Author: Chad
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Links of the moment
An ongoing series A lovely ode to the Voyager 1 spacecraft’s long life and imminent death. There’s something deeply touching about 18,000 strangers around the world singing Toto’s “Africa” together. A visual deep-dive on title drops in movies. A look back at photos from 100 years ago. Find the exact opposite place of anywhere on earth with the Antipodes Map.
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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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Links of the moment
An ongoing series NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day feed is a treasure trove of amazing photos. Thanks to science for being able to read ancient papyri. Yay for rewilding old golf courses! All the ways Mount Everest can kill you.
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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…
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My sons’ media of the moment
A spinoff of an ongoing series Raffi. His greatest hits have been on heavy rotation as it seems to be the only music that calms down our 8 month old when he’s upset, which is often. Hamster maze videos on YouTube. The 4 year old is delighted by these. Random but could be a lot…
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Links of the moment
An ongoing series The best ingredient in The Bear is tenderness. Photographing the triple-alignment of a cathedral, a mountain, and the moon. How Google “perfected” the web. A photographer photoshopped himself into his own childhood photos.
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Before sisu, there was sisucunda
You might have heard of sisu, the Finnish concept of grittiness and perseverance in the midst of struggle. I was pleased to learn of its own etymological history: The history of the concept may help us understand its continuing resonance in Finnish culture today. The word originates from ‘sisus’, which literally means ‘guts’ or ‘the…
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Toward a simpler indie web
Giles Turnbull on the future of the indie web beyond WordPress: If we want the future web we’re all clamouring for, we need to give people more options for self-hosted independence. If we seriously, truly want the independent, non-enshittified personal web to flourish, we need to make it easier for people to join in. Terminal…
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The Indecisive GPS
Sometimes when we’re driving, our 4 year old will provide turn-by-turn directions in a robotic voice as they do in Bluey as the “sat nav” (i.e. GPS). Which is always funny because he doesn’t understand directions. But it was especially funny the last time he did it because his directions were not only wrong but…
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Recent Views
More photography here and on my Instagram. Tiles and toes: Always the bright spot on rainy walks: The puddle jumper approaches: Sunset reflections: Sunday morning clips and coffee: The backyard bubbles are back: Some dramatic lighting at a local library: