The 2024 North American Eclipse

April 14, 2024 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

The wonderful thing about celestial mechanics is that they’re mathematically precise; there’s no doubt as to when things are going to happen. Heavenly events can’t be stopped or delayed by events on Earth, bad weather, or a collective lack of interest. They’re coming whether you’re ready or not. I first became aware of an impending solar eclipse several months before it happened from people who pay closer attention to these things than I do. Eclipses happen all the time around the world, but this one would be different: it would take place in my backyard. Not only would there be an eclipse in a place easily accessible to me, but it would also be a total eclipse, the most spectacular sky show of all.

How to Feel About Roy Lichtenstein

July 07, 2023 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

What happened to the unattributed comics artists whose work he cribbed? Their art form was considered so low that Lichtenstein never felt obliged to credit them, nor was his audience ever much inclined to care who they were.

We're Children All Our Lives

May 22, 2023 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

Author Martin Amis died this week and I saw a post by @juderogers recounting some of his views from later in life. This section really resonated with me.

What is Real?

June 07, 2022 by Gary Schroeder in Misc., Book Review

In quantum physics, what does it mean for a particle to exist in multiple places at once until you "look" at it? Forgetting the math, what's physically happening? The book does a good job of guiding the reader through the history of those rebels who have questioned the Copenhagen Interpretation and put forth some possible explanations for what's physically happening in the Forbidden Question Zone.

A Trip to the Glass House

May 16, 2022 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

It’s a beautiful object from the outside; a glass box with a rectangular footprint held together by what seem to be impossibly thin ribbons of black metal. From the outside, you can see a brick silo and a few pieces of furniture. it’s pleasurable to look at. From a distance, I couldn’t wait to get inside, to experience what it was like to be inside.

For the Love of Goodness, Don't Click Here

April 21, 2022 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

This is a lazy post, but there’s nothing wrong with capturing someone else’s Good Thoughts when you see them. Emily Smith recently posted this concise thread about why you shouldn’t use “click here” as link text. I’ve written about this before as it’s one of my favorite pet peeves, but Emily sums it up even more directly, so here we go…

How an Infographic Comes Together

December 10, 2021 by Gary Schroeder in Misc., Art & Design

I’ve started to build up a significant portfolio of published infographics and I thought this is a good point at which to document how I work. Like any finished project, each graphic looks relatively simple, but the birthing process of any work of this kind is longer than you might think.

There are rules

November 10, 2021 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

Graphic design has rules. And they work.

Some Favorite Quotes

August 07, 2021 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser men so full of doubts.

How to tell if you're a crank

December 07, 2019 by Gary Schroeder in Misc.

I’ve referred back to this article often enough (and had enough difficulty finding it every time) that I’ve finally decided to post it here for easy reference. In the Age of the Internet in which there are no editors and everyone regards themselves as an uncredentialed expert, this profile of crank psychology is a good guide to keep handy.