Recently added blogs

Ever heard of Camogli, Italy? This little beach town is one of my favorite gems in Italy — a gorgeous seaside town on the Ligurian Coast that makes a perfect alternative to Cinque Terre. Located …

I’m running a bit behind getting this post written and uploaded this morning. It’s the last full day of PulpFest 2024. I didn’t make it to the Doc Savage gathering this morning at 7:30, but …

When I started a recent role, my exec team peers were working on the three-year strategy using a framework outlined in Playing to Win. I have been really impressed by the work and the outputs, …

Shoot Many Robots Developer: Magic Pockets (music and sound engine are credited to Shin’en) Publisher: Atari Europe Release Date: September 24th, 2004 (EU only) Available On: Game Boy Advance Genre(s): Action (duh), Run & Gun, …

Spotify and its bizarre, hyper-specific genres are rewriting how we understand music. Why? And should we bother fighting back? Continue reading → The post How Spotify and its Genres Define Who We Are appeared first …

Just before the Christmas holiday I dropped in to the Open Gate Brewery to see what the Guinness crew were offering for the season.Paddle one began on a Chocolate Milk Stout, the sort of thing …

If you’ve followed me for some time, you’ll know I’ve always been passionate about celebrating the timeless beauty of woodworking. From sharing expert techniques to publishing insights on traditional methods, my focus has been on …

I grew up on Iliff Street, right in the middle of the ashes that up until a few nights ago, was a sunkissed neighborhood known as Pacific Palisades. It was 1978, and I remember my …

The sashiko pattern yabane 矢羽根 or 矢羽 represents arrow feathers, which is also the literal translation of yabane.矢 ya means “arrow” and 羽 or 羽根 hane means “feather” or “wing.” When put together, the は …

The Rig (2023) s02e01 “Episode 1” [2025] D: John Strickland. S: Emily Hampshire, Iain Glen, Martin Compston, Rochenda Sandall, Owen Teale, Abraham Popoola, Nikhil Parmar. Last season’s cliffhanger resolves real quick when it turns out …

Video: Peter Doherty – “Felt Better Alive” Directed by Rose Bosch. From Felt Better Alive, out May 16 on Strap Originals. If you had asked me twenty years ago if Pete Doherty would still be …

Hello, and welcome to 2025. Is it that time already? The possessive apostrophe (or rather, the abuse of the possessive apostrophe) is a recurrent guest star here at Shady Characters, but usually in the English …

Columbia math lecturer Peter Woit writes: There has been significant grade inflation over the years, so having a transcript with a string of As isn’t worth what it once was. This is not good for …

Ah, here we are again. Same deal, a few tunes off youtube and a burning desire for everyone in Spotify’s management to die horribly. A Frankie Knuckles creation, Soulful house at it’s best. Juan Atkins …

The Vikings, often romanticized as fearsome raiders, were also adept navigators, traders, and settlers. But beyond the swords and sails lies another fascinating aspect of their lives: how they understood and managed health and healing.