So the abacus is making a comeback in Japanese elementary schools! I'm really enjoying this; I truly truly hope it will spread back into common use because it busts wide open plenty of dumb myths about math being hard. Learning your times tables by rote is hard. Using an abacus - including a mental one - is easy. And hey, helping our kids focus and ( Read more... )

A man on the 6 train in a plastic mask and butterfly wings followed up one of the MTA announcements in an imitation of the officious voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, backpacks and handbags are subject to random search by the police." And what he said, in fair mimicry of the Official Message intonation ( Read more... )

On the way back from work and various other shenanigans, finally, at 10.30 this evening, I crossed the street that sets off my little neighborhood. It's a straight-shot street towards Manhattan and the Chrysler building tops the skyline at what looks like the end of it. I glanced down thataway and saw three other people crossing the street, same ( Read more... )

The doctrine of Expedient Means in Buddhism is clearly one of the reasons this whole self-propagating meme complex (ie: religion) has lasted so long. It goes like this ( Read more... )

This week I had a different fun occasion every evening ( Read more... )

But at least I'm doing something.

: )

( She's nameless for now. A new one, I think. )

( Read more... )

Hey hey guys

Did you know that when you bake blueberries into chocolate cake, the smears they leave on the plate when you eat the first couple slices all warm and gooey are multicolored? There's a dark kind of blue-green teal and then there's the rich purple I'm all used to.

Hey crystal_sun396

I finally did your meme thingIt's actually pretty alright I think ( Read more... )

My pen was unLOCKED today.

It was magical.

( So many bats, you guys. )

This first one, it's pretty nothing. It's just a thing I pulled straight off of a photograph, done in inkbrush and watercolor pencils. Poorly-applied watercolor pencils. But it's cute.

( Cheep cheep. )