Skip to main content

What and Who

BenjaSymbol

What

Ziphen Central (“Ziphen” rhymes with “hyphen”) is very much a blog of miscellanies. There is no unifying theme, but only bits and pieces of my thoughts and things that tickle my fancy. On Sundays you’ll find a hymn with lyrics and sometimes audio, and on other days I may talk about languages, frugality, virtues, food, and Christian living, among other things. I also like to write about my travels, but this is dependent on me traveling, which doesn’t happen all that often.

I started blogging in July of 2005 at BenjaBlog, and in April of 2007 I migrated to this blog, which is powered by WordPress (more information on the name “Ziphen”). I strive to make my posts interesting, intriguing, and thought-provoking, so please check back often!

Who

Mashkioya is a Texan of French and English ancestry currently living in Mexico with his wife. He is a homeschool graduate, and attributes his values and outlook on life to this upbringing. His interests have ranged from Egyptian hieroglyphs and railways to dinosaurs and airships, and his primary interests at the moment are languages and music. And in case you are thinking that “Mashkioya” is a mighty odd name for someone to give their child:

Some time ago I became intrigued by the idea of Internet anonymity. I am not paranoid, but it just seemed like a neat idea to conceal my true name and use a pseudonym. But the idea came too late, as I had already registered my real name as a domain name. However, I decided to use the name Mashkioya on this blog, and if you care to know my real name, you have only to look at the web address that took you here. And if you care to know, this pseudonym of mine is a simple translation of my Hebrew name. It comes from Amanumpa, a language I created that is somewhat based on Choctaw.