• The Power and Beauty of Slow Books

    30 Sep 2021 » 3 min read

    There are some books that I read quickly. I finish them off in a few hours. There are other books that take longer because they are much longer reads. In December, for instance, I began reading Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive books. Those are really big books, and even at my usual pace, it took me…

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  • New Field Notes “Harvest” Edition

    29 Sep 2021 » 1 min read about notebooks

    Yesterday, I received as part of my Field Notes annual subscription, the 52nd quarterly release: The Harvest Edition! Just in time for fall! Here is what came in my shipment: As always, I am looking forward to trying out one of the new notebooks just as soon as I fill up the one I am…

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  • Perfect Stories

    29 Sep 2021 » 3 min read

    One of the things I love about baseball is that it is possible to have a “perfect game.” A perfect game is one in which a pitcher faces 27 batters, and not one of them gets on base. There are no hits, no walks, no one hit by a pitch, no one ever making it…

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  • In Need of a New Office Chair

    28 Sep 2021 » 4 min read

    Apparently, chairs die. I’m not exactly sure when I got my current office chair, but I think it was at least 7 years ago. Since I work mostly from home these days, I sit on the chair a lot, and the wear and tear takes its toll. The chair squeaks constantly these days. WD-40 works…

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  • My Initial Thoughts on Apple TV’s Adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation (with Spoilers)

    27 Sep 2021 » 10 min read

    SPOILERS AHEAD: Given my initial apprehensions about Apple TV’s adaptation of Foundation, and my many readings of Asimov’s series of the years, I couldn’t find a way to write this post without including spoilers both to the two episodes that have appeared thus far, and to the books. If you have not yet watched the…

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  • Why Give Up Napping?

    26 Sep 2021 » 5 min read

    The most frequent piece of advice I get when complaining that I don’t sleep well at night is: give up your nap. Kelly has suggested this a number of times, as have people I’ve complained to about my poor night’s sleep. I’m not sure these people appreciate the value of a good afternoon nap. My…

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  • Retro Posts, Week of 9/19/2021

    25 Sep 2021 » 1 min read about retro-posts

    For those who don’t follow along on Twitter or my Facebook page, I post a link to “retro post” once-a-day, selecting from one of the thousands of posts I’ve written here on the blog over the last 15+ years. Here are the retro posts for this week. 9/19/21: The Diary and the Lens (2019) 9/20/21: 500 Years of…

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  • Autumn Has Arrived! Throw Open the Windows!

    25 Sep 2021 » 3 min read

    Each year it seems that the period of time in which we can throw open the windows in the house grows shorter and shorter. Mid-spring, say April 15 – May 15 is one such period. Mid fall–October 15 – early November–is another. During those times, the temperature outside is normally just right. We can open…

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  • Foundation Day

    24 Sep 2021 » 3 min read

    Today, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation makes its television debut on Apple TV+. I haven’t watched it yet, but I plan to watch the first two episodes, which were released last night, before the end of the day. It has been a long journey from original concept to the silver screen. H.B.O. attempted to do it and…

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  • Recent Posts I Didn’t Write

    23 Sep 2021 » 4 min read

    One of the many things I enjoy about writing here is that, unlike writing fiction or nonfiction articles, I never worry much about word count. I don’t track the words I write on a daily basis. On some days, I’ll write a short post, on other days, a longer post. Some days, I’ll sit down…

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