Đêm qua mưa to gió lớn (quật đổ cả cây cổ thụ), tôi mở trang thomua.com của anh Cao Nguyên ra đọc:

Phải chăng số kiếp ruổi rong,
Mưa đêm yên phận hoài đong chán chường

Bài “Mưa đêm” có thêm lời ngâm khiến tôi nhớ quê nhà.

Cảm ơn anh Nguyên đã chia sẻ cả quyển sách lên mạng để mọi người cùng đọc. Thomua.com là một trong những dự án tôi đã được hân hạnh thiết kế và rất quý trọng.

Mới đó mà đã 10 năm từ ngày trang sách web được đem lên mạng. Lúc đó phông chữ có tiếng Việt rất hiếm hoi. Cũng may, tôi tìm được Alegreya và Alegreya Sans, thiết kế của Juan Pablo del Peral. Tuy nhiên, hai phông chữ này có một số lỗi nhỏ trong phần đánh dấu tiếng Việt nên tôi liên lạc anh Juan. Bất ngờ anh đã hồi âm cho tôi và sửa lại theo lời góp ý của tôi.

Giờ đây Alegreya và Alegreya Sans rất đẹp và dể đọc rất thích hợp cho văn thơ.

Congratulations to the Hùng Vương Youth Group Eagle Scouts:

• Mỹ Tiên Nguyễn (Our first female Eagle Scout)
• Nathan Lê
• Ryan Phạm
• Nhật Tiết

We’re proud of their dedication, leadership, and accomplishments. View the Court of Honor slideshow or watch Ryan Phạm and his friend covered the Eagle’s “Hotel California.”

“Dòng sông vẫn chảy bơ vơ / Cõi đời cát bụi mịt mù cha ơi”. Yên nghỉ nhé ba.

Chắc chắn nhiều bạn đọc trang này xem World Cup. Cách đây 20 năm, bạn đọc đã vừa xem World Cup vừa bàn luận trên đây. Giờ đây phần comments đã khép lại chỉ còn mình tôi viết thôi. Mới đó mà đã hai thập kỷ trôi qua.

Nhà tôi giờ đây cũng không còn cable nữa nên không xem được World Cup trên TV. May là có người bạn cho tôi biết về trang colatv48.live. Bây giờ đến giờ xem Pháp đá với Sénégal. Go France!

Sam Knight reports for the New Yorker:

The governments that Infantino has worked most closely with as FIFA president have been Putin’s, the Emir of Qatar’s, the Trump Administration, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On the one hand, it is a self-selecting group. FIFA has to deal with rulers who have the wealth, and the disposition, to put on the largest events. “A lot of the sucking up is exactly as a multinational corporation will do,” a former FIFA committee member told me. “It’s the behavior of Coca-Cola, of Siemens, of Mercedes.” In 2024, Aramco, the Saudi state-owned oil company, became an official FIFA sponsor. On the other hand, Infantino’s fascination with autocracy seems to be more than just a matter of the people whom he does business with.

As a World Cup fan, I find the reporting fascinating and disheartening to read.

Heidi Blake’s “Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse,” in which the Tate brothers exploit women for sex, money, and slave, is so fucking hard to read. An in-depth investigative report like this one makes the New Yorker an invaluable publication. I am glad to support it.

My nephew Eric Trần launched his portfolio site. Eric is graduating this year from Drexel University with a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design. His portfolio showcases his student works and co-op projects. I am particularly interested in “Hiểu Rồi,” which “explores the complex intergenerational clash between Vietnamese refugees and their American-born children.” The site is very striking. Congratulations on your graduation, Eric. You did it!

In the last few days, I switched out the fonts on the network of Scalia Law Sites to comply with Mason’s official typefaces.

The SLS network, which is powered by WordPress Multisite, was typeset in Pelago and Minion, designed by Robert Slimbach. The new typefaces are Open Sans, designed by Steve Matteson, and Noto Serif, designed by Monotype Design Studio.

When we redesigned the Scalia Law School site, we already went with Open Sans. The Scalia Law School website only used one single typeface. For the SLS network, I wanted to use two typefaces to create a clear hierarchy; therefore, I paired Open Sans with Noto Serif. Furthermore, I added Noto Serif Display for large text.

I also took advantage of the variable font technology in both Open Sans and Noto Serif. These are open source fonts that can be used by anyone. I was not part of the type selection process at the University, but I assume that the University chose them because they are widely available. Because Open Sans and Noto Serif are both ubiquitous, Mason takes the risk of looking bland, generic, and indistinguishable.

John Gruber:

They’re popovers, but dickheaded… You can hardly go anywhere on the web without getting dicked over by a dickover.

You have to read the entire post on “What Is a Dickover?”

One of my favorite shopping places these day is Goodwill. It’s the only place that I can not only save money, but also making money.

I often keep an eye on skiing and snowboarding gear. Last week, I bought two pairs of snowboard boots. The women’s pair was still in great condition. The men’s pair had a bit of blemishes, which I did not see at the time. It fit me well; therefore, I am keep it as an extra pair. For the women’s pair, my wife can probably fit them, but she isn’t a snowboarder. I don’t think she want to learn either. I might just list the women’s pair for sale on Marketplace.

I deep cleaned the boots and sanitized them with rubbing alcohol. I dried them up. They are now fresh and clean.