Applied Learning Science / ?[search]
?[search] is a learning surface.
Not only a box: form a query, test a cue, recover a nested route, gather a living term, and compose the next arc with enough integrity to return later. Geometry is part of the query — #> anchors, ? collapses, ^ lifts, ~ tethers, { } seals.
Without JavaScript, submit opens this page with ?q=. With enhancement, ⌘K / Ctrl+K opens structured search anywhere.
Practice rediscovery: hold a living term below to gather it (collectible motion); cast a spell from spell ingredients; try brace physics in the subject-balance demo; tune wonder memory; use Spw atlas when geometry needs a name.
Term powerups give vocabulary a reason to be discovered.
A term becomes powerful when it changes what you can notice. Hold a living term to gather it into the cauldron; return to it when a route, prompt, or proof card needs a clearer handle.
$ substrate
The surface that receives charge: canvas, memory, codebase, prompt, route, or social context. Motion: seal — contents bind inside until pressure equalizes.
^ arc
A sequence that deserves rediscovery because each step changes how the next one reads. Motion: lift — parts accrete and rise as one.
~ conduit
A route from attention to artifact: session, prompt packet, proof card, screenshot, or publishable note. Motion: tether — tension that breathes, never fully settles.
? retrieval cue
A small handle that lets you reconstruct the route without the exact original wording. Motion: collapse — superposition becomes one chosen focus.
#> region
A place-like label that changes expected behavior: library, garden, studio, theater, workshop, or lab. Motion: anchor — the address lands.
! proof
A visible result that makes the path worth trusting, revisiting, and teaching. Motion: discharge — commit so the consequence is observable.
& pair
A subject seeking its balancing partner — the &-first selection gesture. Motion: pair — bilateral symmetry with a settle overshoot. Play it in the subject-balance demo.
Regional powerups make routes feel like places.
Library
Recover references, vocabulary, and route neighbors.
Garden
Gather living terms, let ingredients mature, and return when the pattern has changed.
Studio
Convert vocabulary into components, prompts, images, or screenshots.
Theater
Test voice, role, genre pressure, and public performance moments.
Workshop
Turn an idea into a tool, proof card, or service-facing artifact.
Lab
Compare signals, tune behavior, and make defaults more humane.
Compose arcs by searching, not only browsing.
The loop should stay small enough to remember and open enough to remix.
notice -> name -> gather -> compare -> compose -> publish -> returnSpells can be semantic recipes, not only UI effects.
A spell is a compact way to say what should travel: a route anchor, a cluster of terms, a component kind, a settings state, and the data attributes that make the result inspectable. That gives the whimsy marketing value because it also gives engineers and language models usable structure.
Anchor spell
#search-rediscovery + #spell-ingredients preserves where a thought should return.
Cluster spell
substrate + arc + conduit + proof turns vocabulary into a routeable prompt packet.
Component spell
site-frame / frame-panel / operator-chip names the kind of object a designer or engineer should produce.
Settings spell
semantic-density + enhancement-level + utility visibility records the reading climate for a screenshot or session.
Attribute spell
data-spw-role + data-spw-feature + data-spw-semantic-expression lets a page explain what it is doing.
Event spell
curiosity -> artifact -> return path connects play, publishing, and community without flattening the magic.
Conduits give curiosity a public moment.
A conduit is not a marketing promise. It is a named path that helps a visitor understand how a strange term could become an artifact worth sharing.
RPG Wednesday image drop
Gather terms from a session, convert them into Midjourney prompts, then publish favorite images as an arc note.
Prompt packet study
Group vocabulary, style constraints, and image results so visitors can mine useful prompts instead of reading generic advice.
Component proof card
Turn a behavior, state, or interface pattern into a screenshot-ready card with evidence and a next action.
Teaching route sprint
Pick one route, one term, and one practice loop; improve the public surface until the concept can be rediscovered by someone else.