Kathleen Charters and Lawrence Charters
Explorations large and small
Two video clips that argue “we stopped dreaming,” trading in exploration and experimentation for hedonism, extravagance and, in some cases, expediency: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFO2usVjfQc Narration by Neal deGrasse Tyson, with video by NASA, NOAA and a host of other sources. It Continue reading We Stopped Dreaming
It is a political year (which suggests that some years are not political?) and a popular view is that government — local, state, national, international — is enriched in extravagant luxury. Those who work in government have a different view. Continue reading Who says our government is sterile and soulless?
Bumper sticker When you have a car and you are willing to ruin the paint job by sticking a bumper sticker on the car, you obviously have something to say. It may be something temporary, such as “Vote for Gus Continue reading Bumper sticker versus Nissan Leaf
Anyone living in Japan is impressed with how far the country goes to be kid friendly. There are children’s parks in even the most crowded neighborhoods. The calendar has a number of formal and informal holidays and festivals dedicated to Continue reading Comforting kid-friendly sign
In the old days, all shopping was organic. You went to the store and got flour and beans and other dry goods in 25 or 50 pound sacks, got fruits and vegetables in baskets or bushels, and then went home Continue reading Adventures in grocery shopping
When you awake to find Post-It notes on the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, kitchen table, and various doors that say this: can there be any doubt about a forthcoming vampire apocalypse? Though I do admit that the methodology of the prophecy Continue reading Shades of Twilight and vampires
2012 is the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese calendar. The Chinese zodiac has twelve animals, each assigned a year, unlike the European zodiac which is divided up by month. Each year is also assigned an elemental sign, Continue reading Year of the Dragon and a forever stamp
Try this in your organization: with no warning, call some people in and then tell them they have 30 minutes to come up with a detailed budget for the coming fiscal year, complete with quarterly breakdowns of how much of that money Continue reading Fiscal year planning
This highly detailed map of Maryland was reconstructed from a mass of fiendishly encrypted cardboard tokens. It was assembled after an intense multi-discipline effort by a health care informatician, a systems analyst, a nurse, a psychologist, a theologian, a historian, Continue reading Highly encrypted map of Maryland