#peopl confusing communication sciences with computer sciences is a real life struggle

[sparkles-oflight]

Bojan: Martin, are you a business?

Bojan: Cuz I want you as the B to my C. *Points down*

Martin: What?

Bojan: What do you mean "What"?

Martin: What does BC stand for?

Bojan:Communication BC? Business to Costumer?

Bojan: Or in this case my cock.

Martin: How the fuck did you expect me to get that joke?

Bojan: Because you study communication sciences?

Martin:

Martin: I STUDY COMPUTER SCIENCES!

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Happy new year everyone 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

I know 2020 has been hard for everyone.

And I want everyone to know, suffering isn't a contest and we all suffer in different ways. But I feel I should give my year in Review. Just some things that happened to me personally.

This was an intense, and long and spiritual and emotional journey for me...

I really discovered what it meant to have community, family and what my life means to me.

But I feel I need to get this in writing cause I can remember the year with vivid detail and I will probably forget if I don't get it down.

Do I have to share this publically online to my tumblr account for a bunch of strangers to see? not really.

Do I want to?

Yes. I think so. Just from how so many people on tumblr and real life have touched me.

This is kinda long and no one needs to read this.

(idk how to do a readmore on mobile. But this is where I would add it later. No one needs to read if they don't want to.)

January/February: (and some background on the last five years of my life cause.....well. it's important.)

As people knew, I got way into Invader Zim last summer. I spent most of my waking life working a dead end job at a grocery store. I lived a sad lonely life, going straight home to a single dark studio apartment. With not many material possessions outside of games, my laptop and my tablet to my name. Half of my material loves, such as home furnishings and books were still in boxes from when I moved in. In case I ever had to move again, or get some "big screenshot or copywriter" job in the city.

....

I lived in that city in the same dead end job and apartment for five years.

No friends. No social life. I often refused to make doctor appointments or attempt to establish myself in that city. I didn't even talk to anyone in my workplace.

Work. Go online. Go to sleep.

I lived like that for five years.

I thought it was good.

Even my therapist thought I was doing well.

When I really wasn't. My main character flaw I struggle with is motivation.

I can talk to someone about very detailed plans I have to fix a problem... But I tend to never follow through.

Just because I can describe in detail how to fix my personal problems, it doesn't mean I will do it.

(I have gotten better at this but it's a major struggle)

I might have been a Zombie during the day...

But by night I was pouring my soul into my AU and my analysis.

After being so thoughly ignored or overlooked by the Naruto fandom and the Undertale fandom, I felt like I had finally found my home and was settling into a community there.

I just loved that people loved what I had to say.

Especially my AU.

It's no secret that a lot of themes in my au revolve around found family, grief, and loss.......

Fatherhood, in particular.

What it means to be a father, how much do you need to try when you mess up, how willing should a child forgive their parent, especially those that have wronged you and how much of it is factually accurate and simply a self projection of what children want their parents to be and visa versa... What amount of forgiveness and change is nessasary...is it needed?

....

It's no secret that a lot of my AU is a giant coping mechanism for my Dad's death. Espessially the falling out and growing closer with a lot of my family members throughout the years following his death. (Most of the time I keep it ambiguous to how it relates to my personal life unless I include a readmore that states so outright. I feel my au can be enjoyed by a variety of people in the fandom who don't need to know me as a person or my life story.)

My Dad passed away in 2016 in February and my family still feels the aftershocks to this day.

It's part of the reason I moved to the city, alienated myself from my family and people that loved me and refused to experience life for five years.

My entire world was Zim, and I was okay.

March: When America finally realized and started to feel the effects of the pandemic....

A lot of people got scared.

Me included.

I didn't have any streaming services or access to the news. So I only heard accounts from my mom.

I didn't understand why the store was so dead quiet and empty for a few days, then it went into mass chaos and panic in the span of two days.

It felt like Retail black friday in the worst way. Everyone was packed like sardines. Everyone was yelling. The lines at the registers bled into the clothing department.

I was witness to customers shoving others for toilet paper, being rude to cashier's and just overall unpleasantness.

At the time, I didn't even fully grasp what the pandemic was, and I feel a lot of people at the time didn't either.

I ended up absentmindedly scratching my eyebrow in front of a customer and she screamed and villanised me for it. That they didn't want groceries touched by my "unclean hands"

I ended up breaking down into tears.

The customer behind me gave me a hug and told me I was doing a great job.

But the damage was done. It was the final straw, I couldn't stop crying and I was breaking apart.

Thankfully my Boss (the one who likes me) pulled me aside and asked what's wrong.

It was then that I quit. No notice. Same day. I had to get out of there.

I was planning to move to an apartment with my sister in the summer, but my Mom offered for me to move back in with her temperarily just so I can get out of the city and away from the pandemic.

So I did.

I got scared, broke my lease a month early and quit my job of five years that gave me nothing back.

He told me, "take care of yourself and your family, I won't keep you here, do what you need to do."

So I did.

April-June:

A very eventful few months.

My mom offered for me to live at her place, but for some reason she was acting like I would live there forever. That this wasn't a temporary arrangement, and that I didn't have an apartment set up already.

This was in large part to my sister, who had lived with my mom taking advantage of her for years.

Even though my sister and I were going to move in together, I was just never sure about it cause of how she never packed her stuff or made any effort to find a job.

My mom often acted like I was lazy and not searching and was treating me like... Well, an unruly teenager instead of a woman of 29 years. She acted like I was a failure for returning home when it was her idea in the first place.

I would have just been petrified in the city.

Like usual, I retreated to my au again.... And in the spring, something eventful happened.

In may, 8th 2020:

I was invited by @rissynicole to join an invader zim discord.

Now, I've never really used discord before. I always thought it's interface is too confusing.. and I'm a member of a few other iz discords and I usually don't follow them that closely.

Rissy assured me it was different cause some friends of thiers made it and it was smaller.

Before I knew it, I was sharing memes and getting to know everyone there.

It wasn't long after I invited my partner in IZ crimes, @paketdimensioncomic who was genuinely wary of iz servers due to a bad experience with the last one they were a part of.

But soon they were sharing memes and laughing with everyone else.

My eyes were starting to open and I was able to connect to fans of my work in an interpersonal way. And I was able to discover new artists and aus I never knew about.

