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Posts Tagged ‘persistence’

Persistence Pays Off

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on December 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I taught an octopus piano (It took 6 months)

This video is refusing to embed for some reason, but if you are impressed by clever and creative displays of persistence (by humans and others!), it’s worth checking out. Start at the 3:00 minute mark if you want to go straight to the training process, or at 15:00 if you want to skip to the piano performance.

Note: this video contains a lot of swearing. Which, as someone who has trained their cat to sit and jump (but definitely not play an instrument), I completely understand!

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Photo by Misha Kolodkin on Unsplash

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All the Pain and Joy

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on November 30, 2025| 1 Comment »

The flood of AI art has led to a lot of commentary, some thoughtful, some otherwise, by pundits, tech gurus, and artists themselves.

Here’s cartoonist Matthew Inman sharing his perspective on why he finds AI art problematic.

A cartoonist’s review of AI art – The Oatmeal

…I need you to know from one artist to another, that every mark you make on a page even a squiggly, imperfect one is still beautiful.

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Photo by Eduardo Casajús Gorostiaga on Unsplash

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Still Going! Hope You Are Too

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on October 17, 2025| 2 Comments »

The only guaranteed way to succeed is simple: don’t quit.

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Photo by Fred Johnson on Unsplash

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The Cake Is a Lie

Posted in Food and..., tagged , , , on September 21, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Well, yesterday’s cake didn’t go exactly as planned. 

Apologies to the people who have been writing and asking for photos. The cranberry lime cake is currently half made. Layers have been baked and torted, because four layers are fancier than two. Lime curd has been made (oh so tangy!) and chilled. But the Italian buttercream curdled and, despite the recipe writer’s optimistic words, did not come back together.

Apparently, my ingredient temperatures may have been a little off and I corrected in the wrong direction? (Or I mistakenly offended an Italian kitchen fairy?) Either way, the result is the same. 

Downside: the cake is not yet complete.

Upside: I have something new to learn in the world of baking, and that’s always fun. Also, I have a good recipe for buttercreamcheese frosting that I know works.

Win win!

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Photo by wjpzlvr on Unsplash

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How to Grow

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on September 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.”

— Mary Tyler Moore

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Photo by Joshua S. on Unsplash

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A More Joyful Life

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on August 28, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“I get it. We all want easy. But that’s the devil talking, because the reality is that the ‘easy’ life is a mirage. People who choose easy end up living a much harder, less joyful life.”

— Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Photo by Jess Zoerb on Unsplash

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Today’s Lesson

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , on August 27, 2025| Leave a Comment »

For whatever reason, today has been filled with technical and other issues. I’ve spent the last few hours troubleshooting a number of different problems, but happily have found my way through most of them.  

The lesson? Even if you’ve tried everything, step back, reassess, and try again. You never know when conditions may have changed and that thing you tried half a dozen times will suddenly work. 

Hooray!

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Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

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With Joy

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , , , 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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Photo by Lina Trochez on Unsplash

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Be Bold

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on June 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“If we are bold, love strikes away the chains of fear from our souls.”

— Maya Angelou

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Photo by Bernhard on Unsplash

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Getting to the Point

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , on June 8, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Winning is fun… Sure. But winning is not the point. Wanting to win is the point. Not giving up is the point. Never letting up is the point. Never being satisfied with what you’ve done is the point.”

— Pat Summitt

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Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash

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