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life-rewritten · 4 years ago

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LOVELY WRITER EP 2; THE PRICE OF AMBITION; SACRIFICE OF AUTHENTICITY, TRUTH AND IDENTITY

Okay Let's crack on. I'm annoyed at myself that it took me this long to finally calm down and just write this analysis out. Basically, because real life can be a b*tch and get in the way. But this episode also showcases how the reality of life can get in the way and make us lose our values, self and ideals. Lovely Writer has been this amazing experience so far; each episode I just want to shout out, at how real, meta, and deep this show is. It makes me so happy to see a BL show that has so much depth even it is not meaning to be, what I see from this show is incredible and I’m in love with it so far. If Episode 1 focused on putting on masks to get to achieving your aspirations and hiding yourself; Episode 2 hones down on that message and also shows our characters making sacrifices of their truths, authenticity, and identity in order to survive the environment that they’re in to make their dreams come true. This theme is both as painful as illuminating, it really exposes and brings up questions about a lot of truths about our characters, it makes them so much more real and human but also foreshadows and leaves hints about the obstacles that our couple will have to face. Also, it tackles this sinister feeling that the show has when focusing on the love story brewing, is the love real, is it toxic, should we be worried? Why is Nubsib so secretive and eery? But actually, just a full exposure to the message of the show? So, Let’s analyse episode 2 and the theme of sacrifice of Authenticity, Identity and Truth, and why this is a foreshadowing to the rest of the show up ahead.

Gene: Sacrifice of Connectivity and Relationships

This episode of Lovely Writer aka Nubsib was just as great as episode 1. Maybe even more disconcerting and layered. One because on the surface we see the love story of Gene and Nubsib brewing, Gene is being forced out of his comfort zone with a struggle, and Nubsib has laid out his plans to finally get his attention. On the surface we immediately start of with a typical contract living trope in the storyline, Gene finding ways to still have his personal space and focus on what he has to write that day but finding himself becoming more open and convinced to let Nubsib in and break down some barriers he has always had with the outside world. Especially with how his home is so dear to him; is a safe space, that he doesn’t really want any intruder, or distraction wading in and making it uncomfortable for him. In a way Gene is so relatable; this what an introvert does, he protects his space and where he feels the freest from the clutches of people. He protects himself where he feels the most vulnerable because he’s afraid of being corrupted, used or hurt. It’s a metaphor, or well the house represents him because Gene is someone who for some reason does not like letting people in, you could say it’s his introvert nature, but it seems more than that, he doesn’t even let his own brother into his space, he doesn’t bother to really interact with people in any way shape or form, and each time he has to do so it’s full of anger and resentment at whoever is causing him to leave his space. Maybe he views people as obstacles to distracting or taking away his focus on writing, maybe he thinks interacting with people would cause a flood of insecurities to make him slow down with his writing, and ambition. We know he has distant friends especially like looking at Tum, there’s a friendly history with Tum from college bu even still with that, he’s truly okay with being alone and being without people. All he cares about is writing, all he puts his effort in is writing. And that’s where this theme of sacrifice already starts to play in this episode and show in general. The reality of sacrificing things of importance in order to make it in the industry or to make your dreams a reality.

For Gene, everything he puts his effort into is writing, it seeps everything from him: his focus, his time, his self-care, his sleep etc. He’s someone who’s just content creating and writing, it’s like that’s how he escapes the world and finds his own comfort, where he can be his true self. The house is a metaphor of Gene, because Nubsib has to find a way to enter into it, this isn’t easy to do but also we start to see him help make it even better, even more accommodating, even less chaotic. Nubsib entering ends up actually although forceful and uncomfortable; improving the living condition of Gene, he offers him back everything that his focus on writing and ambition lost him. He offers him the self-care, the food, the cleanliness, the time to do something else instead of always just focusing on his laptop, he helps Gene find a healthier way of doing what he’s already being doing. But also, he changes Gene’s perspective and knocks down a few walls, because he starts to realise that living with someone isn’t as bad as he feared: it’s actually the opposite.

So Nubsib does this thing where his actions lead to Gene coming of his comfort zone and discovering about life and people which in return helps him discover more about the authenticity of the story he wants to write. This is why it’s so easy for Gene, each time he’s challenged by Nubsib’s actions to get inspiration and have a clearer answer to what he wants to do with his story. Because that’s all he cares about even if he’s uncomfortable with writing a BL genre, he just loves to write. Because he’s always had this shallow mindset towards the genre, he never really focused on finding inspiration in the truths about the genre, in seeing where there could be more to the genre than what he thought it was on the surface, (a theme of this show) but once he meets Sib, his attitude towards writing becomes different because he’s starting to see that authenticity and see the other truths to creating a romantic love story.It also probably shows how inexperienced he is with relationships, I mean for someone who truly doesn’t want anyone near him, it would make sense again that that’s an aspect of things he chose to sacrifice to focus on writing before Sib no one’s really caught his attention and he’s probably not seen the point to it. So, it is a fascinating look into these two’s love story already, although there’s a sinister feeling about Sib and his character motivations, we can already see how he’s affecting Gene even in his flawed, messed up ways. It’s nice to see that there’s a positive impact on the writer and it explores why it’s so easy for Gene to slowly let his inhibitions go and trust Sib and give his heart to him later.

Nubsib knows how to get Gene to truly look deeper into himself and question his desires and needs and wants, even as he manipulates the situation in which he gets a kiss from the script reading, it’s more about how he does it. Although it’s manipulative it’s the question he asks Gene that ends exposing Gene’s question about the truth and authenticity and his own feelings that he actually puts into his writing when it comes to BL. As writers it’s only when you are using your honest voice and feeling truly passionate and connected to the story, is when you see that inspiration and words pour out. And for Gene that’s the issue, he’d prevented himself from being truly connected with the genre he was writing, he followed typical rules and ideas that he saw as basic and shallow but he never thought to embrace the writing process and truly relay his own opinions and ideas into a story. Once Nubsib asks him that question of how he felt when he wrote his scenes, Gene realises that the key to unlocking his story is being authentic and focusing on the feelings and not the tropes/rules in the story (another similarity with the show itself). I think that’s telling, again how Nubsib affects him even though he uses probably problematic methods to do so. In a way Nubsib just being his flawed self, is what Gene needed to grow and unlock more to understanding his self and his truth. The show also uses that to showcase again the theme of authenticity vs pretence or fakery, because seeing their story unfold on the surface is tropey and forced/cheesy at times, but really there is a depth there to how they’re both affecting each other, although they’re pretending to kiss in the scene, there’s real feelings that have been unlocked since the first moment they locked eyes with each other, and although there’s a questionable part about the authenticity of some of the aspects of the relationship (Nubsib), the show isn’t running away from showing what these two have is real, automatic and in a way needed. So, it’s just layers upon layers of this idea of reality vs pretence in this show.

Nubsib: Sacrifice of Authenticity and Identity

Let’s talk about Sib because he’s such an interesting character when it comes to this theme of sacrifice. One because he’s someone who we are not sure we truly know, he’s hidden, he’s manipulative, two-faced, and secretive. It’s such a weird experience to see that what Gene is feeling is real and is helpful and needed, when it comes to Sib but it’s also scary because it leads to the question: is Sib a good person, does he have good motivation or is he just creepy? And in terms of sacrifice, it seems like he’s not losing anything to get his way and to be with Gene. But the thing I love about this show is again, the book/show is actually named after him (Its second name), Sib is actually the most important metaphor and message that is connected to the theme of authenticity vs fakery in this show. On the surface he’s someone who looks like he has everything, I mean it’s pretty obvious he has power and privilege over certain things (including wealth, the car he lies to Gene about is probably his) , the way he carries himself, and the way others bend to his will is hidden but it is hinted throughout the show. Tum has no choice but to listen to Sib and be ordered by him even though he’s the one who’s meant to oversee him as his manager. And Sib already had an audition prior to even meeting Gene in the other one, it was just for show, he had already been accepted into the role of Khin.

And it’s telling because he’s also good at playing this role of Khin who’s possessive and orders his lover around and tries to get what he wants with anger and power. Gene doesn’t think Sib would be good for this role because on the surface he sees Sib as someone gentle and naïve and slow, but ironically Sib is like Khin maybe without the problematic anger but from what we see or hear when he’s without Gene, he does order people around, he’s prone to disliking everything and having a sour face each time he’s in a situation with others. It’s only when Gene appears does his mask go on and he becomes this soft hearted, lost actor needing direction personality. So, the first sacrifice, if you can call it that about him is definitely his identity and authenticity to get to Gene. And at first, I wondered why this is a sacrifice because to me it seems like a great thing to get rid of if his character is anyway close to the character, he plays on screen Khin, but actually he’s sacrificing his power and control when it comes to Gene. There’s something about Gene that makes him want to be different. Something that exposes how he views himself. The reason why he becomes this act, is because he’s trying to be perfect for Gene, this exposes so many insecurities about what he thinks about himself, although it seems like he gets his way all the time, and his fans worship the ground he walks on, people let him do whatever he wants but it exposes that there’s something missing, something he had to lose to become this way. And the first one is identity/character, we’ve seen already the hints that this industry leads people to having to make sacrifices about who they are, to put on masks to get to where they want to go, to be put in a state of self-hate, insecurity about needing to change themselves for the worse to become successful. And although we’re watching him gain the success now, I think Nubsib is a product of that sacrifice of character/identity.

Perhaps the reason why he’s so cold and cruel is because he’s someone who was nurtured in a toxic environment that showed him how to get power by being that way, the reason why he’s calculating and manipulative on the surface is maybe because he had to always be this way to get what he wants. Whatever Gene is to Sib is opposite of whatever he’s had to go through, it’s clear he knows who he is, he’s determined to be helpful to him and show him he cares about him and needs him if we take his first words to Gene in the audition as foreshadowing how he truly feels about Gene. But whatever Gene did to make him want to sacrifice his riches, privilege, power, and control must have been something he desperately wanted to cling to, to grow and become who he was. Because for me it looks like Sib has always had to deal with the ‘pressures’ of being in the spotlight already, he’s already constantly followed by fans, (sacrificing his privacy, something that will end up becoming his biggest obstacle later in the story when he’s with Gene), he’s already prone to being objectified and pressured because of the effect this show will have on his fanbase and prior to the show

. His sacrifices point to the same ideas of rich privilege/pretty privilege where he’s probably been neglected, misunderstood, unloved although he comes from a great/privileged situation in others eyes and the way he’s had to get what he wants is to put on this façade of coldness and indifference, and also maybe that’s what he’s to attracted to in Gene is the authenticity that he can’t find anymore around him especially looking at how he interacts with Aey. It’s clear he sees him as someone who’s inauthentic, it’s clear he’s used to how the acting industry works and what they expect of him, so I can see him feeling like he’s surrounded by fakery and shallowness (like Gene thinks he’s also being forced to create and surround himself with, in his writing) and being so pulled to the fact that Gene feels real, and probably from their past, that’s what Gene always represented to him. Like maybe safety, maybe care, maybe authenticity. So that’s what I mean by him having to sacrifice his authenticity and identity for his own ambitions. But this is just my first theory about why he’s the way he is. Because what he’s had to sacrifice will come back to get him, it’s because of his lack of authenticity/truth to Gene that will cause him to lose him, it’s because of his lack of privacy that will cause him to lose Gene, it’s because of his pressures faced in the acting industry that will cause him to lose Gene. So yeh he’s an interesting character to keep an eye on because he’s not just a one-dimensional puppy that gets his way, he’s going to be a victim, he seems very intriguing and important to notice, especially since the novel/show is named after him.

Hin: Sacrifice of Morality and Self

The theme of sacrifice starts being truly shown in episode 2 when we see Hin and Aey/Mhok. It’s an interesting switch from the tone of the show, where everything is loud, cheesy and full of sound effects (which are done on purpose because it’s to emphasise the comedy effect that the show is trying to use to hide its message), to immediately showcasing characters that are clearly not okay, struggling and dealing with the truth of their hurts and desires. We first are exposed to this by seeing Hin. The more we get to know his character, the more I am truly afraid of what they’re trying to lay out for him, because if it was me, Hin is going down a secret villain arc, mostly because I already mentioned he’s someone with a mask, he’s peppy and happy on the surface and eager to follow and be inspired by Gene and his success (which Hin sees it as), when he him self is struggling to be taken seriously with his writing. We see in episode 2, the sacrifice he has made to make this dream a reality, first of all he’s had to sacrifice financially living well, he’s not making money because he’s not being noticed, compared to Gene who is completely serene and well of because of the results of his own writing and creativity. Hin is struggling to keep up with the demands of reality vs his want to follow his dreams and ambition.

Another thing he’s sacrificing is also his family/ relationships, I mean by distance and choosing to follow his path, it’s clear he misses being with them and he misses having someone who is close to him, but he’s had to move to come to this situation to make his dreams as a writer come through. It’s all he wants, and it’s what gets him up from his mini depression in the episode, it’s what makes him gather his strength and proceed to write. And I know this feeling, the feeling of constant worry, anxiety, and depression that you’re not making your dreams happen, but the constant push to want to strive to make it happen because it’s all you want. The thing is, it would be great if Hin is just going to learn a different way in making his dreams a reality but this is a show that’s with the message that this industry corrupts and makes people sacrifice themselves in order to make it and get their ambitions, and as much as Gene and Hin could be close, I sense a brewing hostile thing forming between them, really in reality Gene is Hin’s rival, someone who clearly doesn’t appreciate how lucky he is to get to create these big BL stories that get hit after hit, someone who has his books being turned into a show, someone who’s being noticed but pushes every thing to not be noticed. In my opinion Hin would see Gene as someone who takes what he has for granted, coupled with the snark remarks, and cold closed of energy Gene seems to have sometimes with Hin? It just seems like it’s enough for him to react if worse comes to worse, if desperation reaches it’s limits, I just see Hin’s character choosing to become one of the sad realities of life and ambition in these stories, where he has to find a way to make it to the top no matter what.

It just seems like with the desperation growing and growing to be noticed, to be making money to survive, to prove to his family that he chose the right path, that Hin could snap. But maybe the show is just showcasing the reality of what people like Hin, Me, others have to go through when you chase after your ambitions, maybe it’s just a relatable plot that may end up having a good ending/ character growth, but just because of where the themes of the show seem to really be heavy on, I am going to keep an eye on Hin’s character. If I know Tee, he’s someone who has directed before a show where a character makes us love and trust him and seems happy on the surface only for him to be very warped because of the choices he chose to get what he wants (Lhong from TharnType) it won’t be surprising if Hin ends up becoming a plot twist villain. Sad but not surprising and would match with the reality/meta of the show’s message.

Aey; Sacrifice of Truth and Trust

Let’s put Hin out of the equation and actually focus on our ‘hinted’ main villain Aey. I keep saying he’s probably not a villain, but it is odd to hear Mhok say this episode Aey used to do bad things when he was younger and it’s nice to see him grow from that. With Aey, the spotlight on his character’s mask and actions is very telling, he’s someone who feels abandoned, hurt and betrayed. He’s resentful and he’s determined to make it. From episode 1 knowing the number of hardships he’s had to deal with to be an actor (like his queerness, his insecurities, lack of charisma etc) who’s as known as Nubsib is really fascinating and important to see. Episode 2 emphasises this determination again, he’s had to brave it and defy his family rules to choose to become an actor. He’s had to sacrifice his relationship with his family to try and make his dreams a reality. He’s had to put on a mask and become someone else on the surface to make his dreams a reality. And he’s had to sacrifice his own confidence, his own idea of self to please the fans and become an actor that’s successful. He’s even had to hide his queerness to fit into the industry, to be chosen. It’s through his determination that he overhears Sib talk about the audition and shows up, unlike Sib who’s asked to be placed in the audition easily, Aey has to fight to be seen and noticed.

