#and i think they did it because hamsters are more commonly known

[t3acupz]

—

matthew has a womrat named hannibal

[shortace]

The Adventures of Gloop and Angry Hamster in the Dimension of Fire Unfamiliar Environment with a Kid Who’s Going To Get Fired

Gloop was pretty smart for a goldfish. It came, he thought, of spending too much time in close proximity to Myles Fowl. That alone, however, would have done nothing; it took the intermediary efforts of the trans-species polyglot Beckett for anything Myles said to make any sense to Gloop. 

Angry Hamster wasn’t very smart, even for a sculpture made of shredded IQ tests held together with saliva. He was too busy being angry because he couldn’t figure out which number came next after 37, 34, 31, 28. Gloop could have told him the answer was 25, of course, and Myles would have informed him that IQ tests really only measure how good you are at standardised tests but his was 170 thank you very much. But Angry Hamster never thought to ask. He wasn’t that smart. 

Dolphin was a dolphin, and exactly as smart as a dolphin.

The sun shone, and a light breeze played with the tips of the waves. No record survives concerning the nature of the game, but possibly Tic-Tac-Toe. What we do know is that the ocean won. The ocean always does.

But Dolphin, leaping and frolicking, cared nothing for the breeze, or the sunshine, or the Tic-Tac-Toe. Her only concern was to have no concerns. And she was remarkably good at it. 

The low hum of a far-off boat reached Dolphin's ears, but she paid it no mind. It wasn't her concern.

Inside Villa Eco, young Myles Fowl was trying to comfort his twin brother Beckett. He wasn’t very good at it, as he often failed to grasp that emotions do not respond to logic.

'She's a wild animal, Beck,' he said again. 'She does wild things.'

'But she said she'd be there!' Beckett insisted. 'Dolphins don't break promises, brother.'

'Your sample size is one,' Myles pointed out, Beckett having only ever met one dolphin, and Myles remained unconvinced that actual communication had taken place, making ‘met’ seem the wrong word for the encounter. 'That is insufficient data to draw a conclusion regarding the reliability of the species.'

'I just know she's in trouble.'

Myles thought that 'just knowing' was poor research methodology, but he just sighed. 'We'll wait for her again tomorrow. Now come on, it's lunch time, and we need energy for our growing brains.'

Gloop, in his bowl, let out a nervous 'Gloop.' He hadn't understood all of the twins' conversation, but he could tell that Beckett was worried and it had something to do with his new dolphin friend. Even though dolphins were mammals, not fish, somewhere deep inside all aquatic creatures was a sympathy with all the rest, and like Beckett, he hoped that Dolphin was okay.

Dolphin was not okay. 

Off the coast of Dalkey Island, a fishing boat loitered. The pilot was sleeping off a bout of food poisoning - which, frankly, served him right for many of his illegal and immoral practices. On deck was a single underpaid, unqualified, and underage employee. Not for him a certificate in aquaculture, nor one in first-aid aboard ship. Moby Dick, though, he had read several times: quite an achievement for any adult, let alone a fifteen year old. The boy did his best to make up for his shortcomings with pure enthusiasm, and had, a few moments earlier, cast out a line with a complete lack of precision and the wrong bait. This wouldn’t normally be much of a problem, as tuna fish aren’t known for being overly fussy, but in this case Dolphin happened to be having a wonderful time just off the stern of the boat, and she wasn’t fussy either. 

The bait was disappointing, tasting stale and dull, and it had something hard and sharp inside it. It hurt Dolphin’s mouth. This would not stand. What sort of ocean gods would provide food like this? Dolphin raised her voice in complaint. 

Sound travels faster in water than it does through the air, so it wasn’t long before Dolphin’s podmates heard her whistles and clicks. Roughly translated, she had said: ‘This fish is bad and it hurts my mouth; send me the manager.’ Her podmates laughed and mocked her, a series of clicks that traveled all the way to the shores of Dalkey Island, where Beckett stood listening. 

Gloop’s laps of the fishbowl slowed slightly as he devoted more energy to his brain. Dolphin was in trouble, and NANNI wouldn’t let Myles and Beckett put to sea. Gloop was going to have to solve this problem on his own. It was a bit harder than figuring out what came next after 37, 34, 31, 28, but not for nothing was he the smartest goldfish in Ireland and perhaps the world. He would have to enlist some help.  

