ken zirkel

For the first time this season, we got enough snow to make a snowman. Even though that snowman is about 12 inches tall. And looks like a little pyramid.

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My day job is web site production for a major university. On January 26, I received an award for outstanding service from the president of the university.

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It’s vacation week, but Daughter is making sure to get in her reading. Here Wife helps her out with some logic puzzles.

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The portrait photographer Platon did a nice series for the Wall Street Journal. On this promotional site, you can see not only Platon’s photographs, but also some behind-the-scenes video of the shoots. Between the inspirational gobbledygook, you can get a tiny sense of what the photoshoot must have been like. Here’s one:

Looks like a simple [...]

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Son doesn’t pose for portraits very often lately, but when he does he can be a superb model. He came up with this pose himself, first with elbows on both knees, then both elbows on the right knee, then both elbows on left knee. Good stuff.

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While xmas shopping at the bookstore, I came across Eric Meola’s book of outtakes of Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springsteen from the legendary “Born to Run” photo shoot. It struck me that Meola needed just one photo for the album cover, plus maybe an alternate or two for the inside, yet the book featured over [...]

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Daughter was recognized today for all-A’s on her report card, as well as being an “accelerated reader.” Below, she receives the award from her principal. Congratulations, Daughter!

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This is one of the most interesting parenting articles I’ve read in a long time. The gist is that praising kids for their intelligence can backfire. Kids who are praised for their intelligence tend to be afraid to expend effort; they don’t develop persistence in the face of difficult tasks. They become overly reliant on [...]

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