Author Archives: Arjen Lentz

Stacking a Dishwasher

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This toon at The Oatmeal rings so true… many adults are very clueless how to load a dishwasher.

Just stuffing things in does not work well – at least not if you actually want to get it clean! Cutlery face down in piles? Not really. Face up, and if you put two spoons next to each other they’re likely to stick. Things like that. To me it’s simply a neat puzzle with 3D objects!

Phoebe already helps me unload the dishwasher. I’ve made sure that all the essentials in the kitchen (plates, pans, cutlery) are in the low cupboards so she can do most of it without assistance – also useful for setting the table. Over time she’ll pick up how things are laid out from that – describing it in “rules” would be quite complex, exhausting, boring, and not stick…

Timing Life Lessons: Not Losing Stuff

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“Papa, why do you always put the remote control in the same spot?”
“So I always know where to find it…”

Kinda completely unlike her hair brush, which sometimes disappears for days! (and I’m good at finding stuff)
We’ve now (once again) agreed on a standard location for the hair brush, and so far it’s working. When I’ve tried that previously, it didn’t. So I think the above question came with an insight… she figured it out.

As a parent, I’m often tempted to add a lesson to a situation. But in practice, I find that it tends to have little if any effect. From observation, kids appear to ask the right questions when they’re ready for the answer, so I just have to be more patient.

Dolphins Talk Like Humans : Discovery News

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http://news.discovery.com/animals/dolphin-talk-communication-humans-110906.html

Dolphins don’t whistle, but instead “talk” to each other using a process very similar to the way that humans communicate.

Data Visualiation of Kiva Loan Activity

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Phoebe and I are active on Kiva providing micro-loans ($25/piece) to people elsewhere on the planet. Below is a video Kiva just released, visualising its first five years of activity. It’s become huge.

Intercontinental Ballistic Microfinance from Kiva on Vimeo.