“We have innumerable possible futures. What we DO determines the future we get, not what we hope.” — Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
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Archive for the ‘Other’ Category
Futures Made Real
Posted in Other, tagged Thoughts, #365Ways, choices, action for good, #365Ways2026, better futures on November 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
To The People
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #PeoplePower, democracy, inspiration, Thoughts on November 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Here’s to all those who juggled busy schedules, who waited in line, who stood out in the rain, who worked at the polls, and who took the time to vote.
Here’s to The People.
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Because You Deserve It
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #OurFuture, democracy, elections, Thoughts, voting on November 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The US midterm elections are today, and I can’t think of a better day to exercise your rights as a citizen! I’ve written about voting before but today, I want to re-share a couple of helpful links in case you have questions about getting to the polls:
Polling Place Locator – Vote.org
If you have more questions or run into issues, there’s also this election protection hotline (complete with memorable phone numbers!): 866ourvote.org
- English 866-OUR-VOTE: 866-687-8683
- Spanish/English 888-VE-Y-VOTA: 888-839-8682
- Asian Languages/English 888-API-VOTE: 888-274-8683
- Arabic/English 844-YALLA-US: 844-925-5287
Because we all deserve a say in our future.
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On the Side of Kindness
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, children, kindness, Thoughts on November 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I am the sort of person who likes setting out basic rules for myself. They make decisions easier when there are a lot of options, yay, but what happens when two rules come in conflict with each other?
Take this weekend, for example. I have a standing rule to support children who come to the door. We’ve donated bottles to girls doing recycling drives for their ringette teams. We buy chocolate from school kids raising money for classroom projects. And of course we buy cookies from Girl Guides. So when two boys came by with rakes asking if we needed some help cleaning up the leaves in our yard, I had a problem.
We don’t clean up the leaves, generally. We mow them so they provide fertilizer and protection for critters over the winter. We just hadn’t gotten around to the mowing part yet, and these budding entrepreneurs had noticed.
So, what to do when my two directives came into conflict? I decided to err on the side of kindness.
The boys did a good job cleaning up the yard. And when the rest of the leaves fall from the trees, we’ll leave them for the winter. That way we support the next generation of kids, and critters too.
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He Made It So
Posted in Entertainment, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration, memories, patrick-stewart, sci-fi, science fiction, star trek, television, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
If you’re reading this sci-fi curious blog you probably already know that Sir Patrick Stewart has died. I wanted to share two of the pieces I read about his life and career:
Patrick Stewart, star of ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men,’ has died
Sir Patrick Stewart’s most famous characters tackled concepts such as honor, morality and courage…
Patrick Stewart, ‘Star Trek’ Captain and Professor X on ‘X-Men,’ Dies at 86
By the time he became a screen star, Mr. Stewart was a lauded stage veteran in Britain, where he began working with the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. After making his first public stage appearance at 19, he performed in both classical and contemporary works alongside fellow up-and-coming actors like Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren and Glenda Jackson… To most American film and television fans, however, he was always Picard, even after the “X-Men” movies. And though in terms of substance the character may have been light years removed from his meatier roles with the R.S.C., Mr. Stewart continued to express pride in his work as that resolute ship captain, dismissing theater-world peers who had looked askance at him when he went to Hollywood.
Growing up without a television meant no Star Trek when I was a child; it was a fandom I came to later, and Stewart was a big part of that.
His talent brought gravitas and sincerity to a series that could have been just another show filled with sci-fi shenanigans. I mean, reruns of Knight Rider and Battlestar Galactica and the like were fun, but they didn’t spend a lot of time tackling the critical moral and societal issues of the day. The Next Generation did that and more, and Stewart was a big part of making the show as good as it was.
Of course, he also played Charles Xavier in the X-Men and a whole host of stage characters. Each of his fans will have a favorite role, but for me, it’s Captain Picard.
…
Ok, maybe more than two articles!
I thought this was a terrific call-out to sci-fi in general and Stewart in particular for inspiring humanity to move forward:
As Picard on ‘Star Trek’, Patrick Stewart Impacted Generations of Scientists
Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday, was many things to many people: a world-renowned actor, a knight of the realm, a patron of the arts, a tireless fighter for raising awareness of domestic abuse. And for millions, Mr. Stewart will chiefly be remembered as Jean-Luc Picard, the stoic, pacifist captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise who first appeared in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Mr. Stewart’s iconic character was also a source of inspiration for thousands of space scientists.
And finally, a heartfelt reaction from Wil Wheaton, who was Stewart’s castmate on TNG:
I wish I really were a Traveler of all of space and time.
I wish I really were a Traveler of all of space and time, so I could go to him, one final time, and tell him how much he means to me. I think he knew, but still.
A lot of the cultural touchstones of the sci-fi community are leaving us (Walter Koenig, who played Ensign Chekov in the original Star Trek, also passed away this week), and that’s hard. But it’s also a touching reminder that their lives changed us, and for the better.
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Why Are Pencils Yellow?
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, history, innovation, pencils, technology, writing on October 28, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Today, an interesting bit of writing-related history from Moss & Fog!
Why Are Pencils Yellow? The Surprising History of the No. 2 Pencil
Here’s how a lump of English sheep-marking rock, a French inventor, an Austrian pencil maker and a famous diamond added up to the most familiar object on your desk.
True, pencils aren’t all yellow, but many are. The why can be traced back to a luxury pencil maker who named their version after the Koh-i-Noor diamond and exhibited the fancy yellow writing tool at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, which also showcased the Eiffel Tower.
Just a few of the other interesting facts I did not know before reading this article: Henry David Thoreau’s father ran a pencil business, and young Henry was an innovator in the graphite grinding space. Pencils started as boring, unpainted, round shadows of their current glory. And reassuringly, calling it “lead” is rooted in a centuries-old case of mistaken identity. There has never been any lead in pencils.
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Windows on the World
Posted in Other, Entertainment, tagged inspiration, #365Ways, #365Ways2026, the world, webcams, downtime on October 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Need a bit of a break? Want a window into another perspective on the world? This site might be for you (note, I had to use Chrome to see the full site; if you get a mostly blank page consider trying another browser):
How to restore your online sanity, one webcam at a time – Big Think
Despite their wildly different settings, these feeds share a key trait: a complete lack of narrative and drama. Nothing happens. And that’s precisely the point, because what a glorious relief this is.
Not that I’m down on narrative, because you know I like stories, but having the opportunity to create your own (or to just watch with no agenda)? Now that’s fun.
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Autumn Trees
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, autumn, Thoughts, trees on October 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” ― Chad Sugg
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A Radical Librarian
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, access, books, inspiration, librarians, libraries, reading on October 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Yesterday’s quote on radical empathy was the perfect set-up for today’s post about a woman who is practicing it. With books!
Baltimore Woman Brings Free Books to Hundreds of Kids With Magical Trolley
Ms. Maze, who calls herself a “radical street librarian,” has gone viral on TikTok for delivering free books to hundreds of children in the Baltimore area via a trolley. The green and gold vehicle transports children to a “magical” place where they can discover which genres excite them and develop an appreciation for reading…
How wonderful!
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Stay Radical
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, quotes, Thoughts on October 13, 2026| 1 Comment »
“Empathy is the most radical of human emotions.” — Gloria Steinem
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