‘Brother mine, what are you putting in the fish tank?’ Myles asked wearily. He had written multiple treatises on the biology and psychology of twins, and perhaps his most important conclusion was that love and exasperation could, and generally did, co-exist. His second most important conclusion was that doubling the calorific intake of one twin could not sustain the other; Beckett had simply bulked up while Myles’ stomach rumbled miserably. He would not be repeating that experiment.

‘It’s a scaled-down version of your water filtration system, attached to a swimming suit,’ Beckett said proudly. ‘Gloop is going to sea, and he needs fresh water.’ 

‘There is only one Gloop, and two filtration systems,’ Myles pointed out.

Beckett held aloft the second unit. ‘This one’s for Angry Hamster. Look, NANNI fixed it to make air for him!’

‘Beck, Angry Hamster can’t swim.’ 

‘Gloop will help him. He told me.’ 

‘Is this about your dolphin friend?’ 

‘Yes, Myles; Gloop and Angry Hamster are going to rescue her!’ Beckett beamed. ‘NANNI has no joooo-ris-tic-shun over them!’ 

Myles had been playing vocabulary lists to his brother while he slept, hoping he might learn subliminally; he was pleased that it seemed to be working, but less pleased about this plan. ‘That is true,’ he acknowledged, ‘but Angry Hamster is made of paper and saliva. He will disintegrate in water.’ 

Beckett demonstrated the watertight suit he had had NANNI design for him. It was monogrammed with a cursive AH on each side. ‘Angry Hamster wants to go.’

Myles sighed. ‘Very well, brother. How are they going to get into the ocean?’ 

‘I will flush them down the toilet,’ Beckett proclaimed.

Beck!’ 

‘Kidding, brother!’ Beckett laughed at his brother’s shocked expression. ‘I will carry them to the beach and throw them in. Gently.’ Despite his boisterous nature, Beckett had a deep empathy and was perfectly capable of being gentle if circumstances required. Myles imagined that introducing two very different non-sea creatures equipped with untested suits into a marine environment counted as circumstances that required it. 

Beckett was as good as his word, and Gloop and Angry Hamster safely - if nervously - entered the waves from the Fowl’s private beach. To Myles, Beckett seemed to be making a series of very strange noises, but Gloop and Angry Hamster each heard ‘Fishing boat, southeast! Good luck!’ 

Being small creatures in a big and strange new world, Gloop and Angry Hamster did not swim particularly fast. They did their small best, though, with Gloop encouraging his papery friend. Angry Hamster got along in a sort of wriggly doggy-paddle, and NANNI’s suits withstood the challenge. Both animals were kept safe and breathing in their own special ways. 

In a matter of hours they had caught up with the fishing boat. Angry Hamster was exhausted, and if the boat’s pilot had not been unwell, he would never have made it. If our heroes understood the concept of food poisoning, they would be very glad for it. The boat remained idle. Angry Hamster was able to cling to the side with one claw, even though it was hard to grip through the material of his suit, and hold up Gloop with another, allowing them both to rest. 

As they rested, Gloop and Angry Hamster heard a voice above them. Angry Hamster could make nothing of it, but Gloop caught the drift of it. If either of them had a full comprehension of English, what they heard would have been something like this: ‘I don’t think this is a tuna fish. It doesn’t look tuna-y. I think it’s a dolphin. I’m going to be fired. I’m in so much trouble. What do I do? What would Ishmael do?’ all the accompaniment of pacing footsteps and heavy breathing.

Gloop caught ‘dolphin’ several times, as well as ‘fired’. He knew two meanings of the word fire: one was hot and burny, and the other was fast and deadly. Neither sounded good for Dolphin. He tried to convey his concern to Angry Hamster, but the fragmented analogy question on the hamster’s back was itchy and he couldn’t scratch it through NANNI’s suit. This, combined with hunger and exhaustion, was making him very angry. He let out a wild screech and clawed his way frantically up the side of the boat and onto the deck. 

The pacing, muttering boy stopped pacing and muttering at the sight of a wet-suited paper-mache hamster climbing on board. He began to wonder if food poisoning was contagious, and if hallucinations were a common symptom. Angry Hamster took advantage of the hesitation to launch himself at the boy’s face, screeching. What he was trying to say was ‘For the love of all the gods, scratch my back!’ But what the boy heard was tantamount to ‘I’m going to claw your face off!’

