tingilinde

text npr

The transcripts of current NPR news.

 

greg blonder's excellent mask video

gonna be an engineer...

I remember this from a long time ago..  a song by Peggy Seeger

 

 

noted in the blog of the Union of Concerned Scientists 

 

cables and external battery packs

If you're looking for replacement usb-(whatever), lightning cables or external battery packs, I've found Anker to be excellent.  Cable quality is much higher than Apple's for much less money.  The chargers are "smart" rather than the fire hazards that sometimes turn up on Amazon.  I haven't tried the external battery packs, but a few people I know swear by them,

 

 

cables and adapters

One of Amazon's little secrets is they sell uncertified products.  You can get into trouble with cables, adapters and chargers (among other things) and its best to stick with products from the original manufacturer - which Amazon also sells).  If you want to get quality certified products - including MFi kit - try Monoprice .. a good price on honest-to-goodness certified kit.  My experience is it is at least as good as what came with your device and often better at a lower price.

 

 

what telescope to buy?

About this time of year I field questions about which telescope to buy for a budding amateur astronomer.  My advice is to stay away from telescopes at first and concentrate on learning the sky.  There are amazing sights that can be enjoyed with a pair of binoculars at relatively low power.  Ten to fifteen power is great, but you'll want big lenses ... 50 millimeters or more if possible.  You can spend a lot on serious instruments - thousands in fact, but for beginners something like this Celestron 15 power with 70 millimeter objectives is ideal and inexpensive.   You can also use them for birdwatching.

 

 

foldscope kickstarter

I'm in...  great stuff and a very high probability they'll deliver.

IamElemental

Reader Emily gives a two thumbs up to female action figures from IamElemental for kids of an action figure age.

 snip

...

It’s character, not characters.™

“Every single figure practically radiates with evidence of the care and enjoyment put into them… They call back to a time when toys really were designed with kids in mind.” – The Figure in Question

“In the interest of creating strong women, the creators did not make them more masculine. They look like normal, fit, healthy, strong women. These figures’ strongest visual point is, first and foremost, their strength. After you take in their strength and power – then you realize, ‘oh, they also happen to be female, awesome.’ It’s so progressive, I am crying tears of joy.” – CC

“To be honest, when I ordered the figures, I had no idea it would give us such a good way to reinforce some of those really hard conversations we have had to face this year. I imagine other children facing adversity would be perfect recipients for your figures…Every child should be given the tools to fight whatever…life throws in their way.” – Behavioral Therapist

...

 

 

usgs maps

National Geographic has put all of the US Geological Survey topographical maps in one place along with formatting for easy printing on standard sized printer paper. 

I haven't tried printing but the interface is straightforward.

 

dior and I

A friend in fashion who has been involved in haute couture recommended 'Dior and I' as the best documentary on the art.  It focuses on the period where Raf Simons came to Dior and focuses on the Dior's atelier at Dior.  The caveat is I’m fascinated by the process of how things, particularly things that are difficult to make and/or involve serious craft, are made.   In this case you see the dynamics of the core resource - the craftspeople in the atelier - as they work with a new person. $5 on iTunes .. probably similar elsewhere.