You start to see this pattern with both Hin and Aey how they mirror and expose the privilege that Gene and Sib actually have in the industry though they don’t see it as that, well Gene doesn’t, I have a theory Sib also doesn’t but it’s ironic because from Hin and Aey’s perspective Gene and Sib are in amazing positions, are lucky and have it easy but they have to literally crawl and struggle their way out to make this dream they have a reality: to become noticed, to be taken seriously, to be successful in what they want to do. And Aey is 100% just like Hin is to Gene; a mirror character to Sib, he’s just as manipulative, just also sacrificing his authenticity, and identity to become better, to get what he wants, he’s choosing to become a wolf in sheep’s clothing just like Sib. And that’s why I like this show, the character’s mirror each other to showcase the hypocrisy, flaws and mistakes each character has. No one is a villain or a bad person per say, they just all have issues and are all humans but mostly are all victims in this industry.

Again, it’s the industry that is the main villain of the show. That’s incredible, and meta, and real. So Aey is someone who has this energy of someone who also feels unloved, neglected, and abandoned because he clearly feels hurt by whoever Earn is. I don’t know why people think she’s his girlfriend, he’s apparently gay so I don’t think so, but she gives me maternal vibes, she gives me older sibling vibes. Her story is that she also sacrificed her dreams in order to fit the mould of the family’s values and wants to survive. So she represents the opposite of Aey, she’s a reflection to his failures in his head if he doesn’t make it, she’s probably daddy’s favourite, or responsible, always doing the right thing whilst Aey is seen as a nuisance and her presence probably reminds him of that hurt and abandonment that heHi’s felt because of choosing to be who he is. For me the reason for why he’s not speaking to her is because he’s the one who’s been hurt or neglected by her, she’s trying to make amends because she knows she’s the one in the wrong and judging from her character introduction she either tried to make him stifle his wants and needs or she hurt him by betraying him in order to seem responsible and survive in life. So she’s also connected to the reality of the sacrifices people make to survive in the world and get their ambitions; the theme of the episode.

it's interlinking to relatability of ambition, but it's also connected to the struggle and why people become who they become; flawed in the industry. And that’s why Mhok is so fascinating to this story, I think he’s a love interest to Aey, and mostly because the rules of this show is that the person who’s connected to exposing authenticity and making the other confront the truth about their selves is the reason for why love is needed and valued. Mhok is someone who knows Aey without the mask, he clearly cares and wants to do what’s right, he’s here to ensure that Aey is fine and doing well. Mhok is someone who is connected to Aey’s real self, past and hurts and he’s someone who is able to stop or call out Aey whenever he goes too far. So the question is what is Mhok’s actual ambitions, why is he doing all this for Aey/Earn, what is his goal? Right now I think he’s screaming jilted lover or he has feelings for Aey and this is how he protects him, there’s little hints he does care, he gets a little weird when Aey is flirting with Nubsib in episode 1, so he clearly doesn’t like Aey pretending or being close to Nubsib in that way. Either way he’s going to be playing the role of Aey’s calming influence/moral compass, the person who grounds him. For Aey to be so three dimensional already as a character, and maybe as a villain is again why this show is good, it’s deeper, it’s real and all the characters are fleshed out, and the plot is structured, planned and good.

The Price of Ambition

So we have this idea of characters who are making sacrifices; very sad and unfortunately realistic sacrifices to get to their goals and ambitions, not only have they all sacrificed a piece of their authenticity to fit into this harsh environment, but they’ve had to regress their characters, their self, and mute their own voices to survive and reach the end where their dreams become real. Ambition is a real thing, we all want to get to where we goanna go, achieve our purpose, or fulfil our dreams, the reality this show portrays is true, it’s so difficult in this world to be successful and get to where you want to go, without losing your voice, without becoming full of insecurity and without feeling cold and vicious due to the abandonment, neglect and betrayals experienced during the journey. Life is never easy but at the same time, this show places a huge focus on being authentic, on still following your heart and fighting your voice to be heard, it also showcases the facets of humanity; how yes we can be flawed, we can be lost and we can become different to our values, but real self-love, genuine romantic love and hope can help us fix those things, find a way back to who we’re meant to be, but also succeed after all the effort and tries. There’s still positivity and a chance to make things right by confronting the reality of the situation, by finding our selves and knowing what we stand for.

So, I’m not worried about Lovely writer being this toxic message of Nubsib manipulating his way and getting away with it, it’s more than just this surface BL love story, it really about watching these humane characters grow and learn. Nubsib is going to have to learn and grow and deal with truth of the industry before him and Gene can actually settle and get that happy ending, and they have a lot of trials and obstacles to deal with that will transform him, grow him and expose him to wanting to do better and wanting to take of his mask. Gene is someone who doesn’t like the shallowness and corruption of the industry and so he’s someone who’s going to go through his own journey and learn about how maybe it’s not just only the truth about the genre, I also think with a little bit self-discovery of knowing his truth and doing what he wants to do at the end. And I know this is really deep for me to be analysing this show, but I always knew Lovely writer would be relatable, and to be honest I’m shocked at how real it is, even though it’s still being disguised as a romantic comedy BL. Tee clearly had a goal of exposing and being as real as possible whilst still offering the joys and entertainment of a love story. This is all I could ever ask for in a show and a BL, I think it’s incredible where this show is going, and I can’t wait to see where things play out. Even if like the show didn’t mean to be this deep, and Nubsib ends up being like the devil or something, or this ends up truly being toxic, it was fun to see this show for now as a media piece that means something, that reflects something and makes you think about yourself, and your dreams, ambitions, and goals. And that’s something I’m grateful for.

#lovely writer #lovely writer the series #thai bl #bl series #bl drama #nubsib #cwg #nubsibgene #march #fvete #kaoup

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zukkacore · 4 years ago

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Whitewashing in AtlaLok: the Western & Christian Influence on s2 of LoK

Ok, so i’m not a big brained expert on all things indigenous or even all things asian but I do think bryke's christian & western worldview seeps so far into season 2 of LoK that i think out of every season it’s by far the most unsalvageable out of everything they’ve ever done in the Atlaverse and is a very insidious kind of whitewashing. I know that sounds hefty but here’s what I mean

For the record, I’m a mixed filipino person & while there is religious diversity among filipinos, more than i think ppl realize or that the catholic majority is willing to let on, when we were colonized a large percent of the population was indeed forced to convert to catholicism so that’s my background, & i don’t know everything about taoism or the what the tai chi symbol represents but the way Bryke westernize the concept of Yin and Yang is honestly… kinda bewildering. They get so many details about yin & yang wrong?? & Yes, it’s possible they could’ve been trying to create their own lore that differentiates itself from the traditional depictions of Yin & Yang, but in the end i think it doesn’t matter b/c the lore they invent is a very obviously western interpretation of the concept of “balance”.

The most important and honestly worst change they make is that concepts of “light” and “dark” are completely oversimplified and flattened to represent basically “good” and “evil” (which, the light and dark side are a bit more complex than representing just “peace/order vs. Chaos” like the show might imply but we don’t even have time for that, but is funny how they get the genders wrong. Like. Traditionally, light is usually coded masculine and dark is usually coded feminine, but never mind that, that’s just a tangent). This really simplifies the nuance of the s2 conflict and makes it a lot less interesting, not to mention just—misrepresents a very real religious philosophy?

And for the record, a piece of media going out of its way to do "the show, don’t tell" thing of stating in the text that “oh, light and dark are not the same thing as good vs. evil” without actually displaying that difference through the writing is just lip service, and its poor writing. A lot of pieces of media do this, but i think s2 of LoK is particularly egregious. The point of this philosophy of balance is that you aren’t supposed to moralize about which side is “good” or “bad”, or even really which one is “better” or “worse”. Even if the show states the concepts are not interchangeable, if the media in question continually frames one side (and almost always its “chaos/darkness”) as the “evil” side, then the supposed distinction between “light vs. dark” and “good vs. evil” is made moot. And besides the occasional offhand remark that implies more nuance without actually delivering, Vaatu is basically stock evil incarnate.

This depiction of conflict as “defeating a singular representation of total evil” isn’t solely christian, but it is definitely present in christian beliefs. And I think those kinds of stories can be done well, but in this case, in a world filled entirely of asian, Pacific Islander & inuit poc, to me it feels like a form of subtle whitewashing? B/c you’re taking characters that probably wouldn’t have christian beliefs, and imposing a christian worldview onto them. Not to mention removes what could have been an interesting conflict of any nuance and intrigue… and honestly, sucks, because I do think s2 has the bones of an interesting idea, mostly b/c there are potential themes that could’ve been explored—I know this b/c they were already explored in a movie that exists, and it’s name is Princess Mononoke! It has a lot of the same elements—tension between spirits and humanity, destruction of nature in the face of rapid industrialization, moral ambiguity where there are no easy or fast answers and both sides have sympathetic and understandable points of view. (Unsurprising b/c Miyazaki is Japanese & Japanese culture has a lot of influence from Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism, etc)

Bryke’s western & christian worldview also totally seeps into the characterization of Unalaq, the antagonist of the season which is a real problem. I’m in the middle of rewatching s2 right now and what struck me is that….. Unalaq comes across kinda ecofash AND fundamentalist which is 1) seems like an odd combination but maybe it really isn’t? 2) i think is a really tacky choice considering that the water tribes take the majority of its inspiration from inuit and polynesian indigenous cultures.

I honestly forgot abt this but Unalaq gives this whole lame speech abt how the SWT & humans as a whole suck b/c of their lack of spiritual connection & it was really eerie to me b/c "humans are morally bankrupt and they must be wiped out/punished for their destruction of the environment" is total ecofash logic bc it blames all of humanity for damage caused by those in power—be they capitalists or whoever. It’s a worldview that blames the poor and powerless for something they have no say in, and has real eugenics undertones bc with every implication of culling, there has to be someone who appoints themself the job of culling—of who is and isn’t worthy of death.

This belief also struck me as......... kinda christian in it's logic as well which is WEIRD b/c once again........ their cultural inspirations are DEFINITELY not christian...... The whole "man is inherently evil and must spend their whole lifetime repenting/must face punishment for it’s wickedness" thing and the way that christianity treats humanity as born with original sin or inherently corrupt—as well as above or separate from nature are really stronger undertones in Unalaqs worldview....... which isn't really an indigenous way or thinking.

I'm generalizing of course but from what I have seen from the indigenous people who speak on this is that (feel free to point out or correct me if i’m mostly generalizing abt Native Americans and not other indigenous cultures & there are some differences here) is that while native tribes are not monolithic and do vary wildly, there are a lot of common threads and that reverence and respect toward nature and your surroundings is an important tenant of indigenous beliefs. (I specifically remember the hosts on All My Relations saying essentially that we humans are a part of nature, we are not separate from it, and humans are not superior to animals—I’m paraphrasing but that is the gist of it)

So, yeah, I think it’s just really distasteful to write an indigenous character who is characterized in a way that’s way more in line with a christian fundamentalist & wants to bring about a ragnarok style apocalypse end of the world when that isn’t really a tenant of our beliefs? (btw, the way the end of the world is framed is also kinda fucked up? If i were being charitable, I could say that maybe s2’s storyline is a corruption of the hindu depiction of the end of the world, but even that sounds mildly insulting for reasons I won’t get into b/c i am Not The Expert On Hinduism. I will say that once again, the framing of the concept is all wrong, the show views the idea of apocalypse through a very western lense)

To wrap this up, I think the depiction of Unalaq could *maybe* work b/c he is the antagonist, so someone who strays from the NWT cultural tradition in a way that makes his view of morality more black and white wouldn’t be a *horrible* idea for the bad guy of the season. Especially because the introduction of capitalism to the A:TLA universe could probably cause a substantial shifts to… idk, everything i guess, b/c capitalism is so corrosive. Like. Sometimes people are just traitors. I do think it would be interesting to portray the way capitalism manifests in a society without white christians. Like… I do think there are a lot of ways secular christianity and capitalism are interlinked. But Unalaq is not portrayed as an outsider, he’s portrayed as hyper-traditionalist in a way that’s vilified? I guess rightly so, he does suck, but it’s just hard to conceptualize how a person like Unalaq comes to exist in the first place. In the end, I don’t really think it makes sense, in a world without white people, I don’t really know where this introduction of black and white christian morality would even come from in the avatar world?

TL;DR, Bryke applying western christian morality & world views to non-white characters in a world where white people have NEVER existed to affect our beliefs is a subtle form of white-washing. It imposes simplified “good vs. evil” world-views & cultural beliefs onto its characters. Any attempt to represent or even just integrate our actual beliefs into the A:tla lore are twisted and misrepresented is a way that is disrespectful and saps out any nuance or intrigue from the story, and alienates the people its supposed to represent from recognizing themselves within the final product. And Finally, on a more superficial story level, these writing choices clashe with the already existing world of ATLA--and is honestly just poor world-building.

#shut up Janelle #lok #Atla #lok crit #legend of korra

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restekova · 5 years ago

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no shade i love posts that praise yoshihiro togashi as a genius for doing like... basic things that all decent writers should do. like of course any remotely competent writer is going to plan out minor details of his story years in advance and stick to that plan when they're writing a huge massively complicated story like hunter x hunter, lol. of course any decent writer is going to take longer than a week to write a remotely presentable chapter of anything. it's just that most of the manga in shonen jump and similar magazines has fucking godawful abysmal nonsensical writing because of the schedule on which it's produced. this is why naruto, for example, betrayed you (and plagiarized hxh). it's because the industry is unethical and the environment it creates can only produce bad writing. writing takes a long fucking time. it takes WAY longer than drawing, especially if you have drawing assistants helping you with your backgrounds.

it can take a good writer years to write one good short story. YEARS! ONE short story! go to your local barnes & noble and grab the latest annual edition of the Best American Short Stories. this is a new book created every year where a panel of judges made of some of the best writers in the country pore over books and literary magazines and choose the absolute best new short stories of the year. (the 2018 one is headed by roxanne gay.) flip to the back and read the notes from each writer on the process of how they wrote the stories in the book. they all talk about extensive, drawn-out research, drafting, and revision processes taking months and years.

and these writers are writing short stories. like 40 pages single spaced tops. shounen mangaka are writing HUGE STORIES!!! huge huge huge long drawn-out stories with—at least in theory-— dozens of fully fleshed out characters, often entirely original fantasy settings, and multiple simultaneous plots and subplots and character arcs and themes that need to be carefully developed and play off of each other perfectly. these stories span multiple graphic novels, and they are volumes and volumes and volumes and volumes long.

this was the work schedule of masashi kishimoto when he was working on naruto (source: https://honeysanime.com/the-insane-work-schedules-of-your-favorite-manga-artists/)

putting aside whether this is even healthy, this is not an environment that is conducive to good writing. it's unclear what "work" means, and how much is dedicated to writing vs. drawing but this man is sleeping three hours. you need your full brain to write well. you do not have your full brain on three hours of sleep. you do not create well-researched, well thought-out, carefully planned, skillfully executed writing on a daily three hours of sleep. jesus fucking christ.

writing is about making decisions. in order to make decisions, you need time to think. the schedules that most shonen jump mangaka operate under (with the above-noted exception of yoshihiro togashi) do not allow these writers time to think.

you need time to revise. a week is not enough time to draft and revise an entire chapter of a novel, no matter how hard you work. especially if you're not sleeping.

circling back to yoshihiro togashi: he is a good writer. also, because he operates outside shounen jump's schedule, he is able to do things that normal writers do. if you read primarily mainstream shonen manga, which means you read primarily manga that runs in shounen jump, you might be kind of in awe when you discuss hunter x hunter and realize that, in writing his stories, togashi consistently foreshadows important developments years of real-time in advance, and makes conscious narrative decisions that make sense. this is a normal thing for writers to do. most writers do these things.

tl;dr: the environment of shounen jump creates manga that are written like fucked up ketamine dreams because the schedule at which new chapters need to be produced to keep the magazine running weekly is not conducive to good writing and also induces sleep deprivation hallucinations. the reason hunter x hunter is able to be a masterpiece is because togashi does not consistently produce on a weekly schedule and therefore is actually given time to write. he also does basic good writing things that most writers do that shounen jump writers don't seem to bother with i guess because there's no longer a culture of encouraging good writing at shonen jump because all these stories have been narratively fucked up hallucinatory 2d monstrosities for so long. shounen jump is unethical.

