Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: New Things I’ve Tried Recently

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I usually try new things more often during the warm months of the year when it’s easier to travel and there are fewer germs floating around that my household needs to avoid, but I have tried some cool stuff this winter. (No, this isn’t an ad. I don’t do paid or sponsored posts of any sort. These are simply things I’ve tried recently and liked).

Duolingo Math.

Logo for the Duolingo app. The logo consists of the word “Duolingo” written in a plain, bright green font against a white background. There is nothing else to be seen in this image. I was an average math student in school, but I didn’t find it particularly interesting or relevant to my life most of the time. It seemed like something that a few students were naturally good at while the rest of us slogged through it.

When this was released at the end of December, it piqued my interest. Maybe I’d have a different opinion on this subject now that there are no quizzes, exams, or grades to worry about?

Well, it turns out that I’m really enjoying it so far. Turning math into a game makes it practical, fun, and low pressure.

The lessons run the gamut from easy to challenging. There is a section for elementary students as well as a different one for older kids or adults who want to improve their mental math skills, so this is one of those free games that truly does have something for everyone.

 

Station Eleven Novel and Miniseries

Book cover for “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. Image on the cover shows four tents that have been erected outside in a field. It is night outside and the cloudless sky is glowing with stars. Each tent has a bright light inside of it as well. The tents are surrounded by a waist-high fence that appears to be made out of hay bales piled on top of each other. I’d heard so many good things about ”Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel, so I finally started watching it this winter.

It follows several of the same characters at different points in their lives as they encounter a deadly form of the flu that kills most of humanity and then about 20-30 years later to see how the survivors have fared.

If you’re comfortable reading about fictional pandemics, this is such an interesting look at how quickly the definition of normal can change. The people who were born after that pandemic had unique and sometimes humorous takes on what life must have been like back when unbelievable luxuries like airplanes, dentists, air conditioning, and the Internet still existed.

Unlike many books in this genre, this one is filled with characters who are kind and decent folks (with rare exceptions). They’re traumatized in the beginning, of course, but the storyline mostly focuses on them doing good things like adopting orphans, preserving as much of the past as they can, and simply surviving in a world where you must grow, knit, build, or scrounge around for everything you need.

I liked the hopeful approach this took to a genre that often assumes the worst about humanity.

The miniseries has been good so far as well. There were some major changes made to certain portions of it in order to help the storyline flow better on screen, but it remains true to the themes and characters of the book. Honestly, that’s exactly what any adaptation ought to do. I don’t need every single line of dialogue to remain identical so long as it still feels like the original.

 

28 Comments

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28 Responses to Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: New Things I’ve Tried Recently

  1. I love the Duolingo language app. Ive really improved my German. I was always hopeless with math(s). I never realised there was Dulingo Maths app. I might give it go. 🙂🙂

  2. DuoLingo math? Fascinating. I’ll have to give it a shot. I’ve been using the language app for a few years to maintain my very rudimentary Spanish & German.

  3. Thanks for stopping by! My son has just recently told me about the Math DuoLingo… I might have to give it a try. I definitely love DuoLingo (Spanish and Irish). And, I’ll definitely check out Station 11…. looking for a new show to stream 🙂

  4. I’m never heard of Duolingo, have to check it out.

  5. I think I’m about to say the same thing as everyone else, but hey-ho. I totally did not know that Duolingo did maths. Several languages, yes, but not maths. Maybe they’re branching out?
    Have a great week x

  6. I’ll have to give Duolingo a chance! I want to learn Spanish.

  7. Station Eleven sounds interesting. I should take a look at Duolingo because I’m terrible at math!

  8. Wow, these are fabulous new things! I am with everyone with the Math App! I bet it would be fun to experience math with no pressure. I am interested in trying this!

  9. Cheers to you for going back and studying math! I should go back to eighth grade physics but don’t think I’ll have the time to do it in the next five years…

  10. Station Eleven sounds interesting! I’ve never heard of it. But I think I’ll add it to my TBR.

  11. This is the first I’m hearing of Duolingo Math!

  12. Oh, Station Eleven sounds like fun. And I kind of fell of Duolingo, but with Secondborn’s schoolwork it might be worth making a run a Duolingo Math to see if I can set myself up to be more help to him.

  13. I had no idea there was a Duolingo Math. Very interesting! I hated math in school and I’m still terrible at it. Ha ha. I do like Duolingo for language learning, though. It really helped with my Spanish when I was using it every day.

    Susan
    http://www.blogginboutbooks.com

  14. I love Duolingo for languages, but didn’t know they did maths as well. Might be worth a go.

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