Gloop knew he had to act fast. High jump is not commonly practiced among small domestic fish, but with determination and a rudimentary understanding of geometry, much can be accomplished even by the smallest of animals. He swam away from the boat to give himself a run-up - or rather, a swim-up - and followed Angry Hamster’s lead in launching himself on deck. 

The poor boy fainted on the spot. 

To one side of the deck lay Dolphin, tangled in fishing lines and nets, flopping weakly. Dolphins can survive several hours out of the water, if it isn’t too hot or dry, and Gloop was relieved to see that, although she was clearly tired and uncomfortable, Dolphin was unhurt and should make a full recovery. But first they had to get her back into the water, which meant getting her out of those nets. 

Gloop knew who had the perfect teeth to gnaw through fishing lines. What he didn’t know was how to convey that instruction to Angry Hamster, who was currently scuttling around the deck looking for something he could scratch his back against - and whose teeth were still enclosed in NANNI’s watertight suit. Angry Hamster finally found a scratching post in the form of a tackle box. It had a sharp corner which dug in through the suit and hit the sweet spot perfectly. Angry Hamster was, briefly, less angry as he scratched. But his suit was meant to withstand water pressure, not tackle boxes. It ripped open, and Angry Hamster wriggled his way out of it. On some level he understood that this was undesirable, and he turned to look apologetically at Gloop.

But Gloop was overjoyed now that Angry Hamster’s teeth were free. He mimed chewing, gnawing, and pointed with a fin at the nets surrounding Dolphin. Chewing comes naturally to hamsters, so Angry Hamster understood immediately, and abandoned his tackle box. It was the work of moments to chew through the lines holding Dolphin on deck. Before she let herself slide back into the ocean, Dolphin took a moment to slap the recovering fisher boy with a fin. 

‘Hey!’ he protested weakly, but she was already gone.

‘There, brother.’ Myles and Beckett stood on the beach on Dalkey Island, looking out to the southeast. Myles had just spotted Dolphin scything through the waves towards them. ‘I told you she would be okay.’

‘And I told you Gloop and Angry Hamster would save her.’ Beckett handed the binoculars to his twin, to let him see the small goldfish swimming furiously beside the dolphin, and the slightly mushy hamster riding on her back. 

THE END (probably)

[woman-loving]

Transforming “Queer” into “Kvar”

Selection from "Queer Beograd Collective: Beyond Single-Issue Activism in Serbia and the Post-Yugoslav Space," by Bojan Bilić and Irene Dioli, in Intersectionality and LGBT Activist Politics: Multiple Others in Croatia and Serbia, ed. Bojan Bilić and Sanja Kajinić, 2016

Serbian LGBT activism has a relatively short history given that homosexuality was decriminalised in 1994. Soon after this routine revision of the penal code, which came as a surprise to the LGBT “community”,[5] the first gay and lesbian organisation Arkadija, operating from the early 1990s, was officially registered in July 1994. As the activist “scene” slowly differentiated, lesbian activists separated from Arkadija in 1995 to form a specifically lesbian non-governmental organisation, Labris (Mlađenović, this volume; Hura, this volume). It was this group that, inebriated by the ephemeral enthusiasm that followed the fall of Slobodan Milošević’s oligarchic regime in October 2000, misread the apparent “opening” of the political field and decided to stage the first Pride March in June 2001. The Pride—a feeling presumably “reserved” for other kinds of belonging in highly patriarchal environments—encountered an explosion of hooligan resistance and ended with around forty seriously injured activists (Bilić, 2016; Bilić & Kajinić, this volume). The then-Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić said in the wake of the event:

“I think that it is too early for a country that has been isolated for so long and under a patriarchal repressive culture to endure such a tolerance test. I am, of course, a supporter of tolerance in every sense and everyone is entitled to express their difference as long as they do not harm anyone else, and in this case there can be no harm because someone has different sexual affinities. That is the highest level of tolerance and I am afraid that we still need a certain period of time to reach it.” (B92, 2001, online)

The first attempt to stage a Pride March started the pairing of LGBT-oriented street protests with overtly homophobic aggression and inaugurated a chain of activist actions and immediate nationalist reactions sustained by the Serbian Orthodox Church. After the 2001 Pride, which became known within activist circles as the “massacre parade”, there was no initiative for Pride organisation in the following two years. In 2004, when the activists thought that the time was ripe for another attempt, they realised that they still could not count on political/state support and were yet again faced with homophobic threats, eventually cancelling the manifestation. In the words of Dušan Maljković (2013, online), a long-term LGBT activist from Belgrade:

“Forms of activism are often a local copy & paste of Western ones, which is very problematic because it implies a failure to consider the local context. This is the case, for example, of Pride parades, which many believe should be carried out like in the West at all costs, rather than reflect on how they might be reinvented to be made more effective.”

