#credits to schooling online for the screenshot reference

[weeberry-v1b3z]

Mid-night lotf doodles by me, V1B3z :3

im sleepy ill edit this post later

[candyredterezii]

Nooo I was busy playing Maplestory as a kid cause I had very bad Internet and a bad computer so I was like "oh boy 2d sprites? I'm in!" and I committed some minor credit card theft to pay for online cosmetics and such, you know, the usual. Got "hacked" by a "social engineer" by which I mean an obvious hacker pretending to be a girl who had moved to my city (after I said what it was) and to my school (after I said which) and wanted to be my GF (despite never seeing me and only knowing me for 5 minutes) and then asking me for my password and username and guilting me in to it.

I did spend a lot of time online doing therapy. Not receiving, giving, I was an "old soul" even as a like, 11 year old, marriage counselling training beyond my tender years

i rmbr seeing maplestory but never got into it

also i asked my parents for money and whenever i got money i rmbr buying fucking. gaia cash cards. at the STORE. i still fucking have those damn cards, too. they're tucked away in a lil box I keep a lot of keepsakes from the 2007-2012 era

I rmbr when I first joined Gaia they were doing Gaia Prom ... I'm sure it was before the Tumblr Prom shit too now I think about it. Crazy!

Actually this is reminding me I used to do 'avi art' for like. 2k gold at the time too. This was my first ever doing commissions ... and it was going in the Gaia Forums and offer art for a measly like. 2k gold.

And this was art done by a 5th grader on copy paper using a pencil and colored with colored pencils. and then taken a picture of with a mid 2000s camera with shitty lighting and unstable handling.

in fact, here's an example of the kind of art you'd get! This was my gaia avi at the time! :)

here is a screenshot for reference (Kyubi was my best friend of years at the time Emma I met on Gaia. We are still friends on Facebook! :) )

[dawns-beauty]

Calling for TES community screenshots!

Hello! I’m dawns-beauty, aka allonsywisegirl on the Nexus.

I am working on a community-driven modder’s resource for Skyrim and I’m looking for screenshots taken across the franchise (Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, and Elder Scrolls Online) in order to make them into lore-friendly paintings that can be used in-game.

Here are a few in-game examples I’ve already made from both Skyrim and ESO screenshots, as seen in Khajiit Has Wares:

Stipulations on Types of Screenshots I’m looking for:

Pictures of scenery, both natural and cityscapes ✅

Still lifes, architecture, flora and fauna ✅

Pictures of TES historical figures ✅ ✅(you will also receive my unending devotion and we shall be wed in the spring)

No visible HUD (please hide it or crop it out)

No Skyrim spoilers (ie, nothing with Alduin in it, or shots from key moments of various quests. Mostly so the paintings can be used at any point in the game without timeline divergence.)

Modded screenshots are absolutely allowed and welcomed, with the requirement that it can’t be unbelievable as a place in the TES franchise, or look too ‘gamey’ (like ESO’s fire wolves or etc). ENBs/ReShades are also welcome!

Edited screenshots are totally okay too

Character portraits might be accepted, with a few extra stipulations:

Edit: Canon characters, OCs, in-game historical figures, and modded followers are all welcome

No horny, anime, or joke mods, please

No too-obvious references to characters outside of the franchise (stuff like your character having a DA Vallaslin or etc is fine as long as it’s subtle.)

Lore-friendly races only (different Khajiit furstocks and extinct races like Lilmothiit and Kothringi, etc are welcome, as are non-Tamrielic races like Ka po’tun, Maormer, Tsaesci, etc.)

Please take extra care to make it believable pose/angle/location for a painted portraits (look up old school portraits for an idea of good composition.) Props/pose mods are good for this.

If you have the know-how and want to, feel free to edit your own screenshot to look painted! Otherwise, I will use filters to give them a more painterly look. Please don’t apply a canvas texture: I’ll take care of that part, so it will match up with the normal maps I’m planning on using.

Crediting and Permissions

This resource mod would be posted on the Nexus and free to use for anyone who wants it (as long as their mod is 100% free.) Anyone who provides a screenshot will be credited and, if they want to, have a link to their blog/profile/etc posted as well (no direct links to donation sites, however.)

If, for any reason, you want your screenshot removed from the mod at any time, I will do my best to comply for as long as I maintain the mod. Please message me on here directly, though.

Please, reblog > likes, I’m not a large blog and have very little reach in the community, and I would really like this to get to enough people to make this a reality :)

I don’t really have a timescale on release, my plan is to work on this as a side project while hopefully people keeps submitting things. It’s one of those things that I’ll continue to add files to as I get them.

Feel free to submit screenshots to my blog, DM me, send me an ask, reply to this post, or send me links to posts etc!

[wangxinru3205]

Blogpost 8: Play in Problem Based Learning (Wang Xinru)

In the reading “Reconfiguring Interactivity, Agency and Pleasure in the education and computer games debate”, Pelletier (2005) attempts to establish the concepts of pleasure, agency and motivation in education technologies within a framework that could analyse how games can be considered educational. The three factors are seen to be dependent on each other, whereby an increase in one factor would automatically increase the other two. Digital or computer games has increasingly gathered interest of education researchers and policy makers for their interactivity and inherent pleasures that is gained out of playing the games which can be linked to the motivation to learn. She makes use of the notion of interpassivity in Zizek’s theory of subjectivity in cyberspace to define its relation to interactivity, where games are seen as dramatic stages for reality construction. This suggests how games could be seen as educational, since they provide players with the ability to manipulate and experiment with rules that builds the sense of identity.

In an educational point of view, games provide the platform for students to learn, motivating them to clear the stages in the games. Pelletier argues that games require the players to overidentify with the rules of the game, and because of this requirement, players do not identify with the game characters, but rather with the process of clearing the game itself and gaining the extra points.

The aspect of games in education to motivate students is apparent in my society where we can see many instances where games are incorporated into teaching in educational institutions. Having experienced gamified learning personally, I would agree to Pelletier’s argument, but only to a certain extent. When I was young, my schools utilized this online platform called Marshall Cavendish Online, where students could use the platform to submit online homework during E-learning week which happens once a year. Students would be able to tinker around the platform to try the quizzes in the form of games that are available on the platform. In retrospect, my friends and I were doing extra practices on the platform, just that the pretext of having fun and “gaming” allowed me to focus on the act of completing the quest rather without realizing that problem-based learning is in play. In another example, a computer science module in NUS is designed such that playfulness is a central component of learning in its effort to achieve learning outcomes through problem based learning. Students are tasked with “Missions” (assignments) to complete and “Quests” (optional assignments) for students to attempt outside of curriculum time. Upon completion of the missions and quest, students are awarded points where maximum number of points would guarantee the student another module credit.

Screenshot of MCOnline platform that I used when I was in primary school

However, this approach could only work in if the problems given are solvable in the students cognitive capability in my opinion. If most of the problems given are out of the students ability to solve, the student may then choose to give up and quit the game. In the example of university students where they are not allowed to quit, they may lose the interest in solving quests for points and thus treat each assignment as something to be submitted as it is. The learning through play would be backfired as students are demoralized and loses the motivation to learn from the start. Furthermore, while students are incentivized to complete assignments on the pretext of gaining points, the fun in play loses its meaning when a grade hangs over the game. Hence, gamified education is a great method to incentivize students to learn and takes away the boredom from studying, but caution has to be exercised when implementing these methods as it could backfire.

References:

Pelletier, C. (2005). Reconfiguring Interactivity, Agency and Pleasure in the Education and Computer Games Debate—Using Žižek's Concept of Interpassivity to Analyse Educational Play. E-Learning and Digital Media, 2(4), 317-326.

Cs1101s: Programming methodology. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~cs1101s/

Brainy ARKIES – learn and build through play. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2021, from https://www.brainyarkies.com/

[simranger]

a somewhat comprehensive performance guide for the sims 3

what it says on the tin. i’m sticking everything under the cut to avoid clogging everyone’s dash because, hoo boy, this is a looong post

welcome to my kitchen, and hopefully i can help you get your game to run a bit better!

first, if you haven’t already, make sure to launch your game (i recommend just bg so it loads quickly) and check if you need to change your graphics settings. if you’re on windows and would like to play your game in windowed fullscreen: 

download and install this program (it’s safe, i promise)

open the program and you should get a notification that it’s running in your tray

with ts3 open (in it’s windowed mode), click on your tray and right click on the program’s icon, then select Add window

go back to ts3′s window and press F3 on your keyboard. you should get a notification that ts3 has been added to the program’s list, and you’re done!

you’ll also need an fps limiter to prevent the game from frying your video card. i use this one, set at 60fps. alternatively, you can download MATY’s fps limiter and place it in your game’s bin. (The Sims 3/Game/Bin)

is your game crashing on startup? check your DEP settings or try using 3booter.

some tips to help your game run better

have as few programs as possible running while ts3 is open.

run a 4gb patch on your game. download this, run the .exe, select the game’s executable (The Sims 3/Game/Bin/TS3W.exe for patch 1.69 or TS3.exe for patch 1.67), and click open. you’ll get a pop up saying it’s patched. please note that your computer needs to have over 2gb of RAM for this! (most do, but do check how much RAM you have!)

if you’d rather increase how much RAM the game uses yourself, follow this tutorial.

download razer game booster. this frees up some memory on your computer to increase performance.

check how much virtual memory your pc is using. follow this tutorial.

delete cache files. the game will generate new ones every time you open the game, so make sure to delete the following files before running the game: CASPartCache, compositorCache, scriptCache, simCompositorCache, socialCache. these files are found in Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3.

