13 seconds?! Impressive!
Japanese Speed Gift Wrapping, an art and cultural tradition of careHow to wrap presents
And for more details, here’s a tutorial series on How to wrap presents Japanese-style.
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Posted in Holidays, Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, learning new things, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
It’s that time of year again, when the holidays come knocking and we’re all busy busy busy.
What’s that, you say? Must be time for a holiday round of quotes and pretty pictures? Right you are! I’ll get on that, and also dig through my special folder of fun and nonsense, looking for things that may excite and delight.
Whatever you’re planning in the next little while, I hope you have time for the sort of goodness and light we could all use these days.
Happy holidays!
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Posted in Holidays | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, holidays, look for what's good, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
It’s that time again!
Yes, the darkest day of the year is here, but that means brighter days are ahead.
Sunday is the shortest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical winter.
That’s right, if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. (And if you’d like a quick reminder of the astronomy of it all, this one’s helpful: December Solstice 2025.)
So light a candle (physical or metaphorical, your choice!), and look ahead to a brighter future.
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Posted in Other, Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, astronomy, science, solstice, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
“…there there might not be angels, but there are people who might as well be angels.”
― David Foster Wallace
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, goodwill, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
I ran across this short piece by Brian Lewis (self-described Cosmic Poet, which is awesome), and wanted to share.
In the fall of 1929, with America days away from financial ruin, Joseph Campbell committed what everyone called “professional suicide.” He walked into his advisor’s office at Columbia—degree in hand, future within reach—and announced, calmly, boldly, disastrously: “I don’t want one field. I want all of them.”
Yes, that Joseph Campbell, Mister Hero with a Thousand Faces.
By now, most of us have heard about Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, and how it distills thousands of years of mythology into a useful, easily transferrable model to help reach an audience.
(It also generated follow-on models, including Gail Carriger’s Heroine’s Journey.)
But how did Campbell build that original model? The essay shares some of the backstory of that process, and was full of new-to-me details. How did Campbell go from obscurity to one of the best known framers of storytelling?
Read the full essay for more. And yes, George Lucas plays a significant role:)
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, history, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
Your first workout will be bad.
Your first podcast will be bad.
Your first speech will be bad.
Your first video will be bad.
Your first ANYTHING will be bad.
but you cant make your 100th without making your first.
So put your ego aside, and start.
— Alec Zamora
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing | Leave a Comment »
Rob Reiner, Actor Who Went on to Direct Classic Films, Dies at 78
“People take a look at ‘Princess Bride,’ and exclaim, ‘God, this is such an odd conglomeration!’” Mr. Reiner told The New York Times shortly after the movie was released in 1987. “‘How could you balance all those things?’”
“But it didn’t seem all that strange to me,” he went on, “because those are all parts of my personality. I’ve definitely got this satirical side to me, and this romantic side, and this more realistic way of looking at things.”
I don’t know about you, but Reiner’s eclectic approach to storytelling was one of the things I loved about his work. That and the clever humor, the touching moments, and the personal stories.
My favorite quote from this statement, Close friends of Rob and Michele Reiner release statement on their lives and work, is a reminder that we all make an impact.
“Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?” — from It’s a Wonderful Life
Maybe we’ll watch The Princess Bride this weekend. Or Stand by Me. Or Spinal Tap. Or When Harry Met Sally. Or A Few Good Men. Or or or.
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Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, storytellers, Thoughts, Writers | Leave a Comment »
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Posted in Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
People often ask me what is the most effective technique for transforming their life. It is a little embarrassing that after years and years of research and experimentation, I have to say that the best answer is – just be a little kinder.
— Aldous Huxley
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Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Last month marked 25 years of humanity’s continuous presence in orbit around this fair planet.
25 years, one website: ISS in Real Time captures quarter-century on space station
Two NASA contractors, working only during their off hours, have built a portal into all of those resources to uniquely represent the 25-year history of ISS occupancy.
ISS in Real Time, by Ben Feist and David Charney, went live on Monday (October 27), ahead of the November 2 anniversary. In its own way, the new website may be as impressive a software engineering accomplishment as the station is an aerospace engineering marvel.
It’s a good story about persistence and creativity, and it’s great to have all of this history and knowledge in one place.
It’s also easy to get bogged down in the trials of life and forget what’s good. But really? Our adventures in space are pretty incredible. For most of our species’ existence we’ve looked up at the stars and dreamed. And now?
Look! Look what we did!
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Posted in Science! | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, accomplishments, cool projects, creativity, history, inspiration, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
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