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Just below the heart and just above the solar plexus, to be precise, is a temple in the valley of grace. And here, two fingers' width in front of your chest, to be precise, is a flame that does not burn but gives sweetness. It is like cotton spun from fibers of starlight. All triangles point here. All equations are balanced by the breath this space
House of the Dragon; OK, Season 1 was, in my opinion brilliant and highly watchable. Season 2 not so good. Treading water at times, decent action but only later on in the episodes, twists up to a point but looking back it was more of a placeholder than anything else. So now Season 3 became available to view on Monday, so we were up for it. It's been on about a two year break. Time and memory fade away.The first episode lasted an hour and ten minutes, was said to be full of...
Photo by kaleb tapp on UnsplashWhile the recent livestream interview with Anne Kadet was very warmly received, it’s been suggested that I should offer a text “takeaways” sort of post for those who aren’t really into video. (After all, both Anne and I prefer text. “I never watch videos of anything,” Anne announced early in our conversation. “I would never watch this video!”) So here, for you video resistors (but also for those who enjoyed the full convo and wouldn’t mind a...
Gail Simmons revealed that Top Chef season 24 won't film at the end of this summer, as usual, and also cleared up three mysteries about Top Chef Carolinas' scheduling.
If I could give someone younger than me one piece of advice, it would be… well, first of all, they’re not going to listen. I know this because I didn’t listen. I don’t remember taking a single piece of advice from an older person when I was young. I remember people giving me advice. I remember nodding. I remember saying things like, “That’s a really good point.” And then I remember doing exactly what I was going to do anyway. Actually, I’m not sure I listen now. Just last...
You can treat more compelling wants as a reward for having fulfilled less compelling needs. Inspired creativity keeping you up past your bedtime? Reward yourself with resuming your pastime at some point after a good night's sleep. Social media keeping you from starting your exercise regimen? Reward yourself with virtual engagement after having concluded your physical activities. An unclean home keeping you from hosting people and events there? Reward yourself with...
Lumi was off school early today because of the excessive heat. It is a pity that there doesn't seem to be a direct translation for the German "Hitzefrei" (which basically means "free because of heat"). I think she used her time very wisely.
Limiting myself to 9 because that's what the format was, but I could prolly go WAY harder Last week, the 9 Steam Games I Want to Spread page was going around all over socials and I wanted to do one, but instead of "make an image with it and social media post it" I kinda figured it would be great blogging vector since: I'm nothing if not verbose about shit I like and want to share with others The world is on fucking fire right now and we all could use some good vibes The...
Julius Caesar stood on the bank of a shallow river called the Rubicon. It was 49 BC, and he was out of options. The Senate, marshalled by his rival Pompey, had ordered him to surrender his command in Gaul and return to Rome as a private citizen, which in practice meant prosecution, ruin, and probably either exile or death. The river was the legal edge of Italy, and Roman law forbade any general from leading an army across it. To cross with his legion was treason - an open...
Raymond Chen writes about a man whose work affected us all: I recently learned of the passing of someone whose work nearly everybody knows, but nobody knows his name. Tony Krueger is remembered in Wikipedia as the person who ported the game Chip’s Challenge to Windows for the Windows Entertainment Pack.¹ But that’s probably not the code he wrote that touched the most people. Tony worked on Word 1.0, 1.1, 2.0, then on Word for OS/2 and Word for Mac, then returned to Word...
I always meant to have some major epic planned for today’s post, but alas. What I have instead are some shorter, compartmentalised thoughts on the whole debacle. Why Brexit? There’s a fair bit I could talk about: The evolution of the European Communities to the European Union, worries of the EU overruling domestic decisions, immigration concerns, or decades of weird fearmongering and lies from the press. I could talk about our role in Europe, centuries of foreign policy...
With moonward fist measured steps I make to silence the voice that delights in pity
Humans suffer two big but under-discussed biases, which together make us overly favor people we see as prestigious and sincere. First, humanity’s superpower is cultural evolution, wherein we copy each others’ behaviors, and this wouldn’t work if we copied from random others. So it couldn’t get going without our first big clue on who to copy: prestige. Which has become so entrenched that we greatly over-emphasize prestige even when better alternatives are now...