if you’re on pc, delete your WoldCaches folder. not everyone will have this folder, and the game may also regenerate the folder. (mine didn’t regenerate the folder, but it’s happened to others)  DO NOT do this if you’re on mac!!!!

disable your FeaturedItems folder. this prevents the game from generating a fuckton of store thumbnails you’ll never look at. follow this tutorial or just set the folder to be read only.

turn off the following in your game settings: shop mode, interactive loading screens, and online features. i also recommend turning off story progression and memories and using mods to handle these instead.

edit your GraphicsRules.sgr. this will help your game load textures faster. (it also helps how fast your sims change their clothes!) do it yourself by following these tutorials ( 1 + 2 ) or download avian’s graphics fix (v1.69) (v1.67). i recommend doing the latter more than doing it yourself!

modding your game: a quick crash course

yeah, i know most people know how to download and install custom content + mods, but this is still good to give a read for managing your sims 3 cc!

first, you’ll need a mods folder because ts3 won’t generate one by itself. i recommend you download this framework and follow MTS’ guide to setting it up. it comes with a nifty little no intro video mod!

use the compressorizer redux. you can extract it wherever you’d like, just make sure to keep all its files in the same folder. this program is pretty self-explanatory, it compresses .package and .sims3pack files. to use it, click Add Files to List, select the folder with your files (you can do this multiple times), and click GO! now, just let it do its thing! it may take a while to process everything if you have big files, but you’ll get a pop up saying how many MBs you saved when it’s done. you can also use decrapify mode on .sims3packs (useful for store content!)

i recommend downloading Delphy’s Sims3Pack Extractor. i avoid using the game launcher to manage my cc at all costs, and this tool is useful for extracting .package files from .sims3pack files. follow this tutorial to use it!

Delphy’s Dashboard Tool is also useful for finding any broken, duplicate, or conflicting cc. i don’t recommend using the fix all problems option, do it yourself instead to make sure you don’t delete anything you want to keep.

renaming cc files can also help with lag. follow this tutorial!

you can also merge your package files to help with lag and load times using this tutorial. i don’t do this personally, but my mods folder is pretty small too.

note: the game launcher can only load 500 .sims3pack files at a time. only use the launcher to install absolutely necessary items!

to help reduce lag and load times, you can delete everything in your DCBackup folder (Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 3/DCBackup) EXCEPT for ccmerged.package. DO NOT delete ccmerged, it has all the cc installed through the launcher. (ps. you can safely use the compressorizer to compress your ccmerged file!)

final tip: try to control the amount of cc you have installed. i’ve noticed that the game takes a lot longer to load when my mods folder starts to reach a Gb. my mods folder is currently 368Mb, and it takes around 5 minutes to load any saves.

helpful mods for your game

the ETERNAL must have: nraas’ mastercontroller. you’ll need this to run all nraas mods! also be sure to grab overwatch and errortrap while you’re at it! these catch and clean any errors that happen in your game. i also recommend register and traffic.

no (or fewer) auto memories is SUPER useful for controlling memories in the game and helps with game performance. it’s super customizable!

ellacharmed’s world fixes. not really a traditional mod, but this helps with routing and camera control! note: don’t use these on preexisting saves! some lots have been moved and there will be little gaps in the world with preexisting saves.

routing fixes for schools + other lots. be sure to use nraas to reset your school lot after installing!

interaction on sloped terrain. this is mostly just a sanity saver, but very useful!

finally, i recommend grabbing awesome mod. it has a bunch of fixes and is very customizable!

reducing save game bloat

a.k.a. the steps i go through to make sure that my game loads relatively fast and runs with minimal lag. 

if i’ve taken any screenshots the last time i played the game, i move those out of ts3′s screenshots folder and into a separate folder.

i delete all generated cache files. see the tips section above for more info

i run kuree’s save cleaner on the save i’m planning on playing. if the latest version (2.1) doesn’t open/work, try using v1.1 instead. you can also do this manually, though i don’t recommend it for the sake of your sanity.

every couple of in-game weeks in a save i run a total reset on the world i’m playing in. this is done through nraas mastercontroller. click on your city hall from map view>nraas>mastercontroller>total reset

tip: to help prevent your saves from corrupting, use save as and keep multiple versions of your save. for example, i have 3 versions of my lepacy save. this way, if a save does corrupt, you have a backup! 

misc. ways to reduce lag

don’t run the game with all packs enabled. it’s going to murder your game. only run with packs you know you’ll use. you can also refer to this masterpost for bgc items if you only want certain items from a pack.

don’t keep tons of stuff in your sim’s inventory. use the fridge to keep fish and harvestables instead.

if your sim has the collection helper LTR in their inventory, make sure you have it set to none when you’re not using it.

i recommend downloading simborg’s CAS hiders, ILTS’ CAS Rehaul, and/or sweetdevil-sims’ CAS hiders to reduce CAS load times.

change CAS’ catalogs to show in compact form using nraas mastercontroller. select a sim>nraas>mastercontroller>settings>CAS and look for show in compact form options and set each to true

nona’s no limos mod can help nraas overwatch’s nightly clean up

make sure to turn off any build/buy cheats you activated when you go back into live mode. (even if it’s just to save)

if you’re using CAS a lot in a play session, it’s a good idea to quit to desktop and reload the game every once in a while

try to avoid saving presets and CASt swatches

disconnect from the internet. i don’t do this often because i usually have spotify or carl’s sims 3 guide open alongside ts3.

good resources to refer to

the sims wiki’s game guide to improving performace

nraas’ tips for better game performance

this thread @ MTS

optimization guide @ games4theworld

this post by darkfridaysims

that’s all folks!

if you’d like to know what cc and mods i’m using, here’s my resources page. thanks for reading all this, and if you need any clarification or have anything to add onto this, definitely hmu!

edits

*ps that i won’t be tagging people i credit so i don’t risk clogging their activity, i’ll still include a link to their blog!

the fps and 4Gb patch aren’t needed, it was fixed in a patch! (thank you, create-a-sim!)

[intersex-ionality]

those aren't the only tweets people are referring to. there were tweets posted after. in one, she said she's friends/grouped in with gen z trans folks and says her experience is different, she's 'not a vanguard zoomed tran', and she feels like 'the last of the old-school transsexuals'. next, now if you go into leftist gcs, 20-30% are trans, most not 'conventional binary transsexuals'. and she says she's fearful about future trans acceptance for those who want to be invisible, tolerated, safe.

So, you’re in luck. Someone I trust happened to have those tweets in screenshot form. What they actually say, and what your decontextualized quotes fail to adequately represent, is thus:

Natalie Wynn (@ContraPoints):

But I also understand why a lot of trans people who just want to blend in are frustrated with the new visibility, and with the radicals. I’m feeling fearful myself about the future of trans acceptance, and I understand the desire to be safe, invisible, tolerated, etc.

I’m friends with a lot of Gen Z trans people, and I’m often grouped in with them because I’m very online and I transitioned not that long ago. But my experience is very different. I’m not a vanguard zoomer tran. I sometimes feel like the last of the old school transsexuals.

But now you go in these leftist Discord/Facebook groups, and like 20-30% identify as some flavour of trans. Most of them are not conventional binary transsexuals. That seems to be the future.

Look at this thread.

Read it. Really sit down and read it.

Where, exactly, is the call to arms to have younger people’s expressions of their genders eliminated. Where is the devaluation of nonbinary people that is supposedly taking place.

Because all I see is a woman who desires a specific binary set of experiences being tired and frustrated by the fact that her life isn’t going to work out that way, because, as she’s already accepted, that’s not the way the future is moving. And she��s scared of what that means for her mental health, because fuck dude, who the fuck isn’t?

She wants to feel safe, and as someone who struggles with hypervisibility, feeling seen and feeling safe don’t really track onto each other well.

But where is she saying that her safety must come at the expense of others? Where is she saying that her comfort takes priority over others?

Where, exactly, are people getting that read?

Is it because she’s scared that the future of trans acceptance means feeling seen, feeling scrutinized, as if a trans woman acting as a public figure doesn’t have to struggle with the backlash of being seen and scrutinized all day every day?

This is such a fucking basement tier example of competing needs, which Natalie literally says herself at one point, and everyone is champing at the goddamn bit to talk about how she hates nonbinary people or whatever but like.

Fucking where?

And yes, my tone is getting vicious now. I’m tired, and you’re probably acting in good faith but the half dozen people on either side of you damned well aren’t. Think about that, too.

Think about how for every person who is trying to raise what they feel is a genuine problem based on an uncharitable reading of her words, there are dozens of other people trying to attack me just like they went out of their ways to attack her. 

Think about how she never at any point said anything more damning than, “what nonbinary people need to be happy is not what I need to be happy,” and everyone has gone out of their way to turn that into a reason to start fucking calling me a nazi.

And think about how maybe, just maybe, the more dilute forms of that toxic vitriol may be impacting your interpretations of a trans actress not wanting her entire life to be a constant performance where people doubt the authenticity of her womanhood in the facade of wokeness because cis allies don’t understand a goddamn thing in this world.

Think about how fucking scary that is for one goddamn minute, and then consider that maybe she wasn’t blaming nonbinary people for everything wrong in her life, she was in mourning over the fact that cis people fucked it up again, and this time they were at least doing it for good reasons, which makes it more tragic, and let her mourn in peace.

I know this comes as a goddamn shock to us all, but trans people are allowed to be sad about the fact that the evolving constraints of the gender binary are not kind of them.

It’s kind of part of the fucking package.

