I spotted this article on the Internet on the BBC Online site the other day. I've seen it written up or quoted in other locations, as well. It's exciting, and it makes sense. What it says, in a nutshell, is that using the Internet to access information is much more stimulating to the brain than simple reading. The brains tested were older adult brains, specifically looking for things that would provide greater stimulus to slow brain degeneration.

Crafting a Guide is interesting work. It's both complex and simple. It involves artistry to some degree, in layout as well as in prose. It's got to speak to the majority of the users, but presumably cannot be pedantic. It has to be timely, focused, and in-depth. To create a book, as I did with a co-author in 2001, was to have endless discussions on order, significance, and language. We also had considerable flux about whether we wanted to license the artwork or create our own, use screen captures or line drawings, and even what art to include.

Today, as I was sweeping outside, I noticed a returned visitor. During the summer, in June, my younger child adopted a little green tree frog that had come to rest on the kids' wading pool. It kept returning, day after day, from across the street. It seemed to like clinging to the side of the pool, and didn't mind being handled a fair amount. The kids took it in, did their research, fed it and watered it and gave it a home. A few weeks later, in July, the frog started to discolor a bit. It worried them, and they decided, reluctantly, that it should be free to be healthy.

This is a beautiful time of year, here in Minnesota. The fall leaves are starting to turn, beginning with a few shy reds and some brilliant golds. The quality of the light changes as the sun's angle recedes and penetrates more atmosphere in the evenings. Even the sudden rains only highlight the special, golden quality of fall, making the bark of the trees darken and reflecting the brilliance of the leaves more vibrantly when the sun returns.