#(without using visualising vocabulary)

[lalalaugenbrot]

it's still so insane to me when i look at my old writing the way i wrote about mental imagery and memories and how i literally just copied other peoples words?? phrasings?! or maybe better: concepts of describing things they experience? and i always thought (and still think) that i draw a lot of the things i write from personal experience and just apply it to different situations by being empathic (rather than just reproducing cliches) but then... evidently so much that i wrote was just "copied" from or at least influenced by other peoples experiences or maybe even a "general experience" humans have... and like i know everything is a remix anyway and that's not a bad thing but it's just so baffling to me and it makes me wonder what else i/we just think we experience because 97% of people say they experience it when actually we do NOT experience it — at least not in the same way the 97% do

[virromanus]

What Type of Language Learner Are You?

There are many ways to learn a language and you may just have your own styles and approaches in learning your target language, specifically Italian or Latin. Here are some common learning styles you might relate to:

The Social Learner: You thrive in group settings and benefit immensely from language exchanges and conversational practice. You prefer interacting with native speakers and other learners, and often use language learning as a means to make new friends.

The Analytical Learner: You love dissecting the language, understanding the rules of grammar, and building a strong foundation in the mechanics of the language. You often prefer structured lessons and enjoy the process of translating complex texts to grasp the nuances of the language. Also, you tend to ask many questions in class about the grammar rules, and sometimes, certain grammar rules may not even have a reason for their existence!

The Auditory Learner: You learn best by listening. Podcasts, songs, and dialogues are your go-to methods. Speaking and repetition play crucial roles in reinforcing your learning. If you are this type of learner, you usually excel in understanding spoken language and pronunciation. You might even pick up an accent along the way!

The Visual Learner: Visual aids like movies, flashcards, and charts are essential for you. You find visual context helpful in remembering vocabulary and grammar structures. Apps that incorporate a lot of visual learning tools are particularly appealing to them. Visualisation may help you remember new and foreign alphabets or characters easily if you put your heart and soul into learning the language.

The Kinesthetic Learner: You have the need to be physically involved in the learning process. This might involve writing out words repeatedly, using gestures to remember phrases, or moving around while reciting vocabulary. Engaging the body helps you to retain information more effectively.

The Solitary Learner: Prefers studying alone and using self-study resources. Books, apps, and online courses allow you to learn at your own pace, exploring the parts of the language that interest you the most without external pressure.

The Mixed Learner: Many learners do not fit neatly into one category but are a mix of different styles depending on their mood, the language they are learning, or their goals. If you are this type of learner, you tend to adapt your learning style to suit your needs, which can vary from one learning session to another. This versatile learning approach can be especially helpful in maintaining interest and motivation, as you're able to switch up your approach based on what feels most effective or engaging at any given time.

So, what is your language learning style?

Let us know in the comments.

[govindhtech]

Introducing Google’s new Looker template FOCUS v1.0 GA

FOCUS v1.0

At Google  Cloud, Google’s team firmly feel that in order to effectively manage and optimise  cloud expenses, you should have the tools necessary to examine Google Cloud costs in conjunction with those of competing  cloud providers. It shouldn’t be necessary to take time to translate cloud providers’ billing jargon. And they think using open standards is the best way to do that.

Google is a key contributor to the v0.5 and v1.0 Preview and GA open billing specifications, a founding member of the FinOps Foundation, and a founding member of the FOCUS project’s Steering Committee. Google cloud is happy to present a new Looker template view today that makes use of the latest FOCUS v1.0 GA to make managing cloud costs easier across clouds.

Explain FOCUS

FOCUS is a technological specification that unifies cost and usage billing data among  cloud vendors and serves as a unifying standard for  cloud billing data. Through the consolidation of cloud and consumption data into a single, shared data structure, FOCUS seeks to provide uniformity and standardisation throughout cloud billing data. Understanding how billing costs, credits, usage, and metrics map from one cloud provider to another was difficult prior to FOCUS because there was no industry-standard method for standardising key cloud cost and usage measures across multiple cloud service providers (CSPs).

All of the main cloud suppliers are supporting the FOCUS initiative, which is creating an open standard for cloud billing data. Version 1.0 introduced consistent vocabulary, taxonomy, and metrics for billing datasets generated by CSPs.

Introducing FOCUS v1.0 GA’s new Looker template

Using Google’s new Looker template, which creates a table based on the FOCUS query results, you can see your open billing data in Looker. You won’t need to generate these tables by hand because the included LookML code produces and maintains them automatically. With several advantages, this template provides an idea of how your cost patterns across services, SKUS, zones, territories, and resource types can be visualised.

Pre-made template: Eliminate the need to wait for personalised dashboards. You may get pre-built visualisations that show cost trends and breakdowns by services, charges, and locations right away by using the templates.

Simple filtering: This template can be used by anyone without the requirement to be a data analyst. Looker’s user-friendly interface enables you to delve deep into facts with a few clicks and filter to particular time periods or services.

Adaptability: Although the template is a fantastic place to start, Looker’s versatility allows you to customise the views to meet your own requirements. You may quickly add custom metrics, alter the visualisations, and integrate the dashboards into your current workflows if necessary.

An updated FOCUS v1.0 GA BigQuery view

Google provide three export options for  Cloud Billing data to BigQuery that are related to cost and usage: Standard Billing Export, Detailed Billing Export (which includes price fields and resource-level data to join with a Price Export table), and Price Export. Google released a new BigQuery view in January that converts data into the FOCUS v1.0 Preview format.

A BigQuery view is a virtual table that displays the output of a SQL query. Google is now releasing an update for that BigQuery view in preparation for the FOCUS v1.0 GA. Please refer to the current guidance, which is updated to reflect any new changes, if you are currently using the Preview and would like to update your BigQuery view to the FOCUS GA.

Because the queryable virtual table in BigQuery views only holds information from the tables and fields listed in the base query that defines the view, these views are fantastic. Since BigQuery views are virtual tables, if you already use Billing Export to BigQuery, there are no extra data storage fees.

This BigQuery view allows you to:

View and query Google Cloud billing data that has been adjusted to comply with FOCUS v1.0.

Utilise Looker Studio or other visualisation tools by using the BigQuery view as a data source.

Examine your Google  Cloud expenses in addition to information from other suppliers using the standard FOCUS format.

How it functions

Your current  Cloud Billing data is layered with a virtual table that is the FOCUS BigQuery view. You must have Price Exports and Detailed Billing Exports enabled in order to utilise this feature. Your Cloud Billing data is mapped into the FOCUS schema by the FOCUS BigQuery view using a basic SQL query, and it is presented in the designated format. This makes it simpler to compare the costs of other  cloud providers by enabling you to query and analyse your data as if it were local to FOCUS.

Looker and Looker Corenot Looker Studio support the Looker template. Make sure you have Detailed Billing Export and Pricing Export Enabled in order to use the template straight out of the box. Permissions are also required in order to start a new Looker Project and Connection.

This Looker template makes use of temporary tables, in contrast to BigQuery Views. You won’t need to create these tables by yourself because the LookML code that is provided will create and maintain them automatically.

Google has made it simple to use the FOCUS feature in Looker and BigQuery by providing a comprehensive guide. Register here to see the Looker template and sample SQL query, as well as to follow the instructions step-by-step.

Read more on govindhtech.com

[fresver]

Finding the Best PSLE English Tuition: A Guide for Success

A strong foundation in primary English is crucial for PSLE success and beyond. However, finding the right PSLE English tuition can be overwhelming for parents. This guide shares tips on identifying the best primary English tuition in Singapore for your child.

Assess Your Child’s Needs

Before commencing your search, objectively evaluate your child’s current English proficiency and weak areas. This allows you to find tuition targeting specific gaps to strengthen - for example, grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, or oral communication. Selecting a generic tutor without diagnostic assessment risks wasting time and money on unnecessary topics.

Verify Tutor Qualifications

Legitimate PSLE English tutors should have substantial teaching experience, English teaching qualifications, knowledge of PSLE formats, and excellent past student results. Some key credentials to look for include qualifications like a diploma or degree in education, English language specialisation, years of experience, and a tutoring track record. First-hand references from past students are invaluable. Avoid tutors without verifiable credentials.

Exam-Aligned Teaching Methods

Look for PSLE English tuition utilising interactive, multi-sensory techniques proven to cement language skills, not just rote learning. For example, visualisation, associative strategies, oral drills, auditory exercises, and demonstrative techniques allow students to truly grasp and apply concepts needed for PSLE, instead of just memorising. Tutors should actively engage students, not just lecture passively.

Customized Curriculum

Cookie-cutter tuition may not address your child's specific requirements. Seek primary English tuition offering customised lesson plans tailored to each student's strengths, weaknesses, and pace of learning. Personalised curriculums that evolve regularly with student progress are most effective.

Small Class Sizes

Look for PSLE English classes with 6 or fewer students per tutor. Small class sizes enable focused attention on each child instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. The tutor can closely monitor and immediately correct gaps in understanding. Peer learning in an intimate setting also enhances engagement.

Drive Learning Spaces

The tuition centre's facilities should offer a relaxing yet stimulating environment conducive to learning. Look for quiet, airy classrooms with sufficient personal space and minimal distractions. Tutors should also use visual aids, technology, hands-on tools, and manipulatives to bring lessons to life.

ALSO READ: Why Mastering English From A Young Age Is So Important

Parent Communication

Regular tutor-parent communication allows you to actively participate in your child's learning journey while getting feedback on progress and areas needing work. Reputable PSLE English tutors provide consultation notes after each class, scheduled consultations, email updates, and proactive contact.

Affordable Pricing

While tuition quality is paramount, cost is still a practical consideration. Seek reasonable fee structures that give you the best educational value for your investment. Beware of unrealistically low fees indicating substandard tuition. Also ask about payment plans, sibling discounts, materials fees, and cancellation policies.

