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@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
{
|
||||
name: "Collectives / Compilations",
|
||||
blogs: [
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Bear Blog Discover",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://bearblog.dev/discover/feed/?lang=en",
|
||||
url: "https://bearblog.dev/discover/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Bear is a privacy-first, no-nonsense, super-fast blogging platform. Bear's discovery feed lists trending articles from the Bear blogosphere.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Freethought Blogs",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://freethoughtblogs.com/feed/",
|
||||
@ -193,6 +200,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"The Design Blog is a carefully curated platform for design and creative inspiration featuring works of designers, studios, and creatives from around the world.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Toxel",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://feeds.feedburner.com/toxel",
|
||||
url: "https://www.toxel.com/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Toxel.com is a daily design, inspiration and technology blog dedicated to showcasing the best creative products and designs from all over the world.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "TypeOff.",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://www.typeoff.de/rss",
|
||||
@ -218,6 +232,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
{
|
||||
name: "Food & Beverage",
|
||||
blogs: [
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "A Tea Addict's Journal",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://marshaln.com/feed/",
|
||||
url: "https://marshaln.com",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"This blog got started in 2006 on Xanga as an attempt to write down what I thought about the teas I was drinking. At that point I had been a serious tea drinker for at least six or seven years, but until then, I never really thought much about it. I thought that by writing down my thoughts, it would help me organize my ideas about tea, and in doing so, I hoped to reach an audience who were like minded tea drinkers. My hunch that there were a lot more tea drinkers out there in the West was right, and through this blog I have met quite a number of like-minded individuals, some of whom have become very good friends. I hope that, if nothing else, my musings here will help you find a better tea experience – life’s too short to be drinking bad tea.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Cocktail Doodle",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://cocktaildoodle.substack.com/feed",
|
||||
@ -231,6 +252,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
url: "https://deathbytea.blogspot.com/",
|
||||
description: "Straight up tea talk.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Essence of Tea Blog",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://essenceoftea.com/blogs/blog.atom",
|
||||
url: "https://essenceoftea.com/blogs/blog",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"We are tea lovers - a couple, David Collen and Yingxi Chen, who shared a wish to make good teas available to fellow tea lovers around the world.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Sarah's Vegan Kitchen",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://sarahsvegankitchen.com/feed/",
|
||||
@ -238,6 +266,20 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Sarah has years of recipes including complex staples like vegan cultured butter.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Tea DB",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://teadb.org/feed/",
|
||||
url: "https://teadb.org/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"TeaDB is a website and podcast started by friends and tea lovers James Schergen and Denny Chapin. James and Denny are business partners professionally, running websites in tea-unrelated industries (AllTreatment, TheraThink). We invite you to learn alongside us in our tea journeys!",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "white2tea",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://white2tea.com/blogs/blog.atom",
|
||||
url: "https://white2tea.com/blogs/blog",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"white2tea was created by passionate Puer devotees with over two decades of experience.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
],
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
@ -419,6 +461,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
{
|
||||
name: "LGBTQ+",
|
||||
blogs: [
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Assigned Media",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://www.assignedmedia.org/?format=rss",
|
||||
url: "https://www.assignedmedia.org/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Mainstream coverage of transgender life is falling short, while transphobic propaganda on the right grows louder and more insistent every day. Assigned publishes factual, up to date, responsible coverage of trans issues, allowing trans people and our allies to separate the truth from the lies and build a response to anti-trans hate that achieves dignity and equality for trans people in the US and beyond.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Uncloseted Media",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/feed",
|
||||
@ -445,6 +494,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"High-quality journalism which challenges power, inspires change and builds leadership among groups underrepresented in the media. (Predominantly U.K. focused)",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Rest of World",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://restofworld.org/feed/latest",
|
||||
url: "https://restofworld.org/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Rest of World is a nonprofit publication that challenges expectations about whose experiences with technology matter. We connect the dots across a rapidly evolving digital world, through on-the-ground reporting in places typically overlooked and underestimated.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Techdirt",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://www.techdirt.com/feed/",
|
||||
@ -470,6 +526,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
url: "https://popular.info/",
|
||||
description: "News for people who give a damn.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Prism",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://prismreports.org/feed/",
|
||||
url: "https://prismreports.org",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Prism is an independent and nonprofit news outlet led by journalists of color. We report from the ground up and at the intersections of injustice. Together, our journalists go where justice requires. Activists, thought leaders, decision-makers, and all those who believe in justice for all come to Prism for deep reporting and honest insights on the most pressing injustices of our time—delivered through the lens of those who are most impacted.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://revealnews.org/feed",
|
||||
@ -477,6 +540,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Democracy faces an unprecedented threat from an authoritarian movement built on lies and contempt for the rule of law. The first and most critical defense of democracy—a robust, independent free press—has been missing in action. Corporate and billionaire media owners have shied away from confrontation, engaged in false equivalence, and sought to curry favor with Donald Trump. It is hardly surprising that readers and viewers are fleeing from these outlets. Americans need an alternative. The Contrarian is that alternative: unflinching, unapologetic, and unwavering in its commitment to truth-telling.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "The 74",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://www.the74million.org/feed/",
|
||||
url: "https://www.the74million.org/",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"The 74 is a nonprofit news organization covering America’s education system from early childhood through college and career.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "The Contrarian",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://themarkup.org/feeds/rss.xml",
|
||||
@ -503,6 +573,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Designer, front-end developer and the founder of Set Studio and Piccalilli.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Bardo Burner",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://bardoburner.com/feed/",
|
||||
url: "https://bardoburner.com",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"Way back when blogs were called e-zines – the mid-90s – we made one called Bardo Burner… Sadly, our day-to-day lives got in the way of that labour of love and we jacked it in after a couple of years. Here we are again, reviving the old name just because, but this time primarily exploring issues related to healthy, sustainable living, which for us is strongly rooted in veganism… you’ll find articles here covering everything from cruelty-free cake and vegan restaurants to yoga and Pilates.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "Darek Kay",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://darekkay.com/atom.xml",
|
||||
@ -614,6 +691,13 @@ export default {
|
||||
description:
|
||||
'ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism with moral force. (Thanks to <a href="https://werd.io/2024/non-profit-newsrooms-that-speak-to-power">werd.io</a> for the recommendation.)',
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "The Appeal",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://theappeal.org/theappeal",
|
||||
url: "https://theappeal.org",
|
||||
description:
|
||||
"The Appeal is a nonprofit news organization that envisions a world in which systems of support and care, not punishment, create public safety. The Appeal’s journalism exposes the harms of a criminal legal system entrenched in centuries of systemic racism. We equip people with the information necessary to make change, and we elevate solutions that emerge from the communities most affected by policing, jails, and prisons in the U.S.",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
title: "The 19th",
|
||||
feedUrl: "https://19thnews.org/feed/",
|
||||
|
||||
@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ export default {
|
||||
linkDisplay: "Galleries",
|
||||
linkURL: "/galleries/",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
iconURL: "/img/icons/breeze/story-editor.svg",
|
||||
linkDisplay: "Guestbook",
|
||||
linkURL: "/guestbook/",
|
||||
},
|
||||
{
|
||||
iconURL: "/img/icons/breeze/news-subscribe.svg",
|
||||
linkDisplay: "Life Updates",
|
||||
|
