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Archive for the ‘Likes’ Category

Sooper Secret Smoothie

Posted in Food and..., Likes, tagged , , , , on August 5, 2015| 7 Comments »

Today feels like a recipe day, so here is the ultra extra super top secret recipe for my favorite morning smoothie. It’s nutritious, and yes, it can taste a little like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and I love it. It’s what I have for breakfast pretty much every day.

Ingredients:

  • Strawberries, frozen, 150 grams
  • Blueberries, frozen, 150 grams
  • Bananas, 2
  • Chia seeds, 3 Tbsp, 40 grams
  • Grape juice, 150 grams
  • Pumpkin puree, 0.8 cup, 200 grams
  • Peanut butter, smooth, 150 grams
  • Yogurt, plain, 2%, 750 grams
  • Molasses, blackstrap, 1 Tbsp
  • Cinnamon, ground, .5 tsp

Makes ~4 pint glasses worth, or enough to keep a writer fueled for most of the work week.
1. Let your blender save its strength; defrost fruit in the microwave.
2. Add ~half a cup of water to the chia seeds, stir to moisten.
3. All in, blend until smooth, drink.

Recipe Notes:
— I buy bananas in bunches, wait until they are perfectly ripe, then peel and lay them out on a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet to freeze. Store hardened fruit in freezer bags for later. I also do this with fresh strawberries when I can get them. Of course, I’d use fresh fruit all the time if I didn’t live just south of the Arctic Circle (kidding, Ottawa, but you know sometimes it feels true;)
— I use organic chia seeds because they’re so water-sensitive there’s no way you can wash them. What’s on them is what you eat.
— We make our own yogurt (very easy, btw) because it’s a great way to know what you’re eating and so I can “cook” the lactose out of it by letting it ferment for ~20 hours. Because who wants to be popping lactase pills all the time?
— I’ve also started adding a dash of turmeric with a bit of fresh-ground pepper to bolster the curcumin, but that’s me;)
— Freezes well too, if you remember to leave a bit of room in your container to avoid, um, accidents. (Ask me how I know;)

SmoothieData

* Nutrition information calculated with SparkRecipes recipe calculator and may not match your specific ingredients (it didn’t match mine perfectly), so use for estimates only.

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Superhumans Are Real!

Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Wait, what?

Yep, that’s the takeaway from a recent Bloomberg article about humans with (very, very) rare genetic mutations:

These Superhumans Are Real and Their DNA Could Be Worth Billions

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the focus of the article is on drug companies exploiting such mutations to develop new blockbuster products, but let’s just take a second to look at the bottom line:

Rare mutations > affect a tiny percent of the human population = superpowers.
/enough said

Yes, it’s Unbreakable all over again, only this time for real. If there’s a way to convert such mutations into useful (rather than simply profitable) innovations, great. Without (hopefully) the evil mastermind willing to sacrifice innocent lives in the search for outliers.

Are there challenges to life as a “superhero”? Of course, the most obvious being the dramatic downsides for those with dangerous mutations like insensitivity to pain, but I have to say: I find this hopeful.

Why? Because it’s a reminder that there is no one “normal” and that the continuum of human evolution isn’t done with us yet, not by a long shot.

That the range of human experience is deep and varied, and that there is room in our world for everyone.

And that the impossible can, under extraordinary circumstances, become possible.

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My New Crush: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

Posted in Entertainment, Likes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2015| 1 Comment »

My new crush: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

What: Australian TV series set in the 1920s, featuring a murder-solving “Lady Detective”… which doesn’t really capture it at all:)

Where: Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix (and elsewhere, including my public library, but Netflix works for me). Season 3 recently aired on Australia’s ABC TV.

Why? Because Reasons!

