What's New
Generations and Cousins at Dyckman: Broadening Our Chances for Genetic Refreshment
Julia Sneden writes: We are not so much proud of our ancestors as we are just grateful to them, for being tough enough and stubborn enough to have picked up and moved when they needed or simply wanted to do so. Crossing the Atlantic (or any other ocean) in a tiny little wooden ship must have taken huge amounts of courage, and once here, huge amounts of energy and brain power to keep from starving to death. more »
A Perfect Weekend Diversion: New Sites From the Scout Report Including A Brief History of the Hashtag and Cyberbullying
Next time a child visits: The Sci Show, an entertaining series of quirky YouTube videos, tackles topics ranging from "How Do Polarized Sunglasses Work" to "Strong Interaction: The Four Fundamental Forces of Physics", "Today’s Mass Extinction," "World's First See-Through Animal," "The Truth About Gingers" and "The Science of Lying." Then, move onto "6 Ways Social Media Will Change in 2014", cyberbullying or "What Digitization Will Do for the Future of Museums?" more »
The Feynman Lectures: "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled"
Tam Gray writes: I first became truly aware of Richard Feynman when he testified in front of the Rogers Commission as to the possible cause of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. I had witnessed the explosion on television while a News Desk Editor at Time magazine; no other televised incident had to that point, and now after it, affected me with that level of sadness. more »
Culture Watch. A The Art of Mystery Writing: What’s in a Series? The Latest Books of Andrea Camilleri, Linda Fairstein, Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling), Donna Leon and Louise Penny
Jill Norgren Reviews: Why do mystery writers create a series? Obviously, the pleasure of developing characters over time has appeal as well as the opportunity to explore varying issues within an established framework. Doting fans and good money also speak to the attractiveness of the genre. On the other side of the table sit the readers. What is the pull of a series for them, and does a series ever lose its allure? more »
