Modern Compendium of Junk Knowledge

A treasure trove of curious stuff

Who, When & How

When I was a kid, my friends and I used to sit around wondering what we’d do if we ever struck it rich. Most of them wanted a Corvette or a Thunderbird. Me? I told them I’d hire my own personal research department. I was a "nerd" before there was a name for it.

I’ve always been obsessed with the why behind the things we say. You can look up a word in a dictionary, but where do you go when a strange phrase pops up in the middle of a sentence?

Fast forward fifty years, and—lo and behold—I’m finally carrying that research department in my pocket. I call it my "Temporal Phrase Exploration Device," though most people just call it a cell phone.

This project started as a list that I planned to turn into a book: The Modern Compendium of Junk Knowledge. I wanted to know the "who, when, and how" behind everyday idioms. Why did we start saying "lo and behold"? Where did it come from? How did it become a part of everyday conversation?

Well, life happened, and the book went on the back burner. But I kept the list, and I definitely kept the title. I guess I just had too many "irons in the fire"—there’s another one for you!

This series is where I finally get to share that information. Welcome to the vault.

I'm your mental junk curator: "Bob"