||||
@ -11,5 +11,6 @@
|
||||
{% endfor %}
|
||||
{% endif %}
|
||||
<a href="/sitemap/">Sitemap</a>
|
||||
<a href="/special/flying-toasters" style="color: var(--background-color); text-decoration: none;">Fly</a>
|
||||
</p>
|
||||
</footer>
|
||||
|
||||
@ -3,6 +3,6 @@ layout: layouts/base.njk
|
||||
showPostListHeader: yep
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>I'm Nathan; welcome friend.</h1>
|
||||
<p class="nodropcap page-block">My name is Nathan Upchurch, and this is my personal website and blog, where I write about all sorts of <a href="/tags">things</a> that I find interesting. On this website, you can learn more <a href="about">about me</a>, see <a href="now">what I’ve been up to lately</a>, <a href="blog">read my blog</a>, look at some <a href="galleries">pictures</a>, or explore the <a href="sitemap">sitemap</a> to see what else you can do here.</p>
|
||||
<p class="nodropcap page-block">My name is Nathan Upchurch, and this is my personal website and blog, where I write about all sorts of <a href="/tags">things</a> that I find interesting. On this website, you can learn more <a href="about">about me</a>, sign my <a href="guestbook">guestbook</a>, see <a href="now">what I’ve been up to lately</a>, <a href="blog">read my blog</a>, look at some <a href="galleries">pictures</a>, or explore the <a href="sitemap">sitemap</a> to see what else you can do here.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
{{ content | safe }}
|
||||
|
||||
@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
layout: layouts/base.njk
|
||||
title: Nathan Upchurch | About
|
||||
eleventyNavigation:
|
||||
key: About
|
||||
order: 2
|
||||
---
|
||||
<article>
|
||||
<h1>About me and my website.</h1>
|
||||
<p class="page-block nodropcap">I’m a prolific vegan home cook, classical trombonist, incense maker, a <abbr title="Free/Libre Open Source Software">FLOSS</abbr> enthusiast, daily GNU/Linux user and unabashed <a href="https://kde.org/">KDE</a> stan, designer, programmer, music producer, print lover, and human with too many interests and too little time. This is my little corner of the internet where I talk about whatever I like without worrying about maintaining a ‘personal brand’, or constraining subject matter to topics which might help advance my career or establish me as a ‘thought leader’. I’m here to express myself and have fun writing about topics I enjoy. If you’d like to learn more about my professional accomplishments and work, I’ll link my professional website here when I get around to it.</p>
|
||||
|
||||
<p class="page-block nodropcap">I’m a prolific vegan home cook, classical trombonist, incense maker, a <abbr title="Free/Libre Open Source Software">FLOSS</abbr> enthusiast, designer, programmer, music producer, print lover, and human with too many interests and too little time.<br><br>
|
||||
This is my little corner of the internet where I talk about whatever I like without worrying about maintaining a ‘personal brand’, or constraining my writing to topics which might help advance my career or establish me as a ‘thought leader’. I’m here to express myself and have fun writing about topics I enjoy.<br><br>
|
||||
If you’d like to learn more about my professional accomplishments and work, I’ll link my professional website here when I get around to it.</p>
|
||||
<a href="./colophon/">
|
||||
<button type="button">Colophon »</button>
|
||||
</a>
|
||||
|
||||
@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
layout: layouts/base.njk
|
||||
title: Nathan Upchurch | Blog
|
||||
title: "The Stochastic Bletherist | The Personal Blog of Nathan Upchurch"
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
postlistHeaderText: "What’s New:"
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>My personal blog.</h1>
|
||||
<h1>The Stochastic Bletherist</h1>
|
||||
|
||||
<p class="page-block nodropcap">
|
||||
I write about whatever I like here, from <a href="/tags/storytime">personal stories</a>, to <a href="/tags/gnu-linux">tech</a>, <a href="/tags/vegan-cooking">food</a>, and <a href="/tags/incense">incense</a>.<br />
|
||||
The personal blog of Nathan Upchurch, where he writes about everything from <a href="/tags/storytime">personal stories</a> to <a href="/tags/gnu-linux">tech</a>, <a href="/tags/vegan-cooking">food</a>, and <a href="/tags/incense">incense</a>.<br />
|
||||
|
||||
<a href="/tags/">
|
||||
<button type="button">Topics »</button>
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: "An Evening with “America’s Best Incense:” Wild Berry"
|
||||
description: "I review $40 worth of Wild Berry incense in an evening."
|
||||
date: 2025-08-09
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Incense
|
||||
- Incense Review
|
||||
synopsis: "I review $40 worth of Wild Berry incense in an evening."
|
||||
imageURL: "/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_incense_sticks.webp"
|
||||
imageAlt: "Several packs of incense sticks with a ruler on top showing a stick length significantly below eleven inches, as well as some three plus inches of uncoated bamboo stick."
|
||||
mastodon_id: "115007567342939989"
|
||||
---
|
||||
In a [recent post](https://incenseinthewind.blogspot.com/2025/08/rasbihari-lal-absolute-oud.html?sc=1754495465540#c8441585320216937517), our friend Steve of Incense in The Wind described those with an aversion to perfume-dipped incense sticks as *prejudiced*. This has invited some self reflection. Dear reader, I think I may have been called out[^1].
|
||||
|
||||
It is true that I typically enjoy incense made out of, well, incense, but hell, maybe it's time to challenge this *blatant elitism*! After all, aren't incense sticks carefully constructed from sawdust, Elmer's glue, and various mysterious liquids named after [illicit substances](https://web.archive.org/web/20210910075942/https://www.stoutmonk.com/image/cache/data/Flute-Cannabish-250x250.jpg) and [public figures](https://web.archive.org/web/20250116044541/https://www.theculturalexchangeshop.com/details.php?id=4933) just as valid?! It's time to check my privilege, confront my prejudices, and find out. Yes, my friend, I've had the Ossetra caviar slapped out of my mouth, and no sooner than the blini landed on my Persian rug (crème fraîche down) have I set off to my nearest [Waffle House](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/waffle-house) for a real, honest, down-to-earth, working-man's meal. Folks, I am *excited* about this one. In this article we're putting down our highfalutin Japanese sticks and exploring “America’s Best Incense[^2]:” [Wild Berry](https://wild-berry.com/).
|
||||
|
||||
Wild Berry sells an *incredible* variety of fragrances, and I've chosen six of them: some fruits, some resins, and some fragrances that I'd expect to be more like compositions rather than single notes. When placing the order, I noticed that the website sold resealable bags for a dollar or two. Not wanting to waste money, and figuring they wouldn't mind parting with ten cents worth of plastic for a $40 order, I entered a note asking whether they could throw in a few, provided the bags the incense came in by default couldn't be resealed.
|
||||
|
||||
As I brought my laundry basket downstairs earlier today I checked the front porch for parcels. Jackpot. I've got the apartment to myself and nothing better to do, so I figure I'll order a takeaway, binge-watch some [Foundation](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/foundation), and try some of "America's Best" incense sticks while my laundry thumps around in the drier. I open the box, plonk it on the coffee table and began to rifle through the selection. Not a resealable bag in sight. Great; now the smell of this stuff is going to be slowly leeching into my apartment for time immemorial. I do however get a sticker and five sample sticks of "Mango Passion."
|
||||
|
||||
[](/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_incense_sticks.webp)
|
||||
|
||||
The "eleven inch" sticks all come markedly short of eleven inches, and they each have some three-plus inches of bare bamboo stick. Some appear to be machine extruded while others show a coating gradient typical with powder-coated sticks. Strange. I start with a strawberry cone:
|
||||
|
||||
## Strawberry (Cones)
|
||||
I'm *sure* I had these before. I have a feeling they may have been among the incense I picked up from a gas station near my school that I used to frequent not only for [the drinks with the wee glass lizards on them](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Feaqi1o3yv2441.jpg)[^3], but for their gargantuan incense display. The cones have surprisingly little fragrance before they are burned. Upon lighting, they produce a large amount of smoke. There is a sweet, strikingly artificial, strawberry-like fragrance in the burn. It's reminds me of a strawberry juice-box or fruit snack that's 99% apple juice with a hint of strawberry essence. But mostly, I smell the charcoal and some accelerant. The smell is nostalgic, but not good by any stretch. My throat is already feeling slightly irritated; an inauspicious start. Moving on swiftly.
|
||||
|
||||
## Coconut
|
||||
These have a very strong fragrance on the stick. It's sweet and acidic, almost more like a piña colada that coconut. It smells quite delicious. This fragrance is also inducing some nostalgia for me. On lighting, an aggressively sooty flame leaps to cover the first centimeter or so of the stick; oil appears to emerge from the stick directly beneath the flame. The fragrance upon extinguishing the flame is shocking. It's *foul*: vaporized wax, burning plastic, and some odd fishy note with a hint of artificial coconut. It's the kind of smell that makes you feel that your lifespan is being reduced. I put the stick out in short order.
|
||||
|
||||
## Frankincense
|
||||
I was keen to try this one; I wanted to know how close it would be to its namesake. Not remotely, as it happens. You ever walk into a Joann or Michaels craft store around Christmas? That's what this stick smells like. Sickly sweet, artificially spicy—a bit like like rum-raisin ice-cream and men's spray-on deodorant with a hint of Play-Doh. Since that coconut stick put the fear of god into me, I've decided to start burning these sticks far, far away from where I'm sitting. The kitchen will do. I place the burner on wooden prep table in my kitchen. I hold my breath while lighting and quickly scuttle off back to the couch to watch Brother Day try to keep the empire afloat. I have no doubt the fragrance will find me there. To my surprise, this rather powerful fragrance actually comes through reasonably well in the burn; it's definitely not as abominable as the coconut. Still, I have to put it out before long.
|
||||
|
||||
Around this point my takeaway arrives, so I decide to take a break. I cast my eyes onto the open package as I eat. It smells like someone's eating a fruit salad in a perfume shop. I consider moving it.