Punk songs tend to be very, very short and fast. But, one day, the NOFX guys said "fuck that" and decided to make something a bit longer, and here we are, with an 18-minute punk song written in '99. To be honest, it feels more like multiple songs glued together than a "whole" song with changing theme/style. I never listened that much to NOFX or bands like them, they were not "culturally relevant" for me growing up, but they (and bands like that) did influence some of my...
Spaceports always have bars where you can blow off steam after a passage and meet potential patrons. They usually suck. In cases where it's helpful to flesh out a spaceport bar with an evocative detail, throw two dice and consult the table below. If the threshold for "Bougie Bar" is met, roll on that table, otherwise roll a "Dire Dive". Spaceport Type Throw for Bougie Bar A 7+ B 8+ C 9+ D 10+ E 11+ . d20 Dire Dives 1 Poor sound insulation and too close to the launch pad --...
6"x8", oil on board
Roshan: Wikipen A common sentiment expressed in coastal American cities is that it's awful that the government is able to ticket people for improperly curbed wheels and parking meters not paid while simultaneously unable to punish those who openly use drugs and defecate on the streets. The latter is a valid concern, but not because of the former. In fact, the existence of the latter is evidence that The State is weak and unable to provide its function of coordination and...
You fly into New Orleans, pick up your rental car and drive to the hotel down near Bourbon Street, check in and crash from a long travel day! Then before your head hits the pillow you call and leave a wake up call! Wait……. that’s not the kind of wake-up call I was talking about! My four favorite movies are; The 1951 Version of a Christmas Carol. Ground Hog Day. Disney’s The Kid with Bruce Willis & the entire 9 Seasons of the TV Series Suits What do all four of these movies...
I was thinking of writing another blog post. I was thinking about changing careers. I was thinking about starting a family. I was thinking about buying a new car. I was thinking... It can be so comfortable to think about things, about actions, and about the future. It can quietly become a habit we are not even aware of. It feels like you are being slowly cooked in warm water. You think and think, and plan and think... And then one day, you look back and wonder, “Where am...
Read the full post at - The Wealth Ladder by Nick Magiulli The Wealth Ladder is a book I picked up from the library on the strength of one thing: I’ve followed Nick Maggiulli for years. He writes at Of Dollars and Data, and he’s one of the most nuanced, clear-headed thinkers in the personal finance space. No hype, no hustle-culture nonsense — just careful analysis and genuinely useful ideas. When he puts out a book, it’s worth reading. The Core Idea The premise is...
Spreading joy and reinventing yourself while turning a house into a home (Woodstock, Illinois; 2004 to present day): Joy is the reading mood I’m searching for these days. Maida Korte walks the talk, “showcasing joy” by writing lovingly and exuberantly about a major life change in her memoir Gutted: How an Old House Remodeled Me.” A cup-running-over mental attitude and conviction that “words matter” shines through. The award-winning interior designer combines her love of...
I’ve been seeing articles, videos and ads for a certain pocket-sized e-reader for the past few days all over my feeds that have got me wanting one more than anything. I like the idea of reducing my phone screen time and reading more, and this device looks like the perfect solution to that problem. I even have it in my cart in Amazon. But as much as I want it, I am resisting the urge to buy it, because I don’t need it. While I want to reduce my screen time, I think a more...
A-ha, all the things I could do if I had a little money...
Thinkware, creators of my two most liked dash cams, is getting in on the Prime Days action and having a sale during Amazon Prime Days. I hate to just post and run but have a work emergency so below is the rundown, and here’s the link to access their deals on the THINKWARE store. ARC 900 2CH Deal: 4K HDR + Dual 60 fps Dash Cam with a 3.5″ IPS Touchscreen. Price: $335.99 (Down from $419.99) Discount: 20% off ARC 900 2CH + LTE Bundle Deal: The 4K HDR dual dash cam setup...
The history of transit ridership in the US is what it is: But it matters enormously how we talk about it. Many US transit agencies will be facing the voters in the next two years, seeking new funding to plug their structural deficits and forestall destructive service cuts. Many agencies are already involved in fights for more funding in their state legislatures, sometimes winning, as in Illinois, but often losing, as in Pennsylvania and Oregon. Most of the voters or...