Category Archives: thinking out loud

Basic Geography

thinking out loud

Earlier this week at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, the State Department showed a map of Africa with six countries highlighted. Each country was identified incorrectly along with the funding amounts. Reuters suggested it was created with OpenAI tools; the State Department took “full responsibility” and blamed a “team member.” At least, in this day and age of alternative facts, they didn’t insist they were correct.

As someone who has been trying to learn geography in general and the countries of Africa specifically, I can attest to the fact that it is challenging. There are a lot of countries, many with similar names, some located within the boundaries of others, and some offshore. I have been using an app recommended by a former student who taught history and geography: Seterra.

Seterra is part of GeoGuessr, which used to be a very entertaining and free geography game based on Google Maps. Now it appears to require a subscription, but Seterra is free! You can use it to learn countries, flags, and capitals of the world either online or via the app. Since geography would be my weakest Jeopardy category, I have always wanted to get better at it. (No, I am not applying for Jeopardy. I might know the answers, but my response time is probably too slow. Plus, and here’s the important point, I have no interest in being on Jeopardy.)

Fortunately, there is a free, unlimited version of a GeoGuessr game called OpenGuessr, developed by PaulPlay. You get dropped somewhere in the world and use the clues to guess your location. The closer you get, the higher your score.

I can recommend both games as entertaining and educational and wholesome alternatives to doom scrolling where we are reminded yet again of the kakistocracy in which we live.

Is It Art?

art, thinking out loud,
paint by number scene of western image with a hot spring

My husband gifted me a set of six paint-by-numbers with a National Park theme. I have completed three of them and plan to finish the set sooner rather than later. I find painting relaxing and generally easy. It occurred to me they are a bit like jigsaw puzzles: someone else created the picture and my job is to recreate it.

I went to my monthly arts and crafts group today. We do a variety of projects from watercoloring to gel printing to book making, the latter being the hobby that brought us together. A new member joined today. She shared her beautiful handmade books and paper along with her drawing practice. She is, in my book, an artist just like the rest of the women in the group. We create using a variety of materials, sometimes by following a pattern or other times by following our own ideas.

I mentioned working on the paint by numbers and that, after completing three of them on my own, I went online to find out if anyone had tips for creating better paintings. And, boy, did they! Turns out this is a hobby for many people. Canadian artist Athena Cooper shared ways to make the paintings look more professional and less like that puzzle where the pieces don’t quite fit together. I picked up a couple ideas for getting better paint flow and cleaner edges that I will put into practice on my next painting.

When I commented on how seriously some people took this hobby, the newcomer piped up, “It isn’t even art!” I suggested that there was some art involved as you didn’t always have to follow the suggested colors, but we left it at that. I was not prepared to dive into a deep conversation about the definition of art. But, her comment has stuck with me, reminding me of my earlier post about the craft police.

Who gets to define what is art? A google search or ChatGPT conversation reveal there are widely divergent opinions about the status of paint by numbers being art. Feel free to explore on your own. For me, it was ChatGPT that offered the most interesting analogy: “A paint-by-number is to painting what performing a classical piano piece is to composing music. Both require skill and practice, but one follows a predetermined design while the other creates something new.” There is, however, within that predetermined design, opportunities for personal interpretation. Is that enough to rise to the level of art? I don’t have the answer. I think, to paraphrase the United State Supreme Court Justice who famously declared he couldn’t define hard-core pornography but would know it when he saw it, it is in the eye of the beholder.

Have I piqued your interest in paint by numbers? Cornell Lab of Ornithology is offering free designs of new world warblers, suitable for any sort of media from paint to crayons.

It’s Not That Simple

Media, Media Literacy, thinking out loud, ,

My book group discussed Mad Honey on Tuesday. Jodi Picoult is the master of nuance and boundary bending, refusing to let us get comfortable with our own prejudices. In Mad Honey, she lays bare the complexities of transsexuality. At one point, when an older trans woman is approached for advice, she comments that once you’ve met one trans person, you’ve met one trans person. The book is powerful and highly reccommended.

The line stuck with me as the group discussion unfolded. A new member of the group made an impassioned statement about how “we” are wasting our lives looking at screens. “We” could be visiting shut ins or doing other things. I couldn’t help but wondering if she included herself in that “we” but used that pronoun to make it seem less judgmental? I cannot say and do not wish to judge myself.

Here’s the more important thing for me: I don’t include myself in that “we”. Yes, I spend lots of time on screens and some of it includes surfing cat and dog videos as a break from the chaos. But I don’t worry so much. When I was younger, screen time was all about television, and there were efforts to curb viewing time. Somehow, my supposedly television-addicted peers and I grew up to become mostly productive citizens.

I did a quick inventory of what I do on my screens, primarily my phone but also my laptop, which I prefer when drafting blog posts, commenting on LibraryThing and accessing Canvas. I categorized the activities:

Digital Replaces Analog:

Digital access, especially through my library, has expanded the selection of materials available to me with the potential of connecting with a variety of perspectives.

