The Weekly Wrap: January 26, 2025

Our library hosts webinars as a form of instruction and outreach. One webinar I host at the start of every semester is a library orientation. I do this because we always have new students and things change. I've given this presentation so often that I can basically do it in my sleep. 

Sadly, on Friday, no one showed up for the live session. Womp womp.

Since we send the recording to all registrants, I had to perform anyway. While this is not the first time I've presented to an "empty room," it's always weird to act as if you're talking to people. I do a lot of smiling and asking if people have questions.

Would it be easier to just record an orientation video? Of course! But we want the option for people to attend live and ask questions. 

But boy do I feel silly asking people to drop their questions in the chat when no one else is in the room.

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• How and why you should let your faucet drip in freezing weather. [Lifehacker]
• A real life spot from Calvin & Hobbes. [The Deleted Scenes]
• When we lose the artifacts of our life. [AP]
• Bring back handwriting! [The Guardian]

• From incarceration to the fire line. [Ear Hustle]
• The many reasons behind why students cheat. [College Matters]
• An example of what locals know. [Atlas Obscura]
• Are we alone? [Short Wave]
• What is consciousness? [Startalk]
• What comes after the fire. [Planet Money]

• The Killer is almost a how-to guide for being an assassin. The plot and narrative have a heavy focus on rules and logistics. The film is also voiceover heavy. I think the first third is entirely voiceover. We thought this was going to be a high adrenaline thriller. It's not. Instead, it's deliberate and methodical. The story is more tense than anything. [Netflix]
• We almost finished up Messiah. The show is still keeping us on our toes. Every time you think you see where it's trending, the writing swerves and adds a subtle twist or piece of evidence. I'm bummed that this one didn't get a second season. [Netflix]

• I made baked gnocchi the day DC was supposed to get socked with two to five inches of snow. The storm mostly fizzled, but this dish was really tasty. It's kind of like a skillet lasagna. I mostly followed the recipe, but this would be easy to customize. I might want to try adding spinach or mushrooms next time. [The Modern Proper]
• For our meatless Monday, I made falafel inspired stuffed peppers for the first time. I quite enjoyed them but they needed something else. I skipped the parsley and that would have helped, but I think a crunchy topping or feta would have put these over the top. Also, don't skimp on the sauce. That was delicious. [Real Simple]