I watched this over my lunch break today. I think Mitch Resnick says a lot of important things in here. People do seem to have the impression (and I fall into it now and then myself) that you only need to learn to code if you're going to be a programmer or a web developer or something along those lines. But Resnick points out that learning to code helps kids (and adults) learn other skills through coding.
Great video. Take the time to watch it.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
A 200-year-old book and a current web series that make me squee
Pride and Prejudice was published January 28, 1813 and the world has been reading it non-stop ever since. It's one of the few books I have re-read multiple times.
To mark the day, let me point you (once again) to my latest obsession: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This is a web series which follows a modern-day Lizzie through the (slightly altered) events of P&P. If you want to jump in from the beginning, you can find a handy playlist here (and don't forget Lydia's videos here - of course, Lydia being Lydia stopped adding videos to her playlist some time ago, so you have to just poke around and try to watch them in order).
If you'd like to dig further into the goings-on of the story (many of the characters have their own Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook pages), check out the webpage, which will lay it all out for you (including Lydia's vids in the proper order, folded into the bigger story). The story is set to wrap up in March (after which I plan to go back and re-watch and re-read everything to catch the cues & clues I missed the first time). It's interesting to know more-or-less where the story is going , but to have no idea exactly how this version is going to pull it all off, plus there's the added fun of watching the characters interact outside the videos (for me, this is mostly on Twitter).
Have you been watching? If you haven't, do you think you'll give it a try? What's your favorite adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? (I think this one's up there, but it's not complete yet, so I'll withhold full judgement until it is. I think so far, it has my all-time-favorite Georgiana and possibly the most adorable Mr. Collins ever. Yes, adorable.)
To mark the day, let me point you (once again) to my latest obsession: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This is a web series which follows a modern-day Lizzie through the (slightly altered) events of P&P. If you want to jump in from the beginning, you can find a handy playlist here (and don't forget Lydia's videos here - of course, Lydia being Lydia stopped adding videos to her playlist some time ago, so you have to just poke around and try to watch them in order).
If you'd like to dig further into the goings-on of the story (many of the characters have their own Twitter, Tumblr & Facebook pages), check out the webpage, which will lay it all out for you (including Lydia's vids in the proper order, folded into the bigger story). The story is set to wrap up in March (after which I plan to go back and re-watch and re-read everything to catch the cues & clues I missed the first time). It's interesting to know more-or-less where the story is going , but to have no idea exactly how this version is going to pull it all off, plus there's the added fun of watching the characters interact outside the videos (for me, this is mostly on Twitter).
Have you been watching? If you haven't, do you think you'll give it a try? What's your favorite adaptation of Pride and Prejudice? (I think this one's up there, but it's not complete yet, so I'll withhold full judgement until it is. I think so far, it has my all-time-favorite Georgiana and possibly the most adorable Mr. Collins ever. Yes, adorable.)
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Frank Conroy on irrelevant details [Writing]
He once scolded a student for using irrelevant details in her short story. He said: "The author makes a tacit deal with the reader. You hand them a backpack. You ask them to place certain things in it — to remember, to keep in mind — as they make their way up the hill. If you hand them a yellow Volkswagen and they have to haul this to the top of the mountain — to the end of the story — and they find that this Volkswagen has nothing whatsoever to do with your story, you're going to have a very irritated reader on your hands."She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways by William Wordsworth | The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Something I needed to read tonight
Pantsing works. Outlining works. Whichever method feeds your need, write, write, write. Don’t just sit there over-thinking it. You can’t finish if you never start.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
There's a yellow rose in...Nebraska...
(if you're old enough to remember that song, you're welcome for the earworm)
It seems my rosebush has decided to put out one last (humongous!) rose for the season, but it's trying to keep it all to itself, letting it bloom way back in the branches.
This thing is bigger than a softball, and sooo pretty.
Monday, October 01, 2012
Recently Read: 92 days til’ 13 [plus a declaration about the rest of my year]
So weird. Why does 92 days sound so short but 12 weeks sounds do-able?
A bit from "92 days til’ 13" at Jon Acuff's Blog, which I read today:
My goal for these 92 days is to finish my book. Obviously, I'll be working on it more than once a week. Ideally, I'll work on it every day. Realistically, I have to work on it more days than I don't.
I'm not allowed to scrap the entire book halfway through and start on something else, which is my biggest hang-up. I am not allowed "Oh, it just wasn't working" excuses. This may not end up being a publishable book, but it does have to end up being a finished book. I must remind myself that perfectionism is not the point at this point. It will be ready to be read and critiqued. Then I'll go from there.
I will not take on any other big projects before January 1. This ONE project is my priority.
You can all bug me about it if you want. You have my permission.
[Taking a big breath as I post this]
A bit from "92 days til’ 13" at Jon Acuff's Blog, which I read today:
"We've got 92 days til’ 13.
Get your finish list back out.