I was also able to meet so many others of the community and invite them to the server myself.

The moo-ping 10 server kept me sane while I was living with my judgmental mother.

Not only that, the summer was very productive for my au.

Drawing was all I did, and it was a huge break from the job as a cashier I had.

Not only that, June came, and with it, me and Ceph's first collab fic:

A result of us just going back and forth in our DMs constantly about Professor Membrane and how he changed in ETF for the better and how much we adamantly stan "trying-to-be-a-good-dad-brane" and how much of his ETF development has to be implied off screen in order for the emotional resolution in the movie to matter.

The only reason I never professed my love for Membrane as a character in the fandom before the fic dropped was.... Well....

Membrane can be a decisive character in the fandom and I was so worried people would hate me if I did an analysis on him, simply because he's not the best parent in the world. (As an understatement)

Ceph and I really encouraged each other to scream our love for the science himbo loud and proud more frequently and so often.... I actually start to see less Membrane hate posts and breakdowns then their used to be.... I like to think it's a combination of Me and Ceph's influence, along with ETF and the Quarterly's painting Membrane in a slightly more nuanced light then he was previously.

I never wrote a collab fic before and it's such a rewarding and fun and unique experience that I don't think I'll ever have again. And I love working with Ceph on our fics so much.

So much so we did it again...

July-August:

I never thought I would be one of those people who writes NSFW IZ fic... But here I am.

The Brainbrane au started.... An au of my au where Membrane and the Computer fall in love and Membrane makes him a body.

This ship was based around the idea where we joked that Membrane and Zim's Computer would have funny interactions if they ever met, under the pretense Membrane thinks Computer is Zim's parent.

Our headcanons morphed and shifted until we just full blown started shipping them.

Just because Membrane and Zim's Computer have overall REALLY entertaining chemistry.

It's a character dynamic never seen in the show or comics (yet) and I imagine thier interactions to be nothing but entertaining banter.

The fic was also born from spite... Making fun of the troupes and cliches that we found personally destestible in some questionable zadr fics.

So an angry ace and a demi-bisexual collab on a porn and end up blessing the fandom with

Compapa headcanons,

Computer being recognized as a more common used fanon character,

The ship of Brainbrane.

The fandom having a crisis of "oh God, not only are we xenophiles we're technophiles too!!!" Or "why you gotta give Zim's Computer an ass"

More android Computer designs

It was an eventful summer.

In the midst of all this, I moved into my new place, got a new job, and I was able to see my friend (who is def my platonic straight soul mate) who lives in Indiana.

She came to visit, showed me how to decorate and how to take care of my body better! Things were looking up! It was great.

September-November:

My job was at a boat store. If was approaching the fall and my hours were being severely cut.

I was getting into a rut of depression again.

I thought things were changing but the same routine I was trying to escape from was the same thing coming back.

But instead of letting it take hold, I decided I was going to do something about it... I was gonna visit a museum and go with my sister. Just... variety stimulation.

Well that didn't happen.

I talked about this shortly in my au itself...but..

My sister had a complete mental breakdown.

She stopped taking her meds, went off the deep end and was in the hospital a total of five times throughout November.

A lot of it was acting out and the perfect storm of environmental factors that made her scream and act out so she would keep going back to the hospital.

It was traumatizing for me.

I just can't explain what it's like. For her and for me to be in that position.

I'm not telling the full story and a lot of bullshit things happened I won't share here.

She got diagnosed with bipolar one and my mom expected me to be a caretaker for her.

I threatened to disown my family and move away out of state.

It was just too much for me to handle.

So much I was a nervous wreck.

I tried to pick up a second job... Cause my sister was in the mental ward so frequently and couldn't pay the bills.

But I was fired within a week cause I was so stressed I couldn't retain the basic information they were training me for.

It was an office job.

My dream.

It could have been.

I was fired from something I really wanted.

I was only there for three days.

I could not retain any information.

I was a mess.

My sister was a trigger, my mom wanted me to live with her. I couldn't live like this.... I had to get out.

I had to get out.

December:

Remember my Indiana friend?

Well the first week of December is my birthday.

My 30th to be exact.

While I did pick up a seasonal position at Target (not my first pick)

I took the first week of December off so I could spend time with her. Cause she agreed, I needed a break from this crap.

Surviving 30 years is cause to celebrate and if I had to celebrate with my sister I would have cried.

I know there was a risk traveling out of state during a pandemic...

But I needed out, I needed a friend..

And I kinda wanted to look at the place since I was considering moving there.

My friend's mom was sick so she avoided me and her daughter and got us a hotel room.

It was fun! I got to swim in a salt water pool, we talked about Naruto, I showed her the iz and su art books I brought, also Computer and Membrane tea.

I also got to meet her other friends and get crunk. And her bf who is super nice and funny!

I had a super fun birthday....

Until her mom told my friend that her grandparents had covid and that was what she had. And my friend got sick within that same day.... As did I.

I owe so much to her family.

I was an entire state away...about a ten hour drive from home.... She let me stay at her house. "The covid house" we called it.

Cause everyone (except the father. He avoided everyone and booked a hotel immediately cus he was an ER doctor) had covid within a day.

I called in, the test results were positive and I had to stay with her family for ten days quarantine before I could work again.

Which would have been fine....

If my tumblr didn't log me out perminately of my old account. @dana-chan325 .... Which really sucked cause I had a constant headache and was too sick to engage with tumblr or much of the fandom. I didn't want to make a new account when my head was in a bad fog and I could barely breathe or smell.

It's not like I saw much of my friend either.... We all slept at different hours and she had more symptoms then I did.

It was just netflix, danganronpa v3 and cry.

I was miserable, but at the same time.... Not?

I really feel like God himself was the one who pulled me off from tumblr, and my living situation.

Maybe a whole extra week feeling like a bobblehead was what I needed.

It gave me some much needed clarity on my relationships with my mom and sis and friend.

Running away to Indiana was not the solution here.

Once I was better within ten days and no longer had a leave of absence, I drove home.

I am glad I fully recovered (but from how I understand it, my dear friend is still ill. I'm praying for her)

I might have gone to work a bit too soon, cause I had an asthma attack after trying to unload a single cart in the span of six hours.

