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Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

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Photo by Vincent Ledvina on Unsplash

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Today is (once again) March 14th or Pi Day. For some background, I’ve written about it before:

3.14 a.k.a. Pi Day

No Pie for Pi Day. Books Instead!

Blueberry Orange Pie

Because today is a Monday there will be no pie for me, but it turns out my every waking moment is likely touched by pi. Yours too.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the history of pi and how embedded it’s become in our daily life.*

Pi Day: How One Irrational Number Made Us Modern

In every field of human endeavor, from reconstructive facial surgery to the simulation of air flowing past a jet’s wing, billions of tiny, discrete elements stand in for an inherently smooth and analog reality. It all began with the computation of pi. Pi represents a mathematical limit: an aspiration toward the perfect curve, steady progress toward the unreachable star.

So I will appreciate all the ways the irrational infinite has come to shape our rational, finite experience.

Also maybe later this week, dessert.

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Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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* Here’s a bit more history for those who are interested: Which Came First, The Algorithm or the Pi? – Now I Know.

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“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King

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Photo by Jeb Buchman on Unsplash

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Need to take a quick break, maybe get off the planet for a bit? Now’s a great time to visit the Moon!

Send your name to the Moon with NASA’s Artemis mission!

Send Your Name to Space

Add your name here to have it included on a flash drive that will fly aboard Artemis I.

You could even do a little public service and cleanup litter once you’re up there, because Space Junk Just Crashed Into the Far Side of the Moon at 5,800 MPH.

While we’re talking space, you can also check out the current Location Map for Perseverance Rover.

Because sometimes it’s nice to be reminded of the good that humans can do, too.

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Photo by Silas van Overeem on Unsplash

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My father is not into Wordle. I’ll admit that I was a little surprised to learn that the man who helped teach me to read, let us bring books to the dinner table (and anywhere else), and encouraged my every literary step looked at Wordle and said, “Meh, I’m just not that into you.”

But hey, that’s cool. To each their own, right? And today I found something that music lovers like him might prefer.

Meet Heardle – That daily musical intros game.

The answer library appears to draw mostly/exclusively from popular music so it may not be my father’s thing (a classical version would be perfect), but it’s fun to see people pushing the original idea out into other, equally creative spaces.

Speaking of spaces, geography nerds can also check out Worldle. Guess the country from a map outline and clues that hint at distance and direction.

Creative and fun!

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Photo by blocks on Unsplash

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What with the war and the climate and the pandemic and all, the news can be a bit of a nightmare these days. Sometimes it can be hard to stay positive. What might take the edge off?

How about a pep talk from kindergartners?

A new hotline offers pep talks from kindergartners : NPR

If you need a pep talk from kindergartners, press 3. If you need to hear kids laughing with delight, press 4.

Yes, please. And thank you.

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Photo by Ben Wicks on Unsplash

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If you have ever needed to write a ransom-style note* but the decline of printed news has you at a loss, worry no more!

Polona Typo has come to the rescue!

Like many libraries, the National Library of Poland has digitized many of its holdings. They also have an interface that allows you to convert text into images based on scanned letters from their collection.

Sure, there are lots of ransom note generators out there (maybe too many; what are people up to?) but I like mine with a bit of history.

The Polona Typo project, based on the new Polona API, makes it possible to type, share and print your own sentences using thousands of letters from the books, posters and maps created over more than six centuries. Enjoy!

Test it out, reload to get a whole new look or click on individual letters to re-roll one at a time. Download and enjoy (responsibly, of course!).

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Courtesy Polona Typo.

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* Not an actual ransom note, of course. That would be wrong.

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Because some days it’s nice to be reminded that just because something looks impossible doesn’t mean that it is.

Realistic Catfish Drawing Looks Like It’s Swimming Off the Page

The linked video makes the illusion particularly clear.

In completely unrelated news, I’m almost done with my taxes.

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Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels.com

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“I have two questions for you,” I said. “One: Do you want to do better?” …

“Here’s my second question: Are you willing to feel the discomfort of putting in more effort and trying new things that will feel weird and different and won’t work right away?”

— Peter Bregman, If You Want to Get Better at Something, Ask Yourself These Two Questions

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Photo by lingda kong on Unsplash

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I have three bags of chocolate, white, milk and dark, 5.5 pounds each. (Thanks, Costco!)

Time to perfect multiple variations of that tofu chocolate pudding recipe, don’t you think?

See you on the other side!*

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* Yes, I’ve been working on my taxes. No, they are not done. Yes, chocolate will help. Obviously!

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Photo by Maria Georgieva on Unsplash

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