#diary #hxh tag #didnt mean for this post to get so long lol but watevs #i need to pack for school lol #long post //

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anakinsbugs · 4 years ago

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Squarespace Vs. Wix

New Post has been published on https://walrusvideo.com/squarespace-vs-wix/

Squarespace Vs. Wix

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

Wix

takes the prize for simplifying the process of making a website. Its drag-and-drop interface, hundreds of apps, and wider pricing options mean anybody can whip up a website without breaking a sweat.

Squarespace

has a better selection of design templates but its customization options require more technical confidence. Squarespace also outperforms Wix’s blogging and ecommerce tools by a very small margin, but the more flexible Wix has something for everyone.

Squarespace or Wix: Which is Better?

Squarespace’s sleeker, more professional-looking template designs are best for creatives who place a high value on aesthetics. Its grid-style editor requires a little bit of time to get to grips with, making it better for those with technical experience.

Turn your ideas into a visually-appealing Squarespace website for free.

Wix is best for beginners who want an easy way to create a website pronto . It has a drag-and-drop interface so building a website is as straightforward as solving a kiddie puzzle. It also comes with hundreds of templates and features to give users creative freedom regardless of their skill level.

Start your own free and stunning Wix website today

A Review of The Best Website Builders.

A good website builder spells the difference between an idea that grows into something big and one that fizzles out. To give you a head start, I’ve mustered up my experiences with building websites and reviewed

the top website builders

that may fit your needs.

Wix has proven once again why it’s considered a major player in the industry. Squarespace, though not included in the list, has its own perks that appeal to those with a specific set of criteria.

Squarespace Wins

Unlimited storage space: All of Squarespace premium plans come with unlimited bandwidth and storage so you can host unlimited files while ensuring media files will download smoothly. While the majority of Wix plans do offer unlimited bandwidth, none of them provide unlimited storage so you can’t just upload any files to your heart’s content.

Structured page editor : Squarespace doesn’t have the exact drag-and-drop functionality Wix is famous for. Its page elements are packed inside content blocks which you can move around and snap into rows and columns. Restrictive as it may appear, though, this feature helps you create your page within a more controlled environment, which can help prevent inadvertently sloppy designs.

High-quality, professional-grade template designs : Wix may offer more template choices but Squarespace trumps its competitor in terms of quality. It has over 60 template designs that are not only aesthetically superior but also easier to navigate both for the builder and viewer. Regardless of what template you choose initially, you can customize or replace it with another one anytime.

One-click color palette customization : Squarespace takes the guesswork out of choosing the right color theme that matches your brand. All you have to do is select a palette and Squarespace will apply it throughout your website.

Like Wix, Squarespace also offers the freedom to pick specific colors for individual elements. But since most users don’t have a design sense, Squarespace’s preselected color schemes take the headache and guesswork out of your site’s aesthetics.

Well-thought-out in-house features : Squarespace may have fewer features than Wix but what it lacks in numbers it makes up for in execution. Its in-house features are meticulously designed and built into its editor so you can manage your website even without installing third-party extensions.

Its restaurant menu editor, for example, uses a markup language so adding items is like filling out a simple form. In contrast, Wix accomplishes the same task through a relatively more tedious process that requires several clicks.

Squarespace’s donation system is likewise superior to Wix’s because it goes beyond providing a donation button by offering donor-specific checkout, donor email receipts, and suggested amounts.

Seamless podcast syndication : Starting a podcast? Squarespace also beats Wix’s basic podcast player by being the only one in the industry to offer syndication. With this feature, you can submit your podcast to Spotify or Apple Podcasts where a legion of potential fans can discover you.

Curated third-party apps : Whatever Squarespace lacks in-house, it offers as a third-party extension. Even Wix’s in-house features that Squarespace doesn’t have can be matched by a third-party counterpart so you won’t miss out on anything.

For example, the Wix Events app enables visitors to book tickets online whereas Squarespace can be integrated with Eventbrite to do the same thing. Similarly, integrating Memberstack with Squarespace accomplishes the same thing as the Wix Members app.

Ready-to-use blogging tools : With Squarespace, you can start blogging and showcase your best content to the world right off the bat. Unlike Wix that requires you to install a separate blog app, Squarespace has built-in blogging tools.

Basic features like post tagging, categories, comment moderation, and drafts will help you create professional-looking blogs regardless of your industry. Working with multiple authors is also a breeze as Squarespace allows you to collaborate with them on a single post or assign them different roles.

Sophisticated ecommerce functionality : When it comes to building your online store, Squarespace gives Wix a run for its money. It offers the same basic features you’ll find in Wix like custom email receipts, point of sale system, and automated cart recovery.

To maximize your profits, however, Squarespace steps up its game by offering features that Wix doesn’t. These include gift cards to help with your brand promotion. You can also use “back in stock” and “low stock” notifications to create a sense of urgency without being too pushy.

24/7 online support : Should you encounter technical issues with your Squarespace website, you can reach out to their customer support team via email, Twitter, or live chat. These online channels allow their team to get to the bottom of your issue faster.

Squarespace has excluded phone support because their existing support channels allow them to troubleshoot your issues comprehensively without the need to put you on hold.

Squarespace Losses

Lacks intuitive drag-and-drop interface . Squarespace’s page editor works like a minimalist grid system so you can’t drag and drop elements as freely as you can. Less freedom means less opportunity to play around with the design. It also takes a longer time to get used to so Squarespace is not as beginner-friendly as Wix.

Limited creative control : Squarespace’s biggest advantage is also its disadvantage. The “structured” editor may enable you to customize a website design within the realm of what’s acceptable but it also means you have less creative control.

The templates are on par with professional designs but you can’t edit, move, resize, or re-color the page elements as easily as you can with Wix. You also can’t display both the site title and logo at the same time.

Limited template designs . Fewer design choices also make it more difficult to stand out. Most photographers, for instance, trust Squarespace to host their portfolio sites.

With limited templates to choose from, they’re more likely to pick the same template. As a result, they may end up with portfolio websites that have the same look and feel as other sites in their industry.

Less generous ecommerce plans : Squarespace outnumbers Wix’s ecommerce features but you won’t benefit as much if you’re only subscribed to its basic plan.

Squarespace’s basic ecommerce features cost $18 per month (Business plan) while its Wix counterpart is a tad higher at $23 per month (Basic Business plan). However, you won’t save as much with a basic plan as Squarespace charges a 3% transaction fee unless you upgrade.

You also won’t have access to some crucial features like abandoned cart recovery if you’re not under the Advanced Commerce Plan that costs $40 per month.

By contrast, Wix charges no transaction fee on any of its ecommerce plans and offers abandoned cart recovery even to those in the basic plan.

Wix Wins

Scalable pricing : Wix has a wider range of pricing options so you can start your website anytime and easily scale as it grows. The free plan is available for beginners who are still learning the ropes and are not bothered by Wix-sponsored ads and subdomains.

If you want a custom domain, you can switch to the most basic plan for only $4.50 a month. From here, you can upgrade to any of the three higher website plans or start an online store for as low as $17 per month for the Business Basic Plan. Squarespace, on the other hand, only offers four pricing tiers starting with the Personal plan at $12 per month. It doesn’t come with a free plan and most of the important features are only available in higher plans.

Beginner-friendly interface : Wix’s drag-and-drop editor remains its top selling point. It gives you a template to create a simple website in minutes without learning how to code. Squarespace is also a “no-coding” website builder, but its grid-style editor makes it cumbersome for some beginners. With Wix, you can have full control of the layout and even add functionality by dragging and dropping widgets on your page.

More in-house apps: Name any feature you want your website to have and Wix has an app for it. Do you want to create a forum? Look for Wix Forum in the App Market and install it for free. Planning to add a live chat to connect with your visitors in real-time? Try Wix Chat, another in-house app you can add for free. If none of the built-in Wix apps is what you’re looking for, don’t worry as there are still over 200 free and premium third-party extensions to choose from.

Free email marketing tools : With this built-in feature, you can send email campaigns to your contact list and even create workflows to manage your own sales funnel. Measure how well each of your campaigns is doing through the stats tracker that lets you see how many people open and engage with your emails.

Wix’s email marketing tools are part of the Ascend all-in-one business solution that gives you access to other marketing tools like live chat, social media integration, and SEO tools. The best part is you can have access to a limited number of features for free or upgrade to one of the three paid plans to enjoy the full benefit.

Robust SEO features : Wix has its own game plan to help your content rank high on Google. What’s great is Wix puts all its strategies in one place so users can learn SEO themselves and improve their online presence. The SEO Wiz contains step-by-step tutorials, achievement updates, and tons of other learning materials so you can start improving your site’s visibility even if you never heard about SEO before.

Multiple customer support channels : Unlike Squarespace, Wix offers phone support so you can rest assured that humans and not bots are handling your concern. Wix also provides support through forums, social media, and email but not through live chat. In case you get stuck or confused while working on the page editor, there are small question marks on the screen that you can also click to get quick solutions without leaving the page.

Automatic backup-and-restore feature : Wix is a proactive website builder that anticipates unfortunate events and has developed a counteracting feature in case they happen.

Through Site History which you can find inside your site Settings, you can restore a previous version of your website. You can restore revised versions of your site regardless if it’s saved manually or automatically.

Best of all, the previously saved version of your site can be restored without affecting published blog posts and changes made in your email list.

Wix Losses

Underwhelming template designs : Wix focuses on quantity over quality when it comes to design. Its over 500 customizable templates easily beat Squarespace’s 70+ designs. But with more choices comes more time wasted picking and overanalyzing which one suits a website idea best.

A “quantity over quality” approach also leads to many Wix templates failing to make a great first impression. While there are hidden gems, it takes time to find them as they are outnumbered by generic templates, some of which are downright cheesy.

Unstructured page editor : Wix’s drag-and-drop interface has its own flaws. While it helps even non-pros create websites quickly, the changes you make in the desktop version may not necessarily sync to its mobile version. For instance, when you move an image from the top of the page to the bottom, the same change won’t reflect in the mobile version unless you make the same change twice. With Squarespace’s structured editor, movements are much more restricted but any change you make will reflect in both screens.

Complicated color changes : Wix lacks the preselected color palettes that Squarespace has, so changing text and background colors are not as straightforward. This is the downside of having more freedom to manipulate page elements. You may be free to choose the colors of individual page elements but if you don’t have a background in design, knowing which colors will work best without preset recommendations can be really tough.

Limited bandwidth and storage space : Wix doesn’t have the unlimited resources that Squarespace offers in all its plans. Therefore, the cheaper your Wix plan is, the more restrictions you’ll get on how many files you can store and how much traffic your website can get per day.

Wix’s cheapest plans, Connect Domain and Combo, only offer a bandwidth of 1 GB and 2 GB, respectively. This is enough if your website receives only a handful of visitors per month. However, once a website gets at least 1,000 visitors a day, it will require about 8.5 GB of bandwidth monthly, something that Wix only provides starting with its Unlimited plan that costs $12.50 per month (billed annually).

Mediocre blogging tools : You can create a decent blog with Wix but if you’re looking for more features, you’ll get it from Squarespace. Wix is capable of scheduling posts, adding tags or categories, and saving drafts. However, it doesn’t allow comment moderation so you can’t filter comments and publish only those you approve of. On top of that, Wix doesn’t have a built-in blogging feature. You have to add the free Wix Blog app yourself before you can start creating content.

Limited flexibility for free plans : When you start a free website with Wix, you won’t pay for anything but it comes at the cost of flexibility. The Wix subdomain, ads, and the look of a free site tend to come off a lot less professional. If you want to experiment with a free site, that’s fine, but you’ll have to upgrade to premium Wix plans to really establish your own brand.

Comparing The Top Website Builders.

Do you want to build a website from scratch without touching any codes? With a website builder, you can do that and more. If you want to get started,

here are the best website builders I recommend

Wix

— Best for general use

Weebly

— Best for beginners

Shopify

— Best for ecommerce

WordPress

— Best for content management

Wix is the undisputed website builder of choice

if you want to quickly launch a website even without the technical know-how. Its drag-and-drop interface requires a short learning curve while its hundreds of templates and features allow you to elevate your website any way you want.

But for a more professional site with a stronger design aesthetic and more customization options, especially one you’re willing to take some time to build,

Squarespace will be the better choice

See How My Agency Can Drive Massive Amounts of Traffic to Your Website

SEO – unlock massive amounts of SEO traffic. See real results.

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Book a Call

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Go to Source Author: Neil Patel

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aion-rsa · 4 years ago

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Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5 Review – The Jedi

https://ift.tt/2V61XxQ

This STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN review contains spoilers.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5

Gorgeous cinematography, lots of action, and plenty of actual answers to the show’s biggest mysteries — The Mandalorian Chapter 12, “The Jedi,” has everything. Drawing on his love for Japanese cinema and his deep understanding of the Star Wars canon he helped create, writer and director Dave Filoni has truly become a master.

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The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda arrive at the city of Calodan on the planet Corvus, as Bo-Katan instructed in “The Heiress.” It’s a downtrodden place. Frightened citizens hide away from the punishment they might draw down for speaking to an outsider. The Imperial magistrate they fear, a tyrant named Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), has a job for Mando: kill the Jedi who keeps killing her soldiers.

Stream your Star Wars favorites right here!

The story beats happen rather quickly: Din Djarin finds Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) in the woods, learns that Baby Yoda was a Jedi Padawan named Grogu before he disappeared during the Imperial purge of the Jedi Temple, and helps the former Jedi defeat the magistrate. Throughout, the episode does slow down for lingering shots reminiscent of Westerns and samurai showdowns. While the previous episode directed by Filoni felt muddled when compared to the ones helmed by the more experienced live action directors around him, “The Jedi” proves he’s spent a lot of time figuring out how to translate animation to live action and produce a TV show that has the life and color of the former in the fidelity of the latter.

A lot of the fun in this episode comes from seeing a Jedi Master from the animated world pulled into live action and the effortless dynamic between Ahsoka, Din, and Baby Yoda/Grogu. Ahsoka is no longer a child tagging along with Anakin Skywalker, and as a hero in her own right, she can carry the entire legacy of the Jedi on her shoulders. Her demeanor has changed significantly since The Clone Wars, and this Rebels-and-beyond version is my favorite manifestation of the character yet. This era and her decades of experience allow her to stand on her own. She also still clearly cares deeply for the people around her and those she left behind when she left the Jedi Order.

Dawson’s is forceful and deliberate in fight scenes, but with an air of gentle self-assurance just like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Luke Skywalker. Moments of levity and mid-battle smiles evoke the teenager from The Clone Wars without being cloying or too self-referential. Like Filoni, Ahsoka doesn’t need to prove she belongs anymore. She simply does.

