#active ageing programmes

[iclick-blogs]

Top 3 Active Ageing Centres in Singapore

Active Ageing Centres play a crucial role in promoting the well-being of Singapore's ageing population, contributing significantly to the concept of Active Ageing Singapore. These centres serve as hubs for seniors to engage in various activities that enhance their physical health, mental agility, and social connections.

The Role of Active Ageing Centres:

At these centres, seniors can participate in a diverse range of activities tailored to their interests and needs. From fitness classes to educational workshops and social events, these activities contribute to senior’s holistic well-being, keeping them physically active, mentally stimulated, and socially connected.

Key Features of Active Ageing Centres in Singapore:

Prominent active ageing centres in Singapore, such as the Council for Third Age (C3A) Seniors Activity Centre and Active Ageing Hubs by the People's Association, offer state-of-the-art facilities and a wide array of programs. These centres provide access to exercise equipment, multipurpose halls, computer labs, and relaxation areas. Customised programs cater to diverse interests, including language classes, arts and crafts workshops, and health screenings, reflecting the emphasis on Active ageing in Singapore.

Community Engagement and Outreach:

Active ageing centres actively engage with the community through partnerships with local organisations, volunteers, and healthcare professionals. These collaborations enhance support for seniors and facilitate outreach efforts to isolated individuals. Success stories and testimonials highlight the positive impact of these centres on seniors' lives.

Challenges and Future Directions:

Despite their importance, active ageing centres face challenges such as funding constraints and limited resources. To address these challenges, strategies such as government support, public-private partnerships, and innovative outreach programs are crucial. Continuous improvement and innovation are essential for enhancing the effectiveness and accessibility of active ageing services. Here are the leading 3 Active Ageing Centres in Singapore.

Mind Science Centre:

Since its inception in 2016, the Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre has been a pivotal force in the realm of mental healthcare. Founded by a dedicated coalition of philanthropists and medical experts, the Centre embodies a unique fusion of Eastern philosophical insights and Western scientific rigour. This distinctive approach drives the Centre's mission to pioneer innovative strategies for promoting mental well-being within the local community.

Central to the Centre's vision is its commitment to active ageing—a holistic journey towards vitality and fulfilment that transcends age boundaries. Through a blend of research initiatives and community programs, the Centre seeks to empower individuals of all ages to enhance their emotional resilience and optimise cognitive performance. By embracing both traditional wisdom and cutting-edge scientific discoveries, the Centre aims to bridge generational divides and cultivate a culture of mental wellness that permeates every facet of society.

Beyond its immediate impact, the Mind Science Centre serves as a catalyst for broader societal change. Through its research efforts and advocacy work, the Centre sheds light on the intricacies of the human brain and advocates for comprehensive mental health care reform and teaches how to prevent dementia. By empowering communities with knowledge and resources, the Centre fosters a collective sense of resilience and compassion, laying the groundwork for a future where mental well-being is prioritised and safeguarded for all.

Available Active Ageing Activities:

The active ageing centre offers tailored physical exercise programs, designed to improve strength, flexibility, and balance among seniors, promoting overall well-being and vitality.

Seniors can engage in mindfulness sessions at the centre, fostering mental clarity and emotional balance while enhancing cognitive function and reducing stress, promoting a sense of peace and contentment.

Through art and music sessions, participants explore creative expression, stimulating memory recall, and promoting social connection, fostering a sense of fulfilment and nostalgia.

Seniors at the centre can delve into horticulture, nurturing plants and gardens, fostering a sense of purpose and accomplishment, while promoting physical activity and relaxation.

Joining the vibrant choral singing group allows seniors to experience the joy of harmonising with others, enhancing emotional well-being, and fostering a sense of community and belonging.

Informative sessions on various health topics empower individuals to make informed decisions about their well-being, promoting a proactive approach to health management among participants of the active ageing centre. 2. NTUC Health

NTUC Health, drawing on over four decades of experience and expertise, stands as one of Singapore's foremost providers of senior care services, including senior day care, nursing homes, and home personal care. Alongside these essential services, NTUC Health offers a comprehensive range of programs tailored to promote active ageing and holistic wellness among seniors.

At the heart of NTUC Health's commitment to active ageing is its array of fitness classes and senior gyms, providing seniors with opportunities to stay physically active and maintain their health. These offerings are complemented by community support initiatives aimed at assisting vulnerable seniors, ensuring they receive the care and assistance they need to thrive.

Moreover, NTUC Health goes beyond traditional healthcare services by operating a chain of dental clinics and a family medicine clinic, catering to the diverse needs of seniors and their families.

Embracing the philosophy that staying active is key to enjoying one's senior years to the fullest, NTUC Health's Active Ageing Centres serve as vibrant hubs of activity and engagement. Through strength training fitness programmes and engaging health talks, seniors are empowered to learn new skills, forge meaningful connections, and lead fulfilling lives. At NTUC Health's Active Ageing Centres, there's never a shortage of opportunities to explore, learn, and socialise.

Central to NTUC Health's Active Ageing Programmes is the CASHEW framework, which encourages seniors to lead connected, active, sharp, happy, enriched, and well-rounded lives. By participating in a diverse range of activities tailored to their interests and needs, seniors can enhance their overall wellness and cultivate a sense of fulfilment in their golden years.

In essence, NTUC Health's Active Ageing Centres exemplify the organisation's unwavering dedication to supporting seniors in living vibrant, fulfilling lives as they age gracefully. Through a holistic approach to care and wellness, NTUC Health empowers seniors to embrace their later years with vitality, purpose, and joy.

Available Active Ageing Activities:

Embrace joyful connections and become part of a lively community. They offer various activities like games and workshops that appeal to different interests, ensuring there's something for everyone.

Keep active and healthy with programs designed to keep you moving and feeling great! These programs focus on improving flexibility, strengthening muscles, and lowering the chances of age-related illnesses.

Keep your mind sharp with workshops and activities that exercise your brain and spark creativity!

Forge new friendships through enjoyable activities and start a journey toward a happier, healthier you!

Join in the fun with programs like baking and digital literacy workshops where you can learn and make friends!

Learn how to make healthier lifestyle choices with wellness programs that cover topics like healthy eating, personalised meal plans, and maintaining a balanced diet. 3. Precious Active Ageing Centre

The Precious Active Ageing Centre has experienced significant growth, now serving a substantially larger community. Formerly catering to around 200 seniors per centre, they now engage with an average of 1,000, with projections aiming for 4,000 or more as the population ages.

In alignment with the government's vision to support seniors ageing in place, the centre collaborates closely with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). Anticipating the evolving needs of seniors, they are poised for increased collaboration with community partners to expand their range of programs and activities.

Serving as a vital nexus for seniors in the community, the Precious Active Ageing Centre offers a comprehensive array of activities tailored to their interests and requirements. Seniors actively participate in the planning of daily programs, ensuring offerings resonate with their preferences.

These centres serve as bustling hubs of activity, fostering physical fitness, mental stimulation, and social connections among seniors, allowing them to engage regularly with peers and neighbours.

Available Active Ageing Activities:

Energise your day with invigorating indoor and outdoor exercises tailored to your fitness level, promoting overall well-being.

Forge meaningful connections with fellow seniors through supportive interactions and shared experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

Enjoy light-hearted conversations and laughter-filled moments with peers, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere of friendship.

Unleash your inner songbird and join in the fun of karaoke sessions, showcasing your vocal talents and enjoying musical entertainment.

Engage in hands-on activities led by seniors themselves, fostering creativity, skill-building, and a sense of accomplishment.

Stay informed and empowered with informative talks on wellness and health-related topics, promoting proactive self-care and prevention.

Expand your horizons and stimulate your mind with enriching classes, such as language learning, unlocking new skills and knowledge.

Embark on exciting local outings and excursions, exploring nearby attractions and creating memorable experiences with fellow seniors in the community.

Conclusion:

Active Ageing Centres are indispensable for promoting healthy ageing and improving the quality of life for seniors in Singapore, contributing to the vision of Active Ageing Singapore. Investing in these facilities and initiatives is vital to support the growing elderly population and create an age-friendly society. Readers are encouraged to explore and support active ageing centres in their communities to foster well-being among seniors.

[raceweek]

hello. alexalblondo's rude anon coming here to humbly and politely beg for galex primer because i dont understand their history. george said he lived at alex's family's house at one point? how - weren't they already racing? sorry thank you humble thank you 🙏🙏

hello!!! thanks chris for the referral FKFJDKD

i have overwhelmed my alex and george tags so much that i fear i could never capture all of it but my galex key moment anthology is under the cut!!

karting/early single seaters

Alex thinks they met in 2011 but the footage in georges flip phone says he knew alex back in 2009.

Their first actual interaction (so far as they've told the world) was when alex was world champion with the intrepid karting team and bc he was their reference driver he was asked to help pick the drivers who were quick to replace him when he moved up and he picked george (and charles) so they were then part of that same intrepid driver programme for a while. Interestingly, alex was always at least one year above him bc of their ages and george says the fact they didn't really race directly against each other before 2016 was probably why they became such good friends.

They did a deep dive of their camera rolls from this time on twitch a couple years back and talked about the oldest pictures they have of each other in their camera rolls (1:25:36) which was cute.

2017

2017 is the year george basically lived with alex. They were also sharing a trainer whilst alex was competing in gp2 and george was in gp3. George was doing mercedes sim work at their factory so rented a flat in milton keynes near where alex lived but according to alex that rent was wasted money bc george had more meals at alexs' house than he did that year. Also as detailed in those links, the Great Mountain Biking Incident of 2017 occurred at this time so we have the fun mental image of george literally wheeling alex into a&e on a wheelchair bc that is an actual event that happened.

2018

George and alex both in f2 fighting for the title year wooooo!! They never really fought on track but we did get fun tidbits like when alex pipped george to the win at silverstone bc george had a slow pit stop and giggled about it in parc ferme (5:42) & these post session interviews.

also some incredible photoshoots.

2019

Promotion to f1!!! We started the year at winter testing and this nugget that they have both accepted that they are actually tied together by the strings of fate. They're doing fun media stuff like karting and bullying each other over percentage of apexs hit at the skypad (video). 2019 also the start of the umbrella sharing. They were just together a lot… more skypad analysis!!!

2019 also has MY personal favourite galex moment which was hockenheim 2019 and the 45 minute phone call galex had on the way home after george missed out on scoring what would have been his first point in f1 and only point of the season.

There was also the summer break and enjoying a training camp together, exchanging infections etc. Alex also took george to meet lily for the first time, bc that’s a normal thing to do.

There was also the rookie of the year vid, and the rookie season review vid at the end of the year. Much was happening.

2020

The year started with f1 trying to race during a global pandemic. Fun! On the singular media day before everyone realised just how stupid that was they were being annoying. The lockdowns did give us the twitch streams. George was initially so bad at virtual racing he had to secretly consult alex's brother for help behind alexs back. George was also actively seeking alex out like a missile at any given opportunity and at one point felt necessary to declare that he wasn't alexs boyfriend when someone asked if alex was going to be streaming that day. Anyway my lockdown twitchscapades tag has a post with a playlist of all the streams that haven't been lost or deleted if you want to feel joy and have a spare million hours.