  • The series is based on the books by Kerry Greenwood, and because each episode (at least those I’ve seen to date) is based on its own book, the plot and character arcs tend to be layered and complex.
  • It features a woman (played by the fabulous Essie Davis, interviewed about the series on NPR) who is not afraid of action, bucking authority, family planning, sex, crossing racial or class boundaries, believes whole-heartedly in nonjudgmental good works, tolerance, and enjoying the hell out of life.
  • Great mix of characters and story lines, plus incisive social commentary incorporated in an interesting way.
  • I’ve seen the series described as “competence porn” and while I think the lead character could benefit from a few lessons on how to hang on to one’s pistol and the downsides of scaling buildings in heels, I’d have to agree. She always solves the case, rescues herself and everyone else, and gets the gun back. Also, her skills with a grappling hook are impressive.
  • The clothing gets talked up a lot in reviews of the show and while I’m not a fashion devotee, it’s true, the outfits provide a beautiful and fascinating glimpse into Jazz-age apparel. In this article at The Australian, designer Marion Boyce discusses the process of outfitting the series. Fun fact: Instead of using vintage items, most of the costumes were made for the show, in part because modern humans are differently proportioned than they were even a hundred years ago.
  • Insanely catchy theme song🙂

 

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Download Stross’s Accelerando, Gratis!

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 17, 2015| 1 Comment »

Sci-fi writer Charles Stross has two of his works available as free ebooks, including the Hugo-nominated-novellete-series-turned-book Accelerando:

It’s the definitive Singularity novel, covering three generations of a highly dysfunctional posthuman family as humanity itself is rendered obsolescent by the blistering pace of technological change.

Granted, I’d rather not be rendered obsolete just yet but it’s good to be prepared, right?

If you’re looking for more Stross to sample, a free ebook of Stross’s collaboration 2012 with Cory Doctorow The Rapture of the Nerds is also available. Thank you, Creative Commons!

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Anything But Evil…

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2015| 1 Comment »

Ooh, fun! I’m happy to announce that I have a new flash fiction story at EGM Shorts*: Magic Life. The story is free and (by definition) short, so if you find yourself with a moment to spare and the urge to slip into a bit of fantasy, check it out:)

* Short for Evil Girlfriend Media, a most excellent name.

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Women in Science Fiction

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 27, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I’ve come across an interesting new project spearheaded by writer/editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch. As a way to spotlight women writers in science fiction, she is building an anthology for Baen Books of classic stories and more contemporary works, all written by women. She proposed this project as a way to preserve excellent but often underexposed work:

I don’t want this volume to look like something you have to read in a college literature class… I want these stories to be by women, yes, but about anything. And I want them to be rip-roaring good reads.

While I agree the anthology’s working title of “Tough Mothers, Great Dames, and Warrior Princesses: Classic Stories by the Women of Science Fiction” is unwieldy at best, this looks to be a great project overall.

Rusch has also started a Women in Science Fiction website linked to the project, as a way to highlight and preserve women’s history in speculative fiction. The site showcases authors by award nominees, female firsts, and genre, among other categories.

The website is brand new and still a work in progress, and she’s open to suggestions. Part of her goal is to supplement the admittedly limited amount of work she’ll be able to include in the anthology. If you’d like to recommend a favorite female author or story for inclusion, feel free to comment on her Suggestions page.

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Because We All Need Cuddles

Posted in Likes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Star Wars villains + cuddly animals? Yes, please!

For Star Wars Day (that’s May the 4th to some people), The Ottawa Humane Society had the brilliant idea to pair the Capital City Garrison of the 501st Legion (“Bad guys doing good”) with adoptable animals, and the results are adorable.

Photographer Rohit Saxena put together a terrific series of images designed to help pets find homes. Over 150,000 dogs and cats go into shelters every year in Canada, and more like 6 to 8 million in the U.S., so if you’re looking for a pet or a good cause to support, check out your local animal shelter, Petfinder, Adopt-A-Pet, or the ASPCA.
a177289 lia-5

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The Martian Diaries

Posted in Likes, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Oh, I love this*: the folks at the most excellent Science News have assembled a scrapbook of sorts for the Curiosity rover. It tracks the rover’s path from August 2012 to the present, and includes a date/sol-based timeline, rover tweets, photos, maps and commentary. Fun and educational. And fun!

