From: Nicholas Van Weerdenburg <nick@...>
Date: 2004-07-14T13:39:05+09:00
Subject: Re: [OT] Perennial. Was: Re: Ruby quickies and useful idioms

Common in gardening- annuals (you have to plant them each year) and 
perrenials (they come back- good for lazier gardeners). Unfortunately my 
wife didn't realize that perrenials still needed water, or they turn 
into sub-annuals :).

Also, "The Perennial Philosophy" by Aldous Huxley (of "Brave New World" 
novel fame), which was very influential on the hippie and new age 
movement, and the general trend for finding common religous grounds. A 
reference to this book was what sent me to the dictionary a couple of 
years back :).

Not so influential maybe as his "The Doors of Perception", which was 
about his drug taking experience in the 50s and a huge influence on the 
drug culture of the 60s. That title was also the source of the name of 
the band "The Doors".

Maybe in a few years Ruby will be know as the "perennial scripting 
language" :)

Nick

Brian Schroeder wrote:

>>This is a perennial favorite :-)  I still pull in my home-made
>>version fairly often. 
>>    
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>wow, I learned a new word. perennial. Had to look it up in the dictionary,
>but it sounds good ;)
>
>>From Merriam-Webster: 
>Etymology: Latin perennis, from per- throughout + annus year
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