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Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

Progress

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

It can be hard to measure progress. Incremental gains are often overpowered by a flood of negative, and hard to ignore, counter-programming. But every so often we take a step Up, and if we’re lucky, we can look back and see how far we’ve come.

The Webb telescope is one such step. Images from Hubble are impressive, but while the older platform has done a great job, it’s been at it for twenty years.

What does it mean for Hubble to now have a sibling out there in space? How much does Webb expand our ability to see into the cosmos? 

This much: Webb Compare.

It’s wonderful to see how far we’ve come.

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Photo by David Travis on Unsplash

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A Gem of a Book

Posted in Likes, Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on July 17, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I am very happy to announce the publication of Parsec Ink’s latest anthology, Triangulation: Energy. 

The theme is sustainable energy: can we find a way to keep up with—or exceed—our present and future energy consumption levels while keeping our space livable? 

Is it science fiction? Yes. Does it showcase positive takes on our energy challenges? Yes. Was I fortunate enough to have a story in it, alongside a roster of terrific authors? Yes!

The anthology is available in Kindle and paperback formats. Curious about what’s inside? Check out the Kindle preview for a sample of the first three entries, including my own story, The Jewel of New Stoltz. I know I wrote it and all, but I’m happy to be able to share a story I love.

Hope you like it too.

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Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash

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After All

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged , , , , on July 14, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Tonight, if you have a moment and remember that we are, after all, just passengers on a ship hurtling through space with only one true companion, look up. The Buck Moon will be waiting.

Supermoon / Super Moon – Why and When?

“Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when there are footprints on the moon.”

― Paul Brandt

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Photo by Mateusz Klein on Unsplash

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Five-Letter Poetry

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 13, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I may have committed a little Wordle poetry with lunch.

Photo by Chris Briggs on Unsplash

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Cat In The Style Of

Posted in Other, Science!, tagged , , , , , , , on July 11, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Welcome to Monday, brought to you by an AI’s idea of a “cat in the style of Vincent van Gogh.”

#craiyon

Not bad, actually.

Running through different versions using the same root prompt (“cat in the style of”) made the artistic differences (and any deficiencies) clear. A lot of the images produced by the DALL-E mini system are a bit odd, particularly when faces are involved. (The site even has a FAQ on “Why are faces so weird?”)

Even so, it was interesting to see what an AI considers the essential style of an artist or technique, and there were a number of attempts I found fun.

Rather than upload all images I made a slideshow. It’s lower-resolution (I shrunk it down to 16MB instead of 80MB+) but you should still get the picture.

Cat in the Style of

(Did I leave out the truly disturbing results? Yes. I don’t know what this AI has against Vermeer but I want no part of it!)

Thanks, Craiyon!

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Baked Milk, the Moo-ening After

Posted in Food and..., tagged , , , , on July 10, 2022| Leave a Comment »

I recently had a request for an update on the baked milk situation so here we go.

Short answer: The first version was pretty good.

Longer answer, one that will surprise no one who knows me: I made a few tweaks.

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Here’s my previous post with the original recipe link: Baked What Now?

I kept the proportions but used 2% milk and kefir because that’s what I had. It worked fine, but:

  • the final result wasn’t as caramel colored or flavored as the store-bought version
  • it wasn’t quite as thick as I’d hoped
  • with summer on the horizon, I wasn’t enthusiastic about keeping the oven on for six hours at a time.

Over several iterations, I now have a version that addresses these issues and works for me. Between this, biweekly yogurt, and air-quality concerns, we may have used it as an excuse to pick up a portable induction burner (on sale, totally reasonable!).

The new alternative uses whole milk, kefir plus sour cream, and skips the oven in favor of the induction burner. We have a remote thermometer for yogurt so we use that, but keeping it at temperature can be a bit of a hassle. If you have a slow cooker that will maintain a steady ~210F, try that. (I’ll try that next time if I can find my slow cooker.)

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Baked Milk

4L whole milk

  • heat milk to a simmer, then maintain temperature at ~210F for 6 hours
  • let cool to 115F, add:

7 T. kefir

1 T. sour cream

  • mix well, jar and close with vented lid (cheesecloth, fermentation caps, heck, paper towels would work, whatever you’ve got)
  • let sit on the counter at room temperature for 36 hours or until set; I put mine in an insulated grocery bag but it’s not required.

Is it good? Yes. Keeping the milk around 210F using a burner gave me a better depth of caramelization than 225F in the oven. The process is a bit more of a hassle than I’d like so I’ll continue to look for improvements.

Is it even better when mixed with guava juice and lemonade? Yes, it is.

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Photo by Anshu A on Unsplash

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Finding the Path

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

“There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have.” 

― Howard Thurman

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Photo by Huper by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

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Yesterday’s News

Posted in Other, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2022| Leave a Comment »

(written 07/08/22)

Today I’m dealing with a new kind of challenge.

We have power, which I no longer take for granted. The microwave works, the computers work, the TV and stove and washing machine and lights all work, and for that I’m grateful.

Our components are all functioning. What isn’t working? The network that connects those components, and us, to the wider world.

We woke up, started the laundry and coffee and breakfast and booted up the work computers. Then? Nothing. No signal. I can work in my design program, for example, but I can’t deliver my project. I can’t check my email, log in at work or make calls (sorry Mom!).

Somebody at internet central did something and somehow it all went wrong. (The part of this equation that interests me the most is that apparently no one thought to ask, “What happens if this thing we’re about to do doesn’t work?”).

So today has been business as unusual. On the plus side? Another opportunity to appreciate all the technology, infrastructure, and other amenities that we typically take for granted.

And while I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to post this today (spoiler alert: nope), my target was to write every day. Goal achieved.

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Note from the future: it wasn’t just us, here, it was every Rogers customer, everywhere.

Rogers outage shows need for Plan B when wireless, internet services fail, analysts say | CBC News

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Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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I Need A Minute

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , on July 7, 2022| Leave a Comment »

The post I was working on for today is taking too long. I’ll get back to it later but for now, I give you (drum roll please) Chris Evans with puppies!

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You’re welcome, world.

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Photo by Nathalie SPEHNER on Unsplash

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A Marvelous Victory

Posted in Holidays, tagged , , , on July 4, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Happy birthday, America! Here’s to remembering our hopes and building our dreams.

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.

And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.”

― Howard Zinn

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Photo by Reba Spike on Unsplash

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