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Credits: TheTalkingDad.com & FeedWind.comRecent Posts: M Thomas Apple Author Page
From dust to dust — asteroid, that is
What came before the planets? What are the origins of life? And how much of a threat do asteroids pose to life on Earth today? There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that asteroids have (or used to have) hydrocarbons. If they have amino acids and nucleic acids… Hmm. Sounds like a science fiction story based […]
Rebels, Loyalists, and Family Feuds: the Bonesteels and Simmons
Since coming to Montreal last September, I have been asked by several people what my connection to Canada is. One connection, my great x 3 grandfather Joseph Lewis, is from the mid to late 1800s. He left Canada to come to the US for work. But another, slightly more indirect connection, dates back to the […]
Goodbye, “Kelvin Timeline,” Hello “Picard’s Universe”!
Looks like the new Picard series will make sure to use the supernova of Romulus’s sun as part of its storyline. Here’s hoping they also explain why the Romulans were using a name from ancient Earth legends about the foundation of the Roman Empire. Read all about it at trekcore.com/blog/2019/01/picard-star-trek-series-heavily-influenced-by-2009-romulan-disaster/
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© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2017. Duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited. If you would like to post or copy brief excerpts from the blog, please provide a link to the original URL along with an author's credit.
Category Archives: Japanese culture
First Year Wall (Part 2) – The (not-so voluntary) parent-teacher conference
In mid-April, I went to a parent-teacher conference. Actually, it was more like an enforced PTA committee, which one parent per kid had to attend. As a group. We sat at our kids’ desks (tiny!) and introduced ourselves. This was … Continue reading
Death of a Cherry Tree
This past Monday, city workers came to cut down a cherry tree near our house. It had been there for years. We found out later that a neighbor had complained that leaves falling in her backyard were a nuisance to … Continue reading
Farewell, Nursery. Hello, Kindergarten
After turning five in January, our youngest daughter finally made to the end of nursery school (“nen-cho,” 年長). Or so we thought. We had heard rumors in previous years that the system might change. It turns out that in this … Continue reading
Who was that Masked Flu Avenger?
Looking back now, I can laugh. The first week of February was rough. My wife had to work both weekend days, at the end of an already exhausting end-of-semester work week. I had also had little sleep. The previous month, my … Continue reading
Kaiten Zushi Magic
Last week, my youngest daughter turned 5. Because three of us (both daughters and myself) were recovering from the mumps, we cancelled her birthday party and rescheduled it for the 14th. As a reward to both girls for their hard … Continue reading
Daddy-daughter vacation (kind of)
Friday, my two daughters (aged 7 and 4) and I set off on a four-hour bullet train (Shinkansen) ride without my wife. She did see us off at the Shin-Osaka bullet train station, but since she had a week-long business … Continue reading
Self-reliance starts young
Two weeks ago, my daughter graduated nursery school. Last week, my grandmother passed away (my daughter’s great-grandmother). Today, my daughter walked to elementary school for the first time. And the cycle continues… This is cherry blossom (sakura) season in Japan, … Continue reading
