Learning sign language via Zoom
Our local community college, Linn-Benton Community College, is offering a beginning sign language (ASL) class, which is taught by Zoom. I’ve been hoping to take a class on this subject for some time...
View ArticleSigns for aviation, numbers, and emotions
Our American Sign Language class continues to build vocabulary and learn new things. One of my favorite parts of the class is at the beginning when Dr. Eleweke asks us “HOW YOUR WEEKEND?” We don’t have...
View ArticleLearning Morse code with CW Academy
I signed up for the CW Academy online course with the goal of learning Morse code. You can learn this via self-study – there are many apps (e.g., Morse Mania) – but it seemed like more fun to have some...
View ArticleFlying IFR to Aurora
On May 27, I flew with friends up to the Aurora State Airport (KUAO) for a safety seminar. It’s about a 30-minute flight each way. I’ve never actually visited the town of Aurora on the ground, but I’ve...
View ArticleHelping wasps go to a better place
The other day, I discovered an enormous wasp nest (about 14″ in diameter) in a tree next to my house: https://www.wkiri.com/today/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08-07-nest-1.m4v The next morning,...
View ArticleMoonshot programming
This iconic image shows Margaret Hamilton standing next to a printout of the flight software that she and her team wrote to control the Apollo Guidance Computer. I recently discovered that the code has...
View ArticleHuman organs … on a chip?!
Recently I learned that we can actually grow miniature human organs in a tiny, nutrient-rich environment and keep them alive. This has all sorts of useful applications such as testing the safety of new...
View ArticleHyperbolic crochet
You never know what you’ll learn at the library! Recently, the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library began hosting a monthly Fiber Arts Meetup, which is culminating next weekend (Nov. 18) with a Coral...
View ArticleWhere old friends go when the mission is over
Recently I visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the Mall for the first time. I lost myself in the aviation section for a couple of hours, learning all sorts of interesting things about the...
View ArticleWas ChatGPT trained to act insecure?
Recently I had another conversation with ChatGPT (3.5) that ended up highlighting its lack of knowledge and reasoning. To wit: 1) Me: please list all of the utah cities and towns with color words in...
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