My boss lectured that my speed was unacceptable, and even though I explained the covid situation and breathing problems many times, she threatened that I'd be fired if I'm that slow again.

Que the next few days of work where they put me on register.

Instantly I was sent into a panic remembering the last time I was on the register and how that panic attack caused me to quit.

I even asked if I could go back to stocking, since my breathing had improved. My boss assured me that I was put on the register cause they needed help and nothing to do with my covid thing.

Then as December concluded and the new year began, my boss said that this was the last shift for me cause my position was seasonal and they were letting a lot of people go.

I then asked why I was on the schedule for Sunday, and he told me to ignore it and I'm free to reapply for full-time.

I mean.... They can act smart about it...

But putting your general merchandise stocker onto register after she had an asthma attack and missed working the first two weeks of December due to covid.....

Not a good look.

So once again, I'm jobless once more.

Will probably continue to live with my sister for awhile.

But I do not feel as if it's a bad thing....

I met so many good people this year....

My friend's family even gave me 500 usd to cover my rent since I couldn't work for a majority of December.

I've seen evil and good from humanity this year. I've seen acts of god, good friends and what my real family means to me as well as friends I consider family.

This year really made me look back at the person in the mirror and say,

"I deserve better."

And actually worked for it this time.

Oh and after Christmas I got a horrible yeast infection that burns over most of my body currently.

Very accurate doodle to the pain I'm in right now.

(seriously my body is a fungus.)

But hey, good news, I respected myself enough to go to the doctor about it!!

So that's progress.

I really hope 2021 holds good things for me.

Thank you to the mooping 10 server for always being there and keeping me sane,

Thank you tumblr for liking my au and everything.

AND A SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO @evartandadam and her family for housing me and my dumb diseased ass. Everyone, she is an angel and I can't express how much she means to me. Please check out her art and buy her stuff on redbubble.

Anyways... Byebye 2020.

I look forward to what I can accomplish for myself this year.

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

tl;dr political rant post:

it had been my goal from 12 years old to do an arts degree in philosophy (yes what a nerd- thanks to my dad playing a Great Courses philosophy dvd one morning in 2007 and my dad always taking me to the botanic gardens/the uni some weekends).

i graduated from my arts degree in 2018, with a major in english and a minor in philosophy. i was so, so lucky to even get into my communications & media degree (at first i was originally going to do marketing communications, advertising & PR)... but i realised that i was not made for business subjects- despite my mark101 tutor telling me she thought i had knack for marketing- something under this policy that i wouldn’t undertake due to the price hike for commerce/business degrees. nor was i made for a media degree. so i changed to arts & humanities.

although under this atrocious policy, english subjects are made “cheaper”- why on fucking should the rest of someone’s arts/humanities degree be so much more expensive, all depending on the fields they choose???? so you’re telling me, if i was instead to enter undergrad this year to do my english degree... that my english major would be subsidised, but my philosophy minor would be at double the cost (along with the few first year business and communications&media subjects i did), unless i forced myself to pick maths or science subjects that i would most definitely fail, no matter how much work i’d put into them??? or there’s languages- but much like maths/science- there’s the problem with my handwriting that stopped me trying french and even japanese (ironically, since it’s know for its ~painstakingly neat and orderly~ script- but my handwriting is still messy, disorderly and confusing asf).

*please note that most of this next section is just me being highly spurious and cynical. it’d probably work out fine*

but you’re also telling me that under this policy that i’d also probably have to forego my reasonable adjustments in those subjects (yes i still have trouble with my handwriting to this day) mostly because a lot of software still won’t let you write out maths problems properly or i’d have to spend twice as long trying to get a graph to work in excel or idek matlab (please teach me maths nerds)???? and most maths working out is probably better handwritten or whatever??? and that’s besides the point that i still can’t use excel at all 😂.

so with these classes then, would i be battling from day one of first year with professors to let me use a computer during exam periods (unless of course they use online/take home exam methods like philosophy)???? probably (im being very suspicious here because i don’t know how science/maths etc faculties work).

although i did get this once with one particular english professor; who used the excuse that he didn’t know how to set a computer up for exams because he had been on “sabatical for 4 years” or whatever and so “didn’t know the policies anymore”.... so then according to him it was apparently “the students job to do it.... especially since you’re in third year, miss williams”..... however, i was promptly then told by EVERY uni offical that i approached for help to do it for me.... and my other professors across my course that had done it for me, that it was in fact the PROFESSORS job/responsibility to set it up, and not the student’s??? like. help your students fuckwit professor grant??? honestly. anyway. aside from my personal struggles in the english department: let’s proceed. (this was a real incident btw).

would i be at a significant disadvantage to other students by not being able to use a computer during maths exams or science exams because of the drawing of diagrams and graphs and “showing your working”???? hell yes. would i want the professors in that department to probably condescendingly telling me all the time to “present my work neater and more precisely”? FUCK NO. it’s exactly why i avoided every maths and science subject in undergrad- even including the astronomy subject that i wanted to do- because it also meant that fellow students had to read my handwriting for practicals etc as well, that i wasn’t entirely keen on either. but i did not need the harsh reminders of “be more precise and infallible in your work presentation” that i’d had at school constantly for 11 years of maths lessons; affecting my mental health and performance in a subject during a uni semester.

moreover, that’s besides the fact that i’d flat out fail the “year 12 band 4 maths” requirements- unless they want to waive those- for first year maths/science subjects (at least basing it on my local uni).... considering that i actually skipped out on maths completely in year 12 by doing a TVET/tafe/technical college course in live theatre, production and events (which no surprises here, actually included maths anyway 😅).

because, fuck. is ANYONE seeing a trend in my study choices here? hell, i almost did a commerce/business dual degree with a tafe diploma in event management for crying out fucking loud. and you’re telling me that’s also doubled in price?? it’s obvious that i was interested in the arts & humanities and business subjects from the get-go. but under this policy- i’d be charged double for having my interest in event management, instead of say, biology (which is a subject that if it weren’t for mark scaling in my final hsc exam- i would have failed completely)??? utterly ridiculous.

i even contemplated doing a double degree with law at one point (or doing a legal studies major/minor- which is now a course at my local uni, but was not while i was there). however, law course fees have also doubled under this new policy. leaving that out of reach for me, despite that a double degree with law was out of reach for me anyway..... since my mark average was 65% and not at least 75% lol. but as if those marks averages will actually matter under this new policy.

