penguingirl's tumbling thoughts

Hi. I'm Penny. I spend my days spinning yarn and code into memorable projects. On my main blog I post weekly about one of my interests and often feature photos of my cats Shadow (adopted 2009) and Buddy (adopted 2013) or of any kittens we're fostering. Shorter and more varied postings, mostly to links I find interesting interesting and occur here through the magic of scheduled posts.

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My 11-year-old son auditioned at Juilliard, and we both learned a lot about how top performers practice

Effective practicing is an art.

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Bitcoin Itself May Flame Out, but Cryptocurrencies Will Live On

Bitcoin itself may fail as a currency, but the underlying technology is beginning to suggest valuable new applications.

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‘The Internet Is Broken’: @ev Is Trying to Salvage It

The Twitter co-founder, Evan Williams, reflects on what the social media service has wrought on society and how he is trying to change things with Medium, the publishing site.

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Here's How Much Bubble Wrap You Need To Wrap A Giant Whale Heart

It’s not every day one stumbles upon a 400 pound whale heart, but when you do, you put that shit in a museum. Thankfully, that’s exactly what the folks at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) did when they uncovered a dead blue whale in Newfoundland back in 2014. Since then, biologist Jacqueline Miller and her team at ROM have been working tirelessly to put the massive organ on display, and today, they finally did just that.

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The colors of Mister Rogers’ cardigan sweaters, 1979-2001

Using data from The Neighborhood Archive, Owen Phillips charted the color of every sweater Mister Rogers wore on his PBS televis

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Exhibit of Ancient, Anglo-Jewish 'Treasures' From Oxford on Display at the Center for Jewish History

Peter Kidd, curator of

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How HIV became a matter of international security

Governments around the world were slow to get to grips with HIV/AIDS. But a big change came when they started understanding it not just as a health issue but as a security threat too. Alexandra Ossola investigates.

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These Beloved Penguins May Be Doomed

It seems like everything on this trash planet is doomed to go extinct before humans do, much to my chagrin. The woeful tale of New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguin is no different: the adorable bird—which even makes an appearance on the country’s currency—is dangerously close to extinction, at least at one well-monitored mainland breeding ground. And it’s (probably) all our fault.

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Become a Better Listener by Taking Notes

It can help you process information more effectively.

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Why Swearing Makes You Stronger

Letting loose an obscenity can make you exercise harder and endure pain better. What other powers could four-letter words have?

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Amazon’s epic 20-year run as a public company, explained in five charts

Soaring revenue and cash flow, plus intentionally tiny profits.

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Some Americans spend billions to get teeth whiter. Some wait in line to get them pulled.

You can work full time but not have the money to fix your teeth – visible reminders of the divide between rich and poor.

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Thanks to your support Starbucks baristas are earning college degrees

In 2014, Starbucks and ASU created a new way to get a college degree with zero college tuition debt. See how your support of Starbucks makes it possible.

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Artistic barista creates the most beautiful lattes you've ever seen

Korean barista Kangbin Lee has introduced a delicious new art form called 'Creamart,' using coffee creamer to draw beautiful pictures in coffee.

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Here’s how to use AI to make America great again

Artificial intelligence could dramatically improve the economy and aspects of everyday life, but we need to invent ways to make sure everyone benefits.

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A US hardware store chain is giving its workers exoskeletons to help lift heavy objects

Grab me up a bag of cement, and a bucket of paint, and make it snappy.

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Scientists Found Sperm’s Power Switch—And a Way to Turn It Off

Sperm need calcium ions to drill into an egg and fertilize it. Compounds that muck up ion transport could create a new class of male birth control.