Stellar Track Record

The ultimate indicator of a tutor's teaching effectiveness is their students' actual PSLE results over time. Look for consistently outstanding English results across previous cohorts. Also, request referrals from satisfied parents whose children showed marked improvements with the tutor.

The Role of Assessments

Reputable PSLE English tutors continuously assess each student’s progress and calibrate teaching plans accordingly. Ongoing quizzes, practice papers, and exams identify gaps needing work while also preparing students for the PSLE format. Tests should track individual progress against benchmarks. Beware tuition lacking rigorous assessment.

Tutor Passion and Experience

At the end of the day, the tutor's passion and experience are crucial for engaging students and driving results. Look for tutors who connect with each child, make lessons interactive and fun, inspire students through their own love of English, and draw upon years of specialized PSLE teaching experience. Their passion should be evident.

With a discerning, multi-faceted approach to selection, you can find the ideal PSLE English tutor to give your child the best chance at acing this critical exam. Reach out to leading tuition provider Best PSLE English Tutors to learn how our customised tuition delivers proven results. Contact us today for a consultation and to learn more about our tuition programs to kickstart your child’s success.

[flowersforthemachines]

Japanese learning tips because it's 1AM and I can't sleep

So yeah it's been 3 and a half years of this study hell (jk I love this) and I recently realised some things about my study process via media (anime/manga/books/games) so here are a few tips from a """""veteran""""" to whoever stumbles upon this

1. You'll learn the most from stuff you already know

This sounds weird but bear with me. I thought that the best way to learn new vocabulary is to pick up something new to read/watch. Wrong! I often find myself being so immersed in the plot that I'm more focused on finding out what happens next and I opt out of looking up new words or appreciating the beauty of the syntax/word usage. However, when you already know the plot, you have time to stop and think and really take in the linguistic aspect of it. The way I like to do this is to read corresponding manga chapters aftet finishing anime episodes or just straight out re-read/re-watch the thing at a later date and go "oh wow this is so much prettier than I remember"

2. Furigana is actually good for you

Listen. I know this sounds even weirder. And I sincerely believed that furigana is for the weak until I completely switched to stuff that almost doesn't feature furigana (except for 義訓 and some obscure words) and realised that I under-appreciated it all that time. Unexpectedly, it's much easier to look up the word when it's reading is written to its right instead of playing the game of "this must have been the first kanji in that word..." or something like that. Plus, if you encounter this word often, you are more likely to remember both its meaning *and* its reading just over how you see it every time. The problem I have developed is that while I remember the meaning of words, I can't recall their readings just because I don't see them all that much. It's a bummer. (Yes, 矯正施設, I'm looking at you. I can never remember if it's きょう or こう...) Either that or I just presume a word's meaning on the hunch (like, I know one of the kanjis and from the context I can guess that it means...) which is honestly very sexy of me but while it works about 70% of the time there are still those 30% that can really mess up my understanding of the text.

3. Having subtitles on and actively reading them can actually be extremely useful

Yeah. I guess that's somewhat similar to the previous point. Except instead of just seeing the reading, you *hear* it and we humans often remember stuff better when we either say it ourselves or hear someone else say it. I recently realised just how much kanji/vocab I've learnt by watching stuff with subtitles. So much so I'm thinking that watching stuff *without* subtitles is actually worse for me language learning-wise. Go figure.

Also, anime has this beautiful tendency to use uncommon words. You are not going to hear 断末魔 in an everyday conversation but you *will* hear it in Attack on Titan season 1 part 2. And this rarer vocab can be really hard to grasp by ear.

4. Looking up translations helps

It does! I have some difficulties (mainly not being able to visualise stuff very well, turning words into pictures is a complete 無理 for me) and while I'm pretty confident in my reading abilities, I still look up translations to check with my understanding of the text. Well, it can go both ways: you either find mistakes and translation and have a self-indulgent laugh like "hehe I'm so smart" or you realise that you got something wrong and the shame you experience carves the correct meaning/usage into your brain. At least, that's how it works for me!

So yeah. This is my wisdom. Do with it what you will. I think I'll catch one more chapter and then try to fall asleep.

[niamheliza-performanceandmedia]

Defining a Plague...

https://youtu.be/N0qgPqemdPM

Above you will find a link that will take you to my Monologue entitled ‘Defining a Plague’ which shows you my take on the coronavirus pandemic and what it means to me.

What is the meaning behind my monologue?

My monologue is entitled “Defining a plague” and it gives a comparison of what we would have perceived a plague to be before the coronavirus pandemic vs how we would perceive a plague now. My main inspiration for the monologue was ‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus. Whilst reading the play I came across words such as ‘Quarantine’ and ‘Self-Isolation’ which shocked me considering the play was first written in 1947 and those words only became part of my vocabulary in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic (Camus and Bartlett, 2017). This sparked the realisation that we are living through a plague and although the pandemic has been labelled as many things, a plague has not been one of them. That entire thought process brought the realisation that perceptions really do change through experience and I wanted my monologue to be a true reflection of that (Gaarder, 2015). Instead of creating a new character I decided to perform the monologue as a version of myself looking back on my past opinions and experiences. My main reasoning for this was to actualise the reality of the pandemic to accentuate the seriousness of the situation in order to really engage the audience.

How was my monologue structured?

I open my monologue by reading out of a history book; this was to show how I was reflecting on the past, almost in mockery of how simple I thought it was to define a plague. I reference a timeline to emphasize how the concept of a plague is usually held in the past and isn’t something I thought would resurface or live in the present (The Great Plague 1665 - the Black Death, 2021). As part of a transition, I get rid of the history book and replace it with a mask, this was to symbolise how the term has redefined into something we now use every day and is no longer just a part of history. When I wear the mask, I introduce the present to the audience; I chose to show footage of moments that people have believed to be the most fundamental to the pandemic. The videos I chose were: an explanation video of social distancing (Foster, 2020), NHS staff swept off their feet (Morgan, 2020), the annunciation of a Christmas lockdown (Burns, 2020) , the West End going dark (The Telegraph, 2020), along with a Boris Johnson Speech (Johnson, 2020). These videos were chosen in order to connect the audience since they all showed something that we had all been affected by as a nation; from a performer’s’ perspective I hoped this would strike a chord and engage them even further. The final part of my monologue was all about visualisation, I incorporated my own personal videos to create empathy but to also show how the small gestures we have done throughout the various lockdowns could have potentially saved someone’s well being without us even thinking about it; I hoped this would bring a sense of joy and pride to my audience.

Was my monologue inspired by any specific practitioner?

My whole concept was Brechtian based. Since I didn’t create a new character but performed as myself learning from experiences, I felt I had a duty to make my monologue informative and visual- for this reason I found Brecht’s performance techniques most fitting. The most evident technique can be found in the middle section where I combine the use of signs and technology. It was so important for me to use signs because during the monologue I never actually use words such as ‘Coronavirus’ or ‘Covid-19’ as I wanted to keep the concept of a plague in the forefront of the audience’s mind. As a result of this I needed to find a way to affix the 2 concepts for the audience. Another technique I used was breaking the fourth wall, through the screen, in order to magnify how much I wanted this monologue to be a personal experience and reflection for both myself and the audience. When I had my mask on I chose to use narration as opposed to sacrificing the quality of the sound and have a muffled voice through my mask in order to create a more pleasurable performance for my audience. As a result of not being able to perform in person, I think these techniques allowed me to create an atmosphere that was just as effective through a screen (The Brechtian Method - Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access, 2021).

What research did I do for this monologue?

Despite performing the monologue as myself I wanted the idea to be collective and relatable to most people. For this reason, I decided to do a lot of research and take the majority of the points I made from the people around me.

The questions I needed answering in order to make my monologue effective were:

·      How would you define a plague?

·      What do you perceive a plague to be?

·      How would you define the Coronavirus?

·      What was the hardest part about lockdown?

I Firstly took a lot of information from one of our Wednesday sessions where I was able to interact with the class and ask them the first 2 questions: How would you define a plague? and What do you perceive a plague to be?

I used this set of responses to form the beginning of my monologue and used their definitions as my definition of a ‘plague’. Since these responses came from my first intended audience, I hope they felt a personal connection during my live performance.

I also used Instagram polls to inspire my ‘curing a plague’ section. I asked the question- What was the hardest part about lockdown? and then used these responses to understand how the solution to the things that we miss the most would be the things that could cure this ‘plague’. I decided to use Instagram as I knew I could reach a wide audience, including some of my closest friends, and pick out some of the most common responses that would be relatable to most people. This worked in my favour since a lot of my responses were unanimous making it easier for me to choose topics to focus on.

How did my workshops help me?

There were 3 specific workshops that helped and inspired this performance. The first and most influential was ‘The Plague’ reading with Michael Carklin in which we did a read through of the play by Albert Camus. Not only did this spark the inspiration for my monologue but also changed my perspective on how I viewed the pandemic and world as a whole, for this reason I had a burning passion to share the message I understood with a wider audience. Despite only reading the play in the session, the time we had for self-reflection influenced my main ideas for this monologue and performance.

The next influential session was my ‘Loitering with intent’ workshop with Hillary Ramsden. The workshop really helped me to understand how sometimes your best ideas come from just walking and taking in your surroundings, therefore whilst preparing for this monologue I took a lot of time away from my computer screen and just went on walks. I found that whilst walking I was able to create some of my most poetic lines.

Finally, a fundamental session for my research was the Elevator Pitch with Sarah Crews. This was the session where I was able to ask questions to my fellow course mates in order to incorporate them personally into my monologue. In addition to this I was able to listen to other people’s ideas which is always helpful when you have such a wide brief to fulfil.

What have I learnt from this experience?