Queer Beograd Collective appeared in this context as a group of activists who decided to establish a safe haven in which the fluidity and richness of sexuality could be expressed and celebrated. A hamster with wings riding a bicycle was chosen as a logo because, as the activists stated (personal communication with Irene Dioli, 2009), “forming a queer collective in Belgrade was about as likely as finding a hamster with wings riding a bicycle”. They started condemning homophobic violence, which they perceived as a symbiosis of war,[6] clericalism, nationalism, militarism, and machismo that became deeply ingrained in the way in which politics was done by Serbian officials.[7] Accounting for the appearance of the Collective in their first Manifesto, issued in May 2005 as a “programmatic” statement of their first festival, the group members said:

“[…] the state and citizens are still ignorant toward problems of the LGBT population and all the others who are different. […] human rights are abused on a daily basis.

That is why this year we had a new concept—we refused to spend time on worries about violence that might happen and hiring private security or police. We wanted to build exciting cooperation between people on an international and local level, to have fun, and to promote queer politics. In this context to be queer means to refuse social rules and to constantly re-question supposed norms of patriarchal tradition. To create space beyond the rigid boxes of LGBT or straight sexuality, allowing each other the ‘privilege’ of self definition. To present a radical politics that sees the interconnectedness of all forms of oppression.” (Queer Beograd Collective, 2004)

The first “manifesto” introduced the concept of queer in its English original and announced that the initiative would attempt to offer a “holistic” approach to the frequent abuse of human rights by showing how various forms of discrimination stem from the same patriarchal nucleus. Over five days of the first festival, Do It Yourself, which took place in an abandoned building and gathered participants from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom, there were numerous art exhibitions, film screenings, performances, concerts, and workshops as well as a self-defence training. This event, which can be considered the start of grassroots queer activism in Belgrade, ended with a street party in the centre of the city, symbolically marking an attempt by the activists to, at least temporarily, claim a public space without provoking violent reactions (Dioli, 2011a).

However, after the initial enthusiasm to put an end to the incessant lamentations about Serbia’s backwardness and exclusion from the world, it became clear that the physical safety achieved through the use of the term queer did not come without a price. The activists and their sympathisers continued to grapple with the concept, some of them believing that the lack of violence and a sense of empowerment produced by the first festival could become possible because “queer” masked their sexual identities, which needed a more explicit politicisation.[8] At the “Queer Beograd Party & Politics” roundtable, organised within the second festival that took place in December 2005 and which lasted for three days, one of the participants said:

“I would like to describe a bit why I predominantly don’t identify or name myself queer, but rather lesbian. […] For me, using this term—which more or less has an Anglo-American connotation—is very questionable. […] There are these western paradigms which are most commonly translated, not just translated but sometimes copy/pasted to other regions, but not the other way around. This is also often the case with the term queer. It is very questionable, what we do with this translating of the concepts.” (transcribed by Irene Dioli, see Dioli, 2011a)

Thus, in the wake of the first festival, activists understood that “queer” did not really feel at home in the Serbian sociopolitical context. Although it could serve as a “folding screen” that would for a little bit of time keep hooligans “in check”, the concept was not widely known either within the Serbian LGBT “community”, which was supposed to be addressed by and take part in the Queer Beograd Collective festivals. Bearing this in mind, Jet Moon, a performer and one of the group’s founders, said in December 2005:

“After our first festival in Beograd, we realised it’s not enough to try and stage a queer DIY festival in Serbia, because for a start no one knows what queer is! On the one hand this is useful because the fascists and homophobes don’t come to attack us, on the other it means we don’t make contact with the community of people we want to play with. We don’t want to make a new kind of closet, but we use the word queer for a reason, for us it means more than the right to freedom of sexual expression.” (Moon, Party & Politics Roundtable, transcribed by Irene Dioli, see Dioli 2011a)