* Partly for the same reason we love R2D2, no doubt; Curiosity is both awesome and adorable. Also, adventures in space!

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Failing Your Way to Success

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I came across a fascinating article by David McRaney on survivorship bias. The overall point, that accounting for failure is critical to success, is well made, and the author uses a series of pointed examples. Not incidentally, the post also lays out a new-to-me part of World War Two history that includes a cabal of geniuses, women mathematicians, and the Department of War Math (ok, that last bit wasn’t its real name, but it should have been).

In World War Two, for example, the U.S. military tracked damage to returning bombers and wanted to beef up the most frequently-hit areas. A statistician named Abraham Wald pointed out that the surviving planes made it back despite that damage. The spots where they were unscathed, the ones no one had thought to record, were in fact the most vulnerable; as McRaney sums up, “that’s where the planes that didn’t make it back were hit.”

I found the history interesting in its own right, and if you have ever been tempted by the (admittedly seductive) trap of thinking, “Well, my grandfather breakfasted on salt pork and hot gin for ninety years, so I can eat whatever I want and still live forever,” I recommend a read.

“You develop a completely inaccurate assessment of reality thanks to a prejudice that grants the tiny number of survivors the privilege of representing the much larger group to which they originally belonged.“

That same logic applies to evaluating advice from diet gurus, celebrity CEOs and millionaire app designers. Skill plays a part, of course, but it turns out that overall, what a lot of successful people have in common could be termed luck. That may be a bit discouraging, but the good news is that such luck can be courted if you’re willing to take a longer-term view.

“The lucky try more things, and fail more often, but when they fail they shrug it off and try something else. Occasionally, things work out.”

Instead of looking for that one big break, think of the world as a series of possibilities; the more options you try, the greater your chance of success. Resist tunnel vision, “wade into the sea of random chance,” and stay open to new ideas and situations. That sounds pretty good, actually.

If you’re interested in how survivorship bias applies to writers and writing careers, check out this post by Tobias Buckell and the related Writing Excuses podcast in glorious audio or text.

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Creativity in a Cup

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

CreativeCup
Despite the title of this post, it’s not about what you may think. Meet my creative cup.

I pulled it out of the cupboard today because I wanted not only tea but a particular mindset. For that I use a cup.

I can tweak my mental orientation on my own, but like a witch with a familiar I find this task easier with the right tools. I have work cups, I have dessert cups (for chocolate pudding, of course), I have everyday cups and I have fun cups. But this is the original, my first cup with a distinct personality. Also, its own special power.

It may not look like much, at first glance. The surface is a fine textured grey that appears dull in poor light, with an image of pussy willow branches in an understated earthy brown and sky blue. There is a small chip on the lip, just above the handle. It could be any cup.

But it also has a larger-than-normal capacity, good for long days and challenging projects. It has tiny dimples where the layered paint is marginally thicker, enough to provide subconscious grip for tired fingers. The handle is both wide and flat for stability without bulk. It has a thin lip that doesn’t drip no matter how distracted the user. And it was given to me by a high school teacher whose name I can’t remember and whom I’ll never forget.

Many people (and, dare I posit, most writers?) were fortunate enough to have a teacher like this. She helped me explore new challenges, let me design a class when the schedule didn’t offer what I wanted, talked about the world outside of school as if it were a treasure box. She ran at lunch and ate interesting food at a desk by an oversized window, trim and fit with shoulder-length brown hair and a joyfully pragmatic outlook on life. She lent books and awarded class credit for wildcrafting my own dyes, medicines and poisons that would have done a 17th-century physicker proud.

She stayed with our school little more than a year, I think, but that was enough. The night before they left she and her husband arrived at our doorstep, a small wrapped package in hand. A gift, she said, that she hoped would suit. Something to take with me on my path.

I untied the ribbon. I tore the paper. Those are long gone. I still have the cup. When I want invention, when I want off-the-beaten-path imagination, when I need the encouragement to create and the belief that the world is still a wondrous treasure, this is my companion.

I thanked her. I am still thanking her, every time I use this cup.

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