As much as I complained about cameos while reviewing Rebels, The Mandalorian‘s references to the animated canon continue to delight in “The Jedi.” But they’re also a bit bizarre: name-dropping Grand Admiral Thrawn takes a lot of the air out of a pivotal scene between Ahsoka and Elsbeth. That said, it’s also a fun puzzle piece with which to tease fans of Rebels. Thrawn is still missing, which means Jedi apprentice Ezra Bridger is still missing, too. Ahsoka set out to look for Ezra at the end of that animated series, and it seems that she’s still searching all these years later.

Ahsoka’s story connects to another part of the saga as well. Her reluctance to train Grogu shows she’s afraid of training another Jedi who might fall to the dark side like Anakin did. I can’t emphasize enough how well she fits into this particular episode both emotionally and physically, her zebra-like striped coloration adding to the alien look of the planet. She’s just a lot of fun to watch.

It’s important to note in this review that Dawson’s casting as Ahsoka is a controversial one. In the real world, a former employee of Rosario Dawson and her family is suing the actor, accusing the family of transphobia and physical assault. But 18 of the 20 accusations, including discrimination and misgendering, have since been dropped, and Dawson has called the allegations as “baseless.” The claims of a physical altercation with Dawson’s mother will be considered in court in December. Some Star Wars fans are collecting funds for the Transgender Law Center in response.

Dawson isn’t the show’s only controversial casting at the moment. Her debut on The Mandalorian also comes just a week after some fans petitioned for Disney to fire Gina Carano (Cara Dune) from the show.

The Mandalorian’s Grogu: Baby Yoda’s Real Name and Star Wars Origin Explained

By John Saavedra

Comics

Star Wars Canon Timeline in Chronological Order

By Megan Crouse and 1 other

Aside from Ahsoka’s presence, the episode demonstrates a mature sensibility by understating the nature vs. industrialization theme often present in Star Wars. The Clone Wars isn’t exactly known for being subtle, but this episode gives off the sense of having been refined down and down until an elegant story sat on top of the easily understood but never quite spoken threat. The Imperial magistrate is obviously cruel to both the people and the environment. No one has to come out and say that she’s poisoning the ground to see that the forest around the village is dead and the magistrate walls off her own garden inside. The setting also quietly sends the message that the Jedi is on the side of nature as well as the people.

And what about the heart of the show, the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda? The episode doesn’t play the baby’s prospective separation from its father figure as heart-wrenching. Instead, it’s almost inevitable that the two will walk away together. There’s no way showrunner Jon Favreau, Filoni, or or the rest of the creative team will write either character out of the show. Because of this, Mando doesn’t seem particularly worried that he might lose the child. Any pathos I might have wanted here instead comes from Ahsoka’s obvious fear of training a difficult student only to have him end up like Anakin. Although she isn’t officially a Jedi anymore, she’s seen Anakin’s life first hand, and believes that the Jedi were right when they declared strong attachments are a path to the dark side.

If Grogu’s love for Mando becomes possessive or destructive, he could go down the route of Darth Vader. The dynamic between Ahsoka and Din, both of them comfortable together and never seeming to need to prove anything to the other, provides this uncertainty with a backdrop of reassurance. If anyone can make things okay for the child, it’s these two.

The Jedi training scenes are utterly delightful. The camera does a lot of work making Ahsoka seem mystical, particularly when she and the child are silhouetted against the moon like the Madonna and baby in a halo. One of the great joys of Star Wars is watching Jedi be cool and dangerous. The fog of Corvus works so well for that, with Ahsoka a wraith in the mist or the alleyways. And yet her appearance is not muddled or teased, not obscured behind inclement weather or night. The camera takes a comic book joy in watching her command a scene. And Pedro Pascal shines as usual, his head tips, cowboy walk, and deadpan responses (“I keep it around for luck”) are all equally expressive. His praise for the child is particularly heartwarming.

“The Jedi” is a reminder, as a lot of this season has been, that this show is both a visual spectacle and a technical masterclass of doing a lot with a little. It’s great to get out of the deserts of Tatooine and Nevarro. The Mandalorian continues to be so, so entertaining, and to connect to other parts of Star Wars without feeling precious about them.

The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 5 Review – The Jedi appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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adazhang-221257 · 5 years ago

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Week 6

Resource one: Sustainability of your photographic career

What type of photography do you want to make?

Product/food photography

Find out if New Zealand has any professional photographic organizations (hint, there are two) how can you connect with and learn from them?

NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography (NZIPP) is the only qualifying body for professional photographers in New Zealand. https://nzipp.org.nz/

AIPA —— Advertising & Illustrative Photographers Associationhttp://www.aipa.org.nz/

What are the challenges facing everyone in the coming 4th industrial revolution, how can you prepare for them?

5 Problems with 4th Industrial Revolution – Your Weekend Long Reads

By Guest Writer on March 23, 2019

https://www.ictworks.org/problems-fourth-industrial-revolution/#.XqqeJ28zZPY

Problem 1: a belief that technology has changed, and is changing the world.

Problem 2: a revolutionary view of history

Problem 3: an élite view of history——It is about the owners of the factories rather than the labourers, it is about innovative geniuses rather than the peasants labouring to produce food for them, and it is about the wise politicians who see the potential of these technologies to transform the world in their own image.

Problem 4: male heroes of the revolution

Problem 5: the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a self-fulfilling prophecy

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond

14 Jan 2016. Klaus Schwab

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/

Meaning

A Fourth Industrial Revolution is building on the Third, the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is characterized by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

The impact on people

It will affect our identity and all the issues associated with it: our sense of privacy, our notions of ownership, our consumption patterns, the time we devote to work and leisure, and how we develop our careers, cultivate our skills, meet people, and nurture relationships.

The revolutions occurring in biotechnology and AI, which are redefining what it means to be human by pushing back the current thresholds of life span, health, cognition, and capabilities, will compel us to redefine our moral and ethical boundaries.

Shaping the future

To shape the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we must develop a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is affecting our lives and reshaping our economic, social, cultural, and human environments.

In the end, it all comes down to people and values. [It's more about how to shape the future that works for us. Think about people first in the long run.

5 ways the Fourth Industrial Revolution transformed 2017 (and 5 ways it did not)

18 Jan 2018 Nicholas Davis

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/01/5-ways-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-transformed-2017-and-5-ways-it-did-not/

Five ways transformed

Ethics: addressing biases and assumptions in technologies

Crypto frenzy: bitcoin went mainstream, blockchain goes hyper

The new geography of innovation: shifting power from West to East one algorithm at the time

Platform economies: from euphoria to backlash

Cyber security: warfare in a world of zeros and ones

Five ways it did not

Narrowing of the gender pay gap

A concerted push around technology for development

More agile governments

Policy adoption of universal basic income

Widespread technological unemployment

Value in Media

https://fr.weforum.org/covid-action-platform/projects/value-in-media

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has changed the way content is produced, distributed and consumed for media companies, brands and individuals.

Value in Media is a project that has spent a year looking at how individual consumers value destination media. The project is helping the World Economic Forum's media partners navigate the impact of COVID-19

What changes can you make now to your workspace and your work routines to ensure a long career?

Always motivated myself, find new stuff and learn from new experiences.

How To Create A Sustainable Photography Career

Holly Roa, 2017

https://www.slrlounge.com/how-to-create-a-sustainable-photography-career-remaining-viable-among-market-shifts/

Build relationships

It's helpful to meet more experienced photographers.

The more you practice networking, the easier it will get and it is indeed invaluable in the photography world.

Find your passion

Discovering what you’re genuinely passionate about and working toward making that your specialty.

Try everything out to find what you love. Be patient with yourself.

Study business

Stop losing money

How to Build a Sustainable Career in Photography

by Jackson Couse12 Sep 2016

https://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-build-a-sustainable-career-in-photography--cms-27051

Three keys to a sustainable photography practice:

How to reduce costs

How to build resources

How to build revenue.

Photography is a Vocation, Not a Profession

It’s important to look forward and to focus on what is real.

Think about photography as a portable skill, it is something you do, not something you are.

Think about what photography means to you, what it’s all for and whether this is a real possibility before starting it. Think about whether you are ready to work as a photographer.

How to keep your photography practice going

Reduce Your Expenses: Live Within Your Means

Adjust Your Expectations

Don't get too addicted to buying and comparing cameras.

Make decisions that allow you to sustain your photography practice, that let you grow as an artist, that keep your business healthy, and focus on what you care about.

My thoughts

Photography is not what we usually expect. Many things will change when start to take it as a career. However, the most important thing is how to keep being interested in it sustainably. There are lots of things to consider before we decide to do it as a career. We need to know exactly what we think about photography and what we are really interested in doing in this big field first. Aim and set targets for the long term, we can always change it as we go but always plan ahead.

===============================================

Resource two: Sustainable Photographic Career

Notes

Everyone starts from an amateur.（love��

Start a business and do what you love. (but the money involved)

Problems come out (insecurity, ignorance and inexperience lead to doing a lot of work with little return.)

Educate the market as to what is should expect from a professional photographer.

Burned, most burnout or go bankrupt. (pressure)

The repetitive process happens to new photographers. (endless circle)

Hobbyist: Image maker (working for joy)

Professional: Business owner (working to make a living)

==========================================================================

Resource three: Lightroom Vs ACR

Notes

1.Lightroom

Database. Images in a central ‘Catalog’, which is indexed (you don’t need to open a file to see what is in it, you are just shown a preview).

Great for catalogue: easy to use and to find files. The downside: the Lightroom catalogue is usually stored on your computer, not your hard drive. The changes made on a particular photo are stored on the computer, so it's complicated when changing computers all the time.

Changes are non-destructive, more changes are possible that ACR.

Only processes photographs.

The best idea to use Lightroom: Locate your ‘Catalog’ on an external hard drive.

2.Bridge/ACR

Bridge: A file browser, its sole function is to easily look at and arrange your files. It shows all file formations, and it will launch the programme when opening the file.

ACR: Changes are also non-destructive. Changes are set when a file gets opened into Photoshop.

Bridge is pretty handy if the workflow includes other Adobe programmes.

Storing digital files

1. What filing system do you use?

I usually use Bridge to browser my files as it's quite handy to see all files with different formations at the same time.

2. What might be good practice for storing files?

Giving each file or folder a clear name, so it's clear to know what the files or folders about.

Create a folder in a logical hierarchy, and put the folders of the same category together.

3. What backup system do you have in place?

I'm usually saving my files on my computer as the computer hard drive is more reliable than the external hard drive. I would still back up some of my files on the cloud drive just in case.

Different industries have different ideas, but this short article from the National Library gives a good overview:

Tips for preserving digital photos:

Use lossless formats.

Back up your digital photos.

Keep more than one copy of photos.

Label discs and drives clearly and systematically.

Check files, drives, and discs regularly.

Keep original copies of scanned photographs.

File naming tips:

Avoid using capitals and characters such as #, $, % /, &.

Use underscores instead of spaces in filenames.

If using a date in the file name, record it in the format YYYY-MM-DD. For example 20120909 (9 September 2012)

Try to keep the original digital image file order.

=======================================================================

221.257 Assignment One reflection

1. Which test was my most successful?

The third test work.

2. Why

From the perspective of colour, test work 3 is bright and vibrant. These saturated colours bring out the inner beauty of the fruit. At the same time, the way of using beautiful colours to contrast with the contents of the photos, portraying the idea of beauty and grotesque between food and the remaining. From the perspective of angle, test work 3 shows more angels than the other two works, allowing the audiences to engage the theme from different perspectives. I just think the test 3 looks pretty and it conveys my theme better than the other two.

3. Was one of my tests that I thought wasn’t successful well received by the rest of the class or the lecturers?

I think they are all well-received, but I personally don't like the second test work. I think it might have something to do with the simplicity of the content, and the difference in styles when putting it with my other two works.

My idea of test 2 was to try to make some different changes on the background, in that case, I was using two bright colours to form a contrast, but I don't think it is ideal.

4. What did they see in it that I didn’t?

From the comments that I have received, I have found myself a bit short at looking at my own chosen artists. I have been using mostly the artists that other people suggested. I think I do have some of them, however, I just need to include more, especially the photographers from my country.

Also for my last body of test work where I was using some new-purchased fruits for my subjects, I was suggested to use some more rotted fruits instead, portraying the idea of beauty and grotesque better.

5. At this stage, how do I think I will continue this project?

I think I have got two choices to take my work forward, one is to keep on doing still life photography, specifically food photography. The other way is to experiment documentary photography, but this is the type that I am very new at. I think I would definitely try it, but I would prefer doing food photography a bit more.

I could consider using the idea of using food and natural resources in the photoshoots.

What research do you need to move forward?

I need to look at more practitioners who are doing commercial food photography, like the ways they use for photographing the food and the presentation they would do in the end to present their photos.

Technical information would be necessary to look at especially in this current condition, for example looking at information about how to set up my little 'studio' at home, how to arrange the props for a good composition and importantly how to control the lighting.

0 notes

circlesandsoundwaves · 7 years ago

Text

"You might as well tell the truth and be unapologetic about what your truth is.": Interview with Frank Iero

Interview by Molly Louise Hudelson.

Last October, Frank Iero released his new record, Parachutes, with his band Frank Iero and the Patience. But- as you’ve undoubtedly heard- the first several months of touring post-release were cancelled following a terrible bus crash while on tour in Australia. In contrast to Stomachaches, which he recorded in a room “with a drum machine and a computer, just kinda figuring it out”, Parachutes was “very intentional” as a record. While it was released on its planned date in October, having to wait so long to play the songs live was “excruciating.” But maybe things happened for a reason, and when things knocked him down, “that opportunity to grow and get back up is imperative.” Frank recently wrapped up a long round of touring with a hometown show at White Eagle Hall in Jersey City, with The Homeless Gospel Choir (Derek Zanetti) as support. I sat down with Frank before the show to talk about the making of the record, sharing it with the world, and the comforting realization that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. Read on for the full interview!

CIRCLES & SOUNDWAVES: You did a bunch of touring overseas earlier this year, you had some headlining stuff in the US earlier, then you did the tour with Deftones and Rise Against- and today is the last day of the headlining run. How does it feel to be playing a hometown show?

Frank Iero: It's rad- especially to end it here. It's the end of this run- it's kinda nice to be home to do.

C&S: Was it intentional to end with a hometown show?

FI: You shoot for that, but sometimes it just doesn't work out. It's kinda like a happy accident- it's one of those things that you shoot for but you really don't have much say over it. It's what's available within the mileage. There was definitely gonna be a Jersey show, it was just a matter of when that was going to land.

C&S: I also am from New Jersey and to me, I go to shows in New Jersey and I go to shows in New York. Does playing New York City feel like a hometown show too, or not so much?

FI: Yes and no. Friends will come to New York; my family won't go to New York.

C&S: Really?

FI: Yeah, cuz my family's all from South Jersey, so you say New York and it's like, "Oh, that's real far."

C&S: But- well, Starland Ballroom-

FI: Starland's perfect for them, yeah- they like that.

C&S: You have The Homeless Gospel Choir out on this run- why did you choose to bring Derek out?

FI: Derek's just amazing as a person and as a musician. I love playing to a crowd after he's played. He says everything I want to get across without me having to say it. I don't know how he does it but he embraces the entire room with a huge hug- he's fantastic at that.

C&S: I saw him a year and a half ago opening for Anti Flag and I had no idea who this guy was and then he gets on stage, and I'm almost crying.

FI: It's everything. It's such a good vibe when you walk in to that room after people have seen him. He's so engaging. Plus he's a good friend of mine; it's a good hang. So anytime there's a show, it's like Silent Bob- whenever Jay makes a movie he's like, "All my friends are coming."

