Shiny Things
Nov. 19th, 2009
06:33 am - Jeweler Query
Can anyone recommend a jeweler in the Indianapolis area? Karen has a couple of rings with settings that stick out too far and get in the way, so she doesn't wear them. We're looking for options for what else can be done with those settings. Thanks!
Nov. 16th, 2009
05:22 am - Five Minutes of Bliss
Sitting on the couch
Sleepy daughter snuggled against me
Son reading in the chair
Wife playing Velvet Tear on the piano
Nov. 14th, 2009
08:16 am - CYOA
If you were ever a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure books, you might enjoy this analysis.
It includes a playable version of Zork: Cavern of Doom (I can see my own copy of this book on my shelf from here), with a graphical depiction of your location in the book.
The animations section provides animated diagrams of the process of reading several CYOA books. (It took me a while to figure out what was going on here: there is a timeline for each book. Select a timeline, then click the PLAY button to see the animation.)
All in all, I found it an interesting read, and visually pleasing as well.
Nov. 8th, 2009
12:09 pm - Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
This LJ post involves sex. If discussion of sex makes you feel more than a little awkward, I'm really sorry. And you shouldn't follow the cut.
( Read more... )
Nov. 7th, 2009
08:27 am - A Story Before Bed
This is a cute idea: A Story Before Bed is a website that lets you record yourself reading a children's book, so that a child you love can read along with you no matter how far away they are. (And, it occurs to me, no matter how many times they want to re-read it!)
Nov. 4th, 2009
12:22 am - A Nice Moment From Childhood
I was reading this post on Brazen Careerist today (don't read it yet!) and it suggested this exercise: Think of a moment from your childhood that was really nice.
You try that, right now. Any moment, but just one. Don't think about it for too long. And don't continue reading until you've done so.
( Read more... )
Nov. 1st, 2009
08:23 am - Bryan Fuller on the Pushing Daisies Comic
Still no official announcement on availability of the Pushing Daisies comic, but I found a September 22nd interview with series creator Bryan Fuller:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2009/09/2
Oct. 16th, 2009
09:54 pm - I wonder...
I wonder if a sentence that starts with "I wonder" should end with a question mark?
Oct. 3rd, 2009
09:21 am - Pushing Daisies Wins Four Emmies
Pretty good for a show that was canceled. Full story is here: http://bit.ly/htkCn
I love the quote from series creator Bryan Fuller:
"It's a tremendous honor to see 'Daisies' win in so many categories -- and in the spirit of the show, win posthumously," he said. "Now can we please make the 'Pushing Daisies' movie?"
As for the Pushing Daisies comic, which was supposed to appear this Fall from DC's Wildstorm imprint, there doesn't appear to be any new news since spring. Disappointing.
Oct. 2nd, 2009
09:17 pm - Remote Controlled Cyborg Insects
This is both fascinating and disturbing:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1
I can see how this could lead to useful developments, but the notion of so directly dominating the free will of any creature, even a beetle, troubles me.
And again we are limited by our meager ability to generate and store electricity.
Sep. 23rd, 2009
05:56 am - IT's Mission
A friend sent me a link to this article about managing IT geeks:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/arti
I thought the article was insightful and interesting (even thought I'm not altogether certain it wasn't pandering, to a certain extent: it _was_ in ComputerWorld). But I thought the most interesting insight was this:
"IT's job at the most fundamental level is to build, maintain and improve frameworks within which to accomplish tasks. You may not view a Web server as a framework to accomplish tasks, but it does automate the processes of advertising, sales, informing and entertaining, all of which would otherwise be done in other ways. IT groups literally teach and reteach the world how to work. That's the job."
I'm not sure "teach" is the right verb here but the core is right on: IT's job is to help business do what it does better. That's why usability is important. If you give someone a tool to help them do their job better, just meeting technical requirements isn't good enough. If the tool is inconvenient, unreliable, or confusing, it hampers the work it's supposed to facilitate. It's a failure.
Sep. 16th, 2009
06:32 am - The Social Benefits of Books
Interesting quote from this interview with Lois McMaster Bujold (who is perhaps my favorite author):
"Some years back, I read an interview with a forensic pathologist who made the remark that he’d never walked into a bad crime scene, the kind with blood on the walls, in a house with a lot of books. These disasters were all in book-free spaces. Makes sense to me—books give a time-out, a place of temporary escape till one’s spirits lift, not available to trapped non-readers. It suggests that genre fiction, which tends very much to be chosen by readers’ mood needs, is not so trivial in its social benefits after all."
