Would you rather have no ESP or unreliable ESP?
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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’
Question of the Day
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers on June 7, 2023| Leave a Comment »
TANSTAAFL
Posted in Food and..., Funny, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts, whoops on June 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym used as today’s post title, it stands for “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” The exact origins of this phrase are unknown, but I was introduced to it by Robert A. Heinlein in his novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.
The phrase came to mind today as I attempted (emphasis on) a new recipe for a no-knead high hydration baguette recipe. I’ve used this approach for a version of Mark Bittman’s bread recipe with great success, so why not try it here?
This is why not:)
I won’t name the recipe I used because it seemed to work fine for the author, but it in no way shape or globulous form worked for me.
Next!
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Behavioral Science for Creatives
Posted in Favorites, Science!, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, behavioral science, creativity, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Some days it feels as though all the ideas have been done. We went for a walk today and passed a posse of girls in the park. I did a double take, because it was as if I’d been pulled back in time to the 1980s, at least as far as their outfits went. Are those high-waisted (deeply uncomfortable) stiff denim jeans I see? Check. What’s that, a Madonna-esque bustier? Check. Could that be a pair of Converse sneakers and a fluffy scrunchie? Check and check.
That got me thinking about Ötzi the Ice Man, a Neolithic-era man whose body (with clothing) was discovered in the South Tyrol Alps between Austria and Italy more than 5,000 years after his death.
Ötzi’s equipment is the oldest and best preserved in the world. His Copper Age clothing and weapons were frozen in the ice with him and therefore remained well preserved to this day.
— Ötzi’s New Clothes
If you follow that link, you’ll see that his clothes are surprisingly stylish.
I have no idea exactly why someone murdered Ötzi (not for his excellent goatskin coat, apparently), but it was probably for a reason we would at least recognize, if not condone: love, hate, anger, fear, revenge, greed, justice or security, just to name a few. Human needs, human abilities, human issues haven’t changed all that much in millennia. Even so, it would still be fascinating to know the specifics of Ötzi’s story.
In some ways, it can be the same with story ideas. The ingredients are the same, it’s how you mix them up that matters.
On the Quest for Originality, Recombine the Familiar – By Adam Alter – Behavioral Scientist
Often, the best way to get unstuck on the quest for originality is to combine two old ideas to form a new one, rather than searching for a single, novel creative nugget…. Trying to do something completely new is a recipe for paralysis.
If you’re stuck on a project and looking for a way forward that doesn’t feel like a 5,000 year old retread of the same old same old, this approach might help.
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You’ve Got Mail
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, #WritersOfTheFuture, creativity, genre fiction, inspiration, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Two of my fellow Writers of the Future v39 winners have posted blogs about craft, and I wanted to share:
Writing Resilience | by David Hankins
One Writer’s Journey | by Elaine Midcoh
David and Elaine are great writers and terrific people, and both of those traits come through in these posts. Enjoy!
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Do You Ramen?
Posted in Food and..., tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, food, Thoughts on May 31, 2023| Leave a Comment »
The answer to a recent Wordle was “ramen,” which brought me back to after-school second lunches and some of my first creative attempts at cooking. Ramen is salty and delicious and while I don’t eat the instant version much anymore, the memories remain fond.
If you also enjoy ramen, may I suggest this interactive idea generator:
Inspiration Wheel | Shin Wheel
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Day of Memories
Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, family, holidays, Thoughts on May 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Working On It
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on May 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.”
— Duke Ellington
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Lions Teeth
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, home, nature, Thoughts on May 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »
My lawn is lovely, with white and purple and yellow flowers. The dandelions are going gangbusters, as they do. And I’ve just been out front tidying them up in the hopes that my neighbors won’t get too stressed out about our lawn’s diversity.
In that vein, I give you a brief history of that underrated flower, the dandelion.
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Art Adjacent
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, art, creativity, Thoughts, tutorials on May 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I find myself wanting to try out a new project. I don’t have time and have no idea where my watercolors ended up, but this tutorial caught my eye. Perhaps it will inspire you, too.
Painting whimsical watercolor birds, a tutorial | The Kid Should See This
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Into The Modern Era
Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, communication, innovation, science, technology, Thoughts on May 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today’s post is brought to you by fiber optic cable, the innovation currently being inserted into my lawn.
In a discussion about grass vs. clover lawns today, I mentioned that our neighborhood is being wired for fiber internet. For weeks, we’ve had orange-vested dudes (and they’re all dudes) roaming in packs, hauling giant spools of multi-colored cables, digging up driveways and yards (and reseeding with industrial-strength grass seed), and generally doing their best to drag our 1990s development into the modern era.
Now we’ve got cable ends sticking up everywhere, a new panel in the grass looking like a secret bunker entrance, and neighbors wondering whether all this fuss is worth it.
It also led to the question, how do fiber optics work, exactly?
Answer: I have a layman’s understanding of the technology (data becomes light and zoom zooms down a shiny glass tube) but yeah, better look that up:)
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Here’s a quick backgrounder about fiber optics from the folks who invented it.
Educational Resources | Optical Fiber | Optical Communications | Corning
Corning scientists Dr. Robert Maurer, Dr. Peter Schultz, and Dr. Donald Keck invented the first low-loss optical fiber in 1970. Inspired by their belief that information could be transmitted through light, Drs. Maurer, Schultz, and Keck spent four years experimenting with different properties of glass until they succeeded, creating the first low-loss optical fiber for telecommunications use.
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How does it work?
Encoded into a pattern of light waves, information travels through each optical fiber by a process of internal reflection. The waves move through the fiber from a given source to a destination such as a cable box where it is then decoded.
(So is it a little like a super sophisticated version of an Aldis signal lamp? I guess that’s one way to think about it.)
For more (and more scientific) details, check out this excellent video:
And just for fun, how do they connect North America to Africa to Asia, and everywhere else?
- Submarine Cable FAQs
- Interactive Submarine Cable Map
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