Quadracious

A hotel guest discovers a puzzling plastic bag among their travel mementos, humorously speculating about its purpose — suffocation, fending off wildlife, or fire escape — before concluding it’s likely an emergency smoke hood, despite barely being able to decipher the instructions.

A botanist describes coastal grass-hunting walks on Ishigaki, Okinawa, and Taketomi Islands, documenting four grass species found in varying habitats along Nagura Bay, illustrated by a narrated field video.

Spending a working sabbatical in Japan’s Yaeyama Islands, the author has been making significant progress on writing and research projects, while also squeezing in some hands-on marine biology study before the intense tropical sun drove them to work in the shade of a palm tree.

A turfgrass scientist recounts a rewarding week in Thailand that combined professional field work—botanizing coastal plants, studying calcareous beach sands, and observing solar halos—with personal highlights including a second-place finish in a Bangkok 10 km race and frequent visits to a favorite noodle shop.

The blog post announces a feature article about the author written by award-winning journalist Stacie Zinn Roberts, published in the July 2012 issue of GCM (Golf Course Management) magazine, covering personal details such as the author’s Bangkok lifestyle, a fictional character comparison, and testimonials from friends about their work.

A traveler shares their “vicinal diet” philosophy of eating local foods in their native places, describing recent culinary experiences across Thailand, Vietnam, and India — from Lobster Hot Plate potato chips and Bangkok street food to phở in Hanoi and aloo paratha in New Delhi.

A golfer reports an undefeated February record achieved without touching his clubs since December, instead traveling across Asia — running races in Bangkok, training in Bali, skiing in Niseko, and exploring Tokyo — while visiting golf courses in five countries but deliberately avoiding playing.

A recap of an eventful month of golf featuring two highlight videos that capture nine birdies and the celebratory dances that followed each one.

A turf scientist shares a lighthearted collection of July musings, including tasting notes for Buckfast Tonic Wine, a review of the Japanese golf magazine Golf Today, and an update on his data visualization work with heatmaps and scatter plots during a sabbatical in Japan.

The author recounts an undefeated April of golf in Bangkok, highlighted by a match played on a replica of Augusta National’s back nine at Dream Arena, and credits their five-month winning streak of 9 wins and 3 draws to playing the Srixon Z-STAR golf ball.