Democracy is the worst form of government…except for all the others.

– Winston Churchill

Fun fact: “six seven” traces its roots all the way back to Old English in the 1380s. Geoffrey Chaucer coined it in his epic poem Troilus and Criseyd:

But manly set the world on sixe and sevene;
And, if thou deye a martir, go to hevene.

200 years later, Shakespeare picked it up and used it in his play Richard II:

But time will not permit: all is uneven
And every thing is left at six and seven

The common English phrase “at sixes and sevens,” from an early dice game that preceded craps, is unrelated.

It is thought that the expression was originally to set on cinque and sice (from the French for five and six). These were apparently the most risky numbers to shoot for (‘to set on’) and anyone who tried for them was considered careless or confused.

You should consider that the essential art of civilization is maintenance.

– Pete Seeger

TIL: free driver

opposite of free rider

…solar geoengineering’s economics are almost the exact opposite of climate change’s: While global warming is a “free rider” problem, where countries must collaborate to avoid burning cheap fossil fuels, solar geoengineering is a “free driver” problem, where one country could theoretically do it alone.