Articles
Prose writing on general subjects.
Bard on Lotto
I asked Google Bard, “What are the odds of winning the Washington State Lotto jackpot?” Its reply began with two sentences:
On Twitter and POSSE
For indie media types, earthquakes in a platform are a reminder of the value of a multi-platform strategy that includes cross-posting and cross-platform network activation. POSSE: Publish Own Site, Syndicate Elsewhere. indieweb.org/POSSE
On Discord and Community
I enjoy Discord as a supplement to a community but I absolutely hate it for anything else. Discord communities have the memory of a goldfish. It’s extremely frustrating to pump energy into it when it mostly goes into a black hole. twitter.com/ohseafarer/sta…
How to get started in explainer videos
Excellent advice on how to get started in explainer videos, from 3b1b’s Grant Sanderson (no relation). Plus motivation to make your first math explainer! And a new podcast on online science education! The Summer of Math Exposition twitter.com/3blue1brown/st…
On checks in crosswords
A nuanced take on the Sunday #nytxw without having read anyone else’s: One of my favorite things to learn about puzzle construction is how important multiple checks are to the solving process. Crossers, spelling rules, and wordplay idioms augment trivia and world knowledge.
On the Bee's "missing" words
I know harassing the #nytbee for “missing” words is a Twitter pastime, but it’s worth asking: would Spelling Bee be better with longer word lists? Is it a better experience if a word you’ve never heard of is required to get to Genius? To Queen Bee?
This is the Mitsubishi ductless air conditioner/heater remote control.
This is the Mitsubishi ductless air conditioner/heater remote control.
To turn it on, press the OFF/ON button. To turn it off, press the OFF/ON button.
To cool the air, press the TOO WARM (aka “down”) button. To warm the air, press the TOO COOL (aka “up”) button.
On magic and theatre
The film adaptation of In & Of Itself by @derek_del and @TheFrankOzJam is a cinematic achievement that recreates the intimacy and teetering vulnerability of the 2016 stage show. It’s breathtaking. twitter.com/derek_del/stat…
On social distancing
There are strong economic, inertial, and social forces at play keeping people from acknowledging the importance of social distancing. Clubs, coffee shops, movie/stage theaters are still open because they have to wait for govt order to close… twitter.com/mims/status/12…
The Black Dog Mystery, by Ellery Queen Jr.
The Black Dog Mystery, by Ellery Queen Jr. Queen is both the author pseudonym and main character of a series of mystery novels; the Jr name was used for several juvenile novels. This Black Dog 1st ed includes drawings by William Sanderson.