The second festival, self-financed like its predecessor a few months earlier, brought yet another series of performances, movie screenings, parties, and theoretical discussions on gender, sexuality, politics, and art. It was organised and attended by activists and artists from the former Yugoslav states and their guests from the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States. In contrast to the first event, which was supposed to acknowledge the presence of those who tend to be left out of the heteronormative paradigm, the second one was devoted to a closer engagement with the creative political potential of the concept of queerness in the Serbian/post-Yugoslav context. As a result of these discussions, the third Queer Beograd festival, which took place in October 2006, rounded the evolutionary trajectory of the concept of queer within the initiatives of this activist group by substituting it with the Serbo-Croatian word kvar, meaning malfunction. Thus, the “manifesto” of the third festival read:

“In Serbian there is no word that means queer, no way to say what we mean about queer being more than LGBT equality. For us queer means radical, inclusive, connecting to all kinds of politics and being creative about how we live in this world. So our new festival is called “Kvar”, a technical term literally translating to mean “a malfunction in a machine”, because in this world of capitalism, nationalism, racism, militarism, sexism, and homophobia, we want to celebrate ourselves as a malfunction in this machine. We dare to resist conformity and go against what is accepted to create something about living and justice, not false productivity, war, and money. We are happy to present to you “Kvar—the malfunction”, a festival celebrating diversity and freedom of sexual expression, celebrating everyone who fights against the system.” (Queer Beograd Collective, 2006)

Dioli (2011b) notes how the translation of queer as kvar preceded the publication of Judith Halberstam’s book The Queer Art of Failure, which questions conventional notions of success in a heteronormative, capitalist society. The choice of the word kvar, thus, becomes particularly relevant in the context of the so-called “queer asynchrony” and “temporal disjunction” that Mizielińska and Kulpa (2011) use to explain the relationship between Western and Eastern queer activisms. Although departing with a noble goal of “de-centring” Western sexualities, they stick to a Western point of reference that inevitably portrays Eastern European countries as lagging behind their Western “models” (Takács, 2013 ). With this in mind, “the Serbian queer movement may almost seem to have anticipated the times. This may help dismantle some stereotypes of ‘Eastern’ LGBT and queer movements running after ‘Western’ thought and conquests in a linear trajectory of development” (Dioli, 2011b , online). By opting for the word kvar, which, while being phonetically similar to the word queer, encapsulates the essence of their politics, the Belgrade Queer Collective activists showed how a foreign concept can be appropriated in the local context. “The local subjects found a brilliant synthesis on the linguistic as well as semantic level, and thus fully ‘localised’ the original term” (Dioli, 2011a , p. 164).

[shenzhenblog]

IRL > URL: How To Break Free From Digital Distractions And Start Truly Living Your Best Life Now

Gaetano DiNardi: Welcome back to yet another fantastic Nextiva webinar today. I don’t even know if this guest needs a proper introduction. He is phenomenal in every way. The one and only Brian Solis. Welcome, Brian, to the Crowdcast. Awesome to have you.

Brian, these are all these problems that we’re facing with digital distraction. We get into this digital hamster wheel of “Check your”:

Email

Text messages

Voicemails

Project management tool

CRM

Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour and a half on social media or on your cell phone. You’ve got nothing done, and now you have more messages at the top of that cycle.

You can either go back to the top of the hamster wheel or figure out how to break the chains of digital distraction.

Introducing Lifescaling

Brian Solis: I’m going to walk you through what living on this digital hamster wheel looks and feels like.

A part of it is to build awareness and the other part is to work together. We have to go on a journey where we give ourselves a new sense of purpose. And, a new vision for taking control. Not eliminating the use of technology, but managing it in a way that works for us and others.

This is a movement that I call “Lifescaling.”

The reason it’s important is we were given access to tools, platforms, and mobile devices that no one prepared us for. We were left to fend for ourselves.

You’re going to go to bed looking at your cell phone and waking up looking at it. It’s the same routine until you manage how much time you spend on your phone or iPad.

Digital Distraction Vs. Fear of Missing Out

Brian Solis: What I found out the hard way, is that life and happiness are part of the same journey. Be in the moment and don’t focus on what’s on your device. Happiness already exists. It’s already within you.

At some point when I was writing, what would have been my eighth book, I hit a wall. I didn’t necessarily know why I couldn’t get past the proposal stage. All I knew was that I needed to get that book out.

So it took everything I had to be able to focus on what I felt I needed to get to the bottom of, which was, “Why couldn’t I:”

Get that proposal done?

Think the way I used to?

