First Published: 12 August 2026
In the past, I’ve realized that something I find really important is science communication. I’ve written here about how I want to teach rotational spectroscopy. That’s something that almost certainly requires a textbook, problems, and lectures. However, I cannot force that onto people.
The textbook I can certainly write with the lectures, and the problems I can generate as feel relevant. However, the videos are really where I hit my biggest issue. I know that I am incredibly shy of recording, and will spend forever trying to make any recording perfect. Add to that the fact that I don’t entirely know how to make animations well, and you end up with a great recipe for procrastination and lack of doing.1
However, I’m realizing that there’s another important issue to making rotational spectroscopy videos: getting people to look at them and learn. I know that it’s important to meet people where they’re at. I’m not going to begin with assumptions that people know upper-level undergraduate chemistry or mathematics2. But, I have been assuming that people will be watching these long videos on YouTube or some other long-form site.
From what I understand, this is not the nature of modern media consumption.
Rather than fight the trend, then, I want to spend some time considering short form content that I could make to explain small concepts. If I have those, I can then link them into longer videos that explain a full idea. Goal of this page is, then, to have short ideas that I like and to ideate. It’s again going to be held in a secondary list location.3
Added 12 August 2026
Added 12 August 2026
This one is something that I’ve already made in the past. Imagine two weights, one at location X and one at location Y. Where’s the center of mass? Same as finding how to balance the scales. Only need one axis to figure it out, regardless of how many dimensions you have.
Exact formula is somewhere in my dissertation.
Wonder
Curse of knowledge, esp re. Music Theory4.
Most of a draft done, though rambly.
Overview of a course on astrochem
I think that I have writing somewhere about it.
RebelFit
A rambly draft done, and some more work which tells me that I was not doing anything wrong in the past, approximation just takes time.
Why aspiring writers should practice typing5
At some point I’d like to reflect on my hesitance to delete email, which I think comes from a place of digital hoarding. That’s going to be a fun one for sure.
Moving (homes)
I wrote two drafts of it, one focused on the feeling of losing my mom and one on the idea of letting go of the attachments I have that don’t serve me. Both are from July 2026.
Algorithmic constraints in art I create6
Singing in a low-voice choir, especially in context of my other music
Listening to content at speeds (J speed versus single speed)7
Book Review(s):
First 20 Hours
Dungeon Crawler Carl
Fred the Vampire Accountant
Ideas of Salvation8, in particular, how mine have changed over time.
Difference between lyrics and poetry in my writing.9
How I make my full to-do list when feeling like there’s too much to do.10
28 for 28
Taste of different food acids11
Difference between procrastination and not doing
All in all, how goes it?
Generally well!
Creative Considerations:
Gut and / or vibes check, how is creative life going?
Generally well!
Written Word:
How’s your relationship with the written word in general?
I don’t actually know if I read anything since the last time I posted here.
How goes blogging? What’s feeling like the barrier?
Blogged yesterday, doing today! Woo.
How goes reading?
Ope, right now I’m not totally sure what I want to be reading
How goes writing poetry again?
Wrote a poem yesterday. That’s good enough.
We’re counting audio book here, anything good?
Nope.
How go(es) the web serial(s)? What’s the biggest barrier to you publishing the next chapter? If it’s writing, what’s the barrier to writing it?
Ope.
How goes the hand-written stuff?
Did a bit of journaling today
How’s the push pin board treating you?
It isn’t
Upon reflection, how’s the written word? Anything missing in the seven questions?
Eh!
Music
In general, how goes music?
Good!
How goes recording?
Nope
How goes writing?
Finished setting lyric to a song with a friend last night, also finished the chords and layout for the song. Now all that’s left is actually practicing and performing.
How goes playing?
Good! I realized that I can now feel a real difference between up and down strokes for guitar, which is really interesting to me!
How goes listening?
Listening through the weekly discovery queue, which is nice.
How goes digital music creation?
Nope
Upon reflection, how goes music? Anything missed in those five questions?
It goes!
Embroidery
In general, what’s the vibe of the project right now?
Nothing new
How goes progress on the design? What’s in the way?
Today’s plan is to work on the design of the bottom layer
How goes progress on the stitching? What’s in the way?
Nope
Upon reflection, how goes embroidery? Anything missed in those two questions?
Doesn’t really go!
Project Progress and To Do
Base layer design:
Still in ideation mode.
Weave layer design:
Have demonstrated crossing with three stitches wide and four stitch gap at widest point. Looks nice, shows enough of the background that I’m happy with it, probably. Will need to consider in context of the top layer,
Also will need to consider in the context of potentially having stitches cross each other as in a knot.
Top layer: Basically ready to go!
Full design
Figure out how many colors of thread I’m going to buy and how much of each. Current thoughts:
Figure out how all three layers all looks together.
That is, take the full stitch design for the knot and add the stitches for the weave and background underneath.
Figure out action plan for stitching.
See this post for most recent ideas.
Stitching: do.
See this post for most recent ideas.
Future Embroidery Projects?
Using variety of stitches for shaping
Using colors for transparency or to give the idea of light better
Representational (or non-non-representational to be honest to myself for thoughts) work
Smaller projects
Using whitespace better. Right now I have all designs as much thicker than one stitch.
Lots of the major styles (blackwork and Assisi, for example) base a lot on single stitch design. Why don’t we try some of that?
Other:
Vibe Check: how goes other creation?
Doesn’t!
Crochet?
Nope!
Anything else?
Gonna do some bookbinding tonight maybe!
Upon reflection, how is creation going?
Goes!
Health Considerations:
Gut and / or vibes check, how is health going?
Decent!
Working out?
Only a single one today, but that’s ok
Stretches?
Nothing really.
Food?
Made and drank a smoothie. Apparently dairy (or calcium, at least) inhibits iron absorption, so that’s interesting.
Water?
Not as much as I’d like. Planning to keep a water bottle with me today to ensure I have it.
Sleep?
Eh.
Social? Wins / areas of struggle?
About to spend the day celebrating a friend’s thesis defense!
Upon reflection, how is health going?
Eh!
Practical Considerations:
Gut and / or vibes check, how are the practical things going?
Eh!
How could you be working on your LDR better?
Better abt. calling
How goes setup of new home?
Nope
Upon reflection, how go practical matters?
eh
Upon total reflection, how goes it?
Eh!
differentiated in a few important ways (new upcoming post)↩
or, at least, I’ll try not to. Given that I don’t know upper level mathematics, less of an issue there↩
only really relevant if you look at my source files or for myself.↩
stolen from a prior list↩
and this should also like tie in the thing that a lot of writers are told to do which is directly write good poetry or prose down to get it in the hand. This also has the effect of practicing hand writing. I think that there’s also the whole like “when we want to be better at running, we also stretch ”↩
see footnote in this post’s second daily reflection about written word, poetry↩
see footnote in this post’s daily reflection about written word, audio book for context↩
from the First Draft of this post, footnote where I discuss changes to my theology.↩
e.g. Gold and green↩
Still leaning towards some sort of gradient but need to make it work with the rainbow.↩