under this bullshit policy, i’d be forced to take science/maths or even teaching (another field i had to avoid, since people can’t read my writing on a whiteboard from a distance half the time either.... besides the fact that i’m not really the ~teacher type~) subjects- all so that my degree price overall will be ”reduced”..... meaning that i would have to trade out my philosophy minor for something in maths/teaching/science (or maybe creative arts- since those fees stayed the same roughly)... instead of sticking to what i was good at: philosophy and other humanities/social science fields like sociology and history????

i understand that many people will snub me with saying “oh why did you even BOTHER going to uni if you were THAT indecisive about what you wanted to do?” which is something i’ve seen many older people saying on posts about this policy. but hell, i was 19 FUCKING YEARS OLD WHEN I STARTED UNI, FOR GODS SAKE. OF COURSE I WAS GOING TO BE FUCKING INDECISIVE ABOUT MY DIRECTION IN LIFE! because, newsflash fuckwits: not everyone has a defined career goal at 19. hell, i still don’t have one at almost 25..... since i’ll admit here, that i flunked out of my postgrad library course.... because i realised that i simply couldn’t cope with learning simple HTML, CSS and javascript coding for website design & user experience design 😂 (again help me computer wiz friends). yes, believe it or not, librarians have to know that today. and most people think that it’s just all about books (okay that was me, but i was wrong). also, if you’re wondering: postgrad library courses aren’t affected, thank god. but my point is, aren’t we meant to fuck up and pick the wrong things in life sometimes??? aren’t we meant to be indecisive about our choices in our late teens up until our mid 20s???

but now you’re telling students that their very first year of uni is practically set out for them, even for arts/humanities degrees (im not counting properly prescribed degrees such as engineering/science/communications & media (they had prescribed majors and prescribed first year subjects, which is why i left it. because i felt trapped in the prescribed marketing et al major etc); all because the government is telling them that “oh to make your first year cheaper: (A.) get good marks.... so that we don’t cancel your HECS place and (B.) pick subjects outside of the arts/humanities like science/maths/tech related subjects so that you don’t pay a whopping $14,500 for your first year of uni and will be more likely to be “job ready”. whatever the actual fuck “job ready” really means. and this all as if there ISN’T enough pressure for a 18/19 year old to succeed in their first year of uni already.

although, the one thing i’ll say is that my one year advanced diploma in marketing that i did in 2014, was $16,500. i still haven’t made any moves to pay it off. but it was constantly in the back of my mind during uni, both undergrad and postgrad. it was there as a reminder to pick cheaper subjects, so as to not greatly increase my combined hecs debt and vet-fee help debt; which is now sitting at $42,500. which under this new policy is the new price of ONE arts & humanities undergrad degree. i’d hate to be going into uni next year at 19 years old (or any age really) with that price tag on my degree.

anyway. that’s the end of my non-sensical rant. morrison and the rest of the libs etc can go fuck themselves.

[scribblesofabeloved]

Greetings for surpassing your junior years!

Wherein you discovered lesser rest yet

Yet full or jeers

Now get ready to present your very best

Trust me to choose Humanities and Social Sciences

For you will overcome not just a paper, but even a life test

In here, creative writing can move you into different ambiances

This is also where counseling and social work collaborate

As well as Philosophy let you learn in few glances

If you’re also fond of participating in a debate,

Have fun in speaking and thinking critically

So take HUMSS now, mate!

WELCOME DEAR!

It’s my pleasure to be with you here in my so-called “hood”. So maybe you’ll gonna ask if what is this for. Actually, I was just busy jotting down my ideas until I realized that I have to quit wasting time since this is for a scheduled task. (Hahaha!)

Anyway, let me introduce myself first.

My name is Camille and I’m 17. I’m in grade 12 right now and taking Humanities and Social Sciences strand under the academic track. Be joyful kid, because I’ll be your “not-so-pretty-but-just-tall” advocate for this time!! But before anything else, I want you to be informed about this blog.

This isn’t about your favorite love quotes

This isn’t a site for online dating so stop browsing on my account!

We’ll gonna learn how to become a good student here. (Believe me)

This is a serious business so I’ll be letting you to grab your daily dosage of happy pill right now. Hurry!

Now count 1 to 10 and we’ll gonna start!

So, what is it?

Under the academic track there are four main strands, namely Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Accountancy and Business Management (ABM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) and General Acadmic Strand (GAS).

If you’re one of a kind having a deep passion towards literary, communication skills, psychology, counseling and law, well, welcome to the club! You’re maybe one of us–having creative minds, passionate souls and soft cinnamon hearts (the last word isn’t a joke!) because those things belong to HUMSS. Dealing with the subjects and lessons within this strand wasn’t difficult, neither easy too. All you have to possess are the following, in order for you to survive:

Two cups of patience (one for yourself and the other for your teachers (oops)

An abundant supply of papers and pens (those are tools for survival!)

ENOUGH self-esteem

A very courageous heart with a deep breath and an immortal soul

LOVE (since it conquers all. even your seatmate)

On the other hand, it is so enjoyable to study HUMSS since it really discuss about humans, society, politics and everything in it. Hey I’ll be sharing you some of my stories about being a HUMSS student for you to find out why did I choose HUMSS and why must you should do the same thing.

“Simula ng Huli” the making

I have the best pals

The first one was the called “best”

Next was only “pal”

In our Contemporary and E-Tech subjects, we had been given a task by our teachers to create our 10-minute short film. We decided to create something different since our fellow classmates agreed to come up with horror films. We made a drama out of a spoken poetry. We do not have dialogues instead we act the scenes that the poem portray.

Share some?

The story began when a Senior High School girl, Marisol, decided to step outside her shell. From an introvert, she made friends with some other people. Now, just like the usual scenarios, they made memories and shared struggles as well. But the sad thing happened then when many of her friends chose to part ways and everything about there friendship ruined. The story ended not in a blissful one, thus, remained melancholic.

