A post on the iPad

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Some quick things I've noticed … 1) I've definitely noticed how it's replaced the laptop for a huge number of tasks. I work on the laptop, but it's nice to say, "Ok, I'm done with work now," and then pick up the iPad for the fun stuff–ie, Twitter, Facebook, and Google Reader. One of the other reasons I've migrated to the iPad for a lot of tasks is that it's nice not to have a very hot machine on my lap. My lap can't take the laptop for too long before it gets too hot. I'd taken to leaving narrow Read more…

We turned our bathroom into a darkroom for a day of screenprinting. Photos of our adventures here …

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A few months ago, Mary came up with a very cool idea for a screenprinting project. Since then, she's been assembling everything she needs to make it work. We finally got all the pieces arranged and spent a lot of our Sunday working on this. (Turns out, screenprinting is quite involved!) Here's a rough photo journey of the day. With the Speedball screenprinting kit, we taped the edges and prepared for work. The green sheen is a "photo-emulsion" chemical. Essentially it's like a photo developer chemical. The darkroom assembled (we replaced the heat lamp with a red bulb) the photo Read more…

The Sun Also Rises

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When getting ready for a yard sale a few weeks ago, I stumbled onto a box of books I read for classes in high school and college. In it was my copy of The Sun Also Rises from junior-year of high school. I decided it was worth checking out again and it turns out it was a pretty good book. Part of the problem of reading books like that in high school English classes is that you just don't pick up on everything you should. I don't meet metaphor, allusions, and allegory so much–that's what we were being trained to Read more…

Your Oldie for the Day

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The singer's message to the woman who lives below him is about one step above "check this box if you like me." Really? That's the best you can do, Mr. Romantic? Still. A catchy number. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emvVDC1-bwI?wmode=transparent]

Social Media as Performance

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Here are two interrelated stories worth sharing. The first, in The New York Times, suggests that broadcasting our most mundane details is preventing us from being in the moment. We think, "I should totally tweet what I'm doing right now." Here's the start of it. On a recent lazy Saturday morning, my daughter and I lolled on a blanket in our front yard, snacking on apricots, listening to a download of E. B. White reading “The Trumpet of the Swan.” Her legs sprawled across mine; the grass tickled our ankles. It was the quintessential summer moment, and a year ago, I Read more…