Author: Chad
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Recent Views, flora and fauna edition
More photography here. Lots of red admiral butterflies in our backyard: A goose family at our local park: A toad tromping through our backyard: The Great Cicadapocalypse has begun here in Illinois, and here’s one of many molting cicadas on our maple tree: Our lilac bush is so vibrant for such a short time: A…
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A birthday shadow
Today our youngest turned one year old. He and I are often outside together like in this picture because it’s what makes him feel better when he’s upset. Walking around while holding him will get tougher as he grows and begins to walk, so I’m trying my best to cherish these moments before he goes…
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How (not) to decide what movies to watch
Every time I hit Play or enter a theater is a roll of the dice, and that’s the fun of it.
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Schrödinger’s Parent, or when you can’t “cherish every moment”
One of the many clichés you hear as a parent of littles from older parents is something to the effect of: “Cherish every moment—they grow up so fast.” It’s something I’m also tempted to say to newer parents because kids do indeed grow up fast, and when you look at photos from when they were…
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Birds are the word
Well, this is me now: It started a few years ago when our firstborn got into our copy of The Little Book of Backyard Bird Songs that plays a dozen different bird calls. Then one day while on a walk through our local park, I heard a call that I recognized from the book, so…
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Trust the turning of pages
Austin Kleon on a recent episode of the 1000 Hours Outside Podcast: I truly believe that with a book, on a sentence to sentence level, I trust the turning of pages. There needs to be a momentum. If you’re turning pages, the book is good, and that includes the trash reading. I do my fair…
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Scientific achievements that deserve their own ‘Oppenheimer’
I half-joked in my Oppenheimer blurb that I have a long list of history books that also deserve to be turned into IMAX-worthy epics. Well, I’m happy to report my favorite author Steven Johnson is also on board with this movement—specifically for the story of penicillin and other incredible scientific achievements: If Nolan can create…
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Keep streaming in its place
CJ Chilvers on why he’s back to using CDs: I brought physical media back into my life not to replace streaming, but to keep streaming in its place. I heard an audiophile once say that he treated streaming music services (even lossless streaming) like radio. It’s great for discovering new music and artists, and to…
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On good and gobbledygook writing
Rivaling Winston Churchill’s missive on brevity, this 1944 memo by Maury Maverick is the first known use of the word gobbledygook and dishes out some hard truths about good writing: Be short and use Plain English. Memoranda should be as short as clearness will allow. The Naval officer who wired “Sighted Sub — Sank Same” told the…
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Word compendiums for the win
It’s hard to even imagine now, but aimlessly browsing bookstores was something I did semi-regularly back in my single and then pre-kid days. One kind of book I’d always keep an eye out for was (for lack of a better name) word compendiums, an author’s curated collection of rare, idiosyncratic, or just plain cool words.…
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The AI-powered typewriter
First published as an Instagram Reel just for funsies. Have you heard about the latest hot gadget? It’s called a “typewriter” and it has all the fancy, cutting-edge features you need: High-res screen — the writing surface looks just like real paper because that’s what it is Strong security — your writing is encrypted and…
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There are no coincidences
Austin Kleon on clues and curiosity: Something I learned a long time ago is that it is a great help to the artist to believe that there are no coincidences. One way to boost your curiosity is to just assume that everything in life is a clue left from the universe for further investigation. Follow…
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Media of the moment
An ongoing series Dune: Part Two. I couldn’t see Dune on the big screen so I was glad to catch this one. Anytime I can see a big, weird, tactile, religion-infused spectacle like this is a good time for me. Masters of the Air. Produced by the same people behind Band of Brothers and The…
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Recent Views
More photography here. Back before winter melted into an unseasonably warm February, we got to enjoy some idyllic snowfall: A boy beholding his world: A foggy commute: Shadows and hallways: Laying down in the backyard with the 5 year old let us spot this view of a fading contrail:
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Talkin’ WALL-E
In January, my Cinema Sugar compadre Kevin and I went on the Baby’s First Watchlist podcast to talk all things WALL-E as a tie-in with Animation Month. It was my first time as a podcast guest and was a lot of fun. They pulled out a few clips to share on social media that included…
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All zig, no zag
Today I was in the backyard playing tag with our freshly minted 5 year old. He likes when I zig-zag around while he tries to catch me, something he indicated he couldn’t do himself thusly: “I can only do the zig, not the zag.” It’s a great line, but it also make me think of…
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What is art for?
Nick Wolterstorff on the purpose of art (via Alan Jacobs): What then is art for? What purpose underlies this human universal? One of my fundamental theses is that this question, so often posed, must be rejected rather than answered. The question assumes that there is such a thing as the purpose of art. That assumption…