|
||||
|
||||
## Dragon's Blood
|
||||
Like frankincense, my collection of something like 100 fragrant materials in various jars, bags, bottles, and tubes includes dragon's blood. That's the thing about resins: they're real substances that people own, and so if you name an incense stick after them, people are going to know when you're fibbing. This stick smells like baking spice and tart fruit, which is confusingly close to how I might describe actual dragon's blood resin, but it still somehow smells nothing like it. There is also a benzoin-like sweetness on the unlit stick. The fragrance in the burn is mercifully close to that of the unlit stick, but like the others, it comes along with a boat-load of off-notes. As with the Frankincense, this very strong fragrance quickly became too much.
|
||||
|
||||
I'm feeling a touch dejected. I knew this incense was going to be bad, but I had hoped it would be bad in a fun way, like a fast-food hamburger, or a toy from a cereal box. So far it's just been a bit depressing.
|
||||
|
||||
## Orange Creamsicle
|
||||
But, dear reader, hope springs eternal; the fragrance on this stick is fantastic. It's synthetic and too strong in a fun way, like candy. It's actually quite impressive—there's a sharp orange note, more orange oil than flesh, with a creamy, lactonic vanilla ice-cream note. As for the burn, well, if you buy these just stick them in a jar and pretend they're part of a reed diffuser. The off-notes are tremendous. Orange oil becomes bitter, burning pith. The experience is sickeningly underlined by an eerily unchanged vanilla ice-cream note like a music box playing sweetly amid artillery fire.
|
||||
|
||||
## Opium (Sticks)
|
||||
Wow; this is bringing me right back to my teenage bedroom. The fragrance on the unlit stick is powerful: a trepidatious sniff draws a cough from my battle-worn lungs. By now, I'm too tired to attempt to work out the constituent notes of this composition, but it's not bad. It actually comes through surprisingly cleanly, at least compared to the others I've tried so far[^4]. I wonder whether the sheer strength of this stick isn't just overpowering any lurking off-notes waiting to soak into the carpet. In any case, I might go so far as to burn this one again on purpose. Outdoors, of course, but still.
|
||||
|
||||
## Strawberry (Sticks)
|
||||
At this point, my nasal passages are beginning to feel as though I've [french-inhaled](https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbTVyeWJ3ZTI3aWlnbG9nOHR0eGdyM29hOTRzeW5rbGUxdnIwZmFtciZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/xTiTnlbIZkWZDrKqgo/giphy.gif) my way through a pack of [menthol Newports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_(cigarette)#/media/File:Newport_cigarettes.jpg). I steel myself; I will press on. Although disappointed by the strawberry cones, I somehow still have hope for the sticks. The smell is markedly more complex. It's a combination of strawberry candy and a rather uncanny impression of the sad, cucumbery strawberries they grow here in the U.S. I swear I can even smell the little green leaf at the top. When lit, however, this stick offers major off-notes with a hint of strawberry candy, like a fire in a sweet-shop.
|
||||
|
||||
## Opium (Cones)
|
||||
Now so close to the end, my mind and body are crying out for rest. Like the sticks, this is a competent composition that has enough strength to overpower the stink that seems to be inherent in this brand. Beyond the smell, I find it interesting how wildly inconsistently these Wild Berry cones are shaped. From a company that puts out such volume, I expected production to be such an exercise in precision and efficiency that there would be no room for even the slightest deviation; I've seen more consistent output from even very small incense makers. I wonder why this is as I whisk away the censer containing the burning cone into another room.
|
||||
|
||||
[](/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_opium_incense_cones.webp)
|
||||
|
||||
## Free Sample: Mango Passion
|
||||
As I reach my final task, my spirits are low; my nose a ragged wanderer on his sun-blistered belly, inching towards a verdant oasis after untold hours in the quivering heat, prostrate before the silent might of the dunes. I light a stick.
|
||||
|
||||
How dearly I wish these sticks had been a handful of resealable bags. The fragrance of the unlit stick is pleasant enough: bright passion fruit and mango, per the name. It actually manages to come through relatively intact in the burn too, but all of those unpleasant smells we've come to expect alongside it really ruin the experience. This time the fire is in a Garnier Fructis production facility. With this out of the way, I am free.
|
||||
|
||||
## Conclusion
|
||||
I don't expect you to believe me, but I *did not* intend this article to be a hit-piece. I had anticipated a [Review Brah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheReportOfTheWeek) style affair, where I got to sample some inelegant but fine enough incense sticks in fun fragrances. I had hoped that together we could take a dip into what would turn out to be the murky but cool waters of American commodity incense and emerge refreshed, if a touch muddy. Instead, I feel that we've come away with [brain-eating amobea](https://www.cdc.gov/naegleria/about/index.html).
|
||||
|
||||
While Wild Berry's fragrances have left me distressed and unsatisfied, this experience has also left me with many questions. Beyond its products, I find that I've developed a lingering fascination surrounding the company itself. Wild Berry isn't just another big anonymous incense-maker, it has *lore*. From the company's [Duloc](https://youtu.be/p1zQHvvgXOs?si=CuLazpB9jRuXpNBW&t=31)-style [wooden puppet display](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Kf-ocYmBI), to zany antics such as [dragging employees around on pallet jacks](https://youtu.be/IJHtDyMV03o?si=pfMNMX6R6UYxrs_W&t=35), the more I learn the greater my curiosity. Why do precisely none of the [company vlogs](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJEWn3HV8JpN4MDB_srqcB8LQitKtEcBX) show anyone burning incense in their offices? What are they hiding in those five unavailable videos? What on earth is [going on here](https://www.youtube.com/@123WIldberry/), and what is a "[Buxom Busam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zStV6vwjQYk)?"
|
||||
|
||||
As for the incense itself, I'm flummoxed. How can something of such irredeemably poor quality be so ubiquitous? I admit I have come to deeply resent spending $40 on incense I've described in terms of war, but I also can't help but feel that this endeavor has made me party to one of the great mysteries of our time. Filled with a sense of both wonder and horror in the face of it, I've found myself staring at a [rotating](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:8-cell-orig.gif) [tesseract](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesseract), beautiful in its incomprehensibility. And who knows? After a bout of therapy to overcome the trauma I've experienced tonight, I may eventually be able to put some of these sticks into service on the porch as bug-repellent.
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Obligatory disclaimer assuring you that I'm being tongue-in-cheek and I am in no way salty at anyone.
|
||||
[^2]: The scare quotes are, I kid you not, included in their official branding.
|
||||
[^3]: I typically try not to make too much of a show of my impeccable taste, but I fear that may be impossible in this instance.
|
||||
[^4]: A very, very low bar.
|
||||
11
content/blog/introducing-the-stochastic-bletherist.md
Normal file
11
content/blog/introducing-the-stochastic-bletherist.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: "At Last, My Blog Has a Name!"
|
||||
description: "New name, who dis?"
|
||||
date: 2025-07-13
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Site Updates
|
||||
synopsis: "New name, who dis??"
|
||||
mastodon_id: "114848297332289745"
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Since I started writing here in earnest, I've been enchanted by the idea of having a proper name for my humble blog. I didn't dare put too much thought into it until recently; the task seemed too intimidating. There's a lot to think about after all: Do you choose something dry and professional, at risk of sounding pompous or grandiose? Something pithy, at risk of sounding too cutesy? Or something funny, at risk of not being taken seriously? Well, dear readers, by combining a five dollar word, a play on words, and some perhaps lightly distasteful humor, I've somehow managed to encapsulate all three options in arriving at a name for my blog that is, perhaps unfortunately, very *me.* Introducing: *[The Stochastic Bletherist](/blog)*!
|
||||
18
content/blog/perfumery-islamophobia.md
Normal file
18
content/blog/perfumery-islamophobia.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: "On the Recent Controversy Surrounding a Certain Perfumery. "
|
||||
description: "The difference between critique and denigration."
|
||||
date: 2025-07-13
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Quick Thoughts
|
||||
- Incense
|
||||
synopsis: "The difference between critique and denigration."
|
||||
---
|
||||
Someone recently shared with me transcripts and audio recordings that have been going around of comments that are alleged to have been made by the owner of a well-regarded perfumery. This owner also recently published a video on the matter. I am not going to mention names, but I am sure many in the fragrance and incense community are already aware of the situation. I'm seeing a lot of anger online, as well as a number of people coming to the owners' defense. Having seen what I have, here are my thoughts.
|
||||
|
||||
First of all, I'm an anti-theist. I don't believe that *any* religion is inherently deserving of respect, let alone beyond critique or reproach. As this situation involves religion, I was expecting to see yet another case of hypersensitive believers becoming upset at a simple criticism. But there is a difference between criticism and denigration, and while ideas may not be owed respect simply because they exist, I believe that people are. What I saw and heard was not critique. It was outright insult and denigration in the most inflammatory terms possible.