C&S: "Of course my friends are gonna be here." Had you toured with Derek before this?

FI: Oh, yeah, yeah- we've [done] quite a few tours- three or four. Anytime there's a show I'm like, "Can Derek come?" That's kinda how it goes.

C&S: Like, "This is an artist that I really enjoy seeing."

FI: Yes.

C&S: So you put out a record about nine months ago, Parachutes; after the bus crash a lot of the initial touring was cancelled. Does the record still feel very new?

FI: It does, it's kinda strange. We didn't get to start touring until four or five months in, and that was crazy. I mean, that's a really, really long time, especially in this industry.

C&S: I had interviewed you right when you put out Stomachaches, and the record came out and the tour started the next week, or something.

FI: Yeah, that's how I usually do it, you know? This was excruciating.

C&S: I can imagine it's tough to feel like, "Okay, I have this thing and it's out and it exists in the world"- but you don't get to share it live in that space with people.

FI: Exactly. And it was very much a record written to be in that environment, you know? But also, I think everything that happened and the time leading up to it allowed the record to really evolve in my head.

C&S: How so?

FI: The things that I wrote about took on this whole other life after the accident. And it was because I wrote a record about things happening for you instead of to you. It was like I had written this letter to myself and it was like, "Don't open until this fucking horrific thing happens to you." It really got me through it and a lot of the things meant so much more. It's strange, yeah, but it was something I was able to work towards and it really forced me to get back up on this horse of playing, because I really didn't think I was ever gonna play. So to do that, it meant so much more, it was crazy. Everything happens for a reason.

C&S: Definitely. And whatever perspective you come from- whether you're someone who believes in astrology or you're religious- you never want to believe "Oh there was a reason, someone intentionally made me go through this shit, or whatever"- but things do come out of it, sometimes you learn things about yourself that you wouldn't have expected to, for better or for worse.

FI: Absolutely. I feel like those things that knock you down- that opportunity to grow and get back up is imperative.

C&S: When you were making Stomachaches, that was a record that was not intentionally going to be a record when you were writing it- this one was.

FI: Yeah. Very intentional.

C&S: So how does that- I mean when I'm writing in my diary vs. writing an article that I'm gonna publish on the internet- how does that impact your writing and your ability to open yourself up when you're just making songs in your bedroom or whatever versus, "Okay, we're making a record, we are going to put this out for the world"?

FI: So the initial mindset is- it is writing a diary for the masses, basically- divulging things to people. And the decision comes in to play where it's like- alright, do I veil this, do I make things up, what do I do, do I hide? Or do I just go for it- no apologies, no regrets?

C&S: So you went for it.

FI: Yeah! So I was like- "fuck it." Here's the thing. If you're gonna fake it, you can do anything else. You can be- I don't know, you can work at the mall and fake it. If you're gonna do this, you might as well tell the truth and be unapologetic about what your truth is. And that's a hard thing to do sometimes. So- once you make that conscious decision to really go for it, the other thing that comes in to play is, "Alright, how do I do this in the most clear and concise manner, knowing that I'm not speaking to myself anymore, I'm speaking to maybe people that don't know exactly what I went through" and how do you communicate these emotions without confusing the issue?

C&S: So this time around you were writing with the band, right?

FI: Yeah- so I was writing and then bringing things to a live practice room and being like, "this is the idea, let's play this" and then listening back, recording it on a handheld [recorder] and then going home and re-listening and changing everything and going back the next day and [doing] that process for months.

C&S: Do you think working with other people helped you at all to be clear in your communication of ideas?

FI: Absolutely. Completely. It definitely, I'm sure, drove them crazy- but it had to happen that way. The record that we ended up making couldn't have been made any other way. Stomachaches was a moment in time; it was me in a room with a drum machine and a computer, just kinda figuring it out. I didn't know what I was doing, and-

C&S: Do you think you know what you're doing now?

FI: Fuck no! [laughs]

C&S: I think that if you ever think you know what you're doing, you probably don't.

FI: Oh no, absolutely not.

C&S: In a way, that realization that you don't know what you're doing, that you have a lot to learn, is what prompts you to keep working on yourself- personally, emotionally- as well as on your ability to communicate and share that with people.

FI: Yes. I'm a big fan, too, of going in to a medium with a pure intent and even though you don't know your way around, the meaning behind it is so pure that you're going to figure it out. Whether it be divine interference or whatever, you use your deficiency as your strength and make it work. I had a conversation with a person yesterday about how if you were to give a guitar to a monkey they would probably play it in a very percussive way- in a way that no guitar player would play it- and that is what's so special about that.

C&S: A theme that I got out of the record was this idea that you have these "demons" or whatever's going on in your life and you're wondering to some extent how that effects other people and how they see you and think of you and do they still care and accept you. A song like "Oceans" sees you kinda coming to that point where you're like, "Okay, maybe there are people who understand and accept what's going on"- when people say, "I relate to this" or "this makes sense to me"- what goes through your mind when people are saying they get that, or they get anything out of the record?

FI: I'm over the moon about that. Whether people love it or hate it, those are all emotions that are valid. I want people to feel something. If people are indifferent to it I think that's the only problem. You want to invoke some sort of thought process- some sort of feeling, some sort of conversation. And a lot of times, people are not getting out of it what I expected them to- or my original intent on that- and that's fine.

C&S: I mean it even sounds like the record took on a new meaning to you in a sense over the past year.

FI: Oh definitely, definitely. But that's what's so wonderful about music- I could be writing about, you know, ice in a tray, but what you get out of it is not gonna be that, and that goes on and affects somebody else in a different way- and then maybe it comes around again to ice in a tray but maybe it doesn't, you know? It goes off in this ripple effect. I'm sure we grew up in different households and different things like that- that means nothing when it comes to art or to music, I can affect you in a totally different way through that.

C&S: I was just outside and I saw people that have been out here for hours with sleeping bags and lawn chairs that have been waiting a long time- and I bet that if I talked to every single one of those people, they would all say, "Oh Frank's music means a lot to me"- but they'd probably all to some extent have different answers of why, which is cool.

FI: I totally agree. That's the point, you know.

C&S: If everyone got the same thing out of it-

FI: Well- that's what I think is so wonderful about people, is that we're all just so fucking different- even if you hate somebody, they're different from you and that's a wonderful, miracle thing.

C&S: Definitely. Well- thank you, Frank.

FI: Yeah, my pleasure!

C&S: Anything else that people should be on the lookout for this year, anything else you want to say or add in general?

FI: We're announcing a tour Monday. We're doing UK and Europe with Dave Hause and The Mermaid and The Homeless Gospel Choir and Paceshifters. We're releasing an EP on the 22nd of September so I'm looking forward to that as well.

C&S: Awesome, well thank you so much.

FI: My pleasure.

Thanks Frank!

See a full list of tour dates on Frank Iero’s website. Frank Iero and the Patience will be releasing a limited edition EP, Keep The Coffins Coming, on September 22 through Hassle Records. Keep up with Frank on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

#interview #molly #frank iero #frank iero and the patience #parachutes #stomachaches #mcr #my chemical romance #music #music blog #band interviews

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foxvslynch · 8 years ago

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Fox Vs. Eraserhead

“What’s the strangest thing anyone has ever said to you about Eraserhead?

I like to have people be able to form their own opinion as to what it means and have their own ideas about things. But at the same time, no one, to my knowledge, has ever seen the film the way I see it. The interpretation of what it’s all about has never been my interpretation.”

From Vulture.com’s interview with David Lynch, September 2014.

There you have it. If you are searching for a ‘correct’ interpretation or analysis of David Lynch’s 1977 debut Eraserhead, you have come to the wrong place. Every place you could conceivably go is also wrong because, according to Lynch, no one has ever read Eraserhead like he does. In this write up, and in all the write ups to come, I do not ever want to claim I have gotten anywhere close to the ‘correct’ interpretations. However, I do want to write about the images Lynch presents, and where they lead me.

Image is the perfect jumping-off point to discuss this film. David Lynch’s formal training as a visual artist at the Pennsylvania Academy of Visual Art is oft-cited as a means of contextualizing the focus of his filmmaking. Eraserhead is ground-zero for David Lynch the painter creating David Lynch the filmmaker. The first thing I always notice when I watch Eraserhead is how consciously composed every frame of the film is. To the extent that this film has any clear precedent in filmmaking, it is reminiscent of very early impressionistic and experimental films of the early twentieth century. However, where those films necessarily lack a degree of self-consciousness or experience, Eraserhead uses the canvas of black and white film expertly. The film is deep and rich and grungy. Lynch’s keen interest in two-dimensional projection as his canvas always shines through. Frankly, Eraserhead can be enjoyed simply as an exercise in careful, beautiful framing and cinematography.

However, most people (including yours truly) do not go to the movies simply to marvel at the visual ingenuity of directors. That era of filmmaking and viewing died long before we, or even Lynch, were alive. We want to see images on the big screen that, in some way, speak to us about our own lives. Eraserhead on its’ face may confound that demand. It’s mysterious, and weird, and single-minded in a direction that we aren’t privy to. In my viewing of Eraserhead I’ve isolated quite a few interesting themes worth tugging on and stretching on which will make up the focus of this write-up.

Eraserhead’s life begins at ejection. Specifically, the oral ejection of a horrific sperm-worm piloted by a barnacled man inside of a planet. This film is steeped in bodily violation. Henry’s nightmare gives a crash-course in the sort of horror Eraserhead specializes in. It is reminiscent of HR Giger’s work in Alien, but is even bulkier and more unreal.. Many of the creature effects in this film are either physical puppets or stop-motion animated. Escaping Henry’s dreams into the ‘real world’ (more on that later) gives us an understanding of the environment that produces these nightmares.

I often end up viewing Eraserhead as being about adolescence, and the ways that children have to try on the clothes of adulthood in preparation for the real thing. The sequence of Henry walking home with his sack of nondescript groceries provide tons of fodder for this interpretation. It’s worth re-watching this scene as if it were film of a child making their way home from school in typical suburbia. We can observe the common obstacles like mounds of dirt and thick mud; it’s not a stretch to imagine the sack as reminiscent of a backpack or a lunch sack. Another point for this interpretation is his ritual of checking the mail cubby. I can almost imagine Henry’s dejection every time he gets no mail. Henry’s extreme vulnerability is central to all of his scenes outside of his apartment. The world dwarfs him, it is cruel and industrial and uncaring, he has to establish a single route home just to exert some sense of stability and control (as evidenced by his very deliberate mound traversal). This manufactured comfort will be contrasted during his awkward visit to Mary X’s house.

Viewing Henry as somehow adolescent or childish, we can see many references to common childhood emotions in the film. Walking down his apartment hallway, he is stopped by his enticing neighbor (Judith Anna Roberts). Henry is obviously intimidated and confused by his own intimidation in the face of a confident adul, and he escapes the conversation with as few words as possible. This disparity or outclassing between Henry and the world of adults is another thread I’ve found particularly interesting.

It’s worth making a note about the physical design of the lived-in spaces of this world. The most important space in the film is Henry’s apartment, and it’s incredibly dour and depressing. His attempts at sprucing up the place with plants go as far as piles of dirt with twigs stuck in them. He has virtually no real belongings. And the sound. Like most spaces in this world it is permeated by a constant vaguely industrial whirl and drone. To cover it up, Henry plays a record of atonal carnival music, but that only makes the aural assault even more troubling. An underlying aspect of Eraserhead is the results of industry on society. The rooms we see feel absolutely barren and devoid of what we would recognize as the human element. How do people get used to this? Is that a normal function of becoming a fully-realized human?

Eraserhead is often interpreted as a film about the fear of fatherhood. I see a lot of merit in this analysis. Henry is invited to dinner at the home of his on-again off-again girlfriend, Mary X (though, tellingly, this invitation is conveyed by someone much smokier and more seductive). His trek to her house is about as perilous as his walk home from the grocery store: the streets are now dark and muddled, exposed piping belches steam, dogs yelp in the distance, vines and semi-trees are growing up the exterior of the X household.

Before we get to the meat of the dinner scene (no pun intended), let’s circle back around to the notion of dreams. As I mentioned before, Lynch takes a peculiar approach to the canvas of cinema. The observation is often made that film is essentially a mass hallucination or dream, yet, many mainstream filmmakers want to avoid the reality of how film is consumed as much as possible. The goal of set and sound design, acting, editing, and visual effects in many ‘standard’ films is to convince viewers that they are experiencing a version of reality, as opposed to watching a series of moving pictures projected on a screen. We will come to some examples later in Lynch’s canon where he plays with the idea of verisimilitude and what it means to trick an audience into believing in the unreal, but you have to remember that Lynch is always aware of the façade and is often either counting on you to forget or remember it. It is seductive to imagine Eraserhead as operating on two separate layers of reality; Henry’s dreamscapes and the dreamscapes presented as Henry’s reality (ostensibly). However, do not feel restrained by this delineation at all. This is a free-for-all, and you are always watching a dream.

The whole dinner scene (including the lengthy preamble) is wonderful and confounding. This could be its’ own essay, where we dissect (pun intended?) the dense relationships and symbolism on display. However, since this write-up isn’t meant to be a play-by-play, I’ll stick to my two favorite elements: man-made chickens, and Henry and Mary’s sex life.

The chickens are a fascinating piece of symbolism, in part because they may be the only time a character seems to note, out loud, the odd state of their world (with the possible exception of Bill on the subject of plumbing – people think pipes grow in their houses). The chickens are very explicitly stated to be the result of human genetic muddling. Bill believes them to be just like regular chickens, but once one starts writhing and bleeding on the plate, we are forced to either wonder about what chickens are like in this universe, or consider that perhaps we are not dealing with people who are fully there. There are so many things you can take from the chicken-carving scene and analyze, but I’m going to stick with the physical act. Carving a bird at a family gathering is a classic signifier of masculinity and adulthood in Western culture, hell, James Joyce wrote about it in The Dead. However, in Eraserhead, this mode of human existence, like music and agriculture, is also perverted and horrifying. It is drained of all it’s commonness and played fully for horror.

Is becoming an adult an exercise in desensitization? Is becoming a man, specifically? This dinner scene raises that question. We’ll get back to it. After the aborted dinner, the real point of this whole play comes out – “Did you and Mary have sexual intercourse?”

This entire evening, Henry has had to try on the clothes of adulthood. He’s been asked about his vocation (he’s on vacation, a very adolescent dodge that Mary’s mother does not waste time accommodating), he’s been asked to carve the chicken, and after dinner he is asked directly if he has been having sex with Mary. Henry cannot answer this forward question, just as he can’t handle the smoky siren next door. He might be having sex, but he is not even close to being in a place where he can understand it, or speak about it. In fact, as we have seen, his nights are haunted by immensely sexual imagery. Henry’s attempts at adulthood have been markedly unsuccessful so far, but he doesn’t have much time to get with the program – there’s a baby, and even in Eraserhead babies need fathers.

At this moment, I’m going to follow the somewhat obtuse structure of Eraserhead, and let myself off the hook for annotating every scene, and get into some broader discussions of the themes I’ve detected in the film.

Fatherhood

Henry and Mary’s new infant is not human, even granting that sometimes babies are hardly human. It is small and reptillian. It rejects food, and very quickly contracts sores reminiscent of the barnacles on the face of the man in the planet from the beginning of the film. In a sense, this is the most hyper-charged way of talking about an issue that is common but not very popular: what if you have a responsibility to a baby that you did not want and cannot bond with?

