After a hello to our Imperial listeners, Ped & Tom discuss the decline of cursive writing, the Common Core Standards, learning cuneiform, and the purpose of purposeless pursuits. Also, squeaky cats and oatmeal.

Discuss the podcast on Reddit.

Support the podcast on Patreon.

An Imperial listener [00:00]

The Empire Did Nothing Wrong The Ridgeway National Trail

Should we still learn cursive writing? [06:55]

What is cursive writing? Left-handed scissors The Common Core State Standards Initiative Sentence diagrams A math teacher answers the question: When Am I Ever Going to Use This? (Matt Kitchen) The Palmer Method Cuneiform script The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh Star Trek:TNG s5e02 “Darmok” The Royal Library of Ashurbanipal

Squeaky Cats and Oatmeal [35:35]

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played on squeaking stuffed cats (Rare and Strange Instruments) Simple vs Complex Carbohydrates

Music by Lee Rosevere (CC by 4.0)