ETA: In retrospect, this anon was probably a lot more well meaning than I gave them credit for. There’s no attacks here, and the cut out quotes are delivered more or less neutrally. But it’s impossible to trust the good faith of anyone on this subject when they’re not at least providing full quotes, anymore.

[emkayoh]

Okay, let’s get into it! Rather than a tutorial (because I don’t know how to do a tutorial about finding your style) this is just gonna be a really long text post. This happens to be something I have a lot of opinions on, so let’s do it.

First things first, and I strongly believe this:

If you’re actively trying to find a style, you’re thinking too much.

Seriously. I see a LOT of artists concerned about “finding a style” and I’ve never gotten it. I think trying to find a style is like trying to figure out what you look like. Just look in a mirror. It’s already there. What you’re actually looking for is different. Idk if I just started drawing before the “you must have a distinct style” craze or I just totally missed the memo, but from the beginning I never gave a shit about having my own style. Do I have a style now? Yeah, I think probably. I never think about it as my “signature,” rather it’s how my drawings always inevitably look just because that’s how I learned to draw things. And here’s how it happened:

I said this in my previous ask, but I first seriously got into art in middle school after being introduced to Avatar: The Last Airbender. I loved that show to bits and it’s what made me want to be an artist and make my own cartoons. And so when I started out, I just wanted to draw like Avatar. My mom bought me a “How to Draw Avatar” book and it was like my Bible. I would follow the steps in that book like it was the law. That’s where I learned about guidelines. I almost exclusively drew the Avatar characters at this point, and mostly in school notebooks until I started getting sketchbooks (but still a lot in school notebooks because, let’s face it, I was a serial doodler in class). So my very first “style” was just… me trying my very best to imitate the Avatar style to a T.

Then Avatar inevitably introduced me to anime, and like every other preteen, I loved the way they drew ginormous eyes. I also really liked the hair. So I started changing my style a bit to draw things the way whatever my favorite anime at the time was. But I already had the lessons instilled in me from Avatar, so it usually looked like Avatar proportions with anime eyes and hair. This is also when I discovered deviantART and began having online artists that I strongly admired. I would try to copy their work as well.

It’s important to note that during these initial years of my art career, I traced A LOT. I think tracing is seen as such a taboo thing now, but when you’re just starting out, I think it’s crucial to get an understanding of how shape and form work. I printed out countless screenshots of Avatar, other cartoons I liked, and art from my favorite online artists and just put a piece of paper over them and traced them. Then sometimes I would just use them as reference and try to draw it as closely identical as I could without tracing. And I think that taught me a lot. It gave me a better understanding of how form works. And honestly, I think most artists would be honored that you admire their work enough to want to imitate it. As long as you’re not, like, claiming something as your own, if you post a redraw and give credit, the person is gonna be psyched. Hell, that’s pretty much what “draw in your style” is!!! It doesn’t have to be wildly different at first if you don’t have that skill yet. If someone posted a referenced or traced work of mine, as long as they gave credit and acknowledge that it was for learning purposes, I would be so thrilled. Artists like to feel like they inspire others! Or you can just do it for yourself and not post it. I honestly feel like the best way to learn is through imitation.

After Avatar and anime, I decided I really liked Disney. So I tried copying the Disney style. I was a little more skilled at this point, so I tried to see how I could translate the CGI styles into illustration. Again, I copied artists. I redrew sooooo many Glen Keane drawings and tried to make them look exactly like his. Then I started really liking the “lineless” look of a lot of popular online artists and trying to imitate that. There are specific artists who’s art I tried to “copy” but it would always end up looking more like mine than theirs, because I’m not them. And that’s my “style.” Your style ends up being what fails to translate exactly from other people’s art. And now that I’m 24, my style is a hodge podge of all the influences I’ve ever had. In my opinion, you can still see the Avatar. You can still see the anime. You can see the Disney, and I can still see the influence from all the online artists I’ve admired. It looks like them to me. It looks like a mix of all the people I ever tried to rip off, and that’s become my “style.”

So really, I think trying to develop something uniquely you without building up years of just copying others isn’t going to work. You need that base. Style comes naturally through, ironically, your shortcomings to exactly imitate someone else.

[japanessie]

Hello! So I know Nori is MFS' music producer but what does he actually do? I'm not entirely familiar with the technicalities of the music industry (hell, i dont even know the difference between an arranger and composer) and I tried the magic wizard otherwise known as google and it said music producers can have a variety of parts they play in a project so that wasnt very helpful or specific. Has MFS ever clarified how Nori helps them? I know he recruited members, especially Hiro and Teru. Thanks!

Hello 😊

Hi. Sorry I almost forgot to answer this question because suddenly I got a series of “Asks” about the Moriuchi brothers. Gomen ne!

Google is right. A “Producer” can play various roles depending on the situation. 

Producer

Generally the person who oversees the overall management and runnings of a project till the final outcome. 

NORIHIRO OTANI

In Nori’s case, he can best be described as the guy who turned MY FIRST STORY from an idea into a reality and coordinates the overall management of the band. This includes financing, logistics, human resource, merchandising, marketing, publicity etc.

The one thing Nori doesn’t touch or probably very minimally, as far as I know, is the music. MFS members are fully responsible for that. At least based on what I understand from their older interviews.

It doesn’t mean that MFS was manufactured. Nori expressed a keen interest to do a band together when he met Sho and liked the music Sho was making. But as Sho said in Zenshin Documentary, Nori was more interested in the band management side. Not being a musician.

This was Nori once upon a time 😊

I will outline some of his major functions. This could be lengthy but who knows some of you might want to try a career in artists’ management, eh 😃?

1. Financing

He was responsible to source for the money needed to launch the band in the beginning. Since he was barely out of university himself with not much to his name, he pitched the idea to none other than the one who could i.e GEN who was at the helm of Subciety clothing label at the time.

Besides GEN starting INTACT Records for this purpose, I also think MFS had to give up some publishing rights to their earlier songs to bigger companies in exchange for the financial support. Don’t take my words totally as I could be wrong here but TV ASAHI Music Co. Ltd* does hold a part of the copyrights to the first TWO albums. MFS started to hold full copyrights starting only from the 3rd CD 最終回STORY.

* Refer to the Band Scores from Yamaha Music Media

Being an indie band allows MFS to retain most of the royalties to themselves. STORYTELLER Fan Club is not exactly just a sweet secret space for exclusive fans BUT a fan-supported crowd-funding is what it really is. I am sure Nori is the mastermind behind this as well.

2. Logistics

Arrangement for travels, accommodation, transportation and the crew as well. The paperwork, who does this and that and dealings with booking agents/promoters/venues. Nori may not do all these himself but he can appoint people to handle these under his directions. MFS works closely with JMS for this and the current MFS Tour Manager as I’m writing this is Yuuki Tanimura (iTONY Entertainment which is a JMS subsidiary).

Here are screenshots of Tanimura-san checking out venue availability 😊. With him were Nori & KTR.

Though I’m sure they went as buddies to Australia but I’m not surprised if Tanimura handled the travel matters 🤔

3. Human Resource

Salaries, bonus (if any), insurances, taxes among others. Visas & permits for overseas performances. All these not just for band members but also whoever the crew they employ for any project.

4. Merchandising

Besides discussing with the band members on concepts and designs, Nori would be the one arranging for those items to be manufactured and delivered by the suppliers.　In Nori’s case, he has experienced people like GEN and Kentaro Suzuki a.k.a KTR who know the ins & outs of the industry to show him the rope 😄.

Those who are STORTELLER members can also read Nori’s blog post explaining the decision to come up with Maifasu-kun 2.0 as well. He then set up an online shop at the Official Goods Store for MFS.

5. Marketing & Publicity

MFS basically has been engaging JMS for promotions & distributions from the start BUT when it comes to maximizing what the band can make from every project, you can bet Nori is behind it. 

For examples:

i. Those endless Limited Editions & bonuses that make hardcore fans buy 6 copies of the same CD 😱😂! 

ii. Also those extras at the Tour Finals. With MFS name being “stamped” on everything from food stalls to fun fair games. I honestly think Nori learned this from watching HYDE organizing the Halloween Party 🤔.

All in all, Nori is also the one or at least one of those in the team responsible for turning MFS into the money-making juggernaut that they are now.

How much power/influence does Nori have over MFS?

Well, when MFS dedicated an entire encore of their Tour Final for him to propose to his girlfriend and subsequently deprived the fans of the 3-song performance from the DVD to keep his privacy, then you can pretty much draw your own conclusions there. BIG!

Sorry Nori, I’m still so bummed about the Encore from MMA getting cut out. Especially when watching Teru’s speech and hearing him say, “It has only been THREE songs so far. We have TWENTY MORE songs coming!“. Then we got only SEVENTEEN more songs. The rest would be the sounds of my heart breaking 😭💔.

Okay. 

SHO TSUCHIYA ~ The Sound Producer

Nori being called “MFS Producer” is NOT to be confused with the person at the control console during recording. The band leader Sho Tsuchiya has always been that person from the start. 

However, before his hiatus, the music production credit was usually listed as “produced by MY FIRST STORY”. After his hiatus, they have started listing it with “Sound Producer : Sho Tsuchiya”.

Here is an old photo from the early days of MFS. Look at Sho being hard at work with Nori by his side 😊. The one sleeping is Hiro, still in his school uniform 😃.

GEN ~ Executive Producer

To understand why this man has always been listed in the credits that way, please refer to the “Financing” part about Nori. At the time, GEN was the business savvy one who had the means and capacity to start a record company. He’s responsible for the payrolls of some MFS staff since they are employed under INTACT Records. To the fans, we like to refer to GEN as The Boss 😁.

