https://old.bill.dev/tags/curiosity/ Recent content in Curiosity on Bill Glover Hugo en-gb hello@bill.dev (Bill) hello@bill.dev (Bill) Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:27:14 +0000 https://old.bill.dev/2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/ Fri, 13 Mar 2026 21:17:37 +0000hello@bill.dev (Bill) https://old.bill.dev/2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/ <figure><img sizes="(min-width: 35em) 1200px, 100vw" srcset=' /2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/img/img_01_hu_1c9c5f958fd7bba7.jpeg 500w , /2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/img/img_01_hu_d4ad7cd91dbff3ee.jpeg 800w , /2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/img/img_01_hu_c25d43e22c389b4b.jpeg 1200w , /2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/img/img_01_hu_93842d0b3be3536d.jpeg 1500w ' src="https://old.bill.dev/2026/03/13/the-maths-behind-speaking-pens/img/img_01.jpeg" alt="A wooden table. On the table sit a small speaker with a handle, a deck of cards on a ring binder, a large pen, and a lamp"/><figcaption> <p>Two of our book readers and a book of songs</p> </figcaption> </figure> <p>A quick glance at the bookshelves in the boys rooms and it looks like we have as many Chinese as we do books in English. Ethan can’t yet read in either language and yet he spends hours engrossed in books. One of the ways he’s able to do so is with assistance of smart pens or a small smart speaker (pictured above). In this case, &lsquo;smart&rsquo; doesn’t mean internet connected, it doesn’t mean they have a screen. I use the term smart because of delightfully clever way they work.</p>