Henry and Mary are neglectful parents to their quasi-baby. Mary ghosts Henry within days. Henry is not perturbed by the incessant crying of the creature, but it drives Mary crazy. This is a playful use and inversion of the instant perfect mom. Mary’s motherly instincts have not kicked in, she isn’t upset that the creature is crying because crying indicates some distress, she’s upset because it is annoying and robs her of her sleep. She does seem to try her best for a short time, but she’s paired with a man-child (a scene I’d like to draw attention to is when he arrives home on what seems to be the first day and lays lengthwise across the bed. It’s classically adolescent.) But within a night, she is gone, not to be seen in the *real* world again.

Henry also doesn’t find much in fatherhood to latch onto. When the baby becomes sick, he gets a radiator for it, but his concern is mostly centered on the fact that it would look bad if the infant died or got sick under his care, especially after an argument with his wife. Henry cannot accept his responsibility, in part because he cannot actually imagine this creature as having any meaningful relation to him, or even to the concept of a real child. The woman in the radiator suggestively points to filicide as a real option for Henry as she stomps on sperm worms. He further abdicates responsibility in the related dream where he pulls worms out of his wife, seemingly shifting the blame away from Henry’s troublesome sperm.

The real moment of Henry’s undoing comes with his affair with the woman next door. In an unbelievably intense scene, Henry is immediately seduced and (in a sense) liberated. Finally, we see Henry as a sexual entity, as he tries (in an outrageously symbolic manner) to keep his monstrous baby silent (though, in a telling moment that points to this being a dream of another sort, his neighbor apparently cannot retain focus on the infant for too long in the heat of Henry’s newfound prowess).

Henry’s lengthy post-coital dreams take him on a whirlwind psychic tour. He encounters the lady in the radiator again, is decapitated, his head is replaced with a leering sperm worm, and so on. There’s a lot to read into all of this. Henry’s head’s new use as an apparatus of his industrial world, the old man lying in the dusty street feebly watching a child collecting his head. All of it is dense and mystical and deserves another adjoining essay, which I haven’t written. Were these dreams about heaven, hell, suicide, guilt? I don’t have the answers, and again, I find the questions themselves more interesting.\

Is Adulthood Just Desensitization?

I briefly mentioned the sound design in Henry’s apartment, and I feel guilty that I don’t have the expertise on audio production to give this element of the film the gravity it deserves. Sound is so important to Eraserhead. The mixture of foley work and the otherworldly (though not entirely unfamiliar) industrial droning is iconic. Desensitization or failure to desensitize to sound is an important element of Eraserhead.. Henry has to put on a faded record to try and escape the constant drone of his apartment. Mary X cannot deal with the sonic stress of her crying creature/baby. Henry has to gag the creature to not alert his neighbor to its’ presence. The proliferation of unpleasant sound in this world is fundemental to its’ construction, and it seems like a big part of existing in the world of Eraserhead is simply dealing with intrusive sound.

Another aspect of desensitization in this film is Henry’s apparent sexual awakening. I’ve struggled a little in my interpretation of what the film is trying to say about sexual maturity. Henry, despite the construction of the story and the fact that he got a woman pregnant, has an extremely virginal outlook at the start of the film. Remember back to how he describes his outings with Mary X “why don’t you come around anymore?” and his dodginess when faced with Mary’s mother and her frank questioning. Henry seems marginally more comfortable in making sexual advances by the end of the film, but it also seems to be a wellspring of guilt and fear for him. His desires, rather than being healthily realized either by Mary X or his neighbor, instead seem to be made manifest as a terrifying, spermic creature.

New watchers of David Lynch should get ready for lots of confusing depictions of sex and gender in general. Lynch can don the clothes of a turn of the century white American man or a bohemian, depending on what sort of imagery he chooses to create. I think it’s more helpful to simply ask the question - what is Eraserhead saying about Henry’s growing knowledge and desire for sex?

A third type of desensitization present in Eraserhead is related to the lived-in environment. I touched on before how unflattering and unkempt Henry’s apartment is, but we should also retain sight of the fact that, well, David Lynch is working with late mid-century Philadelphia as his canvas. He seems to delight in the factory town in a way that I cannot fully understand, but if you read interviews with him about Eraserhead, he states that he loves the universe they created for the film and would live in it if he could. He’s an industrialist. But it’s also clear that these characters are not made whole by their environment. No one seems worried that all their plants die, and that all their music is atonal and garish This desensitization to an abjectly gross living situation isn’t an active process in the film- Henry never seems to be that upset by the shabbiness of his apartment, the concrete caverns of his apartment building, or the dead factories of his city. But we, as viewers, not accustomed to it, do have to take note of the circumstances, and eventually we come to internalize them as well. People are moulded by their environment, and Eraserhead wants to see what shapes they can take.

Adolescence

To wrap up my analysis, I want to think a little bit about the ending of the film. I come to it with a simple question: what direction is Henry going?

I’ve made previous mention to many instances of Henry’s evident childishness and naivete, but I perhaps haven’t been explicit enough.

I consider Henry’s sexual encounter with his neighbor to be almost purely adolescent fantasy (which isn’t to make a statement on it’s level of truth in the layered structure of this film, it seems to reside on the same layer as any other concrete event in the film, which is to say, it’s one layer down from planet man, and half a layer down from Henry’s head being used to make erasers, but also my layered structure is also completely just my own invented heuristic). My statements on the levels of narrative in this film are almost certainly undercooked, but I don’t necessarily think that we are meant to ever get any further than we want to on the question of what is real).

Adolescent impressions of sexuality are often eclipsed by real experiences later on, but in this scene the moments feel very raw and expectant. They are the impressions sustained by a preceding lifetime of unexperience. Every word in this scene hangs heavy. It’s incredible straight male wish fulfillment, and an intensely frank depiction of what children imagine sex to be: enticing and cosmically terrifying. What are we to see in this encounter? It seems like it is a source, or reincarnation, of guilt that Henry has created in the past and cannot escape, an interpretation that is bolstered by the violent imagery that follows as a consequence, and the fact that the two characters literally sink into a pool of goo.

Also, as a forward-looking note, this is not the last time Lynch creates impossible sexual encounters that feel positively inescapable. It’s one of the things that really draws me to his work.

But does all this - change Henry? Does it change us? What, by observing his dreams, are we meant to understand about him? I have impressions, but they are not concrete enough to try and write out. I consider the last twenty-five-ish minutes of Eraserhead to be a true litmus test. How they make you feel, what worlds they conjure and what possibilities are included and excluded in them is entirely personal. Frankly, writing about Eraserhead is somewhat quixotic because the film succeeds in a realm beyond words. There’s a reason telling someone else about your dream is so boring, after all.

So there we go! That’s the first post in my series. I cannot believe I’m going to write one of these every week for the next few months, but it’s immensely exciting and a new type of challenge. If you don’t like my take, or if you have your own, comment it. If you like this project and are excited for more, I’d really appreciate you subscribing or sharing this post!

Next week: The Elephant Man!

#eraserhead #davidlynch

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sargenthouse · 8 years ago

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The Bug Vs Earth Interview // The Quietus

Kevin Martin and Dylan Carlson had only met once in person when it came to recording their upcoming collaborative album Concrete Desert together under their respective pseudonyms The Bug and Earth, yet the two are quite particularly kindred spirits.

Throughout their careers as outliers in their own field, Carlson with the colossal, glacial expanses of his leviathan guitar work and Martin in the fields of dub and more, and their coming together as an intense melding of two worlds, the pair’s shared impetus on sonic landscapes and the influence of environment turned in tandem towards Los Angeles.

When working together the pair found even more in common than mutual respect for each other’s music, with shared loves of Spacemen 3, hard-boiled noir and more, a kinship that continues to unravel still as they evolve their music further on the road.

The record is in Martin’s mind a companion piece of sorts to his 2008 album London Zoo (tQ’s number one favourite album of that year), in that it somehow captures the vast, intimidating expanse of the city, distilling its unique atmospherics into sonic form. Below the pair speak to tQ about the past, present and future of a vital artistic relationship.

Can you remember the first time you heard each other’s music, and what you thought at the time?

Kevin Martin, The Bug: I heardEarth 2 when I was working as a music journalist for The Wire. It was such a dirge, at first I couldn’t even make out the riffs. It was this total, immersive, distorted sprawl. It came as a total shock but in the right way, just not knowing what the fuck it was. I’d been into stuff like Swans and slow dirge-y music but they all had a focus, while Earth 2 was like swamp distortion.

Dylan Carlson, Earth: I wasn’t aware it was him at the time, but I guess the first thing I heard would’ve been King Midas Sound, when they opened for OHM. I didn’t actually watch them because of the strobe lights and my epilepsy, but I listened to them. I can only imagine with the light show, but it was devastatingly loud. And then [the artist] Simon Fowler played London Zoo, which is also how we ended up hooking up, through Simon.

Do you see any similarities in your musical output before the collaboration?

DC: I think we both share a real commitment to the music, as opposed to any sort of trends. We both are into the way music is influenced by its environment. We also have a certain sense of sparseness where silence is of equal importance, and placement.

KM: We both approach sound in a sort of painterly fashion, as a sonic canvas. We try and somehow reflect a sprawl, and having spoken to Dylan during the album sessions his love of dub speaks volumes to me, and his love of Miles Davis, they’re right up the ladder for me in the use of spaciousness, in the deployment of sound as something that doesn’t have to be prominently in your face, it can be that much more masterful to deploy sound as a shadow than as something direct. When I listen to Earth I think his style of playing as a slow evolution, it’s not throwing technique in my face. I’m generally drawn to the colours red and blue in music, I like music that’s either total fire or total melancholy. Dylan hits those chords for me.

Equally, what did collaboration between you add to each other’s output?

KM: He inspired me to see certain tracks differently, and to see how this album could become something narratively cinematic, that could shapeshift in itself. The album was really a voyage of discovery about my relationship with Dylan, and my relationship with the city. When we were in the studio before that session I didn’t really know Dylan very well at all, we’d exchanged emails and we’d only met once, and it was interesting to get to know him musically, not just in terms of his technique and what he was playing, but what we would end up bonding about musically: Spacemen 3, which surprised me, or heavy hip-hop. For me he’s a constant source of surprise.

The album is broadly based around LA, can you tell me more about what themes you’re tackling?

KM: It was addressing my feelings towards America, my imaginative feelings of how America was once. If anything this album for me is a confrontation with my feelings whenever I’ve been in The States. I always feel alien in America, even though America is a global melting pot of everyone, a nation of immigrants, despite the present government’s protestations and futile attempts to turn it into some white trash dominance.

DC: There’s so many Americans fighting that idea tooth and nail, but the real Americans were displaced and put on reservations, for these people to stand and act like they’re the real Americans is ludicrous in the extreme.

KM: I adapted to him and the whole process kept morphing. He inspired me to see certain tracks differently, and to see how this album could become something narratively cinematic, that could shapeshift in itself. The album was really a voyage of discovery about my relationship with Dylan, and my relationship with the city.

Was the record influenced at all by modern politics?

KM: For me it’s definitely reflective of the socioeconomic makeup of the States, which is vastly divided, totally ghettoised and completely segregated. Walking through LA during the recording sessions I saw vast numbers of homeless people living on the street with no opportunities of fullfiling the American Dream, having flashy bastards driving past in flashy cars living large over the top of them, and just being disgusted by it.

DC: Consistently Americans have been willing to vote against their own economic interests for ideological reasons, and the current election is the perfect example of that. All these yahoos are pissed off and whatever, but instead of being pissed off at the people who have put them there, they’re pissed off at immigrants and minorities. Those aren’t the people that are the enemy that put you where you are, the person that put you where you are is Donald Trump!

You've said that in many ways it’s a companion piece to London Zoo, could you expand on that?

KM: I want to evoke the feeling of a city as I did with London Zoo. As Dylan mentioned earlier we both have vested interests in trying to portray an environment through sound. It was very specifically written as an album that would mirror in my mind how I felt about that city. From the people that have heard it the word that keeps getting used toward this album is ‘heavy’, and of course it’s dense and its heavyweight, but for me there’s a beauty. How I felt as a non-urban person moving to London in the first place, it’s how you feel as an outsider in an overwhelming city, and for me both albums share that in terms of what I’m trying to tap into.

Dylan, you lived in LA for a while, did you feel like an outsider there?

DC: I weirdly like LA in a certain way. What’s funny to me about LA is that it’s the one city that’s completely upfront about its flaws. It’s not like a lot of cities that pretend to be something they’re not, but with LA it’s like ‘love it or get the fuck out’. My view of LA is a product of James Elroy and the ugly side of the city, and I’m aware of it, so for me the city doesn’t have any pretensions.

KM: I used to be a massive reader of hard-boiled noir and American pulp crime books like Jim Thompson and James Elroy, but for me LA has that sheen. It has that Hollywood gloss and that sunshine. LA has a sheen of utopia, but it was the underbelly Dylan refers to that was more glaringly apparent to me when I was there than the sheen, which I was picking up on more.

DC: There’s a book by Mike Davis called The City Of Quartz. It’s about the ecology of the LA Basin and it’s lack of water, about the history of the city viewed from an ecological perspective, so I had that in mind as well during the album. The natural water supply there would supply a maximum of 13,000 people and there’s 13 million people in the LA Basin, so it’s like, if that was interrupted all hell would break loose.

Your time spent working together face to face has been fairly limited, how does it feel to be touring together?

DC: It’s cool because we get to mutate it even more when we play live. I think it’s benefited the live show too, the fact that we’re getting to know each other better and responding to each other. The first two shows were sort of tentative, and now we’re really getting into it.

KM: Recently we’ve both found it’s really gelling most because we have the foundation of this album, so live it’s a very different beast to the album. It’s much more overwhelming and even more intense. To play off Dylan live in a real time situation, where it’s reactive, it’s like a puzzle that keeps opening out again and again.

What’s next for you two collaboratively?

KM: I’d love to [do another album], because even just discussions with Dylan are mad interesting to me. With the live show I can hear stuff we haven’t done before that would be really interesting to explore. Also I think we have long term aspirations to work with film, but I’m aware it’s not an industry that’s open to extreme creativity. It’s only people like Mica Levi who did that incredible soundtrack [for Jackie] recently, it’s the freaks that get through the cracks that make you think 'wow, film scoring is incredible', when actually I think most of it is a pain in the arse. I think we still both feel the connection to sonically map a visual terrain and I’d love to work with Dylan on cinematic stuff.

Concrete Desert by The Bug Vs Earth is out tomorrow (March 24)

Interview Via The Quietus

#The Bug Vs Earth #Dylan Carlson #Kevin Martin #The Quietus #Interview

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katiebishop-us · 5 years ago

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Women Helping Women: Building a Paceline of Inclusivity in the Workplace

As a woman in a STEM-focused career (science, technology, engineering and/or math), I’m acutely aware of the groundswell of efforts to welcome more females into these fields. I have so much hope for the future of women in STEM fields, because I can already see things changing in real-time. Generational pacelines are already growing pipelines where women can build each other up, improve companies with their talents and strengths and offer an entirely new perspective.

While there are compounding factors behind the imbalance in STEM careers, to me one part is clear—women haven’t been able to leverage relationships the same way men have in these fields.

Here’s the good news: The leaders and innovators of tomorrow are already looking different, seeing things from different perspectives and building more inclusive workplaces and environments. It takes time to build, but the foundation is there, strengthened by the generations of women that came before, spoke up, mentored other women and supported each other. The more stories we tell about the ones leading the charge, the more women we’ll empower and inspire to go after careers in STEM and beyond.