The entire creative process of this monologue has given me new skills that I will keep with me throughout my 3 years at the University of South Wales and beyond. I have learnt that reading things that you wouldn’t usually gravitate towards can teach you some of your most important lessons and give you your most creative ideas. Before my workshop, I would never have read ‘The Plague’ but after reading it I have a whole new perspective on certain subjects and influenced an entire 2 minute performance. I have also come to understand how to use different practitioner’s techniques to emphasize your skills as a performer; since I couldn’t perform live, I had to research who’s practice would best to use in order to give an effective performance through a screen. Additionally, although research has always been important, I have come to realise that we can use our social media platforms for good. By using Instagram polls for a section of my research, I was able to incorporate a personal aspect to my monologue that I couldn’t have accessed from a website or generic YouTube video.

Most importantly I have learnt that ‘A plague doesn’t come in the form of a pin or a needle’ so tell people you love them and stay safe.

Niamh Eliza

Bibliography

Camus, A. and Bartlett, N., 2017. The Plague. UK: Oberon Books Ltd.

Gaarder, J. (2015) Sophies World. 20th Anniversary Edition. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Historic UK. 2021. The Great Plague 1665 - The Black Death. [online] Available at: <https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Great-Plague/> [Accessed 20 December 2020].

Foster (2020) Coronavirus: What is social distancing? - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYQjssb7xdk (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Morgan (2020) Scale of impact of Coronavirus outbreak on NHS health and care staff heard by MPs | ITV News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMoKgj0jv0k (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Burns (2020) UK new coronavirus variant “out of control” as countries announce travel bans - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XB5HtKtGijY (Accessed 20 December 2020).

 The Telegraph (2020) Coronavirus: Theatre closures leave London's West End deserted on a Saturday night. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8aBboLIGU (Accessed 20 December 2020). 

Johnson (2020) Boris Johnson unveils alert system for England - BBC News. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQcVUaowTbg&t=1s (Accessed 20 December 2020)

Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access. 2021. The Brechtian Method - Brecht In Practice - Free Online Resource Access. [online] Available at: <http://brechtinpractice.org/theory/the-brechtian-method/> [Accessed 19 December 2020].

[iwannafuckyexiu]

A TEASE A DAY BRINGS YOU CLOSER TO YOUR DEATH  005

FACEPALM-KUN AND THE ABANDONED RAMEN between the yandere, sunshine boy, tsundere, shy boy, kuudere, which one would you choose?

Y/N stretches his arms, yawning as he makes his way towards the school gate in a drowsy approach. He ended up getting home by eleven thirty at night and stowed into the arms of Morpheus at two in the morning, scrubbing off the filth on his body before he went to sleep - which took the most time, even more than the time used to scroll through his phone.

The mob before the school invades Y/N's sight as he walks along the sidewalks towards the gate. "Damn what's with that crowd, is like a celebrity coming to our school or something?" he mumbles, nearing the horde, he recognises them as reporters from all the biggest news platforms in Japan, "oh wait, our school is filled with celebrities."

Spotting a familiar person whilst he attempts to wedge his way towards the entrance, he taps the guy's shoulder, "Hey, blonde guy it's you again."

"Heyyy! "

"What?!" the blonde guy yells through the rowdy flock of reporters, head yanking in Y/N's direction, his brows crumpled up and his eyelids tapered as he tries not to get squeezed to the side by the others.

"You know what's going on?" Y/N squints his eyelids as he gestures towards the mass of people in front of the school gate with his chin.

"I don't know, look yourself!"

The blonde guy tweaks his head back and thrust himself through the reporters with brute force, Y/N closely tracking behind his back, hand suspended mid-air throughout the entire fatiguing process of mashing into people and making an attempt to enter the school grounds without letting any reporters in.

"Wow, intense exercise early in the morning," Y/N comments as he walks along the corridor to his class with the blonde guy beside him, not minding that his uniform is wholly crinkled up and hair coiled with strands poking out, an untroubled grin stretches his cheeks.

"Oh, here's my stop, I'll see you later!" they pass by the class 1a door and Y/N bids his farewell to the blonde guy with a blow kiss - in which the latter clicks his tongue then turns his head away to (his scarlet neck rats him out).

Katsuki sits in his seat, his head lowered whilst he passes time with his phone in his palms on his table blatantly when a book is flung into his vision. He curls his hand into a fist and bashes the table, clacking his tongue in crossness.

"Who the fu-"

"Yep!" a radiant voice inserts before he can finish his sentence, even without looking up, Katsuki can pretty much guess who it is from the tonality and 'harmonious' book on the table.

"Midnight's lookin' hot on the cover there, don't ya think? " Y/N says as he bends over to flash a teasing smirk at Katsuki, crooking his head to the side, a brow raised at him.

Katsuki 'hmph'ed at the remark, ruby eyes never veering to look at Y/N, mumbling so tacitly that Y/N can barely hear it, "Fucking pervert." That's something new from the usual 'asshole' and 'fucker', Katsuki's updating his vocabulary too, damn.

To his unfriendly words, Y/N only lets out a faint chuckle, he sparingly flicks the side of Katsuki's head, "I heard that." Katsuki doesn't yell or shout at him for the action but he scowls and responds Y/N with a middle finger - which the latter gives a classic wink to.

"Aye Izuku," he greets as he strides towards his next target he is going to scourge. Y/N ruffles through Izuku's fluffy broccoli curls with one hand and the other chucks a long cardboard tube at the boy. "Here's an All Might poster since I couldn't bring the ice cream," he answers when he sees Izuku's puzzled cast on his features.

"Thanks!" Izuku says, dipping his head to convey himself, the corners of his eyes curving into arcs as wells as his pinkish lips.

"Also," Y/N begins while he tows a seat from the currently empty desk beside, straddling the chair with his arms tending on the top rail, "did you speak to that hedgehog there after school or something yesterday?"

"...how did you know?" Izuku first nods his head then twists his head and questions Y/N, green pupils peering agape at him.

"Saw it when I was running to work."

"Ah ... yeah, he said he's going to be number one from now on."

"Ahahahah, sounds like him," Y/N quenches a howl as he peeps at Katsuki from the side, visualising him shouting at Izuku like a tsundere schoolgirl: 'I-I-I'm going to be number one from now on, don't you bastard underestimate me!!'. The imagination of Katsuki doing that is too wicked, too wicked - Y/N heaves a sigh to himself at the overly whimsical thought.

"Also-oh, Aizawa's here I'm gonna go back."

As Y/N's words died down, he inches his way to his seat at the back of the room to prevent that yellow condom from calling him out for not being in his seat again, he's not one for attention you know.

"Good work on yesterday's combat training, I saw the video and results," Aizawa heaps slight praise to his students, his hand setting down his stack of papers on the desk at the front. "Bakugou, you're talented so don't act like a kid," his sagging eyes slothfully roves to Katsuki as he speaks of him briefly, gaze full of disdain.

"I know," Katsuki shifts his gaze to his left whilst he says with an overt frown, leaving the rest of the class dumbfounded at his unexpectedly composed temper.

"Hey slap me."

"Ow-oh my god, it's real."

"And Midoriya," Izuku instantly straightens up and tucks his arms atop his lap at the mention of his name from Aizawa, "you settled it by breaking your arm again, huh? You can't keep making the excuse that you can't control your quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over again. But as long as you fix that issue, you'll have a lot of things you'll be able to do."

"Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya," Aizawa winds up his remarks on Izuku, in which the boy replies him with a firm 'hai! ', gushing with a youth's determination.

"Now let's get down to homeroom business, I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand but today I'll have you ..." letting his voice dwindle off, Aizawa has everyone put their heart in their mouths.

"Is he gonna say that he's resigning?"

"...Decide on a class representative."

Everyone sets about hoisting their arm up and screeching for Aizawa to pick them, almost sounding like a certain 101's theme song: "pick me! ". To all the ruckus going on in the classroom, Y/N just huddles his head between his weaved arms on the desk and sinks into sleep's deadly arms.

"Silence!"

The class quietens down at once straight after Iida's shout, and all eyes are bonded to his now-standing figure. Iida clinches an arm high up in the air but interposes to his classmates, "This is not something that just anybody could do! This is a job that requires leadership skills! Everyone's trust in you is required in order to be a good leader ... so we should vote! "

"Why did you suggest that?"

"We even don't know each other very well yet, how are we supposed to trust?" ribbit ribbit queries, stoking up the other students' pertinent comments.

"Everybody's gonna vote for themselves anyway."

"That's exactly why the person with most votes should become class president," Iida prods up his glasses with his fingers, the lens glistening in the artificial light, he turns to Aizawa (who's nearly asleep), "don't you agree, sensei?"

"Tsk whatever, just choose one before class ends," Aizawa says moodily and zips his yellow sleeping bag up to return to his slumber, making sure it's soundproof.

So everyone agrees to use the method Iida suggested. One after another, they walk to the front to vote for the most suitable person to be class president, including Y/N who awoken when Iida silenced the class. And too waspish from his interrupted nap, he scratches his mark beside the first name he sees on the blackboard and walks back to his seat as if a zombie.

Bypassing to when they reveal the final results of the mini-referendum, Izuku got three votes, sealing his class representative position, and Yaoyorozu got two votes, making her vice president.

"Deku? Who voted for him?!"

And Katsuki is back to his regular self, brimming with rage. The class now think that maybe a calm Katsuki isn't that bad, they want that him back.

、、、

"That took too fucking long!" Y/N grumbles to the mustard and ketchup duo as he cautiously rambles towards the table they're on, balancing a warm (and heavy, Y/N doesn't forget to mention) bowl of noodles on his tray.

"You could've chosen something else to eat you know ramen's one of the most popular choices between students," Denki pokes fun at him with a suppressed smile by his lips, then giggling at the boy's strange posture while he settles the tray onto the table.

"I was just craving it too much, after rewatching Naruto and Shippuden over last night."

"Ai ..." Y/N emits a lasting and theatrical sigh, he sways his head at Denki. "You won't get it, bro," he says perplexingly, acting profound and inscrutable to the two.

"But I get you," the ketchup of the duo who has been silent for the past conversation finally speaks, giving the male opposite him a 'yes I get you bro' expression which Y/N responds with his hand pounding on his chest lightly.

