Super serious science/nature question here, folks: does any one have any idea why the squirrels would go crazy over our mock orange shrub? They spend a great deal of time trying to grab certain branches and eat them.
Is it the plant, or some fungus that provides the world’s best squirrel high?
Inquiring minds want to know!
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, nature, questions, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Sadly, it looks like the Ispace lander Resilience did not make a successful landing on the moon yesterday. (If it did land, it’s harboring enough resentment about the process that it’s refusing to pick up the phone.)
Ispace fails in moon landing attempt, confirms Resilience likely crashed into the moon | CNN
Ispace has gone out of its way to make clear that it’s not giving up. The motto underpinning today’s mission was “never quit the lunar quest.” And by all accounts, the company has every intention of sticking with these moon missions until they succeed.
Let this be a lesson to all you aspiring creatives out there. Never quit! (And maybe name the next lander Persistence?)
* * *
Posted in Science!, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, failure, inspiration, moon, science, space, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Any plans for this afternoon? Nothing special? Then you might be interested in checking out a moon landing.
Japanese company ispace will attempt historic moon landing on June 5 | Space
The Resilience lander is currently orbiting the moon as it prepares to land within Mare Frigoris (“Sea of Cold”) in the northern hemisphere. The landing is scheduled for Thursday at 3:17 p.m. EDT (1917 GMT; or 4:17 a.m. Japan Standard Time on Friday, June 6)… If Resilience lands successfully, it is expected to operate for up to two weeks (one lunar day) on the moon’s surface before succumbing to the deep cold of lunar night.
That’s right, a private company is attempting a moon landing today. Is the privatization of space a good thing? A bad thing? It’s certainly an interesting progression of humanity’s extra-planetary exploration, always fascinating material for science fiction writers.
And we can watch!
(“the deep cold of lunar night”: is that a great phrase or what?)
Quick update: the landing time changed a bit due to orbital mechanics or something fancy like that, but more importantly, controllers are waiting to find out if it landed safely and can establish contact. Updates via CNN…
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, science, space, Thoughts, Writers | 1 Comment »
From the good folks at xkcd, a lesson for anyone with a seemingly impossible project or an unwieldy to do list.
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
I could go into a whole thing about history and how it’s cool, or ancient civilizations and how they are cool, or uncovering architectural ruins that were foundations for lives lived once upon a time (and how that’s cool), but as I’m on deadline at the day job I’ll just leave you with this:
How Civilizations Built on Top of Each Other: Discover What Lies Beneath Rome, Troy & Other Cities
The idea of discovering a lost ancient city underground has long captured the human imagination. But why are the abandoned built environments of those fantasies always buried? The answer, in large part, is that such places do indeed exist under our feet, at least in certain parts of the world.
And it’s not just places like Rome or London. Cities like New York and Paris also have underground layers, and some cities were built in or under the earth.
I also enjoy this image of a cross-section of the A303 in England, which runs from Hampshire to Devon via Stonehenge (or so Wikipedia tells me, I haven’t been!).
In case you, too, have always wondered about the history beneath your feet!
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, history, inspiration, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
It’s Monday and I’m working working working. I’m also long on creative ideas but short on finished drafts, so let’s enjoy another quote from Hank Green and get back to it!
“There’s no better use of a day than learning something new.”
— Hank Green
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
I recently asked my father to check my “in case of emergency” documents to see if he thought anything was missing. What can I say, I like to plan ahead. I’ve seen enough aftermath by now to realize that one of the best things you can do for your loved ones is to be prepared. I’m also sure I’m still missing some things, which is why I wanted an experienced set of eyes on the situation. (And by that I mean lawyer-level prepared, not “I bought this kit/took random advice off the internet and am sure it will all be fine” prepared.)
Opener to my text:
At some point I’d appreciate it if you would check the ICE folder and pretend we’re dead 🙁
Very sad. But the good news is that we’re not dead yet! My text closing:
/ok, not dead anymore. rejoice!
And I will.
There’s a certain joy to actively realizing that despite the sprawling expanse of history and the billions of people who have lived and died before me (and will come after), I, right now, in this moment, am alive. And so are you.
Hooray!
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, planning ahead, Thoughts | Leave a Comment »
Super productive morning, semi-lazy afternoon. With books!
The Science of Storytelling: How can reading books change our brains?
What happens inside our brains when we read? How does the science of storytelling explain the power of narratives to shape our minds? In what ways do stories make us uniquely human?
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, storytelling, Thoughts, writing | Leave a Comment »
“Do. Not. Forget. how special and bizarre it is to get to live a human life. It took 3 billion years for the Earth to go from single-celled life forms to you. That’s more than a quarter of the life of the entire universe. Something very special and strange is happening on this planet and it is you.”
— Hank Green, 2025 Commencement address, MIT
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts | 1 Comment »
It’s overcast and rainy today, and the kind of quiet that lends itself to creative thinking, at least for me. The perfect sort of day to learn about a new art, like kumiko and mageki.
What, you may ask, are those? A kind of magic balancing geometry and nature.
Kumiko Woodworking and Mageki Woodbending
Thin pieces of Japanese cedar or cypress wood are shaved and shaped precisely before fitting into delicate patterns. No nails are required. The art of Kumiko woodworking blossomed during Japan’s Asuka Era (600-700 AD) and “has since been refined and passed down through generations of craftsmen who are passionate about the tradition…”
(This sort of thing appeals to me on a lot of levels. Not only is it an amazing craft, but it gets my creative mind thinking about interesting story ideas.)
No nails. No glue!
Just precision and symmetry in perfect balance.
* * *
Posted in Other | Tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, traditional craft | Leave a Comment »
You must be logged in to post a comment.