|
||||
|
||||
There is a key difference between innocent commentary on a particular worldview (even if contentious), and outright insulting an entire group of people, their beliefs, their cultures, and their countries of origin. The language and talking points I saw, in particular the parroting of right-wing anti-immigrant rhetoric aimed at Muslims, struck me not as critique, but racism. Further, to harbor the beliefs espoused in these recordings and transcripts regarding a demographic while also directly marketing products to them seems especially contemptible.
|
||||
|
||||
In the video addressing the situation, the individual concerned pointed out that these statements were taken out of context. It is difficult to imagine how context could possibly excuse the statements I read and heard, but they were indeed presented without context. Regardless, rather than make a genuine apology which includes an acknowledgement of the harm caused, they opined on how unfortunate it was that their remarks were made public, and chose to shut down comments when people began to share some of the remarks that are alleged to have been made.
|
||||
|
||||
We all make mistakes. Sometimes people make remarks in anger that they don't mean, or we phrase our arguments in ways that are hurtful and unproductive. In my mind, there's still room for that to be the case here. But the first step towards growth and forgiveness is a sincere apology: naming your mistake openly, acknowledging the harm it caused, and taking steps to rectify that harm. While I am not in the group harmed by this situation, the rhetoric purported to have been espoused here does harm individuals who I respect and care for. Thus, while it's not my place to offer forgiveness, I will not be purchasing anything from this individual until such time as an earnest apology has been offered, and steps have been taken to rectify the harm caused. If I do not see this effort, I must believe that this individual stands by the statements they are alleged to have made, and as we have come to learn, [funding people funds their beliefs](https://www.advocate.com/news/jk-rowling-anti-trans-organization).
|
||||
39
content/blog/what-ive-been-going-with-incense-lately.md
Normal file
39
content/blog/what-ive-been-going-with-incense-lately.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: "What I’ve Been Doing with Incense Lately"
|
||||
description: "New sticks, faster build development, percolating, and something coming soon?"
|
||||
date: 2025-07-12
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Incense
|
||||
- Incense Making
|
||||
synopsis: "New sticks, faster build development, percolating, and something coming soon?"
|
||||
imageURL: /img/what_ive_been_doing_with_incense_lately/dropper.webp
|
||||
imageAlt: "A brass incense powder dropper with a bamboo lid and a tapered nozzle beside a brass hammer, a spoon, and a tray filled with white ash and several burned trails. All of this is on top of my messy work table."
|
||||
mastodon_id: "114848206538212433"
|
||||
---
|
||||
It's been a while since I've written about incense making; to be honest, things have slowed down a little. It's been pretty hot in Chicago lately—I find that my sense of smell is dulled as the temperature and humidity rises. Unfortunately my apartment is very poorly insulated, so I've been burning, testing, and experimenting less as a result. The heat hasn't put me off entirely though; here's what I've been up to.
|
||||
|
||||
## Speeding up the creative process
|
||||
I've picked up a device[^1] designed to help you make Chinese incense seals, whereby a design, or seal, of incense powder is burned atop a layer of ash. The kit I ordered came with a bag of ash, a ceramic tray, a brass dropper, and a small brass hammer with a detachable plastic tip.
|
||||
|
||||
[](/img/what_ive_been_doing_with_incense_lately/dropper.webp)
|
||||
|
||||
I didn't buy this for casual incense burning, but to speed up the process of creating an incense build, or blend. Rather than painstakingly making an impression in a bed of ash and filling it with incense powder using a tiny spoon, I have taken to using the dropper to quickly lay a trail of incense powder down for rapid iteration.
|
||||
|
||||
## Beau Soir
|
||||
With six one-gram iterations using this technique, I managed to develop a new build for a stick I'm calling "Beau Soir," after the [utterly beautiful melody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKCcFxBP2o0&list=RDxKCcFxBP2o0). The fragrance is designed to evoke a walk through a garden on a cool evening: moist soil; cool air; greenery; gentle floral notes. In addition to being the first build I've developed with my swish new dropper (an excellent experience), I am using some new and exciting ingredients: namely musk root, plus a type of rhubarb. This is also another effort on my part to incorporate *actual flowers* into incense. This is a difficult task without introducing a bundle of off-notes, and as a result, it's something not many Japanese-style incense makers do. I have Dave of [The World Makes Scents](https://theworldmakesscents.com/) to thank for this. He put in the work of figuring out a particular species of rose that actually works well in incense, then processing it into an extremely high quality powder using a ball mill so that none of the fragrance is lost to heat. This powder doesn't confer a rose-oil or rose-water-like strength, but it does add a subtle, hard to describe (almost fluffy? marshmallowy?) floral note that adds something special to a build. I'm fairly pleased with Beau Soir, with a couple of positive reviews in already. But at this point, I'm just about burned out on smelling the stuff, so I'm going to send out some samples soon to gather some more opinions before I do anything more with it.
|
||||
|
||||
## Percolating
|
||||
It is a fact, though, that some ingredients simply do not play nicely in the burn, at least less some obscure Chinese processing techniques that I am not privy to. For instance, I recently ordered a bag of chamomile to try; a trail of ten percent chamomile to ninety percent sandalwood was already acrid, with only a subtle chamomile note. What is a humble incense maker to do? Well, I've had some success with tinctures; soaking six grams of Juniperus virginiana in a fluid ounce of lavender tincture and letting the liquid evaporate results in a *very* fragrant wood powder with a clear lavender note even a year later. Tinctures are expensive to buy though, and they take forever to make, so I've decided to give percolation a try. Instead of macerating a material for months like a traditional tincture, you can make a percolated extract in around 24 hours. They are meant to be much stronger too.
|
||||
|
||||
[](/img/what_ive_been_doing_with_incense_lately/percolator.webp)
|
||||
|
||||
The procedure begins by hydrating your material in whatever menstruum you've chosen (190 proof Everclear for me), adding just enough so that the texture becomes like wet sand, and letting it absorb for an hour. Then you load it into a device called a "dropping funnel," which is functionally an upside down bottle with the bottom cut off. After gently packing the material evenly, you carefully pour in the rest of your menstruum and let it reach the bottom of the funnel before sealing off the stopcock and letting the mixture macerate for 24 hours. When this step is complete, you allow the liquid to drain into a container, only opening the stopcock enough for a single drop to fall every one to three seconds.
|
||||
|
||||
My first clumsy attempt with 200g menstruum and 100g chamomile netted me ~100ml of potent chamomile extract, which I was pretty pleased about, so I've got some rose root in the drop funnel as we speak—another ingredient that doesn't smell especially nice when you set it on fire.
|
||||
|
||||
## Drop soon?
|
||||
Some time ago, I had an offer to sell some of my incense in a friend's webstore, a very kind offer that I'd like to take advantage of, but I just haven't been set up for it. Well, I've been working on that. I've now got a {{ "DBA" | abbr("Doing Business As: an officially registered name for a person or a business other than their full legal name or business name.") | safe }}[^2], and I'm working on the branding to match. I know this all sounds very official, but my intention is only to do a drop every now and then rather than making a real enterprise out of incense making[^3], something that is simply out of reach at the moment. While I intend to keep things small, I still want to set things up to the best of my ability. That said, don't get too excited; it'll likely be a while yet!
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: I managed to dig up the link to buy the thing too: [here's where to go if you want one](https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806931365339.html). It looks like you have to purchase the hammer and tray separately. Kin Objects [also sells one](https://kinobjects.com/products/incense-powder-dropper-kit?variant=41578587193367).
|
||||
[^2]: And no, I'm not saying what it is yet!
|
||||
[^3]: Honestly, I don't know whether I'd want to; I want to be sure that something I do for joy and artistic expression doesn't become a source of stress.