  • Books, magazines and newspapers
  • Media
  • Games: I am learning to play MahJongg
  • Teaching: this is the BIG one for me and for many of my students, being able to teach and learn from home

Digital Supports Real Life:

  • Recipes: I often have my phone propped up on my cookbook stand.
  • Patterns and Tutorials: This is a big one for me as I crochet. Access to a wide variety of patterns along with video tutorials for complicated stitches has helped me hone my skills.
  • Art Ideas and Tutorials: From bookbinding to collage to gel printing and more, I have made art of all kinds a priority in my life. Most of my scrolling and viewing involves watching tutorials and browsing examples.
  • Communications: Being able to communicate with my family and friends via text has been wonderful. No more scheduling phone calls or worrying about long distance. If some of those texts include links to the German shopping cart return championships, so be it.

I am not trying to minimize issues related to phone addiction. There are always extremes. But when we assume that every person staring at the phone is wasting their time, we miss the nuance of the positive things digital devices can bring to our lives.

Many years ago, I was in charge of Turn Off the TV Week at my middle school, a movement that encouraged everyone to take a week off from watching what was often called the “boob tube.” The goal was to have families do things together besides just watch TV. My mother was not impressed. She felt like it was taking too much of an extreme approach. Depending on your choices, TV programs could be educational and discussion starters around potentially difficult topics. TV could be entertaining with a family laughing together on the couch. And, for those with limited mobility or community, TV could be their connection to the world. She saw the nuance.

Perhaps rather than suggesting that all screen time is wasted time, we can become more discerning about our use of time. Teach people both young and old how to use their screen time data to tease out how much is productive in some way versus how much is mindless scrolling. Instagram is my social media drug of choice, and I finally turned on the timer so I get 30 minutes a day. I occasionally extend the time as Instagram is also where many of my patterns and art ideas originate. In addition, announcements about upcoming events or challenges are posted there. I post some of my artwork with the community.

Again, there is nuance in how I use the tool. I recently read a draft AI policy for K-12 students that mentions developing the skill of discernment. I think this is the first time I have seen it used as a standard but it goes hand in hand with nuance. Maybe this IS simple: your device offers a wide varieties of experiences, and it is up to you to discern how to use it enrich rather than diminish your life. Everyone’s answer is going to be different. To paraphrase Jodi Picoult, when you’ve seen one person scrolling, you’ve seen one person scrolling.

RIP

music, politics, thinking out loud, , ,

Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an agent of the federal government and a fellow human being as she drove in a car with her dog, her wife standing by, having just dropped her child off at school. In the last image we have of her, she seems almost perky as she engages with the agent who will kill her just seconds later.

There were lots of options here for the officer from letting her drive home to recording her license plate to shooting a tire. It takes a lot of raw anger to point a gun in the face of another human being and pull the trigger, only to follow up with a horrible expletive as she lays dying. I heard an adminstration official say that we couldn’t know what was in his mind. I don’t think it’s hard to tell at all what is in his head and his heart.

It takes even more anger and arrogance to immediately blame the dead woman and warn that these kinds of extrajudicial killings might be expected going forward. But, here we are.

Just comply, and you will be fine. Tell that to the many people, mostly black men, who have died because they complied. I think any woman would have hesitated to get out of her car even with friendly folks nearby. She was surrounded by aggressive, heavily armed, masked men. Not a recipe for safety and why many women would choose the bear.

I am tired and angry, feeling helpless and hopeless.

While it is less important in the larger scheme of things, we also lost an icon of the 60s, Bobby Weir. The Grateful Dead has been part of my life and many others for their unique blend of folk, country, rock and psychedelic music.

I wrote about the Dead before, describing their other unique practice of allowing taping of their live shows. Weir discussed it as part of a longer interview with Dan Rather:

The New York Times and Rolling Stone posted their favorite Weir songs. I think I will go with “Cassidy,” his ode to a crew member’s baby named Cassidy and the beat icon, Neal Cassady.

“Fare thee well now
Let your life proceed by its own designs
Nothing to tell now
Let the words be yours, I’m done with mine.”

Lean Toward the Light

Life, thinking out loud, ,

I don’t seem to have the energy for long form writing these days. But it doesn’t mean my mind isn’t churning. So, I am going for short takes, often accompanied by a picture.

Lean Towards the Light

I snapped this picture this morning as the sun rose over the woods. The whole plant seemed to be glowing and leaning toward the light.

The more important lesson of this photo, however, is the dirty window. I knew that, by the time I got the tools and cleaned the window, the moment would be gone. I could wait to capture it again tomorrow, but that didn’t seem to be in the spirit of living in the present. So, I snapped it, posted it, and am now sharing it with this bit of advice: no matter how much we try to control life, we will fail. There will be perfect moments when all the pieces seem to fit together. Learn to see and embrace them.

However, after more than six decades in this world, I can tell you that there will be plenty more moments more like my photo: nearly perfect. In those moments, we need to decide how we are going to react. What will we see? what we will embrace? This morning, I decided to embrace the light.