Racing resumed in July with the covid team bubbles and within two races and one qualifying session george was defending alexs honour to sky sports and the world in a truly remarkable fashion.

At the end of the year alex was unemployed....even more tragic than this loss was that alexs career difficulties were so extreme he started ghosting george, which devastated him to the extent he needed to publicly drag him for it.

There was also george asking lily to post alexs n*des on instagram and lily responding with if anyone has them it would be you which was perhaps the last time george had access to his own social media password.

Despite george not liking it they celebrated alexs first podium by going golfing! and reverse! George was also gifted an alex albon signed autograph card for christmas and said that he'll put it somewhere special x

2021

The beginning of 2021 was during lockdown and there was more fun virtual gps except the only two drivers doing it were george and alex so they were just bitching and gossiping and threatening to steal strategies and abu dhabi 2016 each other. Particular shoutout to the time they had a virtual race on valentines day and alex put a suit on for it and george was baffled. Immediately after valentines day was georges birthday which lily used to thank george for letting her borrow his boyfriend from time to time.

Then the season started with george enduring the season alexless and not letting anyone forget about it. Alex was turning up to races after being locked in the simulator until the early hours posting stuff like this on instagram and otherwise stumbling over his words after getting whipped on the ass.

Perhaps the defining moment of the galex 2021 season was george pushing the williams board to sign alex so heavily that they had to actively shut him out of proceedings. Also at this time there was this cute congrats from alexs family and one from alex to georgie about the mercedes seat.

anyway here's some more random 2021 nuggets:

i've seen him topless a few times

george getting alex a good deal on a merc x

yet More golf

the handover

georges driver room

2022

They truly lost every inch of personal space in 2022 like. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello. The back signing Hello.

2022 had alex having his appendix out, nearly dying and alexs family updating george whilst alex was in the icu and then when alex returned for the next race in signapore a couple weeks later (insane behaviour) george was like mmm audacious of him to be here.

Elsewhere alex discovered georges photoshoot and was making screensavers about it. Alex also discovered hair dye and george was making instagram stories about it.

other random 2022 nuggets:

george is alexs fave f1 driver excluding himself

this skit williams did of lily finding a huge picture of george in alexs driver room

whatever this image is of lily george and alex

private plane carpool

double date

2023

@onadarklingplain covers the whole year for you much MUCH better than i ever could here!!!!!

and that brings us to present where they're just as weird and freaky with each other as ever!!!

[artemismoorea03]

DC x DP or Marvel Prompt: The Gremlin Janitor

When Wayne Enterprises/Stark Industries hire two new people at the same time who just happened to share the same two references they just though it was a weird coincidence. After all, one was hired on as a programmer due to his excellent hacking abilities while the other was hired on as a Janitor.

They of course ran background checks on both of them but they came up clear. Fresh out of High School, lived in the area, came from Amity Park Illinois, and no criminal record outside of what they had actively admitted to which was only the one who was hired as a Programmer. He got caught for Hacking - hence how they knew about his skills.

But what caught everybody off guard was the first meeting.

Tucker Foley is rather tall, looks his age, and despite looking around like a kid in a candy store seems to have everything in order.

But then there's Danny Fenton. He looks too young to be out of High School though all of his information was sound and he even had paper documentation and other such proof that he was 19 and was as he claimed "Just short". But he was just here to be a janitor.

So did it truely matter?

If anybody was going to be a security risk it would be the hacker with a record.

The first week goes smoothly, but half way through the second week things start to get noticed. Not about Tucker but about Danny. Sure, there had been plenty of comments about his age but other than that he was just praised as being a hard worker even if he didn't understand the concept of wearing a mask and gloves around spilled chemicals.

But no injuries were reported any time he did this. Even when an experimental suit went out of control and started rushing through the building. It was small compared to some of the other tech, but it was still over six feet tall and easily 400 pounds. It wasn't necessarily on a rampage but it was out of control. People ran out of the way, tried to block it, but nobody was successful until Danny - short as hell Danny Fenton - threw himself right in front of it.

Danny blocked it, with just his forearm, stopping it from running over an intern who had been running from the area in fear of getting crushed by the machine. The intern would report that the area was terribly cold when Danny did this but when Tucker came out of hiding a few seconds later saying the machine had been shut down they attributed the cold to anxiety and figured that Tucker had stopped the machine before it had actually hit Danny.

A few weeks later there was a break in the dead of the night, a fight between the intruder and Danny broke out and again Danny held his own and managed to chase off the intruder but not before one of the metal tables were snapped in half. Danny claimed that the intruder had some kind of blade on his arm that cut through it but it was clearly not cut through.

After that Bruce/Tony starts paying more attention to Danny.

More and more minor things popped up until they were finally driven to a point where they just had to meet this kid in person and see him work.

Within moments of arriving they saw Danny Fenton pick up spilled container of Hydrofloric Acid like it was nothing. Which was just one of MANY things that Danny did within an hour that should have ended in disaster.

The final straw though was when Bruce/Tony decided to finally approach Danny and caught him yelling at a box that was mysteriously floating a few feet off the ground.

"PUT THAT THING BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP ME!" The box then dropped, Danny let out a hiss that sounded like a feral animal, then turned and made eyecontact with the man a few feet from him. Danny's only response? To lean against the broom he was holding and smile. "Oh, hey boss!"

[selkies-world]

Language resources

(Duolingo alternatives)

For those who no longer use or trust Duolingo, I've put together a list of resources - apps, learning methods, programmes, etc - with a list of whether or not they are free, and my personal experience with their success at teaching a language. I have also included new ones that I haven't tried yet but which I have researched; for these, I have included a rating of how much hope I have for them panning out in the future.

[I grew up bilingual & went to a multicultural school that had a student body consisting of children from refugee families who spoke little to no English. The school prioritised teaching the entire student body the minority languages, and finding a bridge language we could all learn together to fill in any gaps in communication. Due to this, I spent the last 4 years of primary school learning new languages with the rest of the student body.

We would have a school-wide lesson for 1 hour once a week - usually with a child or staff member fluent in that language leading the lesson at the front of the gym with a microphone so we could hear the correct pronunciation in time with reading the native spelling & English phonetics on the projector screen at the front of the hall. We were expected to use this language in the corridors when we spoke with teachers or staff members and when we passed by other students regardless of what their or our native languages were. As far as fluency went, we were expected to be able to recognise and say greetings and goodbyes, enquire to each others well-being, know how to ask for assistance, how to ask for medical help for various things, how to ask where the bathroom was, to give and receive directions around the entire school, as well as colours, names of things found around the school, make small talk about our activities of the day and our family, and why we were out of class - all with relative ease & mutual understanding.

We changed language after every break, so it was roughly 8 hours of lessons in each language, before we would start again with a new one.

Alongside this, the older students in the school (final 3 years, aged 9 - 11/12) would learn French 3+ hours a week for those 3 years so their writing, reading and speaking standards were acceptable for the beginning of high school. In 1 of these years, we also studied both of our native languages for the first time, for 6 weeks each.

I left traditional schooling at 11, and while I was home-schooled I taught myself Italian, Russian, and Latin from scratch, along with relearning my preferred native language, and 2 forms of sign - I used Makaton as a young child and in school as I have a form of mutism, but as a teen I realised I associated this language with the severe trauma I experienced at school, and so suffered from flashbacks and dissociative episodes when I used it. This, along with medical concerns, led to me learning BSL, and then SSE. Today, I use a combination of English, SSE and my native language in everyday settings. I have a mental block for learning French due to it being heavily associated with my trauma.

I am saying all this not for sympathy, but so that you can see firstly how much I enjoy and value learning languages, and in order to show my experience levels with learning languages. I've used, tried, and tested all of the learning methods I will be talking about in this post. I have either used or done a lot of research into the apps and programmes discussed in this post.

And yes, I have prioritised ones that teach endangered languages, indigenous languages and languages that aren't often included in language media such as Hebrew, various forms of Arabic, Navajo, Gaelic, and others. I have also included ones that teach and / or document sign languages and sign communication systems.]

Please note that the following lists are arranged in no particular order. They are not ranked best to worst or by any other X to Y ratio. They are simply ranked according to how I remembered, tested, or found each of them.

Apps

1: Fluyo.

Rating for hope / faith: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: n/a

Cost: unknown

Status: not yet publicly available

Please note that while Fluyo is not yet available, its Kickstarter page is flourishing, its app is in development, and the developer is a man of colour who has continued to devote himself to this app and its development despite rising health concerns, developing a life-changing disabling condition, and numerous set-backs. His YouTube channel is very educational, and he has also written a book on language-learning. If you would like to know more, you can learn about him here. Fluyo is set up like a computer game with multiple cute characters who are interactive rather than stationary, and I genuinely have high hopes for it once it is released.

2: Babble

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free trial for the first lesson, but a paid subscription is required for any further lessons

Status: available to download

3: Language Drops

Personal experience: ☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆

Cost: free for some lessons, but a paid account is required for access to all lessons

Status: available to download

4: Fluent forever

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: free access to basic lessons to build your confidence with the language, but a paid subscription is required for unlimited access

Status: available to download

5: Lingopie

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: free trial for 7 days, but a paid subscription is required after that for continued use of the app

Status: available to download

6: Fluenday

Hope for: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

7: Language flower

Hope for: ☆

Languages available: ☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆

Cost: free, as far as I can tell

Status: available to download

8: Sign BSL / Daniel Mitchell

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

Please note that Daniel Mitchel offers a BSL version of this, along with an ASL version.

9: Bright BSL / sign lab

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness:☆☆☆☆

Cost: free for some lessons + premium for all other lessons

Status: available to download

Please note that Sign Lab offers this app for the following sign languages: BSL (Bright BSL), ASL (ASL Bloom), LSF (Pause LSF / Langue des Signes, yoDGS, Libras (LibrasLab), Italian Sign Language (MeLISegno), and Toleio: Norsk Tegnspråk.

10: BSL zone

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

11: Reverso context

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

This is less for learning a language, more for quick reference / fact-checking a translation.

12: Pimsleur

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free 7 day trial, but a paid subscription is required for continued use

Status: available to download

13: Memrise

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free for introductory levels, with a premium option to unlock majority of lessons

Status: available to download

14: Busluu

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: Free, with a premium option to download lessons, more repetition, and extra lessons

Status: available to download

15: Hello Talk

Hope for: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

16: Rosetta Stone

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: monthly subscription is required

Status: available to download

17: Lingo Deer

Personal experience: ☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, with a premium option for all lessons beyond Basics 1

Status: available to download

18: Beelinguapp

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: free trial, but a subscription is required for total access

Status: available to download

19: Lingvist

Personal experience: ☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆ (though it does have an option to suggest other languages for them to add, and which language you would like to learn from, and they'll email you when / if that language becomes available)

Effectiveness: unknown

Cost: free

Status: available to download

[Please note this one is not photosensitive friendly or seizure friendly. I had to close the app as soon as I opened it due to the design on their opening page, and even when I reopened it and clicked straight through, their colour scheme was still upsetting to my senses.]