The Sample Script

Pero siguro kailangan ko na nga talagang maniwala Maniwala na nasasaktan na ako at kailangan ko nang sumuko Dahil mahirap nang maibalik yung mga parte ng pinunit na pahina nitong bawat kabanata ng ating istorya Mahirap nang manatili sa isang sulok habang naaalala kung pano lang kayo nagparanas ng ligaya pero nagpalit din ng sugat na kailanman ay di na nga mabubura Pero Salamat parin, Salamat sa pagbibigay ng aral sakin na hindi lahat ng nagdudulot ng kasiyahan ay mananatili kailanman Siguro ito na nga ang panahon para matanggap kong ito na..

Ang Simula ng Huli

NOW, LET”S ESCAPE FROM REALITY!

Let us now talk about creative writing

What comes in your mind when hearing it?

Did you know that it is more of thinking?

Writing your thoughts might have spirit!

All you have to do is to hold a pen and sit

So you people with imaginations as high as a mountain’s peak,

Here is where you really fit

In the real world, let us come out and sneak!

It isn’t just about writing guys. It’s actually more on about thinking creatively and separating yourself from this world. And if you will gonna ask if what can I use to describe Creative Writing subject, I’ll just answer you with one word and would expound it..

AMAZEMENT! 

Now, ponder of what does being amazed means and you will be able to understand what message you’re intended to receive right now. Just kidding.

Creative writing subject is a break from the real routine of this world. Maybe in a newspaper, it is the feature page. It is the desert in a heavy main course. It is the apple of a pie and can be the water break of your practice. But it doesn’t mean that you’ll have to forget about your self and the society where you belong. No. Creative writing only wants us to breathe and pause amidst the fast run of a train. It wants us to have a short break while watching a long and annoying TV program. To sum it all, it intends to let us escape for a while in this real world through our own imaginations wherein we’re able to create our own world.

To share some, the most unforgettable moment during our creative writing subject was when we’re asked by our teacher to write our own ending of a particular story. Moreover, we wrote also our own short story inspired by a song. But it did not end there, because we usually ought to make a role play out of those stories. Amazing. Aside of those, writing or composing poems with different rhyme scheme is one of my favorite activities too. 

To learn isn’t just the goal of this subject, but rather, to make our experiences alive.

”Experience is the best teacher” as the cliche goes, because in my own perception it really gave us the grades. (HAHAHA!) I mean, our experiences and the emotions within those always lead us to a better piece of a story or stunning lines of a poem. This is the reason why many loves this subject. (including our teacher, yay!)

Oh, speaking of experiences, let me share you my great travel ever!

Three Days In the Paradise!

If you are lonely,

Keep in mind that you are best

And made splendidly!

Last June, I and the worship team members of our church had gone to a vacation. From San Jose del Monte Bulacan, it took us 4 hours and 20 minutes to arrive at Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. We spent our first day in Simple Life Resort.

The pool’s water wasn’t very strong with chemical contents since it came from the mountain brook. The staffs were very cheerful, the entrance fee was only 20php while the cottage rent costs 100php to 1000php and that made us stayed there until 7 in the evening. 

Simple Life Resort

The “Batanes of The East” and the Lighthouse in Aurora

After an enjoyable swimming and bonding, we headed our way to Dingalan Aurora. The travel time was only 1 hour and 5 minutes. That was the place where we’re really going to stay until the third day of our vacation. The people welcomed us in a certain beach resort  and they were very friendly. There, we had rented two cottages. 

The sea was so tidy  and the waves were very calm that’s why we almost lived there. Incidentally also, we’re fortunate to witness the opening of the town feast happened. The boats made up of flamboyant colors with patrons and bands paraded on the sea. 

I and my fellow youths together with our youth leader also did not let the day passed without even visiting the famous white beach resort in Dingalan. We did not actually went there for swimming, but for mountain climbing. It took us about 25 minutes riding a boat from the island where we’re staying in to the white beach resort, and so we’re welcomed by an abundance of jellyfish. It took us almost 30 minutes climbing the two famous mountains in Aurora. But even though my heart almost fell on my soles, the mountain view did not disappoint me. It actually made my breathe away! Believe me, my tears fell when I saw how beautiful and wonderful the scene was when we reached the peak of the second mountain (which was my favorite also), the so-called “Batanes of the East”. The temperature wasn’t that high that time that’s why we really enjoyed our climb. The mountain was still full of green tall trees and the ocean behind us was said to be a part of the Pacific ocean. I almost cry aloud when I thought how Great God is. The aesthetic made me realize that if God alone shaped these majestic things, how special we are, since we were the most important in all His creations.

Humanities and Social Sciences is perfect for your run, 

It isn’t as harsh as a bullet of a gun

But just as bright as the splendid sun

Now trust me because for sure, you’ll really have fun!

Hey! I hope that I inspired you and encourage you as well as you read through. If you’re still confused about the strand that you’ll be taking for your Senior Years, keep in mind that you have always to follow your passion. 

In HUMSS, maybe you’re not going to study numbers, but you will know the importance of those. You’re not going to balance an equation, but you will learn how to find equality and justice despite of the world’s realities. You’re not going to compute for a product’s value, but you will know how to value one’s life and the society’s products. So if you want to become a future world changer, having a passion for humanities and looking forward to a better society, be one of us! Choose HUMSS. 

[wallythayer]

How to Reclaim Your Attention Span

Cal Newport, PhD, doesn’t have a Facebook or Twitter account. He gets news mostly from his local newspaper and National Public Radio. An accomplished academic and author, he provides no contact form on his website, purposefully making it difficult for people to reach him for interviews.

In the age of endless stimuli, Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, believes in cultivating an ethic of “deep work” — focusing on one cognitively demanding task at a time. While his personal commitment to depth poses challenges for journalists hoping to quote him in an article, it’s reaped professional rewards. In the decade since obtaining his BA, Newport has earned a PhD, published four books, written numerous peer-reviewed papers, and earned a tenure-track position at an elite university. 

“The ability to stay steady on one target and ignore everything else operates in the brain’s prefrontal regions,” writes Daniel Goleman, PhD, in his best-selling book Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence. Specialized circuits in this area allow us to tune in to what’s important (the person we’re having a conversation with in a busy restaurant) and tune out what isn’t (the conversation at the next table). 

While our attention is powerful, it’s also fragile. It “continually fights distractions, both inner and outer,” explains Goleman. 

