I discovered this while I was going through some old files. David got into Prezi, and it looked so lovely and non-linear I had to try my hand at one, too. Here’s the one I made for Quartz (sadly enough, my books are the only thing I’m qualified to make presentations about) more than a year ago. This was a lot more fun than writing a query.
spider silk: the logistics of luxury
January 25, 2012 11 Comments
The world’s largest spider silk garment is on display for the first time at the Victoria & Albert museum. Spider silk is one of those ultra-exotic luxuries that crops up from time to time in fantasies, often imbued with magical powers. A spider silk cape, one can imagine, might come with Spidey powers: keen senses, near-invisibility, the ability to leap from building to building. It’s so easy to throw spider silk into the economy of one’s fantasy world, along with heart-sized rubies and mollusk-made purple dye.
However, this article shows that some things are too rare and too labor-intensive to be more than one-time novelties:
To create the cape, British art historian Simon Peers and his American business partner Nicholas Godley spent five years collecting and harnessing over 1 million spiders in special “silking” contraptions to extract their threads, 24 critters at a time.
…
On average, 23,000 spiders yield roughly 1 ounce of silk, making the process intensely laborious and time-consuming. It’s not hyperbole then to claim that the textiles are among the world’s most rare and precious objects—liquid gold, if you will.
Unless, of course, you have a high-tech world where they’ve figured out how to manufacture artificial spider silk.
Or they have really really big arachnids.
*pause*
“Spider hunter” on that world might be an um… interesting job!
I would love to touch spider silk cloth, though. Just to see how it feels.
What about you? What rare or one-of-kind item would you like to see in person or hold in your hand for a few minutes?
avatar the last airbender: ba sing se
January 23, 2012 Leave a Comment
Notes on the last half of Book 2:
Appa: Taking Appa away from Aang was an awesomely evil, horribly wonderful little twist. Think about it. Appa is Aang’s link to his past, the only one who has survived from his life a hundred years ago. No wonder Aang was so unhinged when he was stolen.
Dai Li: Oooh, things are not quite right in Ba Sing Se. Aang and co. just destroyed the giant drill from tunneling through the outer walls, but no one inside cares. They’re not allowed to talk about the war, you see. And even though Aang has important information about the Day of Black Sun, he isn’t allowed to talk to the King. Smiling, blank-eyed bureaucracy stymies them at every turn. Turns out the Dai Li and their head are more concerned about keeping their power and hold over the king and city than the threat from the Fire Nation. Bad for Aang, bad for Ba Sing Se.
Zuko: Oh, Zuko, Zuko. And here I thought you were starting to come around. You grew reconciled to serving tea. You even smiled when your uncle got his own tea shop. You kept your cool when Jet tried to provoke you into revealing your fire-bending (unlike that last time, with the thugs in that earthbender village, remember?). You freed the Avatar’s bison, and dropped your Blue Spirit mask into the lake. You even went on a date! And did something nice for someone else.
And then Azula came.
Oh, I knew why you had it to make the wrong choice. Because you needed to get what you’ve always wanted–fame, acceptance, your father’s approval, a return home as a hero–and see how hollow and tinny it all was. You needed to go home and give it all up.
But still. Bad choice. Bad bad choice.
Azula: Still awesome, in the way Pratchett’s elves are terrific. She understands people and power and oh, she uses that knowledge like a sharp knife.
Still, can we say… foreshadowing?
Azula: "It's terrible when you can't trust the people who are closest to you." Foreshadowing, anyone??
Mai: I didn’t like Mai at first, but she’s grown on me. And can I just say that I don’t think she fears Azula at all? You won’t catch her going into a chute full of muddy gunk or fight over a performing bear if she doesn’t want to. Mai does. not. care. And, nyah. Azula can’t make her.
Three words: Toph. discovers. metalbending. I love LOVE watching the characters learn and discover new ways of using their bending. It adds a dynamism to the worldbuilding.
K, that was more than three words.
The Finale: This is my favorite finale of all three seasons, just for sheer on-the-edge-of-your-seat uncertainty. Is Iroh’s and Katara’s trust in Zuko misplaced? Will Aang give up Katara to achieve the true potential of the Avatar state? Will they defeat Azula and the Dai Li? It’s the lowest point of the plot arc–the last stronghold of the Earth Kingdom falls through treachery, Aang is badly wounded, and his friends barely escape with him at the end. But there is–always–still hope. And another season. 
edited to add links to previous Avatar the Last Airbender posts:
Via Skymania
VISTA's image of the Helix Nebula. Credit: ESO/VISTA/J. Emerson
flashback to the 80s: thundercats!