Cut the whole list down to one thing....
Pick a day and time you’ll work on that goal at least once a week for the next 12 weeks.
That’s it."
My goal for these 92 days is to finish my book. Obviously, I'll be working on it more than once a week. Ideally, I'll work on it every day. Realistically, I have to work on it more days than I don't.I'm not allowed to scrap the entire book halfway through and start on something else, which is my biggest hang-up. I am not allowed "Oh, it just wasn't working" excuses. This may not end up being a publishable book, but it does have to end up being a finished book. I must remind myself that perfectionism is not the point at this point. It will be ready to be read and critiqued. Then I'll go from there.
I will not take on any other big projects before January 1. This ONE project is my priority.
You can all bug me about it if you want. You have my permission.
[Taking a big breath as I post this]
Thursday, September 27, 2012
There was life before Google??
Google has a cute animated doodle for their 14th birthday today.
On one hand, it's hard to believe Google's only been around 14 years. What did we do before we could just look up anything anytime anywhere? I shudder to think.
At the same time, I often forget that Google is older than my daughter. For her, Google has always been there, like light switches or doorknobs. A few weeks ago we were discussing her Spanish class and I mentioned a time in college when a friend and I sat around trying to figure out what a certain silly English phrase would be in Spanish, and how we only ever got about half way through the phrase. She looked at me with an eyebrow up and said "Why didn't you just Google it?"
"Google didn't exist yet."
Her eyes grew big. "What? I thought it had just always been there."
A minute later she grinned. "I guess I thought when cavemen wanted to find something out they just went over to the cave where the caveman called Google lived and asked him."
She has a sense of humor, that one.
On one hand, it's hard to believe Google's only been around 14 years. What did we do before we could just look up anything anytime anywhere? I shudder to think.
At the same time, I often forget that Google is older than my daughter. For her, Google has always been there, like light switches or doorknobs. A few weeks ago we were discussing her Spanish class and I mentioned a time in college when a friend and I sat around trying to figure out what a certain silly English phrase would be in Spanish, and how we only ever got about half way through the phrase. She looked at me with an eyebrow up and said "Why didn't you just Google it?"
"Google didn't exist yet."
Her eyes grew big. "What? I thought it had just always been there."
A minute later she grinned. "I guess I thought when cavemen wanted to find something out they just went over to the cave where the caveman called Google lived and asked him."
She has a sense of humor, that one.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Recently read: "With trying, comes mistakes"
"They could join in, but then they might fail, and they wouldn’t be able to sit at home [and] bitch."
"...with trying, comes mistakes...but that’s the nature of trying new things, failing."
via Lefsetz Letter » Blog Archive » The Amanda Palmer Kerfuffle via Neil Gaiman - I Interned for Amanda Palmer
Friday, September 21, 2012
Happy Hobbit Day!
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| Warner Bros via Hero Complex |
Click through for some great images, a trailer & a clip from The Hobbit: ‘Hobbit’ trailer: Radagast, wargs, a lighter look at Middle-earth.
And check out my friend *lizzie starr's blog for a great video of Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins."
Thursday, September 06, 2012
I would not want to feed this cat...
...or clean its litterbox {shudder!}
But cozying up to it like that might be nice.
Wednesday, September 05, 2012
Be Awesome [Inspiration]
Hard work without imagination = a chore
Imagination + hard work = awesome
Be awesome.
Monday, September 03, 2012
Ooooh, a pen "just for her!" [Sarcasm...funny, funny sarcasm]
Perhaps BIC should have done a leetle bit more market research...or are there long-suffering women out there wishing, hoping for something to write with other than all those "manly" pens?
As the product description at Amazon says, "BIC Cristal For Her has an elegant design - just for Her! It features a thin barrel designed to fit a women's hand. It has a diamond engraved barrel for an elegant and unique feminine style." (On top of it all, they have no one to proofread their product descriptions - or maybe the proofreader was just so overwhelmed by the idiocy of the description that "a women's hand" flew right by her)
I don't think I've ever used a pen and thought, "Gee, I wish this was designed for a woman." Judging from the reviews, not many other women have, either, but those reviews sure brought a smile to my face. :)
Here's just a sampling:
"Someone has answered my gentle prayers and FINALLY designed a pen that I can use all month long! I use it when I'm swimming, riding a horse, walking on the beach and doing yoga. It's comfortable, leak-proof, non-slip and it makes me feel so feminine and pretty! Since I've begun using these pens, men have found me more attractive and approchable. It has given me soft skin and manageable hair and it has really given me the self-esteem I needed to start a book club and flirt with the bag-boy at my local market."
"The women in my life love these pens. If you manage to use all of the ink before you lose it, it magically turns into a tampon."
"The 'for her' label is not just a gimmick exploiting archaic gender constructs, it's a WARNING. ...I don't know why they didn't put a clearer warning on the label, they really should have because if you are a boy and use this pen you put yourself at great risk. My little brother turned into a unicorn after I lent him one, and my friend told me that a boy in her class grew fairy wings in the middle of a test."
