Author: Matt Maldre

How many art schools teach things like laser cutting, wood engraving, 3d printing, and plotter drawing? Basically, any computer-driven printing/plotting/etching. If I were in art school again, I’d be all over this stuff. Right now, I haven’t been able to…

Some people are on Instagram ONLY to post things. And that's ok.

I’d like to make a master calendar of all my goofy dates. I don’t want to clutter up my calendar. When there is a real event, like my daughter’s ice skating lesson, I don’t want 6 other random events blocking…

The NBA All-Star events this weekend are going to take place on a court that’s a giant flat-screen TV. Youtube preview. Whut. Wow. Mark this as a landmark moment. Years from now, we’ll look back at it like, “Yo, it…

The 2024 Super Bowl ad that stuck out to me is the “Oooo Ooooo Tumu” ad. The earworm jingle. The weird animated characters. The swaths of bright orange. It really pushed that branding over and over in the ad. The…

In an age of streaming singles, imagine a station that celebrates whole albums, providing insights between songs. It's a deep dive into the artistry behind the music. 📀🎧

You know how they talk about Illinois seeing two cicada broods overlap this year? The 13-year cicadas and the 17-year cicadas. And this only happens once ever 221 years. (the last time being 1803). Well, the two broods just BARELY…

NASCAR is teaming up with the Art Institute of Chicago to create a Georgia O’Keeffe-wrapped pace car at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show.

20 years ago I made a LEGO frame for my computer monitor. Should I do that again?

I haven’t checked the wastewater COVID chart in months. As of December 30, 2023, the United States witnessed its second-highest peak of COVID presence in wastewater. https://biobot.io/data/ It’s a bit surprising to see the second highest peak of COVID, and…

A friend posted a couple sketches from 1999 (when he was in college). I printed them out and plan on having my kids color them. It’s a fun thought to take a from someone you know from 25 years ago,…

Making a "/now page" to share what I'm doing now.

Impactful scarves, choice dignity, clear intent with tiny cards. How scarf bombing blends art, warmth, and giving.

Since when did Instagram stop showing “recent photos” for a search? When I do a search on Instagram, it shows only “top posts.” What if I want to come back tomorrow and see new posts for a particular search? I…

Loving the simplicity of life in chronological order, not through an algorithm.

A new pair of wired headphones lets you listen to Apple Music with lossless sound. (I never knew listening to music introduced some sort of loss.) The little box that does the work is called an “in-line DAC”. I call…

The "Popular Psychology Creativity & Genius" category is worded a bit strange—or maybe it's just me.

Transform each new tab into a journey through the Thorne Miniature Rooms with my modified version of the Art Institute of Chicago's Chrome extension.

Did you know on MacOS if you press and hold down a character key, it gives you the alternate accents? From now on, i’m not using lol, I’m using löl It looks like a surprised person with his/her arms up…

I’m keeping an ongoing list of my resolutions, goals, and habit changes for 2024.

Local squirrel confounded by tree's new 'horizontal living' choice. Neighbors report it's been dabbling in avant-garde landscaping.

National Squirrel Day is on Sunday, January 21st. Squirrel day in winter‽ It’s to remind us that food is scarce for squirrels in mid-winter. That’s pretty cool. Well, not that food is scarce, but that a squirrel day is set…

Just discovered the coolest thing for photography buffs like me 📸 Camera lens enamel pins! They're tiny, detailed, and oh-so-collectible.

Just discovered a live webcam of the Northern Lights from Finland, which is now part of my nine favorite live webcams

Do you like the mysterious vibe or the detailed HDR version?

What's up with this "Fragment of a Sampler" from 1669?

Ever wondered what the quiet of snowfall sounds like? 🤫 I paired a serene snow scene with the minimalist music of Philip Glass, John Cage, and Arvo Pärt. Read my blog for a journey into winter's whisper. ❄️

When Chicago doesn't let you submit twice

As Flipboard joins the Fediverse, I partly get excited, because I want platforms to inter-operate. We shouldn’t have to be locked into one platform (like Facebook or Twitter). Publish in one spot, and let people choose their reader. It sounds…

What do pale tan lithographs have in common with bright pink typewriters?

It would be cool to see the Pitfall game recreated as a textile by Sosnev Amalgamated Textile Mills.