January 19, 2012 12 Comments
I took my youngers (5yo and 3yo) through a whirlwind tour of the icons of my childhood, courtesy of YouTube. Now, my children are pretty TV-deprived compared to your average American–we get absolutely no reception in Small Town, Vermont; we’re too cheap to pay for cable; and I’m getting crankier about commercials and silly shows in my old age. So, when I bombarded them with a stream of 80s cartoon imagery–from Inspector Gadget to Duck Tales to Silver Hawks–they pretty much sat there in stunned silence. Even my pink-loving Miss M. was like O.o???!! at Jem and the Holograms–and I don’t blame her (oh the hair, the hair! The-the makeup…. and the clothes *shudder*).
However, they did love the opening theme of Thundercats. And I can see why. The simple striking imagery, the uncluttered background, the clear character distinctions (no doubts as to who’s the Leader Dude and what type of cat he’s supposed to be!) and that darn catchy tune (a real mindworm, that), Thundercats has aged pretty well. The classic still looks better than the updated version.
And besides, it has Cheetara in it. Wouldn’t you want to be able to run so fast that you’re a blur, turn flips high in the air, whirl your staff around, and strike a cool pose? Without having a hair of your spotted style out of place?
I can do without that eye makeup, but color me jealous over her abilities
Other 80s children, which cartoons do you look back at fondly?
was a zombie, then a hermit, now restored to normal
January 17, 2012 2 Comments
I was single-mom-ing it last week while my husband was out of town on business. Actually, “single mom” is a bit of an understatement, since I was also single cook, single driver, single dishwasher, single taker-out-of-trash… you get my drift. My kids are great and helpful, I emptied my week of complicated scheduling, and picked easy and still-fairly-nutritious dinners to make BUT by Friday I was pretty much shambling around like the Living Dead. Doesn’t help that I sleep poorly while my husband’s away (it’s like I’m used to sharing a bed or something). It’s hard being on call all week long. You never go off duty.
By the time my husband–exhausted from his trip–got home on Saturday, my introversion was raging in full force. This takes the form of retreating into a room–any room with a door!–with the same music looping over and over again (Gaelic Storm and Loreena McKennit this time around) and losing myself in a world in my head. I also ignore any and all social media/RSS feed/news/anything that requires me to make decisions, but after a day or two of getting time to myself, I’m ready to face the world again.
So hello, world. How are you?
The Cardinal Rules of Good Behavior
January 11, 2012 2 Comments
according to Miss M. (5yo) at lunch today:
- Don’t kick.
- Don’t punch.
- Never throw toys at people.
- And never ever EVER mess up your bed before a showing!
Methinks we’ve been in this house-on-market stage of life far too long.
homeschool highlights
January 7, 2012 13 Comments
I lost most of the day yesterday to Life Happens, so we’ll pretend today’s Friday and I haven’t broken my New Year’s resolution already. (Hey, and if the world indulges me in that fantasy, can I pretend Monday’s also part of the weekend? Please?).
We’re studying the Middle Ages this year (Vikings and castles and knights, oh my!). Perfect for lots of fun projects, such as making a Viking longship. I found this awesome make-a-Viking-ship-out-of-a-milk-carton project (we used an eggnog carton) and set D. to work on it with Sir I. I’m more artsy and D.’s more craftsy, so anything that requires ruler-straight lines falls into his domain.
I also found this cool animated Bayeux tapestry (only part of the story, but still fun) on YouTube.
For science, we’re charting the phases of the moon for a whole month (it’s a gibbous moon tonight, with a full moon tomorrow). I found a moon phase calendar and a moonrise/moonset chart online; I’ve never paid much attention to the lunar cycle before this, but I think this unit will be good from a worldbuilding perspective. We’re also watching episodes of the History Channel show The Universe, which is really good, except they love to blow up the Earth in all its computer-animated glory in various creatively catastrophic ways. Sir I.’s really into all things space (as am I) so we’re having a lot of fun reading and watching and talking astronomy.
new year’s resolutions 2012
January 4, 2012 8 Comments
I always approach New Year’s resolutions with a great deal of caution. It’s so easy to get swept up in the frenzy of goal-making (that has be done by NYE, or else you lose that magical window of time or something) and overreach. Two mistakes I’ve made setting yearly goals in the past are:
1. Not being flexible enough. Often I’ve started the year off convinced that my big writing project should be “Shepherdesses in Saskatoon”, when, really, by June I’m starting to suspect I’d be better off working on “The Lovelorn Laundress”. Or perhaps my enthusiasm for creating illuminated letters has waned and I’d rather be crocheting snowflakes.
Sometimes my goals live me no wiggle room in terms of time. “Write a novel in a month” might be doable for some people–including many many NaNoWriMo winners *grin*–but realistically? It’s not good goal for a homeschooling mom of three who’s trying to sell her house, and likes her sleep and her husband, thank you very much.
2. Taking giant leaps, instead of small steps. Often, resolutions fall by wayside because they were overambitious in the first place. If you’ve been writing in drips and drabbles over the past several months, it’s very hard to start writing two thousand words a day once January 1st rolls around. And if you’ve committed to some big daily goal, the first couple of times you miss it, you fall so far behind that it’s easy to give up altogether. Baby steps build habits.