Focus or concentrate for the time like I used to?

Ignite my imagination and creativity on demand?

And I started asking questions like, “When did:”

We get so busy?

Looking at our mobile devices become the norm?

Breathing or thinking become so difficult?

Screen time become such a responsibility?

I start to feel like I need you to know that I see everything that you’re doing?

Anxiety just take over?

The hard part was just recognizing that we’re living life anxious, more self-interested, less patient, and definitely more stressed. But we do nothing about it.

The Science Behind Digital Distraction

Brian Solis: Attention is currency. The more you pay attention, the more they monetize it. This is true for every single platform that we use.

If you think about how you use digital today, you’re essentially rewiring your brain and your body.

On average, we receive about 200 notifications per day. It’s teaching your brain to be ready to be distracted, to speed up. The chemicals in your body make you feel like you’re in control, but those same chemicals make you feel stress and anxiety.

The chart below, for example, shows you push notification data from 671 million pushes. It’s clear that we respond to pushes throughout the day!

Source: andrewchen.co

They’re also fooling you into believing that you’re in demand, that you’re top of mind. This is what keeps your fear of missing out away.

Understanding variable intermittent rewards

Gaetano DiNardi: I saw a behind the scenes of how Facebook’s user experience designers think about the platform. One analogy that came out of the discussion was they wanted to build it similar to how gaming machines work in casinos.

Brian Solis: It’s called variable intermittent rewards. It gives you the sensation that, when you don’t get a notification, you’re losing out.

Source: The Guardian

These are techniques that aren’t just used in gambling, it’s also used in psychological warfare. It’s also used in spreading fake news. Every platform you use is changing your behavior.

How Digital Distraction Affects Relationships

Brian Solis: We are turning conversations into moments. Stripping away the depth and critical thinking — tearing away empathy.

Think about the fact that a lot of these platforms are polarizing relationships. It’s getting harder to disconnect, especially for young people.

Gaetano DiNardi: Some older members of my family are new to Facebook. Whenever something comes along in their feed that they don’t agree with, they block it out. They aren’t able to see the other point of view.

It becomes a very toxic cycle. You’re not able to see that polarity because of the way that the algorithm is kind of shaping your digital experience.

You think you’re living your best life. Are you?

Brian Solis: We tend to surround ourselves with people who validate the thinking that we already have. They reinforce the fact that you’re right. But you can’t think critically.

The reality is, productivity, happiness, and creativity are all interlinked. You are not living your best life, even though you give the appearance that you are.

The biggest direct link of all of this stuff is dwindling imagination and thinking critically and just creativity in general.

The Perils of Multitasking

Brian Solis: Every single aspect of distraction isn’t just about social media or your alerts. It’s also how you live life.

Think about how many tabs you have open on your browser at any given point. That’s a symbol of not being able to make decisions and close out projects. You may feel like you’re managing them all together, but you’re not.

In fact, 95% business professionals say they multitask during meetings.

Source: Prezi

Every time you reach for that mobile device, it takes you over 23 minutes to get back into the zone. This affects the quality and the caliber of your work.

Gaetano DiNardi: To a degree, you’ve got to blame society’s false glorification of multitasking.

Brian Solis: Call it the cult of busy or the glorification of hustle. The busier you are, the more important it seems.

Give yourself the means to pursue what a satisfying and fulfilling life could be. I think the pursuit of meaning is what matters.

Creativity is something we could use more of, especially in the digital age. It’s really starting to show signs that creativity and the arts are what machines can’t duplicate.

Don’t worry about disruption; worry about mediocrity. When you multitask, it gives us a semblance of being creative.

How to Prevent/Overcome Digital Distraction

Brian Solis: Without creativity, there would be no innovation. Every aspect of how we work and think are actually preventing us from being innovative.

The direct path to happiness is actually through creativity. It’s time to reacquaint yourself with the artist formerly known as You because you were creative.

Brian Solis: Every night you go to sleep, you replenish those chemicals and nutrients that you use up. This is why sleep is so important, it literally gives you a new day with new potential.

Try to think about your day in ways where you can get the deeper work done and distraction-free. Do this in the beginning, and save your afternoon for the creative and deep work.

The more great work that you do, the more special you are. Everybody can’t be special if they’re doing what everybody else is doing, right?

There are techniques that you can build. The Pomodoro timer? You to focus for 25-minute bursts, distraction-free, and then you take a five-minute break.

