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Recent Posts: M Thomas Apple Author Page
AI scammers — stealing our work then trying to trick us again for PR
“As a science fiction author, I’ve always loved hearing from fans of my fiction,” [US based author Jason Sanford] tells the Guardian. “But now when someone emails saying they loved one of my stories, my first thought is that this is yet another scammer setting me up for the kill.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2026/mar/12/ai-book-scams-publishing-fraud?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Yet another reason I […]
“Don’t worry about it” — Van Allen A to burn up tonight
“For the average person, it will be a nice light in the sky if you get lucky and, otherwise, don’t worry about it,” Dr. McDowell said. “We have much more scary re-entries that happen. Occasionally, there is a 20-ton Chinese rocket stage that comes down. Those are much scarier for me.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/science/space/nasa-satellite-earth-re-entry.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SVA.dk5d.09lMgapDCbYq&smid=nytcore-ios-share OK, granted that the odds […]
Dear Diary – October 5, 2003
I feel as if I have two personalities, one which speaks English and one which speaks Japanese. The one which speaks English can never get past being a high school geek. The one which speaks Japanese cannot get past being a “strange foreigner.” The only time I feel comfortable now is when I am teaching. […]
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© Matthew Apple and Taking Leave, 2009-2020. 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.
Tag Archives: fatherhood
The Tanakas, “tenkin,” and “o-mutsu-koukan”
A few weeks ago (before all the hospital melodrama), I took my daughter to a nearby supermarket…which had a “baby care room” on the second floor, next to the roof parking lot. We had been invited by a Japanese couple … Continue reading
Posted in gender roles, roles, work
Tagged at home dad, child care, child-raising, fatherhood, gender roles, Japan, Japanese, job transfer, parental roles, shopping, tenkin, work
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Sad Dad, Bad Had
There’s a page in the classic Seuss book Hop on Pop that reads: Sad Dad Bad Had Dad is sad. Very, very sad, He had a bad day. What a day Dad had. Even Dads get the “baby blues.” But … Continue reading
Posted in depression, gender roles, parenting
Tagged child care, depression, fatherhood, gender roles, parental roles, post natal, postpartum
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Suku-suku So-dan
Yesterday, my wife and I took our daughter to a city-sponsored health check slash child care consultation (suku-suku so-dan, meaning literally “quick consultation,” from the idiom suku-suku sodatsu, grow quickly or thriving). The event was free of charge for all … Continue reading
Posted in baby toys, parenting
Tagged baby toys, bilingualism, child care, fatherhood, Japan, parental roles
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