Juncal Arbelaiz Mugica is a native of Spain, where octopus is a common menu item. However, Arbelaiz appreciates octopus and similar creatures in a different way, with her research into soft-robotics theory. More than half of an octopus’ nerves are distributed through its eight arms, each of which has some degree of autonomy. This distributed sensing and information processing system intrigued Arbelaiz, who is researching how to design decentralized intelligence for human-made systems with embedded sensing and computation. At MIT, Arbelaiz is an applied math student who is working on the fundamentals of optimal distributed control and estimation in the final weeks before completing her PhD this fall. She finds inspiration in the biological intelligence of invertebrates such as octopus...
I asked my husband for an open marriage at a restaurant on a winter night in January 2020. It wasn’t a joyous conversation. It wasn’t a collaborative discussion about how to spice up our sex life, or a decision we were making together. It was an ultimatum. I told my husband it was either this or divorce. I couldn’t live in a passionless marriage anymore, and maybe this was the lifeline we needed to wake us up. I argued it could improve our marriage, but deep down that wasn’t my motivation. I needed to feel desired again, so much so that it almost felt like my life depended on it. The result of this conversation was instantly thrilling. I...
Today I had the privilege of interviewing Kristine Langley Mahler, author of the experimental memoir in essays, Curing Season. As a non-fiction writer myself, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to pick her brain about her process and her career. Plus, I loved getting some inside scoop on how to experiment more with my writing. I hope you enjoy this interview! About Kristine Langley Mahler Kristine Langley Mahler is a memoirist experimenting with the truth on the suburban prairie outside Omaha, Nebraska, a city ridging the backbone of the West and the Midwest. Her debut essay collection, Curing Season: Artifacts is out now. A second collection of essays, A Calendar is a Snakeskin, is forthcoming with Autofocus in spring...
By the time kids are 5, they’re developing skills and more-specific interests that open up new gift-giving possibilities. Many 5-year-olds are starting kindergarten, and they’re exploring new subjects and ideas in school for the first time. Toys and kits that let them engage in project-based inquiry—such as performing simple science experiments and exploring nature—can help them make connections between what they’re exposed to in the classroom (be it virtual or in-person) and what they experience out in the world.
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Here are six paper marbling techniques that are easy, fun, and kid friendly. Plus, the results are beautiful! Updated September 2022 Marbling is one of our favorite art activities and we’ve done it many ways and many times over the years. We’ve marbled paper with all kinds of paints from watercolors, tempera, acrylics, and even food coloring. We’ve marbled all kinds of surfaces. And we’ve tried every technique from Suminagashi to shaving cream marbling. If you’d like to learn how to marble paper, read on. We’ll share six ways that are easy and fun! 6 Easy Paper Marbling Techniques Note: Many of these marbling techniques will work fine on other materials as well – cardstock, cardboard, paper plates, wood blocks, craft...