20: Lingvano

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free for a few lessons, but for access to all lessons, a paid subscription is required

Status: available to download

21: Duocards

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, but a more advanced version is available for premium accounts

Status: available to download

22: Chatterbug

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free with limited access, but a paid version is available

Status: available to download

23: Mango languages learning

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free trial, with a premium account required for further access

Status: available to download

24: EdX

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost:

Status: available to download

Please note that EdX is an app which houses courses on multiple subjects, not specifically a language-learning app.

25: Mondly Languages

Personal experience: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆

Cost: free, though it does repeatedly offer you a subscription account for an experience catered to you and your interests

Status: available to download

Please note this one may be triggering to those who are photosensitive or whose senses are upset by rapid moving gifs. There is a crown in the top right-hand corner which vibrates very quickly.

26: Speakly

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free trial, with a subscription account required for further use

Status: available to download

27: Pocket sign

Hope for: ☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, as far as I can tell

Status: available to download

28: Lingo legend language learning

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, though I think there may be a premium option either available but unmentioned, or in the works

Status: available to download

Please note that this app offers you the chance to vote for which languages should be added to its interface, so they can prioritise which ones to fund.

29: INC sign language app

Hope for: ☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to download

For those with religious trauma, please note that INC stands for Iglesia Ni Cristo, and the INC Sign Language App "is a project of the Christian Society for the Deaf under the Christian Family Organizations Office of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ)". While it does not appear to prioritise religious content, the content does feature people dressed in suits as if for attending a church sermon.

30: My signing time

Hope for: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: 14 day free trial, and a subscription is required after this point

Status: available to download

Please note that this one is aimed at babies / toddlers & families.

32: Falou

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, with a premium option if you want to learn more than 1 language & unlock additional courses in your chosen language

Status: available to download

33: Earworms

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: free for the demo, then after that, the lessons are broken into two "volumes" to buy individually, or 1 bonus-pack which contains both to buy once at a slightly reduced cost.

Status: available to download

Please note that Earworms used to be available as CD lessons, which is when I first used them. The CDs were in Volumes and were more expensive than all costs on this app. I used them 10 years ago and still remember what I learned despite not getting to use the language very often, so I can guarantee their method is very effective.

34: Qlango

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, with a premium option for the final 3 levels

Status: available to download

Please note that this one is laid out more like a semi-immersive lesson plan rather than a game. However, it is currently my favourite one.

Other resources

1: Signing hands (YouTube)

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆

Cost: free

Status: available to watch

2: Military style

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆☆

Cost: n/a

Status: available to begin for free, though it will be difficult for you to find an environment that allows you to experience this authentically. If you would like to learn more about what the military style is, I will speak about it further below.

3: Textbooks / Reading materials

Personal experience: ☆☆☆☆

Languages available: ☆☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ☆☆☆☆

Cost: free, or otherwise up to you (what you are willing / able to spend on it)

Status: available to start whenever you feel like it

You can find numerous language-learning resources listed at the end of this post. I also recommend buying an up-to-date dictionary and thesaurus in your chosen language, and studying it. Study the grammar noted in the front, and then actually read the dictionary. It will seem strange, but it will benefit you in the long-run. Make notes as you go, highlight and colour some things in as you see fit.

Learning methods

1: Immersion

Over and over again, we are told that immersion is the best, most effective way to learn a language. This is because this is how we often think children learn languages - and we're partly right about that.

Immersion is the process of immersing yourself in the chosen language, with one single choice: learn the language, or suffer.

If our brains have to choose between struggling to pronounce a few words while gesturing to something we want and clinging onto sounds we hear like trying to hold onto a wet otter, or not getting what we want, we're going to choose to sound & look like an idiot, pointing and saying basic sounds, even if trying to remember the reply is like trying to remember Pi.

With enough time, though, we pick the language up remarkably well when we have no choice but to pick it up. This is the method which has us mimicking accents and gestures and expressions in order to best gain what we want: to express ourselves, our needs and our desires.

However, immersion is often critiqued because unless you have the means to fly to the country that speaks your desired language and live there with 0 influence from your native language for 6+ months... Well, you're not fully immersed, are you? Language apps try to give you an immersive experience, but you can always put your phone down. Depending on where you were educated, you may have had an immersive language class, where you had to learn the language or not be able to join in and so failed by default.

Good ways to mimic immersion are: finding radio channels in your chosen language and watching TV shows in your chosen language without subtitles, and listening to music in your chosen language.

2: Flashcards

Flashcards often tend to be a popular way to test your memory and retention of a particular subject. However, using them to begin learning a language can lead to a loss of motivation.

If you are creating the flashcards yourself, I would recommend creating them in 2 sets: 1 which is the traditional flashcard (your first language OR a picture on one side, and the translation on the other side), and 1 which has twice as many, with only 1 side being used. This second set should be designed like playing cards - the word or picture on one side, and a plain back.

This second set can be used when you're wanting to boost your motivation or confidence - arrange the cards face down, and begin playing the children's game of Pairs. Another option would be Snap.

When you return to using the traditional flashcards, you'll have a better foundation to build on if you've taught yourself to see these as fun, and taught your brain to associate these cards with quickfire responses - such as are brought to the surface during childrens' cards games.

3: Stickers

This is a method which seems obvious once it's pointed out, but seems confusing if you've never done it before.

Simply put, using stickers is when you create or buy stickers with the translation of everyday objects, words and phrases in your chosen language, and put them up around your house. "Door" goes on the door. "Cupboard" goes on the outside of a cupboard, "bread" goes on the inside. "Fridge" goes on the fridge door. "Milk" goes behind the milk so you see it every time you pick the milk up. "Lightswitch" goes above / under the lightswitch. Etc etc etc.

This is a memory retention technique used for multiple scenarios. Nurseries and schools may sometimes have the Makaton sign for something shown in a large diagram stuck to the walls / surfaces. Carehomes may have the names & purposes of objects stuck to the surfaces / objects in the dominant language, for the residents with memory issues or communication barriers.

While this is a good technique for quickfire memory boosts, it can be a slow way to learn a language from scraps, and is better suited for when you are semi-familiar with the written form of the language you are learning. It is also a good way to get everyone involved, as everyone in the home will be interacting with the stickers.

4: Forced conversation

This one is controversial, but can be very effective if it is approached with an open mind, clear communication and previously-agreed upon rules and lines.

The method of forced conversation is exactly what it sounds like: it is when you are engaged in a conversation in your target language, in which the person whom you are conversing with refuses to speak your original language. However, no matter how poor your language skills are, or how uncomfortable you get, they do not stop the conversation, and you do not let to leave the situation until they are satisfied you have communicated well enough, and have understood them. This will usually be "proven" by them giving you instructions, asking a specific question, or requesting you do something for them - if you follow the action through, you have understood them, if you try to give a vague answer and do not do the task, you have not understood them, and the interaction is forced to continue. Again.

This method is controversial because it is not immediately inclusive or welcoming for those who are shy, have anxiety, any form of Mutism, or who have a neurodiversiry or learning disability which impacts their communication. In formal situations, it is often these people who fall behind or get put off from learning a language if forced conversations are the only method they have the option of.

However, if there are adaptions made and accommodation previously discussed and provided, this can still be a viable method which is inclusive to all.

If the person speaking your target language is previously informed of your communication issues or complications, and are instructed in how to accommodate you (ie: Do they need to point at something, or use picture cards as prompts? Do you prefer using picture cards? Do you get distracted if they use hand gestures? Do you need fidget toys provided? Will it be easier for you if you are not forced to maintain eye contact? Will it be better for you if one or both of you are moving around rather than sitting down directly across from each other? Do the lights need to be altered in your environment to make the sensory experience less overwhelming? Do you use noise cancelling headphones? Do you focus better if there is music on in the background? Are there certain tones of voice or volume levels that need to be avoided? Does constantly changing body language stress you out? Do you have a stutter or speech impediment that may impact your pronunciation? Etc.)

Accomodaring these issues, and coming up with a signal to take a break (ie, if you have issues telling the difference between "I am angry at you personally" and "I am tired today" in vocal tones and facial expressions, will you get upset if you think the person is angry at you for not knowing their language? If so, do you need a signal to take a break so you can clearly communicate your stress, and they can give you an answer in your original language and clarify anything which is upsetting or confusing you, before continuing the conversation in your target language?) or to speak in simpler terms? Is their one subject you can talk about particularly well (a hyperfixation) which they can use in the conversation to help you engage?

All of these accommodations may seem intimidating, but if all those involved are aware of these accommodations going into the conversation, it can make the interaction much more positive and productive.

Forced conversation uses the same logic as immersion: if your brain has to choose between looking / sounding like an idiot who stumbles over words, or a very uncomfortable situation which lasts longer each time you make a mistake, your brain will choose to look like an idiot in order to achieve what it wants.

5: Repetition

Repetition is a very common method of learning a language, though it is often criticised for being ineffective.

It is when a phrase or word is said by one party, and repeated by another. If the second party does not pronounce it correctly, the first party repeats it again. This continues until the second party gets it correct. Then the pattern is repeated with another phrase / word. Once a certain number of words have been said correctly by the second party, the first party will return to the start and repeat the process again, with the second party having to say the phrases / words correctly multiple times before being able to move onto the next. The entire process continues in this loop until the second party is saying things correctly with ease.

This method is part of what makes up both immersion, flashcards and military style methods for language learning. It can also be used with textbook learning.

However, it is often critiqued because once the second party is away from the first party and left to their own devices, their confidence in their previous pronunciation will falter, and when they return to the lesson or need to use the language again, they'll be at a lower level of achievement than they were when they left. It is also very tedious, and can become boring.

6: Music

When I spoke about immersion, I briefly mentioned music. I also said that we assume children learn language via immersion. However, as adults we often overlook something else which plays a crucial role in teaching children language: music.

Children learn language, rhythm, speech patterns, and turn-of-phrase via songs, rhymes, riddles, fables, tongue-twisters, and music.

This is why it can be priceless to learn songs in your chosen language. Lullabies. Nursery rhymes. Children's songs. Pop songs that are ridiculed as being too simple or written without talent. Theme tunes from children's shows. Traditional rhymes and tongue-twisters. Most of these can be found via a long time on YouTube.

Music works in a unique way, worming its way into our minds. Our brains are hardwired to recognise and remember patterns - and music is made up of patterns. This is why we get songs stuck in our heads for no reason. Being able to use this to your advantage to learn or remember a new language can be an amazing experience.

7: Subtitles and language swap

This is a method which can be useful when you are learning more than one language, but are more familiar with one than the other.

It is where you watch / listen to a certain media in 1 language, while reading the subtitles / lyrics in another language. This way, the language you are more familiar with / fluent in will fill the gaps of understanding the less familiar one.

You can then challenge yourself by removing one language (muting the media & only reading the subtitles, or removing the subtitles and only listening to the provided audio) and seeing how well you follow along / understand.