|
||||
@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ permalink: /blogroll/nathanUpchurchBlogroll.opml
|
||||
<ownerName>Nathan Upchurch</ownerName>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>{% for category in blogroll.categories %}
|
||||
<outline id="{{ category.name }}" text="{{ category.name }}">{% for blog in category.blogs %}
|
||||
<outline text="{{ category.name }}">{% for blog in category.blogs %}
|
||||
<outline
|
||||
text="{{ blog.title }}"
|
||||
description="{{ blog.description }}"
|
||||
|
||||
@ -4,10 +4,17 @@ title: Nathan Upchurch | Blogroll
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>Blogroll</h1>
|
||||
<p class="nodropcap page-block">Here are some of the blogs I subscribe to. You can click the RSS icon next to each to subscribe using <a href="../about-feeds/">your newsreader</a>, or import all of them at once by downloading and importing this convenient <a href="./nathanUpchurchBlogroll.opml" download>.opml file</a>.</p>
|
||||
<p class="nodropcap">Here are some blogs and independent news outlets I like to read. You can click the RSS icon next to each to subscribe using <a href="../about-feeds/">your newsreader</a>, or import all of them at once by downloading and importing this convenient <a href="./nathanUpchurchBlogroll.opml" download>.opml file</a>.</p>
|
||||
<p class="page-block">
|
||||
<em>Skip to category:
|
||||
{% for category in blogroll.categories %}
|
||||
<a href="#{{ category.name | slugify }}">{{ category.name }}</a>{% if loop.last %}.{% else %},{% endif %}
|
||||
{% endfor %}
|
||||
</em></p>
|
||||
|
||||
{% for category in blogroll.categories %}
|
||||
<section class="blogroll">
|
||||
<h2>{{ category.name }}:</h2>
|
||||
<h2 id="{{ category.name | slugify }}">{{ category.name }}:<a class="header-anchor" href="#{{ category.name | slugify }}">#</a></h2>
|
||||
{% for blog in category.blogs %}
|
||||
<div class="blogroll-category-group">
|
||||
<a href="{{ blog.url }}"><h3>{{ blog.title }}</h3></a>
|
||||
|
||||
@ -4,6 +4,21 @@ title: Nathan Upchurch | Changelog
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
---
|
||||
# Changelog
|
||||
* 2025-08-14
|
||||
* Implemented a [guestbook](/guestbook/).
|
||||
* 2025-07-29
|
||||
* Added [The 74](https://www.the74million.org/) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* 2025-07-14
|
||||
* Added [Assigned](https://www.assignedmedia.org), [Prism](https://prismreports.org), [Rest of World](https://restofworld.org), and [The Appeal](https://theappeal.org/) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* Updated the [blogroll](/blogroll), adding a "skip to category" section, and adding direct links to all section headers.
|
||||
* Removed "id" attribute from categories in [blogroll](/blogroll) [OPML](/blogroll/nathanUpchurchBlogroll.opml).
|
||||
* Updated [/wish](/wish).
|
||||
* 2025-07-13
|
||||
* Renamed the [blog](/blog), updated [/about](/about), and added [Bardo Burner](https://bardoburner.com/) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* 2025-07-10
|
||||
* Added [Toxel](https://www.toxel.com/) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* 2025-07-02
|
||||
* Added [A Tea Addict's Journal](https://marshaln.com), [Bear Blog Discover](https://bearblog.dev/discover/), [Essence of Tea Blog](https://essenceoftea.com/blogs/blog), [Tea DB](https://teadb.org/), and [white2tea](https://white2tea.com/blogs/blog) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* 2025-06-26
|
||||
* Added [Justine the Incenseur](https://justinetheincenseur.substack.com) to the [blogroll](/blogroll).
|
||||
* 2025-06-24
|
||||
|
||||
@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
layout: layouts/403.njk
|
||||
permalink: 403.html
|
||||
permalink: error/403.html
|
||||
title: Nathan Upchurch | 403
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
eleventyExcludeFromCollections: true
|
||||
@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
layout: layouts/404.njk
|
||||
permalink: 404.html
|
||||
permalink: error/404.html
|
||||
title: Nathan Upchurch | 404
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
eleventyExcludeFromCollections: true
|
||||
3
content/error/error.11tydata.js
Normal file
3
content/error/error.11tydata.js
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
|
||||
export default {
|
||||
layout: "layouts/post.njk",
|
||||
};
|
||||
@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ tags: gallery
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
eleventyComputed:
|
||||
title: "{{ gallery.title }}"
|
||||
permalink: "/gallery/{{ gallery.title | slugify }}/"
|
||||
description: "{{ gallery.description }}"
|
||||
permalink: "/gallery/{{ gallery.title | slugify }}/"
|
||||
description: "{{ gallery.description }}"
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>{{ gallery.title }}</h1>
|
||||
<p class="page-block nodropcap">{{ gallery.description }}</p>
|
||||
|
||||
55
content/guestbook.njk
Normal file
55
content/guestbook.njk
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
layout: layouts/base.njk
|
||||
title: Nathan Upchurch | Guestbook
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>Sign My Guestbook</h1>
|
||||
<!-- Guestbook Script -->
|
||||
<script async src="https://guestbooks.meadow.cafe/resources/js/embed_script/835/script.js"></script>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- Guestbook Form -->
|
||||
<div id="guestbooks___guestbook-form-container">
|
||||
<form id="guestbooks___guestbook-form"
|
||||
action="https://guestbooks.meadow.cafe/guestbook/835/submit"
|
||||
method="post">
|
||||
|
||||
<label for="name">Your name:</label>
|
||||
<div class="guestbooks___input-container">
|
||||
<input type="text"
|
||||
id="name"
|
||||
name="name"
|
||||
required>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
<label for="website">Your website (optional):</label>
|
||||
<div class="guestbooks___input-container">
|
||||
<input type="url"
|
||||
id="website"
|
||||
name="website">
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
<div id="guestbooks___challenge-answer-container"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<label for="text">Your message:</label>
|
||||
<div class="guestbooks___input-container">
|
||||
<textarea id="text"
|
||||
name="text"
|
||||
rows="4"
|
||||
style="width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; resize: vertical;"
|
||||
required></textarea>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
<button type="submit">Sign Guestbook</button>
|
||||
<div id="guestbooks___error-message"></div>
|
||||
</form>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- Attribution (optional but appreciated!) -->
|
||||
<div id="guestbooks___guestbook-made-with" style="text-align: right; margin-top: 10px;">
|
||||
<small>Powered by <a href="https://guestbooks.meadow.cafe" target="_blank">Guestbooks</a></small>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- Messages Section -->
|
||||
<hr/>
|
||||
<h2 id="guestbooks___guestbook-messages-header">Messages</h2>
|
||||
<div id="guestbooks___guestbook-messages-container"></div>
|
||||
@ -3,10 +3,5 @@ layout: layouts/home.njk
|
||||
eleventyNavigation:
|
||||
key: Home
|
||||
order: 1
|
||||
numberOfLatestPostsToShow: 3
|
||||
numberOfNowPostsToShow: 1
|
||||
numberOfGalleriesToShow: 1
|
||||
numberOfQuizzesToShow: 1
|
||||
hideGalleryDescriptions: 1
|
||||
---
|
||||
{% include "navigator.njk" %}
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Assam
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-17 14:22:00
|
||||
time: 2:22 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Christmas Tree
|
||||
manufacturer: The World Makes Scents
|
||||
date: 2025-06-28 11:50:00
|
||||
time: 11:50 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
Love this stuff.
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Christmas Tree
|
||||
manufacturer: The World Makes Scents
|
||||
date: 2025-08-07 11:06:00
|
||||
time: 11:06 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Compassion
|
||||
manufacturer: Espirit de la Nature
|
||||
date: 2025-07-17 11:21:00
|
||||
time: 11:21 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Everyday Aloes
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-04 17:13:00
|
||||
time: 5:13 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Floral Palo
|
||||
manufacturer: Myself
|
||||
date: 2025-07-02 14:42:00
|
||||
time: 2:42 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Floral Palo
|
||||
manufacturer: Myself
|
||||
date: 2025-07-21 10:10:00
|
||||
time: 10:10 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Floral Palo
|
||||
manufacturer: Myself
|
||||
date: 2025-8-8 10:29:00
|
||||
time: 10:29 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
Not even ten o'clock and I'm already in need of some stress relief because the landlord is being a nightmare.
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Hidden Valley Orchid
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-17 14:58:00
|
||||
time: 2:58 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Hojari A
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-25 16:32:00
|
||||
time: 4:32 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
Received as a sample alongside Hojari B.
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Hojari B
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-25 17:32:00
|
||||
time: 5:32 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Hojari
|
||||
manufacturer: Myself
|
||||
date: 2025-07-02 13:12:00
|
||||
time: 1:12 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Hojari
|
||||
manufacturer: Myself
|
||||
date: 2025-07-29 12:09:00
|
||||
time: 12:09 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Kheoun’s Blend
|
||||
manufacturer: The World Makes Scents
|
||||
date: 2025-07-29 14:30:00
|
||||
time: 2:30 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Magnifiscents Obsidian
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-07-01 20:58:00
|
||||
time: 8:48 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Matsu no Tomo (Friend of Pine)
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-08-09 17:03:00
|
||||
time: 5:05 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Morning Star Vanilla
|
||||
manufacturer: Nippon Kodo
|
||||
date: 2025-07-31 10:55:00
|
||||
time: 10:55 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Morning Star Vanilla
|
||||
manufacturer: Nippon Kodo
|
||||
date: 2025-08-08 11:25:00
|
||||
time: 11:25 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
Among the first Japanese incense sticks I ever tried, I've been using this stuff to calm down for twenty years.
