The real genius of Leonardo

The son of a landowner and a peasant, Leonardo received training in painting, sculpture, and mechanical arts as an apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio. In 1482, having made a name for himself in Florence, he entered the service of the duke of Milan as “painter and engineer.” In Milan his artistic and creative genius unfolded. [...]

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The miseducation of the doodle

A List Apart has a wonderful article on the power of the doodle and its application in learning. Some excerpts follow, but check out the full article for a wonderful read. In the winter of 1969, Virginia Scofield faced a daunting challenge. It was a recurring challenge—more like a nightmare—and she had already failed miserably [...]

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NASA’s Fermi catches thunderstorms hurling antimatter into space

Scientists using NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have caught thunderstorms producing one of the most mysterious substances in the universe: antimatter. The discovery could further our understanding of the murky physics of lightning production. Thunderstorms emit gamma rays, known as terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs), although what causes them is still a mystery. Scientists think [...]

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10-year-old girl discovers supernova

 a good argument for letting your kids stay up late  Ten-year-old Kathryn Gray stands next to her father’s telescope at the family’s home in Birdton, N.B., a suburb of Fredericton, on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Kathryn is the youngest person to discover a supernova. The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada says she made the discovery [...]

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Daily doodle: the owl rider

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THE Thanksgiving dessert

This dessert is my secret family weapon… I mean recipe, much-demanded every Thanksgiving; because yes, it’s that good. What is this miracle confection? Cheesecake, of course. But not just any cheesecake. Pumpkin chiffon cheesecake! Imagine combining the glory that is a New York style cheesecake with the tradition that is the pumpkin pie. That is [...]

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Alone in the universe

GeekDad had an interesting article on life in the universe recently. It starts with a quote from my favorite comic artist of all time: “Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.” – Bill Watterson In order to understand [...]

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