Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, a bit of fun, creativity, fond memories, inspiration, Thoughts on August 5, 2025| 1 Comment »
Have a few minutes to let your inner child run free?
Perhaps you have fond memories of staring up at the sky during summer break, letting clouds drift across your subconscious until “Look! An elephant! An pterodactyl! Jabba the Hutt!”
If so, this site might be just the thing for you:
Cloud Drawing Gallery – Create & Share Cloud Art
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Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, ISS, NASA, science, space, technology, Thoughts, Writers on August 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I have a folder of interesting articles, quotes, and ideas. When the cicadas are buzzing and the temperature is too hot to think of anything particularly timely, I search that folder for stories that might interest you.
Today, this treasure trove of ideas wants you to know about a critical space station issue: water.
When you’re on a camping trip, you might have to pack your own food and maybe something to filter or treat water that you find. But imagine your campsite is in space, where there’s no water, and packing jugs of water would take up room when every inch of cargo space counts. That’s a key challenge engineers faced when designing the International Space Station.
Real life Dune! Ok, not really, but kind of! And this is exactly the sort of technology that can benefit the Earth-bound among us too.
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Posted in Entertainment, Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, cool facts, creativity, Indiana Jones, inspiration, NASA, Thoughts on August 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »
I enjoy the fact that there is always something new to learn. Some things are big, like the latest on asteroid deflection from NASA’s DART program, and some are small, like the fact that Dan Aykroyd had a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. (Did you know that? I didn’t, until last night when I did a double take and said, “Wait, the guy with the mustache and the British accent. Was that Dan Aykroyd?” It was!)
Of global importance or not, these facts are all interesting reminders that there is always something new around the corner, if you keep looking.
And that, I think, is magic.
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Posted in Other, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, innovation, inspiration, science, science fiction, Thoughts on August 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a fun and productive use of the internet that answers a very important question: How close are we to living in the Star Trek universe?
Check it out and see!
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive look at the tech that Star Trek suggested to drive humanity forward ad astra per aspera. The emphasis is on innovations that don’t violate physics according to present consensus understanding. Go ahead and explore boldly… Just don’t waste too much time on idle speculation: there’s a whole lot to do if we’re going to get to Trek, and it’s going to take all of us.
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, books, higher education, inspiration, so many books so little time, syllabi, writing on July 31, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Ever wonder what kind of books get assigned in college courses? Wonder no more!
This plot shows the 1,138,841 most frequently assigned texts in the Open Syllabus corpus, a database of 7,292,573 college course syllabi.
The books are grouped by field and sized by the number of syllabi on which they are assigned. Click for details, browse from archaeology to information science to writing and more, and have fun.
You will have to do a lot of zooming, however. There are a lot of books in this graphic!
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, action, creativity, inspiration, procrastination, Thoughts, writing on July 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »
There is no perfect moment to begin.
— Seth Godin
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, quotes, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »
“Dare to be strong and courageous. That is the road. Venture anything.”
— Sherwood Anderson
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, failure, inspiration, persistence, Thoughts on July 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »
This world belongs to you. You are here to lead, to blossom out in the open, to show your heart to strangers, to fail and fail and fail again — with grace, with humor, with dignity, with joy.
— Heather Havrilesky
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Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, quotes on July 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Happy Canada Day!
Our hopes are high. Our faith in the people is great. Our courage is strong. And our dreams for this beautiful country will never die.
— Pierre Trudeau
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts on June 30, 2025| Leave a Comment »
There’s a bird hanging around outside, one that’s been frequenting the yard on and off for the past couple of weeks. It’s a cardinal. Pretty, but not extraordinary around here.
This particular bird, however, is a bit peculiar in that it seems to have some interesting blotchy marks on its wings. Or maybe its belly. Or its back? Perhaps it’s just a juvenile taking his first flights into adulthood. I can’t be sure because I’m a typically nearsighted book nerd and the pesky little guy refuses to sit still long enough for me to get my phone or binoculars.
So I think it may have some unusual markings, but maybe it’s just me. All I know is that it’s interesting and I’d like a closer look.
I haven’t been able to get that close-up look, yet, but the possibility of it keeps me focused, and paying attention to what I can see. Squirrel shenanigans, a giant lazy bumblebee, gulls riding air currents overhead, a huge black wasp, a tiny little bee feeding on grass flowers, a chipmunk, lightning bugs in the yard, the beauty of the volunteer daisies around the corner of the house.
I may not always see everything I hope, but I see far more than I would if I were not paying attention at all.
And that’s a very good thing.
“Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
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