I'm powering through the ending of the smashing, enormous first volume of the first major authorized biography of Robert A Heinlein: Robert A Heinlein: In Dialogue With His Century, Volume 1: Learning Curve (1907-1948) and I've just been poleaxed by this quote, which absolutely sums up the way that I approach stories: "My notion of a story is an interesting situation in which a human being has to cope with a problem, does so, and thereby changed his personality, character, or evaluations in some measure because the coping has forced him to revise his thinking. How he copes with it, I can't plot in advance because that depends on his character, and I don't know what his character is until I get acquainted with him."
How Heinlein plotted
Staring at our own faces on Zoom has created a bumper year for cosmetic surgeons
The pandemic resulted in many of having to look at our own faces for hours in teleconferencing meetings, and the resulting dissatisfaction is sending us in droves to cosmetic surgeons. Many cosmetic surgeons had expected the pandemic to hammer business. Instead the industry is enjoying a Zoom-boom. The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive… READ THE REST
Facebook to add podcasts, Clubhouse-style audio features
Clubhouse, the fast-growing audio-only social network, has two problems: first, its platform is really just a feature. Second, Facebook is adding the feature. Audio-only networks have become increasingly popular during the pandemic.Facebook will also launch a new feature, Soundbites, where users can create and share short audio clips. The feature will be launched over the… READ THE REST
MacOs, Windows and Linux running simultaneously on an old PC
Luke Metoki virtualized MacOS and Windows simultaneously on an 2000s-era PC, with Arch Linux as the host organism. The mad science worked, but Windows was "very sluggish" if not given the lion's share of RAM. If you want me to write more about this, contact me. READ THE REST
These Excel University courses will teach you the app's most powerful features for $30
Microsoft Excel is one of those programs everyone has used at one time or another. In fact, 750 million people, almost 10 percent of the global population, has noodled around with Excel's spreadsheets, cells, and pivot tables before. But while 750 million people may have engaged with Excel, that doesn't mean 750 million people are… READ THE REST
Pay what you want to explore the Adobe Creative Cloud with this training bundle
Asking someone to use the Adobe Creative Cloud apps is sort of like rooting for the house in blackjack. They already control the game, the game pieces, and most of the players, so why tilt the odds even more in their favor? Well, the reason the Adobe fleet of digital creation apps is so ubiquitous… READ THE REST
This doggy DNA test can be the key to a long, healthy life for your pupper
If you've got a dog as a member of your family, there's about a 1 in 3 chance that you got your furry friend from a breeder. That may offer you some insight into your dog's background and family tree, but it doesn't always answer all of your questions about the full history hiding behind… READ THE REST