Neomano · est. 2014
Stories of science, the past, electronics and other curiosities.
The books · born from this blog
Atahualpa con su abrigo de pelo de murciélago
y otras 49 historias verdaderas que parecen mentira
The stories I tell here, gathered and expanded: 50 real episodes so incredible they sound made up. The same wonder of Neomano, now to read cover to cover.
Get it on Amazon
Tocar madera
Pequeña historia de las supersticiones que el mundo no ha podido soltar
Why do we knock on wood, fear Friday the 13th, or avoid walking under a ladder? A short, fascinating tour through the origins of the superstitions we still practice without realizing it.
Get it on Amazon
100 futuros
Cien escenarios del mundo que viene con la inteligencia artificial
A hundred short scenarios of how artificial intelligence could reshape work, love, war, even death. Not predictions but possible futures, to imagine where we are headed.
Get it on AmazonLatest articles
217 articles
The Origin of the Word “Trivial”: Where Three Roads Met
Where does the word trivial come from? From Latin trivium, the meeting of three roads where people gathered to chat about common, everyday things.
The Origin of the Word “Scruple”: a Pebble in the Shoe
Where does the word scruple come from? From Latin scrupulus, the sharp little pebble that lodged in a Roman sandal and would not let you walk on.
The Origin of the Word “Money”: the Goddess Juno
Where does the word money come from? From a temple of Juno in Rome where the first coins were struck. The story of a goddess who warned.
The Origin of the Word “Enthusiasm”: A God Within
Where does enthusiasm come from? To the Greeks, enthusiasm meant having a god inside your body. The story of a word that began as sacred possession.
Panic: the god who terrified shepherds at high noon
The word “panic” comes from the god Pan, who struck shepherds and armies with a sudden, causeless fear. This is the story behind the terror.
The Origin of the Word “Barbarian”
Where does barbarian come from? To Greek ears, foreigners who didn't speak Greek just went “bar bar”. The story of a word that changed meaning.
The origin of the word gas: the alchemist and chaos
The word «gas» was invented by a 17th-century alchemist from the Greek «chaos». How one man single-handedly named an entire state of matter.
Cipher and zero: two words born from the same void
«Cipher» and «zero» come from the same Arabic word, sifr, meaning «empty». How one void gave us two words that today seem like opposites.
Hazard, chess and checkmate: words from dice and the board
«Hazard» comes from Arabic az-zahr, the die; «chess» and «checkmate» from Persian shah. Three everyday words that arrived with medieval board games.
Algebra: the Arabic word that also set broken bones
«Algebra» comes from the Arabic al-jabr, «to reunite broken parts». A book by Al-Khwarizmi gave birth to a science, and in medieval Spain an «algebrista» set bones.
The origin of the word alcohol: from makeup to the glass
«Alcohol» comes from the Arabic «al-kuhl», a black powder used as eye makeup. How a cosmetic ended up naming the most famous drink in the world.
The origin of the word bikini: a nuclear explosion
«Bikini» comes from the Pacific atoll where the U.S. tested atomic bombs in 1946. A French designer named his swimsuit that way so it would be «explosive».