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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

This quote has made the rounds but deserves to be repeated.*

When books are run out of school classrooms and libraries, I’m never much disturbed. Not as a citizen, not as a writer, not even as a schoolteacher … which I used to be.

What I tell kids is, don’t get mad, get even.

Don’t spend time waving signs or carrying petitions around the neighborhood. Instead, run, don’t walk, to the nearest non-school library or the local bookstore and get whatever it was that they banned.

Read whatever they’re trying to keep out of your eyes and your brain, because that’s exactly what you need to know.

— Stephen King

* Although I do still find book banning disturbing, it is quite helpful to get a list of exactly what to read next.

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Photo by matthew Feeney on Unsplash

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It’s fall, a time for leaf peeping, pumpkin everything, and seasonal creations like corn mazes. 

Ever wonder how they make those elaborate maze designs? Check out this explainer on the really complicated examples:

Now that you’ve been introduced to the how, here’s more on the where, when and why: Farmers Create Elaborate Corn Mazes To Bring In Cash.

So next time you spot a corn maze, spare a thought for the effort, planning and artistry that made it possible.

Or you never know, it might be aliens.

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I know this isn’t corn, but you’d be surprised at how hard it is to find good open-source alien corn maze photos. It’s like our visitors have better things to do or something. Feeling corn deprived? See links above. Photo by Sigmar Schnur on Unsplash

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Guard Well

“Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness.” 

― George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, French novelist, memoirist, and journalist)

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Photo by Aditya Saxena on Unsplash

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What can science fiction do for you? Help you think. Here’s an interview on Marketplace, better known for its discussions with economists, professors and policy wonks, with writer Neal Stephenson.

How sci-fi can make us smart – Marketplace

We’ll talk with Stephenson about how he thinks about big, complex issues like climate change and what this genre can teach us about the future and solving problems in the real world.

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Photo by Daniel K Cheung on Unsplash

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Metamorphosis

Good thought for the day.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
Photo by Diana Schröder-Bode on Unsplash

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For when you’re stuck on a project and thinking that everyone knows how to do this but you. 

Hallelujah! Leonard Cohen’s almighty struggle with rejected song that became a classic

Hallelujah is one of the most famous songs ever written, yet a new film reveals it took Leonard Cohen 180 attempts over a decade to perfect – only for it to be rejected by his record company. Nearly 20 years went by before an animated ogre, Shrek, turned the song into a monster hit.

Is this a little nuts? Maybe, but you won’t always know what’s “worth it” ahead of time. Tastes change, editors are human, and in the end, you’re the artist. Stick to it.

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Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

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You know you’re a writer when you look down to see that your sleeve is soaked in blood* and think, “For your next action story, remember the sensation of blood-saturated fabric as it cools against the skin.”

* It was nothing serious, just a Band-Aid failure after a routine blood draw, but it bled. A lot.

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Photo by MontyLov on Unsplash

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Thanks to a short night and a long workday I’m feeling sluggish. The cat is helping by following me around and randomly flopping onto his side, then purring up a storm. It’s adorable and quite soothing, the perfect foil to an otherwise deeply average day.

But what if you don’t have a cat, or the cat you do have is severely lacking in chill? Never fear! The internet is here to help.

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Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

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More than 100 Years before 3D Printers, We had Photosculpture

We did?

One of the most exciting technological advances of recent decades is arguably the 3D printer, allowing creators to turn their wildest inventions into real-life products. But 3D printers are far from the first foray into producing realistic, 3-dimensional replicas. Photosculpture is a process dating back to the 19th century, using a series of photos taken in the round to make a sculpture. 

How did that work?

Fascinating. Technology changes, but a lot of what humans think is cool stays the same.

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Photo by Jack Hamilton on Unsplash

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Tuesdays don’t have to be all bad. You may remember I mentioned a call for optimistic fiction about our climate future. Here is the resulting free collection.

Imagine 2200: The 2022 climate fiction collection | Fix

This year’s three winners and nine finalists bring new perspectives to the vital genre of climate fiction, with short stories that offer visions of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope. Join us in celebrating an uprising of imagination with 12 stirring, surprising, and expansive looks at a future built on sustainability, inclusivity, and justice.

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Photo by Davide Cantelli on Unsplash

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