Brush your teeth!

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Peter Loshin

Did you know you should floss before you brush? I didn’t. Here’s a handy article about Natural ways to take care of your teeth, some of which might surprise you. And don’t forget: Be true to your teeth and they won’t be false to you!

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More fun and games (and some learning?)

Posted on May 8, 2008 by Peter Loshin

Casual gaming is very big these days, and my current favorite is Bloxorz. But if that’s not to your taste, here are some links/games that you might prefer:

  • In case you never played Asteroids, here’s a game that kind of reminds me of that old game: Vector Wars. My twitch/response isn’t so good, so I don’t usually go for this kind of thing, but it is well done.
  • Chronotron. Wow. If you’ve ever wished you could slow down (or go back in) time, this game is for you. Have your "present" self do stuff, and then have your time-traveling self take advantage of the results.
  • Want to boost your IQ just by playing a game? Yeah, me too until I realized I didn’t really understand how to play. But maybe you’ll do better! IQ boost with dual n-back task explains it all, along with links to the science as well as the game itself.

Finally, here is a list of 26 "make the world a better place" games, that might not be so appealing to youngsters (or oldsters) looking for a diversion. Nevertheless, you might want to try them out anyway: 26 Learning Games to Change the World.

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Mesmerizing little toys…

Posted on April 16, 2008 by Peter Loshin

Have you ever played with a kaleidoscope? They’re pretty cool, but you can make your own simulated, online kaleidoscope with this or this. When I get a chance, I’m going to dig deeper into the source, zefrank.com. In the meantime, I could probably waste a lot of time getting mesmerized by the colors and shapes.

Enjoy!

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Like Sci-Fi? Try these series…

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Peter Loshin

Some of these science fiction series may be more appropriate for older readers, but it’s a nice list of the Top 15 Science Fiction Book Series. Because there are so many series out there now (spurred on no doubt by the success of the Harry Potter books), it’s nice to go back to these well-crafted classics.

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Teensy tiny gardening

Posted on April 6, 2008 by Peter Loshin

We don’t have a very big yard, but even we probably have room for this kind of garden: How to Build a Square Foot Garden. It’s spring, even if it doesn’t entirely feel like spring here in Massachusetts. But the warm weather will be here soon, and it’s always fun to play in the dirt, and worthwhile to grow some of our own food.

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My bicycle

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Peter Loshin

Precious_3

My favorite mode of transportation is the bicycle. And this is my main ride. It’s a regular Trek 520 touring bike, but with some modifications: the rear wheel is set back with an Xtracycle kit, so I can carry anything (like lots of groceries) and anyone (like one or two children). There’s the front basket, of course, for little stuff. North Road handlebars, because they work better in traffic; BMX-style pedals, because they work better with boots, sneakers, any kind of shoe, and there’s no need to fiddle with clips/clipless shoes. It’s got an internal 8-speed hub, a nice loud bell, and a rear-view mirror.

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More Futurama Stuff

Posted on March 20, 2008 by Peter Loshin

I love Futurama because there’s so much of interest to me in there, especially references to old movies and books (especially science fiction), and also especially because it clearly is the product of minds I admire.

Anyway, I’ll probably have to collect some of the links I’ve blogged about into a separate Futurama page–in the meantime, here’s something new and cool: Futurama timeline v3

Possibly the most comprehensive timeline in history, the timeframe in which the entire Futurama series exists goes from "17 years before the Big Bang" to "~1,000,000,000,002,000". And this particular timeline includes not just the what and the when, but it also very helpfully reminds us of how we know about each event as well as which episode it appeared in.

Here’s another Futurama timeline, based in part on the first link, also cool but considerably more compact (less paging down to get to the "end").

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Assorted pictures and other interesting stuff

Posted on March 19, 2008 by Peter Loshin

I keep tripping over some of the most fascinating stuff on the the interwebs, much of it uncategorizable. So here’s a bunch of things that you might like to check out:

  • As a boy, I was fascinated by everything to do with the space program. But it’s been forty years since we first stepped on the moon, and they put the shuttle in orbit every month or so. But I’m intrigued by this collection of Rarely Seen Shuttle Pre-Flight Activities. They float the fuel tank in by barge, and they load the whole shebang up onto a tracked vehicle to bring the shuttle from the hangar to the launch pad. Amazing!
  • Do you like cats? Check out this Cougar Page page from E.J. Peiker, Nature Photographer. Amazing!
  • 10 Most Beautiful Bridges in the World? Are these really the ten most beautiful bridges in the world? Most of these bridges are undeniably beautiful, but I just like seeing the different designs. And why not include the George Washington Bridge?
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Hands-on virtual physics lab–it’s Phun!

Posted on March 17, 2008 by Peter Loshin

This could be the Coolest science toy ever; check out that video! I know the kids are going to like this kind of thing. You can download the software (it’s beta, so it might not work perfectly; it’s also available only for Windows and Linux, so Mac users have to wait) or find out more here: Phun.

It’s described as a "2D physics sandbox", which means you can create your own objects, give them attributes, and watch them behave in accord with the laws of physics. Everything from dropping a rock on a coyote to building engines and vehicles, as long as they can fit into two dimensions and you can draw them.

As soon as I have a few minutes, I’m going to try this out myself. Stay tuned!

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Dorodango: Shiny Japanese mud balls!

Posted on March 15, 2008 by Peter Loshin

This may not be news to Japanese schoolchildren, but Dorodango (Wikipedia link) is a fascinating "craft" that anyone can make. I haven’t tried this yet (it’s been too snowy and rainy for the past 8 months or so here in Boston), but it sounds like great fun: you take some dirt (from the ground, outside), wet it, grab a handful and form it into a ball. Keep working on smoothing, shaping, rounding it out, and eventually you get what looks like a giant, shiny, marble.

Here are some more web resources:

I’m looking forward to a dry summer!

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