This can also be used with your target language and your original language.

8: Writing it down

This is another form of repetitive learning which can be useful when studying / retaining for an exam, but can also be useful when you are first learning the written-to-verbal patterns of a language.

One method is longterm recall: this is where you write down short notes, words & phrases in your target language 1+ hour after engaging with your learning resources. This tests how much you retained. It is a physical show of how much you have actually learned.

Another method is short term recall & build-up: this is where you choose a single word / phrase, and write it as lines (Ducks are green and brown. Ducks are green and brown. Ducks are green and brown. Ducks are-) until your page is full. Then go back to the start and write over the top of your own writing, staying as close to your original marks as possible. Repeating this pattern multiple times until your page rips or the words become close to unreadable tricks your brain into focusing morenon your handwriting than on the language - as such, you will start to see the phrase / word as a pattern to follow, and it is then left to your subconscious mind to retain it while your conscious mind prioritises hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

9: Textbook

If you're more academically inclined, you may prefer a textbook method of study. This is the style used in most night classes and / or some traditional education classes.

Textbook methods have everything arranged by date and time, and learning goals are broken down & laid out according to a set calender: by x, you will have learned this amount, by y, you will have learned this amount, so on so forty until the final set date when you will be "fluent" or a certain level of reasonably fluent.

Most of the time with this method, you will be following guidelines, activities and lesson plans previously arranged in a chosen textbook, and that textbook will be your sole or primary resource.

10: Bilingual books (page by page)

Using page-by-page bilingual books can be confusing and is often overlooked in regards to adult education - however, it can be somewhat interesting to try.

On one page, the text will be written in your original language - on the opposite page, the same text will be repeated in your target language. Seeing the two side-by-side allows you to read your target language and instantly refer back to your original language if you get stuck on a word or phrase.

There is another form of bilingual books often given to children: line-by-line. These feature the image / picture, with the original text written clearly and simply, usually no more than 1 or 2 sentences per page. Directly underneath them will be the translated text written in a different font.

11: Same story / movie, different language

While this can be a fun method, it isn't always the most beneficial if you're looking for accuracy - however, it can be useful if you're wanting to test yourself.

It uses a similar logic to the subtitles & language swap method: you put on a movie you are familiar with, but you put it on in your target language with 0 subtitles. This allows you to engage with the language while using the familiar movie / story as a bridge.

12: Military Style

This is perhaps the most effective technique to use of you have a set amount of time to reach a specified level of understanding / fluency in a language. However, it is also one of the most difficult to fully replicate yourself.

Military style is a form of forced immersion combined with forced conversation and repetitive loops, but with reward and punishment techniques to make you prioritise learning the language over your own comfort zone / personal boundaries.

An example of this style would be party 1 having party 2 engage in forced conversation in front of an audience, then having them repeat a phrase they got wrong over and over until they get it right - all in front of the audience, with a rule set which forbids party 2 from sitting down or disengaging the interaction until they have finished the task. Nobody in the audience is allowed to help party 2. Party 1 continues to push party 2 outside of their comfort zone by having them continue the conversation, repeating any mistakes until they are corrected, and the conversation does not end until it is completed.

After that, party 2 has to do 100 push-ups while repeating the phrase they got wrong the most - and they have to pronounce it correctly while doing the push-ups. Any mistakes, and they go back to 1, regardless of if they were at 7 or 98.

This combined punishment of mild public humiliation and physically pushing their body beyond its limits makes the brain see learning the language as the solution to ending this treatment - as such, party 2 will be far less likely to repeat those mistakes again.

Alongside this, there is forced immersion, in the sense that nobody is allowed to speak their original language in any context or to anyone - they must use the target language or be ignored at best or ridiculed at worst.

Understandably, this method is difficult to replicate on your own or outside of the army.

However, there are some tokens which can be taken from it: notably forced repetition & physical exercise.

Set yourself a challenge using any of the previously mentioned learning methods or apps. Keep note of your mistakes.

At the end of the challenge (say 30 minutes of learning) count up all your mistakes. Now do a push-up / squat / pull-up / sit-up / etc for each mistake you made while repeating the phrase out loud. If you stall too long on making a connection in your mind or stumble over the sounds, start counting from 1 again. Repeat this until you're continuously getting the mistakes correct.

At the end, go back to your lesson and repeat it. Did you get less mistakes?

Thoughts & considerations when it comes to learning a language - for language savants and novices alike

"If you don't use it, you lose it" is probably one of the most hated phrases in terms of learning anything new - and especially in terms of learning a language. I think a better expression would be "If you don't make room for it, you won't keep it".

If you don't make time to learn a language, you won't learn it.

If you don't challenge yourself to reach a certain standard, you won't achieve any standard.

If you don't make the effort to retain the new information, you'll forget it.

When you learn a new language, you have to make room for it in your mind. You have to be willing to make mistakes and continue, knowing you're not doing it perfectly. You have to be willing to make it a priority, even if nobody else in your life sees it as one. You have to be willing to be frustrated and tired and bored. You have to be willing to get every single thing wrong and try again. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable with the new sounds you're making and you have to be willing to be patient while your brain digs out a new burrow of tunnels and connections which didn't previously exist.

If you genuinely want to learn a new language, you have to make room for it in your mind and life. Even when sometimes it's a tight fit.

Resources, as promised

Reading, writing & textbook materials:

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Book 5

Structured notebook 1

Structured notebook 2

Structured notebook 3

Something worth checking out 1

Other things to invest in:

A dictionary in your target language

Picture cards

Flashcards

Stickers

Books in your target language

Children's books in your target language

Nursery rhyme books in your target language

Magazine subscriptions in your target language on a topic you find fascinating

Newspapers in your target language

Poetry in your target language

1 paid language learning app - a lot of the time, you get what you pay for. Not always, but usually.

Notebooks, stationary, etc

Headphones / earplugs

Media in your target language

[kohakhearts]

goh parentified child syndrome. go(h)

my time is here at last. thank you for enabling me <3 apologies for taking months to finish writing this giant post!

welcome to my dissertation on this fucking Dynamic <3

ok! first thing, let's establish our criteria for Parentified Child Syndrome. this is obviously not like, an actual diagnostic Thing, but there are a million and one articles out there for us to look through. so i did the tough work of scouring those to find some Symptoms we can use as anchor points here. a lot of this is split into "emotional" (parents seeking comfort from their children, rather than comforting them) vs. "material" (parents assigning their children responsibilities that are not age-appropriate (e.g. grocery shopping, paying bills, etc.)) needs, but for simplicity i'll just merge them together - because realistically, they often go hand-in-hand. so the primary symptoms we'll work with here will be:

disruptive childhood behaviours (particularly at school)

stress and anxiety

reluctance to participate in play/age-appropriate activities with their peers

difficulty acknowledging and accepting one's feelings

insecure attachment styles

need to feel "in control"

distrustful of others/self-reliant to a fault

absenteeism and poor performance in school

passive communication style

the other obvious prerequesite here is the family dynamic. so let's dissect that one a bit!

goh's family situation isn't actually like...100% clear. but i have analyzed every episode where his family is even mentioned like it's my full-time job and i have no reason to believe his grandmother actually lives with him. so in the scope of this essay, i am assuming that she lives nearby, and most likely has a key to the apartment, but does not live with them.

otherwise, we are given enough context to assume that camille and walker have been busy with work goh's entire life (though i'd choose to believe for my own sanity that in his infancy his mother at least wasn't working...though given the type of job she has, that's actually...kinda hard to say for sure). we can also assume that they've at least been self-employed for the majority of his life. it's clear that they are fairly well-established in the city/in their field by jn, and since goh is supposed to be 10 at this point, it makes sense to me that they've been building that company up pretty much his whole life.

in terms of the work they do, goh tells ash, my dad is a system engineer and my mom is a programmer. they run a company together. granted, we don't see very much of their actual workplace, but what we do see is completely void of other people. as in, camille and walker do all this work BY THEMSELVES.

nothing in the anime otherwise disputes this! if anything, goh's explanations of his parents' lifestyle just reinforces it. he also suggests that during periods of harsh weather and heavy system use, his parents are busier than usual. this implies that they are most busy during holidays. this is actually further implied by the flashback in jn015 where they explicitly say to him that they're sorry for having to work through the holiday. his reaction, being completely unengaged, not even really even acknowledging it, tells us that this is the norm.

however!! he also shows off a special device to horace in jn032 that he says his parents made specifically for him, to help him learn more about mew. this suggests that they must have some amount of free time to dedicate to him...but they show their love for him through material gifts related to their line of work (his computer set-up, too; he tells scorbunny that his parents set it all up for him).

otherwise, we see camille and walker privately share their concerns about goh (a clear awareness that he doesn't have many friends, concern about him being lonely because of them, etc.) but never actually confront goh with their concerns or appear to go out of their ways to do anything about it. i wrote a bit about this and the symbolism of having him catch a cubone of all pokemon in the episode we're introduced to his family here but the tl;dr is that camille and walker demonstrate care for goh to each other but not to him - presumably to compensate for their physical absence, we get the impression he's given a lot of freedom and little to no discipline.

which brings me to the first criterion:

disruptive childhood behaviours (with a side of absenteeism, which presumably contributes to poor performance in school)

goh's school life is obviously inconvienent to the plot progression, so for narrative purposes the writers have him just not go to school. in jn049 we get the explanation that goh had made a promise to their teacher to show up to school for tests...but the weird thing about this scene is that chloe's surprised by it:

since in jn001 and jn002 we see that chloe is goh's only point of contact amongst his schoolmates and that she hand delivers schoolwork to him at her dad's lab, the only way this exchange really makes sense to me is if it's a new arrangement. even the fact that goh makes a point of saying "hey, i followed through, go me" to their teacher here gives that vibe.

so, we can extrapolate from that that...prior to whenever this agreement was made, goh just didn't go to school because he didn't want to. but given how schools operate, we can pretty safely assume his parents are aware of this. and i have strong reason to believe that they have at least been on the receiving end of phone calls from teachers or administrators, because of these lines from jn015:

all things considered, this is a weird assumption to make, especially about your hyper-independent introverted child...unless there's a history of disruptive or unfriendly behaviour to inform that assumption. and based on goh's behaviour in jn001 at professor oak's pokemon camp, i don't think it's so out there to say the pattern probably was there.

goh is actually a super sweet kid towards his parents and has a clear admiration for them both. even in flashbacks, his whole thing is kind of like...he doesn't want to bother them. they fall asleep on family vacation and don't spend time with him? well, that's fine! he'll just find something else to do! in that same episode in the flashback sequence, they pick him up on the side of the road alone in the pouring rain and he doesn't say a word to them. even though he was angry and upset before.

so, yeah. i think it would make a lot of sense if he were well-behaved at home and not so much so at school. but camille and walker, even when they learn about things that happen, don't seem to probe or discipline him. whether because of any combination of giving him leeway out of guilt or of not wanting to encourage him to act out at home, we don't know. but the disconnect obviously exists.

