America is a strange place: A friendly, if somewhat foul-mouthed, crow became a temporary mascot at Allen Dale Elementary School in November when the bird took up residence at the Grants Pass school. […] It turns out, talking crows aren’t just something out of an Edgar Allan Poe poem. And this crow, or possibly and… Continue reading Crows
In miniature
I feel slightly guilty that after reading Kris Howard’s A visit to Moominworld I found myself wishing that she’d written more about one of the early steps in the trip: a visit in Hamburg to the world’s largest model railway, Miniatur Wunderland. The Snook was very sceptical about our destination, a place that I’d been… Continue reading In miniature
Notchmeister
I wish I still had a working Mac so that I could festoon the screen with a Notchmeister. Very silly, but then so is the very idea1 of the Notch. [Via The Tao of Mac] Granted, it’s a stopgap until Apple are either satisfied that their implementation of behind-the-screen sensors and cameras can perform at… Continue reading Notchmeister
Exquisite reading experience. Sub-optimal dining experience.
Some folks have very strange hobbies: We headed to the restaurant with high hopes – eight of us in total, led into a cement cell of a room, Drake pumping through invisible speakers. It was sweltering hot, and no other customers were present. The décor had the of chicness of an underground bunker where one… Continue reading Exquisite reading experience. Sub-optimal dining experience.
Invasion gets renewed
In the wake of the news that Apple TV+ have renewed Invasion for a second season, showrunner Simon Kinberg talks a good game about what he plans to do with the show: […] there’s a lot I want to explore with the aliens in subsequent seasons. I mean, there’s not a ton of alien information.… Continue reading Invasion gets renewed
Firefly Returns
Subtract Joss Whedon and the original cast, and let’s see what comes of the Firefly reboot: […] Disney plans to reboot the series as an exclusive for its streaming platform Disney+. Disney had acquired the rights to the franchise after their 2018 acquisition of Fox. _Firefly_seems like the perfect option to diversify their current line-up… Continue reading Firefly Returns
Many a true word spoken in jest
Oh so true xkcd: Incident Report.
At last!
Just for a change, a post about someone who found using the Surface Duo 2 to be a life-changing experience: In the final week of semester, I gave my last class lecture. Some might have seen my lecture studio: I teach, I solve problems with digital ink, I also self-produce, switching between multiple cameras and… Continue reading At last!
Talented bastard
Steven Johnson on Learning From Get Back: To me, the scenes where we see the Beatles reaching back to an idea they first started noodling on years ago — an idea that we know they will keep cultivating for another few years — are some of the most inspiring moments in Get Back. Yes, for… Continue reading Talented bastard
In the long run, we are all dead
Tim Hartford on why the UK is braced for a grim Christmas: Late in 2019, the British people decided that Chaos Kong would make a good prime minister and elected Boris Johnson by a large margin. Johnson has now decided to make a virtue of his own recklessness. After initially claiming that the shortage of… Continue reading In the long run, we are all dead