Y/N lifts his chopsticks up, dredging up a clump of noodles from the soup, ready to eat it all up when a resonant toll sets off within the canteen.

"Just as I was gonna take a sip," he snarls and tosses his chopsticks in the bowl, pressing his lips together as he gets up from his seat, "Shitting hell, in the single moment I just blank out a bit they all run out."

Y/N ventures out the canteen and around the hallways, he attempts to pinpoint where exactly the others are but he only ends up astray from his destination. And on the fourth time of laying his eyes on the same wall after roaming around, again and again, his mentality snaps.

"AHHHH, DENKI YOU FORGOT TO BRING ME ALONG!" Y/N howls in the hallway to his heart's content, off-track in his breakdown, not noticing the presence nearby, "first I don't get to eat my ramen, then I get lost." He leans against a wall and slouches down to perch himself on the ground slowly, the lesions from the day before twinging as his skin smears against the solid surface.

"What fucking sorcery is this?!"

Finally quelling down, Y/N turns his head to skim his surroundings when a dim figure by a wall grasps his eyes, he shrinks his eyelids at the direction, "Hold on, is that a person there?"

"H-"

"You better shut your fucking mouth up or I'll disintegrate you," before he even speaks the silhouette lashes out at him and shows himself from the shadows.

His voice is husky, coarse and guttural, but tone simmering through into Y/N soul with spite and malice. Giving a hasten glimpse at his appearance - slender yet fit figurine, unkempt but appealing ultramarine locks - Y/N supposes the face behind those slightly greyed but dainty and slim fingers is not bad too.

"Okay, okay," Y/N says in a reposeful manner, taciturnly distancing himself from the clearly perilous man just close by, his features malformed into a grovelling cast.

"Tsk tsk tsk, looks good but seems too yandere," Y/N mutters in a low tone, darting a sidelong glance at facepalm-kun, his tongue pricking out to moisten his chapped lips.

"What?"

"Nothing." Y/N works towards a canon ball shape, burrowing his head further into his knees to minimise his existence to the brink.

The man hums shortly then reaches his hand towards Y/N direction, he intimidates him, "Don't tell anyone about me, or else ..." His single veined eye pops in Y/N direction menacingly, sending the latter's hair and goosebumps raising in cold blood.

Even when Y/N sets back to his class, he can still recollect the blood-curdling aura the man dispersed from a single stare. Worn out from the taut tension with the man before, Y/N drapes himself across his desk as he gapes at one place blankly until Denki calls him.

"Y/N! Y/N!"

"Where did you go just now?" Denki asks, eyes enlarged at Y/N's figure without the slightest cut since he didn't find him beside him during the drill, which gave him a great shock.

"Oh, uh ... the bathroom you know, I had to pee real quick," tilting his head to the side to act above suspicion, he gives Denki an answer full of faults.

But Denki doesn't uncover him, he plaits his fingers through Y/N's hair, tousling his curls, he says to him with fondness. "You're lucky it's just a fraud or you might just get in trouble with the villains."

Hahhahhahahhahaahhahaa.

He did.

"But it's a fraud this time, so I'm fine!" Y/N draws a viscid grin to show, he lifts his brows at Denki and provokes, "see, you can pinch me to test!" Denki hoists a hand up and harshly nips at Y/N's waist, muting his laugh as he sees the boy's twisted expression from the force of it.

"Ow ow ow! Not that hard!" yelling at him whilst also smacking his hand away repeatedly, Y/N gnaws on his bottom lip as the mark throbs for a few seconds, his E/C irises blazing holes through Denki.

"Hm, just as noisy as always," Denki jokes with him, stroking his chin with two fingers in a pondering position.

"Tsk."

"Oh, there comes Aizawa, I gotta go back to my seat."

"Talk to you later, see you~"

"Can I say something?" Izuku steps up all of a sudden, fists clasped by his sides, chin tipped upwards with determination. "I think-I think that Iida is more capable for the position of the class president! He managed to calm the crowd down during the drill, so I think he's the most suited for this job," the poor boy's body quavers slightly as he announces to the class, eyes meandering everywhere.

"I agree with Midoriya."

"Me too, Iida was kinda a good leader just now."

"Like everyone literally just stopped talking when he flew up and said his thing."

"Same."

"Alright, if you're all done with that, then listen to me." Everyone hush down at the din of Aizawa's sluggish voice.

"We'll be participating in a rescue simulation for your basic hero training class," Aizawa starts lazily, ignoring everyone's roars at how excited they are for the event and resumes to speak, "this time you can decide whether you will wear your hero costume or not, because for some people it may be restricting."

"We're going there by bus since the training is going to be outside of the school grounds," he explains whilst he removes his hands that were propping himself up from the desk.

"That's all, now get ready."

TO NOTE

soooo updates are gonna be slower after this chapter because my holiday's ending! yayyyyyyy

but yeah updates will be slower and most likely too slow.

[sbanimation]

Create Kinetic Typography Animation Video

Visual information is what the mind processes most of the time. Compared to texts and music, animated visuals are polished more quickly and have a more educative effect on a person's emotions. Viewers react to animation differently than they do to live-action actors. An animated scientific study graphic in three dimensions boosts the value of the content by a factor of four, which is particularly important in the clinical instrument and pharmaceutical industries where visualisation is essential.

Video of Kinetic Typography

Kinetic typography animation, also referred to as "active sort/text," is a dynamic style of writing that combines writing and movement to produce "moving material," which is meant to convey ideas and arouse emotions. Use dynamic text to draw attention to a particular passage in a lengthier audio recording, promote your company online, or aid viewers in memorising vocabulary words more rapidly. Text-based recordings can be engaging and successful when done well with a combination of rigorous preparation, music, and visual impact. However, too much writing on the screen could annoy viewers.

How is the instructive video Kinetic Typography Animation used?

Videos that use kinetic typography animation are excellent for simplifying difficult topics. Yes, there is another marketing buzzword that salesmen enjoy using, but it actually refers to moving text. Kinetic typography is an easy yet effective way to use animation in marketing efforts because of its innate attraction.

What can a Kinetic Typography Animation video do to improve communication between you and your audience?

We provide a straightforward storyboard and a PowerPoint presentation at the start of the project. In order to enhance the storyline and visuals of the animation, we often alter the storyboard. Using brand colours and specially produced elements, motion graphics are used to demonstrate the method's benefits. The project demonstrates how a great animation can be made from a simple idea to a final output. Sliced Bread Animation places a high importance on engrossing and immersive communication. A multi-talented group of designers and artists make up our organisation.

Sliced Bread provides a comprehensive analysis of our general project management methodology, from strategy to execution. If you're interested in finding out more about how animation could help your marketing efforts, please get in touch with us right now.

Because kinetic typography is so utterly engaging and uses frequently quite simple techniques, like this sleek and incredibly slick example commissioned by Apple, it is a relatively simple yet powerful way to use animation in a marketing campaign.

Making language visible is the art of kinetic typography. Kinetic typography comes in two varieties, which can be classified as follows:

Motion typography, which alters the relationship between text elements by moving and rotating them in 2D or 3D space, and fluid typography, which denotes a change in letter shape without necessarily altering location, are two examples of this.

Both can turn the word into the image itself by establishing creative or engaging linkages or transitions. Kinetic typography can produce a distinctive aesthetic where none already exists by emphasising specific information, which can assist convey tone and emotion.

[writtenworkshop]

Driverless Poetry Critique Submission.

Dissected by a quiverful of arrows: eternally, an hourglass

Fear, after a blurry image.

Fear, a blurry image.

The hallucination of the abyss when

I have climbed up to the cliff’s edge in a frenzy shuddering to a halt

Blinded by visions of everything that

comes before and after the fall

to death.

Death itself, falling away, is pure and

sweet, I know

But my body doesn’t.

My body quivers.

I shed you like the many skins I have

worn on my body; to take a step

away from the moment ; to take the

moment on my palm, to be dissected.

I chanced upon history’s favourite trick, wandering about in the ages

Hidden in plain sight - the trick to stop time!

To catch time in my cup!

The prize trick behind my sleeve,

Old now, used and reused a countless many

times, tatters.

Time has gotten the best of me; the cup in

my hand overflows.

The constant ringing of the siren in my

ears signalling

Of the ship sailing away.

I look after it till it is a speck lined against

the horizon, trivial.

The ringing, a persistent tinnitus

trailing away towards Silence,

like the frothy wake left behind by the

ship to which the body quivers, writhes,

fish out of water.

I never let the moment

seize me by the shoulders and make me

do it’s bidding. It passes me by

without acknowledging my presence.

I have been dead all this while. I am

Already, dead. Who? What is there to fear

now?

I am, I am not.

Only the smoky contrail of freedom in

flight, a fear shaped blur.

@driverless

(Quick note, the mobile version of this submission was missing its line breaks. I tried my best to fix it and make it “whole” on mobile. I apologize greatly if I messed anything up. Please send us a message if the format is wrong. -Atlas)

_____

Our Critique

@foreveratlas response:

You’ve filled this piece with astounding imagery and sensory language! It's overflowing with visual ideas and stark language that gives the reader a hurricane for their imaginary senses! I noticed though that there is a lack of pivot for your piece, a sort of, "But Then," moment where this all affects you. You use all of these descriptors, and create beautiful prose, but as a reader I'm struggling to understand where the emotional hook is. How does the first and middle parts affect you when you refuse to allow it, as seen in the last part? And what is the emotion you're trying to convey in this piece? You describe so much so vividly and try to angle it toward the idea of fear, but if you arent experiencing the fear, then where are you, the writer, in this piece?

You've got a lot here, and as you'll see with some of the critiques that come after this, it "feels" like you have multiple poems in here, or the startings of multiple poems. As a reader I need to know why I should be invested and you have me going on different paths that don't quite line up.

You have some wonderful imagery and some very solid lines. I'd like to see some of this condensed with a more intimate look at how you're responding to all of this. I think once I can connect with the speaker this will be a solid piece.

