Nicholas C. Rossis

dream-protecting author

When Will They Ever Learn?

Aug 19, 2019 | Fun Historical Facts

A lot of my friends have a pretty bleak outlook on life. Gun massacres, polarizing politics, climate change… the list of horrors goes on. Given humanity’s bloody history, one may be excused for wondering why we haven’t figured out what’s good...

Fear of Missing Out. Or is that Joy?

May 19, 2019 | Entertainment

When I was in my first year at Uni, about a century ago or so, I took a summer job. For a few months, I was running a one-man quality control lab. I was responsible for taking daily samples of cement, processing it, and recording a number of data including...

A Consultant’s Letter To Santa

Dec 27, 2018 | Entertainment

One read I always look forward to this time of the year is The Economist’s special Christmas issue. This is a double one and crammed with fun articles I savor during the holidays. This year’s issue had a hilarious take on consultants, describing what they...

The Value of Linguistic Fossils

Dec 1, 2018 | Fun Historical Facts

The English language is a strange one, for sure, thanks to the Isles’ long history of war and conquest. Each wave of conquerors left its mark on the language, from the Romans to the Vikings and Normans. Antiquated rules can cast long shadows, as seen even today...

The Challenge Of Describing Scents In Your Writing

Feb 21, 2018 | Writing

Of all the human senses, I find smell the hardest to use in writing. And yet, it’s one of the most powerful, as a number of studies have shown it’s hard-wired into our brain, and a shortcut to all sorts of strong emotions. So why is it so hard to find the...

Market Your Book For The Right Age

Jul 1, 2017 | Marketing

How much time do people of various ages spend reading? How true is the commonly held rule of thumb, that the older a person, the more they spend reading? The answer can be found in a recent article by James Tozer published by 1843 (The Economist’s sister...

Describers vs. Prescribers: Reaching a Linguistic Common Ground

Dec 6, 2016 | Writing

When I published The Power of Six, my first collection of short stories, a reviewer said that the book had grammatical errors, albeit small ones. This shocked me, as the book had been professionally edited and proof-read. So, I reached out and asked her for an...

Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds

Nov 18, 2016 | Fun Historical Facts

If you are in London until November 27th, you have a great opportunity to visit “Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds” at the British Museum. The exhibition contains treasures excavated from the Mediterranean and, as the Economist points out, explains how the ancient...