Spring is just starting to pick up for us, alternating (as usual) between warm and freezing. The cherry blossoms and dogwoods are starting to bloom. I shot the above action picture on a nice day in Old Town, Alexandria. It actually took about 50 pictures to get it. That dog was fast, and he was happy to chase frisbees forever.

I have links this week because everything is picking up at work and I’ve been struggling to keep myself from getting too overwhelmed. Onward with the links:

Since I talked about manual typewriters several weeks ago, I thought it appropriate to link to The History of Typewriters | Back Then History.

The term UFO originally came from the military and was adapted into general use! ‘UFO’: A Military Term Abducted by Fans of Aliens – WSJ

Superhero territory! Ant-Man is the strongest Avenger by far, scientist confirms | BBC Science Focus Magazine

3 Things You Must Do To Face Fear & Intimidation In A Fight Jeet Kune Do. This was research for Superhero Vs. Superhero.

Finding sand dollars: When I wasseashells growing up, I often visited Atascadero Beach (now renamed Morro Strand Beach) in Morro Bay, California to search for seashells. Black mussels and limpets were always plentiful. Then, I could also find big clamshells and sea glass. And sometimes sand dollars. I had no idea they weren’t shells, but skeletons.

Dropping Clues and Hiding Secrets Like J. K. Rowling, Part 5: Discrediting the Witness — The Writing Kylie One of the most annoying things for me is to read a mystery and the writer doesn’t lay in the groundwork for the killer. Maybe he gets one minor scene to “hide” him, and I get to the end and wham! He’s suddenly revealed. I’m annoyed because the author provided no information. This article is part of a series to promote a book, but the skill area is something I’ve spotted in the Harry Potter series.

A writer asked me what program I used to create my covers. It’s Adobe Photoshop Elements. It has many of the basic features of the big sister, but not the subscription price tag. I also met a writer at Superstars who uses it to create covers for Chris Mandeville. This was created with the program and about 15 images.

Looking for some unusual learning resources? This Atlas Obscura Online Courses – Virtual Workshops, Seminars, Lectures features some unusual classes, currently including how to pick a lock, how we dream, and history of tarot reading. Most are multiweek and around $200.00

If you like photos of actors, I’ve been posting pictures I took of them on Pinterest. Already up: David Hedison, Anne Lockhart, William Schallert, Richard Hatch, Linda Thorson, Grace Lee Whitney, Paul Carr, Kent McCord, Eddie Albert, Yvonne Craig, and John Saxon.

These are coming eventually: Melissa Gilbert, Mindy Cohn, John Crawford (and cat), Victor Lundin, Paul Mantee, Charles Dierkop, Billy Mumy, June Lockhart, Mark Goddard, Michael Ansara, Erin Murphy, Andrew Prine, Bernard Fox, Sandra Gould, Gil Gerard, and Juliet Mills. I’ll take special requests.

Free Books: Wrapping this up with free books for March. Free Fantasy and Sci-Fi March (bookfunnel.com) This is all speculative fiction giveaway, so you’ll find your next adventure here!