The way we use our attention also shapes and controls our reality. “If we don’t consciously choose where we want to direct our attention, there will always be something in our path to misdirect it,” writes former Microsoft and Apple executive Linda Stone, who coined the term “continuous partial attention” — the idea that we pay partial attention continuously out of a desire to not miss anything, always on the lookout for something more interesting than what’s before us. 

While paying close attention can be challenging, there are actions we can take to strengthen this capacity and lay the groundwork for becoming more attentive.

Get Emotional Support

Focused attention is a component of cognitive ability, but it also involves our emotions. 

“Emotional cues are not only ubiquitous in our lives and environment, they are also strong distractions, often interfering with our ability to both -accomplish tasks and maintain equanimity,” writes Richard Davidson, PhD, in his best-selling book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain. 

The power of emotion to affect our ability to focus led the neuroscientist to include attention — along with resilience, outlook, social intuition, self-awareness, and sensitivity to context — as one dimension of what he calls the brain’s “emotional style.” Our emotional style dictates, with some consistency, how we respond to our experiences, and it is governed by specific, identifiable, measurable brain circuits.

Like all the factors comprising emotional style, attention lies on a spectrum, with narrow focus on one end and distraction on the other. If you tend to be hyperfocused, you might find yourself so involved in a project or one side of an argument that you miss the bigger picture. If you land on the unfocused end, you may find when you read the final words on a page that you’ve forgotten what was written at the top. 

There is also more than one type of attention. Davidson describes selective attention as the capacity to focus on certain features of an environment and ignore others. It’s a key building block of self-awareness. 

Another type — open, nonjudgmental awareness — involves the ability to recognize signals from the external environment, as well as any thoughts and feelings that pop up in our brains, without getting stuck on any one stimulus. 

Fortunately, even if we tend toward hyperfocus or distraction, the brain’s plasticity allows us to adjust our style of paying attention.

For example, Davidson advises the überfocused to keep their office doors open, place photos of loved ones on their desks, and scatter books and magazines around as temptation to pick one up. Those who are more easily distracted can try keeping the office door closed and removing extraneous stimuli. 

You might also try these attention-building practices:

• Daily mindfulness meditation, Davidson explains, can help improve concentration. “We have found that long-term meditation practitioners, when engaged in the simple practice of focusing on an object, show higher levels of activation in the prefrontal cortex and parietal cortex,” he says. This -“executive” part of the brain also governs self-awareness and decision-making.  

• Body-scan exercises can improve self-awareness, he notes. Because your focus moves across your whole body, scanning trains your mind to move from detailed attention on one spot — such as your big toe — to wider awareness. This can be helpful to people who struggle with either distraction or hyperfocus.

“Investigating physical sensations is one of the best ways for us to learn to be present with whatever is happening in the moment and to recognize the difference between direct experience and the add-ons we bring to it,” says meditation instructor Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation.

• Breathing exercises are another good tool for boosting self-awareness and dealing with strong emotions. To help stressed-out kids stabilize their thinking, connect more deeply, and refocus, actress Goldie Hawn’s MindUP program integrates deep-breathing exercises in its pre-kindergarten-through-eighth-grade curriculum. The program shows teachers how to lead students through three-minute “brain breaks.” These breaks, taken three times a day, calm the brain’s amygdala, which plays a primary role in emotional response. This helps improve students’ capacity to focus and retain information.

• Monotasking allows for and strengthens focused engagement, Davidson explains. Continually switching between tasks, on the other hand, saps your attention. Doing one thing at a time enhances focus and boosts your short-term memory. Multitasking causes your body to release more stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can lead to health problems when chronically elevated. (For more on the impact of stress, see “Hormonal Harmony.”)

Go Deep 

Cal Newport exemplifies the attention-strengthening benefits of monotasking. In addition to helping him make significant career advances quickly, his deep-work ethic has personal benefits, too. 

“For the most part, I don’t touch a computer between the time I get home from work and the next morning when the new workday begins,” he writes in Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. 

“This ability to fully disconnect, as opposed to the more standard practice of sneaking in a few quick work email checks, or giving in to frequent surveys of social-media sites, allows me to be present with my wife and two sons in the evenings, and read a surprising number of books for a busy father of two.”

Studies have shown that reading books improves cognitive function, working memory, and the ability to detect and understand other people’s emotions. So by spending time reading, Newport is doing the kind of focused work that enhances his ability to pay attention. (If it feels like you don’t have time to read books, reconsider the time you spend on other activities. For example, Americans currently spend about four hours per day watching television.) 

To strengthen your ability to focus, try to minimize “shallow work,” those activities we often perform while distracted that don’t demand deep thought — mindlessly scrolling through email or social-media feeds, for example. Like Newport, you might consider avoiding social media altogether or scheduling specific time periods when you use the internet instead of randomly checking it throughout the day. 

In fact, Newport recommends scheduling every minute of your day. “We spend much of our day on autopilot — not giving much thought to what we’re doing with our time,” he writes. “It’s difficult to prevent the trivial from creeping into every corner of your schedule if you don’t face, without flinching, your current balance between deep and shallow work, and then adopt the habit of pausing before action and asking: What makes the most sense right now?” 

And when it comes to email, Newport suggests sending and responding to only those messages that really matter. 

Manoush Zomorodi, host of the technology-focused podcast Note to Self and author of Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, agrees. “People confuse productivity with responsiveness,” she says. 

To help workplaces become more focused, Zomorodi suggests they purposefully and thoughtfully use collaborative platforms, such as Slack. “The idea is that you have channels where you can talk to your colleagues, so you aren’t on email as much,” she says. “But what happens is that we spend so much time updating that we don’t have the opportunity to do the harder thinking.” 

Cutting down on needless communication reduces stress. Zomorodi notes that her readers and listeners are often seeking ways to handle workplace burnout, much of which relates to consistent demands on their attention. “The pinging and constant updating is driving people crazy, and making them feel like they don’t have time to do their actual work.” (For more insights from Zomorodi, see “Creative Inspiration: Manoush Zomorodi.”) 

To ease employees’ work-related stress and improve focus and productivity, some companies, including Volkswagen and Deutsche Telekom, have attempted to change the “always-notifying” workplace culture by limiting after-hours and weekend email use. You can do this for yourself by removing the email app from your phone or turning your phone off on weekends and evenings, and by disabling notifications and alerts. 