which then contributes to

stress and anxiety, difficulty acknowleding and accepting one's feelings, and passive communication style

goh is socially awkward, yes, and clearly very anxious socially especially early on in jn, but a lot of that seems to come from an inability to express his wants and needs. i think jn003 has some of the most succinct examples of this - ash having to realize he's struggling and to reach down to him when they're climbing the tower in order for him to even accept that he can get (and needs) help getting up, and then later one when he stumbles over his words trying to ask ash to be his friend.

i think another good example is in jn007, after he gets knocked out at the flute cup. passive communication relies a lot on shifts in body language and in, well, passive statements. when ash approaches him to tell him to cheer up, goh doesn't actually really...respond to that. he does this

and then runs off. which he does fairly often, actually, even as late as jn135. it's emotional avoidance 101. literally just run away from the thing that's bothering you. something else we see in jn135 is him backing out of admitting he wants to go on a journey - because he is concerned about ash's reaction (though i think it's a little more complex than that, but i'll circle back to that).

and of course there's jn062, which i wrote a lot about in this post. but the whole thesis of the episode is that goh has learned through his relationships up to this point that it's okay to not understand your feelings but you still have to feel them. and it's actually a really beautiful character development moment for him, but also reinforces the fact that he still doesn't know how to grapple with his own emotions. after finally finding drizzile and explaining how he knew he would find it there, he starts to cry and doesn't know why. but even aside from feeling vulnerable, it's kind of a culmination of this stress he's been carrying with him throughout the whole episode...and the sense of responsibility he feels for driving drizzile away. which is a great segue into

insecure attachment styles and need to feel "in control"

if there's one thing i feel like people sleep on regarding goh's character, it's how much of a mother hen he is. he's obviously very thorough and thoughtful when it comes to looking after his pokemon - as in jn062 where he spends all that time chasing down drizzile after it runs away, even to the point of telling ash and chloe that they should stay behind because it's getting late but that he's going to keep looking - but he's the same way with ash.

off the top of my head, things like buying extra scones because he knew ash would want them, making ash wash his hands after eating ice cream, chastising him about punctuality, you know...very parental kind of things. he actually does it with horace too, when they first meet, by bringing a lunch for them both when he goes back to the forest to meet him again.

anyway, being a Mom Friend is cute and all, but it also REEKS of parentified child. taking on responsibilities that aren't yours to fulfill? yeah. that's a need to feel in control. it's what he's used to! it offers him security!

the other side of this is...chloe. goh's first friend, who he refuses to consider a friend, or let consider him a friend. but, like, she obviously IS his friend. and yet our introduction to them gives us this exchange

goh and chloe have a pretty tense relationship at the beginning of jn, wherein she is clearly trying to help him (by you know. getting his homework for him and shit) and he blows her off in a text message, which she complains is a repeating behaviour. chloe is obviously very loyal to him, even though he doesn't seem to repay the favour. again, there's a big disconnect here.

insecure attachments generally stem from anxiety over potential rejection and/or poor self-esteem cultivated in childhood based on parents’ emotional availability (or lack thereof) to their children. by keeping chloe an arm's distance away, goh keeps himself safe from the dangers of vulnerability, taught to him through childhood encounters with emotionally unavailable parents.

i'm not here to armchair diagnose (ok, who am i kidding, yeah i am), but i think goh's attachment style is anxious-avoidant. his clear avoidance of making friends, the multiple times we see him break off his friendship with ash only to minutes later be like "me and the bestie"...yeah, that's avoidance. but he does crave intimacy, arguably even more than he fears it.

hence why even though he knows ash would want him to journey on his own...he still convinces himself that actually telling ash that would be, as he calls it, a "betrayal of [their] friendship." my theory is that he's not concerned that ash will be upset - he's concerned that ash won't be upset enough. which is why when then ash turns it around on him and says he's going on a journey, goh gets upset and pushes him away. he does the exact same thing with horace when they're younger. just a complete 180 - he wronged me once, so he's the worst and i can't forgive him, ever.

the difference with chloe is that she actually takes care of him more than he takes care of her - which changes the dynamic from "i have to do everything to keep this person in my life, including suppressing my emotions for their sake" to "i cannot express to this person that i have needs and desires because they'll think i'm too much and they won't stick around if i do." which is primarily avoidant, but insecure attachment nonetheless.

this is extrapolation, but i think his relationship with chloe is so different because we are supposed to get the sense that they have a more familial dynamic. so, she's the one person he can't push away from him - but as he learned in his actual family dynamic, he also can't be too close to her. he doesn't want to be smothered; he doesn't want her to feel smothered by him. so they maintain a degree of separation that only begins to go away after her father begins literally housing and feeding him, thus integrating him and ash into their family in some honorary way.

which brings me to the last point, i guess, which is

reluctance to participate in age-appropriate activities with peers and self-reliant to a fault

these are, i think, the traits that jn is most blatantly attempting to better in goh throughout his arc. so i won't spend too long hashing it out, because i think these are things we all know he struggled with!

in flashbacks, we see him alone at school; during the first episode, at professor oak's camp, he is always physically distanced from the other kids and chloe even points out that he's basically doing professor oak's job at one point! he's not on the same level as the other kids and it's clear he doesn't want to be. when he meets horace, we see that it takes him some time to get comfortable enough with him to go explore the forest together and become friends.

he doesn't go to school, but that doesn't mean he isn't learning things - he becomes a very self-directed learner early on, from what he see. he's not just like...rotting in his room playing video games. he's studying and researching. the only times aside from with horace that we see him in a flashback doing something that isn't solitary is with pokemon - and even then, he's like...reciting their pokedex entries. his abra story at the end of jn is precipitated by him saying he was going through his dad's old pokedex (which is a whole other thing - this implies walker used to be a trainer, but neither of goh's parents seem to have pokemon...perhaps they're too busy with work to look after them? a theory for another time, i suppose, but it has undeniably being gnawing at my brain since that episode aired lol).

and of course, there's the fact that in jn062 he tells drizzile he was never comfortable with confiding in his parents or his grandmother...suggesting that he never confided in anyone, because we don't really get the sense from the whole "i don't NEED friends" exchange in jn001 that he considers chloe a reliable confidant, either.

the other place we see his flawed sense of self-reliance, aside from like...everywhere in the first 10 or so episodes, lol (something that is reflected pretty beautifully and symbolically in scorbunny's story, too!), is in project mew. he has to learn how to work in a team - and he clearly hates it. at this point he's found one person to rely on, but that already feels like too much. the raid battle with articuno is the most obvious example of this. he isn't good at being a leader, but he also isn't good at being a follower. because he's only ever been responsible for himself, and he doesn't trust anyone else to know how to direct him, but he also has no clue how to work within the parameters of a team.

i also want to say, as a final note, that i actually think this is all extremely intentional writing. obviously in the west we have a strong capitalism culture too, but the work culture in japan is very toxic (just google "japan work culture" and you can see right away how intense it is lol) and i'm not actually surprised at all that pokemon would make such a direct commentary on that - a lot of japanese kids could probably relate to goh and his emotionally absent, work-obsessed parents! they are clearly pretty well-off, but their dedication to work supercedes matters of home and family, because that's how it's supposed to be. as a result, goh admires them a lot for this dedication - but his arc is primarily about letting go of the "work" part of interacting with pokemon and learning how to have fun and make the most of his experiences. and i think that's a really lovely message for modern pokemon to be sending to kids :')

[crtter]

I personally wouldn’t worry very much about Tumblr shutting down because I’ve been playing Neopets since 2005 and in a lot of ways it’s story mirrors Tumblr’s pretty much to a T: it was sold by its creators to Viacom for 160 million, then Viacom sold it to JumpStart, JumpStart was acquired by NetDragon and then, finally, it was sold to an independent company via management buyout of NetDragon of for a whooping 4 million. It’s a relic of a different time full of spaghetti code that has been chronically unprofitable ever since its original owners sold it. This brings me to two points:

1. Neopets was ran by a skeleton crew from its acquisition by JumpStart in 2014 to literally five months ago when it was acquired by the independent company. This time period was, for the lack of a better description, pretty annoying. Some features shut down, the updates slowed down to a crawl, very few new features were announced and when something broke it took ages for it to get fixed. There was a time the Neoboards filters stopped working and people said shit and fuck on it for a full day. It had a grand total of TWO programmers working on it last time I’ve heard about it. And with that being said! It was still overall usable and had a small but pretty active player base that had been playing since they were kids, like me. My point is, until someone shuts a website’s servers down for good, it’ll will still be there and there will still be people using it.

2. As I said earlier, Neopets was recently bought again (and is getting a lot of quality of life improvements!) and there is a reason websites like Neopets and Tumblr never actually get shut down and always have some sucker trying to buy it and make it stop being a money sucking machine: brand recognition. Every kid who was alive in the 00s played Neopets. There’s literally a new fashion trend called “Tumblr girl”. Nostalgia sells and sells well nowadays and as long as people look at something and go “Oh, I used to have so much fun in this website!” there’ll be someone with a few millions in their pocket who’ll think they’ll be able make a quick buck out of that. Which they won’t, but they won’t learn.

So, to sum it up. Updates on Tumblr will slow down, and some stuff will break and take a good while to get fixed. Maybe we’ll see some unusually racy ads or have some minor security scares. This might last for years, until someone buys it and fruitlessly tries to revitalize it again! But Tumblr itself isn’t going anywhere and will still work decently well until then, unless someone trips over the server’s power cord.

[forsetti]

On Political Responsibilities: Put Up Or Shut The Fuck Up

As easily predictable as “The sun will set in the West,” a whole lot of Democrats are ONCE AGAIN falling for Republican propaganda and scurrying around like frightened little bunnies. This time it is about “Biden’s age.”

They should realize this is nothing more than a Republican ploy to sow discord among Dems and tamp down voter enthusiasm. This means either they are not very bright and their political hot takes should be completely ignored or they do realize but play along and parrot right-wing talking points either for attention or money, which really means they should be completely ignored.

Is President Biden old? Yes. Does it matter? As long as he has been and continues to do a good job pushing progressive policies it shouldn’t. When my maternal grandfather passed away at 91, he was still physically active, mentally sound, and able to do intricate, complex tasks. Because Pres. Biden had one bad debate (which is, no pun intended, debatable,) that doesn’t/shouldn’t mean a damn thing unless you are a frightened little bunny.

The right has been pushing, “Biden is too old,” since the 2020 election. They’ve also been pushing, “Biden is the head of a complex, international crime family who uses the Deep State and Dept. of Justice to do his bidding.” If you don’t see the logical problems between these two views, you are part of the problem and really shouldn’t be throwing out your political opinions like they are pearls of wisdom from on high.

Of course, it hasn’t only been the right pushing the “Biden is too old,” claim. The Far Left, especially the white far left, have been doing the same because they are still upset about Biden, with the help of black voters, kicking Bernie Sanders’ ass in the South Carolina primary and going on to curb stomp him on Super Tuesday. It doesn’t matter that Sanders is a year older than Pres. Biden to the far left. All that matters is doing damage to the person who beat their candidate of choice.* (*see also Hillary Clinton and the 2016 election.)

