Once we understand that search engines can’t do everything, we can look at what search engines can do. Since most of us use Google, I’ll start with a few ways to zoom in on useful information and ignore the rest.
Expert Google Searching
How to find things on the internet
Recently, I’ve had folks ask for my expertise in things like how to do research, how to find things online, and how to be an expert Googler. I have a few tips for web searching that I’ll share in the next
Using folk motifs to write stories of your own
As a child, I drank in folktales in all colors, from the olive book of fairy tales to the crimson and lilac books. And then, I tried rustling through the coats in our large wooden wardrobe to find Narnia, or sweeping
Why I Don’t Always Share What I Write
I love David Sherlock’s post on the blog posts he didn’t write in 2017. It lets him set aside some rather unwieldy beasts, yet share what he’s been wrestling with. His never-posts range from education to gendered toys to ‘everything
Giving alternative gifts at Christmas
I still remember getting an apple, an orange, and a crisp two-dollar bill one Christmas. When my great-grandfather handed us each a piece of fruit, I carried it to the car, tucked my cold feet on the heater, and compared
Get your family name game on
I’ll be back to Maine next week for Thanksgiving with my husband’s folks. It should be fun. The day after Amos and I got married, I met my new Aunt Beth. She brought out a long genealogy that outlined my husband’s mother’s
What do we know about medieval Kazakh women’s names?
I’ve previously shared what I know of modern Kazakh names, as have other authors. But what about ancestral names? My motivation here is a growing connection to the SCA, a group fond of historical fencing, archery, brewing, and crafts. These
A librarian’s guide to research and writing tools
I’ve been asked to present about my research process, so I thought I’d share here what I’ll be presenting to other librarians soon. Below are some of the steps I take when doing academic or nonfiction research; I’d love to
What to do when you feel culture stress
You’ve probably heard of “culture shock,” that initial wallop when everything’s different. Some folks, like Debbie Stephens, hit a wall when they’ve “bathed and washed my hair in a bucket… eaten with monkeys, been roommates with scorpions… and eaten foods
What happens when you hide all the women on Facebook
As I mentioned, I recently tried being a guy on Facebook to see what would happen. But even as a guy, I still only see the ladies. Not that my lady friends try to be dominant; in fact, many are quite self-effacing. But