samgrover.com

I saw this post the other day talking about a game called past puzzle. It’s like wordle, but instead of guessing a word without hints, you are guessing a four digit year based on hints of historical events.

Screenshot of a pas puzzle game in progress.

I enjoyed it and have been playing it almost daily. I’m not great at it, but as someone that likes to see or hear about historical trivia, it is kinda fun. The tricky ones are the ones where a numeral is repeated. I call it a win if I get close enough šŸ˜„

Along those lines, I also like this Wikipedia app driven widget that I’ve had on my phone for a long time.

Screenshot of a Wikipedia app’s widget on the iPhone home screen showing historical trivia from the current day in 1917.

Oslo Opera House feels like a plaza unfolded itself from the surface of the fjord and rose towards the sky like origami. The experience of walking up and over the building is unlike any other building I’ve been in/on.

Wide view of the Oslo Opera House with its angular white roof sloping into the water, with people walking and relaxing around the waterfront.

Glass facade of the Oslo Opera House and sloped rooftop walkway, people walking below and on top, under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Glass facade of the Oslo Opera House reflecting the sky, surrounded by visitors on a large, tiled plaza under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Glass facade of the Oslo Opera House next to a waterfront, with people walking and sitting on a large open plaza. Historic buildings and calm water in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

Top-down view of people walking and sitting on the white marble plaza of the Oslo Opera House, with a small bridge over water and a city street visible beyond.

Modern architectural structure with large, geometric stone surfaces and silver-clad walls. People walk on an expansive plaza under a bright blue sky with clouds, with a city skyline visible in the background.

Reflection of people walking on the sloped marble roof of the Oslo Opera House, seen in the buildingā€™s large glass facade.

Seagulls resting on the sloped marble surface of the Oslo Opera House that descends into the water, with a large cruise ship and several buildings in the background under a cloudy sky.

Aerial view of Bergenā€™s harbor with colorful buildings, cruise ships, and surrounding fjords under a partly cloudy sky.

View of Bergen harbor from Mt. FlĆøyen. The panoramic view from there can be seen anytime via a webcam.

Bergen, Norway. 2nd July, 2025.

Black and white photo of the Monolith sculpture composed of intertwined human figures at the top of a grand stairway in Vigeland Park, with visitors nearby.

The Monolith at Vigeland Park. Oslo, Norway. 27th June, 2025.

Crowd gathered for a Pride parade in front of colorful buildings with rainbow flags and signs visible throughout, and Oslo Cathedral in the background.

Didn’t make it to Portland pride parade here today but found myself in the middle of the Oslo pride parade a few weeks ago. It was joyous! šŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆ

Oslo, Norway. 28th June, 2025.

People walking through a lively plaza in front of Oslo City Hall, with red-brick towers displaying a large ā€œ75ā€ banner.

Oslo City Hall from the promenade. Celebrating 75 years since its opening, the building, with its brick construction, looks architecturally distinct from older as well as newer buildings.

Oslo, Norway. 27th June, 2025.

Geometric facade of triangular mirrored panels reflecting distorted surroundings, with a personā€™s reflection visible at the center.

Oslo, Norway. 27th June, 2025.

Bronze statue of a dancing woman on a stone railing overlooking a sunny park lawn with scattered people sunbathing

Vigeland Park. Oslo, Norway. 27th June, 2025.

An aerial view of Oslo from an airplane window on a sunny day.

A few days ago I got back from a two week trip to Norway. It was a wonderful trip with Jenni and her family. I’ve been recovering from jet lag, and still decompressing, with questions like, “Why’s the sky dark?!”

Hope to share photos and blog posts in the coming days/weeks.

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has now seen first light. On a mountaintop in Chile, it begins a decade long survey later this year. In just the tests of setting up it has already made so many discoveries, and produced some stunning images.

Already, in just over 10 hours of test observations, the observatory has discovered 2,104 never-before-seen-asteroids, including seven near-Earth asteroids, none of which pose any danger.

I can’t wait to see the world of knowledge, and understanding of the universe, it will open up during its mission.

“It will be capable of really detecting things that actually change very rapidly,” says Sandrine Thomas, deputy director of Rubin Observatory and the observatory’s telescope and site project scientist. “That, in itself, will be unique to the world. No other telescope would be able to do that.”

And, what photography enthusiast wouldn’t get excited over a giant camera?!

It’s equipped with a specially-designed large telescope, as well as a car-sized digital camera that’s the biggest such camera in the world.

šŸ˜²

via NPR.