The media loves the “Biden is too old,” nonsense because it allows them to attack the president while hiding behind, “many people from both parties say….” However, the real reason they love it and push it nonstop is because it generates views/clicks which sells ads which generates profits. Any political race, especially one with national implications that is one-sided doesn’t get eyeballs on screens. If Pres. Biden was leading by 10 points, which in any sane country he would be, the race is all but over and no one is going to tune into media outlets for their “analysis�� of the race. Any for-profit enterprise that relies on viewers HAS TO HAVE a horse race. The owners of these companies know this. The programmers know this. The hosts know this. The guests know this. It seems the only people who don’t know this are the frightened little bunnies on the left who flee to their holes any time someone in the media says something they don’t like or fear might be true.

All you have to do is look at the number of media outlets and talking heads who have pushed the idea that Biden needs to step aside because he “looked bad on television one time,” but not a single one of them has demanded the same of Trump for any of the legitimate bullshit he’s done. Just his role on Jan 6th should make him a toxic candidate, let alone his being found guilty of sexual assault, 34 felony convictions of fraud, and taking, lying about, and refusing to return highly classified documents after leaving the White House. Any one of these actions should be a reason to question and demand he step down as a candidate. Yet, NOT ONCE, has this happened in the media. That’s because they NEED Trump for horse races because it brings in money.

Just look at the post-debate analysis from the media who were intently focused on Biden’s speech patterns, how he looked, and how he sounded (all optics,) while completely ignoring what he said and the massive totality of Trump’s lies (all factual things.)

All of this “Optics Police” analysis has given rise to the whole “Biden needs to step aside,” idiot hot take.

When someone in the media says something like, “Pres. Biden needs to step aside,” a whole lot of Dems clutch their pearls with both hands and run to their fainting couch as fast as they can while screaming, “Pres. Biden needs to step aside!” because they are frightened little bunnies who have a compulsive need to parrot anything negative about their party and candidates, regardless of the source.

They are so afraid of losing elections that they do everything in their power to make sure elections are lost.

Let’s talk about the idea of Pres. Biden stepping aside. It is a remarkably stupid idea from remarkably stupid people. There is a reason the right has been pushing “Biden is too old,” “Biden is a criminal,” and “Biden cheated to win in 2016.” It is the very same reason Trump asked Zelensky to just lie about Biden being under investigation in Ukraine in 2016. Biden is the NUMBER ONE THREAT to Trump getting reelected. If the right believes Pres. Biden is the biggest threat to Trump, why in the fuck would replacing him on the ticket be the smart move? It wouldn’t.

I’ve read all the reasons for why Biden should step aside. They are all devoid of any logic, a basic understanding of U.S. elections, or American political history.

The latest reason for him to step aside is by comparing him to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and using her death and subsequent appointment of a right-wing hack, Amy Coney Barrett, to the Supreme Court. The same people on the left demanding Pres. Biden step aside are the same ones who blamed RBG for allowing Trump to appoint another conservative justice to SCOTUS.

It wasn’t RBG’s responsibility to prevent Trump from appointing a conservative justice. That responsibility was on Democratic voters in 2016 and they failed to live up to it. Don’t blame RBG for Amy Coney Barrett. Blame everyone on the left who decided to sit out the 2016 election or who voted third-party. They are the reason Trump was in a position to appoint three Supreme Court justices. While RBG was working hard to protect progressive ideals and rights, the people bitching about her not retiring were not doing a damn thing to help her.

It’s not like the far left wasn’t warned about the potential damage a Trump presidency would have, especially with regard to SCOTUS. They were, vehemently. Their response to being warned about what could/would happen to the Supreme Court if Trump won was, “Go fuck yourself. How dare you use the threat of years of progressive policies and rights being taken away to get my vote.”

These were the same people who now are screaming about how horrible the Supreme Court is hurting years of progressive policies and rights being taken away and blaming anybody and everybody other than themselves. They are the ones blaming Pres. Biden for not protecting Roe (something he has/had no way of doing.) They are the ones blaming RBG for not retiring (something that would not have made a difference because, even if she was replaced with another liberal justice, the Court would still be 5-4 in favor of conservatives and there was a good chance her replacement would not have been given a hearing and her seat left open ala Merrick Garland.)

The reason we have a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court is too many people on the left thought it was a good idea to not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. That’s it. Full...fucking...stop.

Many of the same people on the left who didn’t take the makeup of the Supreme Court seriously in 2016 are the very same people now demanding Pres. Biden step aside. Sorry, we are in this mess largely because of the horrible ideas and actions of these people. Why on earth should they be taken seriously now? They shouldn’t.

There is no “magic bullet,” to prevent Trump from being reelected. There isn’t some magical candidate out there, waiting in the wings for Pres. Biden to step aside so they can swoop in and save the day. There is Pres. Biden and VP Harris. That is it. It doesn’t matter if that is who you want. It doesn’t matter if you are upset about this or that policy or action. It doesn’t matter if Pres. Biden is 81, 61, or 91. What matters is winning the 2024 presidential election. That’s it. If/when that happens, then you can bitch and whine about not getting your dragon-unicorn hybrid in the exact color you want.

Do your fucking civic duty and vote for the candidate who will do the most good, the least harm to the people and policies you love. In the upcoming election, that choice will be, whether you like it or not, and you don’t fucking have to like it, is between Pres. Biden and Donald Trump. Either put up and do the right thing or shut the fuck up, now and forever about the state of politics in America.

A couple of days ago, Charlie Pierce from “Esquire,” tweeted this gem from Tbogg (one of my favorite old-timey bloggers.) It perfectly sums up exactly how a lot of people on the left view voting and my response to them.

"Every year in Happy Gumdrop Fairy-Tale Land all of the sprites and elves and woodland creatures gather together to pick the Rainbow Sunshine Queen. Everyone is there: the Lollipop Guild... ...the Star-Twinkle Toddlers, the Sparkly Unicorns, the Cookie Baking Apple-cheeked Grandmothers, the Fluffy Bunny Bund, the Rumbly-Tumbly Pupperoos, the Snowflake Princesses, the Baby Duckies All-In-A-Row, the Laughing Babies, and the Dykes on Bikes. Afterward, they spend the rest of the night dancing and singing and waving glow sticks until dawn when they tumble sleepy-eyed into beds made of the purest and whitest goose down where they dream of angels and clouds of spun sugar. You don’t live there. Grow the fuck up.” -TBogg

[maaarine]

Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age (Sarah Hendrickx, 2015)

“Interestingly, one of the findings from research into sex differences in children with autism was that girls with autism do not have the same stereotypical, rigid interests as boys.

My research certainly found that repetitive and restricted behaviours were completely the norm for the girls studied but that topic type differed.

A small number of activities came up time and time again as being favourites for repetition: watching the same TV/video/DVD programme (e.g., Mary Poppins, Postman Pat, Peppa Pig), reading the same book (e.g., an Enid Blyton book, Jane Eyre), listening to the same song/tape.

The scripts and lyrics of their favourite shows, books and songs were all known verbatim by the children. Collecting and sorting specific objects were also mentioned.  (…)

Boys’ interests tend to be object-based – trains, dinosaurs, space – while girls’ interests tend to be people- or animal-based – soap operas, fictional characters, animals and celebrities.

This qualitative difference can explain why girls’ behaviour may not be noted as being unusual, due to the ‘typical girl’ nature of their interests.

Whereas a boy who quotes endless facts about ancient history, rather than playing football with his peers, may be flagged as atypical, a girl who obsesses about a pop star would not necessarily be seen in the same way.

The difference between the interests of a girl with autism and a typical child is the narrowness of the topic and the intensity of the interest.

These girls with ASD have single-track focus; they do not think or speak of anything other than their passion for an extended period.

They may have extensive knowledge of their subject but have more of a factual interest than a desire to live it out.

A child who speaks of nothing but horses may not actually want a horse, but just enjoys the facts about horses.

I believe that the interest provides the same outcomes for both girls and boys on the autism spectrum; once immersed in your subject of interest, there is a predictability and escape from the chaotic real world.

Knowing everything about a subject makes it known and provides a sanctuary from the anxiety and stress of a feeling of not knowing what’s going to happen most of the time.

Animals in general are a popular interest as they are far easier to deal with than people for many females with autism: their intentions are clear (no hidden agendas), their non-verbal language is minimal (cats don’t pull too many facial expressions), their needs are easily identified and their attachment and affection are unconditional and unchanging.

Some girls identify so strongly with animals that they imagine or wish themselves to be one.”

[wickedcriminal]

HELLO AGAIN I'm glad to see you got my ask (it was important to me that you knew how much I ADORE this au) but now I've just gone back through the tag, I have some questions, if you don't mind! There's a good chance you've answered some of them before but I wanted to ask anyway:

First of all: with both Snotlout's being one character, and in Elder's age group, how does that work with some of the book specific scenes where Snotlout is being cruel to Hiccup during training (as the older ones have already gone through pirate training)?

Also slightly related: are either Adelaide or Gustav in Younger's pirate training programme or is it just the book people we hear about?

Also also slightly related (and you can tell I have a bit of a theme to my questions): what is Adelaide and Snotlout's relationship like? And what is Adelaide like full stop since she's barely mentioned in the books after all, so if you do have anything characterisation wise, that would be quite cool?

AHHH THANK YOU 😭😭 ALSO I LOVE THESE QUESTIONS SO MUCH BECAUSE I GET TO DRAW ADELAIDEEE WHOO

So Snotlout basically did all the book bullying to Elder back when they were both in the Pirate Training Program, (including the sabatoge and attempted parricide,) and he continued to do it through the Dragon Training Program and up until Elder saved everyone from the Red Death. Ever since starting the Dragon Academy, Elder has been receiving much more respect from his peers, and Snotlout has been having to draw back on the bullying to save face. Elder and he still have that chief-heir rivalry, of course, and it becomes a gag that Snotlout casually tries to kill him and Elder rolls his eyes like "oh, you" and then everyone laughs it off. Through RTTE he'll mellow out, and by the time of HTTYD 2, the murder theme will pretty much be gone with Snotlout having begrudgingly become real friends with Elder.

As for Adelaide!! I made a post about her a few years ago, but I decided I wanted to give her a bit of an update since I found a better slot for her in the larger story! (And also because I wanted to redesign her agahagah)

Adelaide is indeed in the Pirate Training Program! She pretty much becomes Younger's book!Snotlout, sans the murderous tendencies. Unlike Snotlout, Adelaide has nothing to gain from killing her Hiccup, but she has seen Snotlout heckle Elder enough times for her to mirror that onto Younger. Taking book!Snotlout's place also gives her all of his book lackies, like Dogsbreath! (Gustav is also a Pirate and one of her lackies, though he's less of a bully to Minicup and Fish and moreso just a mild annoyance 😂)

Adelaide and her friends' usual up-tos around Berk include sailboat racing, hunting rats and fish with their hunting dragons, basheyball, and other mischievous preteen activities (though never quite as destructive as what the Thorston twins get up to.)