"Ermagerd. Pernz with glitterz!" (Had to throw that one in just for being written in Gersberms)
The guys are getting in on it, too:
"As if men hadn't been stripped of everything good already, BIC steps in and piles on by encouraging women to learn to write, just like their male counterparts. "
"PROS: I started using them in the privacy of my home and saw a real improvement in my skin tone: rough-n-swarthy to fragrantly delicate in five shopping lists or less. Side benefits included the irresistible urge to stock my fridge with yogurt, and a genuine desire to be a better listener. Perhaps we can chalk this up to Bic's proprietary oxytocin-kitten ink technology?"For more (and to buy if you've really been waiting for this pen all your life): Amazon.com: BIC Cristal For Her Ball Pen, 1.0mm, Black, 16ct (MSLP16-Blk): Office Products:
via PR Daily
Friday, August 31, 2012
A S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show? [Excitement!]
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| Image via Page Branson |
ABC Orders A Pilot For Joss Whedon's S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show : "And I just heard a wacky one this morning…what if it’s a prequel series starring Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson (doubtful)?"That. would. be. awesome! Even if it's not Coulson, I've got high hopes.
via The Mary Sue
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Watchin' and Sewin': The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
I like to have something on in the background while I work on a sewing project, whether it's a movie or the Doctor Who episodes I'm woefully behind on. Last weekend I decided to try out The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which I've meant to look into for months. I wish I'd done it earlier, because it took a few hours to watch all of these. Thankfully I had quite a bit of sewing to do. The only problem is, I sometimes found myself stopping to watch Lizzie instead of sewing.
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are a modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie and her friend Charlotte are college students producing Lizzie's video diary as a way to put their studies in film production and mass communication to use. Most of the book's characters find their way into Lizzie's videos, especially her sisters Jane and Lydia (I think this is my favorite portrayal of Lydia I've ever seen). Sadly, Kitty is an actual cat and Mary is now a cousin, but the story doesn't suffer for their relative absence. (For some time with Mary, check out Lydia's short series of videos.) Mr. Bingley is now Bing Lee, and he only has one sister, Caroline (Is it just me, or does Louisa, and therefore also her husband, get dropped out of 90% of the adaptations?). We haven't seen much of Mr. Darcy yet, and nothing of Wickham (though there has been texting!). The idea of Lady Catherine as a venture capitalist is a hoot.
I'll stop going on and on and let you watch.
In preparing this post, I discovered so much more to this story: Lizzie's site has a listing of all the videos with Twitter conversations inserted into their appropriate spots in the timeline. Tumblr is also listed at the top, but none of the random links I clicked showed me Tumblr posts. Sadly, I haven't had time to work my way through all the links, but that will be a weekend spent in bliss when I do.
This is a really interesting way to tell a story. I'm certainly going to keep following (I think they're only about half way through the events of the book at the moment.)
The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are a modern take on Pride and Prejudice. Lizzie and her friend Charlotte are college students producing Lizzie's video diary as a way to put their studies in film production and mass communication to use. Most of the book's characters find their way into Lizzie's videos, especially her sisters Jane and Lydia (I think this is my favorite portrayal of Lydia I've ever seen). Sadly, Kitty is an actual cat and Mary is now a cousin, but the story doesn't suffer for their relative absence. (For some time with Mary, check out Lydia's short series of videos.) Mr. Bingley is now Bing Lee, and he only has one sister, Caroline (Is it just me, or does Louisa, and therefore also her husband, get dropped out of 90% of the adaptations?). We haven't seen much of Mr. Darcy yet, and nothing of Wickham (though there has been texting!). The idea of Lady Catherine as a venture capitalist is a hoot.
I'll stop going on and on and let you watch.
In preparing this post, I discovered so much more to this story: Lizzie's site has a listing of all the videos with Twitter conversations inserted into their appropriate spots in the timeline. Tumblr is also listed at the top, but none of the random links I clicked showed me Tumblr posts. Sadly, I haven't had time to work my way through all the links, but that will be a weekend spent in bliss when I do.
This is a really interesting way to tell a story. I'm certainly going to keep following (I think they're only about half way through the events of the book at the moment.)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
The choice is yours [Quote]
"This week you will stun the world with your vision, buoyant energy and creative brilliance, or you will bore us to death. The choice, as always, is yours."
-Brendon Burchard
via Give Yourself a Permission Slip: A Message For Women
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Just be an author.
A young person had a question for Neil Gaiman on his Tumblr blog, and he had a lovely answer:
I want to be an author when I grow up. Am I insane?
Yes. Growing up is highly overrated. Just be an author.
I want to be an author when I grow up. Am I insane?
Yes. Growing up is highly overrated. Just be an author.
Friday, August 24, 2012
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