@uschi-the-listener response:

I like all the visual imagery in your poem. You give your reader a mental painting to look at. However, it may need to be a little more restrained, as you jump from image to image abruptly. 

It’s always a good idea to either stick to one metaphor, or write transitional lines to lead from one image to the next. For instance, you start with arrows and an hourglass in your title, but never revisit them. I was waiting to see where they led. 

Your first lines about fear, and blurriness, could easily have been condensed, and that might be the place to start with the arrow and/or hourglass images, then lead on to the dramatic cliff’s edge with a transition. The ship comes out of nowhere, and then we end up with contrails. Ending with the “fear-shaped blur” makes a stab at pulling it all together, but once again, help your readers with a transition. 

We have to lead our readers, not shove them willy-nilly into a new visualisation. You have the makings of 4 or 5 poems here; you have time and the paper is infinite. Feel free to capture one of these images at a time. 

One final note, and I think it’s important: as a poet, you should never use any version of the word “get,” if you can possibly avoid it. It’s a weed word that takes the place of many more worthy, meaningful, and mellifluous words. The words, ‘get’, ‘got’, or the horrid ‘gotten’ are poor usage. You can always find something that says what you wanted to say so much better, such as “receive(d)” or “became.” Look around and see what you can use instead. It’s best if you can uproot this weed before it takes over more of your vocabulary. 

This was a worthwhile and passionate effort, and I foresee even greater poems in your future. Writing really is something you need to practice as often as you can.

@reinventing-wednesday response:

I like the imagery that you use in this. I really liked the idea of shedding someone like skin. It’s an interesting concept.

There seem to be a variety of themes that you explore. You mention ships, time, there’s the skin reference that made me think of snakes, and the title contains ideas of themes. I would stick to two at most, doing so will pull it all together.

There’s also the length of the piece. It is a long read, which isn’t a bad thing, but most publishers like shorter poems. A page per poem is usually the max length they’ll accept. If you aren’t using this to submit, ignore this part.

I’ll make a comment about line breaks because the submission didn’t retain the original formatting, so I’m not sure if it’s valid or not. I would avoid using capital letters at the beginning of the next line if it’s not a proper noun. When I see that I automatically double pause (if that makes sense), the break itself tells me to pause, so the capital letter (unless it’s a proper noun) causes me to pause again. Just an opinion, though. I know a lot of excellent writers who use the same format.

I encourage you to keep writing. You’ve got the blade, just keep honing it.

@renegadegirl13 response:

You have a lot of ideas going on in here. You touch on a few different topics, death, the cliff, the ship, freedom, the passage of time. You could probably write three or four separate poems with these ideas separately. The title is too long, the piece is a bit long.. This will sap the reader’s interest. Also, I see no reference to arrows in the body of the work, as well you refer to quivers, as shakiness in your body, which has nothing to do with a quiver in reference to bows and arrows. In short, the title does not fit your piece; it’s confusing. I notice multiple repeats of the same words, “time, trick, quivers, cup.” Try to mix it up a little. If you need to return back to the same words, try using a synonym of the original word to keep things fresh. You have some great lines in this piece. Explore the suggestion of using these ideas to create separate poems. Thanks for sharing and keep on writing!

[thenihongojourney-blog]

Study Session 1-1

Genki 1 - Chapter 4: 初めてのデート

In this session I covered Chapter 4 from the Genki 1 textbook which aims to teach you what to say when you are:

looking for a place (how to get to...)

meeting up with friends (where you went and what you did)

waiting for someone and how long you waited for.

Stationery

Muji Pens (Black + Red) 0.7/0.38

Stabilo Pastel Highlighter: Purple

Stabilo Pen 68: Black/Purple/Burgundy 

Mildliner: Strawberry Red

Artbox Pencil

Yellow Post-It Notes

Grammar Notes

I use the notebook below for two main reasons:

1. grammar points and examples

2. dialogues

Making a note of all the grammar points you cover along the way can be extremely helpful. I personally like the idea of ending up with a super useful reference book I will be able to use any time I’m not quiet sure if I’m being grammatically correct or for when I’m studying for the JLPT exam (or whatever the reason may be for you.)

What about the dialogues? Well, in the past I used to make a note of every single dialogue I could find in the textbook, very often just for the sake of writing it down regardless of whether I was actually going to benefit from it or just let it sit in my notebook. 

Eventually I realised that those (sometimes cheesy) lines of text can actually be extremely helpful, especially the ones you will find in the Genki series. Of course this won’t always be the case - in some books you will fond the texts rather dry and the language used in them sounding a little old-fashioned. 

HOWEVER, in many instances you will find that the sentences and questions used in those dialogues are perfect for every-day use. In fact, they will often show you how to naturally communicate something you might have to say or respond to in a given situation. For this reason, I spent some time thinking how I could make a use of those dialogues and decided to do the following (see photo 1)

In chapter 4, you will find 3 dialogues - I wrote down all three of them (separating each one with a line) and used a red pen to circle any words, Kanji or grammar I didn’t understand. Then, I used the same pen to write the meanings on the side and making it the only “English” I used in this activity. 

I intentionally left the rest without any translation, as when I come back to review this material I will be able to test my memory be reading these conversations out loud and checking how much I can still remember. The writing in red will help me with the words I didn’t initially understand but if it happens that I know what they mean at the time of the review, I will cross them out or simply highlight them in green.

In regards to the actual grammar points I wrote down in this notebook, I tried to keep everything fairly organised - I used a purple highlighter to make the title of each grammar drill stand out, used yellow post-it notes for additional points I also need to be aware of (mostly additional grammar pointers I found somewhere in the textbook), I wrote down every single example sentence I could find, so I know exactly how each grammar drill can be used in practice.

When it comes to making grammar notes (or any kind of notes in fact), it is very important that you do this based on how your brain likes to visualise things - make sure it works, not that it looks pretty (but if you’re a pro, you might be able to tick both boxes). 

Flashcards (Grammar)

Afterwards, I make a note of each new grammar point on a flashcard. This will be great reference for me when I revise for the JLPT exam or when I need to remind myself of an N5 or N4 grammar point - this will be awesome to refer back to.

I try to minimise the number of words I use to make the explanations as short as possible. These flashcards are only supposed to remind me of the grammar points - not explain what they are (the explanations will be in my grammar notebook!)

Vocabulary book (focus on Kana)

I have two notebooks for vocabulary - one for Kanji and one that focuses on Kana alone (even though I still write the Kanji in brackets)

Why do I have two notebooks for vocabulary? In order to be competent in any language, you want to be able to not only read and write but also speak the language and understand it when listening to it.

The kana notebook I will use to test my knowledge of Japanese words and phrases from each chapter - for this activity I don’t worry about the Kanji - I just test my memory by saying each word out loud hoping to understand the meaning when I hear it.

When I come back to review these words, I simply cover the English translation and reveal each word one by one, as I say the meaning out loud. I try to make a note of all the words I don’t remember as I go along using a separate sheet of paper and upload them onto Memrise where I will review them until I'm happy with the result.

Vocabulary book (focus on Kanji)

This is my second notebook where I write all the Kanji found in each chapter. I start off by writing out all the Kanji included in the dialogues and then the sentence where each Kanji can be found (you will find them circled in red).

You will notice that some Kanji don't have a sentence next to them and that's only because they had already been mentioned in one of the sentences either above or below.

"Additional Kanji" are all the other Kanji listed in the vocabulary section of the textbook. I will also use the empty space below to practice some of the more complicated Kanji like I did at the top of the left page. I find it fascinating how some Kanji are so simple it only takes a few reviews to really master them, whereas there are some that literally take me weeks to learn (and then I still happen to forget them!)

I didn’t get to complete any of the worksheets last night, as this alone took me a while to complete!

Today I will be reviewing this material while completing all workbook activities for this chapter so expect another update very soon!

I hope you enjoyed this - any questions or comments, reach out to me on my Instagram tryingtoostudy.

TEST YOURSELF

For those who are also studying Japanese, please have a go at translating the sentences below into English. You will find the answers in tonight’s post! :) 

テレ���がありません。

時間がありますか。

火曜日にテストがあります。

あしたは日本語のクラスがありません。

あそとに留学生がいます。

日本人の友だちがいます。

銀行は図書館のどなりです。

傘はテーブルの下です。

あれは日本の映画じゃなかったです。

私は京都に行きました。

私はきのう日本語を三時間ぐらい勉強しました。

[timespakistan]

