L.E. Carmichael's Blog, page 33
January 12, 2017
A Total Husband Thing to Do
Me: Can you stop at the grocery store on your way home? Tech Support: Sure! Me: There are only three items. Here’s a list. *Tech Support takes list, exits* *Tech Support returns several hours later with four full grocery bags* Me: *unpacks bags, finds many intriguing items, only one of which was on the list* So what happened here? Tech Support: Why? Did I forget something? Me: Two somethings. And both of them were bacon. What totally cliche thing has your spouse done lately?
January 9, 2017
StripeSpotter: A Barcode Scanner for Zebras
You’ve probably heard about scientists using photos of whale flukes to identify individual humpbacks. Did you know that a similar strategy is being used to count and identify zebras? Originally called StripeSpotter, it’s a barcode scanner. A barcode scanner for zebras. I’m going to pause to let that sink in, because the mental image is just hilarious and I would hate to deny you some Monday joy.
November 7, 2016
Now You See Me…
If you were a superhero, what power would you pick? Reading minds? Super speed? How about invisibility? That last one is a good choice. Scientists around the world are already working on ways to make everyday objects – like humans! – invisible. It all starts with understanding light and vision. When light waves collide with the atoms in an object, the waves bounce off, or scatter. The direction of the scatter depends on the angle of the bounce. Human eyeballs detect these scattering light waves, and our brains reconstruct the shape of the original object. So, to make something invisible, all scientists have to do […]
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November 5, 2016
Life Has Become a Scary Movie
In keeping with my longstanding Halloween tradition, I’ve been watching scary movies for a couple weeks. In this context, my definition of scary is fairly broad, including such films as: Cabin in the Woods (the perfect combo of terror and wackadoodle) The Mummy (good balance of funny and frightening, special effects that have held up remarkably well) The Mummy Returns (there was never supposed to be a sequel, was there? Terrible script) The Scorpion King (because I own the boxed set) The Monster Squad (campy and offensive as only an 80s movie can be, but beloved since childhood) Haunted Honeymoon […]
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October 29, 2016
Happy Halloween!
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October 24, 2016
A New Home on the Old Range
I’ve been cleaning out my manuscript files, and came across this little news piece. Since I wrote it in 2011, it’s not quite news anymore. But Google tells me that an additional 30 Canadian bison were added to the herd in 2013, and except for a minor incident with wolves, they seem to be doing fine. Enjoy! This March (2011), 30 wood bison from Canada’s Elk Island National Park were loaded onto a plane and sent to Russian Siberia. Their new home, Lenskie Stolby Nature Park, is the site of a project designed to bring wild bison back to the […]
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October 22, 2016
Grandma’s Teacups – A Short Story for Young Readers
Summer was the bestest time of year. Kaylee loved lying in warm grass, looking for cloud pictures. She loved running through the sprinkler. The ice-cream truck came every day. But the bestest part of summer was going to Grandma’s house. Grandma’s house smelled like wood and lemons. It had sunny rooms and dark corners. Kaylee could play mega-hide-and-seek with her big sister, Alyssa. They could spend whole afternoons in the attic, dressing up in Grandma’s old clothes. But the bestest part of Grandma’s house was looking at Grandma’s teacups. Grandma’s teacups were older than Grandma. Pink flowers danced on their […]
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October 20, 2016
Brick and Mortar Magic: Choosing a Pseudonym
After I got my PhD, I went to work at a bookstore. This was partly because my brain was fried and I wanted to relax with the pretty books. It was also because, as I writer, I wanted to understand how the retail end of the book business actually functioned – and how real humans behave when choosing new books. It was revelatory – and now I share those revelations with you. Choosing a Pseudonym There are a number of reasons authors choose to publish under a name besides their own. Perhaps a children’s writer has the same name as […]
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October 17, 2016
Mad Science in the Movies: Ghostbusters Edition
I love the new Ghostbusters. I really, really, do. It’s funny, it has great special effects, the casting (including supporting characters) is brilliant. And despite being a fantasy, it’s so authentic, it almost hurts. Academia really is that cutthroat. Female academics really do receive comments on their attire and appearance as often as they do on their work. Reputations really do rise and fall that quickly. And if your ideas are the least bit controversial, it really is that difficult to get people to pay attention.* The relationships between the female scientists in this film are authentic, too. There is competition […]
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October 15, 2016
On Highlander, Suspense, and Offending an Entire Fandom
Wow. When I wrote about my issues with Highlander last weekend, I had no idea that: There is a large Highlander fandom I was about to make it angry. Oops. One member of the fandom turns out to be a cool guy who teaches sword-fighting workshops at cons, and who has kindly offered to answer questions this budding fantasy writer may have about sharp and pointy things. He also provided answers to all of my questions about the film, with the comment that many of those questions, are, in fact answered. At the END of the movie. Which is why, with all due […]
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