Friday

books / Friday / IU / memories — Comments Off on Reading our way into the weekend
20
Aug 21

Reading our way into the weekend

We had freshmen in the building today. First year students, the direct admits, came in and heard from the dean. He determined very quickly that we are all old. They don’t know who David Letterman is. He’s been off CBS for six years, which is a long time, but he still has his longform interview show on Netflix.

It reminded me of the time I used a photo of Dan Rather to set up a key point in a classroom lecture and none of the students knew who he was. I’d anticipated that. It was just a picture of Rather at a lectern. So I had a second image of the longtime news anchor. He was there at the desk, a graphic box over his shoulder, the CBS bug in the corner. No one knew who he was. He’d been off the air for a little over two years at that point.

Time moves quickly, but it also helps if people are familiar with the character in the first place. Somehow, it’s harder to imagine people being unfamiliar with Letterman.

Anyway, the dean offered a top ten list, but said it wasn’t funny. It wasn’t, but it was useful, and hopefully some of it will stick for them.

This evening there was a grad student welcome program. The day in between is already a blur of meetings and seeing familiar faces for the first time in a long time.

It’s always fun when people come back, until you lose track of how many miniature reunions you’ve had. In a few days I’ll ask a student, not for the first time, about their summer. The week is over, the semester is here, but first …

Let’s do a little reading. This is from one of my grandfather’s magazines, the January 1954 edition of Popular Science. We’re looking at a few of the ads from the thing. We started this particular magazine last week and you can see the first five ads if you click that previous link. Click the image below and you can see the next six advertisements of worth and merriment.

If Popular Science doesn’t interest you, you can see the rest of the things I’ve digitized from my grandfather’s collection. There are textbooks, a school notebook and a few Reader’s Digests, so far. It’s a lot of fun.

At this rate we’ll be reading this Popular Science for several weeks, so there’s a lot of fun yet to come.

Just like your weekend, I hope. Big plans? Little plans? No plans?

We’ve got the same plans. Good, now-traditional, staying safely removed from people, bike riding, book reading plans.

books / family / Friday / memories / music / site / video — Comments Off on Listen to some music, read some books
13
Aug 21

Listen to some music, read some books

Just a week ago yesterday I mentioned Nanci Griffith here. She figured into one of my first blog posts. Back then I said “God Bless Nanci Griffith.” I’ve been listening to her for a long time, about a quarter of a century. This evening it was announced that she’d passed away.

God bless Nanci Griffith; he blessed us with her.

The Flyer, looking back, has a certain mid-century weariness that is overcome by the un-replaceable mid-century optimism she put into so much of her work. It was a wonderful entrance to her folkabilly style.

“These Days in an Open Book” sticks with you.

And there are parts of “Grafton Street” that can haunt you. Indeed, I can hear every important note perfectly well in my mind, even now.

She produced 19 records over the course of her career, which spanned most of my life until her health turned a few years ago. It’s an impressive body of work from a gifted storyteller. The nature of the entertainment industry, of course, is such that an artist’s work never leaves us, thankfully. What a gift it is to have all of this to return to.

I’m not ready to listen to them again just now — one day soon, I hope — but you should definitely try them out.

The planned event for the day was the return to the books section. We made it back there in just a shade under two years. That’s a perfectly average turnaround time, if you ask me. Perfectly average if you are Voyager 1 and you are in between Jupiter and Saturn.

This section of the site is a casual study of some of my grandfather’s books. I didn’t have the good fortune to meet him, but I know him from family stories and some of his things that I’ve inherited. Like a giant box of periodicals I rescued. So, today, we’re beginning a look at an issue of “Popular Science,” January 1954. Click the image to see the first five ads I’ve selected.

At this rate, it’ll take a while, and that’s the point. If Popular Science isn’t your speed, you can see the rest of the things I’ve digitized from my grandfather’s collection. There are textbooks, a school notebook and a few Reader’s Digests, so far. It’s a lot of fun.

And fun is what you’re supposed to have over a weekend. I hope that’s what you have in store for you. Come back and tell me about it on Monday, won’t you?