What’s inspiring this change? It’s women feeling more confident, gaining access to education that was previously restricted, reaching critical mass in the workplace as well as their roles changing in society. Building these metaphorical pacelines (a theme of The Best Seller) has given women in subsequent generations more of a voice in our society, and those voices are being recognized thanks to new forms of communication, like social media. Ideas take root more quickly and messages reach the masses in the blink of an eye.

If you’re looking for someone to help guide you through a career change, or navigate the territory as a minority in the workplace, I can’t recommend seeking out a mentor highly enough.

Just remember to be patient with yourself: In a world where it can feel like we’re in this alone, it takes time to build a support system where trust takes firm root and grows into opportunities for ourselves and other women. That support system is key to any leader, male or female, but it’s especially important when the industry is dominated by the other gender. Rely on it when you can and allow others to help you, and reciprocate when it makes sense. We’re all in this together.

More about this photo: (During my time in college 1997-2001, only ~15% of the Engineering students were women. We often combined forces to build each other up. This photo is of my college Thermodynamics Stirling Engine Team. Each individual built his/her own Stirling Engine in the machine shop, then we teamed up and competed on baseline engine output vs. machine shop and creative modifications applying what we learned in class. Our team happened to win this competition. It was a good day!)

Katie Bishop and her father, Doug Reichardt teamed up over 5 years to capture lessons on how to leverage favorable access and demand-pull in business, sales, and life. Their novel, launching on March 31, 2020, follows a young woman struggling in her career who finds inspiration and wisdom in her journey. Want an early copy? Stay in the loop.

This article Women Helping Women: Building a Paceline of Inclusivity in the Workplace was published first on Katie Bishop.

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retrogames2-blog · 7 years ago

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A Tutorial to Gathering Online video Video games

Accumulating movie games is actually a labor of affection. Play retro games online have survived their trial time period of being a fad, becoming an integral element of existence and entire world commerce. They are really a single of earth’s greatest industries, with about two billion consumers and $100 billion in revenue. For a lot of of us, they may be our favorite pastime.

The really like for vintage online video game titles looks to stem from a deep location. Curiously, as we age, our nostalgia for that movie video games we performed as kids is about as robust as nostalgia for our childhood houses. Who among us did not dive headfirst in to the entire world of Sega or opt for a side inside the Nintendo sixty four vs. PlayStation wars?

We bear in mind the vibrant colours to the screens. The hangouts with our pals. The very long battles with dragon bosses and nefarious fungi. Everyone recollects the graphing calculator-sized Gameboy tucked coolly into their friends’ pockets.

Therefore if you are searching for a method to relive childhood inside of a fun and fascinating way, video clip recreation collecting is about as good since it receives. This is certainly a information to accumulating classic online video game titles, how to price range for them, how to get excellent deals and how to market them in the event the time will come.

Go with a Target and try to stay to It You'll be able to vanish down the rabbit gap when stepping into movie game gathering, so it can be helpful to locate one particular or two themes and keep on with them. For instance, probably you will be loyal to all the things Nintendo, using an emphasis around the nineties classics. Or maybe your dream would be to have got a wall of PlayStation discs from first-person shooters to role-playing online games and every thing in between.

Right before starting out, though, it truly is well worth reflecting on precisely what you'd like out of video recreation collecting. This is a very good solution to slim down what buys you’ll make. For illustration, right here absolutely are a number of very good reasons that could apply to you personally:

Movie Match Assortment

You could want movie video games as being a long-term financial commitment You might be hoping to provide them in the up coming 6 months for revenue The video online games could provide basically like a trip down memory lane You may want to begin collecting video clip games for a pastime You may want a assortment only as anything gorgeous to feast your eyes on These factors are all equally legitimate. Just try to find out whatever you want out of a collection prior to haphazardly launching out with a shelling out spree.

Now, back again to picking a particular concept on your selection. There are several powerful causes to acquire a focus.

It helps prevent you from becoming a hoarder: The one thing separating collectors from hoarders is discretion. As you may be tempted to seize a whole bundle of varied online games from everywhere in the spectrum, you’re going to save lots of yourself from mountains of clutter by laying ground guidelines on that which you will and may not purchase. Resist the temptation. Make your selection meaningful. Your enthusiasm will likely be reflected when showing other folks: If you have a singular vision and operate inside of a set of parameters, it’s simply visible to individuals that see the effects. Your assortment are going to be much more stunning if it makes sense. It is also a lot easier to stay organized. Your video match selection will be much easier to market later: A thematically regular assortment is simpler to current market. Should you must at any time desire to try your hand at earning money off of your games, men and women will see you more easily if you possess a concise label describing your catalog. Also, “every Uncommon N64 match ever made” is actually a ton less complicated to pitch than “assorted video games from distinct consoles.” Before you decide to Start Getting There are some methods you’ll want to acquire prior to deciding to start off amassing online video video games. Undertaking your prep get the job done will help you save you numerous of your time, trouble, funds and gasoline. Here are a few ideas.

Established a Budget to your Video clip Online games

Do not just start throwing income all over similar to a high-roller. Environment a budget ensures your hobby will not come to be a load or cause you any difficulties together with your finances - as well as your significant other. This can also enable if you truly feel the impulse to invest significant dollars with a wonderful find. You’ll understand how significantly you might want to cut back by to the relaxation on the month.

Do Your Video Sport Analysis

The net is your best pal when it comes time to do your research. You could glean an unbelievable amount of money of knowledge just by poking all over forums and weblogs. You will discover how high priced or hard-to-find specified games are, also as wherever you may perhaps possess the most luck hunting. Maintain a pad useful and pay attention to the prices you find shown for game titles. This will likely be described as a useful reference.

Video clip activity collectors are passionate folks, and signing up for an internet team is usually a excellent resource for data and tips. You’re also liable to land some great bargains when associates from the group invest in and promote to at least one another. And since everyone’s within the know, you probably won’t get ripped off.

Where to locate Rare and Important Online video Match Collections available Stumbling throughout individuals coveted rare online games from yesteryear can be a real enjoyment. But realizing in which to find them may be tough - it normally consists of sleuthing, following potential customers and exploring a little bit yourself. Here are some solutions for areas to seem.

Locate New and Utilized Movie Online games at Electronics Retailers Electronics suppliers see a relentless inflow of classic video clip video games, plus they are a single of the best destinations to seem. Merchants offering applied electronics are actually escalating with the final decade, largely because of the simple fact which they generally have rare movie games that preceding house owners have gotten rid of without a great deal considered.

This qualified prospects to excellent rates and plenty of unique results. At Record Head, we stock a huge selection of online video video games and consoles we really like selling to energized collectors.

Shop Garage Profits for Movie Video games Oh, the bounties to be had at garage income. Homeowners whose youngsters left powering mountains of glorious classic video games, declutterers wanting to have rid of all their previous games to get a reduced price -sometimes it is possible to score an unbelievable offer.

Unfortunately, these gross sales can even be a squander of your time. To stop placing in a very ton of exertion and coming absent empty-handed, look for advertisements for garage income that point out electronics, video online games or game titles.

When you do transpire to find a goodie at a garage sale, you are going to possibly get it for grime inexpensive or need to cut price. We’ll cover tips on how to do this properly a little down the road.

Stop by Pawn Shops to search out Movie Game titles While thrift outlets is usually disorganized and randomly stocked, you could locate a fairytale ending. You understand the one particular - it finishes with you spotting a dusty, neglected activity sitting down within the shelf that is secretly really worth hundreds. Such items do occur.

More most likely, you will locate some laughably unpopular online games marketing for much way too substantially dollars. Nonetheless, interspersed among them may perhaps be some gems. So don’t surrender on thrift outlets. They could truly provide once in a while.

Use Family members Members and Mates to track Down Classic Video clip Games The most beneficial social community you have got is always that of your relatives and buddies. Never overlook to put the phrase out that you are searching to gather previous video clip games. Probabilities can be a co-worker, aunt, cousin or somebody else has some you can decide on as a result of. And perhaps if they’re not willing to part with all the objects without cost, they are likely to give you a great deal.

Regular the Flea Marketplace for Movie Match Bargains Retro Video clip games A sound flea sector just isn't only a fantastic location to snag video games, it is also two a ton of enjoyment. Acquiring goodies amongst the mountains of litter can be a glorious experience in fact. To carry out so, you have to maintain your eyes peeled. Piles of guides or motion pictures may possibly conceal game titles.

It doesn’t hurt to ask vendors whether or not they have any games, as this could help you save you lots of time, but additionally figure out how to believe in your eyes. You may place anything they’d forgotten that they had. A further gain to flea markets - you can apply your bargaining activity.

Look at On the net Sources for Movie Games Sites like eBay, Amazon, Reddit and Glyde have comprehensive resources for all those hunting for online games and consoles. Amazon and eBay are especially ripe places for people marketing aged possessions. Just ensure that you browse through the overall description just before obtaining, while you can’t get the fingers around the merchandise to examine it your self.

Also, maintain in mind that there are probably fantastic offers to generally be uncovered in individual. Items on eBay and Amazon are seen to absolutely everyone, which suggests price ranges match their sector benefit a little far more closely. That’s great to the seller but lousy for you personally.

Produce a Journey to Goodwill to discover Video clip Games Now, Goodwill could very easily be lumped in with other thrift suppliers, but it’s well worth mentioning on its own a result of the fact that pretty much, everyone is aware about these retailers. They are a residence name and include pretty much all the things inside a home. The end result is often a big amount of people visit Goodwill to unload their previous factors, and there is an opportunity you can run into a exceptional or classic game.

The way to Discount for Video Activity Price ranges With no Burning Bridges Bargaining could be either pleasurable or tense, determined by your identity. There are many universities of thought regarding how to haggle proficiently. However, if you want to endear on your own to your potential ally with your quest for online video game titles, you'll want to try to make your bargaining as nice as possible. You’re a collector, right after all - you want to use a fantastic status. Try following these techniques:

Speak the worth down without having remaining intense. It is possible to make your issue with no being overbearing. Request a lot of queries, stay clear of argument and do not make by yourself feel desperate. The greater likable you will be, the better price tag you are heading to receive. Converse to them why it’s really worth it to provide to you at your price tag issue. Most likely you’ve accomplished your analysis on the heading price of distinct online games, and also you know to get a reality that $20 for Banjo-Kazooie is actually a good price for equally of you. Present income. Have dollars completely ready to hand in excess of once you give to have a sport or console off their fingers. This is a good way to seal the deal.

If they don’t want to budge, wander absent and give them time. A seller sometimes requires time for you to take into account the execs and disadvantages of the sale. Should you walk absent and come again a short while later, the seller may have loosened up a little. Provide them with your get hold of information in case the item does not market. At the conclusion of the day, the vendor may well not have gotten the price they at first required. In that circumstance, they may be a lot more than prepared to get your offer you. The way to Check out Video clip Games’ Costs Over Time The worth of video clip online games and consoles constantly alterations. Reputation, scarcity along with other elements affect this, and keeping up with it might be described as a large amount of labor. Thankfully, you will discover focused on line video recreation pricing guides intended to aid you pinpoint the present price tag of game titles and programs.

The easiest method to take advantage of these guides is always to check out them then compare with other on the web sources. Really don't count entirely to the quoted worth - the industry price tag might be greater or lessen.

Tips on how to Arrange Your Video Game titles You'll want to manage your game titles not simply to help you see them but in addition for other causes. This keeps your buys safe and helps you to keep away from way too much duplication. Listed here certainly are a handful of recommendations on arranging your selection:

Get yourself a shelf program for video clip sport collection storage. There are several them within the sector, and so they work wonders for obtaining your video games off the ground and right into a workable buy. Really do not load it up still, while - we’ve got some arranging to accomplish very first. Commence contemporary by placing each of the games of their right scenarios. Some online games are sure to generally be put within the wrong scenario, so make certain they’re all while in the suitable kinds. Alphabetize your game titles. Make piles starting up with “A” and the like. Now alphabetize just about every pile because of the following letters within their titles. This can get all of your current video games in entire order. Alternatively, you are able to also organize them by genre or system. This will be proper when you have some online games for NES and other folks for Sega Saturn, or for those who have got a outlined set of genres like first-person-shooter. Load them into your organizer. Stack diligently to keep them in superior issue. The best way to Cleanse and Restore Match Cartridges Video video games undergo quite a bit of managing and abuse. Verify the game’s affliction before you decide to acquire it. Are any metal contacts missing inside the cartridge? If possible, endeavor to examination out the sport right before shopping for it.

Below are a few recommendations for cleansing and restoring vintage video games:

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abckidstvyara · 7 years ago

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Mobile gaming is having a moment, and Apple has the reins

It’s moved beyond tradition and into the realm of meme that Apple manages to dominate the news cycle around major industry events all while not actually participating in said events. CES rolls around and every story is about HomeKit or its competitors, another tech giant has a conference and the news is that Apple updated some random subsystem of its ever-larger ecosystem of devices and software.

This is, undoubtedly planned by Apple in many instances. And why not? Why shouldn’t it own the cycle when it can, it’s only strategically sound.

This week, the 2018 Game Developer’s Conference is going on and there’s a bunch of news coverage about various aspects of the show. There are all of the pre-written embargo bits about big titles and high-profile indies, there are the trend pieces and, of course, there’s the traditional ennui-laden ‘who is this event even for’ post that accompanies any industry event that achieves critical mass.

But the absolute biggest story of the event wasn’t even at the event. It was the launch of Fortnite and, shortly thereafter, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on mobile devices. Specifically, both were launched on iOS and PUBG hit Android simultaneously.

The launch of Fortnite, especially, resonates across the larger gaming spectrum in several unique ways. It’s the full and complete game as present on consoles, it’s iOS-first and it supports cross-platform play with console and PC players.

This has, essentially, never happened before. There have been stabs at one or more of those conditions on experimental levels but it really marks a watershed in the games industry that could serve to change the psychology around the platform discussion in major ways.

For one, though the shape of GDC has changed over the years as it relates to mobile gaming – it’s only recently that the conference has become dominated by indie titles that are mobile centric. The big players and triple-A console titles still take up a lot of air, but the long tail is very long and mobile is not synonymous with “casual gamers” as it once was.

“I remember the GDC before we launched Monument Valley,” says Dan Gray of Monument Valley 2 studio ustwo. “We were fortunate enough that Unity offered us a place on their stand. Nobody had heard of us or our game and we were begging journalists to come say hello, it’s crazy how things have changed in four years. We’ve now got three speakers at the conference this year, people stop you in the street (within a two block radius) and we’re asked to be part of interviews like this about the future of mobile.”

Zach Gage, the creator of SpellTower, says that things feel like they have calmed down a bit. “It seems like that might be boring, but actually I think it’s quite exciting, because a consequence of it is that playing games has become just a normal thing that everyone does… which frankly, is wild. Games have never had the cultural reach that they do now, and it’s largely because of the App Store and these magical devices that are in everyones pockets.”

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Alto’s Odyssey is the followup to Snowman’s 2015 endless boarder Alto’s Adventure. If you look at these two titles, three years apart, you can see the encapsulation of the growth and maturity of gaming on iOS. The original game was fun, but the newer title is beyond fun and into a realm where you can see the form being elevated into art. And it’s happening blazingly fast.

“There’s a real and continually growing sense that mobile is a platform to launch compelling, artful experiences,” says Snowman’s Ryan Cash. “This has always been the sentiment among the really amazing community of developers we’ve been lucky enough to meet. What’s most exciting to me, now, though, is hearing this acknowledged by representatives of major console platforms. Having conversations with people about their favorite games from the past year, and seeing that many of them are titles tailor-made for mobile platforms, is really gratifying. I definitely don’t want to paint the picture that mobile gaming has ever been some sort of pariah, but there’s a definite sense that more people are realizing how unique an experience it is to play games on these deeply personal devices.”