It all comes down to how you perceive tasks

Brian Solis: As I was writing the book, I found this quote from Mohammed Ali that I felt was worth sharing.

He said that he convinced himself that he can’t quit. Ali envisioned why he was doing those things and to live the rest of his life as a champion.

Solving the problem is not about simple time management or productivity tools or hacks. It’s actually changing how you perceive the task.

This is about becoming more exceptional, creative, and happier. The more you know who you are, the more you can become that ideal you. Not that aspirational selfie that we commonly communicate with.

You weren’t put on this planet to validate your existence through the false validation of strangers.

It’s actually just believing in yourself and that is the true aspiration. Then we can break free from the shackles of distraction and this digital hamster wheel.

More About Brian Solis

Brian Solis is one of the world’s leading digital anthropologists who have been called “one of the greatest digital analysts of our time.”

As if he hasn’t made enough of a name for himself, Brian is also a world-renowned keynote speaker and an award-winning author of seven best-selling books including:X: The Experience When Business Meets Design,What’s the Future of Business,The End of Business as Usual and his new book Lifescale: How to live a more Creative, Productive and Happy Life.

Note : This article was originally published on Briansolis.com

Brian Solis is principal analyst and futurist at Altimeter, the digital analyst group at Prophet, Brian is a world renowned keynote speakerand 8x best-selling author. In his new book, Lifescale: How to live a more creative, productive and happy life, Brian tackles the struggles of living in a world rife with constant digital distractions. His model for “Lifescaling” helps readers overcome the unforeseen consequences of living a digital life to break away from diversions, focus on what’s important, spark newfound creativity and unlock new possibilities. His previous book, X: The Experience When Business Meets Design, explores the future of brand and customer engagement through experience design.

IRL > URL: How To Break Free From Digital Distractions And Start Truly Living Your Best Life Now was originally published on Shenzhen Blog

[fashiontrendin-blog]

This is the difference between fillers and Botox so you can decide what's best for you

http://fashion-trendin.com/this-is-the-difference-between-fillers-and-botox-so-you-can-decide-whats-best-for-you/

This is the difference between fillers and Botox so you can decide what's best for you

Thinking of getting filler? Stop right there and read this first! We’ve enlisted Dr Tatiana, founder of Dr Tatiana Aesthetic Clinic, Harley Street, to share the ten things you need to know before getting filler, a procedure designed to minimise the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles. Consider it your filler 411.

1. What is filler?

The most commonly used fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, which is naturally found in the skin. Thanks to its ability to store moisture, hyaluronic acid is responsible for giving skin a plump and hydrated look. Hyaluronic acid fillers are a gel-like substance that creates volume in the skin. Once injected, they begin to integrate into the substance of the skin, attracting water molecules and hydrating the surrounding tissue. Whilst other types of filler exist, they are less popular as they are non-reversible. This is a major disadvantage because these fillers cannot be dissolved in the event of complications.

2. What are they used for?

Fillers were first used to treat facial lines and creases in order to stave off the signs of ageing. More recently, fillers are being used to augment and enhance facial features such as creating sharper cheekbones, more defined jawlines and straighter noses. Fillers can also be used on other parts of the body such as the décolletage, neck and hands to rejuvenate crépey skin.

3. What is the difference between fillers and Botox?

Both are used to rectify or prevent the signs of ageing, but fillers and Botox are quite different. While fillers are typically used to add volume and plump the skin, Botox (which is a brand name for botulinum toxin) temporarily blocks nerve signals in the muscles where it’s injected to restrict movement and treat ‘expression lines’.

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4. Where are fillers used?

Fillers are a gel-like substance that is injected into different parts of the skin. The depth of injection and consistency of the filler dictates the results that will be achieved: deep injections with firm fillers create volume and shape to the face, mid-depth injections with medium-firm fillers reduce the appearance of creases, superficial injections into the dermis with soft fillers help to smooth out wrinkles, plump and hydrate the skin.

It is also worth nothing that fillers can be injected in different ways: using a needle or a cannula. A cannula is a blunt tube that deposits filler underneath the skin and can be used to treat any part of the face e.g. tear troughs, cheeks, jawline or lips.

5. What about the results?

It’s important to understand that your wishes must dictate the results. If you do not want “fish lips” or “hamster cheeks”, you will not have them! It’s important to spend some time discussing with your practitioner to make sure that they understand your aims.

