Recently in Family Category
FIRST & LEGO Education Partnership Update
FIRST Robotics and LEGO are not renewing their long-time partnership, the FIRST Lego League competition, beyond the 2026-2027 season. This is bizarre and surprising. Here is LEGO's statement on the parting of ways: "LEGO® Education will launch a 2027-2028 season, and we look forward to bringing fun, inspiring and creative STEM learning and the important skills it develops to even more children in the future." The Brick Fan blog notes: "LEGO Education back in January announced that they will be releasing a new Computer Science & AI learning solution while the SPIKE Portfolio will be retired at the end of June."
"FLL used spike prime as its ecosystem, but Lego discontinued the commercial version years ago, and Lego education announced that they're discontinuing the education edition as well. Mindstorms as a brand has completely ceased to exist, which means FLL no longer has a way to get new control systems.
"The only motorized remote control programming system systems LEGO offers aren't able to run autonomously without an active connection to the brick, which breaks a bunch of FLL rules. They also suck compared to spike prime in terms of teach teaching kids to code and use sensors.
"Essentially, Lego moved on. The only people who were buying these kits were FLL teams, and that clearly just wasn't enough to justify the cost of manufacturing them."
Sometimes I like to refresh my memory about the classes I took in college and the professors who taught me.
Tulsa Appliance Parts & Supply
An uncompensated word of appreciation for Tulsa Appliance Parts & Supply, 9933 E 61st St., across the street from Union 6th & 7th Grade Center. They're in an old retail building that probably dates back to the 1950s if not earlier, from back when the entire Union school system was a little country school across the street. We needed a drum belt for our dryer, and they had it in stock. Ordering online would be easy, but buying in person keeps businesses like these going so you can get that part you need when you need it right away. (And a hearty well done to my son for getting the part installed and our dryer back up and running.)
MIT Facilities - Maps & Floor Plans
This is fun: Current floor plans of MIT buildings. You need MIT login access (current student/staff or alumni). Would even be more fun if they had historical floor plans.
Blue Spring Te Waihou walkway to open ahead of summer - NZ Herald
One of the most beautiful places my family and I have ever been: Water so crystal-clear you can see the plants waving in the current at the bottom of the stream, surrounded by a canopy of tall evergreens. Soon to reopen after being closed for a year because of a rockslide at the end of the trail with a parking lot.
"Work to restore public access to the Blue Spring / Te Waihou Walkway is underway, almost a year after the track closed. South Waikato District Council awarded the project to build a new track at the Leslie Rd end of the walkway to Keir Landscaping and Structures earlier this month."
The St. James was our last civilized night's sleep before our near-100-mile Philmont trek, and our first real meal off the trail this past July. Glad to see the tradition going on. "Situated in Cimarron, New Mexico, at the entrance to the Enchanted Circle, the St. James Hotel is more than just a lodging destination; it offers an invitation to immerse oneself in the history, flavors, and rugged charm of the Old West. Originally under the stewardship of Bob Funk Sr. and the Funk family since 2009, the reopening under Chad and Alyse Mantz will ensure the family's love for Western heritage continues into the future. With their leadership, this historic hotel and its acclaimed bar and restaurant are set to reclaim their status as New Mexico's premier destination for adventure, hospitality, and unforgettable dining experiences."
The U.S. Dialect Quiz: How Y'all, Youse and You Guys Talk - The New York Times
My dialect map pinpointed Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita as the cities to which my dialect is closest (because of my use of the terms "crawdad," "service road," and "pop," respectively. I'm furthest from Worcester, Springfield, Mass., and Providence because I pronounce "aunt" as "ant."
Fascinating to read the names of long-lost school districts and schools. This was just after the peak of Tulsa Public Schools enrollment, before round after round of closures, with 10 high schools (including Mason), all accredited by the North Central Association, 21 junior high schools (including Carver Middle School, the only school in the district to carry the middle school designation), and 76 elementary schools. Dependent districts Mingo (4 teachers) and Leonard (12 teachers) still existed, as did Red Bird (3 teachers) in Wagoner County. I see Verl A. Teeter listed among the publishers and publishers' representatives; I remember him as a consultant at Catoosa Public Schools who tested me when I was in kindergarten.
Tulsa Restaurant Equipment & Supply
The other day we needed some 8 oz. styrofoam bowls and lids to hold soup and mac-n-cheese for a fundraising lunch at school. It was too late to order from Amazon, and the item was too specialized to be available at the grocery store or a warehouse club. We only needed about 60-75, not a thousand.
Tulsa Restaurant Equipment & Supply, on the south side of 31st Street west of Mingo, is open to the general public as well as the pros and sells food service in quantities large and small. Individual sleeves of 50 styrofoam bowls and 100 matching lids were marked for sale, or you could buy the entire box of 1000. A "street view" type virtual experience gives you a preview of what they have in stock. There are pots and pans, pizza paddles, plastic cups, flatware, fry baskets, wire storage racks in kits to assemble yourselves, all types of takeout containers. Glad to know they're there. Open 8 am - 6 pm Mon - Fri; 9 am - 4 pm Sat, closed Sun.
10 Secrets of the Hotel Pennsylvania, Under Demolition - Untapped New York
Demolished earlier this year, it was built in 1919 as a companion to the original Penn Station across the street, and both were designed by McKim, Mead, & White. It was the largest hotel in the world when it opened. Its phone number inspired a hit Glenn Miller song, "Pennsylvania 6-5000." In 1981, as the New York Statler, it was the headquarters hotel for the National Invitational Tournament, held across the street at Madison Square Garden. The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane, with Nolan Richardson in his first year as head coach and great players like Paul Pressey, Greg Stewart, and Rondie "Poindexter" Turner, prevailed over West Virginia and Syracuse to take the NIT title. My best friend was given a trip to the NIT with the team as an early high school graduation gift, and he invited me along. Another high school friend joined us, and we stayed in a very small room at the very aged Statler, where the soda machines sold only White Rock beverages and the TV was black and white (no cable). Tulsa radio and TV sportscasters set up in the hotel's lobby to interview players, coaches, and the fans who made the trip. The team's charter flight to LaGuardia was my first ever plane flight, and I had my first (and for many years, only) alcoholic beverage, a celebratory cup of champagne, on the flight home after the final victory.
MORE: New York Times feature story on the Hotel Pennsylvania and the preservationists who tried to save it.
