I never played with dolls as a kid. I have memories of painstakingly cutting out elaborate paper dolls and their clothes and accessories...
Continue reading
The U.S. Department of Agriculture states that raising a child from birth to age 17 costs, for those in the middle-income groups, anywhere from $226,800 to $264,600. If you think that figure is large, consider the fact that those numbers do not take into account any damage (the physical kind, not emotional) the child can cause...
Continue reading
Claire should technically still be in preschool. However, because she missed her school's cutoff age by only a couple of months — and because she's a bit advanced for her age — her teachers recommended she start pre-kindergarten early. (As such, she will always be one of the youngest kids in her grade.) And one of the things that distinguishes preschool from pre-k is the inclusion of homework. I was shocked when they handed us her first assignment at pickup. Really? Homework for 4-5 year olds? (At the time, Claire was only 3.) I don't remember getting homework until the 2nd grade! They also included a sheet of instructions in her homework folder which included things like: Establish a scheduled time and quiet place for homework to...
Continue readingThis video has been popping up on my favorite blogs since last week, but I haven't had a chance to watch it until now. And it's excellent. One can't help but be utterly impressed with David Fincher afterwards. I don't think the average movie goer notices the things that Tony Zhou points out in the video, even when watching the same flick multiple times. (At least I don't. Do you?) But once you see it, you can't ignore its brilliance. I mean, who knew so much thought and planning goes into each shot, angle, and perspective to get the desired story, mood, and message across to the viewers? So if you have an extra 7 minutes today, I highly suggest you take a look at...
Continue reading
If you've ever used vector graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator, you probably know what a Bézier curve is. But do you know how they work? (In other words, how your computer draws them?) The following video by Peter Nowell explains just how. It's a geeky "how does it work?" instructional that is sure to captivate illustrators — heck, even those with no interest in computer graphics will find this engrossing! If you want to see more Bézier curves in action, check out these interactive animations by Jason Davies. :-) Via Gizmodo....
Continue reading