The funny thing about this age is that the kids start making all kinds of faces at the adults. But for the most part, I doubt it really means anything. For the most part they’re learning by imitating and trying things out and seeing what kinds of reactions they get. But we can’t help but ascribe intentions to their facial expressions. Then again, we do this with inanimate objects, it’s part of what makes us human. (Or at least puts us in a small category of animals)

I am flabbergasted at the level of detail in the items created for the Calico Critters toy franchise. I’m not surprised it’s Japanese (although I wouldn’t have been surprised if it were German either). But what fascinates me more is how Scarlett uses the toys to approximate her life. It reveals what she pays attention to and what she imagines is going on in the heads of the adults around her.

I took this photo back in August. I’ve said it before on the blog when talking about Scarlett, but it’s incredible how much the babies change in their first year. Sure, at this point it’s 100% of his life. But eventually you reach this age where you don’t really change all that much from year to year. You get a little fatter or skinnier and maybe lose a little hair, but it’s on going back multiple years where you really see the change. But look at Sam closer to birth:

Ever since I first took a macro photo, I’ve been drawn to the form. I think microscopic photography often turns the everyday into the abstract. Macro photography can do that at times, but more often than not, it just lets you have a good look at something that you don’t normally get such a good look at. My favorite macro shots to take and to take in are of insects. They’re skittish so it takes skill to capture it. And they look so alien compared to mammals (which is why they’re often the template for aliens in movies). This guy was resting near my front door and I ran inside to get my camera and hoped he’d still be there when I got back.

Some things are harder with twins - feeds, giving each one the amount of attention you’d like to give them, bed times, and more. But some things are pretty awesome - like the fact that they have a playmate that’s the same age. When we were little, I used to play with my brothers, but it’s not the same when you have the oldest (me in that case) directing play versus two kids who have the exact same notions of what play even means.

Star Wars: The Crimson Empire Saga by Mike Richardson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

As far as Star Wars stories go, it was OK. It goes along with Dark Empire in the immediate aftermath of Return of the Jedi. Everyone’s making their power plays after Emperor Palpatine’s death. I haven’t seen Star Wars VII so I don’t know what direction Disney has taken the franchise, but what I like about these pre-Disney Star Wars canon stories is that they show that rebellion is not just overthrow the Emperor and then everything is fine. There’s still an entire bureaucracy with some inertia and people who were doing just fine under the old system and would like to have it stay, thank you very much.

The Manga Guide to Physics by Hideo Nitta

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This Manga Guide has more of a story than the electricity one, but less than the calculus one. The style is very wacky - like a comedy manga and it reminds me a lot of Azumanga Daioh with all the digressions, daydreams, and general surrealism. It does a good job explaining physics, especially if you’re learning physics without calculus. Like many other books in this series, it uses real world examples (primarily tennis in this book) to explain the principles and why a student should bother learning physics if they aren’t going to become an engineer or scientist.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, that was quite a ride. I’ve come to the conclusion that calling this book Harry Potter in College does a disservice to Lev Grossman’s creativity and sets the reader up for false expectations. This story is a trilogy, but it does not cover three years in our protagonist’s college life. Instead the first book covers at least 6 years if not more of Quentin’s life. Instead this book is a mix of the idea of a Wizard School and the Chronicles of Narnia. Before I get deeper into that, one more thing to address: the way the main characters act.

The Manga Guide to Calculus by Hiroyuki Kojima

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While the book didn’t happen to explain calculus in the way I best understand it, I think it did do a pretty good job of explaining it. More importantly, I think the book does an excellent job of explaining why calculus is important outside of engineering. I’m not sure if my undergrad requires Calculus for journalism students, but the journalists at the center of this book certainly make an argument for how it can help data-driven journalists derive good first-order approximations for their stories and fact-check data given to them by others. All too often kids fail to glom onto subjects because they can’t see how it applies to them in the real world.