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Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

What Comes Next?

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on January 6, 2024| 1 Comment »

As I’ve mentioned here before, I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions. That said, I am not immune to the “fresh start effect,” which can make it easier to begin new projects, habits, or other goals around a new week, month, or year. 

So today I’m considering what new projects, habits and goals I want to bring with me into 2024.

And whether you’re the sort of person who makes resolutions or not, this article may help with next steps.

How to keep your New Year’s resolutions according to a behavioral economist (Planet Money podcast, with transcript)

It’s the first full week of 2022, and many of us are already feeling the “fresh start effect,” according to behavioral economist Katy Milkman. We’re excited to pursue new goals and we feel a renewed sense of purpose that new beginnings can bring. Still, keeping New Year’s resolutions is often easier said than done.

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Photo by Brian Mann on Unsplash

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Just Living

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on January 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live.”

— Joan Didion

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Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash

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This Is the Way

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on December 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art.”

— Taylor Swift

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Photo by Keith Hardy on Unsplash

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What Is It Like?

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be someone else, either because you need background for a character or because some days, daydreaming about a different life is all that’s standing between you and a very impolitic email to your boss, this podcast may interest you!

What It’s Like To Be…

Curious what it would be like to walk in someone else’s (work) shoes? Join New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath as he explores the world of work, one profession at a time, and interviews people who love what they do. What does a couples therapist think when a friend asks for relationship advice? What happens if a welder fails to wear safety glasses? What can get a stadium beer vendor fired? If you’ve ever met someone whose work you were curious about, and you had 100 nosy questions but were too polite to ask … well, this is the show for you. 

Today’s episode? What it’s like to be A Professional Santa Claus.

You know you want to know!

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Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash

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Rare Event

Posted in Science!, tagged , , , , , , on December 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Want to see a rare astronomical event tonight? (And really, why wouldn’t you?)

The extremely rare Betelgeuse occultation by asteroid (319) Leona

For a very short time, we will see the legendary Orion constellation without its famous, orange shoulder, as it will be in the distant future, once Betelgeuse will have exploded as a supernova and faded to black.

Hey, I like Orion! What’s this all about?

Watch an asteroid eclipse the puzzling red giant star Betelgeuse tonight live online

At at 8:17 p.m. EST Monday (Dec. 11) (0117 GMT, Dec. 12), an asteroid will pass in front of the curious red star Betelgeuse, eclipsing it from our vantage point here on Earth and blocking it from view for up to 15 seconds in an event known as an occultation. The asteroid is known as 319 Leona, a main belt object that orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Shaped roughly like an egg, 319 Leona measures some 50 by 34 miles (80 x 55 kilometers) in size.

Here’s a link to live coverage of the event.

So Orion’s loss is temporary, and will also help scientists better understand both the asteroid’s shape and the star’s characteristics. No Tim Burton movie required!

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via Microsoft Image Creator: graphic illustration stamp of a star over mountains in winter, with a passing asteroid

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Worlds That Never Were

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on December 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere.

— Carl Sagan

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Photo by Michal Vrba on Unsplash

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This Guy!

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »

I was feeling pretty not terrible about closing in on three years of daily posts here, but this guy! Writing, recording and releasing an album every day? Seriously impressive.

‘Like brushing my teeth’: how Michiru Aoyama writes, records and releases an album every day

For two years, the Kyoto musician has risen at five, watched football, then made an eight-track album of super-deep ambient music – while fitting in a two-hour walk.

I’m still feeling not terrible about my streak, but this gives me an extra dose of inspiration. Win win!

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Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

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Sound in Space, Alien and Otherwise

Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on December 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Why isn’t there any sound in space? An astronomer explains why in space no one can hear you scream

In space, no one can hear you scream.

You may have heard this saying. It’s the tagline from the famous 1979 science fiction movie “Alien.” It’s a scary thought, but is it true? The simple answer is yes, no one can hear you scream in space because there is no sound or echo in space.

I’m a professor of astronomy, which means I study space and how it works. Space is silent – for the most part.

University of Arizona Distinguished Professor of Astronomy Chris Impey explains the science behind the Alien tagline, showcases slinkies as sound waves, and discusses why humans can’t speak across space but phenomena like galaxies and black holes can.

Also, a fun fact I did not know: “The word vacuum comes from the Latin word for empty.”

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Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash

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Going Far

Posted in Likes, tagged , , , on December 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »

“For me, I am driven by two main philosophies: know more today about the world than I knew yesterday and lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.”

― Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Photo by Andrew Svk on Unsplash

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Wherever You Go, There You Are

Posted in Entertainment, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »

So there we were, about to turn off the television when Mr Man and I realized that the actor on screen was David Elsendoorn, who played rude Dutch player Jan Maas in Ted Lasso. Upon closer inspection, we realized that the movie was a moderately well disguised promo for the lovely Unesco World Heritage city of Bergen in Norway. 

Having just discussed the clever and funny (and sadly not real) movie Dundee from Tourism Australia, we felt that this was an excellent use of a Hallmark-style movie. 

A moment later, a shot of the Bergen sign at the city’s airport popped up on screen. By Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, the sign has letters that are 5.5 meters high and weigh 2.5 tons, and is meant to be “existentialist and poetic.” Competition judges apparently had a healthy dose of Scandinavian wit, because the sign reads “Bergen?” 

Everyone can put what they want in the question mark, and there are no wrong answers

It certainly gave me ideas, the shortest of which is this six-word story:

Stupid unpredictable teleportation. Welcome to Bergen?

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Photo by Carlos Torres on Unsplash

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