The word of the month for December is kintsugi. Kintsugi is the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with lacquer. You can see an example of the process here, and this is an example of what the finished product looks like: In kintsugi, the repairwork is not supposed to be hidden and the item is … Continue reading December: Kintsugi
The word of the month for November is “moreish.” I first heard the word “moreish” last month, when watching the latest season of the Great British Baking Show (or Bake-Off, if you’re in the UK). A contestant had prepared a rhubarb custard cake, and after taking a bite, judge Paul Hollywood said: With creme pat … Continue reading November: Moreish
The word of the month for October is “roleplay.” An appropriate word for Halloween! A roleplay (or simulation) is an opportunity to practice or prepare for something by taking on the role of a character in a specified situation. Experiential courses often use roleplays as a way to demonstrate and practice concepts, techniques, and skills. … Continue reading October: Roleplay
The word of the month for September is “allostasis.” A simple definition for allostasis is “achieving stability through change.” Not by resisting change, and not in spite of change. Last week, Brad Stulberg published an opinion piece in the New York Times called “Stop Resisting Change.” Stulberg explains that in the 1980s, neuroscientist Peter Sterling … Continue reading September: Allostasis
The word of the month for August is a phrase: “touch grass.” Gamers will tell you that the phrase “touch grass” is slang for “go outside,” and that the phrase is deployed when someone is spending an inordinate (inordinate even by gamer standards!) amount of time online. I’ve been told that the term is somewhat … Continue reading August: Touch Grass
The word of the month for July is “pono.” In Hawaiian, pono loosely translates to “truth and justice” or “righteousness.” The state motto of Hawai’i is: “Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ‘Aina i ka Pono,” which means “the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” Truth. Justice. Righteousness. Sounds like the tagline of … Continue reading July: Pono
The word of the month for June is NPT, which stands for “non-promotable task.” I have just finished reading The No Club: Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work (2022), by Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, and Laurie Weingart. The starting point of the book is a group of women who start meeting to … Continue reading June: NPT
In the category of “funny/cute stories about ChatGPT,” two offerings: First, you may enjoy this article by Maxwell Strachan, “I Asked ChatGPT to Control My Life, and It Immediately Fell Apart.” The article begins: Within minutes of my decision to hand my life over to AI, ChatGPT suggested that, if able, I should go outside … Continue reading Yet Another ChatGPT Post
The word of the month for May is “akimbo.” Akimbo is a description of a stance: arms and legs flung out haphazardly (or sometimes, less chaotically, hands on hips with elbows turned out). Something that’s akimbo is less controlled, less predictable, and less coordinated. It’s an unexpected juxtaposition of body and limbs. Nominated for eight … Continue reading May: Akimbo
The word of the month for April is “JOMO.” We have all heard of FOMO, the fear of missing out. JOMO is the joy of missing out. As an article in the BBC notes: As the antithesis of FOMO, it symbolizes relief from the breathless and guilt-laden need to be perennially switched on and constantly … Continue reading April: JOMO