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Moss Garden (Nokiba)
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-07-09 08:37:00
|
||||
time: 8:37 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Moss Garden (Nokiba)
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-07-14 12:43:00
|
||||
time: 12:43 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Moss Garden (Nokiba)
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-08-14 13:05:00
|
||||
time: 1:05 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Reiryokoh
|
||||
manufacturer: Kunmeido
|
||||
date: 2025-07-14 11:32:00
|
||||
time: 11:32 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
Fancied something stimulating for this Monday morning as I drink some ripe pu'er.
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Sarasoju
|
||||
manufacturer: Shunkohdo
|
||||
date: 2025-07-04 11:19:00
|
||||
time: 11:19 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Suzaku
|
||||
manufacturer: Gyokushodo
|
||||
date: 2025-07-23 13:39:00
|
||||
time: 1:39 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Suzaku
|
||||
manufacturer: Gyokushodo
|
||||
date: 2025-08-06 11:53:00
|
||||
time: 11:53 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Tree of Life
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-07-27 12:24:00
|
||||
time: 12:25 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Vanilla
|
||||
manufacturer: Tennendo
|
||||
date: 2025-06-27 22:09:00
|
||||
time: 10:09 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Weeping Cypress
|
||||
manufacturer: Yi-Xin Craft Incense
|
||||
date: 2025-08-01 10:02:00
|
||||
time: 10:02 AM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: White Cloud (Hakuun)
|
||||
manufacturer: Shoyeido
|
||||
date: 2025-08-04 12:16:00
|
||||
time: 12:16 PM
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
@ -2,4 +2,5 @@ export default {
|
||||
tags: ["nowBurning"],
|
||||
layout: "layouts/base.njk",
|
||||
permalink: false,
|
||||
structuredData: "none",
|
||||
};
|
||||
|
||||
@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
|
||||
export default {
|
||||
tags: ["now"],
|
||||
permalink: false,
|
||||
layout: "layouts/post.njk",
|
||||
};
|
||||
|
||||
@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Welp, it's a New Year.
|
||||
description: …and what a year it's been already.
|
||||
synopsis: …and what a year it's been already.
|
||||
title: Welp, it’s a New Year.
|
||||
description: …and what a year it’s been already.
|
||||
synopsis: …and what a year it’s been already.
|
||||
date: 2025-01-23
|
||||
imageURL: /img/IMG_20250122_172636_762_copy.webp
|
||||
imageAlt: A closeup of a Braun wristwatch.
|
||||
|
||||
15
content/now/now_2025_07_02.md
Normal file
15
content/now/now_2025_07_02.md
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
|
||||
---
|
||||
title: Is it July Already?
|
||||
description: What's happening.
|
||||
synopsis: What's happening.
|
||||
date: 2025-07-02
|
||||
imageURL: /img/pexels-rovenimages-com-344613-949592_copy.webp
|
||||
imageAlt: Fireworks in the night sky.
|
||||
---
|
||||
In my last entry I noted that I was trying to be a little less salty this year, and I'm pleased to say that it's paying off. I'm also trying to tackle some of the value judgments / statements that pop into my head by reminding myself to phrase things in a more productive way. For example, I recently had a discussion with my brother in Vietnam on how my moral nihilism aligns with my veganism. During the discussion, I found myself resorting to terms like "good," "bad," "better," and "worse," terms which really muddy the waters when you're speaking about this particular topic. As a result, I am trying to remember to describe the *effects* of something rather than using words that abstract away the mechanism by which said thing impacts the world. I'm sure this won't be advisable or practical 100% of the time, but I suppose I'll just have to do my best and use my judgment.
|
||||
|
||||
I haven't touched the Google data analytics course in a while; I mean to get back to it, but I found myself falling into a common pattern with this course. I quickly become bored and frustrated when courses are slow, or spend lots of time on simple things. This probably says something about my past experiences with educators, but I also often feel patronized by courses. For instance, I don't need a lesson in breaking things down into steps. It seems to me that this skill is something that people will either already bring to the table when they enroll in a course like this, or if they have reached adulthood without the ability to exercise computational thinking, perhaps this area of study isn't suited for them? In any case, I find it frustrating to have to spend hours of my life on something like this. I'm also not a total newcomer to some of the skills under the data analytics umbrella. I've used data many times in my personal and professional life. As one example, in a previous role for a coffee chain making its first entry into the USA, I used sales data to model the impact of payment processor rates in a spreadsheet. Because of this, I was not only able to save the company money, I was actually able to choose a payment processor for our US operations that would, on average, *lose money* for every payment they processed for us (low ticket totals are very dangerous for fixed percentage processors, as [Square found out with Starbucks](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-10-15/square-shows-path-to-recovery-from-money-losing-starbucks-deal)). I'll just have to keep trying with this course. Goodness knows I need to work on my tolerance for drudgery.
|
||||
|
||||
I haven't managed to get back to the UK yet, which makes me sad. The xenophobic, anti-immigrant UK government has made spousal visa requirements so onerous that it's extremely difficult to pull off unless you are wealthy. In the absolute best case, Sol and I would have to spend months apart, and I would have to give up my job and attempt to find one in the UK that pays well above the national average salary. I don't have any idea what the job market is like over there at the minute, but I'm not hearing good things. If I had £100,000 in the bank, we could literally be over there in six months, but for average working people, it's an absolute gauntlet. we don't have any wealthy family who can help us, and we live in an expensive city. Even if we lived out in Cheapsville, Indiana, we couldn't possibly save enough to meet the financial requirement. On top of that, there is also the horrific transphobic legislation in the UK and other signs that fascism is encroaching more quickly every day just like it is in the USA. Sad isn't the word, really. I'm furious.
|
||||
|
||||
I've been steadily improving my incense making practice. At this point, I have a number of stick builds that I'm proud of and receive good reviews. I think my blending skills have really advanced, and I'm slowly working towards scaling up enough that I can put out the occasional release for sale. Somewhat disappointingly for me as a former print broker, it doesn't look like it's going to be feasible for me to do short packaging print runs, so packaging may look like a simple paper tube and a label. A big bugbear for me at the moment is making sure sticks dry straight. It's difficult for me to control the temperature and humidity in my space such that some amount of warping is inevitable. I wish it didn't bother me as much as it does; after all, this is to be expected when you're not working out of some big facility. I'm also working on a foray into the world of percolated extracts, which I hope to create from materials that don't play nicely in combustible incense. I'm still also trying to process this category of material in such a way that is can be used in sticks; I recently attempted a lacto-ferment of rosa damascena, which unfortunately went moldy. I'll try again when I get another bag of rose petals.
|
||||
@ -22,7 +22,13 @@ structuredData: none
|
||||
<li><a href="/me">Contact</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/feed/feed.xml">Feed</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/galleries">Galleries</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/guestbook">Guestbook</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/now">Now</a></li>
|
||||
<li>Special
|
||||
<ul>
|
||||
<li><a href="/special/flying-toasters/">Flying Toasters</a></li>
|
||||
</ul>
|
||||
</li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/tags">Tags</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/wish">Wishes</a></li>
|
||||
<li><a href="/quizzes">Quizzes</a></li>
|
||||
|
||||
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/After Dark 3.0 - OMTW.mp3
Normal file
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/After Dark 3.0 - OMTW.mp3
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
38
content/special/flying-toasters/base.css
Normal file
38
content/special/flying-toasters/base.css
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
|
||||
/* apply a natural box layout model to all elements */
|
||||
*,
|
||||
*:before,
|
||||
*:after {
|
||||
-moz-box-sizing: border-box;
|
||||
-webkit-box-sizing: border-box;
|
||||
box-sizing: border-box;
|
||||
}
|
||||
html,
|
||||
body {
|
||||
background-color: #111;
|
||||
margin: 0;
|
||||
height: 100%;
|
||||
width: 100%;
|
||||
overflow: hidden;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Hide only visually, but have it available for screenreaders & for SEO purposes. See h5bp.com/v */
|
||||
.visuallyhidden {
|
||||
border: 0;
|
||||
clip: rect(0 0 0 0);
|
||||
height: 1px;
|
||||
margin: -1px;
|
||||
overflow: hidden;
|
||||
padding: 0;
|
||||
position: absolute;
|
||||
width: 1px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
.clearfix:before,
|
||||
.clearfix:after {
|
||||
content: " ";
|
||||
display: table;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
.clearfix:after {
|
||||
clear: both;
|
||||
}
|
||||
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/favicon.png
Normal file
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/favicon.png
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 464 B |
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast0.gif
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BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast0.gif
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Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 500 B |
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast1.gif
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BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast1.gif
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Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 500 B |
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast2.gif
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BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast2.gif
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Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 500 B |
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast3.gif
Normal file
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toast3.gif
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Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 500 B |
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toaster-sprite.gif
Normal file
BIN
content/special/flying-toasters/img/toaster-sprite.gif
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 3.4 KiB |
541
content/special/flying-toasters/index.html
Normal file
541
content/special/flying-toasters/index.html
Normal file
@ -0,0 +1,541 @@
|
||||
<!doctype html>
|
||||
<html lang="en">
|
||||
<head>
|
||||
<meta charset="UTF-8" />
|
||||
<title>Flying Toasters</title>
|
||||
<meta
|
||||
name="description"
|
||||
content="Experience Flying Toasters, After Dark's most popular Mac screensaver of the 1990s, reinterpreted using modern CSS."