The better half | Art & Culture | thenews.com.pk Trudy Wiegand & Scheherzade Junejo ‘Green With Envy’. Frequently, the phrase “the other half” has a condescending connotation; implying that a woman is not an independent individual, but part of a composite entity. Throughout history, there have been no women military dictators, or leading figures of a religious community (popes, chief rabbis, grand muftis, ayatollahs). Power and religion have been used to dominate, exploit and subjugate women in patriarchal cultures. Over centuries, societies were built in such a way that women’s absence from literature, arts, science, politics, law, sports and business was regarded not as exclusion, but a ‘natural’ state. Linda Nochlin in her ground breaking text Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? reflects on this: “Like any revolution, however, the feminist one ultimately must come to grips with the intellectual and ideological basis of the various intellectual or scholarly disciplines – history, philosophy, sociology, psychology, etc – in the same way that it questions the ideologies of present social institutions”. Nochlin wrote her essay in 1970, but till this day, there is a disparity between sexes in terms of opportunities, exposures and income from creative expression. The feminist movement has fought for the rights women were denied. It has also shaken the art establishment – artists, gallerists, curators, critics and collectors – mostly made up of men. The situation has changed, the structure has altered and positions have been created, yet some of the attitudes have lingered on. Hence, the relevance and need for feminist points of view, critique and spaces in art. The exhibition, Artdom (a term, substituting “art” with “free”) is a collaboration between women artists from Norway and Pakistan “to create spaces where female artists can interact and empower each other and also give the public tools to be inspired by their work”. Their works were shown for a preview at Sanat Initiative, Karachi on January 28, before the exhibition’s opening in Norway. Initiated by Arghavan Agida (“a highly acclaimed artist, author, and singer advocating for freedom of expression and human rights worldwide”), Artdom is a unique project in which “eleven female artists in Norway visualised their thoughts and feelings on feminism. The artworks created by them were then transported to Pakistan and finished by eleven female artists from Pakistan”. One half of each painting was produced in Europe and the other in South Asia, but if one is not aware of the genesis of these canvases, one would hardly spot geographical distance or cultural difference. Mainly because the selection of artists’ duos seems so apt that the imagery created by these pairs living 5,522 kilometres apart looks unified, connected and coherent. For instance, the painting titled: ‘For Her’, by Mia Gjerdrum Helgesen and Sarwat Gilani, has a seamless structure. One can’t draw a line between the two artists’ touch. Both these painters have represented female figures in simplified, stylised and lyrical forms. The movement of brush mark and the choice of vibrant hues have introduced a dominant aspect of abstraction – comparable to music. A number of works affirm that “By crossing cultural boundaries and building bridges between two countries, the women involved in this project created strong ties”, visible the way majority of canvases are like (long distance – but strong) conversations. In Breaking Waves, produced by Yachi Shian-YuanYang and Khadija S Akhtar, you see two distinct styles meet, embrace and entangle. Akhtar’s signature vocabulary of intermingled forms compliments her Norwegian counterpoint’s busy imagery. Both have drawn fantastical scenarios. In one part of the painting, a fish is riding a bike. On Akhtar’s side, a bear is surfing in Karachi (with an Urdu description, too). Strong colours, spontaneity, the uncanny visual and unconventional texts provide multiple interpretations that can be a celebration of female empowerment. Like Marxism, feminism has room to shift, adjust and reinvent itself with a change of settings. Women in Norway may not be facing the same issues as women in Pakistan. Issues like colour, class and customs determine how an artist responds to her situation. Like Marxism, Feminism has room to shift, adjust and reinvent itself with a change of settings. Women in Norway may not be facing the same issues as women in Pakistan. Issues like colour, class and customs determine how a female artist responds to her situation. In the works created by Lene Merete Haugen and Amra Khan, called The Innocence and the Bride, one can see two figures, one fair skinned in robes, almost a mythological entity holding a white goat, next to an androgynous figure wrapped in sari with her palm in greeting or benevolent posture. The difference of attire, complexion and background hue/texture, suggests that the pair sitting on a single couch might belong to two different worlds. The question of political and economic divisions is there in Women of the Earth by Marit Skyer Art and Haya Zaidi, too. Skyer draws women, may be of multiple ethnicities, all surrounded by words like hope, freedom, peace, love and “use your voice”. A pictorial vocabulary with its mixture of visual and script, reminds one of graffiti; and well-suited to Zaidi’s aesthetics. Her large female figures are in dupatta with small hands covering, crawling all over her body; and independent lips, arms and eyes floating in the background. One can get any meaning from her half of the canvas. However, both painters’ creations look interlocked, because of formal decisions about the openness of pictorial plane. The exhibition offered a platform for female artists to converse using similar concerns. For instance, the interaction between the artists and their subjects (themselves) in Silent Conversation by Kari Anne Marstein and Farazeh Syed. Two females, from two backdrops – perhaps periods – encounter in a space, without making eye contact. Their presence in a picture frame, more than an exchange among them, can be a dialogue with spectators; asking questions about their identities, positions, rights and roles in life. These painters have rendered figures that look like first cousins from an ancient genealogy. Both the characters appear confident, and defiant, like the model in Green with Envy by Trudy Wiegand and Scheherezade Junejo. In a backdrop of green and gold, one comes across the back of a female torso, with her hands on two sides. Junejo has carved a niche for herself in Pakistani art through remarkable depictions of sensitive, skilful and highly accomplished figures and postures. In the present work, along with Trudy’s signature abstract imagery, Junejo’s image conveys the stance of many women of today, who may not need to look out or look at others. The strength in the body, mapped muscle by muscle, masterfully by Junejo, symbolises internal power. It’s all about feminism, which does not require a male support, crutch or control. This work, along with others in the show, reflects how residents of two remote locations can communicate, if they speak the same language, the language of feminism, in their distinct accents of art. The writer is an art critic based in Lahore https://timespakistan.com/the-better-half-art-culture-thenews-com-pk/12452/?wpwautoposter=1615086022

[catalinacimpoesu]

The language made out of logos

Look around and discover the symbols 

Studying marketing for my Bachelor’s Degree made me see art more commercially at some point. Instead of reflecting about philosophical hidden meanings of an artwork, I immediately emphasise with the consumer’s mind and needs and place myself in his shoes. Is not the best approach when creating an artwork that is not related to any brand identity items and involves substantially much more creativity because of the absence of guidelines.

Reading the post about the LoCoS language discussed for the first time by Yukio Ota in 1964, found here the other days, created many points of interest in this topic, only because of the twisted simplicity of the entire concept. Starting from describing the whole process of making a logo which only represents a symbol that can be meaningful in some cases and ending up with a bunch of individual logos for each action, object or feeling understood by the human mind generates infinite combinations (Luffarelli, Mukesh & Mahmood, 2019).

Through logos, information about someone’s beliefs, style and perspectives are gathered and placed in one suggestive symbol. Complex knowledge is simplified in a way more comprehensive form. On the other side, for visual language individual symbols can expand their meanings and while more forms are added up. Defining visual language is quite tricky depending on the perspective you are detaining (Erwig, Smeltzer & Wang, 2017). Because visual languages can come with limitations some of the thoughts and feelings can become unvoiced, leading to lack of full expression to another person.

Expression missunderstandings

Visual communication is it known since the first discoveries of the human civilisation. From the first Egyptian hieroglyphs to the symbols used in languages such as Mandarin or Arabic where an item is represented by a symbol, as a logo itself.

Reading LoCoS for example is leaving much more room for experiencing differently. Similar to the fact that is it very hard for someone to describe colours to a blind person without pointing any object as reference, using symbols for describing a certain object or action differentiate people’s perceptions. In the other languages the whole process is almost identical because of personal backgrounds and past feelings a person had, but simultaneously the set benchmark help them to navigate closer to the general view.

In visual communication languages two major problems interfere: the missing capacity of counting or placing a specific aspect on a scale to measure its intensity and the differences in perception among a variety of cultures (Lor et. al, 2019). This is the reason many logos can be interpreted in distinct ways which lead to misunderstandings and wrong instructions.

Having a universal language comes with adaptation and finding solutions to every problem. But aren’t we surrounded by some kind of vocabulary illustrated by digital artists? The answer is yes: emojis. Considering that over the years emojis had an observable improvement when it comes to both quantity and quality.But are emoji representing exactly what a person wants to express or are they just a complementary way to visualise a feeling?

Graphic design is a key element in the presented problem because a designer choses to illustrate the feeling based on a worldwide research. Even if diversity is present as the main factor the findings need to be calibrated and simplified as a universal dictionary (Russmann & Svensson, 2017). In addition to that, even with a developed collection of different objects, feelings and contexts, many of them do not have a defined purpose and are not known by all the online users. For this problem https://emojipedia.org/ has all the answers, showing all existing version on each display on the market and this should be receiving appreciation form all users.

Despite of the different styles they are using, each emoji remains recognisable at some point, revealing the same internal idea, for viewers to associate their needs with every design it is shown at the surface. As in the LoCoS language, people can make sentences using emojis, but a theoretical part for creating this does not exist. This means the visual communication is involuntarily understood by the human mind just trough associations with the external items and past experiences. Many people are not even using the entire variety of the existing emojies and even if the usual way of communication would disappear, the majority of them will not be a necessity for describing people’s thoughts.

Intuition can create misunderstandings and developing the LoCoS language which includes important aspects, such as symbols for exact places, points in time and in-depth descriptions for intensity is more complex and has higher chances for becoming applied after some time. 

Keeping this in mind just by thinking that a visual language would replace the ones we are using nowadays we can anticipate different scenarios. I remember once seeing a video where people were debating on what symbol should be placed on radioactive containers so the future outside generations or other species would recognise it as a poisonous thing and take care on how they manage it. Considering they do not own any information about the human perception, language, habits or enivornement, they automatically do not classify anything as being bad or good, from the start. 

Here, the design of it counts the most and any minimalist styles should be left aside, giving as many visual details as possible for the outsiders to make associations in real time, if possible.

Lastly, the idea of creating a whole new way of communicating while gradually removing the existing ones seems to be a way of preparing the population for the future evolution phases, but as always is it coming with sacrifices and misleading information if not keeping all possible scenarios in mind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Erwig, M., Smeltzer, K. & Wang, X. (2017) "What is a visual language?", Journal of visual languages and computing (Online) vol. 38, pp. 9-17. Available from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvlc.2016.10.005 [Accessed: 4th of December 2020]

Lor, M., Vang, X., Rabago, D., Brown, R.L. & Backonja, M. (2019) “It Hurts as If…”: Pain-Associated Language, Visual Characterization, and Storytelling in Hmong Adults, Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) (Online) vol. 21, no. 8, pp. 1690-1702. Available from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/10.1093/pm/pnz268 [Accessed: 4th of December 2020]

Luffarelli, J., Mukesh, M. & Mahmood, A. (2019) "Let the Logo Do the Talking: The Influence of Logo Descriptiveness on Brand Equity", Journal of marketing research (Online) vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 002224371984500-878. Available from: https://doi-org.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/10.1177/0022243719845000 [Accessed: 4th of December 2020]

Russmann, U., Svensson, J. (2017) "Introduction to visual communication in the age of social media: Conceptual, theoretical and methodological challenges", Media and communication (Lisboa) (Online) vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 1-5. Available from: https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v5i4.1263 [Accessed: 4th of December 2020]

https://emojipedia.org/

https://medium.com/@chrisgaul/https-medium-com-chrisgaul-is-this-language-without-letters-the-future-of-global-communication-15fc54909c12

[architectnews]

"Architects need substantive knowledge and skills to address climate change"

Architecture schools should update the curriculum to teach future designers how to respond to the crisis of climate change says Jesse M Keenan, a professor at the Tulane School of Architecture.

