Some time ago I as I perused the incense display of a nearby Whole Foods, hoping to see the Shoyeido sticks that once graced the shelves, I noticed a range of Indian-style sticks, their otherwise matching packaging in a variety of colors. Listed prominently on each package was the text: “Incense of Auroville.” This caught my attention. Auroville is an intentional community I’ve had a passing interest in since I discovered that some shampoo bars I had purchased were made there[1]. Often,...| Nathan Upchurch
Scribus has always been about substance. With 1.7.0 style, usability, and designer-focused features take the front seat.| nathanupchurch.com
Smoke was the first breath of early civilization, its rising plumes a synonym for human presence. This byproduct of life-sustaining flame has been constant companion to our evolution as a species, changing not only human lives, but human bodies. As the ubiquity of smoke rendered transparent to our ancestors’ noses the once harsh notes of burning plant matter, there must have been a sense of magic when our forebears happened to toss a well-resinated tree branch or a fragrant herb upon the co...| Nathan Upchurch
While I like to post incense builds, I haven’t yet posted on exactly how to go about turning raw ingredients into Japanese style incense sticks. Here’s a 1,000 mile overview of the process to accompany a video I recently uploaded to my new PeerTube instance on that very topic. For more info, you can check out IncenseDragon on YouTube, read this very useful article by Irene of Rauchfahne.de, peruse incensemaking.com, and look through some posts flaired with “incense making” on the ince...| Nathan Upchurch
Tools like cooked.wiki let us strip away the cruft from online recipes. Is this necessarily a good thing?| nathanupchurch.com