On this day in 2001 I was home in Pennsylvania, getting ready to fly back to Boston. At least that was the plan, until I got a call telling me that all flights had been grounded.
For more on what was behind the cancellation of my flight, and all the others, check out this article from Now I Know:
In all, Ben Sliney’s initiative makes for an incredible story. When Universal Pictures decided to turn the heroism of the passengers of United Flight 93 into a movie, they did not overlook Ben Sliney’s role — they even asked him to play himself in the movie…
Here’s to all the heroes from that day, and after.
The weather today was perfect for a walk. We headed out to the southwest of Ottawa, found a new cafe, then spent quality time on a new-to-us path along a converted railroad bed.
Years ago, Mr Man and I found ourselves in the northern Ontario wilderness. After a long day of fishing, we realized that we are always happier when we say yes to nature. So today, that’s what we did.
If you’re looking for new trails too, you might find this site useful:
Browse to see options for walking, hiking, running, biking and more, complete with maps and elevation. Here’s the list for Ottawa, and an example that includes the lovely Fletcher Gardens near Dows Lake:
Canada is a global leader in many arenas: friendliness, humor, dishes featuring cheese, gravy and potatoes.
Come fall, it also leads the way in terms of natural beauty.
The leaves on the maple across the street are beginning to turn. Thanks in part to my father falling in love with the Appalachian mountains on a job interview, I’ve watched this dance most of my life. First the green fades into yellows and orange and reds, slowly and then fast, until every vista is filtered through a rainbow-colored lens.
The change depends on a number of factors such as precipitation and temperature, but check out this map for a prediction:
Apparently, 33 of my books have been used as training material for their wordsmithing computer programs. Once fully trained, the bot may be given a command—“Write a Margaret Atwood novel”—and the thing will glurp forth 50,000 words, like soft ice cream spiraling out of its dispenser, that will be indistinguishable from something I might grind out. (But minus the typos.) I myself can then be dispensed with—murdered by my replica, as it were—because, to quote a vulgar saying of my youth, who needs the cow when the milk’s free?
“Am going to cross Pacific on a wooden raft to support a theory that the South Sea islands were peopled from Peru. Will you come? I guarantee nothing but a free trip to Peru and the South Sea islands and back, but you will find good use for your technical abilities on the voyage. Reply at once.’
Next day the following telegram arrived from Torstein:
In medieval days, cathedrals would have been overrun with mice and rats without a feline prowling the premises. To keep vermin in check, the magnificent Exeter Cathedral—known formally as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter—has employed cats for centuries.
Ah, pumpkin spice. It’s that time of year again, and whether you are are the sort of person who loves pumpkin spice exemplars like the pumpkin spice latte or not, you might be interested to know what’s in it.
If it seems as if pumpkin spice season comes earlier each year, you’re not imagining things. Pumpkin spice lattes have officially arrived at Starbucks. But before you order a cup, drink this in: The flavor can be composed of more than 300 elements—and pumpkin usually isn’t one of them.
I enjoy stumbling across an interesting new way of looking at or interacting with the world, and realizing that a non-zero number of people are highly invested in a thing I had no idea existed.
Exhibit A: The hyperlapse is a niche art form documenting travel via a time lapse plus camera movement, where both distance and time are compressed into one immersive experience.
Here’s an example video of a walk around Canberra, Australia’s capital city.
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