As I’ve pondered what I want to change this next year, I realize that what I really need is intentionality–to prioritize all that I have in my life, and to focus my energies on the things that are most important to me. I need to eliminate the clutter in my life, and work on creating good habits that will carry me through Life Stuff and be such a part of my routine that I do them without even thinking about it.
I usually post about writing resolutions on this blog, but this year I’ve realized that I need to do other things first, which will prepare the soil for my writing to grow and flourish. So, while writing is on the list *grin*, you have to scroll down to get to it.
So this year, I resolve to focus on and build good habits in the following areas:
Prayer and meditation. Faith is the bedrock of my life. Going without talking to God and listening for Him every day is a recipe for a tired, drained and cranky me, with nothing to give to anyone or anything.
Exercise and healthy diet. Alas, my post-thirty body isn’t able to shed the fat as easily as my 20s body did. But more than just being able to fit into my old jeans again, I want to be healthy, fit, and have energy. So I can, you know, enjoy life and do the things I want to and that are good for me.
Watching five episodes of 24 in a row is probably not one of those things.
The “get healthier” plan consists of portion control, breaking the post-dinner snacking habit (*siiiiigh*), learning that I do not need to say “Yes” to very piece of dessert that bats its eyelashes at me, getting out for a brisk walk as often as I can (challenging, since like the groundhog, I’d prefer to hibernate all winter) and finding some sort of exercise video/class/magic pill/spell that works for me. Still working on the details for that last one.
My family. It might be funny to hear a homeschooling mom say this, but I want to focus on spending more time with my children. More time playing Bananagrams and Go Fish, reading non-school books, doing practical things together like cleaning up and folding laundry… things that don’t involve workbooks and index cards. My 3yo, the non-schooling child, would like some attention, too, in the mornings.
My patient husband also deserves more attention. And, no, watching 24 together doesn’t cut it.
Eliminate the time-wasters. Stuff that doesn’t get used, but that I still have to clean, pick up, put away. So-so books that aren’t more than mildly enjoyable. And the Internet, oh the Internet! Flame wars and train wrecks and rabbit trails and tangents and cool websites and an RSS feed a mile long and… and… So much of the time, I’m a spectator, not a participant. So when I’m online, I resolve to use my time learning and interacting.
Writing! Finally! I resolve to build good writing habits. 700 words a day is my goal when I’m working on a rough draft, otherwise I’ll spend time doing writing exercises, brainstorming, or revising. If I miss a day, I will not beat myself up or try to catch up; instead I’ll get back in the saddle. I’ve got a bunch of projects in the pipeline, and I’ve put the top few on Sticky Notes to keep them at the front of my mind. If I hit on a block on one story, I have other stories I can work on.
And I’m determined to be consistent with keeping up with this blog (I’m even taking a class to help me, eek). Plan is to post M-W-F.
Reading. More non-fiction and classics. I make this resolution every year. Someday it’ll stick. Perhaps.
Additional reading:
Dean Wesley Smith on Life Happens, restarting, and failure.
Kristen Lamb on planning for success.
How about you? How do you maximize your chances for success?
most anticipated reads of 2012
December 31, 2011 10 Comments
Jumping jellybeans, Batman! What a lot of drool-worthy titles coming out in 2012. Most of the ones of my radar will be release in January (that’s tomorrow!) so I don’t have to wait too long to read them. Whew! I’m eager to get my grubby mitts on:
The Daemon Prism by Carol Berg
A book written from the first person POV of Dante? Oh, yes, yes, YES! Btw, the dude on the cover? He’s all right, but he looks NOTHING like Dante. Boo. Ignore the guy, buy the book! (Er… buy books 1 and 2 first, then this one).
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
All right, part of why I want to read this book is because I know Jodi. And I know she’s a fabulous writer. But the big part of why I want to read this is because of its fantastic premise: Ana is a newsoul, born in a world where everyone is reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories from past lives. When she was born, another soul vanished. Now Ana must discover whether she truly is the bad omen everyone else thinks she is.
The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells
Sequel to The Cloud Roads, which I finished on Wednesday. I love Moon’s character, and I get to find out what happens to him next week! Yay!
Heir of Novron by Michael J. Sullivan
Last book in the The Riyria Revelation series. Building to big climactic-type things. Lots of danger. Lots of loss. Many secrets to be revealed. Yay!
Other titles I’m interested in checking out: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (this one is all totally Jodi Meadows’ fault); Cinder by Marissa Meyer (a science fiction fairy tale featuring a cyborg Cinderella? Ooooh!); For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (post-apocalyptic retelling of Persuasion, my favorite Austen? Oh, yeah!); and Cold Steel (sequel to Cold Fire) by Kate Elliott.
Any books you’re looking forward to in 2012?
