KevinStoverBlog.com

Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven’t forgotten about the Weapons as Carriers of Culture series. It will continue as soon as I get some free time to finish up a few paragraphs I’m not very happy with.

• Waiting to hear from Jessa about the PET scan…prayers still appreciated… #
• I’m trying to put on some weight. Had about a 1500 calorie lunch…I’m stuffed. #

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• Just helped @jamielaws setup our new database. We’ll see how it works out. Looks good so far. #

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• Hungry, need some food. Tomato Soup for Lunch isn’t very filling… #
• I’d really like to be going home now… #
• God is awesome. My wife had a doc. appt. today, He couldn’t find the tumor on her tongue. At all. Still going ahead with the PET scan 2bsure #

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• Please pray for my wife. We got some unsettling test results today. More details later. #
• Thanks for all the prayers for my Wife, we won’t really know anything till Monday or so, she has to go back in for a pet scan. #
• RT @marcushackler http://tinyurl.com/bvw98h that is hilarious #
• really hungry. Somehow, I skipped lunch. #

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• Why do I code better after midnight? #
• Just finished version 1.0 of a website content management system. It’s off to the designer to make it pretty… #
• Still up…coding…wish I could sleep… #
• Ok, fixed a few bugs in the 1.0 I sent out. Now, I think it’s really 1.0 ready. #
• Just got some sad news about some friends. Pray. #
• @mrcarxpert Do you know of any good jQuery plugins that allow you to drag and drop table columns? #
• @joshrusso Not for the people involved. Just pray, I’m not sure how to even wrap my mind around what they’re going through. #

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• Why do I code better after midnight? #
• Just finished version 1.0 of a website content management system. It’s off to the designer to make it pretty… #
• Still up…coding…wish I could sleep… #
• Ok, fixed a few bugs in the 1.0 I sent out. Now, I think it’s really 1.0 ready. #
• Just got some sad news about some friends. Pray. #
• @mrcarxpert Do you know of any good jQuery plugins that allow you to drag and drop table columns? #
• @joshrusso Not for the people involved. Just pray, I’m not sure how to even wrap my mind around what they’re going through. #

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• Managing the ITs, trying to write a blog post. #
• I haven’t been doing my physical therapy like I should’ve over the past few days. Hopefully that changes tonight. #

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The sword pictured to the left is commonly referred to as a “Gladius”. If the name seems familiar to you, it may be because the weapon lent its name to those who fought in Roman arenas and amphitheatres. Combat-oriented games, which began as funeral rite re-enactments, eventually led to the birth of the “Gladiator”.

While this weapon may have ultimately became popularly associated with a Russel Crowe blockbuster, its origins lie in the Roman Infantry. Early on in the Roman Republic, citizens who wished to join the army had to pay for their own equipment. In fact, only citizens had the privilege of defending the republic and early empire. By the time of the late republic (c. 100 BCE – 15 CE), however, Roman Infantry equipment had become almost standardized, and the Gladius Hispaniensis, or Hispanic Short Sword, became the primary weapon.

The Romans first encountered the basic design for the Gladius while taking what we now know as Spain and Portugal in the Third and Second Centuries BCE. The inhabitants of Hispania, as the Romans called the area, used a sword slightly longer and heavier than the Romanized version. After the conquest of Hispania, the Gladius design made its way back to Rome. By the time the Romans attempted standardization, the Gladius had lodged itself firmly, pardon the pun, into Roman military strategy.

Next time we’ll discuss the anatomy of the Gladius and how it was used in combat.

• Still waiting on the call from my parents to confirm the birth of little Emily Mae Miles…. #
• @prodigaljohn I love Bush, I haven’t heard any of their stuff since high school… #
• My niece Emily Mae Miles was born about 3 hours ago. Welcome to the world. I’ll see you tomorrow! #
• Just got to the computer at work. Get to see my new niece today after work. Can’t wait! #

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