Category: Of General Interest

Clowning around…

I have a number of good friends who are now or have been at one time professional clowns. I’ve spent a good deal of time the last several years traveling and hanging out with some amazingly funny people. In the past I’ve lived with clowns, worked with clowns, consulted with clowns, written about… you get the idea. In fact, had the world gone a little differently, I might have ended up one myself. I’ve certainly been offered the opportunity.

Needless to say, I have a deep love, admiration and respect for the artform. Thankfully, I’m not the only one and a few years ago, David Carlyon wrote a great piece for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival called American Clowns: Performance, History, and Cliché, which looks at all those different factors in the world of clowning.

November 1 – National Author’s Day

So evidently, today, November 1, is NATIONAL AUTHOR’S DAY. While I didn’t even know that was a thing, I’m totally down with celebrating it! So in honor of all my friends who are writers already and those who aspire. Those who are starting NaNoWriMo today and those who write daily, I salute you all! Continue reading “November 1 – National Author’s Day” →

Sea Monsters on Maps

I am a sucker for underwater monsters. Seriously, give me a giant squid, boat crushing sea serpent, evil shark, misunderstood killer whale (even that asshole dolphin who ran over the surfer) and I am all over it.

All of which means that those old maps, the ones with sea monsters printed on them in a “here there be dragons” kinda way, are right up my alley. So to celebrate, here’s a cool article about those maps and how one could go about acquiring them. And if said “one” wanted to send one to me, here’s the address (bottom of the page)!

Merriam-Webster’s new etymology tool is both educational and terrifying · Great Job, Internet! · The A.V. Club

The cool thing about the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is that it is referential and contextual. Which is to say, the definitions come from printed usage, with meanings determined by context. One of the advantages of this is you can trace the history of a word’s meanings back through time, with citations showing the literary usage (a great non-fiction book about this is The Professor and the Madman, which I highly recommend reading).  Continue reading “Merriam-Webster’s new etymology tool is both educational and terrifying · Great Job, Internet! · The A.V. Club” →

What city in Europe or North America is on the same latitude as yours?

whereintheworld

You know, as we head into fall, and winter starts making a comeback (yes, I know this is only August, but that’s kinda the point here) it starts to get interesting to know where we are in the world. Not where in the world are we, although that’s important, too. Continue reading “What city in Europe or North America is on the same latitude as yours?” →

The Millions : Ten Ways to Organize Your Bookshelf – The Millions

I’m just waiting until we move into a (at least) semi-permanent place, where I can get all my books gathered together – and then I will figure out an organization strategy. So looking forward to that day!

Here are 10 organizational strategies for the next time you find yourself in the throes of moving, decluttering, or procrastinating.

Source: The Millions : Ten Ways to Organize Your Bookshelf – The Millions

This Is the Best Dinosaur Fossil of Its Kind Ever Found

The 110 million-year-old fossil of a nodosaur preserves the animal’s armor, skin, and what may have been its final meal. The 5-year-old in me, who wanted to be a paleontologist, is thrilled beyond measure. The 49-year-old me is almost as stoked.

And here’s another piece, from Gizmodo, looking at how it “still has it’s skin.“

One little fold…

Science and art coming together to create beautiful and practical things.

If this has inspired you at all, turns out Robert J. Lang has a YouTube channel with talks and tutorials. As soon as I have spare time again, I’m going to try my hand at this. I have a feeling it’ll be very zen.

TNBBC’s The Next Best Book Blog: The 2017 David Bowie Reading Challenge

Okay, I know I said I’m going to be doing the PopSugar book challenge, and I’m sticking to that, but then I came across this reading challenge and I just had to share it.

I don’t know how far I’ll get with this one, but I like it too much to not at least add it to my own personal reading challenges of the year. Once you take a look at the (admittedly huge) list, I’ve gone ahead and made a PDF of it for your very own tracking purposes. Let’s see how many songs you can get through – I’m gonna start with Ziggy Stardust and work my from there!

1978/2017 Spider-Man Calendar Desktop Wallpapers – Andertoons Cartoon Blog

Mark Anderson, who is a great cartoonist and prime level geek, realizing the cyclical nature of calendars decided to scan his old superhero yearly markers for everyone to enjoy. This year, it’s the 1978 Amazing Spider-Man edition he’s gracing us with. In the past, it’s been the 20th anniversary of Marvel and DC Super Powers (and then there was the amazing superhero Valentine’s day cards). Anyway… enjoy. And when you get a chance, thank Mr. Anderson for what he’s doing!