Also see ...

Quicksilber serves largely as an archive now, though it's always possible it'll become more active amid the shifting of platforms. For some recent writings, see my Splice Today page, Substack and Post News.

Seeing history in France

 At Splice Today, a piece on touring sites around the Somme and Verdun: "The Fields of World War I."

Eighties influences

 I recall some personal and family history: "Encountering Science in the 1980s."

International encounters

 At Splice Today, I recall some experiences with foreign languages and cultures.

Remembering Sally Ride

She was a lot more than an astronaut. I have a piece up at SciAm: "Sally Ride's Enduring Legacy."

Old times

A couple of posts mulling the past: "Phantoms of the Internet," and "Dabbling with Ancient Superpowers."

Ski history

 A family story. "The Ancestral Rite of Skiing."

Welcome

This blog at present is updated infrequently and mostly serves as an archive. I'm currently a regular writer for Splice Today, where my author page is here. I'm a freelance copy editor and fact checker for Scientific American and do editorial work for various other publications and organizations. My book In Dewitt's Footsteps is available for purchase on Amazon and at select venues and events; my book website is here. Thank you for stopping by.

Death and immortality on the Shore

Some thoughts after a dark summer, at Splice Today: "The Solace of the Jersey Shore."

Family history

At Splice Today, I look back eight decades; "When My Family Became Refugees."

Look back without anger

At Splice Today, I look, in a very different light now, at a hero of my youth: "Norman Podhoretz’s Pointless Pugnacity." And here, for old times' sake, are my reviews from the Commentary archives.

Some turning points

My most recent at Splice Today: "Your Moment in History" and "Lessons from the 1970s and Middle-Earth."

DeWitt Clinton's 250th birthday [updated]

Join me in celebrating at the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse on Saturday, March 2 at 11 am. Also later that day at Buffalo Maritime Center. (Update: Buffalo at 4:30.)

Upcoming event and quite a milestone: DeWitt Clinton's 250th Birthday. At @ErieCanalMuseum on Sat., March 2, at 11 AM. https://t.co/HQs9jnnIuq

— Erie Canal Book (@ErieBook) February 13, 2019

UPDATE:

Highly impressed by Buffalo Maritime Center, where I spoke for DeWitt Clinton's 250th birthday. Look forward to riding in replica Seneca Chief one day. pic.twitter.com/f2RYesEgxZ

— Kenneth Silber (@kennethsilber) March 3, 2019

UPCOMING EVENT: Schenectady County Historical Society, April 13.

One more update:

"DeWitt Clinton's Sense of Time," Splice Today.

Nixon recollections

Some thoughts on an old book and more.

New party

I consider the possibility.

History readings

I write about reading and studying history, Richard Brookhiser's latest book, and more.

Otherworldly evening

At Splice Today, I report on my recent evening with the SETI Institute, and a memory of Lou Dobbs: "Encountering the Extraterrestrial."

Poached review

I review Rachel Nuwer's Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Tracking at Splice Today.

Family history

Alexei Bayer has written about my family's (father side) history for a Russian Jewish publication. It's in Russian but can be read with Google Translate; but note that the machine translation is not always on target.

An afternoon on the water

At Splice Today, I offer "A View from New York Harbor."

Some other pics from that day: