Category: Writing

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Five Years of Comical Start

Last week I released Episode 257 of Comical Start, Pockets of Conversation. Its publish date is just a few days after the 5th year anniversary of our first episode, Multiverse. Grant was unable to record with me, so here is a lightly-edited transcript1I used the slick program MacWhisper to get this done. of the 25 minute monologue that I did off the dome.

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    I used the slick program MacWhisper to get this done.
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MuseScore and the Democratization of Document Creation

I find music scores to be absolutely beautiful documents. In middle school I was engrossed by creating my own music and, more importantly, writing it down. There’s video evidence of me being jazzed about receiving a “Lyricist’s Notebook” for Christmas around that time. I also recall purchasing a journal of staff paper for ambitious ideas I had. Yet turning musical ideas into something that can be shared, let alone something that would look good, felt out of reach. When the itch to create music struck me again last week I remembered a new-to-me program, MuseScore, that changed everything.

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Bad Handwriting and Journaling

I was recently in San Diego and decided not to fly with a fountain pen.1My cohost Grant enlightened me when I had my first fountain pen leak that unless your pen is completely full (or completely empty), the change in air pressure will cause a mess. So when I sat down to journal I was back with my original roller-ball Retro 51 Tornado, and my handwriting was awful. It helped me realize how intentional I still am while using a fountain pen, and how that encourages better journaling sessions.

Going back to a traditional pen kicked my brain into a rapid jotting gear that spewed rough characters and jagged sentences all over the page. These entries were initially shorter and had reduced impact. Once I realized what was happening, I took additional care to write slowly and focus on my handwriting. This had a knock-on effect of making me think intentionally about my day and allowing the journaling sessions to improve.

That slow, methodical version of journaling happens naturally with a fountain pen partially because I’m still not totally used to using one, and because the ritual of opening up my journal and uncapping the fountain pen puts me in a mindset that encourages a distraction-free space that declutters my mind. Realizing that, I want to find other proxies for this effect when I’m traveling so I can make the most of that fifteen minutes in the evening. I’m not yet sure what that will be, but it’s good to have a clear sense of a problem I want to solve.

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    My cohost Grant enlightened me when I had my first fountain pen leak that unless your pen is completely full (or completely empty), the change in air pressure will cause a mess.
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Dynamic Content and Curriculum

Textbooks have been the premier mechanism for presenting curriculum for centuries. While the printed word is powerful and, for many people, superior to digital versions, the physicality of textbooks requires that their content remains static. Errors are inevitable, as are changes in relevant topics or pedagogy. New editions are the only tool to fight against the decay of a textbook’s utility.1Let’s not fight over who’s at fault for the prevalence of new textbook editions or their cost. I’m typically quite impressed by the forewords I see in many math textbooks comparing editions, and believe much of the time a new edition is worthwhile. In an educational landscape dominated by digital tools, it’s tempting to have content updated rapidly and frequently. This approach requires a deft hand.

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    Let’s not fight over who’s at fault for the prevalence of new textbook editions or their cost. I’m typically quite impressed by the forewords I see in many math textbooks comparing editions, and believe much of the time a new edition is worthwhile.