This fall, the Tulane School of Architecture became the first design school in America to sign on to the US Architects Declare initiative. This initiative is led by a vanguard of domestic practitioners who have sought to re-centre the profession in recognition of parallel crises in climate change, biodiversity and social justice.

Architecture bears a certain responsibility for its footprint in the world

This is not a collective act of advocacy as much as it is a recognition of facts, and the facts suggest that the world is changing faster than most schools can keep up with. Across nearly every economic sector, there is a huge demand for skilled practitioners who possess not only a literacy of climate change science but also the substantive skills necessary to face climate change head-on.

Architecture bears a certain responsibility for its footprint in the world – namely its contribution to almost 40 per cent of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. For architects, training in energy and environmental modeling has long been a part of a core curriculum in building science. But architects are now being asked to evaluate the lifecycle of materials, optimise supply chains, and design within the parameters of a predetermined carbon equivalent footprint.

As carbon taxes become more widespread, these upfront design decisions will significantly shape the economic performance of buildings – something clients care an awful lot about. There is no doubt that the inevitable implementation of widespread carbon taxes will forever change the glass and steel landscape defining today's commercial architectural practice.

Beyond greenhouse gases, architects must also design with an eye for the risk and uncertainty associated with the performance of buildings that may be operating outside of known design events and material thresholds. This means that architects often have to think about designing a building with the capacity to adapt to future environmental conditions and changing programmes. This requires not only a deeper understanding of resilience in material science, but it also requires an ability to source and translate relevant environmental data.

Architects are not expected to be climate scientists, but they are going to be held to an evolving standard of care

For example, forthcoming updated ASHRAE climate zones will drive new code compliance that will, in turn, introduce new techniques for managing moisture and extreme heat in parts of the country that have often gone without mechanical ventilation. Architects are not expected to be climate scientists, but they are going to be held to an evolving standard of care that requires a regional and site-specific ascertainment of a wide range of climate change impacts – from flooding to extreme heat. The climate is already changing and staying up-to-date is going to require a new vocabulary.

So what do design schools need to teach their students? Well, vocabulary is a good place to start. From ecosystem services to environmental justice, there is a vast body of knowledge that is going to define not only climate literacy but also climate competency. First, students need to understand the basics of observational climate science that includes everything from the physics of radiant forcing to the complex biochemistry of carbonisation and thermal energy transfers shaping ocean dynamics. You have to know this stuff before you can ever study more immediate challenges, such as the newly discovered processes by which concrete assemblies absorb atmospheric carbon leading to acidification and accelerated material degradation.

Students need a more complete understanding of science and the scientific method

Students need to understand the parameters and standardisation of coupled climate models as a means for understanding the basic building blocks of climate information driving design decisions. If you don't know what RCP 8.5 might mean for your building, then it is never too late to go back to school. If by chance you have thought about how RCP 8.5 might impact your building and you did not question the scientific validity of RCP 8.5, then you still have work to do.

In general, students need a more complete understanding of science and the scientific method. This includes formal modules in statistical data and inference. There isn't a design studio in America that doesn't start-off with some questionable litany of statistics. Those days are over. If we expect architecture to be more dynamic, then we should also train students to be able to identify cognitive biases, deterministic logic, stationarity in data models, and the boundaries and limitations to systems and non-systems. This may sound abstract, but these are critical skills for working as part of an interdisciplinary team.

In order to fully engage interdisciplinary teams, architecture students are going to need a more thorough understanding of where the social conscience of architecture meets the value chain of production. This means that students must engage economic decision making in everything from knowing the basics of real estate finance and risk management to being able to properly discount the future cost of carbon embedded in their material selections.

In this sense, students must not only be able to visualise the flows of energy and capital that flow through buildings, they must also articulate strategies for managing climate risks that impede the sustainability of these flows. Additional curriculum modules in everything from the basics of urban ecology to building microbiology and human health are complementary to the penultimate skills associated with a disciplined analysis of design processes that will shape the life and occupancy of a building in an uncertain future.

It is no longer sufficient to believe professional ethics will have any meaningful impact

The architectural academy and accreditation boards must embrace the requisite interdisciplinarity of climate change. Think of these scientific modules as deep extensions of existing professional practice and building science curriculum requirements. Yet, in pushing farther, we must recognise that environmental design is one part applied science and one part social behavior. As such, students must be equipped with the social science knowledge necessary to engage everything from racial and socioeconomic inequality and to the architect's role in disaster capitalism.

It is no longer sufficient to believe that professional ethics or a greater awareness of climate change will have any meaningful impact on the status quo. Architects need substantive knowledge and skills to address climate change. At the Tulane School of Architecture, we are going to change the way we educate tomorrow's climate leaders – one architect, one building, and one community at a time.

Jesse M Keenan is an associate professor of Real Estate at the Tulane School of Architecture. Keenan is the author of NYC 2040: Housing the Next One Million New Yorkers, and co-editor of Blue Dunes: Climate Change by Design, and Climate Change Adaptation in North America: Experiences, Case Studies and Best Practice.

Photo is courtesy of Tulane School of Architecture.

The post "Architects need substantive knowledge and skills to address climate change" appeared first on Dezeen.

[clairedelunetunes]

The multiple intelligence inventory is one way of assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses according to the kind of intelligence that they are more likely to lean towards to. This is not totally a hundred percent applicable to everyone but it gives the person an idea on where they excel and where they underperform. I took the test and unsurprisingly I belonged to the introspective group wherein my top 3 learning styles belong. Introspection denotes that one requires looking inward by the learner; an emotive connection to their own experiences and beliefs in order to make sense of new learning. It isn’t surprising to me because I’ve been told recently that I seem like an introspective person with the way I express my thoughts and feelings towards something. This person can be intrapersonal (includes understanding and appreciating one's innermost feelings) , existentialist (the ability to be sensitive to, or have the capacity for tackling deeper or larger questions about human existence), and/or visual (learn best visually and organizing things spatially). Observing these results, I can understand why I appear to be empathetic towards people, why I prefer to look at the big picture first, and why I need to visualize for me to learn better. On the other hand, my least learning style appears to be the logical one. This person is good at reasoning, recognizing patterns, and logically analyzing problems which is not exactly my forte. I still need to work on my abstract reasoning and comprehending patterns and the likes. This may not be an unfamiliar ground to me but this is just a reminder that not everyone can be good at too many things all at once.

In relation to the type of intelligence that was put out for me, it is understandable why my special skills or abilities lean towards the works of the mind. I am never an active or a musical or a socialite person. With that being said, I mostly focus on the internalization of my thoughts and managing my emotions in the sense that when it comes to decision-making, I don’t let those get in the way. I can cope up with challenges and learn new information by making them prior knowledge which can be useful later on. I am the type to not mind working under pressure. In fact, I find it challenging and the adrenaline rush that comes with it is exhilarating. To not have aphantasia, in which some people are unable to visualise mental images, is a blessing itself. As a huge visual learner, I remember things and faces very well so I don’t have a hard time to recognize afterwards.

There are instances wherein certain factors hinder a person to achieve their goals in life. In the academic field, it’s the smallest things that continuously occurs that affect what I want to attain for the most part. It can be the the lack of proper time management, the distractions which I naturally entertain, and the procrastination that every student seems to do. I usually have my bullet journal where I keep track of the deadlines or activities to do but then procrastinating happens it inevitably leads to cramming which isn’t the most effective action to resort to. Mind you, I procrastinate all the time and still gets things done and maybe that’s why I don’t mind doing it again. Another thing is that I have a hard time focusing for a long period of time. I get easily distracted with the things that do not matter at that moment. It can be my phone, or the food waiting in the refrigerator, or the kids playing outdside the house. Since thent it’s difficult to get back in track and procrastination is more likely to be my calling. However, I slowly seek to completely change that habit because I am aware that it wouldn’t help me in the future and I don’t want it to be a thing that lasts. To be able to do that, I need to set my priorities straight. What things matter the most right now? Will they be affected if I do them later on instead? When you start doing things at your own pace, the rest will follow accordingly.

The thing with being an ambitious and competitive person is that despite having those traits, I am still not able to give a 100% of what I can do. It’s like a 40% of myself is active and the rest are still dormant. Yes, I strive harder. Yes, I begin to take risks as much as I can. However, it seems that the word ‘enough’ is currently not in my vocabulary. It is in the sense that what may seem to be enough to others is still below average to me. I aced the test? Good for me. I lead the group? I’m learning to do so. But these things are only a fraction of what I do and what should I be doing. This is where my ideal self and actual self turn sour. The standards I have set for myself are high that they appear to be unattainable. But then how do you improve if you don’t continue to aim more. It contradicts to what I am because if I seek to accomplish more then why do I still hold back? Although I take risks, it takes a lot of contemplating and inner monologues for me to do so. To take a step forward is a huge decision for me and so I prefer to just stay put instead. I wish to be a person who is in control of leading others, or being able to join extracurricular activities without a lot of uncertainties that come with it. All it takes to do so is a scary leap of faith even if it does seem so far away.