[undesired-attention]

Looking at cars is taking up way too much of my time for someone who still has a month until I start working full time

I was looking at Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Toyota RAV4, and Nissan Rogue but I’ve kinda realized that they’re going to cost a bit and I don’t really need a big suv.

Basically what I want is something with awd and some weight to it so I don’t die in the winter (nurses don’t get to call off or be late when it snows, sick people are 24/7, also throwback to when my preceptor came in one day laughing when it snowed and was like “I spun 180 degrees on the highway on my way here”). Something relatively new, like 2016 or newer, preferably 2017/18, to avoid the wear and maintenance of older cars for a few years.

So I didn’t find any cars (literal small cars) that fit what I want (awd) that I’m interested in, so I’m looking at Mazda CX-3 and Honda HR-V now because they are the smaller, slightly cheaper versions of the CX-5 and CR-V. They are SO similar that it’s hard for me to pick what I like better. Mazda seems prettier and more attractive, but my parents have Honda’s (a pilot and civic) and my dad knows how to do all the maintenance on them (changing brakes, tires, etc). And I know how reliable Honda’s are, my dad has had the Pilot since 2012 and logged 150k miles on it and not a single thing has broken or gone wrong on it (but he’s anticipating things to start soon, PA/northeast US winters are harsh and destroy vehicles). Also that fucking pilot is a god damn TANK, I have seen it slip in the snow ONCE, I’ve driven it through 8 inches of unplowed snow on the highway without a single fucking problem. Mazda is a little more expensive than the Honda, but it’s so pretty. I won’t actually be buying a car for minimum a month and a half, but the cx-3 I’m looking at rn is white on the outside and interior is black leather with red leather accents and it’s gorgeous. Everyone I’ve talked to who has owned a Mazda (my parents had one and mike did too) said they loved theirs, I just don’t have any idea on how they last.

I’ll obviously be looking to own this car for 5-10 years probably? So I’m also really looking at the mileage and the wear the cars already have. I’m also not looking to lease because I don’t like the idea of paying for something that I won’t actually own at the end. I also have suuuuper good credit for some reason (I have no idea why tbh, I think it’s because I have federal and private loans taken out for school that have been open for four years and I use my credit card like a debit card, only spend the money I actually have in my bank account) so I don’t really see myself having a terrible option with payments. I also will have the bug to trade in, I’m not super sure how much they’ll really value it as, but online calculators say about 2k, I could also sell it privately but that’s a dumb hassle. The bug is a special edition one which I always forget, in 2008 they made triple white coupes which is what I have, so it should be worth a bit more plus it’s the highest trim, whatever that is, I always forget the names but it has all the features they offered at the time. That’s the only year they made my car, in 07 they did triple white convertibles. But, the girl who owned the car before me curbed the passenger side a fucking ton so it’s dented, but almost all bugs I see on the road are dented like that too lol. She also burned the plastic dash and the cloth ceiling a bit with cigarettes, so that means it’s not excellent condition (+a bit of rust, thxs PA)

I guess I just have to keep looking, and of course if when the time comes I find a cheaper cx-5 or cr-v, I might go with that. I would also like something more than the base model, I love the sunroof in the bug and the heated leather seats, I also would love another white car to “honor” the bug, I’m too sentimental like that (but when it comes time and if I have to pay 1k+ more, it’s not happening). I guess I’m pretty picky with what I want, but really it boils down to safety, comfort, and price. Also with what’s available, I live in NEPA and the prices are cheaper if I drive down to the Lehigh valley area, but I’m really not looking for a 1.5-2 hour drive one way for a car, but it’s possible if there is a big price difference and there honestly does seem to be (because there is more competition down there for cars). A reliable dealership is a must too, I bought the bug from a guy with two black eyes at a sketch used car place, and while it’s a funny story to tell, you probably won’t get a great car from there. I’m surprised the bug has lasted this long, I say that all the time and I really mean it.

I’m just looking though, but those seem like my best options. I do really like the two small compact SUVs, I think they’re both so gorgeous so that might be what I go with. When the time comes I’ll just have to look again and compare the price, mileage, features, etc.

I think I’ll be plenty sentimental when the time comes to get rid of the bug, assuming nothing major breaks within the next two months and it runs good (which it fucking better because we have replaced so much..). But it’s just incredibly unreliable, I’m honestly a bit anxious about taking my NCLEX because it’s a day both my parents work and they won’t be home if my car decides not to start or do something stupid. There’s no reason/indication that’s going to happen, but it’s still worrying me. Honestly rn everything in the world is worrying me, but I think I’m just stressing myself out (although that acknowledgement doesn’t do a single thing to lessen it).

I’m going to pass my NCLEX, turn 22, start my new job, and get a new car. I just need to relax and it’s so hard. Once I pass my NCLEX I’m going to email some of my favorite professors from college and let them know I’m super grateful to have had them. Partially because I will be falling back on some of them when I need references for NP programs, but also to just personally give them a big thank you. I feel like that’s a nice and good thing to do and probably not something a lot of people would. I was deleted pictures off my phone the other day to free up space (over 2k of screenshots...) and I came across the card I wrote to my preceptor from my internship and I just remembered how thankful I really am for the people who taught me and got me through nursing school and they should get some recognition for forming me into who I am right now, and who I will be for the rest of my life because this was my baseline for my future. I think I’ll be a good nurse, I really hope so.

[thedeepdarktrashpile]

Ryden conspiracy theories/evidence/pls just be frens now...+ a short history of P!atd...(part 1)

DISCLAIMER I find all of this stuff on the internet so idk if it's yours just tell me and I will make sure you get credited anyways onwards...

Oh and another thing I don't hate Sarah. Sarah is a queen and Brendon and her are happy and I wouldn't want to ruin a happy couple cos that would be unfair anyhow oh and I also think it's important to have a bit of Panic! history that many people might not know about as it gives you an idea of the kind of time frame that im talking about also its intresting too.

And if u don't know what Ryden is (tbf idk why ur here but this will educate u) it's basically the ship name of Ryan Ross (ex guitarist and backing vocalist of panic!) and Brendon Urie (singer and last man standing)

Pre-Panic

Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith (ex-drummer of Panic!) have been friends even since they were little the photo below would prove this

They're so adorable 😊😊

In 9th grade they decide that they want to start up a band btw for reference Ryan and Spencer at that time attend (Bishop Gorman high school) and they invite Brent Wilson from Palo Verde high school to come and try out for bass along with another guy called Trevor they formed a band called Pet Salamnder this was when they were around 16 ish (They acctually still have a website for the band and you can go check it out if you want)

There some of the pics on the website but check out their bios as well because they made me laugh....

Here are some of their pics tho

Spencer and Ryan and the whole band together (Ryan😂😂)

Anyways don't really know what happened to Pet Salamander but in short they kind of lost Trevor (don't know correct me if im wrong but I think Trevor was the guitarist in the way things worked out it would make sense and I think there was another band they created in between these 2 bands but idk its not important) The band now needed a new guitarist. Brent who went to the same high school as Brendon told him he should audition for their band so Brendon did just that and became the guitarist. Orginally Ryan was meant to be the lead singer but Brendon then became the lead singer because they heard him do his singing and they though he was good. At the time especially Ryan and Brendon were having a hard time with their families and their education as they wanted to quit high school and as a result I think they both got kicked out of their houses . Brendon got a job at a smoothie shack to try and earn some money to pay for rent. He also would sing to people for tips. In other words they were hella broke.

Here is a screenshot from Ryan's livejournal (which he has now deleted) where Brendon would post underneath

I love ya' baby! wednesday. practice. be there of be....GAY!!

Brendon 😂😂

Anyways Ryan and Brendon started creating the demos for their album and Ryan decided to send them to Pete Wentz who was in the LV area recording under the cork tree with FOB. Pete listened to the demos and signed them up to his new record label decaydance after hearing them perform 2/3 songs.

I'm gonna leave you with some 2004 recording sessions this is filmed on a potato but is somehow high quality content of Ryan doing a this is our apartment tour its great

So yeah that's cool and also hilarious in it's own ways (gay bars!! 😂😂)

AFYCSO era 2005/6

AFYCSO was released on the 27th September 2005 on that same day Ryan posted something in his livejournal (I'm not sure if it was just something to commemorate it being released or if he was acctually in a relationship at this time but here is what he put)

'Whisper babe...i'm as good as it gets in this town.whisper babe..i'm a fever you can't sweat out.These are my deepest thoughts and secrets under a microscope or spotlight.Forgive me if i'm not quite ready to give them to you.it's such a different feeling..when I see you smiling and singing back to me i'm still playing different pictures in my head that arn't so pleasent. I'm doing the best now to live in the song and not just the meaning.'

(Yes this could be about Brendon but when you read it again it dosen't sound like that at all it seems as if hes talking about the lyrics and the meanings of the songs of which have things he had to deal with in his childhood his dad being an alcoholic ect. But he tries to be happy with the fans who are smiling and singing and live in the moment not just the past)

Obviously AFYCSO became popular especially the song I write sins not tragedies came out but there's many different interviews and pic that i'm going to share below.

This is the one where Ryan says that Brendon washes his hair and he blushes red. It's adorable 😊

Here is another 2005 interview by the same girl who thought Pete was called Jason 😂 but anyways it's old like just look at Ryan's hair he's in his troll phase still 😂

This is another old interview that shows them acctually performing and only contain Brendon and Ryan talking about the band they're so awkward its adorable.

