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Simon Goland describes an experience of travel that seems very common these days: When my parents were finally able to travel and start seeing the world, their travel looked like checking off boxes of countries, places, cities, and museums. Arrive somewhere. Walk through a place without stopping much. Take some photos. Check off a mental box. On to the next place. And when I traveled with them, I too embraced that way of seeing the world. I got good at it, actually. I...
Jason Arday, the disgraced academic who committed suicide last week after he was exposed as a total fraud, did not die in vain. The case of Jason Arday has not only exposed the intellectual rot in the field of sociology; it has also exposed the business-as-usual biases of the mainstream media and of the blogosphere. Most of the news articles and blog posts (both in the U.S. and the U.K.) reporting or commenting on the Jason Arday affair mention Nathan Cofnas’s damning...
I am a big believer in volunteering and charity work. It opens up opportunities and a good training ground to develop new skills. In fact, I have made friends who are sincere with a good heart. Through volunteering, the experience reminds me that I am blessed and lucky. I would encourage anyone who feels lost and frustrated to do volunteering work. Volunteering work cannot be a crutch, and it cannot be an excuse to avoid doing what's important in your life. My friend A is...
Kurt Vonnegut’s 1973 novel Breakfast of Champions (a slogan from a manufacturer of breakfast cereals) was panned by the New York Times but then spent 56 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list. Although Vonnegut himself gave the novel a C, it remains one of his most appreciated works. It was recommended to me by a friend who is writing a book on Vonnegut, and I found the book hilarious and devastating, a combination that few writers can manage and perhaps nobody...
If you've read American Gods, this is really very similar, albeit focused more on action and less on mythology. Same rascally male character with an uncertain origin discovering a world of gods, monsters and that they're kind of the same thing. I don't know why it's called Unclean Spirits. Truly it makes no sense to me after reading the book, but I guess it needed a title. Chuck Wendig is a decent writer, you root for the character and you can really feel the world in...
Gebackener Joghurt mit Himbeeren ist super einfach und schmeckt unglaublich gut! Besonders schnell gelingt er im Airfryer. Direkt zum Rezept Manche Rezepte sind so gut, dass man sie teilen muss, auch wenn sie nicht auf dem eigenen Mist gewachsen sind. Mein gebackener Joghurt mit Himbeeren tauchte für mich erstmals im Juni bei „Chili und Ciabata“ auf, dem Foodblog der tollen Petra Holzapfel aka Casca13 (Instagram). Sie wiederum hatte sich durch ein Rezept aus Jenny...
I wanted a way to represent workouts by the muscle groups they activate. Most applications where you log do it. I thought it must be easy with SVG images. It wasn’t as easy. First, I had to get an image that is remake-friendly. I used this drawing by OpenStax & Tomáš Kebert & umimeto.org, from Wikimedia Commons. Cleaned it up to reduce the complexity. Then tagged each muscle group, including separating left and right muscles, in case you focus on one side. After that, I...
I don’t know why, but when I start a new blog, there’s a tendency for posts to get longer and more complicated over time. It could be a confidence thing, it could be that I just don’t know when to shut up, but it is becoming a problem. The cycle repeats I have had many blogs over the years. Blogging has been part of my life since the late 90s and early 2000s, although back then we didn’t call them that. We were still putting up static HTML pages via our chosen FTP client....
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐ (1/5 stars) Not worth watching there were several times I wondered why I was watching this. Plot was kind of a mix of Giver, Enders Game, The Allegiant and Hunger Games all in one but not done very well. But I was tired and lazy so let it go on. Please don't buy this free is how this one should be. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
⚠️ SPOILER WARNING: FULL SPOILERS My Rating: ⭐ (1/5 stars) Not worth watching there were several times I wondered why I was watching this. Plot was kind of a mix of Giver, Enders Game, The Allegiant and Hunger Games all in one but not done very well. But I was tired and lazy so let it go on. Please don't buy this free is how this one should be. This product uses the TMDb API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb.
Five science fiction/fantasy books for you this month ranging from the bottom of the barrel to near the top. This article is worth your gander to assess the bumper crop of science fiction this month! by David Levinson The Children of Llyr, by Evangeline Walton Art by David Johnston The Mabinogion is a medieval collection … Continue reading [August 16, 1971] The of The Children of Llyr (August Galactoscope #1) → The post [August 16, 1971] The of The Children of Llyr (August...
'You absolute oxygen thief': Below Deck's Travis showed us how to respond to homophobia or other bigotry, whether we're on a reality TV show or not. And BB28's Drew could use that lesson.
The Fort Myers Manatee Park We are wrapping up our current little sunshine state series with everyone’s favorite Florida fauna, the manatee. In the midst of writing that sentence and trying to remember that “the sunshine state” was Florida’s nickname, I have found out that the legislature has gone to great lengths to gerrymander the state symbols and delineate as many animal constituencies as possible. So although manatees are Florida’s state marine mammal, on that same...