People say that what good would it bring if you only survive and not live at all. There is a fine line between wanting to live and wanting to survive. You’d either live because there is a purpose in your life or you’ll only survive because that’s the only thing you can afford to do. In my 18 years of existence, which sounds really cliche now that I think about it, is still a ridiculously young age. Just because you’ve turned ‘legal’ doesn’t mean you’d automatically know everything. You’d start to become responsible for your well-being and suddenly youre slowly becoming an adult. There is not much that I have attained during my pre-18 years but that doesn’t equate to your life being meaningless. I am not a person who is hands on to a lot of the matters around me. I was never the center of attention and that’s fine. I wasn’t praised highly and that’s also okay. My achievements so far don’t usually lie on the material side of the spectrum but more on the mental and inner aspect instead. If you count being consistent in academics then that is one. As a person who relies heavily on guts, or being an indecisive person generally, being able to choose the path i’d take on college is a whole achievement itself. College is a different world to dig in and it’s not something that one should take lightly. Simpler things such as being able to do your designated tasks of the day or taking leisure after a dull and restless moment is a huge feat already. Your achievement doesn’t always have to be grand. If it makes you feel accomplished doing them and a weight is removed off your shoulders then I am proud of you. You’re doing great and better and greater things will take place as you continue to live.

Happiness ranges from what you wish for others and what you wish for yourself. There’s no rule created on what things should make you happy. I find happiness on the smallest things which is a warm feeling inside of me. It can be the fact that I had a decent sleep, a compliment from someone, or just the fact that I am here to witness the moment I’ve been waiting for. A huge part of my happiness is through reading. The feeling of relief, warmth, and comfort after flipping through the pages or device equates to happiness. “I am glad you’ve let me inside your head. That mind of yours is swirling with ideas and you cannot not put it into words because you’ll blow up and that doesn’t seem good”. The mind is a fickle thing but it also brings the best in a person. Another thing is music. The feeling of hearing a familiar and unfamiliar song. The genre you’ve found the least fond of but it shocked you because it hit the deepest parts of yourself. Music transcends language. You dont have to completely understand it for it to shake you to the core. Life without music is like a library without the books. The Korean group called BTS made a huge impact in my life. The burst of relief, the instant serotonin you have maybe found in your instruments, or to your sports, or to your games, I have found it in them. The message their music brings, the goodness of their hearts, and the hardwork they always have are few of the reasons why a lot of people look up to them. I treat them as people whom I have the respect and admiration for and I don’t think that will change anytime soon They instantly radiate happiness and isn’t that what this is about?

[srbachchan]

DAY 3459

Jalsa, Mumbai                Sept 16/17,  2017               Sat/Sun 12:29 AM 

And just when the Blog begins to sound like an account on Twitter, with its questionable and increasingly difficult strength, of those valiant 140 words, we, or rather I begin to wonder if there lies a fault in the reliability of the writer, or is it just another day of excessive anxiety and slither motivated lethargy ..

O ! and ‘slither’ immediately and quite un wantonly, coerces me to mention the ‘slither’ that was quite by accident discovered in one of the plant pots lying near the gates of Prateeksha, by a passer by .. the reptile lay curled up and had apparently crossed the road from the other side and slid into a safe haven .. 

On coming to know it, the department that looks after and is in charge of such wild life occurrences was informed, and they, very efficiently, were able to catch the snake immediately and have now deported him or her to the forested region of the  National Park in the Andheri - Goregaon region. They informed me that it was a non venomous water snake !

So ..  not dwelling too much on the above we draw our attention to the topic under surveillance - content !

Many moons ago .. O ! the mention of moon has diverted my attention again .. there were proposals made for my participation in a film today that shall be dealing with the ‘moon’ ; I am putting myself under a perceived intent of wishing to read some kind of a synopsis of the film story before I take any decisions ..

So yes many moons ago ..  the value of content was most elaborately discussed with me, and its importance in modern day life and living was inserted into my, at that time, rather putrid and dumb waitered brain - not to say that it still isn’t - and that is another chapter - to work and comply with the philosophy of its meaning in modern day communication businesses ..

CONTENT .. that really is the name of the game in modern times .. what you say see, observe, wear, not wear, speak write in any form, is being recorded for present and for posterity by utensils of unimaginable dexterity and science ..

We are, as a world race, going to be, in the thousands of years to come, the most documented species in the entire Universe, provided the extra terrestrials do not suddenly breathe down our throats, as can be intensely visualised in almost every second Hollywood film and video game ..

The channels of information and entertainment, shall ever be in need of content to be able to fill that ogre of a monster, the TV, to keep it alive and kicking .. or the mobile in your hand to have all in it .. at some stage all that converses in the air waves shall form material for these institutions - the institutions that have made it their mission to either control the skies, or the earth ..

Mr Murdoch wishes the skies .. and Mr Turner the earth .. and long may their missions exist and prosper  ...

THE book of the year .. PINK the inside story, opens its pages to me tonight through a delivery service, and I am delighted to run through the warm freshly printed pages, of this new book - books just printed out, do have that nostalgic element of smell and taste and feel .. I have often wondered why .. but there it is and without any debate .. the new book that you buy, that new book that you open when you change classes in school .. all .. have the effect that is simply so intensely normal yet filled with the excitement of a new born baby !!

Those new books - their covers in brown or newspaper left overs, neatly cut and folded to prevent the book from any exterior damage, the pencilling or inking your name on that front first page and ages down the line when time and journeys have been passed, to open them to fill your heart with that first feel .. !

And then we have with us other prominent writers, who gift their efforts in vivid detail and depth .. and hope that we can give them some attention .. I generally do .. like I do for this .. a book by Amish ‘Immortal India’  .. a most well written and instantly readable vocabulary .. a gentle sail through the deep waters of the Country, reenacting journeys taken thousands of years back .. tracing the history and the authenticity of various informations that have formed and paved our way of thinking, behaving and just being who we are, in this part of the hemisphere ..

A great many beliefs and historic finalities have been talked of and given either credence of just another superficial smirk of self egoistic praise, most such experiences have not necessarily or forced you to accept arguments most vividly laid out before you in a style that comforts your reading pleasure ; I must admit with due respect of course, that most readings do not always do or have that effect ..

For me personally, reading is slim, but when it does converge upon me with some attitude and credence, I do find myself drifting off into the nether world  ..

and these are not reading material .. they are the love and ingenuity of the Ef, who are very close to cracking the whip announcing the arrival of another Picasso, or Van Gough .. 

Sleep well dear all .. I wish to do the same .. its been a few exasperating hours with the cold and cough .. but my system bears me well and vice versa  ..

Good night then ..

Amitabh Bachchan

[workfromhomeyoutuber]

SNOMED International: Java Developer

Headquarters: London, UK URL: http://www.snomed.org

SNOMED International is hiring a back end Java Developer, joining the all-remote team developing open source products that provide the universal language of healthcare globally.

We offer a significant intellectual challenge and substantial learning opportunity, gaining transferable skills at the forefront of knowledge representation, description logic, linked data and the semantic web - all of which you may learn with us.

We're building open source software and web applications that ultimately benefit quality of life for the millions of people whose healthcare service provision relies upon the accurate, standardised, medical vocabulary of SNOMED CT and its ecosystem of tools; https://github.com/IHTSDO.

We'll help you to understand our domain, products, roadmap and ecosystem - with ample mentoring, training and certifications along the way. You'll find us to be a welcoming, multicultural and highly supportive team, which understands remote working.

We take daily standups and you will be exposed to all aspects of our stack. Once up to speed, you can soon contribute fresh ideas and substantial new code around any of; distributed applications, ontology management tools, data visualisation, scalable microservices and web solutions that serve a global community. 

Java is our main language to do this; we're language-agnostic, developing an evolving technology stack and you may join projects that build upon your strengths.

Upcoming projects in the team

Advancing the software that implements the far reaches of mathematics and computer science to produce the terminology which is the most comprehensive machinable representation of healthcare knowledge

Analytics, applying Elasticsearch to demonstrate healthcare outcomes

New web and data tools to aid implementation with adjacent healthcare ecosystems 

We're looking for

Someone who is a self-starter, and who relishes structured autonomy

Adaptability, openness to change, and pragmatism

Adept with Java - accrued in a modern web application development context

A grounding in - or ready to learn - developing any of: REST APIs, data-intensive back ends, microservices, or designing for deployment into AWS/cloud

1st or 2.1 Computer Science-related degree, or equivalent foundational knowledge

Appreciation for open source, clean code, testing, good documentation and knowledge sharing

Someone seeking junior or mid level remote Java jobs such as: Java Software Engineer | Java Developer | Back End Software Engineer | Back End Developer etc.

Our current ecosystem - we'll help you get up to speed

Java, Spring Boot | Angular | Agile, TDD | Ansible | Jenkins | AWS | Git | MySQL | Atlassian suite | AWS RDS Aurora | Elasticsearch | ontologies and description logic | AI and real world data

Salary and benefits

£35,000 – £50,000 or equivalent (initially, due to funding structure, a two year contract)

25 days paid holiday + bank holidays | discretionary home office setup assistance | laptop | expenses

Personal development plan, with budget | time out for conferences and workshops

Technology certification | SNOMED courses and certifications

About us

SNOMED International is a non-profit clinical terminology standards organisation with 40 member countries worldwide. We seek to improve the health of humankind by fostering the development and use of suitable standardised clinical terminologies, notably the SNOMED CT product, in order to support safe, accurate, and effective exchange of clinical and related health information. The focus is on enabling the implementation of semantically accurate health records that are interoperable. Joining SNOMED, where remote working is embedded in our culture, you can enjoy the right mix of autonomy, challenge and ability to shape and influence your role as a valued team member. www.snomed.org 

Located: preferably within the UK, Germany, or Denmark - with regular expensed trips to London for team meetings

Start date: asap, by summer 2020

SNOMED International encourages you to be in touch with Vittora at techfolk, our recruitment partner for this position, to apply or to find out more:

+44(0)117 318 2447 | hello@techfolk.co.uk | @we_are_techfolk

PLEASE NOTE: Applicants must be eligible for employment in the EU without requiring employer sponsorship - we are unable able to consider applicants that don't already hold the necessary work permit for employment in the UK.

To apply: http://bit.ly/2xjfYj1

from We Work Remotely: Remote jobs in design, programming, marketing and more https://ift.tt/335J6WZ from Work From Home YouTuber Job Board Blog https://ift.tt/2W2rIkg