I wonder if high schools even teach typing any more. Ours had brand new IBM Selectrics, fabricated of a textured metal, with an alphabet-engraved silver ball whirring atop an engine, waiting to strike paper at a finger’s touch. I learned before that, though, from my mom, when I was a child, about the home keys. [...]

We’re not always happy. This isn’t just about me. I’m not sure why anyone would want to be happy all the time. Or sad. Or some gray, in-between. Any person with eyes that see the world could not possibly remain happy. Nor could they remain sad. If they do, something is has gone wrong. Some [...]

Neutron stars are insanely wild things, a little like a failed black hole, where all the matter gets squished up super tight, but can’t fit down the drain – and that does very bizarre things to that matter. And these stars spin like nobody’s business – around 1,000 times per second, and all with intense [...]

It took a man dying, but I joined Facebook. His memorial stuff was there. I’m in no condition to write. I received a message back from his wife after the last piece, saying Chris had died. We all have friends. We all have lovers, both past and present. We have family. Yet even with friends, [...]