Take Breaks

A few years ago, while on a sabbatical from Silicon Valley’s daily distractions, futurist and researcher Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, PhD, decided to study the habits of Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Stephen King, and other productive people. Although these legendary creatives designed their lives around their work, they didn’t spend long days toiling away. 

Instead, they organized their days to include intensive blocks of concentrated work — typically around four hours — followed by a period of intentional rest, and then another shorter bout of less-intense work. 

 “Deliberate rest and focus complement and reinforce each other,” says Pang, author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less. “Not only does rest give you time to recharge the energy you spend at work, but improving your capacity to detach from work deepens your ability to concentrate and be present on the job.” (For more on this concept, see “Deliberate Rest.”) 

Rest is an antidote to attention fatigue, a collection of cognitive symptoms that occur when the brain’s inhibitory system — which tunes out distractions — gets worn down from use. And resting doesn’t necessarily mean napping, although Churchill’s afternoon snooze was a nonnegotiable part of his daily routine. 

Since concentration is demanding, active restorative breaks can also help your body refresh the oxygen and energy your brain needs. Pang cites a group of scientists who relax by rock climbing as an example of “deep play” — an activity that provides many of the same psychological rewards as work. 

Scientific experimentation and rock climbing require the same kind of cognitive problem-solving, Pang explains. “They both involve seeing the big challenge and then breaking it down into little parts.��� 

The absorbing and challenging nature of deep play provides room for finding yourself in flow — the intense state of concentration that leaves you feeling energized and that benefits both your work and your well-being. (For more on the connection between flow states and happiness, see “Go With the Flow.”)

Smooth the Transitions

Increasing your ability to transition between tasks is another key to improving attention. Failure to disengage fully from one task before moving on to another can leave your mind spinning in loops of chronic anxiety. It can also impinge on your performance at work and in relationships. 

In the late 1990s, while working as a consultant, Sophie Leroy, PhD, began seeing many employees struggle to pay attention during meetings. After conference calls, she noticed that distracted participants would often express a desire to have spent more time on a topic that had been discussed for several minutes. 

In a 2009 paper, Leroy outlined the phenomenon of “attention residue” — remaining thoughts about one task that distract us from our present one.

Now an associate professor at the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Business, Leroy maintains that strong performance depends on an ability to successfully transition our attention. For example, when we glance at our phones, go to a meeting, and proceed directly to an important conversation with a significant other without taking a break, our brains never get a chance to process information, integrate ideas, or find temporary closure.

“It’s like windows staying open in our brains, and it makes it hard to focus on the intervening work,” Leroy says. “If I am still thinking about task A while trying to do task B, I don’t have the cognitive capacity to process those two tasks at the same time and do a perfect job on both tasks.”

To help manage shifts of attention, Leroy suggests making a “ready-to-resume” plan — a routine to close the task you’re stepping away from and free up your attention for a new activity. This is as simple as taking one minute to write a list of what still needs to be done to complete the unfinished task. When you close that list, you’re ready to move on to the next thing. 

In Leroy’s studies, participants who switched tasks without a plan remained distracted and their performance was inhibited. By contrast, those who made a still-to-do list showed improved performance on the next task and less stress from attention residue. 

Pausing between activities is a gentle way of bringing awareness into the present moment. It allows us to reflect on what we value and how we want to use our attention. We can mindlessly give it away or direct it toward something with intention. As Linda Stone notes, it’s a powerful choice we get to make, every moment of every day. 

This originally appeared as “Play Close Attention” in the September 2018 print issue of Experience Life.

Get the full story at https://experiencelife.com/article/reclaim-your-attention-span/

[thespacequail]

Jushinki Pandora (ep. 1)

Wow, just...I feel shocked.  I had super low expectations of this show when I heard about it.  I was expecting loads of pointless exposition, horrible CG animation, and really bad science.  I got only half of one of those things.  This review is gunna get real rambly, real fast, but if you liked shows like Attack on Titan, or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, give this show a try.

>Let me tell you about exposition for a few minutes, have you ever in real life had a conversation about how electricity has revolutionized how we communicate, or walked to the bus stop explaining to your friend how the internal combustion engine accelerated humanity out of the rural agricultural society of ages past into the urban metropolis we now call home?  No. Ok well, maybe once, as like a joke, or a thought experiment, or you just saw a show about it on the History channel.  Point is, most people don’t normally talk like that, they don’t discuss common knowledge for no reason, and yet this happens in so many shows and movies.  When that revelation was dropped on me, I was pissed because now I notice it everywhere, and honestly it is just lazy writing.  Characters don’t need to tell other characters that “In this world, magic is everything.” cause they live there so they should bloody know that!  It’s dialogue that only exists to catch the viewer up to speed, and that’s lazy writing.

>So what’s all that got to do with Last Hope? Everything.  Because Last Hope (so far) doesn’t do this.  The only time exposition is directly explained to the viewer is a short, narrated overview of the situation the world is in and generally how it happened.  It’s kinda like the bit in My Hero Academia where Deku explains quirks and Heroes to the audience, that part is key, it’s narration separate from the actual story that explicitly tells the audience “this is the one confusing thing that makes our world different, get it? Good, on with the show.”  Back to Last Hope, character’s don’t talk about how “BRAI have hunted humanity to near extinction so that’s why we live in this run down shack.” “Yes but I have developed these anti-BRAI bug zappers so we are safe here.”  Nah, fuck that, you know how they do that scene?  The main character literally stands around outside buck naked, we get a wide shot of their re-purposed airplane home, and though Leon (the MC) does talk about the BRAI repellent, they mention it the same way we would casually ask if someone brought a citronella candle to the picnic, after that he’s just talking to himself about making sure it doesn’t short circuit and fail, only to stub his toe on all the junk he has lying around cause he was absorbed in thought.  I just love this whole scene, from Leon listing off possible annoyances to him struggling to cook dinner, it does well to humanize him and Chloe in a humorous but believable way.  I also like how the military guy (whose name escapes me) refers to Leon as “that one guy” until the end where he calls him by his full name, followed by “the man who destroyed the world”.  Now I can hear you thinking “But isn’t that expository dialogue?  Everyone should know that already, that’s just a cheap cliffhanger for the audience.”  To which I say, is it common knowledge?  A man who was exiled from the city (which is another great thing Leon’s adopted sister didn’t exposite about to him [and the fact they left their relationship implied was SO good {I’m getting off track, where was I?}]), the reasoning for his exile wouldn’t necessarily be common knowledge to most people outside of the government. And, it’s not used as a title of exposition, but a term of resentment, the military guy is making it clear he knows who Leon is, and will not be taking things lightly when dealing with him.  This is good stuff.  I could go on but I have other stuff I want to talk about.  If you watch the episode with this in mind you’ll understand what I’m getting at.

