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Friday, January 9, 2009

Brain Rest: Typing about the Great Moravian Empire

When I was a kid, I went to an average American public school, and as far as my education was concerned, history started in 1776. (Though there was one event in 1492.)
So what do I know about the Great Moravian Empire?
Pretty much nothing. Not by that name, anyway.
Therefore I am enjoying a task I agreed to do for the publisher, for the first time: typing into the computer the text of an old book that is going to be revised.
Revised by someone else, so I don't have to think critically at all!
Kind of a nice treat.

I also am putting to use the typing class I took in high school as I copy sentences such as,
"The brothers Cyril and Methodius [left] brought Christianity to the Slovaks in the 800s. To make the Christian Gospels more accessible, the missionaries invented an alphabet––called Cyrillic...."

Actually I did know that, because when I grew up, I studied Christianity and patched all sorts of holes in my education with gold-leaf.
But I had no idea that "At its peak in 882, the Great Moravian Empire spanned the present-day Czech Republic, Central and West Slovakia, and parts of Hungary, Poland and Germany."

Back at it I go.
Just wanted to say hi.

6 comments:

  1. Well, hi back!

    I have been faithfully reading this week, but everything has been busy everywhere, so have only commented in my mind... Did you pick up the signal?

    Enjoy the typing!

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  2. Hi back!
    You probably know this, but there are Cyril and Methodius statues down at the Cathedral. I made a photo a few months ago: http://www.flickr.com/photos/slimcoincidence/2947655283/in/photostream/

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  3. Hi, dears!
    R.--I failed Psychic 101 and did not pick up your signal--in fact, wondered where your friendly voice had gone... So thanks for saying hi!

    K: Cool! I did NOT know that-- I hardly ever get over to the Big Cathedral. That *is* a slim coincidence!

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  4. Now I have to get pets of some sort so I can call them Cyril and Methodius...wonderful names! And they are so dapper!

    The Great Moravian Empire looks sort of small to me...it needs to be in space, spanning galaxies to live up to that moniker. Oh I get it...Great Moravia is a geographical term, like Great Britain? Good emperor name though...Mojmir the First. Now I need another pet for that name... Maybe I should get ants!

    Sorry, rambling now, haven't been internetting for a while!

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  5. How bout Prince Pribina? Wouldn't that make a great pet name! Or the name of a kitty food.... A bit grand for an ant, though...

    It is surreal to apologize for rambling on the Internet, as the whole thing is one big ramble down the rabbit hole, as far as I can tell.

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  6. P.S. Hmmm. Starship 379 perhaps has its origins in the Great Moravian Empire (GME).
    Created by the great Svatopluk (I did not make that name up).

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