I saw a photo of this while thumbing through books at a local bookstore, and I just had to research and share. Only in bygone times of mad kings and laboring serfs could such a place be built. Come with me now on a journey through time and insanity. Linderhof in Winter The “Mad King” …
Mar 26 2010
Panic! When The Digital Sky Is Falling
We’ve all confessed it at some point or other – we’d be useless without our smartphones, and dead without the internet. A lot of our distress comes from our inability to make decisions without digital input. Here are some services we depend on and the trouble that ensues when we lose them. So I was …
Mar 25 2010
That Funky Ampersand
What kind of a name is “ampersand,” anyway? Where did this funky symbol come from? Why does it mean, “and,” and where is it still used? All these questions and more are here for the and-swering. (pun intended) The ampersand as a symbol comes rather directly from the Latin et, meaning “and.” In fact, the …
Mar 24 2010
Top 20 Signs That You’re A Writer
My Top 20 signs you’re a writer. You know you’re a writer if: proofreading… by monsterpants 20. You settle down for some light reading, and your friend asks you what subject you’re studying for. 19. You feel the same way about a cracked book spine as you do about a cracked Venetian vase (despite the …
Mar 23 2010
No Longer Okay To Be Camera-Shy?
Now that every phone has a camera, and many can shoot video, I begin to wonder whether it’s okay to be camera-shy. In the age of Flickr and YouTube, could those who don’t love the lens still be relevant? I have a confession to make. I am webcamera-shy. I know, I know – I’m an …
Mar 21 2010
Google: The American National Champion
Google has been making headlines in almost every arena over the last couple years. From technology to philanthropy to infrastructure to research to international politics, the Mountain View, CA, company is managing to impact nearly every American in some way and is taking on the role of national champion to spread its influence far and …
Mar 20 2010
How To Use Love
Love is a thing we’re always searching for, but when we find it, do we know how to use it to best effect? When we’re giving it, how do we hope it will be used? It’s odd to talk about “using” love, but no one wants to see love squandered or abused. Here’s how to …
Mar 19 2010
Are You A Citizen Of This New Nation?
FCC Chairman, Julius Genachowski, has been in the news a lot recently speaking about the future of broadband internet access in America and what we can do to develop it. One phrase being stressed is digital citizenship – are you an effective citizen of this new, digital nation? Citizenship@MaRS by mars_discovery_district To find the answer, …
Mar 18 2010
The Art of Becoming Silent
Why, you little… Ever felt like you could say more by not finishing your sentence? Sometimes silence speaks volumes. There is a word for everything, and that includes the art of not using words – welcome to aposiopesis. Enjoy the silence by Könrad Coming from the Classical Greek, aposiopesis means literally, “becoming silent.” In English, …
Mar 17 2010
So Do You Bump Me Or Do I Card You?
Adding people you meet in the wide world to your social networks can be a chore. Thankfully, the necessary information can be listed on business cards, but a popular mobile app now offers to streamline the process (at least for Facebook). Which is better: paper or phone app? In meeting a lot of people on …
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