Adelaide's relationship with Snotlout is amicable enough, though they probably bicker thrice as much as the Hiccups normally would. Snotlout likes to embarass Adelaide around the other Pirates and it annoys her to no end, but despite this (and she'd never say it to his face) she's often heard praising Snotlout up and down for being the coolest person ever. She likes to taunt Younger about how her cool and awesome big brother is gonna clobber his wimpy crybaby big brother. Even after Elder defeats the Red Death, she still has a habit of talking him down in favor of Snotlout, and continues to do so even through Race to the Edge and HTTYD 2.

She'd get some skull tattoos in RTTE, and her riding dragon would be the Devilish Dervish that Snot had in the books! I also wanted to give her a unique weapon, so she uses a flail mace!

Her role gets bigger from book 9 onward, as she and Snotlout's relationship with each other as well as their differing thoughts about who deserves to be King become extremely relevant.

Let's just say she's got a good throwing arm.

[wishmaster]

Body swap 72 : ErroR- Merged Subjects

Zeke was your regular cop at least by day he was straight acting one of the guys but at night is when his kinky side kicked in. For months he had been kicking around the idea of doing one of those 72 hour body swap to really let his freak flag fly. He decided he was going to do it and he knew the kind of guy he wanted to swap with, a real slutty twink in fact that was all he could picture was spending three daysa s a firm assed kinky Twink getting fucked 24/7. Something he knew he could never do in his current life.

Kevin was a 21 year old exotic dancer and escort, his real money came from online but for the extra cash he signed up to swap his body it was good money for a couple days work. Besides he usually got to see how the other half lived. On the day of the swap it was extremely stormy, thunder, lightning. When the programmer went o perform the swap his computer was struck by lightning mid swap. the body's lit up, Kevin's body disappeared and Zeke's, well Zekes seemed to change. Hid big gruff body seemingly aged down a bit and became well different, all of his clothes, his uniforms including the one he was wearing, they all became leather. He looked at himself in the mirror, he'd become a twink cop hybrid.

He went off to live his life, the clinc assumed somehow during the storm the two had become merged and now Kevin and Zeke were some sort of super version of themseslves.

The first few days were awkward as Zeke could get used to seeing stranger in his mirror, Tensions at the station became high as Zeke only ever showed up in his new leather uniforms which didn't sit well with the captain. But it was the nights, when he'd go to sleep he'd black out as if he was no longer in charge of his body... He wasn't at night Kevin took over and for rthe past month he's been continuing his life as an kinky exotic dancer under the name of Officer Dick.

When Kevin took over there was a slight change to Zeke's body

He's whore himself out as well until one night he managed to whore himself out to his Captain's Son, his father discovering his kinkiest officers night time activities when he turned back in his son's bed the next morning. This would be the end of his Police career but soon Zeke would give in to the kinky Twink side that he so wanted to experience all those weeks before deciding to let Kevin take full control on a permanent basis, he merely enjoyed the ride and what a ride it was.

[cyberpunkonline]

What is a Cypherpunk?

The term "cypherpunk" refers to a movement and a community of activists advocating for the widespread use of strong cryptography and privacy-enhancing technologies as a route to social and political change. Emerging in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the cypherpunk movement is a confluence of libertarian political philosophy, hacker ethos, and cryptographic science.

The Core Traits of Cypherpunks

1. Advocacy for Privacy and Anonymity: Cypherpunks champion the right to privacy, emphasizing that individuals should have control over their personal information and digital footprints. This advocacy is often in direct opposition to government surveillance and corporate data collection practices.

2. Use of Cryptography: The cornerstone of the cypherpunk movement is the use of strong cryptography to secure communications and transactions. Cypherpunks believe that through cryptographic techniques, individuals can protect their privacy in the digital world.

3. Open Source and Decentralization: A significant trait among cypherpunks is the belief in open-source software and decentralized systems. This ethos promotes transparency, security, and resistance to censorship and control by central authorities.

Who are the Cypherpunks?

The cypherpunk community consists of programmers, activists, academics, and technologists. Notable figures include Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks; Jacob Appelbaum, a former spokesperson for the Tor Project; and Hal Finney, a pioneer in digital cash systems. The manifesto "A Cypherpunk's Manifesto" by Eric Hughes (1993) [https://www.activism.net/cypherpunk/manifesto.html] eloquently encapsulates the philosophy and ideals of this movement.

The Cypherpunk Movement

Cypherpunks are not a formal organization but rather a loosely associated group sharing common interests in cryptography and privacy. The movement's origins can be traced to the “Cypherpunks” mailing list, started in 1992 by Eric Hughes, Timothy C. May, and John Gilmore. This list served as a platform for discussing privacy, cryptography, and related political issues.

Relation to Cyberpunk Principles

While cypherpunks share some overlap with the cyberpunk genre of science fiction, they are distinct in their real-world activism. Cyberpunk literature, like William Gibson's "Neuromancer" (1984) [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088006-neuromancer], often presents a dystopian future where technology is pervasive and oppressive. In contrast, cypherpunks aim to use technology, specifically cryptography, as a tool for empowerment and resistance against such dystopian futures.

Notable Contributions and Technologies

The cypherpunk movement has been instrumental in the development of technologies that emphasize privacy and security:

Tor (The Onion Router): A free and open-source software for enabling anonymous communication [https://www.torproject.org/].

Pretty Good Privacy (PGP): A data encryption and decryption program that provides cryptographic privacy and authentication [https://www.openpgp.org/].

Bitcoin: The creation of Bitcoin by an individual or group under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto was heavily influenced by the ideas of the cypherpunk movement. It embodies principles of decentralization and financial privacy [https://bitcoin.org/en/].

Wikileaks: Founded by Julian Assange, WikiLeaks is a multinational media organization that publishes news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources [https://wikileaks.org/].

Conclusion

The cypherpunk movement is a critical lens through which to view the ongoing dialogue about privacy, security, and freedom in the digital age. While not an organized group, the collective impact of cypherpunks on modern cryptography, internet privacy, and digital rights is profound. As digital technology continues to permeate every facet of our lives, the principles and contributions of the cypherpunk community remain more relevant than ever. - REV1.

[iclick-blogs]

Olfactory Dysfunction is Associated with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

This article is written based on the presentation done by Prof Wang De Yun at the NUS Psychiatry Symposium on Ageing-in-Place held on 27 Apr 2023. Olfactory impairment, or more commonly referred to as sense of smell, is ageing related. The ability to detect and identify smell has also long been linked with cognitive decline in older adults. However, there remains questions on its association with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and by extension, dementia.

As part of the Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre’s Community Health and Intergenerational (CHI) Study, Prof Wang De Yun from NUS Department of Otolaryngology, conducted a study to assess the olfactory function of community-dwelling older adults in Singapore and its link with their cognitive function. For this study, researchers at NUS developed a localised version of the nine-item smell test to better screen the population. 

Smell ability as a predictive tool for Cognitive Impairment

When it comes to modifiable risks of dementia, the focus is often on vision and hearing impairments rather than smell impairment. Nonetheless, there are studies indicating a potential link between smell identification ability and MCI.

A meta-analysis found that smell identification is impaired in those with MCI compared with healthy older adults. Longitudinal studies also showed that cognitively healthy individuals with smell impairments at baseline subsequently developed MCI in the follow-up.

The evidence suggests that smell identification has the potential to detect and predict the risks of developing dementia in later life.

To the best of our knowledge, there has yet to be any study examining smell function in Singapore’s healthy and/or cognitively impaired community-dwelling older adult population. Mind Science Centre’s study aimed to assess their smell identification ability and associate the outcomes with their cognitive status.

Culture specific smell test developed in NUS

The original nine-item smell test developed by the University of Pennsylvania (UPSIT) included items as liquorice, dill pickle, and skunk. These are not common in Singapore and participants often struggle to recognise and identify them.

To better screen and evaluate smell function in Singapore’s older adult population, our researchers recognised a need to create a localised version of the smell test that is culture-specific to our population. Researchers in NUS developed the Singapore version of the 9-items Smell Test Panel based on a local smell familiarity survey. This includes almond, banana, cinnamon, coconut, lemon, orange, pineapple, rose, and mushroom.

Beyond this study, other clinicians and researchers could also benefit from this locally developed smell test to better screen their patients or research participants.

Participants aged 60 years and above were recruited from a larger epidemiological study titled Community Health and Intergenerational (CHI) study. The smell test and neuropsychological testing are part of a 10-hour assessment done over five separate visits. More details on that can be found in the CHI study protocol.

Smell Tests For Cognitive Impairment

The locally developed nine-item smell test was used to assess smell detection and identification. The test was conducted in an interview format with each odour sample (in total 9) given only once. Between each odour, there was at least a 30-second time interval to prevent sensory fatigue.

For the smell detection task, participants were asked to respond yes or no based on their perception of the presence of an odour. Each successful detection was scored a point.

For the smell identification task, participants were asked to identify the same test odour before choosing through 4 narrated answer choices. If they thought none of the answer choices matched the test odour, they were allowed to describe the odour instead. Each successful identification was scored a point.

Cognitive Function Tests - Testing for Cognitive Impairment

Participants’ cognition was measured with the modified mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scale, clinical dementia rating (CDR) scale, and a validated battery of neurocognitive tests. The protocol is described in more details here.

Diagnosis of the participants’ cognitive status was made at consensus review meetings involving two psychiatrists and a neuropsychologist. Participants were categorised into normal active ageing, MCI, or dementia and further subtyped as amnestic or non-amnestic, and single or multiple domain.

NA (normal ageing)

naMCI_SD (non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment, single domain)

naMCI_MD (non-amnestic mild cognitive impairment, multiple domains)

aMCI_SD (amnestic mild cognitive impairment, single domain)

aMCI_MD (amnestic mild cognitive impairment, multiple domains)

Dementia

[sucky-username]

I spent literally all day on these. Height comparison and backstory dump for Ed under the cut :-)

Ed got into college early and there met the first love of his life, Edith “Edie” Morgan. She was the only other freshman that was his age and they were both outcasts, she because she was an openly bisexual punk in the 1970s (?) and he because of his abnormally large intellect and lack of social skills. Edie was very kind to Ed, something he was unused to growing up in Gotham’s foster homes and orphanages. They became best friends quickly and started dating soon after. They were madly in love and vowed to get married right out of college.

While in college, Ed and Edie began working on a mystery-thriller novel together. Edie helped with plotting while Ed wrote the novel under their joint pen name E. Nygma. As they worked on the novel, about a bank heist, they began to realize the thieves’ plan was actually extremely viable. Once they’d both graduated (Ed some years early and Edie close behind), they both had a mountain of student debt and couldn’t start their life together until they paid it off. Because of this, they were desperate, and together decided to pull off the bank heist from their unpublished novel.

The heist went extremely well except for one small thing: a single security guard caught them while they were fleeing the scene. In the spur of the moment, Ed attacked the guard with a crowbar and brutally beat him to death. Once all was said and done, Edie was furious and horrified by his actions. Ed wouldn’t admit it, but the violence had felt good. He stood his ground, claiming the guard’s death had been necessary to ensure their safe getaway. Edie wasn’t swayed by this argument and kicked him out of their apartment with his share of the heist money, telling him to never contact her again.

