All posts by Chris

Happy Bloomsday!

Holiday! Celebrate!

Ted reminded me that today is Bloomsday:

Bloomsday is a holiday observed annually on 16 June to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and commemorate the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904. The day is also a secular holiday in Ireland. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist in Ulysses, and June 16 was the date of Joyce’s first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, when they walked to the Dublin village of Ringsend.

Hawking to write children’s book

Literature, Science, Science fiction

I so thoroughly want this:

Physicist Stephen Hawking and his daughter are to write a science book for children which will be “a bit like Harry Potter”, but without the magic. “It is a story for children, which explains the wonders of the universe,” she [his daughter] said.

I hope it’s something in the vein of Heinlein’s juvenile fiction, basically a scientifically-accurate adventure story.  It would be great to give Ben a copy along with the Heinlein, Asimov, Rowling, Pullman, Pratchett, and Nix he’ll have on his “Daddy Recommends” shelf.

(I have to post this before that list gets any bigger.  I keep adding authors.  Who would you recommend to a young reader?)

what kind of freak are you?

Blog, Community & Activism, Crafts, Fun

I’m working on a set of t-shirts for the Global Spin community (plus a secret project I’ll unveil later this month). I have a couple designs mocked up already and a decent place to make and sell them, and I’ve run into a bit of a snag.

There are too many kinds of freaks.

That’s ordinarily not a problem for us. We protect our freaks, no matter what kind. But I’m having trouble thinking of a complete list, let alone designs for them all, so I need your help. Where should I start? What kind of freak are you?

  • Transit Freak
  • Neat Freak
  • Sci-Fi Freak
  • Space Freak
  • Plant Freak
  • Super-Freak
  • Geek Freak
  • just plain Freak
  • other (specify)
  • some kinda freak, i’m not sure what
  • I’m not a freak, freak!

And remember, this is for posterity so be honest. Include as many categories as you think apply. For instance, I’m a Transit Freak, a Sci-Fi Freak, a Space Freak, a Science Freak, and a Geek Freak. Like they say: I’m not just the founder, I’m a client.

So let your freakness shine. What kind of freak are you, anyway?

UPDATE: Just to be clear, I’m looking for your complete list, not just the freakishness that isn’t on the list yet.  Be complete!