I was very flattered when Yvette invited me to participate in her 2025 Summer Interview Series on her blog. My interview is lucky 13th in her series, and I’ve enjoyed reading each one; learning more about bloggers I already follow and meeting several intriguing, new-to-me bloggers. If you’d like to read my answers to … Continue reading "Asked and Answered"| Retirementally Challenged
Q: What Is The IQ Of Elves? ANSWER: There are some questions which are seem so unanswerable they invite not so much speculation as perhaps [...]| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: How Could Dragons Consume Rings Of Power? ANSWER: This is one of those questions for which there is no direct citable answer. In May 2025 a reader asked: I suppose my question is simple. When Ga…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Why Didn’t Butterbur Trust Aragorn? ANSWER: This is not a simple question. A reader asked the following in May 2025: Was there some advantage to [...]| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Can Normal Animals In Middle-earth Speak? ANSWER: Yes, normal animals in Middle-earth can speak. I ran into this discussion while following a chain of [...]| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: What Were The Spirits Of The Watchers Of Cirith Ungol? ANSWER: Although Tolkien fans have discussed the nature of the Watcher for decades, there has never been a definitive answer to this questi…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: What Did Theodred’s Dying Words Mean? ANSWER: I received the following question about Theodred’s last words in October 2024: Hi Michael, I never understood why Theodred said to Elfhe…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
The following is a transcript of a Q&A session at Spinal CSF Leak: Bridging the Gap 2024. Please note that the transcript been edited for length and clarity to center on the participant questions, whether put forward via online or in-person submission. Moderator: I’d like to start this by asking one of the online […] The post Bridging the Gap 2024: Q&A Session 3 appeared first on Spinal CSF Leak Foundation.| Spinal CSF Leak Foundation
The following is a transcript of a Q&A session at Spinal CSF Leak: Bridging the Gap 2024. Please note that the transcript been edited for length and clarity to center on the participant questions, whether put forward via online or in-person submission. Question: From a physician perspective: what can patients do communication-wise to give themselves […] The post Bridging the Gap 2024: Q&A Session 2 appeared first on Spinal CSF Leak Foundation.| Spinal CSF Leak Foundation
Q: Does Nienna Have A Personality? ANSWER: I have never written anything about Nienna, the Vala. I received this question about Nienna in September 2024: Is Nienna a person suffering from depressio…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Questions About Galadriel ANSWER: I see many questions about Galadriel in the search referrals for this Website. While I’m sure many of those questions are answered by various articles her…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Why Doesn’t Galadriel Fight In Lord Of The Rings? ANSWER: People have been asking this question for years. It’s connected to similar questions like “is Galadriel a warrior,R…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: How Were The Istari Supposed To Help Defeat Sauron? ANSWER: The Istari (Wizards) were the emissaries of the Valar, sent to Middle-earth to help Elves and Men (and Dwarves and Hobbits) resist Sau…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Did Dale Have A More Advanced Culture Than Rohan? ANSWER: The city of Dale has fascinated Tolkien fans for decades. I’ve answered several questions about Dale through the years. And in Feb…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Did Tolkien Hobbits Really Have Big Feet? ANSWER: I received a somewhat lengthy inquiry in February 2025 about Hobbit feet (and ears): Analogous to the question already answered as to whether el…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: What Was Gandalf’s Plan For Getting The Ring Into The Fire? ANSWER: This question has come up a few times in the past 75-ish years. And I received this iteration of it in October 2024: You…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Did J.R.R. Tolkien Model Beleriand On Doggerland? ANSWER: In October 2024 the @massimo account on X asked: “Do you think J. R. R. Tolkien knew about Doggerland and it may have been its ins…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Hi, I’m a Quality Engineer at my organization and I recently watched your video about integration tests being a scam.1 We’re rearchitecting a lot of our system and exploring ways to better automate our testing to ensure we can deploy faster and with more confidence and I’m exploring ways the quality team can support this. How do you see a quality team working in a world where integration tests aren’t helpful in reducing bugs/mistakes? If the focus is on low level unit tests which are ...| jbrains.ca
Q: Would Dwarves Have Lived And Worked In The Shire? ANSWER: This question occurred to me as I was working on a podcast episode for the Middle-earth Blog on YouTube. The podcast discusses an articl…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: Did Turin Fight In The Nirnaeth Arnoediad? ANSWER: In December 2024 a reader submitted the following question: In The Book of Lost Tales, Part 1, it is said that the children of Hurin participat…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: What Is The Name Of The River In Lindon? ANSWER: In January 2025 a reader asked the following question: What do you think is the identity of the river in Lindon west of the Ered Luin? The Gelion…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Q: When Did The One Ring Begin To Influence Frodo? ANSWER: It was not easy to rewrite this question, which was submitted in October 2024: Re-reading LOTR for the 100th time. Do think that when Frod…| Middle-earth & J.R.R. Tolkien Blog
Cornbread by nature is a little bit crumbly, but you can still make it more moist. There are numerous ways to do this without compromising the flavor of the cornbread. #moistcornbread #makecornbreadmoist| Southern Home Express
Imagine a community that is characterized by what I’ll call “at-home-ness.” For people who are at home in their community, there are ways of doing things that are appropriate, fitting, and right. There are things one doesn’t do under certain circumstances, and things one does. There’s usually no need to formulate these attitudes as explicit... Continue reading →| The Mirror and the Lamp
Hannah Arendt’s thesis about the banality of evil is widely misunderstood. I’m not sure I fully grasp it, but here’s my take. It isn’t that what Eichmann did wasn’t evil; it was. But it was a new form of evil that didn’t quite fit our traditional moral and legal concepts. And it isn’t that Eichmann... Continue reading →| The Mirror and the Lamp
Learn to season and break in a cast iron skillet. This is a guide to cleaning, oiling, baking, and maintaining for the skillet for longevity.| Southern Home Express
You have heard of a Beef Rump and you have heard of a Top Sirloin. What is the difference? There is no difference, they are the same cut of beef. It depends on where in the world you are and the names given to cuts of meat in your area.…| Butcher Magazine