At first, Ed remained stubbornly angry, but once he cooled off he knew he would hate to lose the love of his life. So though he didn’t feel truly remorseful in the least, he resolved to apologize and beg Edie to take him back. When he returned to what was once their apartment, however, he found something that absolutely destroyed him: Edie was dead. And not just that—murdered. He vowed to find out who had done this and get revenge.

As it turned out, the money they’d stolen belonged to the mob. One of the Gotham mob bosses had hired a hitman to track down the thief and kill them. The hitman had found Ed and Edie’s apartment but only Edie had been there. Ed found and killed the hitman first, then tracked down the mob boss and killed them too.

After this, Ed was left heartbroken and alone for many years. He stopped with the illegal activities for a few of those years and got a job as a software programmer, but soon turned to a life of crime again (though he maintained his employment (?)).

And that’s about all I’ve got so far, none of which is set in stone. I also know I want Ed to write more novels with Cain’s Jawbone-level plot complexity that act as clues to his crimes. At some point he meets Ozzie and falls madly in love with him at first sight. After Edie, he never thought he’d love again. Ozzie, meanwhile, has been burned by love in the past and continuously rejects Ed, even though he secretly finds him charming and his advances flattering. Ed tells him it’s alright if he doesn’t love him back, but begs him to let him stay by his side because he’s so grateful to feel love again. Of course, Ozzie eventually falls for Ed too and they live happily ever after.

[indigosabyss]

"My name is Ishigami Senku." The voice over the transmission announced to the gaping crowd of NASA's finest, "And I'm calling from three thousand, seven hundred and forty one years in the future."

"You think he's being legit?" Someone asked.

"Sure seems like it." Another agreed, "It would explain how the transmission doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere at all."

"Say we believe you." Their chosen spokesperson said into the transceiver, "Why would you call us?"

"To stop a crisis that will lead to the death of 99.975% of the human population. Time is of the essence, so tell me: have you seen stone swallows lying around?"

----

The initial call sent the international scientific community into crisis mode.

Day in and day out, they conversed with these scientists of the future. Even ones who weren't Senku. After the initial shock of finding out that people from their age were still alive four thousand years ago, they adjusted quickly.

Of course, it wasn't all diligent work and apocalypse thwarting.

"Ha-HA!" A voice they had never heard before echoed over the Time Call, which was open almost 24/7, "So, this is our way to the past? I desire it!"

"The hell...?" Luke whispered, looking at Mandy, who shrugged wordlessly.

"Listen up, anyone who's there. I know you're taking orders from Senku and the others, so I need you to do a favor for me."

Their spokesperson hesitantly put her hand down to activate the transceiver, "Uh, okay? What's the favor?"

The boy on the other side called excitedly, becoming more ecstatic with every word, "I want you to go to the CEO of the Nanami Conglomerate. And tell him that his bastard children did what he never could, and have taken control of the entire world's capital. And it's just us two featured in the official family portraits! And then, tell him to go fuck hi-" He was cut off by someone bodily dragging him away from the mic.

"What is wrong with you?" Sai, the future's best computer programmer, yelled, barely in range of the microphone.

"Should we be listening to this?" Mandy asked.

"I desire vengeance!" The rambunctious boy insisted. There was a sound of a scuffle, and then Sai spoke again, closer to the mic and clearly addressing them.

"Sorry about that. My little brother is... a bit out there. It was probably the family ostracization."

They all clearly wanted to know more. This wasn't the first shred of juicy gossip from the future they'd gotten, but the spokesperson was nothing if not professional.

"Let's just get back to work, yeah?"

Boo.

[Part of a larger DCST time travel fic I really don't have the time to write, so I just put in the two snippets that obsessed me the most. Tell me if I should continue this into a proper fic!]

[starry-907]

starry swap au woagh

"starry what is this swap au day was friday" yep! and i was late because of work and school so shush and sit down because i'm gonna give you the rundown of my swap au

so who swaps with who?

The basic gist of this au, the "main swap" so to speak, is that the cg have swapped with the hollowheads! there are other swaps it's just that swap is the one that started the au as a whole

here's the designs that i've worked out so far (i haven't done the mercs yet because i don't have much of a basis of design for them right now)

character info under the cut because it's gonna get long haha (i have more info i can give but you'll need to ask me about it cuz i want to talk more about this au!!!!!)

to start with:

alan has swapped with programmer021, who is a 3d modeller trying to work in blender on animating, using both 3d animation and grease pencil (moreso 3d animation, but the 2d animation is nice to get out frustration and oh those sticks are coming to life)

the computer crew came from an old file on programmer's computer that had been sent from a friend of a short stick figure animation with four hollowheaded sticks. sv finds the file during ava 4 and kinda wakes up the hollows. friendship ensues

the computer crew (ss!cg)

silver (victim swapped with blue)

technically the oldest of the computer crew due to having been drawn first in their file, silver is the sort who seems a bit cold and aloof to outside observers, but her family is more than able to easily read their subtle expressions. she often uses her neutral expressions to her advantage to poke fun at people who aren't as familiar with them. enjoys cultivating flowers and trees, as well as making potions.

charcoal (chosen swapped with green)

the second oldest of the computer crew and technically silver's twin (having been copied and pasted from the original drawing symbol of silver), charcoal is more than happy to take charge when it's needed. however, sometimes this desire to lead can turn into overconfidence, which can lead to a bit of a prideful fall. they enjoy messing around with noteblocks, as well as creating complicated pixelarts (that often get knocked down thanks to a certain bright red and orange duo)

cherry (dark swapped with yellow)

the third oldest of the computer crew, cherry has an endlessly curious mind, but often lacks the self-control to keep from doing more... dangerous activities. if you don't hear from him for at least an hour you probably want to go find him. he can often be found messing with redstone, and gets a kick out of figuring out new uses for tnt and end crystals (often accompanied by getting dragged away from their newest creations by charcoal or silver) (basically where canon yellow would watch mumbo jumbo or zedaph, cherry would watch docm77)

amber (second swapped with red)

the youngest of the computer crew, amber might seem a bit airheaded sometimes. truly when they get into trouble though, they often are able to come up with the most out there plans to get out of said trouble. this doesn't stop them from running into danger headfirst though (and often suffering the consequences...). when not drawing as a hobby, they often work on building up new structures for their family to use.

(also for reference ages are swapped/changed as well, so silver and charcoal are both 15, cherry is 14, and amber is 13)

the powered colors (ok i don't have a cool name for them)

prey (blue swapped with victim)

the eldest of the sticks made by [insert username here], prey was made to be nothing more than a punching bag, and nearly died as nothing more than a punching bag, choosing to use her second chance for vengeance. she runs nightshade corp with a warm smile and polite demeanor, but that warm smile can just as easily turn cruel when "testing" her newest concoctions on those she needs information from.

The Champion (green swapped with chosen)

made for a challenge, champion quickly lived up to that goal. champion has a strong sense of right vs wrong, which is why he attacked the websites of humans but changed his mind after seeing that he and hive were hurting other sticks. he has many powers, but his preferred power is his wind abilities! he likes sneaking into music venues sometimes to listen to performances in his free time. (champion has roughly the same power set as chosen, but again he prefers to use his wind powers over the other elements)

The Hive Queen (yellow swapped with dark)

made in an attempt to contain champion, hive instead forged a sibling's bond with her target, the two of them running to the outernet. while champion slowly lost interest in striking back at humanity after seeing the sticks they were hurting, hive thrived in the destruction, enjoying watching the traitorous sticks that lived with humans flee. when not destroying or annoying her older brother, hive works on making various technological creations, her magnum opus currently at the forefront... (hive has more electrical powers)

The Second Victor (red swapped with second)

coming into being by pure accident, sv quickly forged a bond with the computer crew, managing to arrange for him and the cc to stay on programmer's computer in exchange for 3d modeling help. sv can sometimes be a bit more cautious compared to his friends, but when caught up in the moment he's all impulse. despite not showing any sign of powers like champion or hive, he has had the ability to bring 3d creations to life... and a gap in his memory from the showdown...

(again, ages have been changed/swapped for narrative clarity, so prey is 22, champion is 21, hive is 17, and sv is 13)

"what about the avm sticks?"

well this one's a bit more complicated, so let's try to explain that one

Gold -> Purple

gold lived with their dad, a well-known fighter, until their dad got sick and sadly passed. in the aftermath of his passing they could feel everyone's expectations on them, the weight of their father's legacy. they couldn't take it anymore and eventually ran away to a computer that happened to have a minecraft game open. they accidentally saved some villagers and became crowned by them. it was nice to not have any previous expectations on them.

instead of betraying the cc for power, instead gold is a bit of a coward, tending to run away when things start to get hard or overwhelming. honestly the fact that they stuck around purple for so long is testament to how much they believed in purple's words.

speaking of purple....

Purple -> King

purple goes with their mother to the fair, and the workers allow the two of them to go into the minecraft simulator together. but things go wrong, and in an effort to save her child, orchid throws purple through the safety doors before they close and she gets sucked back into minecraft. purple refuses to believe their mother is gone though, and is determined to rescue her from minecraft's code, even if they have to tear it apart line by line... (a ghost lingering around them watches mournfully).

also they totally think gold is older than they actually are cuz gold's pretty tall for a 15 year old.

(gold is 15, purple is 19)

so the avm swap is kinda a circle swap? gold -> purple -> king -> orchid -> gold.

and now for other characters that i don't have designs for yet

the mercs

I decided to swap them with fanon characters because i thought it'd be interesting to see:

agent swaps with freedom guy

hazard swaps with hangman

primal swaps with the one

ballista swaps with the [selected]

[useless-catalanfacts]

I've heard of programs to help language learners by connecting them to elderly people who speak the language involved, e.g. by Zoom. The language learners can practice, the seniors get some good socializing that combats isolation and loneliness. I've heard of this for French, Japanese, and Portuguese- do you know of any programs that do this in Catalan?

I don't know of any programmes that are designed specifically like this, but I know that many retired people join Voluntariat per la Llengua (VxL). It's a programme where native speakers (or people with a native level) and learners sign up, and they get paired one native with one learner. Then, they meet up to practice speaking and they have discounts to go do cultural activities together (like museums, historical buildings and archaeological sites, theatre shows, magician shows, bookshops, some music festivals, etc) so they can have things to do together and talk about. The programme also gives you a lot of resources and material with ideas of conversations and images to talk about so you need to do the least amount of preparation possible. Since 2017, it's also done on Zoom so it's open to people from around the world.

However, there is another programme focused on elderly people to combat loneliness which I think is great, called "Grans teatrerus". It pairs an elderly person (over 75 years old who suffers of loneliness or is at risk of it) with a young person (aged 18-30) so they can go to the theatre together and then talk about the show (or whatever they want). So far it's only done in Barcelona, but I think it's a great idea. They're currently looking for young people for the 2024-2025 theatre season btw!