And here's a pic of them from a photoshoot

Idk but Brent looks so confused rn 😂

(Look at Brendon as well staring at Ryan...hmm..😉)

And here's an adorable pic of them together my bbs 😊❤

Look at them they're soo adorable ❤❤👌😊

Anyways 2006 is when it all became big for the boys who announced a tour and where becoming bigger than ever. At the end of 2005 to 2006 both Brendon and Ryan began dating scene queens Audrey and Jac. Pics below

Yup this is them together.

Idk when they breakup but they break up and some evidence that I've found online is very interesting.

Here is screenshots of chats that Audrey and Jac had online. The first picture shows that Jac is blaming Brendon for turning her bf (Ryan) gay

The next one shows kinda the same thing exept this time Audrey blamed Ryan for turning Brendon gay

Hmmmm... All very interesting I think....

(Note there's another conversation or so that I want to include in part one but it's way too long to put on this one post so i'm going to do a little post to finish off part 1. And also i'm obviously going to work on part 2 straight away but I just feel like the whole panic! and especially Ryden stuff needs to be updated abd i also find it super interesting as well. Also I feel I need to adress all the lyrics that could somehow lead to something to do with one another there's so much stuff out here and I need it all in one place cos im fed up of trawling the internet for all the theories and stuff never getting anywhere 😂)

[frigid666]

i do think it dishonest to pin the online/media abuse heard has received solely on women’s interest in true crime (men and their handmaidens were already frothing at the mouth to get revenge for the #metoo movement and jumped at their first chance, which i credit for most of the vitriol), but the general public’s interest in true crime has played a significant role in fostering the anti-scientific, misogynistic, and biased rhetoric surrounding the case. many women who are anti-heard are not sexualizing her abuse the way that woman in the tiktok screenshot (and others) are. there are definitely different crowds with different motivations. the mistake of that tweet is that she was conflating 2 distinct groups of people. its undeniable to anyone willing to be honest that the normalization of pornography, especially types that feature extreme violence against women, has impacted women’s view of sex and lead to eroticization of what is truly sexual abuse. its sickening and sad, and despite them being victims of our misogynistic, porn-rotted society, i don’t feel a lot of sympathy for them. most of these women are too far gone, imo.

true crime has been a popular genre for a while, it predates the internet. crime procedurals like law and order, csi, criminal minds, etc etc, have been popular among many demographics for ages. the internet has just made watching and creating true crime content more accessible, and all this has effected the way people perceive the justice system, the process of collecting and interpreting evidence, and trials. for example, the “csi effect” (which is a direct reference to a popular crime procedural show) is a phenomenon that has been documented by legal scholars, and while the issue is likely a bit more complicated that just blaming a tv show, it just goes to show how powerful a popular form a media can be, especially in regards to fields that requires a lot of technical knowledge, years of schooling and formal training, which the general public does not possess, and don’t even feel like they need in the first place. 

people really watch tv shows, and now youtube videos, and think that makes them experts, so they publish their shit takes for potentially millions of people to see. this is why “body language analysis” has really taken off in recent years, and people have used it to attribute all kinds of falsehoods to heard, scrutinizing her every move as “proof” that she is being deceptive and manipulative. if you google “amber heard body language,” TONS of videos pop up with millions of views. never mind that most actual experts in criminology contest the validity of this type of analysis and consider it to be pseudoscience. it is about as reliable as lie detector tests, and rarely used in court anymore, especially by itself. psychological analysis is similarly misused; people who have never gone to school and are unqualified to make diagnoses label heard with all kinds of mental illnesses. they think having watched criminal minds or youtube videos on psychology makes them expert behavioral profilers. 

however, the best example of this is the general public’s reaction to camille vasquez, depp’s current lawyer. her courtroom antics, were they heard’s lawyer’s, would have gotten her rightly lambasted. heard’s lawyer was criticised for shuffling through paperwork, which is NORMAL behavior in the courtroom.

vasquez is unprofessional, rude, aggressive, and disorganized. normally i wouldn’t describe a female professional as such, as they get more criticism than their male counterparts, but im not giving her a pass. she should be called out. i’ve reblogged other resources that have documented her behavior, so im not going to repeat it here. there would be too much to go through. aside from her misquoting evidence, irrelevant cross-examinations, and constant interruption, suffice it to say, she behaves as if she was on a tv show or movie. it reminds me of that scene from legally blondes 2 (time stamp: 14:23) where the girls have their classmates click their pens repeatedly to agitate the people on the stand, which results in them blurting out a full confession. that infamous clip of her trying to grill heard about that video she filmed with friends for her 30th birthday (the one in the car) is hilariously ridiculous. she is terrible, yet the public upholds her as a savage, a queen, a great lawyer, etc. -- why? it’s because she would be a great tv lawyer, and that’s what people are used to seeing. that’s what people WANT TO see. actual trials are pretty boring. there are seldom dramatic revelations or plot twists. and make no mistake, this was depp’s team’s strategy. it was their intention to make this a three-ring circus and the general public is lapping it up because their drip-fed diet of dramatized courtroom procedurals has led to an expectation for trials to be a form of entertainment. 

but yeah, in all, anti-heard sentiment is based in different reasons for different groups of people, and the general public’s fascination with true crime and crime shows have fostered so much misinformation and a warped sense of the process. 

It’s not true crime that makes people think a description of sexual assault is erotic 💕 it’s literally porn 💕 your brain is fucking necrotic 💕

[arcticdementor]

Every striver who ever slipped the rank of their birth to ascend to a higher order has shared the capacity to ingratiate themselves with their betters. What the truly exceptional ones have in common is the ability to connect not only with their superiors but also with their peers and inferiors. And only the rarest talents among them can bond authentically—not just transactionally—with the people who will help them be who they want to be in the world. It’s a preternatural, almost Promethean gift if you have it, and Amy Chua does.

Thus begins the scandal dubbed “dinner-party-gate,” the latest in the annals of Amy Chua, Yale Law’s very own Tiger Mom, whose infamous defense of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the “dinner-party-gate” of its day approximately three years ago. Then, as now, Chua’s differences with some denizens of her milieu played out in the press, vituperations, allegations, insinuations, and all.

…

The reporting left open a pair of related questions: What, exactly, had happened? And, perhaps more salient, if what took place really was something on the order of a minor violation of an ad hoc agreement between Chua and the Yale Law School dean, Heather Gerken, why had the news spilled into the nation’s most prominent news outlets rather than fading below the fold of a campus daily?

It appears to me that what transpired amounts to a skirmish between a notorious professor and an administration that seemed so eager to relieve itself of her presence that it lunged at an opportunity to weaken her position at the expense of two students who were left to deal with the consequences of the ultimately aborted campaign. Still, the answer to the latter question is more revealing than any single aspect of the whole affair. It has to do with the culture of elite institutions, where putatively righteous ends justify an array of troubling means, and noble public virtues like fairness and safety cloak more prosaic motives—the kind of vulgar envy and resentment that people with the best manners deny.

Everyone is just trying to get ahead, after all; this is no less true, and perhaps even more true, at a place like Yale Law School. It just comes more naturally to some than others. In that case one must take matters into one’s own hands.

The proximate drama begins with a trio of second-year law students, friends and acquaintances for a time. There was a person I’ll call the Guest—all three students asked not to be named, and, believing young people should have a chance at carrying on after having their reputation destroyed or destroying the reputation of others, I agreed—who was born and raised in California. He’d arrived at Yale Law School optimistic and younger than most, having come directly from UCLA. During his first semester, he’d befriended the Visitor, a young woman from a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, who had arrived on campus from Emory. The two made a happy pair: the Guest dreamier and prone to touches of poetry, occasionally drawn to Byzantine history and Christian theology; the Visitor shrewd, practical, and levelheaded, with a keen focus on the concrete facts of policies, problems, current affairs. After working together on a major project that fall, they became and remained close.

And then there was the Archivist, a young man whom the Guest had also befriended early in his time at Yale. The two young men bonded after meeting in their contracts class, after which they would find one another at bars and parties to chat about history, politics, and other shared interests. They met up in New York City for a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Guest eventually gave the Archivist a key to his apartment, where the latter would often stop by to visit or do his laundry. In the second semester of their second year, things seemed placid.

And they may have remained that way, had it not been for a minor snag in the Guest’s academic year that put him on a path that would eventually lead him to Amy Chua’s doorstep.

…

Not that the Guest had any reason to contemplate any of this when, early in the spring semester of 2021, he decided to step down as an executive editor at the Yale Law Journal. The Guest, who describes himself as half-Korean, had misgivings about the way the journal’s staff had responded to his questions about the lack of racial diversity in its ranks, and his suggestions for addressing it. Still, even after making his decision, the Guest felt uncertain and unsettled. He confided this to the Visitor, who as a Black student at Yale Law had wrestled with similar questions, and she took it upon herself to bring them up with Chua during a Zoom meeting that served in place of the professor’s usual office hours. At that point, the Visitor recalls, Chua casually offered to talk with the two of them about the Journal affair at her home in New Haven, and the Visitor called the Guest to pass the invitation along.

Unfortunately for the Guest, the Archivist happened to be doing his laundry at his friend’s apartment when the call came, and he overheard the conversation, later documenting it as follows:

Feb. 18. I go over to [the Guest’s] to do my laundry. While at his apartment, I hear him call [the Visitor], who explains to him that Chua has just invited them over for dinner tomorrow. They discuss what to wear and what they should bring (ultimately deciding to bring a bottle of wine). [The Guest] makes zero mention of going over because of any personal crisis. After the phone call, he says that he’s been invited to a dinner party at Chua’s. [The Guest] implores me not to tell anybody so that Chua doesn’t get in trouble.

