Introduction to what lies below

[Okay, this is a bit long and erudite, but I believe you'll find plenty of interest here. More posts in the future, no doubt, about the Partridge Family, gross TV commercials, and other topics that fit more properly within the confines of the typical blog.]

Actually, that was the beginning of my original post tonight, part of which is preserved below, before I screwed up and accidentally erased most of the entry. Turns out that when you publish a post and then decide to un-publish it, even though you've previously saved it as a draft, the entire post--draft and all--disappears. Thank God for the "Recover Post" button, which brought back at least part of what I'd written.

And by the way, ladies, this all happened because, in making a shameless pop-culture reference to the movie Gladiator, I was trying to figure out how to include a picture from the movie in my post--figuring a shot of Russell Crowe would always go over well with a mostly female audience. Then again, in view of his recent troubles, perhaps it's better to leave him out of the picture. (BTW, the Mercer, where he did his little stunt, is a fabulous watering hole and a favorite hangout of my wife Deidre when she's in NYC.)

The bottom line is that, whereas I originally set out to post on the subject--ironically enough--of how societies collapse as a result of failure to progress in technology, I've ended up with a truncated post that just stops in mid-sentence. Maybe I'll rewrite it at some point, if anybody cares about subjects such as the role of lead piping and the Great Wall of China in bringing an end to the Roman Empire.