Mobile gaming as a whole has fought since the beginning against the depiction that it was for wasting time only, not making ‘true art’, which was reserved for consoles or dedicated gaming platforms. Aside from the ‘casual’ vs. ‘hardcore’ debate, which is more about mechanics, there was a general stigma that mobile gaming was a sidecar bet to the main functions of these devices, and that their depth would always reflect that. But the narratives and themes being tackled on the platform beyond just clever mechanics are really incredible.

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Playing Monument Valley 2 together with my daughter really just blew my doors off, and I think it changed a lot of people’s minds in this regard. The interplay between the characters and environment and a surprisingly emotional undercurrent for a puzzle game made it a breakout that was also a breakthrough of sorts.

“There’s so many things about games that are so awesome that the average person on the street doesn’t even know about,” says Gray. “As small developers right now we have the chance to make somebody feel a range of emotions about a video game for the first time, it’s not often you’re in the right place at the right time for this and to do it with the most personal device that sits in your pocket is the perfect opportunity.”

The fact that so many of the highest profile titles are launching on iOS first is a constant source of consternation for Android users, but it’s largely a function of addressable audience.

I spoke to Apple VP Greg Joswiak about Apple’s place in the industry. “Gaming has always been one of the most popular categories on the App Store,” he says. A recent relaunch of the App Store put gaming into its own section and introduced a Today tab that tells stories about the games and about their developers.

That redesign, he says, has been effective. “Traffic to the App Store is up significantly, and with higher traffic, of course, comes higher sales.”

“One thing I think smaller developers appreciate from this is the ability to show the people behind the games,” says ustwo’s Gray about the new gaming and Today sections in the App Store. “Previously customers would just see an icon and assume a corporation of 200 made the game, but now it’s great we can show this really is a labour of love for a small group of people who’re trying to make something special. Hopefully this leads to players seeing the value in paying up front for games in the future once they can see the craft that goes into something.”

Snowman’s Cash agrees. “It’s often hard to communicate the why behind the games you’re making — not just what your game is and does, but how much went into making it, and what it could mean to your players. The stories that now sit on the Today tab are a really exciting way to do this; as an example, when Alto’s Odyssey released for pre-order, we saw a really positive player response to the discussion of the game’s development. I think the variety that the new App Store encourages as well, through rotational stories and regularly refreshed sections, infuses a sense of variety that’s great for both players and developers. There’s a real sense I’m hearing that this setup is equipped to help apps and games surface, and stayed surfaced, in a longer term and more sustainable way.”

In addition, there are some technical advantages that keep Apple ahead of Android in this arena. Plenty of Android devices are very performant and capable in individual ways, but Apple has a deep holistic grasp of its hardware that allow it to push platform advantages in introducing new frameworks like ARKit. Google’s efforts in the area with AR Core are just getting started with the first batch of 1.0 apps coming online now, but Google will always be hamstrung by the platform fragmentation that forces developers to target a huge array of possible software and hardware limitations that their apps and games will run up against.

This makes shipping technically ambitious projects like Fortnite on Android as well as iOS a daunting task. “There’s a very wide range of Android devices that we want to support,” Epic Games’ Nick Chester told Forbes. “We want to make sure Android players have a great experience, so we’re taking more time to get it right.“

That wide range of devices includes an insane differential in GPU capability, processing power, Android version and update status.

“We bring a very homogenous customer base to developers where 90% of [devices] are on the current versions of iOS,” says Joswiak. Apple’s customers embrace those changes and updates quickly, he says, and this allows developers to target new features and the full capabilities of the devices more quickly.

Ryan Cash sees these launches on iOS of ‘full games’ as they exist elsewhere as a touchstone of sorts that could legitimize the idea of mobile as a parity platform.

“We have a few die-hard Fortnite players on the team, and the mobile version has them extremely excited,” says Cash. “I think more than the completeness of these games (which is in of itself a technical feat worth celebrating!), things like Epic’s dedication to cross-platform play are massive. Creating these linked ecosystems where players who prefer gaming on their iPhones can enjoy huge cultural touchstone titles like Fortnite alongside console players is massive. That brings us one step closer to an industry attitude which focuses more on accessibility, and less on siloing off experiences and separating them into tiers of perceived quality.”

“I think what is happening is people are starting to recognize that ios devices are everywhere, and they are the primary computers of many people,” says Zach Gage. “When people watch a game on Twitch, they take their iPhone out of their pocket and download it. Not because they want to know if there’s a mobile version, but because they just want the game. It’s natural to assume that these games available for a computer or a playstation, and it’s now natural to assume that it would be available for your phone.”

Ustwo’s Gray says that it’s great that the big games are transitioning, but also cautions that there needs to be a sustainable environment for mid-priced games on iOS that specifically use the new capabilities of these devices.

It’s great that such huge games are transitioning this way, but for me I’d really like to see more $30+ titles designed and developed specifically for iPhone and iPad as new IP, really taking advantage of of how these devices are used,” he says. “It’s definitely going to benefit the AppStore as a whole, but It does need to be acknowledged however that the way players interact with console/PC platforms and mobile are inherently different and should be designed accordingly. Session lengths and the interaction vocabulary of players are two of the main things to consider, but if a game manages to somehow satisfy the benefits of all those platforms then great, but I think it’s hard.”

Apple may not be an official sponsor of GDC, but it is hosting two sessions at the show including an introduction to Metal 2, its rendering pipeline, and ARKit, its hope for the future of gaming on mobile. This presence is exciting for a number of reasons, as it shows a greater willingness by Apple to engage the community that has grown around its platforms, but also that the industry is becoming truly integrated, with mobile taking its rightful place alongside console and portable gaming as a viable target for the industry’s most capable and interesting talent.

“They’re bringing the current generation of console games to iOS,” Joswiak says, of launches like Fortnite and PUBG and notes that he believes we’re at a tipping point when it comes to mobile gaming, because mobile platforms like the iPhone and iOS offer completely unique combinations of hardware and software features that are iterated on quickly.

“Every year we are able to amp up the tech that we bring to developers,” he says, comparing it to the 4-5 year cycle in console gaming hardware. “Before the industry knew it, we were blowing people away [with the tech]. The full gameplay of these titles has woken a lot of people up.”

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shinezhdk-blog · 8 years ago

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WEEK 6 - EVALUATION BY NARRATION

This week was all about storytelling. Why do we document, why do we practice pitching, selling ideas? How do we share and disseminate a design? The first presentation of this week was from Aurelian Ammon. He talked about the theoretical part of storytelling. First of all, stories are awesome! In the words of Richard Kearney: „Telling stories is as basic to human beings as eating. More so, in fact, for while food makes us live, stories are what make our lives worth living“.

If stories are such a central point to us how can it not by as important in design? Aurelian wanted to discuss and illuminate the aspect of storytelling in design from three different sides.

Generating ideas

„Alternative presents“ are a great starting point. As Auger pointed out, the main goal of this method is to question and critique the contemporary use of technology. That means we can start working with existing technology and start asking questions about the usefulness or alternative ways of utilization. With this mode of operation, we can generate a reconfiguration of existing technology. One big advantage of this proceed is that the audience still has the chance to find a connection to their daily life.In addition, the designer has the possibility to build a working prototype and therefore create a more immersive aesthetic experience which can help build convincing arguments for the new product.

“Counterfactual and alternative histories“ are taking critical points in our history and altering theme. This specific technique offers the designer a rich narrative potential for reimagining and critiquing technological developments and contemporary products. The themes of the fiction can be extremely broad, from large-scale political events to very small differences.

The Attenborough Design Group is a fictional design group within the electronics company Texas Instruments. It investigates the use of animal behaviors to defend emerging technologies. Chambers’ project shifts the subject of the alternate history from socio/political events to a subject more relevant to the design industry, examining notions of object obsolescence, value, and meaning.

Innovating ideas

Exploratory Play Stories can be, and often are, the key to the area of design play, the invention of new experiences, new features, and new products. When a story is told, listeners must make sense of the information conveyed and therefore are immediately involved.

Filtering Proposed stories serve as models, and we can explore the implications of alternative designs on the stories and see where or how the stories no longer ring true as a guide for ruling out some alternatives. Stories are low-cost, high-impact ways to present information to groups regardless of their background or available resources.

Future-thinking Applications Stories connect designers, users, and technology. Stories come to define where technology and users mismatch. Stories arise from new situations. Political, economic, and even weather changes result in new stories.

Consciously using stories as the driving force behind innovation and funneling group effort into useful, self-sustaining initiatives allows for long-term innovation. In that sense, storytelling can also be seen as a generative tool for co-design.

Selling ideas

Strategy „a fit with the business needs“ An organization has a legitimate interest in pursuing projects only if they support the organizations‘ priorities. The difficulty with that lies in the fact that strategic priorities can never be proven. Shelving projects are legitimate and necessary for organizations to maintain focus, and designers must realize and accept that, without taking it too personally.This is part of designing in a business.

Politics „interests of the decision makers and network of relationships and influences“ The strategic view of an organization pretends that the organization acts as a unit, a single entity that makes decisions to maximize its success. But most of the time, an organization is a coalition of partially conflicting interests. Selling ideas This leads to two important implications for the designer who tries to get an idea accepted. Be informed about who has what interests, and see the organization as a network, in which power and influence are not completely mapped by the official hierarchy. Know who is allied with whom so you can approach key players who then do your work and convince others for you.

Culture „questions about legitimacy and appropriateness“ Culture defines, both explicitly and implicitly, „how things are done around here“. What is the „appropriate“ way of introducing such a project into the organization?

Emotions “the players in terms of ego, reciprocity and group identification“ Apart from strategy, political alliances and cultural habits, people commonly exhibit three emotional needs. The first emotion is friendship and reciprocity. The second emotion is the feeling of loyalty and solidarity of „Us“ against „Them“. And third, people crave the stroking of their egos.

Lessons learned:

Generating ideas is crucial. Ensure that your story connects with an identified audience’s perceptions of the temporal world around them.

Many techniques from literature, like for example defamiliarization, alternative histories or presents can be used for finding new ways of seeing the world around us and extend our perception.

Storytelling can become a powerful tool if it comes to innovating ideas in teams. They can align the interests and the focus of the group members to a specific topic and therefore enable innovation.

Designers need to consider the contexts and goals of potential users to create their stories, narrative scenarios that describe how target consumers move through their lives to accomplish their goals, along with the challenges they face.

To realize ideas within big organizations we need to pay attention to four internal factors. Strategy, politics, culture, and emotion. It is not enough having a good idea, you need to convince the right people on the right way.

Feedback:

+ Very informative

+ Good handout

- Not a lot of pictures

- Giving more examples how the theoretic part is visualized

- To much text in the presentation

After Aurelian’s presentation we had a discussion about:

Evaluation:

Find your problem

Comment / criticize what you did

Stages evaluate if ideas serve

Solution match the user

Find errors

How does it connect to the story ( to see if the idea is too early or not)

problem —> solution hypotheses —> test protocol (user studies, prototypes, etc.) —> success or failure?

After the break, it was my turn with the presentation of “Zombie Media vs. Vision-Driven Design“.

Since Aurelian talked more about the theoretical part, it was on me to show some examples of how storytelling really is converted from an idea to a real project. Therefore I compared two readings with each other. Zombie Media was an article from Garnet Hertz & Jussi Parikka. The Second text was from Hiroshi Ishii & Brygg Ullmer. Hiroshi Ishii started with an idea which he then further developed in another article 15 years later. Zombie Media (Garnet Hertz & Jussi Parikka)

In the constant cycle of replacing old media with new, a culture of the „assumption and expectation of a short-term forthcoming obsolescence“ was formed. There will always be an even better and newer technology and will replace an older one. A planned obsolescence is, therefore, a logical conclusion of this cycle.

Planned Obsolescence

The first form of a planned obsolescence appeared in London in 1932 as a proposed solution to the great depression. Nowadays, however, the planned obsolescence takes place in completely different forms. The micropolitical form, which is probably most clearly visible to consumers, plays its part in the design of new media devices.

The Blackbox

The blackbox symbolizes a technical device, which needs an input to make an output, for example, a printer. The user can use the printer superficially, however, he would be completely unable to repair the printer if it would have any damage. This example clearly reflects our current society. We live in a time where we are surrounded by technical devices which we use daily but have no idea of the technology behind it. If a device is broken, we simply replace it with a new one. This behavior is well-known and is clearly used; here too, the planned obsolescence plays a central role.

Technical things break apart daily, few are recycled into so-called zombie media and maybe build the „pseudo-historical objects from a speculative future“.

Vision Of The Future

Hertz is convinced that the zombie media will be the future of tomorrow because the future is no longer on the screen but behind the screen or behind technology.

So we see that the two future visions of Hertz and Hiroshi Ishii intersect.

From GUI To MUI (Hiroshi Ishii & Co.)

Hiroshi Ishii‘s first text from 1997 is about his vision of tangible bits. He was convinced that the current solution of „drawn bits“ on a rectangular screen offers very limited possibilities and therefore he created the vision of tangible bits to give an advantage of multiple senses and the multimodality of human interactions with the real world. He believed the use of graspable objects and ambient media will lead us to a much richer multi-sensory experience of digital information. So his first step was to get from today‘s graphical user interface (GUI) to a tangible user interface (TUI) where the users were able to interact with graspable objects and ambient media in physical environments. In Ishii‘s second text of 2012, he extended his idea of tangible bits to material user interfaces (MUI), in which any object - regardless of how complex, dynamic, or flexible its structure - can display, embody, and respond to digital information.

Vision-Driven Design Research

The vision-driven design explores concepts that are still many years away from realization but trying to lead in the envisioned direction. the idea is not to respond to user needs or market research, where technologies become obsolete in roughly a year and user needs change quickly, even applications becoming obsolete after 10 years. Vision design, on the other hand, is seen to have a more long-term strategy. Ishii believes a strong vision can last over a lifespan.

Conclusion

Ishii‘s vision is extremely interesting and inspiring, but his visionary concepts lack different perspectives on his subject. Considerations and consequences that his vision might possibly contain.

Ishii as well as Hertz, try to unite the future with the present and the past, but with completely different approaches. Both „sell“ their ideas as a dream of tomorrow, simply in different approaches.

What I like about Garnet‘s text is that he is facing different aspects of his subject, besides, I really like his idea of recycling as a vision for the future.

Motivation:

Storytelling takes an ever-increasing importance in our society, and this includes design. Since it is very important to know how to sell your products, ideas and believes, storytelling will always be a part of a designers life. That was my motivation for getting deeper knowledge into the topic of storytelling.

Feedback:

+ Good comparison and summary of the topic

+ Understandable Pictures and content of the topic in the presentation

+ Good question to the class at the end which generated a great general discussion

- Could be more reflective in terms of my analysis for the main topic

My presentation led directly into the discussion of:

“Would you as a designer work for/with planned obsolescence?”

Personally, I think it’s not to avoid, but still, I believe that even in planned obsolescence you can find a way to help our environment. That’s also why I find Garnet Hertz text very inspiring. Seeing circuit bending as a form a future for design is one of many insightful ways dealing with planned obsolescence.

how a story can be used for evaluation purposes?

Tell the story to an audience

Get feedback

Interpretation data

Comparison with different characters

Connect the audience to your Idea —> touch your audience to convince them, bring them on board —> to sell you product

Ground your story —> make it realistic and understandable

Dreams paint the future —> touch your audience to increase the anticipation for “tomorrow”

Exercise:

At the very end of this week's design methodology, we were given the task of creating a story of an improvised problem.

#Evaluation By Narration_Shaen Reinhart

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