Taral Books and Comics

Perfectly still Lake Louise in Banff National Park, Alberta Ever since I finished school and started working full time, my jobs have involved at least some degree of travel.  This has afforded me some opportunities and insights, and I wanted to share some of that. I've looked back on the past ten years and, since 1 January 2009, I've gone on a few dozen trips, for work purposes, for vacations, and in spending free time during work trips (i.e. weekends during multi-week conferences, extra days at personal cost, or days where you land the day before your meeting).  Destinations have included (not counting cities that I simply transited through or spent very little time in): Switzerland Geneva (no less than thirteen times) Bern Montreux (at least five times; a personal favourite) Lausanne (three times) Luzern (also spelled Lucerne) Yverdon-les-Bains France Paris (no less than eight times) Arras Vimy Ridge Netherlands The Hague (twice, with more t...

This past Saturday, I was sitting in our basement TV room watching Youtube while my wife was enjoying the latest show she found on Netflix in another room.  I decided to browse the video feed of Vi Hart, who usually makes videos about maths, music, and virtual reality. In this one video, which I had seen years ago but not watched since, Vi Hart describes twelve tone music, also called atonal music.  She refers to the importance of shared context, and how context (for example, imagining a background piano accompaniment) helps interpret and understand the music.  She also compares it to strangers singing their favourite pop hit on the bus -- they head the background, but you don't and it sounds meaningless -- or coworkers telling you about TV or sports you don't watch.  Without the context of background music (or an understanding of the TV show or sport) being presented, it is literally meaningless.   It's a long video, but the music and lessons in it are ...

Dear Marilla, I can't believe it's already been six months since that wonderful day, 8 March 2017, when you first graced us with your presence. Your mother and I had been awaiting your arrival for literally years.  When the doctors first told us you existed, we were absolutely ecstatic.  We didn't know much about you then; not your gender, or what you'd look like.  You just had a heartbeat and a yolk sac.  Nevertheless, we nicknamed you Thor, a strong name for a strong baby of either gender. As we got closer to the delivery date, you decided to be a bit difficult and give mommy a bit of trouble.  But after a day and a half in the hospital, at 12:30pm six months ago today, the nurse handed you to me, and we gave you your name. You've learned so much in your first six months of life.  After perfecting the basics like breathing and eating (not an easy start, to be sure), you started figuring out how your body works.  Your dexterity keeps i...