(via ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
bushi7 )
I need to pick up a new audiobook. I miss being able to read on the bus.
Sep. 15th, 2009
10:09 pm - Stochasticity, Sto-chas-tici-ty
In one of my recent blog posts, mazlynn directed me to Radiolab's podcast on Stochasticity. It was a fascinating podcast, well worth checking out.
10:02 pm - TED Talks: Elizabeth Gilbert on Creativity
I really liked this presentation on creativity, and found it very moving:
http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilb
It goes a long way toward helping me understand why each hundred-word story I wrote was harder, and I hope it provides some additional help getting past that. Unfortunately, that's not what's delaying the stories right now: the current delay is because of other more urgent work. But it's not as much fun.
Sep. 10th, 2009
05:46 am - 100 Stories #73 - A Dream Come True
Barry peeked through the curtain. "It's full! How many are out there?"
"Two hundred," the manager answered.
"Really?"
"That's what you wanted, right? Are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Barry stepped onto the stage.
* * *
Barry left the stage, smiling and bowing. "I murdered 'em!"
"Yes, they really seemed to enjoy it."
"They loved the bit about the mashed potatoes."
"The duck was a stroke of brilliance."
"Thanks! So, what's the total?"
"At $10 per head, after the house's cut, $4000."
"It was worth every dime," Barry said. "A dream come true." Grinning, he wrote the check.
Sep. 9th, 2009
05:58 am - Seeing with the Tongue
I think I've posted about this long ago: a device that's currently under development, called a BrainPort, sits on the tongue and provides stimuli that blind people can use in place of vision. I'm fascinated by the use of one sense to act in the place of another. The Scientific American article about current progress is here.
Sep. 7th, 2009
12:48 pm - Happy Labor Day
My friend Gil Hova just posted on his blog about how we don't celebrate the heroes that made it possible for us to have this day off, not to mention all the other working conditions they improved. You can read the post here: it's worth thinking about.
I'm grateful for a long weekend to--believe it or not--get some of my personal filing in order: that's been bugging me for years. However, I'm more grateful for some extra time with Brandon to watch hummingbirds fight over our feeder this morning, or to have coffee with Karen out in the screen room. Or to play a solo StoryCards game with Morgan, based off the Warriors books (and she's the GM). Or play games with my kids and some visiting friends. In addition to just being grateful to not be back at work for one more day.
Sep. 6th, 2009
02:47 pm - That Choice Smarts
The food industry has decided to start labeling certain products, such as sugary cereals and salty frozen meals, with a "Smart Choices" label but the barrier to entry seems to be pretty much "anything that won't actually kill you." Some telling quotes:
Dr. Kennedy ... said Froot Loops was better than other things parents could choose for their children. “You’re rushing around, you’re trying to think about healthy eating for your kids and you have a choice between a doughnut and a cereal,” Dr. Kennedy said.
“You could start out with some sawdust, add calcium or Vitamin A and meet the criteria,” Mr. Jacobson said.
I've been reading The End of Overeating, and which goes into what I thought was a tiresome and largely pointless diatribe against the evils of the food industry. Maybe I shouldn't have judged it so hastily.
Sep. 4th, 2009
05:08 am - Eighteen
Eighteen years ago today, Karen and I became parents.
We had no idea what we were doing. Our child was demanding, and we were selfish and impatient. There's been a lot of yelling, a lot of crying, a lot of awkward meetings, a lot of ineffectual guidance, some resentment, and never-ending worry.
Fortunately there's also been a little empathy, a lot of growth, a lot of laughs, and lots and lots of hugs. Especially over the last few years Brandon has demonstrated huge advancements in responsibility, judgment, patience, and self-control, and Karen and I have developed steadily increasing pride and hope.
Happy Birthday, Brandon. Please accept our apologies and our congratulations. We have always loved you, and always will. Even though, and no matter what.
Sep. 3rd, 2009
06:12 am - Oops
Some part of my brain tricked me into turning the alarm off instead of just hitting snooze. No story this morning. :(
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