Well, let's do the math: 24 frames x 60 seconds = 1,440 frames make up 1 minute of a movie; let's say the film is mercifully short, say, oh, 80 minutes long: that makes 80 x 1,440 = 115,200 frames.
Divided by 60 (that gives us how many minutes it will take to look at each frame at a rate of 1 frame/second) = 1,885 minutes.
Divided by 60 (to convert to hours) = 31.4 hours.
So if you could keep up that pace for 8 hours a day, it would take you four days to "watch" that movie.
You can see how, at the end of the fourth day, the story might not be anywhere near as vivid and absorbing as if you watched the movie as it was meant to be seen.
24 frames, one/second, vs. 24 frames/second.
A picture book vs. a movie: they're completely different experiences and they affect you in different ways.
Who, looking at a book of pictures, could have predicted or imagined the power and depth and consciousness–altering effects of movies?
He addressed myriad topics head–on with a refreshing "no sacred cows" approach.
For example, his Washington Post Food section column debunking what he called the myth of planking fish, especially salmon, to produce a unique and delicious flavor.
Here's his piece (from the newspaper — not of fish, booboo...).
Believe What You Will, I Still Say Planking Is a Gimmick
From a reader: I have read your column with great enthusiasm and interest over the last 10 years. I usually find it to be educational and helpful, and I had assumed well researched. Your planking story was a huge disappointment because you have many facts wrong and your research was lacking.
Wolke: Oh, yeah? Well, I may be wrong, but so are you!
My column has run for about eight years, not 10.
Seriously, I do welcome comments of all sorts from my readers.
Yours is not the only reproof I received following my skeptical column about cooking salmon on a cedar plank.
I said the wood added little or no flavor beyond that of its smoke when it chars, and I questioned whether the early Northwest Indians really did cook on planks, lacking as they did steel saws and lumber mills.
Here are some comments from readers who took me to task.
• From the chairman of a university anthropology department: "Aboriginals . . . on the Northwest coast were making stone axes, mauls, adzes, and wedges there by 4400 B.C. The mauls and wedges were used to split straight-grained cedar logs into planks, which they used for building houses and boats as well as (presumably) planking salmon. So while they didn't have lumber mills with band saws they were nevertheless able to make lots of cedar planks. Now I'll just have to try it [planking] myself."
• From a chef: "I attended a multi-day seminar at the Smithsonian on fish and seafood. A wonderful presentation was given by a Native American from the Pacific Northwest about the 3-day salmon festival that is still held in various places by different tribes.... As for the salmon, it is prepared the same way it has been for millennia: Make a big fire, butterfly the salmon and make a cedar slat frame that can be held in the ground, vertically around the fire.... The women... move the apparatus to the correct heat, where you can hold your palm up to the fire for 5 seconds. The searing holds the juices inside and the salmon, when done, literally bursts with juices and flavor when it is punctured.
"You only steamed and smoked your fish. To do it correctly requires indirect heat (half of your grill). Cedar shingles work better and can be purchased at Home Depot ready to go (untreated bundle). Soak them, layer with sliced onions and lemon and top with dill, salt, and pepper and put into a 450-degree or hotter grill. Roast at high temperature for 20 minutes or until done. If it has not created a crunchy crust, you cooked it at too low a temperature."
Well, sorry, folks, but I still must wonder whether the good flavor of planked salmon, done either way, isn't due to the high-temperature searing, rather than to the infusion of any unique "cedar chemicals" into the fish.
The following Q&A, I believe, reinforces my position.
Q. When purchasing cedar some years ago to line a closet shelf, I found that regular cedar (such as you probably bought at Home Depot) is not the same as "aromatic cedar." I had to go to a specialty lumber store in the Washington, D.C., area to find the aromatic kind. I wonder if the early Northwest Indians had an even more aromatic type of cedar that they used to plank their fish?
A. No, oddly enough it's the other way around; the Indians' wood was substantially less aromatic.
The USDA Forest Service's Tree List catalogues nine species whose common names include the word "cedar," only a few of which belong to the true cedar genus Cedrus .
The aromatic Eastern Red Cedar, actually a juniper tree, Juniperus virginiana, has the property of repelling clothes moths and has long been used in cedar chests and closet linings. But it doesn't grow west of the Rockies.
It is the Western Red Cedar, Thuja plicata, also known as the Giant Arborvitae, native to the Pacific Northwest, that the Chinook and other Indian tribes used for dugout canoes, totem poles, woven bark clothing, and, presumably, cooking planks.
It does not have the pungent, moth-repelling scent at all.
Maybe that's why young Native American women didn't have hope chests. (Or maybe not.)
Thus, the "cedar" the Indians used wasn't the wood we may think it was, and they used it not as a flavoring agent but only as a way of propping the fish up at the right distance from a hot fire.
The bottom line: Grilling or baking on a "cedar" plank is a gimmick.
But if you insist on buying wooden boards from "gourmet" cookware suppliers at anywhere from 20 to 60 bucks a throw, your self-esteem will require that you taste "cedar's unique, spicy, citrus-y flavor" in whatever you cook on them.