Despite his gumshoe efforts, the Archivist seemed to come away with a vastly different impression of the meeting than Chua, the Guest, or the Visitor.

…

By March, the Journal imbroglio was boiling over into the public sphere. Several of the school’s affinity groups had released statements, and the Journal had released information about the racial makeup of its editors—then the conflict came to the attention of conservative media outlets. Once more, the Guest had a series of questions for someone familiar with bad press.

…

When i was a little girl growing up in suburban North Texas not so very long ago, my grandmother, a housewife of the ’60s, would turn my cousins and me outside to play in the summer so she could sit at her kitchen table and chain-smoke her way through her library of paperback bodice-rippers. And when one of us would inevitably bolt back inside to complain about being annihilated with a Super Soaker at close range or nailed with a Nerf dart to the eye, she would always eject us with the same dismissal: Don’t be a tattletale. As far as childhood admonishments go, it was an interesting one—she wasn’t telling us not to do something, but rather not to be something.

I don’t credit homespun wisdom with any special salience. But the suggestion that it may be useful to morally evaluate oneself before volunteering to monitor everyone else’s conduct isn’t a ridiculous one. It’s wise to be careful that, in one’s zeal for justice or fairness or the more prosaic things that ride beneath those banners, one doesn’t lose sight of one’s own moral obligations or aspirations. And it’s decent, if you have a problem with someone, to take it up with them before running it up the nearest flagpole. But this is something people with the right views and the best degrees, it seems, simply do not do; just as the distinction between tattling and whistleblowing—resting, as it does, on a sober evaluation of one’s own motives and the stakes at hand—is one they often fail to make.

…

Up to that point, the Archivist had managed to gather only the flimsiest written evidence that the Guest and the Visitor had been to Chua’s home. Eventually, he composed a roughly 20-page PDF narrating the timeline of his private campaign to turn proof of his friends’ wrongdoing over to the administration—complete with screenshots of text messages, summaries of conversations, a reference to a secretly recorded phone call, and some offhanded musings on his peers’ moral laxity. The document would achieve campus infamy as “the dossier.”

…

Yale did provide the Guest and the Visitor with information on how to file a complaint against the Archivist and also took additional steps to protect them, including trying to prevent their names from circulating online. But neither the Guest nor the Visitor ever filed any kind of complaint against Chua, who, they still maintain, did nothing worth complaining about. And yet both of them have suffered—not in the jaws of the tigress herself, but in the subtler and more brutal back channels of the Ivy League, where every regal edifice hides a charnel house of human spirits. In the end, they were collateral forfeited in a cold war that began long before they arrived on campus, and that will continue long after it has spit out their bones.

[expatimes]

Mahjong design 'refresh' reignites debate over cultural appropriation Mahjong, the centuries-old Chinese tile game, became embroiled in controversy last week over a debate about cultural appropriation.Criticism erupted online over The Mahjong Line, a Dallas-based company founded by three White women, that sells brightly colored tiles with reinvented symbols -- bags of flour representing the traditional flower tile, for instance, and the written word "bam" representing the bamboo tile. The "Cheeky Line" mahjong set, by The Mahjong Line. Credit: From The Mahjong LineThe artwork featured on traditional tiles, "while beautiful, was all the same," the company said on its website, adding that "nothing came close to mirroring (the founder's) style and personality." The new tiles offered a "respectful refresh" of American mahjong, which differs slightly from traditional Chinese mahjong in its rules and gameplay, the company said. The website has since been changed to remove these phrases.The tile sets were also marketed with different personality profiles -- the "Cheeky Line," for example, represented the type of "gal" who is "equally happy in LA or Austin. Loves a wild wallpaper, millennial pink and her many sneakers."The full "Cheeky Line" mahjong set. Credit: From The Mahjong LineImages of the tiles and screenshots from the company's website were posted on Twitter last week, sparking an online controversy almost immediately. Social media users, including those from the Asian American community, accused the founders of cultural appropriation, disrespectful language and ignorance toward the game's cultural significance (while profiting from it -- each set costs $325 or $425)."Please put the Chinese characters BACK onto the Chinese game. Don't change my history and culture to make it more palatable to you," tweeted Taiwanese American Rep. Grace Meng, New York's first Asian American member of Congress. By Wednesday, the company had apologized and updated its site. "While our intent is to inspire and engage with a new generation of American mahjong players, we recognize our failure to pay proper homage to the game's Chinese heritage," it said in a statement.But the company has not stopped selling its games.The "Minimal Line" mahjong tile set designed and sold by Dallas-based company The Mahjong Line. Credit: The Mahjong Line"We stand by our products and are proud to be one of the many different companies offering a wide range of tiles and accessories for the game of American mahjong," said co-founder Kate LaGere in a statement to CNN. "That being said, we take full responsibility that in our quest to introduce new tiles we unintentionally recreated an experience shared by many Asian Americans of cultural erasure and are working to correct this mistake."This is just the latest in a long string of similar incidents that have sparked outrage in recent years. The pattern is familiar now: Someone borrows or misrepresents a piece of Asian culture, becomes the target of online criticism, offers an apology and a promise to do better, and the Twittersphere moves on -- until the next controversy.But as each outrage comes and goes, the same question re-emerges, from both outside and within the Asian American community: Where do you draw the line between appreciation and appropriation? Ongoing debate"When cultures are inspired by another culture, that's one thing," said Nancy Wang Yuen, a sociologist and author who writes about race and representation, in a phone interview. "But if they claim to improve upon and disrespect the original culture, or if there's an air of superiority over the original content, then that becomes appropriation."Part of the offense comes when those doing the appropriating make "a claim of authenticity ... when they're not actually using any ... Asian talent," said Yuen. For instance, restaurants that claim to serve authentic Chinese food without using any Chinese consultants or staff -- or, in this case, a mahjong company that is headed by White founders.The past few years have seen countless controversies resulting from perceived appropriation, particularly in the fashion world. In one famous incident in 2018, a White high school student wore a traditional Chinese qipao (or a cheongsam depending on dialect) dress to a prom in Utah. The backlash was swift, with Chinese Americans tweeting in response, "My culture is not your prom dress."Celebrities have been called out too: Kim Kardashian West's lingerie brand, originally named Kimono, was heavily criticized when the star attempted to trademark a specific font version of the word, so much so that she renamed it in 2019. (Kimonos are a traditional Japanese garment that date back centuries.) Soon after, singer Kacey Musgraves was lambasted for taking revealing photos in a traditional Vietnamese ao dai dress.Kacey Musgraves received backlash after posting photos on Instagram wearing a traditional Vietnamese ao dai dress. The form-fitting Vietnamese tunic is typically worn over long flowing pants. Credit: @spaceykacey/InstagramBut appropriation and its accompanying controversies take place in other spheres of life, from food and makeup to language and speech. And, Yuen said, it's most harmful when there's a power difference between the appropriators and the group they're borrowing from -- a dominant group "denigrating" the minority culture while profiting from it or misrepresenting it, as she put it.In 2019, for instance, a New York restaurant sparked uproar and accusations of racism and cultural appropriation, after its White owner said it would serve "clean" Chinese food that wouldn't make people feel "bloated and icky." The restaurant closed just eight months after opening.The "fox eye" beauty trend also went viral in 2020, with people trying to emulate the so-called "almond-shaped" eyes of celebrities like Kendall Jenner -- an uncomfortable sting for Asian Americans who received racist taunts in the past for those same facial features.Minority groups can commit appropriation, too -- some Asian American entertainers, such as singer and actor Awkwafina, have faced criticism for, at times, speaking with a "blaccent" and appropriating African American Vernacular English. Calling out offendersCultural appropriation itself is nothing new; it's been happening for centuries. For instance, Dior has been referencing Chinese fashion since the mid-20th century. Even further back, Chinese motifs were commonly seen in 19th-century French and Italian fashion.But, increasingly, people are calling it out -- partly because of the ubiquity of social media, Yuen said."With the popularity of social media and the ease of having your voice heard even if you're not famous -- I think that allows for people to comment on and bring attention to practices that have been long standing ... of appropriating non-Western cultures, as well as the native cultures," she said.People play mahjong along a street in Beijing, China, on December 1, 2020. Credit: NOEL CELIS/AFP/Getty ImagesApart from providing a platform for people to voice their opposition, social media also allows the opinions of relatively anonymous characters -- say, a teenager in Utah -- to be seen and shared by mass audiences, she added. Problematic content that may previously have gone unnoticed can now spread like wildfire.But online controversies often reflects a growing national conversation about race, racism and identity in the US. The country has experienced a cultural reckoning in the past decade, with people of color and minority groups pushing for greater representation, recognition and opportunity. The Asian American community has enjoyed a rise in visibility among the general public, with the emergence of pop culture successes like "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Fresh Off The Boat." Younger activists and artists are increasingly vocal in sharing not just aspects of their culture, but also the ways they navigate mainstream society and the realities of racism and Asian stereotypes. Kevin Kwan, writer of "Crazy Rich Asians," with the cast and crew of the movie adaptation in Los Angeles in 2019. Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty ImagesThere is a "growing awareness of injustices, of all sorts -- structural injustices, societal, as well as cultural in this case," Yuen said, referring to the redesigned mahjong sets. "I think the combination of the rise of social media (and) the rise of Asian American popular culture in the general consciousness, also allows for non-Asians to help to ally with Asian American communities," she added. "That then amplifies Asian American voices beyond the community, which is necessary because Asian Americans (account for about 5.6%) of the United States. So for something to go really viral, there also needs to be people who are interested in supporting and amplifying our causes and our issues."The flip sideThis rise in activism and cultural sensitivity has been met with skepticism in some quarters.Some have argued that the debate on appropriation stifles innovation and collaboration, pointing to popular fusion cuisines or pieces of art inspired by other cultures. Others have raised questions about cultural ownership and gatekeeping.Mahjong, for instance, doesn't have just one "correct" form; the game has evolved into different variations played in different communities. American mahjong, the variant that inspired The Mahjong Line, was introduced to the US in the 1920s. The rules were changed and the game became distinctly different from the traditional form played in China. Over the decades, it became culturally significant in different American communities, including among Jewish families following World War II.Four young women playing mahjong in California in 1924, soon after the game was introduced from China to the US. Credit: Underwood Archives/Getty Images"Mahjong has been changing ever since it first came on the scene (in China) in the mid-1800s," said Gregg Swain, an American mahjong expert whose work informed the founders of The Mahjong Line when they launched the company in November 2020. "Versions of the game, and the tile set itself, have been altered to fit into different cultures and regions."Others have voiced concern that this heightened public awareness could compromise critical nuance, especially when each case depends so much on its individual context. Critics point out the danger of blind outrage becoming a knee-jerk reaction, with social media so easily escalating controversy.Yuen offered another take to these criticisms: Think of it not as "cancel culture," but "consequence culture.""I think people are tired of the history of cultural appropriation," she said. "People are, for the first time, able to voice discontent ... That's how growth happens.""The problem is not when (activism) is taken too far," she added -- the problem is when offenders shut down the conversation because they feel attacked, instead of taking the step to recognize their privilege, educate themselves and engage with those minority communities, she said.Besides, she said, most people who call out appropriation aren't demanding that only Chinese people can play mahjong.A group of seniors playing mahjong at the Jewish Temple Beth Emet in Anaheim, California in 1996. Credit: Kari Rene Hall/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images"A lot of people are saying that companies should donate to Chinatown causes, and causes that are under siege because of anti-Asian racism," she said. "If you are going to engage with Chinese culture through mahjong, you need to understand the community's needs. And rather than flippantly insult them, you need to engage with them, and bring them into your research and into dialogue."As for The Mahjong Line, the founders said they had been aware of the cultural sensitivity of the game, and tried (however unsuccessfully) to pay proper tribute. They researched "the evolution of the tiles over the history of the game for both Chinese and American mahjong," as well as consulting with instructors, and seeking feedback from "a broad range of people" when creating the brand, LaGere said in her statement to CNN.Still, she acknowledged they "failed to get perspectives from individuals more closely affiliated with the origins of the game. A grave mistake we take full ownership of."Moving forward, we will continue having conversations with experts closely tied to the game's origins to ensure its rich history and cultural significance is properly represented in our promotion and description of the game," she said. "This will be an ongoing process which will take some time as we continue to expand and roll out new policies in line with our goals to further (educate) ourselves as entrepreneurs in this space." #lifestyle Read full article: https://expatimes.com/?p=16707&feed_id=28145 #design #mahjongdesignx27refreshx27reignitesdebateoverculturalappropriation-cnn