A few further thoughts in this post on the matter of the state – what it is, what its past and future involves, and what does it mean to live within the jurisdiction of a singular state (‘the state I’m in’)? – arising out of discussions under my last post. But first, to go with the wordplay of my title, something a bit more autobiographical about my personal state. Which is, for one thing, quite busy with some other writing and life projects, so posts here are likely to be...
How a road could change West Africa’s urban future Kasoa is a snapshot of how unplanned urbanization is unfolding in the region. Its population growth is far outpacing the creation of new roads and other public development. “In Kasoa, things are much easier,” George says, “for now.” The growing influx is slowly driving up prices here too. “Maybe in a few years, we’ll have to move again.” Not a fan of this scroll-to-view style, but this is some excellent reporting and...
Photo of Gloom is Okay by Arran Dawson Media Scottish rock band Gloom is Okay hold the top spot for a second week with their exquisite “Repeat Offender”, while Malaysian artist extraordinaire Lyia Meta moves into second place with her powerful anthem “Raging Halls”. She just released another great single “For You” a week ago. “Doors” by Noah Kahan advances a spot to #3, and “Rein Me In” by English singer-songwriters Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, and “Private” by LA-based alt...
This morning I managed to get back to Grit to work on Stream for Mac after a four week hiatus. I’ve been thinking about what I wanted and needed to do for a couple weeks now. The idea is to finish off my 1.0 release, which will most likely be labeled as 1.7.0 so I can sync it with the new release of Stream for iOS — which I also need to work on. 😁 I managed to get quite a few things buttoned up. If you logged a bug, thank you. I may not have fixed your bug or feature...
I headed to Coventry on the 12th August, a day when the city was sweltering in 33° heat and the news was full of excitement about how many people would damage their eyesight looking directly at that evening's partial eclipse of the sun.We were in Coventry for Life After Football's summer holiday curated West Midlands pub crawl (ably assisted by Retirement Martin's itinerary advisory service).There would be Bass. And there would be the rogue diversions from the original...
What should you blog about when nothing feels interesting enough, too shallow, or already covered way better by others? Answer: you should blog about that shallow, uninteresting stuff anyway. Write your point of view on whatever. It's your blog, do what you feel like. Post photos of your cute cat, write 1,700 words about wasps, or share your favorite flapjacks recipe. It doesn't matter how you do it. The only thing that matters is that you don't hesitate to post because...
Birding photos from Dutch Gap on Aug 15, 2026 My best bird photo from this morning is a dragonfly (Eastern Pondhawk, I think). Least Sandpiper Green Heron Red-headed Woodpecker. It's a juvenile, so its head is not actually red yet.
Three Cats, One Mountain We have three rescue cats. People ask me what that's like, and I never know how to answer. It's like running a small, chaotic republic where the government is feline, the laws change daily, Jane handles Interior Affairs (litter logistics, vet diplomacy, treaty negotiations), and I am merely the Minister of Food Distribution. They arrived in our lives the way most good things do: by accident. The rescue centre in Trento had a habit of calling us...
Hello, loves! Before working out that validation idea, let’s commit the good bits. Surprise Idea: The search for joy for everyone must never be abandoned. Note Down toward the end, musing about how we can always improve code, I followed my nose into more philosophical terrain. If you wish, skip directly there. Despite the need to be awake, or the inability not to be, I’m not really at my best before dawn. Not sure when I am at my best, but I think the sun has to be up. And...
I've been playing Age of Empires 2 after hours and on the weekends to unwind. Ya I know, saying I play a high stress real time strategy game to "unwind" is a bit wild. The biggest lesson from Age of Empires 2, build order and how you setup your base early matters. When you get the machine started, collecting resources, and managing population space with houses (lucky HUNS). If there is water, build a dock, and fish! Always be scouting around the map, you may know where the...
Hello, loves! Again with the weird hours! Elaborating an idea from a more civilized hour yesterday. Tout le monde déteste l’IA. Yesterday, the code for the QuestGiverDenizen included this definition of its state machine: self.transitions=dict( seeking=dict( has_item=dict(to='satisfied', hook=self.giving_action), no_item=dict(to='seeking', hook=self.seeking_action), ), satisfied=dict( has_item=dict(to='satisfied', hook=self.satisfied_action), no_item=dict(to='satisfied',...
I've been playing Age of Empires 2 after hours and on the weekends to unwind. Ya I know, saying I play a high stress real time strategy game to "unwind" is a bit wild. The biggest lesson from Age of Empires 2, build order and how you setup your base early matters. When you get the machine started, collecting resources, and managing population space with houses (lucky HUNS). If there is water, build a dock, and fish! Always be scouting around the map, you may know where the...