Among humpback whales, which can grow upwards of 60 feet long and weigh up to 40 tons, instances of albinism are exceedingly rare.
But when these otherworldly all-white mammals appear — such as the beloved Migaloo that was first spotted in 1991 off Australia's east coast—they inspire wonder.
Marine photographer Jono Allen captured a unique shot of a baby white humpback being nudged by its mother, taking the top prize in the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards(WNPA), in addition to winning the Underwater category.
During Dutch Design Week, Taiwanese designer Yi-Fei Chen presented her project named "Tear Gun" that collects and freezes actual tears to shoot them back at the person who caused the cry.
Brought up with a strong sense of authority, Chen was taught that disagreeing with teachers was rude.
After an altercation with her tutor about an unrealistic deadline, Chen got reprimanded for not submitting that assignment on time.
Yi-Fei Chen created this visual metaphor to show her personal struggle with speaking her mind.
The poetic concept allows the designer to channel her emotions and fight back against authority.
Tear Gun is a pistol that collects tears in a silicon pocket under the eye, freezes them in a brass bottle of dry ice, and shoots them like bullets.
Yen-An Chen used her gun to point and shoot at her tutor, showing her deepest emotion about the disagreement.
The design was Chen's final Master's project at the Design Academy of Eindhoven, visualizing her personal struggle in a poetic way.
Tear Gun is Chen's way to express her repressed emotions by using design as a vehicle to stand up for herself.
Long story from engadget short: the people who brought us the superb weather app Dark Sky — so good Apple bought it in 2020, incorporated some of its features and then shut it down in early 2023 — have kept their contractual obligations and now, free of legal constraints, bring Dark Sky's successor, called Acme Weather, to the App Store.
Above, the home screen for Acme Weather; below, Apple Weather.
Two weeks free to put it through its paces, then $25/year.
You know it's good when they don't require a credit card for the trial because they're so confident you'll want to subscribe once you use it.
My hose outlets are on the sides of my house, both near the ground next to a sloping hill that makes attaching and disconnecting them a minor pain in the butt.
I happened on this puppy the other day and thought "What a good idea."
Whether by App or Old-School Antennas, Budget-Friendly Options Abound
There’s no shortage of options for watching online videos, thanks to the many streaming services available. But what if you’re looking for on-the-go live television for your phone or tablet?
If you already have a few subscriptions to platforms and shows and your budget is maxed out, you don’t need to pay for another service to watch real-time news and other programming. (You will, however, probably need to wait through commercial breaks and some targeted advertising based on your viewing habits.)
Here’s an overview of what’s out there.
If You've Switched From Cable ...
First of all, if you already subscribe to a multichannel cable-alternative service to watch on your TV set — think YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV, Philo, Sling, DISH or the Fubo Sports Network — you should also be able to watch on your phone or tablet. Download the company's app, and log in with your username and password. When you're not hooked up to Wi-Fi, you can casually stream over a cellular connection if you have enough data on your plan.
Amazon Prime Video has a Live TV tab with hundreds of channels, including news programs from local television stations around the country. Some content was consolidated from Amazon's former FreeVee app, which was phased out, but that content is still free on Amazon's site, even for nonsubscribers.
If 'Free' Is the Right Price ...
Beyond Amazon’s free content, there is no shortage of apps for “free ad-supported streaming television,” a category whose name is often shortened to FAST.
The programming contains commercials that you can’t skip. However, the content (typically a mix of older movies, classic TV shows and live programming) usually doesn’t require a credit card to view. With some services, you don’t even need to create an account to start watching — just download the app and go.
Plex, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel (which does not require Roku hardware), Tubi, and Xumo Play are among the bigger FAST services offering live news and selected sports content, alongside movies and shows. Samsung TV Plus is a free service for Samsung devices, and LocalNow focuses on regional weather and headlines.
The programs vary, and some channels are available on several platforms. But since you’re not committing to a paid subscription, you can sample services to find the one (or ones) you like best.
If you’re looking for family programming, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus and Tubi are among the services with sections dedicated to children’s content. The PBS Kids Video and Sensical apps also offer free shows for children.
Some subscription services also have free live TV channels. These include Sling’s Freestream and Philo’s free section, which both offer BBC News. And if you’re looking primarily for headlines, most of the major U.S. national TV networks and many local station affiliates have their own streaming news apps.
If You Use an Antenna ...
Long before cable and internet providers began delivering television, people could freely pull broadcast signals out of the airwaves using an antenna. If you’re still an antenna user, you can stream live TV to your devices over an internet connection with tools like Channels ($80 a year) or Tablo ($100 and up).
But what if you have no Wi-Fi or cellular connection — or even lack electrical power after a storm or other incident? If you can keep your device charged (a solar panel or hand-cranked battery comes in handy), a tiny TV tuner connected to your device may still be able to grab nearby broadcast signals so you can stay up-to-date.
When shopping for tuners, read the manufacturer specifications and user reviews carefully. Some products may not work with Samsung gear or are not compatible in North America.
