Pirates of the London Underground

the "tube map," a schematic diagram of the London underground subway

November 15, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 12 Comments

This morning I listed some of the significant maps in my life, and there's another one that stands out in my memory: the London Tube Map! The Tube Map has been periodically updated, and stylistic flourishes added, but the basic design of this subway-diagram was created in 1933, by a smart fellow who realized that … Continue reading Pirates of the London Underground

The Balance of Context

still photo from the film "Fiddler on the Roof"

November 11, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ 15 Comments

My sister and I were always avid readers, but she used to get carsick if she tried to read in the back seat. We had what felt to us like a "high tech" piece of equipment at home, in the form of a stereo that could tape vinyl records onto cassette, so my mother made … Continue reading The Balance of Context

“8 Things About Lists”?

October 3, 2025October 3, 2025 ~ Kana Smith ~ Leave a comment

I could be said (with some amount of understatement) to have a penchant for list-making. I came by it honestly, if there's a gene for that---my dad actually kept a list of all his lists. (A meta-list?) I'm sorry now that I never asked him what his List List was for. Were there lists he … Continue reading “8 Things About Lists”?