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Posts Tagged ‘#365Ways2024’

Creative History

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , on April 26, 2024| Leave a Comment »

This one’s for my father, who would slow down family road trips by pulling over at every historical marker we passed.

How historical markers and monuments rewrite U.S. history : NPR

Over the past year, NPR analyzed a database crowdsourced by thousands of hobbyists, looking to uncover the patterns, errors and problems with the country’s markers. The effort revealed a fractured and often confused telling of the American story, where offensive lies live with impunity, history is distorted and errors are sometimes as funny as they are strange.

There are markers memorializing 14 ghosts, two witches, one vampire, a wizard and a couple who, a New Hampshire marker says, may have been abducted by aliens.

I did not know that these markers aren’t necessarily official. So if you stop at a marker, enjoy the fun of discovering new things, while remembering that they might not always be true.

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We stopped for this?
via fal.ai

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Better with Magic

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2024| Leave a Comment »

A phrase in a recent Storybundle promo caught my eye: “real life would be better if it had magic.”

Not that I actually think there are werewolves and vampires lurking around every corner, and I definitely believe in the power of science and all its wonders, but in general? I couldn’t agree more.

For me, magic is possibility. 

Magic is the sure and certain knowledge that while we like to think we know everything the world has to offer, we do not.

I find that encouraging. You may have noticed that our world has a number of pressing issues, from the social to the political to the environmental. It would be wonderful to be able to pull out a magic wand and make those problems go away, but that’s not how our magic works.

Our magic is anchored in reality. I’ve talked about this idea before, but think it bears repeating. Just like the best fantasy, it relies on people (that’s you and that’s me) who care about their family, their friends, and their communities. 

This form of magic is slower, yes, but surer. A rogue warlock can’t come along one day and upend everything we’ve worked for, just because he stole a forbidden spell from the archives of Alexandria-Under-Sea. (The Lernaean Hydra has been protecting those archives for centuries, thankfully! If you visit, tell him I sent you. And bring salmon snacks, he loves those.)

It also means that the problems and constraints we face today aren’t necessarily permanent. Not if we continue to study, to observe, to understand the world around us. (To quote Kurt Vonnegut, science is magic that works.) Not if we understand that every face is a mirror of our own humanity. Not if we are brave and focused and keep our eyes on our goals.

And if someone tells you that there is no hope? That you might as well give up?

Don’t listen to them.

So what if you’ve misplaced your magic wand. That’s ok, you can still be a hero. You can make your own magic.

Just embrace a world of possibilities. And then work to make it real.

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Photo by Lena Polishko on Unsplash

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Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait. What?

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on April 24, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I had no idea that growing up in a library was an option. Here, something to watch while I question my family’s life choices;)

The Temple of Knowledge – YouTube

Ronald Clark’s father was custodian of a branch of the New York Public Library at a time when caretakers, along with their families, lived in the buildings. With his daughter, Jamilah, Ronald remembers literally growing up in a library, creeping down to the stacks in the middle of the night when curiosity gripped him. A story for anyone who’s ever dreamt of having unrestricted access to books.

— via The Kid Should See This

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Photo by Janesca on Unsplash

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Habits: On Making and Breaking

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on April 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Some habits are good, some not so much. How do you break a bad habit (just as a totally random example, like jumping straight into day job work instead of carving out a bit of time for creativity)? 

It’s National Poetry Month, so here’s a poem on the subject. And while I don’t necessarily agree with the slightly depressing penultimate line (“unhelped, alone”), I do think the larger message is a good one: if you made it, you can break it.

Habit

How shall I a habit break?

As you did that habit make.

As you gathered, you must lose;

As you yielded, now refuse.

Thread by thread the strands we twist,

Till they bind us, neck and wrist;

Thread by thread the patient hand

Must untwine, ere free we stad;

As we builded, stone by stone,

We must toil unhelped, alone,

Till the wall is overthrown.

— John Boyle O’Reilly

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Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash

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Earth Day: What’s Good

Posted in Holidays, Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on April 22, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Today is work work work but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about what’s good for the planet. If you are looking for ideas on what to do and how to do it, check out the Earth Day 2024 website or this Earth Day Action Toolkit.

And for ideas on how interacting with nature can help change our perspective, here’s an article by documentary film maker and student of octopi Craig Foster:

Earth Day 2024: ‘Saving the Planet’ Is the Wrong Goal

I was gifted with a new way of seeing the day I got mugged underwater…

Note to self: do not swim with novel shiny things!

As we’re discussing octopi and how they see the world, let me also recommend Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Is it fiction? Maybe!

(And yes, my favorite character was the octopus.)

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Photo by sheri silver on Unsplash

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Do You Sci-Fi?

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on April 21, 2024| Leave a Comment »

I looked at the calendar and realized that a year ago, I was fresh off the plane and joining my fellow Writers of the Future winners in Los Angeles. Sleep deprivation aside, the week-long workshop was a fascinating experience and one which opened connections to a great group of people. Meeting and learning from contest judges and other famous writers opened some amazing doors, of course, but joining a cohort of excellent new writers was also incredibly rewarding. 

If you are an amateur writer or illustrator with an interest in science fiction or fantasy, consider entering Writers of the Future. It’s free and includes four submission windows per year. The next deadline is June 30, 2024; visit the above links for more detailed information. 

Not sure you’re ready, or just want to learn more about how to write a good story? Check out the free online writing workshop, with videos from judges David Farland, Orson Scott Card, and Tim Powers.

Because the world needs more fantastic fiction.

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Photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash

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Got the Munchies?

Posted in Food and..., Holidays, tagged , , , on April 20, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Maybe AI can help:

Food Mood — Google Arts & Culture

Get inspiration for your next meal and create new recipes mixing influences from two cuisines, generated with the help of Google AI.

I decided to mix Ireland and Sweden. On the face of it, at least, the basic concept of baked salmon and mashed potatoes wasn’t terrible (although the AI-generated image was a little off base).

Or break out the chips. You do you.

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Photo by Ryan Quintal on Unsplash

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Sorry, Censor…

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on April 19, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Upon realizing that the day is passing by much later than I hoped:

My internal writing censor: You should be writing!

Me: I tried, I mean, I’ve been at the computer all day and everything!

Censor: Did you work on your day job and bills and that house project you need to sort out? Did you take a break for lunch? Did you do (pauses dramatically) multiple loads of laundry?!

Me: It’s true, I did all of those things.

Censor: And you say you tried.

So judgy! Sorry, Censor. Some days it just doesn’t happen, and that’s got to be ok.

Onward!

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Photo by yue su on Unsplash

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It’s A Trap!

Posted in Writing, tagged , , on April 18, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Being careful is smart.

Being perfect is unattainable, and seeking perfection is a trap.

— Seth Godin

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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

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Today in Tech

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on April 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

In“day’s Problms in Tech”Ii prreesent 

In “Today’s Problem in Tech” I present severe yet intermittent keyboard lag. The above is an example of what I’m dealing with, so no writing for me until I find a way around this problem.

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Pencil and paper: I’ll do it, computer, you know I will! Photo by David Pennington on Unsplash

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