The MyGica TV tuner kit comes with two small antennas for signal reception. It requires the free PadTV HD app, available in the Google Play Store, as well as on the manufacturer’s site, and has mixed reviews. In tests on a Google Pixel 10 phone, the MyGica scanned and displayed several broadcast channels in the middle of Manhattan, including WNBC and WCBS, although stations with weaker signals were choppy or froze.
Using an antenna or an ad-supported service to watch TV may seem like a 20th-century throwback, but you’ll have plenty to view without breaking the bank.
I bought one of these many years ago because my basement floor is concrete and I sometimes I find myself going back and forth between my workbench and whatever it is I'm doing.
Whizzing around on this wheeled seat adds pizzazz.
Turns out the HVAC guy who comes by every six months to check and adjust my heat pump and oil furnace loves it because otherwise he has to kneel or sit on the floor to do stuff.
Nice features besides the wheels:
• 360° swivel seat
• Padded backrest
• Height adjustable
• Holds up to 300 lbs
• Tray for tools and parts
Preparing this post I checked around and found prices up over $300: don't go there.
The other day I was doing something close to nothing (but different than the day before) when I got to thinking about how quick and easy — and free! — it is these days to manage my hair.
About ten years ago I bought a fancy professional-grade hair cutting scissors that, believe it or not, I have never once used for anything other than cutting my hair.
As time has passed it has become more and more obvious that I almost didn't wake up from the erroneous belief that hair should be cut by a professional.
I did the math and it turns out I've probably spent around $10,000-$20,000 since I left for college and started paying for my own haircuts.
It could be more.
That's not even taking into account all the time I've wasted over the decades, thousands of hours travelling to and from barber shops and hair salons, arriving early, then vegetating while I wait for the barbers/stylists who are always running behind.
Not to mention making small talk when I'd rather not, and listening to that around me.
And paying for parking.
But the cherry on the sundae is that never have I been happy with my professional haircut, not when I first look in the mirror at the shop and not the next morning and thereafter at home.
What was I thinking????
I love cutting my own hair: it's super-fast and fun when I'm done and look in the mirror it looks just the way I want it to.
Above, I put these puppies through their functional paces.
The clear... winner to me is the OXO, because it requires much less effort to close and open and it's quiet: the Rubbermaid containers require two hands to break the seal, which itself requires more effort. Also, the Rubbermaid closure produces two loud clicks, as does its opening.
A man takes a train from London to the coast. He's visiting a town called Wulfleet. It's small and old, the kind of place with a pub that's been pouring pints since the Battle of Bosworth Field. He’s going to write about it for his blog. He's excited.
He arrives, he checks in. He walks to the cute B&B he'd picked out online. And he writes it all up like any good travel blogger would: in that breezy LiveJournal style from 25 years ago, perhaps, in his case, trying a little too hard.
But as his post goes on, his language gets older. A hundred years older with each jump. The spelling changes. The grammar changes. Words you know are replaced by unfamiliar words, and his attitude gets older too, as the blogger’s voice is replaced by that of a Georgian diarist, an Elizabethan pamphleteer, a medieval chronicler.
By the middle of his post, he’s writing in what might as well be a foreign language.
But it’s not a foreign language. It’s all English.
None of the story is real: not the blogger, not the town. But the language is real, or at least realistic. I constructed the passages myself, working from what we know about how English was written in each period.
It's a thousand years of the English language, compressed into a single blog post.
Read it and notice where you start to struggle. Notice where you give up entirely. Then meet me on the other side and I’ll tell you what happened to the language (and the blogger).
Simon Roper's annual pronunciation videos were part of the inspiration for this piece. His most recent one (top) is extraordinary. What Simon does for the spoken language, I've tried to do here for the written, albeit running in the opposite direction.
I love this series and have been patiently waiting until all eight episodes will have been released (Episode 8 drops here in the U.S. tomorrow, March 1) so I could enjoy them just the way I like: bingeing* two/night on four successive nights.
This enables me to keep the narrative fresh in my mind, impossible for me if I watch one hour-long episode weekly for eight weeks.
The only thing lacking this time around is the fantastic soundtrack that accompanied Series 1, but no worries with YouTube making up the deficit all day long while I do other stuff.
This video provides a comprehensive overview of all the important Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, nymphs, heroes, monsters, demigods, and other assorted spiritual beings; who begat who; and what all their domains were.
Every human has a unique fingerprint, an original voice, and a personality entirely their own.
It seems so strange that the memorials crafted to honor these unique individuals are so uniform and pay little homage to the person remembered.
With so many cultures and histories, individual quests, and life pursuits, shouldn't we have a diversity of options to remember our beloved?
Lundgren Monuments creates handmade translucent cast glass memorials as an alternative to the traditional granite and bronze headstones.
Luminescent, organic, rugged, and incredibly beautiful, cast glass monuments actually glow with life and spirit, standing out as a beacon amongst a field of dull stones.
FunFact: "Ars longa, vita brevis" is a Latin translation of an aphorism coming originally from Greek, the first two lines of the Aphorisms by Hippocrates.
