Posted in Other, Science!, tagged inspiration, nature, birds, #365Ways, #365Ways2026, broken isn't always forever, volunteering, people power on February 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
This story is so encouraging:
The Ordinary People Who Saved the Bluebird
There was a time when seeing a bluebird felt less like spotting a bird and more like witnessing a small miracle. But then, the Eastern bluebird population made a comeback. The hero?
A lot of volunteers — and an ordinary box.
Sure, we broke it. But now we’re fixing it, and that’s a story I think we all could use.
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, inspiration, Writers, writing on February 20, 2026| 2 Comments »
This was a fun article to stumble upon:
We challenged teenagers to write a story about a meaningful moment in their lives in just 100 words. These are the subjects of some of the 14,232 “tiny memoir” submissions we received.
Teens do (nonfiction) drabbles. The New York Times called them miniature memoirs, but regardless, they are wonderful!
This reminds me of a book that my father gave to us all one Christmas, a lovely collection of poetry by children: Ten-Second Rainshowers: Poems by Young People.
The perspectives were touching and timeless, full of meaning, depth, joy and humor, much like these stories.
The Times chose 17 winners, but the detail I particularly like is that there were over 14,000 entries.
So much vision, so much thought. So much life!
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Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, democracy, inspiration, President's Day, Thoughts on February 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »
“Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. And that posterity will triumph in that day’s transaction…” ― John Adams
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Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, anthologies, creativity, inspiration, Kickstarter, Writers, writing on February 15, 2026| 4 Comments »
Here’s a quick notification for anyone interested in writing and publication venues and supporting a fun Kickstarter:
Missed-Fits: A Calendar of Fools Anthology by Storm Humbert
The idea for Missed-Fits is born of two central motivations at Calendar of Fools: the desire to create truly unique books and reading experiences for our readers, and the desire to provide a service or fill a gap we see in the professional short fiction space. In this case, the gap we saw was a relative dearth of stories of a certain length (1,200 to 2,100 words)…
I backed an earlier Calendar of Fools campaign and am happy to see that these anthologies are still going strong.
Given that I like books, often write stories that don’t fit traditional venue length requirements, and enjoy supporting artists, this is right up my alley.
Perhaps these are things you like too?
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, history, how we became, inspiration, power of stories, Thoughts on February 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Black history is American history. It’s a story of promise, setback, and redemption—all things at the heart of the American experience. We shouldn’t be afraid of this story. We should learn from it, be inspired by it, and celebrate it every single day… — Colin Allred
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Posted in Entertainment, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Artemis, full-moon, inspiration, movies, NASA, science on February 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sadly, NASA’s Artemis mission launch has run into some issues (hydrogen leaks bad!) and will be delayed until at least March.
NASA Conducts Artemis II Fuel Test, Eyes March for Launch Opportunity
That said, safer is better, so you do what you need to do, NASA. (Maybe rehiring some of the folks who were let go last year might help? Just saying.)
What do we hope to see when the mission does launch? This site has a nice explainer.
The flight path of Artemis 2, step by step
And for more on the long-term goals, see this in-depth article: How Artemis will land humans on the Moon.
As we wait to hear more from the launchpad, here’s something fun I ran across the other day that may help keep you entertained:
We asked former astronauts about their favorite space movies, and this is what they said
I mean, I’m more The Martian and Galaxy Quest than 2001, but that’s me. So many good movies!
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Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, creativity, inspiration on January 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I spent some time in high school studying the medical and practical uses of local plants. I may have mentioned that I entertain Mr Man when we go out for walks: “Those ‘weeds’ are edible, that’s good for firestarter, and you can use that to make cough syrup. Oh, but that one’s poisonous.” (I’m sure my brother has stories of mysterious bottles marked with a skull and crossbones in the fridge.)
That’s why this video appeals to me (the useful part, not the poison part):
In Search of Forgotten Colours – Sachio Yoshioka and the Art of Natural Dyeing
Sachio Yoshioka is the fifth-generation head of the Somenotsukasa Yoshioka dye workshop in Fushimi, southern Kyoto. When he succeeded to the family business in 1988, he abandoned the use of synthetic colours in favour of dyeing solely with plants and other natural materials.
So pretty!
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Posted in Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Ig Nobel, inspiration, science experiments on January 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I’m work work working away here, but of course crossing things off my to do list is never as fast as I’d like. Which is why it was somewhat reassuring to come across The World’s Longest Running Lab Experiment.
The World’s Longest-Running Lab Experiment Is Almost 100 Years Old
The world’s longest-running lab experiment is an ongoing work in sheer scientific patience. It has been running continuously for nearly a century, under the close supervision of several custodians and many spectators – and it’s ever so slowly drip, drip, dripping away.
If you’ve ever wondered about the viscosity of pitch (noun, not verb) or are just curious, read the article above or watch for the next drop. Should only be a few years. A decade at most!
Given this I know I, for one, will be heading back to my to do list feeling just that little bit faster!
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Posted in Funny, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, a bit of fun, inspiration on January 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Long week, crazy world. Have some fun:)
Adventurous Cat Carries Plastic Tub Up the Stairs, Then Rides It Back Down
Is it safe? Maybe not (although cats are great at landing on their feet!). But it is excellent.
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Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, #MLKDay, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on January 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The power of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres including “the speculative” lies in its ability to create new ways to talk about old and ongoing problems in our societies. We are surrounded by people who wonder what they are going to do with the moment in time they inhabit—time-travelers fixed to this one instant in a long continuum of human struggle—and we are crafting new vocabularies of comfort, courage, and creative energy for them and for ourselves.
— The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the power of building new worlds
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