Category: Meta

  • 5 things, 1 of n

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    1. There are too many posts in my drafts. 2. Alysa Liu’s joyful Olympic figure skating performances have been the highlight of my week. Actually, the friendship and joy radiating from all the Olympic women’s figure skating competitors, but especially the US contingent, were welcome glimmers in the past few days. It’s so wonderful to…

  • Today in science, 12.02.24

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    1. Researchers built a smartwatch heartbeat monitor that relied on slime mold to operate, and over the course of caring for their living devices, the participants developed an emotional attachment to these. This study’s main hypothesis was that requiring some degree of physical care in an interactive device would lead to users being more invested…

  • Flora Singapura: New finds in GBB

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    Plants have always been an important part of a good day for me. When I run into plants, that means I’m wandering around outside; and when I’m wandering around outside, that means I’m discovering bits and pieces of the world rather than getting stuck in my own head. My aunt over here loves taking walks,…

  • On Stationery

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    If there are any enduring loves in my life, one of them would have to be stationery. It’s simple: I’ve been keeping some kind of paper journal since I was twelve, and this will probably continue until I die. There have been many gaps in those pages over the years, don’t get me wrong; but…

  • Cold hands, warm heart

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    Last year, when certain health conditions went from “mildly inconvenient” to “genuinely worrying,” I joined a friend in trying some traditional Chinese medicine. During the consultation, the doctor made a point of telling me that my limbs were cold, indicating poor circulation. This wasn’t surprising. People have been declaring me cold my entire life. “Cold”…

  • On photos

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    Last year, in a bout of optimism, I bought myself an instant camera. Film has always felt like permanence to me, the same way anything written with ink and paper has always carried more weight. There’s something about translating your impressions into something solid, something you can touch — something that could outlast you, even,…