Bill Petro, author and technologist.
Writes about History, Popular Culture, and Tech Trends.
Contributing writer to the books Product Management to Product Leadership: The Advanced Use Cases
and Invitation to Church History

History of the Constitution of the United States: 234 Years Ago

September 17, 2021

History of the Constitution of the United States On September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was created. Though it would take until June 21, 1788, to be ratified, and until March 4, 1789, to be effective, In a very real sense, it was the founding document of the governmental system of the United States of…

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History of Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement

September 15, 2021

HISTORY OF YOM KIPPUR The Jewish High Holy Days begin with Rosh Hashanah and continue until Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, the “Day of Atonement,” or more correctly Yom ha-Kippurim (Leviticus 16), goes back to Jewish antiquity almost 4,000 years to the time of Moses. This most solemn occasion of the Jewish Festival cycle was the season…

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History of Ethiopian New Year: What is Enkutatash?

September 12, 2021

HISTORY OF ETHIOPIAN NEW YEAR: WHAT IS ENKUTATASH? Why is your friendly neighborhood historian writing about the Ethiopian New Year? A couple of years ago, the Washington Post interviewed me for an article they were publishing on the subject. The Washington D.C. area has over 200,000 Ethiopian-Americans who celebrate the holiday this year on September 12.…

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History of 9/11, Twenty Years Ago: Patriot Day

September 11, 2021

HISTORY OF PATRIOT DAY: 9/11 Twenty Years Ago On 9/11, twenty years ago, more Americans were killed on American soil in one day than any attack since Pearl Harbor in 1941. A series of terrorist airplane highjacking attacks occurred in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon… and the world changed. As the events of…

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History of Star Trek: 55 Years Ago and Today

September 8, 2021

HISTORY OF STAR TREK Star Trek premiered on NBC TV on September 8, 1966… 55 years ago. It is my favorite show; I was glued to the TV for the first episode and every one after that. It had a significant influence on my life in my choice of a career in technology. The show…

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History of the Holidays

What is the history behind the holidays we celebrate, both sacred and secular? Many of the sacred holidays in our American “Judeo-Christian” heritage have secular associations, while many of the seemingly secular holidays actually have religious roots. This is the back story behind our popular holidays.

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Popular Culture

Featuring reviews of movies, concerts, and theatre. I write movie reviews as soon as I see them, which is usually the day they come out (or before). Reviews of Star Wars and Star Trek movies, Lord of the Rings, Hobbit, and Harry Potter films, rock and jazz concerts and theatre reviews.

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Tech Trends

Articles about current and future technologies and their possible implications. Discussions about Apple iPhone and Apple Watch and innovative technologies from other companies: social media, payment systems, personal data backup, etc.

 

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