[dailykhaleej]

UAE residents warned about get rich quick schemes peddled as legitimate DailyKhaleej articles

Rip-off alert Picture Credit score: DailyKhaleej

Dubai: DailyKhaleej has cautioned residents in opposition to a dodgy get-rich-quick scheme being promoted on an abroad web site as a legitimate DailyKhaleej report.

Peddled in an editorial type as a DailyKhaleej article, the artful advertorial falsely claims {that a} native businessman has backed a doubtful bitcoin funding alternative.

Because it seems, the pretend endorsement is a clickbait to use the gullibility of aspiring cryptocurrency traders.

A replica of the pretend DailyKhaleej article Picture Credit score: Screenshot

“The fraudsters have used the DailyKhaleej name to gain credibility. This is not a DailyKhaleej report and we have nothing to do with it. Anyone who invests will be doing so at their own risk,” warned the DailyKhaleej administration which has since filed complaints with related authorities.

Slipped into an abroad information portal utilizing malvertising assault (see field beneath), the report falsely claims that Emirati businessman Juma Al Majid appeared on The Dubai Speak Present with host Loubo Siois final week and introduced a brand new “wealth loophole” “which can transform anyone into a millionaire within 3-4 months”.

Louba Siosi, host of The Dubai Speak Present carried out no such interview Picture Credit score: Equipped

It even has a bogus quote from the distinguished businessman describing how Bitcoin Code – a shadowy automated buying and selling software program – makes him more cash (sic) than any of his ventures.

“Right now my number one money maker is a new crypto currency auto trading programme called Bitcoin Code. It’s the single biggest opportunity I have seen in my entire lifetime to build a small fortune fast. I urge everyone to check this out before the banks shut it down,” Al Majid has been quoted as saying throughout a tv programme with Loubo Siois, govt producer and host of The Dubai Speak Present.

Nevertheless, Siois, denied conducting any interview with Juma Al Majid. “This is not true. I did not conduct any such interview. I am aghast that my name has been used to promote a shady scheme. I am weighing legal action,” Sious instructed DailyKhaleej.

The deceptive article that includes Siosi and Al Majid flooded Fb information feeds Picture Credit score: Screenshot

The deceptive article that includes him and Juma Al Majid has been flooding the Fb feeds of unsuspecting UAE residents over the week.

Of late, a number of high-profile individuals within the UAE and overseas have been wrongly linked with comparable pretend advertorials involving binary choices, auto-trading and cryptocurrency.

Amongst them is English actuality tv choose and producer Simon Cowell. Someday again it was reported that he has invested £500,000 (Dh2.three million) of his personal capital into autotrading as ‘wealth creation system’.

One other sufferer Mark Lewis, who based the buyer web site MoneySavingExpert.com, has sued Fb for failing to cease the deceptive adverts.

The editorial type articles invariably carry names of main information shops – BBC within the UK, ARD in Germany and now DailyKhaleej within the UAE.

The “Pre-sale” touchdown web page is designed to construct belief with guests who’re then guided to a different touchdown web page. That is the place the rip-off occurs. Final 12 months, Sharjah primarily based Pakistani banker Roohi Imran misplaced $21,000 (Dh77,133) on a web based buying and selling platform after falling for the racket whereas looking a legitimate information web site.

“As I was scrolling down the home page, a catchy headline suddenly caught my attention. When I clicked it, I was taken to a page which featured stories about how people were making so much money from online trading that they had quit their jobs. The reports appeared so convincing that I believed them and decided to invest as well. By the time I realised my mistake, it was too late,” stated the girl whose misadventure has left her household in a debt spiral.

One other bogus Dubai report claimed a valet made US$1,280 in a single day Picture Credit score: Screenshot

“I opened an online account by making an investment of $1,250 but was tricked into putting more and more money in subsequent months,” she recalled.

4 of her youngsters haven’t returned to high school because the final summer season break due to unpaid charges whereas the fifth one hasn’t been capable of begin one as the household has no cash. Just a few days in the past a Keralite misplaced $500 to the rip-off after falling for a pretend information which detailed how a valet attendant at a Dubai lodge made $1,280 in single day afer investing $250 with Bitcoin Evolution.

There are numerous variations of the rip-off however most of them unfold similarly.

Pakistani Ruhi Imran displaying paperwork after shedding Dh77,000 in a dodgy on-line buying and selling platform Picture Credit score: Mazhar Farooqui, DailyKhaleej

How the rip-off unfolds

You might be looking a trusted web site if you spot an image of a celeb beneath a catchy headline. There’s nothing remotely to recommend it’s an commercial. As you click on on it, you might be guided to a 3rd celebration web page which describes how the celeb has reaped immense monetary advantages by investing in crypto forex, binary choices or auto buying and selling. And because the report is accompanied by the brand or title of a reputable information company, you might be satisfied it’s real. On the finish of the web page, is an online kind searching for your curiosity in becoming a member of the scheme.

No sooner have you ever plugged in your private particulars, you might be contacted by a fund supervisor and inspired to make an preliminary funding by forking out a small quantity in the direction of the acquisition of a crypto forex. You then obtain a hyperlink and login particulars to the ‘trading platform’ the place your crypto forex is being held. Over the following few days the worth of your holdings seems to extend, and your funding supervisor encourages you to purchase extra. Reassured, you shell out more cash. Weeks later, you’ve sunk as much as Dh10,000 into the scheme – though your crypto forex is valued at ten occasions the quantity on the buying and selling platform. Flush with pleasure, you resolve to get pleasure from your returns. So that you contact your fund supervisor who asks to first deposit his fee. You don’t thoughts giving one other Dh5,000 – into his checking account. and anticipate him to launch your funds. That decision by no means comes.

Want to stay vigilant

Marclino Fernandes, service supply head of data expertise at DailyKhaleej stated individuals want to stay vigilant in opposition to cyberattacks.

“Cybercriminals hide in the dark web to remain anonymous as they prey on unsuspecting people all day. They hop from one platform to another just like parasites hop from one host to another,” stated Fernandes. “We involve UAE authorities to crack down on them and apply technical controls to keep them at bay,” he added.

What’s malvertising?

Malvertising is a kind of assault wherein a cybercriminal injects malicious code into legitimate internet advertising networks. The code sometimes redirects customers to malicious web sites.

The assault permits perpetrators to focus on customers on extremely respected web sites to achieve of thousands and thousands of unsuspecting guests with a extremely profitable rip-off

Circumventing the ban

On January 30, 2018, Fb banned ads for binary choices buying and selling as effectively as for cryptocurrencies and preliminary coin (ICOs). Google and Twitter introduced comparable bans within the following weeks. But, some advertisers have discovered methods to bypass the ban by malvertising.

