Today's Tidbits

Today's Tidbits (Well, the ones I think are interesting!)

There's this bit about glass sponges.

"The oxymoronic glass sponge gets its name from the surprising material they use to build their skeletons. Instead of the calcium-based structures that support organisms like coral and vertebrates, glass sponges extract silicon from sea water to erect elegant glass lattices, able to withstand the crushing pressures present hundreds of meters below the surface."

I think glass sponges are pretty cool, no pun intended since they thrive in Antarctic waters. If we could figure out how the sponges weave their silicon structures, we might see a new age of construction. People in glass houses might be able to throw stones again. Wouldn't that be a relief?

So we're talking about glass sponges creating their lattices from silicone. Apparently you can create silicone from rice husks, which comprise about twenty percent of the total weight of harvested rice. You can have your (rice) cake and eat it in battery-powered light. Or use the silicone to create sponge-like lattices and make them light up! That seems like a bright idea.

Oh, and don't forget something else from the depths of the ocean! Pacific Rim opens today at theaters. I'll post a review after I watch it. I have hopes that the movie will be entertaining, but as the article says "Monster stories, on the other hand, tend to be… well, about destruction and spectacle." Pacific Rim is a monster story, not a superhero story like Man of Steel where everything was about … well, about destruction and spectacle (though I still liked it a lot).

We just bought a newcar, and it was a replacement. Someday maybe we'll get all excited and buy a car that's really, really fantastic, like the new F-Type Jaguar. Yeah, I know I said that I don't usually say "Wow, nice car" but this one is one of those…even if you do drive it from the right side of the car.

I am not brilliant on finances, government or anything legal, but the Justice Department is happy about the judge's decision that Apple and publishers were fixing prices. That leaves Amazon to set prices all by themselves. Honestly, most self-publishers are setting prices now, or that's the trend I'm pushing for. Keep the prices low, my brave writers and hope for readers. I still do!

Finally, I'm leaning toward making some new apps. It was tedious when we put our first one out on the App Store a few years ago, and I suspect it will be just as hard this time, especially since I think I forgot all I learned before. Back to the drawing board! However, Wired put out a nice article to give me four design secrets behind Dots. I'd rather learn from other companies anyway.

Here are the secrets:

Start Slow, Build from there

Don't overshare

Keep Things simple

Aim for Timelessness (that's a nice word, isn't it?)

To me, that looks like one secret: Keep it simple.

I'll try.