I often see patients that shudder at the thought of looking “fake” and this puts them off ever having filler treatments. In reality, it is practically impossible to “over-do” fillers in a single cautious treatment. Where things can go wrong is when people keep adding filler over numerous sessions until their results look disproportionate and unnatural. You may ask “but why?” and the answer is not simple.

Some people enjoy the process of change, some may have lost the ability to objectively assess their appearance, others may not be clear on where they can draw the line between self-expression and risk to their health. In such cases it has to be the responsibility of the practitioner to guide their patient away from treatments that will give poor aesthetic or clinical results.

The results following a filler treatment will, of course, vary from person to person and the areas treated. It is normal for there to be some swelling and possibly even some bruising for a few days after facial fillers but generally you will see an immediate difference in volume and shape of the treated area. The results tend to improve as the swelling settles and the filler begins to sit more naturally in the skin. This may take around two weeks.

6. What’s the best filler to use?

The best filler to use will depend on the area to be treated. There are some commonly used and well-recognised brands of fillers such as Juvederm, Belotero, Restylane and Teosyal.

There are also many other fillers available and practitioners will often have a tendency to use one particular brand. In the UK, fillers are considered a medical device and hence have few restrictions or regulations. As such, many practitioners will look towards the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States for guidance on filler use and safety.

In order for fillers to gain FDA approval, the pharmaceutical company must prove safety as well as efficacy. So, if you are looking for a safe and effective filler, start by checking if it is FDA approved for the area you want treated. This information can be found on their website: https://www.fda.gov/

Next, ask your practitioner about their choice of filler. It is very reassuring if your practitioner understands the physical properties of the filler and how it is suited to the area being treated. For example, if treating the tear troughs, one would want a filler that doesn’t fluctuate much in volume and hence will not ‘puff up’ with lack of sleep, travel or excess salt; or if treating the lips, one would want a soft and elastic filler that can move smoothly with the natural movement of the lips.

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7. Do your research

Make sure you fully research your practitioner before committing to a dermal filler treatment with them – ask to see before-and-after photographs of real patients and make sure you discuss how realistic your results will be. Ask what product will be used and the reasons for the product choice, how much will be injected, the technique of injection (needle or cannula?), how long the results are likely to last and if there are any risks and side effects. It’s also worth asking about alternatives to filler treatment, as a good practitioner should be able to discuss alternative treatment options with you.

Finally, and importantly, ask what can be done if things go wrong. Can your practitioner treat filler complications? Are they able to dissolve your filler if needed and will they charge you for this? Make sure you are fully confident and at ease with your chosen clinic. Sometimes seemingly awkward questions about qualifications, training and experience are good ways of sussing out if your practitioner is someone who is able to put you at ease.

8. Less is usually more

When it comes to fillers, less is usually more – subtle and natural. Not only should they be almost invisible to the eye but fillers done correctly shouldn’t feel as though they are there.

Hyaluronic acid fillers integrate with the skin and form part of the natural architecture of the skin. This process takes approximately one month. Once integrated, you will not be able to feel that there is filler in the skin, it will simply feel like your own skin – but plumper! It is always possible to add more filler later and you should never feel pressured to have more than what you are comfortable with.

9. Not the result you wanted? Not the end of the world!

Please keep in mind that filler can take up to two weeks to fully settle, if you’re unhappy with your results after this time, make a follow-up appointment with your practitioner. In most cases you can usually have it adjusted or dissolved altogether. Hyaluronic acid fillers are naturally broken down by the skin. On average, this process takes 12 months but it does depend on the filler used and area treated. Areas with little muscular movement or tension such as the tear troughs, temples or jawline tend to last well; whereas areas with more movement or tension such as the lips, nose and cheeks will tend to last less.

10. What are the risks of using fillers over a long period of time?

As hyaluronic acid is a natural substance found in the body, it is accepted by our bodies as being natural – there is no evidence to suggest that long-term use is at all damaging. In fact, long-chains of hyaluronic acid such as those found in fillers are anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory.

11. For the indecisive: Did you know that it’s possible to test out how you could look with fillers without actually taking the plunge?

You can have a trial injection with saline (salty water) to see what your fillers may look like. For example, your practitioner could inject saline in your lips to show you what the filler may look like. Of course, it’s not entirely accurate and the results will likely be slightly different when using filler, but it can give you an idea of whether the treatment would suit you.

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