The UAE’s Nationwide Media Council launched Digital Media Rules in March 2018 to encourage digital media shops to supply dependable content material that meets the wants of various audiences. “The guide refers to electronic advertisements in the sphere of social media communication and stresses that all those who carry out advertising activities on a commercial basis need to obtain a prior licence from the council,” stated the NMC. “The council continues to be a part of meaningful efforts to maintain a practical framework to protect the public from advertisements that do not comply with the applicable standards.”

Final 12 months Fb and Instagram issued a press release to DailyKhaleej saying they take unlawful content material extremely significantly. “We are investing heavily in our security and content review teams, as well as smart technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence to make both platforms a safer place for everyone,” the assertion stated,

“In many ways, we face sophisticated adversaries who continually challenge tactics to circumvent our controls, which means we must continuously build and adapt our efforts,” it added.

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[alexisdejarnettemppr755]

Snapshot of Snapchat

(Now try to say that 10 times as fast as you can)

Snapchat…a platform I thought would become quickly outdated, but it is still chillin’ in the upper ranks. This platform gives users the ability to post non-anxiety inflicting content and the confidence to post the most casual photos. 

People these days are so hesitant when it comes to posting pictures and videos on mainstream platforms, like Facebook and Instagram. We are guilty of thinking things like, “Will this get enough likes?” Being self-expressive and outright yourself is hard because we are always worried about what other people think. Social media puts people in a bubble of insecurities. Snapchat has become a popular platform because what you post and how you want followers to see it is totally up to you. From time limitations to filters that will give you a stellar glow on your dullest day, the platform is a care-free communications outlet.  

Snapchat is a messaging platform and a social network platform. Users can chat with their friends by sending photos, short videos up to 10 seconds long, and even text chats and video calls. One of the cool things Snapchat allows you to do is put a time limit on how long people can view a photo, and if someone screenshots the photo you are notified. Snapchat's disappearing content makes online interaction feel more human and in the present moment. People don’t have to over think about posting the perfect photo or worry about how many likes it will get. Snapchat is like a healthy combo of texting and social media, but with a special twist.

When I was in high school, Snapchat became the rage among the teens. I am pretty sure I used Snapchat more than I texted people. Not gonna lie, in a weird way, I enjoyed knowing who saw what I sent, who was ignoring me, and who was creeping on me. I felt like I was able to know the unknown and, consequentially, made terrible assumptions because the unknown will always be the unknown. Anyway, I eventually gave up Snapchat during college and just never felt the need to download the application again. 

Other social media platforms caught on to the hype of Snapchat’s story trend, so now I can share more casual content on Instagram — and, perhaps, that one great selfie I shamelessly took in the best lighting, but would probably look like a narcissist if I posted the actual picture to my page. Snapchat is unlike my normal media consumption habits because the platforms I currently use make my content alarmingly permanent. However, working for the government hinders my urge to post anything that may be remotely questionable, so it works for me. (I also don’t have the ability to cyberstalk my friends and think I know the unknown.) 

...Snapchat, you were a great run, but I have been better off without you.

It is fairly obvious who makes up the Snapchat community. Users are under 25 make up about 79% of the community — the largest Snapchat age demographic is made up of 18- to 24-year-olds (Statista, 2019). The post-college 25- to 34-year olds make up about 60% and about 45% of users are aged 35 to 44 (Statista, 2019).

I found it surprising that Snapchat does not publish gender information for its users, which makes it difficult to find reliable data to reflect these demographics. However, in 2013, Snapchat co-founder and CEO, Evan Spiegel, revealed that roughly 70% of Snapchat users were women (MacMillan, 2013). Women have basically coined the term “selfie” and Snapchat aides this self-awing habit. And, no joke, Snapchat filters allow us to go from a 5 (on a bad day) to a solid 10. How incredible!

Here is a fun fact that will make your head spin: 50% of male college students share selfies on Snapchat (Omnicore, 2019). Us, women, know that men find some type of satisfaction when it comes to taking the selfie that captures their best angle, giving them that sculpting jaw line they wish they had. We get it! 

The kiddos in high school make up a large group of users and college students take even more credit. It is easy to understand why this is the case, college students have so much to show off and they must share it…and probably with the smallest time frame for others to see. (If you know, you know) Snapchat will at least keep the college crazies from posting the “no-no’s” on social media platforms future employers are likely to get ahold of.

The Snapchat media format is what makes the platform tick. There are multiple filters that can be placed on a photo, from freakishly scary to glam-goddess. There are even voice filters that will keep you and your friends laughing for days. I am one of those people who hates the sound of their voice when recorded…even the goblin voice sounds better...so I was a huge fan of this. Snapchat also has this cool feature called the “geofilter,” where people can stamp their photos with a cool design showing their location and or a cool event they are attending — users can even have their own geofilter created for special occasions. As mentioned before, users have the ability the limit the time videos and photos are seen, making the application wicked fun and more care-free to use. The media platform allow users to post stories, comment on each other’s content, and reply as if you are texting. Snapchat is a highly personable platform, where communication and stalking your friends comes easy!

I have found organizations and brands to use Snapchat — these folks are really trying to get personal. Taco Bell is one of these brands I must mention — the company was one of the first to jump on board and it definitely sparked people’s interest. Taco Bell has utilized the app to showcase new menu items, such as the Beefy Crunch Burrito, and has even gone as far as providing valuable tips on how to score a date on Valentine’s Day. I don’t know if I would really trust Taco Bell’s advice, but, hey, what a way to get personal with your biggest fans! Kudos to you, Taco Bell. Also, Amazon (and of course, Amazon, as if it hasn’t already wedged its way into every aspect of our lives) has jumped on board to the Snapchat train to provide exclusive promotional codes for amazing deals. Brands are catching on to the most popular platforms in order to get people’s attention and to become more personal with their customers — there is authentic value in making that human connection.

If I could travel back in time right before text messaging became the norm, and tell people what the future of text messaging looks like, Snapchat would be the perfect example. Snapchat is the future of integrated cellular messaging and it has ultimately set a standard based on how our generation prefers to communicate. Snapchat is the “story telling” app, where people are free to be themselves while sharing episodes of their daily life and greatest, brag-worthy adventures.

References:

MacMillan, D. (2013, November 20). Snapchat CEO: 70% of Users Are Women. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/11/20/snapchat-ceo-says-70-of-users-are-women/

Newberry, C. (2016, August 24). Top Snapchat Demographics That Matter to Social Media Marketers. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/snapchat-demographics/

Omnicore. (2019, January 6). Snapchat by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved from https://www.omnicoreagency.com/snapchat-statistics/

[strivesy]

Fantastic Apps I Use Every Day

From the Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis

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I have picked five of my essential classroom tools. Pick one today to try with your students. I’ve also added some of my favorite new productivity tools for my smartphone, iPad, and a few new ones for my Mac.

Today’s Sponsor

Thank you to Advancement Courses for making today’s show possible. For over 30 years, Advancement Courses has been a leader in professional development, providing expertly-crafted, classroom-applicable courses to thousands of teachers across the country. They offer over 200 graduate-level courses in 19 different subject areas covering both foundational topics and emerging trends in K-12 education. Their flexible, self-paced courses are available for graduate credit through CAEP and regionally accredited university partners or for continuing education units that meet your state requirements. Right now, my listeners can save 20% off each course with code COOL20 atAdvancement Courses.

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Listen to the Show

Listen to the show on iTunes or Stitcher

Stream by clicking here.

Show Notes

1. Nearpod

Nearpod is my favorite tool for presentations. My students can use their iPhones/iPads or computers to follow along and see the slides. Every third or fourth slide, I like to have an interactive feature. I can include quick formative assessment tools, drawing or brainstorming contributions from everyone and even 3d and virtual field trips. This tool is essential for my classroom.

2. Edpuzzle

I’ve been using Edpuzzle for several years. This tool lets me make videos for my students and include formative quizzes and feedback inside the videos. In addition to making my own videos, I can take video and add my voice or use someone else’s video altogether. I can also just use pieces of a video. I can’t in-flip my classroom without this valuable tool.

3. Hyperdocs

I’ve got quite a few resources on Hyperdocs to help you get started. These are documents that you can adapt from other teachers after finding them on the web or the Hyperdocs website. While you could do them in non-Google Tools (I guess) typically they are Google tools. I love using them in Google Docs and Google Slides. Simply put, these handy tools make your classroom paperless and can give you some simple to use tools that you can adapt for your needs. Get to know hyperdocs. They are invaluable to me (and simple.) Here are some digital citizenship hyperdocs you can use of mine.

4. Office 365

At my school we’re a Google school and Office 365 school. My students love Office 365 and can open their files in Word on their computer, online, on their phone or iPad or anywhere. We also use One Drive for many file sharing ways. This suite is used heavily in colleges and I find Office 365 invaluable for us.

5. Screenshots and Screencasts

Every student should know how to make screenshots and screencasts. I’ve blogged before about 10 Ways to Use Screencasts for Formative Assessment. From playing the video games so I can grade them (I’m terrible at playing video games) to documenting what they’ve learned, students must be able to create screenshots and screencasts on every device they use. This is something you should assess and make sure they can do.

Productivity Apps

Yoink

Clean My Mac

iTsycal

GoodTask 3

Evernote

I also mention several other apps in the show.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a “sponsored podcast episode.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via cash payment, gift, or something else of value to include a reference to their product. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers and are from companies I can recommend. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The post Fantastic Apps I Use Every Day appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow!

Fantastic Apps I Use Every Day published first on https://medium.com/@seminarsacademy