|
||||
/>
|
||||
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
|
||||
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="./img/favicon.png" />
|
||||
<link rel="stylesheet" href="./base.css" />
|
||||
<style>
|
||||
/* Thanks to Brian Braun: https://github.com/bryanbraun/after-dark-css/ */
|
||||
.audioContainer {
|
||||
align-items: flex-end;
|
||||
display: flex;
|
||||
height: 100%;
|
||||
justify-content: center;
|
||||
padding-bottom: 2rem;
|
||||
}
|
||||
body {
|
||||
background-color: black;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.toaster {
|
||||
position: absolute;
|
||||
width: 64px;
|
||||
height: 64px;
|
||||
background-image: url("./img/toaster-sprite.gif");
|
||||
}
|
||||
.toast {
|
||||
position: absolute;
|
||||
width: 64px;
|
||||
height: 64px;
|
||||
background-image: url("./img/toast1.gif");
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/**
|
||||
* Toaster Animations
|
||||
*
|
||||
* There are several kinds of toaster animations, marked as t1, t2, & t3.
|
||||
*
|
||||
* T1 is fastest speed
|
||||
* T2 is mid speed & flaps out of sequence with T1
|
||||
* T3 is the common speed
|
||||
* T4 is a delayed batch going at the fastest speed
|
||||
* T5, T6, T7, T8, & T9 are a delayed batch of toasters going at the common speed
|
||||
*/
|
||||
.t1 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t2 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t3 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t4 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s 5s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s 5s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s 5s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s 5s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 10s 5s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t5 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 4s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 4s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 4s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 4s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 4s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t6 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 8s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 8s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 8s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 8s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 8s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t7 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t8 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate,
|
||||
fly 24s 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.t9 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 20s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 20s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 20s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 20s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation:
|
||||
flap 0.2s steps(4) infinite alternate-reverse,
|
||||
fly 24s 20s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
/**
|
||||
* Toast Animations
|
||||
*
|
||||
* There are several kinds of toaster animations, marked as ts1, ts2, & ts3.
|
||||
*
|
||||
* Tst1 is fast
|
||||
* Tst2 is mid speed
|
||||
* Tst3 is the common speed
|
||||
* Tst4 is a delayed batch of toast going at the common speed
|
||||
*/
|
||||
.tst1 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation: fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation: fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation: fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation: fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation: fly 10s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.tst2 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation: fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation: fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation: fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation: fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation: fly 16s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.tst3 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation: fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation: fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation: fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation: fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation: fly 24s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.tst4 {
|
||||
-webkit-animation: fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-moz-animation: fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-ms-animation: fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
-o-animation: fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
animation: fly 24s 12s linear infinite;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/**
|
||||
* Starting positions of objects (both toast & toasters).
|
||||
* - There is a different position for each object to prevent overlapping.
|
||||
* - We use percentages in order to accommodate for all window dimensions.
|
||||
* - Use -6% as the smallest amount for remaining off-screen.
|
||||
* - Organized into reverse "L" shaped batches to keep a constant flow.
|
||||
*/
|
||||
/* Batch 1 (-10% to -20%) */
|
||||
/* Top edge, from right to left */
|
||||
.p6 {
|
||||
right: -2%;
|
||||
top: -17%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p7 {
|
||||
right: 10%;
|
||||
top: -19%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p8 {
|
||||
right: 20%;
|
||||
top: -18%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p9 {
|
||||
right: 30%;
|
||||
top: -20%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p10 {
|
||||
right: 40%;
|
||||
top: -21%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p11 {
|
||||
right: 50%;
|
||||
top: -18%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p12 {
|
||||
right: 60%;
|
||||
top: -20%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
/* Right side, from top to bottom */
|
||||
.p13 {
|
||||
right: -17%;
|
||||
top: 10%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p14 {
|
||||
right: -19%;
|
||||
top: 20%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p15 {
|
||||
right: -21%;
|
||||
top: 30%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p16 {
|
||||
right: -23%;
|
||||
top: 50%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p17 {
|
||||
right: -25%;
|
||||
top: 70%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Batch 2 (-20% to -40%) */
|
||||
/* Top edge, from right to left */
|
||||
.p18 {
|
||||
right: 0%;
|
||||
top: -26%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p19 {
|
||||
right: 10%;
|
||||
top: -20%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p20 {
|
||||
right: 20%;
|
||||
top: -36%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p21 {
|
||||
right: 30%;
|
||||
top: -24%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p22 {
|
||||
right: 40%;
|
||||
top: -33%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p23 {
|
||||
right: 60%;
|
||||
top: -40%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
/* Right side, from top to bottom */
|
||||
.p24 {
|
||||
right: -26%;
|
||||
top: 10%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p25 {
|
||||
right: -36%;
|
||||
top: 30%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p26 {
|
||||
right: -29%;
|
||||
top: 50%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Batch 3 (-40% to -60%)*/
|
||||
/* Top edge, from right to left */
|
||||
.p27 {
|
||||
right: 0;
|
||||
top: -46%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p28 {
|
||||
right: 10%;
|
||||
top: -56%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p29 {
|
||||
right: 20%;
|
||||
top: -49%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p30 {
|
||||
right: 30%;
|
||||
top: -60%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
/* Right side, from top to bottom */
|
||||
.p31 {
|
||||
right: -46%;
|
||||
top: 10%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p32 {
|
||||
right: -56%;
|
||||
top: 20%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.p33 {
|
||||
right: -49%;
|
||||
top: 30%;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Flapping animation */
|
||||
@-webkit-keyframes flap {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
background-position: 0px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
background-position: -256px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@-moz-keyframes flap {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
background-position: 0px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
background-position: -256px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@-o-keyframes flap {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
background-position: 0px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
background-position: -256px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@keyframes flap {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
background-position: 0px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
background-position: -256px;
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Gliding animation using translate */
|
||||
/* Moving 1600px, to accomodate for large screens */
|
||||
@-webkit-keyframes fly {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@-moz-keyframes fly {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@-o-keyframes fly {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
@keyframes fly {
|
||||
from {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
transform: translate(0, 0);
|
||||
}
|
||||
to {
|
||||
-webkit-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-moz-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-o-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
-ms-transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
transform: translate(-1600px, 1600px);
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
</style>
|
||||
</head>
|
||||
<body>
|
||||
<div class="audioContainer">
|
||||
<audio controls autoplay src="./After Dark 3.0 - OMTW.mp3"></audio>
|
||||
</div>
|
||||
<!-- First group of objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p6"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t3 p7"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst1 p8"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t3 p9"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p11"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t3 p12"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t2 p13"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst3 p14"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst2 p16"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p17"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst2 p19"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst3 p20"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t2 p21"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst1 p24"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p22"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst2 p26"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p28"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst2 p30"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t2 p31"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t1 p32"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst3 p33"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 1 of (fast delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t4 p27"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t4 p10"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t4 p25"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t4 p29"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 2 of (delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t5 p15"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t5 p18"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t5 p22"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 3 of (delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t6 p6"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t6 p11"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t6 p15"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t6 p19"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t6 p23"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 5 of (delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toast tst4 p10"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst4 p23"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toast tst4 p15"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t7 p7"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t7 p12"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t7 p16"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t7 p20"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t7 p24"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 6 of (delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t8 p8"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t8 p13"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t8 p17"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t8 p25"></div>
|
||||
|
||||
<!-- wave 7 of (delayed) objects -->
|
||||
<div class="toaster t9 p14"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t9 p18"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t9 p21"></div>
|
||||
<div class="toaster t9 p26"></div>
|
||||
</body>
|
||||
</html>
|
||||
@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ postlistHeaderText: "Latest Posts:"
|
||||
structuredData: none
|
||||
eleventyComputed:
|
||||
title: Posts tagged “{{ tag }}”
|
||||
permalink: "/tags/{{ tag | slugify }}/"
|
||||
description: A list of every post I've written tagged “{{ tag }}.”
|
||||
permalink: "/tags/{{ tag | slugify }}/"
|
||||
description: A list of every post I've written tagged “{{ tag }}.”
