with only a few dozen keys? The…

4 months ago

The Language of the Looms: Jacquard’s Code

Long before Silicon Valley, a different kind of code was being written—not in silicon, but in cardboard and thread. The…

4 months ago

The Scytale: Sparta’s Rolling Cipher

Long before digital encryption, the ancient Spartans secured their military secrets with a simple but ingenious device: the Scytale. This…

4 months ago

The Language of Icons: A Global Code

The male/female silhouette on a bathroom door and the Wi-Fi symbol on a café window are part of a global,…

4 months ago

The Uncracked Minoan Code: Linear A

We can read the sounds of the ancient Minoan script, Linear A, but we have no idea what the words…

4 months ago

Glagolitic: The Lost Slavic Alphabet

Before the familiar Cyrillic script dominated Eastern Europe, there was another, more mysterious alphabet designed for the Slavic people. We…

4 months ago

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