Friday / IU / photo / Twitter — Comments Off on They grow on trees
6
Aug 21

They grow on trees

The joke around here is that the maple is nature’s first quitter. They turn and fall and they miss out on weeks of glorious summer. That’s coming and, along with it, the awe of autumn. But that’s later. Today? This is just hurtful, oak tree.

Speaking of trees … We have an apple tree in our backyard. Big enough to duck under; not tall enough to climb. We only just discovered this year that it was an apple tree. Five years here and this is the first time it’s bore fruit. Some sort of green apples, but not bitter like a Granny Smith. I set out, then, to identify the apple variety. There are 27 green apples out there, and isn’t that a delightful thing to learn?

We started plotting what we’d do with a whole tree of apples. So many pies! I was mentally picking out the knife and the cutting board, excited about the prospect, you understand. I figured, without knowing the exact apple, we’d just have to estimate when they were ripe, but that’s OK. Nature is a great teacher and there’s a window for this sort of thing.

I have this nice thin knife and a small glass cutting board and it makes a pleasing sound when you work through a fruit or vegetable. Just add cinnamon and enjoy. I have plans. Had plans.

I just noticed the apples are gone. All of ’em.

Squirrels.

(That’s a recreation.)

They didn’t leave a single apple. Here yesterday, see ya’ next year.

Hungry four-legged smugglers.

Let’s wrap the week up with a few things I put on one of the work accounts. Interesting studies performed by interesting people. A lot of grad students, in this case, which makes it even more fun. Watch them all, so you can stay abreast of the latest in social science research.

And within the next week or so we’ll have even more new research to highlight. But that’s for next week. For now, the weekend!

Covid-19 / Friday / Twitter / video — Comments Off on Two quick Friday notes
30
Jul 21

Two quick Friday notes

I spend my fair share of time reading about presidents. I enjoy digging up the definitive biographies because the good ones, as much as anything, become about the times, and the people around the man. And somewhere in all of that you find a few repeating themes. One of them is that a lot of things are just frustratingly beyond the control of the White House, no matter what they’d have you believe. This means, of course, that presidents generally take a bit more credit than they deserve for larger national events, and they receive a bit more blame than they deserve for them, too. Another theme that repeats is that the good ones know who they’re speaking to: simultaneously their constituency and history.

There’s another theme we cling to a lot, as Americans, and it shows up in those not-exactly-hagiographies. It’s a part of the American myth that’s not universal, nor transferrable across time or issues. It’s one part of our American optimism this notion that, sometimes, a man meets the times.

I was thinking of that when I was watching this speech today. It’s not perfect, and heaven knows people will disagree on things big and small. But if there’s anyone on the national stage that can speak credibly about empathy, this president is one of those men.

It’s a man who understands his moment. Whether it moves the needle, or even just loosens the screw that’s holding the needle down, remains to be seen, of course. But it’s clear, particularly in the ninth minute and sprinkled throughout, that the president’s writing team knows their man’s strengths.

(The other idea that keeps recurring is that none of them are as good as you thought. A few of them are as tough as you’d imagine. One or two are even bold. Most just really want to hold serve, and try to do well by people. And then there’s Andrew Johnson … )

Meantime … the local mask advice that will be listened to, or dismissed, according to each and their own.

Have a safe weekend, and be kind to one another.

Friday / IU / site / Twitter / video — Comments Off on A fresh new front page look, and lots of video here
23
Jul 21

A fresh new front page look, and lots of video here

There’s a new look to the front page of the website. You’re going to want to check that out. It’s another small little reminder of our trip to Washington State last month. These images will stay in place for two or three weeks, so be sure to visit the front page early and often. For now, just click the image below and you’ll be on your way in another tab.

There are seven nice images there. Did you see them all? Did you count? Make sure you saw all seven.

One of them is, admittedly, a bit of a miss. That’ll teach me!

A thing we do here every few weeks is look at some of the things I’ve thrown on a work account. I need a special banner or a cute name for this, but, for now, it’s just another place I can show off a bit of cool research that people are done. Also, it pads out this post.

That’ll do for now. Check out the front page! And come back Monday; we’ll check in on the kitties.

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