|
||||
---
|
||||
<h1>Topic: “{{ tag }}.”
|
||||
</h1>
|
||||
|
||||
@ -35,11 +35,9 @@ If, like my mother, the non-consumable items below seem too boring to you to sat
|
||||
* [Baieido Tokusen Kobunboku](https://kikohincense.com/collections/baieido-incense/products/tokusen-kobunboku)
|
||||
* [Inca Aromas White Breu](https://tarotarts.com/products/inca-aromas-all-natural-fair-trade-incense-white-breu-for-clarity-and-spirituality?variant=39838738251860)
|
||||
* [Minorien Kyara Fu-In](https://kikohincense.com/collections/minorien-incense-kikoh/products/minorien-kyara-fu-in-incense)
|
||||
* [Kunmeido Reiryokoh](https://kikohincense.com/products/kunmeido-reiryokoh-incense)
|
||||
* [Shoyeido Horin Assortment](https://shoyeido.com/products/horin-incense-assortment-sampler)
|
||||
* [Shoyeido Kohbai Pressed Incense](https://shoyeido.com/products/kohbai-red-plum-blossoms?variant=41714738921590)
|
||||
* [Shoyeido Premium Incense Sampler](https://shoyeido.com/products/premium-incense-assortment-sampler)
|
||||
* [Tennendo Cedar Waterwheel](https://www.japanincense.com/tn-0060.html)
|
||||
* [Tennendo Hana no Byakudan](https://www.japanincense.com/tn-0051.html)
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ const figoptions = {
|
||||
figcaption: true,
|
||||
};
|
||||
|
||||
const timeZone = "America/Chicago";
|
||||
|
||||
export default async function (eleventyConfig) {
|
||||
// Helper Functions
|
||||
const multiReplace = (text, replacementTable) => {
|
||||
@ -30,6 +32,25 @@ export default async function (eleventyConfig) {
|
||||
return newText;
|
||||
};
|
||||
|
||||
eleventyConfig.addDateParsing((dateValue) => {
|
||||
let localDate;
|
||||
if (dateValue instanceof Date) {
|
||||
// and YAML
|
||||
localDate = DateTime.fromJSDate(dateValue, { zone: "utc" }).setZone(
|
||||
timeZone,
|
||||
{ keepLocalTime: true },
|
||||
);
|
||||
} else if (typeof dateValue === "string") {
|
||||
localDate = DateTime.fromISO(dateValue, { zone: timeZone });
|
||||
}
|
||||
if (localDate?.isValid === false) {
|
||||
throw new Error(
|
||||
`Invalid \`date\` value (${dateValue}) is invalid for ${this.page.inputPath}: ${localDate.invalidReason}`,
|
||||
);
|
||||
}
|
||||
return localDate;
|
||||
});
|
||||
|
||||
// Collections
|
||||
eleventyConfig.addCollection("galleryImages", (collection) => {
|
||||
const galleries = collection.getAll()[0].data.galleries;
|
||||
@ -84,7 +105,6 @@ export default async function (eleventyConfig) {
|
||||
});
|
||||
|
||||
eleventyConfig.addFilter("htmlDateString", (dateObj) => {
|
||||
// dateObj input: https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/common-microsyntaxes.html#valid-date-string
|
||||
return DateTime.fromJSDate(dateObj, { zone: "utc" }).toFormat("yyyy-LL-dd");
|
||||
});
|
||||
|
||||
@ -174,7 +194,9 @@ export default async function (eleventyConfig) {
|
||||
|
||||
// Passthrough
|
||||
|
||||
eleventyConfig.addPassthroughCopy({ "./public/": "/" });
|
||||
eleventyConfig
|
||||
.addPassthroughCopy({ "./public/": "/" })
|
||||
.addPassthroughCopy("./content/special/");
|
||||
|
||||
// Get the first `n` elements of a collection.
|
||||
eleventyConfig.addFilter("head", (array, n) => {
|
||||
|
||||
@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
|
||||
},
|
||||
"homepage": "https://upchur.ch/gitea/n_u/nathanupchurch.com",
|
||||
"devDependencies": {
|
||||
"@11ty/eleventy": "3.0.0-alpha.13",
|
||||
"@11ty/eleventy": "^3.1.2",
|
||||
"@11ty/eleventy-img": "5.0.0-beta.10",
|
||||
"@11ty/eleventy-navigation": "^0.3.5",
|
||||
"@11ty/eleventy-plugin-bundle": "^1.0.4",
|
||||
|
||||
@ -116,7 +116,7 @@
|
||||
--transition-normal: all 0.3s;
|
||||
|
||||
/* Links */
|
||||
--link-decoration-thickness: 0.1rem;
|
||||
--link-decoration-thickness: 0.06rem;
|
||||
|
||||
/* Borders */
|
||||
--border-details: 1px solid var(--color-gray-20);
|
||||
@ -180,6 +180,29 @@ html {
|
||||
font-size: 13px;
|
||||
overflow-y: scroll;
|
||||
}
|
||||
input,
|
||||
textarea {
|
||||
background-color: var(--background-color);
|
||||
border: var(--border-details);
|
||||
border-color: var(--contrast-color);
|
||||
border-radius: var(--border-radius);
|
||||
color: var(--text-color);
|
||||
font-family: var(--font-family);
|
||||
font-size: var(--step-0);
|
||||
font-variation-settings: var(--font-variation-default);
|
||||
margin-block: 0 1lh;
|
||||
min-height: var(--space-l);
|
||||
padding: 0 var(--space-3xs);
|
||||
width: 100%;
|
||||
&:focus {
|
||||
box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px var(--contrast-color);
|
||||
outline: none;
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
label {
|
||||
display: block;
|
||||
margin-bottom: var(--space-3xs);
|
||||
}
|
||||
article:not(.postlist-item) h3 {
|
||||
margin-bottom: var(--space-s);
|
||||
margin-top: var(--space-m);
|
||||
@ -188,12 +211,14 @@ blockquote p {
|
||||
font-style: italic;
|
||||
}
|
||||
blockquote:before {
|
||||
color: var(--contrast-color);
|
||||
content: "“";
|
||||
font-size: 10rem;
|
||||
margin-left: -4rem;
|
||||
margin-top: -2rem;
|
||||
position: fixed;
|
||||
position: absolute;
|
||||
filter: opacity(0.15);
|
||||
z-index: 0;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.blogroll {
|
||||
h2:first-of-type {
|
||||
@ -294,7 +319,7 @@ ul {
|
||||
|
||||
a {
|
||||
text-decoration-color: var(--contrast-color);
|
||||
/*text-decoration-thickness: var(--link-decoration-thickness);*/
|
||||
text-decoration-thickness: var(--link-decoration-thickness);
|
||||
transition: var(--transition-normal);
|
||||
}
|
||||
/* https://www.a11yproject.com/posts/how-to-hide-content/ */
|
||||
@ -1043,6 +1068,27 @@ article.post {
|
||||
}
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Guestbook */
|
||||
.guestbook-message blockquote {
|
||||
margin-bottom: var(--space-m);
|
||||
margin-top: var(--space-3xs);
|
||||
}
|
||||
.guestbook-message p {
|
||||
margin-block: 0 0;
|
||||
position: relative;
|
||||
z-index: 1;
|
||||
}
|
||||
.guestbook-message p b,
|
||||
.guestbook-message p small {
|
||||
font-family: var(--meta-font-family);
|
||||
font-size: var(--meta-font-size);
|
||||
font-variation-settings: var(--meta-font-variation-settings);
|
||||
}
|
||||
#guestbooks___challenge-answer-container br,
|
||||
.guestbooks___input-container br {
|
||||
display: none;
|
||||
}
|
||||
|
||||
/* Add fleuron after <p> in article when footnotes are present */
|
||||
p:has(+ hr.footnotes-sep):after {
|
||||
content: "\2766";
|
||||
|
||||
BIN
public/img/pexels-rovenimages-com-344613-949592_copy.webp
Normal file
BIN
public/img/pexels-rovenimages-com-344613-949592_copy.webp
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 844 KiB |
BIN
public/img/what_ive_been_doing_with_incense_lately/dropper.webp
Normal file
BIN
public/img/what_ive_been_doing_with_incense_lately/dropper.webp
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 585 KiB |
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 500 KiB |
BIN
public/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_incense_sticks.webp
Normal file
BIN
public/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_incense_sticks.webp
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 856 KiB |
BIN
public/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_opium_incense_cones.webp
Normal file
BIN
public/img/wildBerry/wild_berry_opium_incense_cones.webp
Normal file
Binary file not shown.
|
After Width: | Height: | Size: 610 KiB |
Reference in New Issue
Block a user