Recently updated blogs

We learned something new today, so perhaps you will, too: The acronym for the colors of the rainbow in Norwegian is ROGGBIF, which Oslo-based Studio Sløyd has used to title its new collection of stools, as multi-colored and joyful as you’d expect from such a moniker. Comprising 24 different playful shapes, each is designed to explore applications of a newly created dyed wood technique, which founders Herman Ødegaard, Mikkel Jøraandstad, …

Back on British soil for the first time in four and half years; I’ve not been back since the day I moved to Sweden. People seem amazed when I tell them that. “Don’t you miss it?” Not in the slightest. The reasons why were apparent as soon as I passed passport control in Brussels. Gone are the extortionate but at least welcoming and agreeable array of concessions where one might …

Things are being a bit too eventful in the Bostoniensis household.But first: I'm ambulatory again. Starting about starting about two weeks ago my pain finally started ebbing – a mere five weeks after my epidural – and by about a week ago I was better enough to start doing some things for myself again and also wash my hair.I'm not actually certain how much of this benefit is from the …

This weathervane was photographed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.A view of Carpenters Court, in frontof Carpenters' HallCarpenters' Hall is a historic landmark in Philadelphia, about a block away from Independence Hall. It was the site of the First Continental Congress in 1774, and also it was where Franklin installed his Library Company. It is open to the public and FREE since 1857 when it was the first private US building open as …

These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the ultimate fall treat. This recipe is a variation on our Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls, which many of you have deemed the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had! (Check out the comments to see how many folks who have long hunted for the perfect soft cinnamon roll love this recipe!) These ... View Post

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a key component of Tier 1 instruction; however, it’s essential to understand that UDL is a framework or lens, not a checklist. It may be helpful to conceptualize UDL through a desk and chair example. Imagine our goal is to help all students use this piece of furniture for learning. Read the following post or watch my video below for more details! AccessibleOne question …

I’m happy to present the eighth title in the Grammaticus Free Library series: “An Alpine Divorce”, an exciting crime story written by the Scottish-Canadian writer Robert Barr (1849–1912). It’s about a husband and wife who grew to hate each other with passion. While on holidays in the Swiss Alps, their marriage comes to its tragic and final end.

At the Planned Parenthood Book Sale last year, I found two groups of science fiction and fantasy magazines tied together, for sale for a few dollars per bundle. This week I pulled out one of those and read some stories from it.These stories come from the October/November 2000 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. "Dreamseed" by Carolyn Ives GilmanThis is a novelette about the discovery of a …

GMless games are a weird niche. Tabletop role-playing started with Game Masters, all the way back in Braunstein. Decades later, that is still how the vast majority play. The percentage of us exploring role-playing games without a GM is a tiny, tiny slice of that culture. But guess what? It’s not even one weird niche: it’s two separate niches. There are a million possible ways to make GMless games, but …

So we go on. Back to the unpredictable east coast, one last go for a big Bass, a creature we haven’t been able to track down with any consistency and tonight we’d opted to fish the most awkward beach we know. So we set up at the ‘cauldron’ both of us with a bass rig each baited with ragworm and a ‘big bait’ rig, squid in my case. The evening …

Today was unusually draining. I rode in through the rain, skipping breakfast to give myself more time to sleep / cycle a little slower; then didn’t feel the allure of BBQ food so skipped lunch; then got caught up in a too-long task which became overly too long because of the hunger and tiredness. I also keep seeing event notifications for ghost rides for newly slain cyclists — sometimes with …

‘Parable of the Talents, a novel by Octavia E. Butler, published in 1998, portrays a dystopian United States under the control of Christian fundamentalists. The group, known as “Christian America,” is led by President Andrew Steele Jarret, whose slogan is “Make America Great Again.”…’ — via Boing Boing

How is it late September already?! Weren’t we just getting used to it being September? Between a late summer camping trip and having two essays due for two different publications at the same time, I’m surprised I can remember what … Continue reading →

We live in a very disposable age. Every product has a lifespan, and in ones deemed disposable, this lifespan is often quite short. This is aptly illustrated in the world of appliances. There are people that still have fridges from the 1950s, and they still work – sure they can guzzle juice, but that’s not the point, after 70 years they are still keeping things cool. These days, many things …

Robin on AI. “I want real things by real people.” Yes, exactly. Anastasia Bizyayeva on how every online map of China is wrong, in the sense that the satellite images don’t line up with the street map vectors. Fascinating. Marco Giancotti suggests you don’t have time to read books that won’t change your life. A high bar, but quality clearly matters far more than quantity, and perhaps there’s something to …