“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
— Thomas Edison
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Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’
Applies to Everything
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, persistence, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on October 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »
StoryBundle Last Call!
Posted in Entertainment, Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, adventure, creativity, deals, Fiction, genre fiction, inspiration, science fiction, Writers, writing on October 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
It’s last call for StoryBundle’s To the Stars Adventure SciFi bundle, featuring Writers of the Future v.39 and so much more!
This new StoryBundle will take your autumn, and your e-reader, to the far edges of the universe. Curated by bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson, this cosmic batch of eighteen books showcases the range of epic science fiction, from galactic empires to time-travel adventures to alien invasions. These books are from classic award-winning science fiction authors and hot new indie authors.
Only a few hours left to grab this Great Deal on Sci-Fi. Enjoy!
Am I biased? Sure, I happen to think our collection is great. But the bundle is curated by Kevin J. Anderson and also includes books by other names sci-fi/fantasy fans may have heard of, like Todd McCaffrey and Nancy Kress, as well as others I look forward to discovering.
Enjoy!
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There’s Always A Right Person
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers on October 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“It’s the people, in the end, isn’t it?” says Viktor. “It’s always the people. You can move halfway around the world to find your perfect life, move to Australia if you like, but it always comes down to the people you meet.”
― Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed
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Path for the People
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, nature, Thoughts on October 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The weather today is beautiful and I wish I could go outside for a walk. Sadly, work, so instead I was happy to see this Google Doodle commemorating one of the world’s great hikes, the Appalachian Trail.
Here’s the Doodle.
For more on the Trail, here’s the National Park Service site to give you a sense of what it’s like… minus the bugs.
Appalachian National Scenic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.
I haven’t hiked the Trail but a lot of my best childhood moments revolved around the woods in the Allegheny Mountains, part of the central section of the Appalachians. My father also recently sent out a collection of his backpacking memories, which were great to read. (Although how he wasn’t eaten by a bear or something is beyond me.)
The beauty of these mountains, however, is something special.
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Measure of Achievement
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, inspiration, quoteandaprettypicture, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The measure of achievement is not winning awards. It’s doing something that you appreciate, something you believe is worthwhile.
— Julia Child
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A Special Delivery
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #MyBuddyBennu, cool stuff, inspiration, NASA, science on September 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today, we hope to receive a very special delivery: a capsule containing a sample of an asteroid.
The OSIRIS-REx mission has been in progress for over seven years. Today we find out if its ultimate goal is successful.
In Depth | OSIRIS-REx – NASA Solar System Exploration
The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is the first U.S. spacecraft to collect a sample from an asteroid. OSIRIS-REx traveled to near-Earth asteroid Bennu and is bringing a small sample to Earth for study…
The mission, developed by scientists at the University of Arizona, will give us more information about how the early solar system formed and about how life began. It will also help us better understand asteroids that could impact Earth in the future.
The plan is for the return capsule to land at the Defense Department’s Utah Test and Training Range. If successful, humanity will have the opportunity to study pristine asteroid material.
Interested in videos, activities, and other information about the mission? Here you go:
OSIRIS-REx Resources – NASA Solar System Exploration
The capsule is expected to land at approximately 10:55am Eastern time. Want to watch the livestream? Me too:)
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample Return (Official 4K NASA Broadcast)
* Spoiler alert! The mission was a success!
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Irresponsible Speculations in Art History, or, Lady Giselle’s Night Watch
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, art, art history, inspiration, Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Rijksstudio, Thoughts, wild musings on September 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Let me preface this musing with the statement that I know very little about art, art history, Rembrandt, Dutch social history of the 17th century, or most related issues.
I do, however, know that dead chickens and fashion don’t usually mix.
Two of my parental units visited the Rijksmuseum this summer and saw The Night Watch, which inspired a recent discussion about the painting’s history, size and purpose. I pulled up the digital version on the museum’s website so that we could examine the details. The page was still up on my phone when I opened my browser today, and I decided to zoom in on the strangest element in the picture: a well-dressed woman in the midst of a group of heavily armed and armored men, her figure, clothing and purse, all glowing as if under a spotlight.
I take that back. She wasn’t the strangest thing about this picture. The strangest thing was that the aforementioned well-dressed woman was wearing… a chicken?
One thing I love about the move to digitize many museum holdings is that you can see details not usually visible, unless you are viewing the art in person. Using the Rijksmuseum’s Rijksstudio, I was able to zoom in on the subject in question and inspect her unusual accessory. Here it is:
That inspired this exchange with my father:
Again, I know very little about art history and am probably wrong about every single bit of this. I am having fun speculating on the importance of that well-dressed woman, her prominently featured silk purse, and of course, her chicken.
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Worlds of Their Own
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, @postsecret, creativity, Fiction, ideas, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 21, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Other people are some of the best, most interesting sources for story ideas, if you can find your way behind their facades.
Most of us would prefer to avoid awkward conversations with strangers, however.
PostSecret is one way to get a glimpse of the former without the latter.
You are invited to anonymously contribute a secret to a group art project. Your secret can be a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, confession or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything – as long
as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before.
Some secrets are funny, some poignant, and all are reminders that every person you meet is a complex, ever-changing world of their own.
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Here They Do Magick
Posted in Likes, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, fantasy, genre fiction, inspiration, maps, Writers on September 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Yes, the internet can sometimes be a bit of a drag, but then you stumble across the one thing your six-year-old heart most desired: A map of Fairyland.
An anciente mappe of Fairyland – newly discovered and set forth
Found when perusing Texas A&M Libraries’ Maps of Imaginary Places.
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That Day, and After
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, 9/11, heroes, inspiration, memories, Thoughts on September 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
On this day in 2001 I was home in Pennsylvania, getting ready to fly back to Boston. At least that was the plan, until I got a call telling me that all flights had been grounded.
For more on what was behind the cancellation of my flight, and all the others, check out this article from Now I Know:
In all, Ben Sliney’s initiative makes for an incredible story. When Universal Pictures decided to turn the heroism of the passengers of United Flight 93 into a movie, they did not overlook Ben Sliney’s role — they even asked him to play himself in the movie…
Here’s to all the heroes from that day, and after.
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