>The science.  I love science.  I know a lot about it, so I was worried this show would just throw some science-y sounding words to seem smart to hand wave away what should just be magic.  But honestly, it holds water, it was relatively accurate.  The Quantum Generator?  That’s a real thing designed by Tesla, and yeah, maybe we could build a big one in a decade or two, I buy that.  Go look up a video on QEGs, and while you’re at it, look up quantum computers too, cause Leon’s Multidimensional Attack makes some sense too, sorta, we’re getting into magic territory, but it looked cool af, so I’m ok with it. The evolutionary field though? Looks like we’re playing fast and loose with the concept of mutations and evolution, but if I can accept X-Men mutants having basically magic powers for no reason, I can let this one slide too.  Hopefully the hand waving is kept to a bare minimum and the writers actually do their homework.

>Leon is great.  He’s a genius, but he’s not perfect.  He’s a klutz, he struggles with cooking because he over analyzes the process, and he’s a terrible pilot.  Let me say that again for the ones in the back, THE MAIN CHARACTER OF A MECH ANIME IS NOT A NATURAL THE FIRST TIME HE’S SHOWN PILOTING!  He flails around, unable to dodge slow hits, other characters comment about how he pilots like an amateur, the only reason he is able to defeat this giant enemy crab is cause if the hyperdrive, which I can only assume will be a consistent deus-ex-machina to save the day, I don’t mind this but  I really hope they show him learning over time how to be a better pilot because of this, struggling cause he over thinks it, but getting better as he comes to understand the “human element” his calculations lack.  Cheesy? kinda, but that’s ok if it’s done well.

>The 2D animation is really nice.  I like the look of the characters, locations like Leon’s home and the military command center feel right (lived in and familiar/oppressive and orderly respectively).  The CG though...ok, I get why it’s being used, it gives the BRAI an unnatural, otherworldly feel, and for the most part it works, but the 3D model quality looks kinda dated at times.  It’s not like, Berserk 2016 bad, but Pixar this certainly ain’t.  The transformer mechs are kinda cool, if not superfluous.  Why do they need to transform?  Why not have different classes of mechs?  Some that drive like tanks on steroids, ones that only fly and have to conserve power so they don’t just fall out of the sky, human shaped ones for melee combat or using massive cannons as if it were a rifle.  Why do they all have to have hands and turn into cars and motorcycles?  Just seems like a waste in this post-apocalyptic world where I can only assume resources are limited.  That being said there are some shots, like Leon in the hyperdrive mech facing off against the giant enemy crab, that look freaking amazing.  It can be done show, make it work.

Man I’ve been ranting for so long and I still have stuff I didn’t go into, like the one bounty hunter who keeps his cat in the cockpit with him, or the crab upgrading itself mid-fight even though it was already winning, GAH!  Go watch this show, it’s dumb fun that knows how to be smart and was made with a degree of care and detail usually only seen from big name studios/directors.

[kissingwithcannibals]

I like to listen to podcasts while I sketch, and the other day, I put on an episode of Hidden Brain. If you haven’t check this show out, I recommend it. “Using science and storytelling, Hidden Brain reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, and the biases that shape our choices.” Basically, the show packages psychology and sociology through stories and interviews, making it much more accessible for plebs like me. The episode was “Close Enough: The Lure of Living Through Others.” I thought: hey, that sounds cool! Until it started to describe my life. 

The show opens up with an interview of guy who enjoys doing woodworking projects in his free time. A good deal of what this guy knows about carpentry he’s learned from tutorials on Youtube. He’s a teacher during the day, and when he comes home, he’s confronted with several ongoing projects in his home wood shop. Unfortunately, he’s so drained by the time he comes home from work that, instead of working on, say, building a cabinet, he watches Youtube. Hours of it. He goes down a wormhole of videos, watching other people demonstrate how to, say, clean a car engine, or build a deck, or how to renovate your kitchen. Some of it relevant to him, some not. 

Part of the show is devoted to understanding why people spend hours every day watching experts do expert things. I can happily unpack some of this for you, because, first of all, this guy’s story is my story, too. (Except nobody should trust me to handle a bandsaw, or to, like, educate their children.) I can tell you, unequivocally, that the whole act of passively grazing Youtube absolutely sucks. It’s addicting, but it suuuuucks. The first five minutes are great. I’ve got my bowl of frosted mini wheats and a video of, say, the 2018 Starcraft 2 WCS Global Tournament Grand Finale Match queued up. But I wolf down the mini wheats in, you know, sixty seconds flat, and then I’m facing an hour and forty-five minutes of a professional e-sport player from Finland try to take down another top player from South Korea in the game of Starcraft. 

Seeing that my attention span these days is about the length in time it takes me to eat a bowl of mini wheats, I hop to one of the many videos that Youtube’s almighty algorithm has recommended I watch. Maybe another professional Starcraft match, or a watercolor painting tutorial, or a Vox video about Why Safe Playgrounds Aren’t Great for Kids. Each video provides a progressively diminishing feeling of satisfaction, until, eventually, I feel like a pig at a trough, and it’s no longer about eating because I’m hungry, but because the food is in front of my face. 

I don’t know why I do this to myself. It’s no longer fun. The dull, flat “enjoyment” of Youtube is somehow more comforting than the real world. The world beyond my computer monitor is a place of sensation, and action, and deliberate thought. Youtube is passive, it’s voyeurism, and it’s artifice. I can’t even tell you why I’ve been watching so many professional Starcraft matches lately. When I was younger, holy hell did I put hours into that game (and I was always terrible), but I haven’t played it in years. I’m not a member of the community, and it’s meaningless to me which South Korean player takes the top prize this year. (Because, like, 95% of the world’s best Starcraft players are South Korean.)

I think part of my attachment to Youtube is that I do find it compelling to watch a person do something so well. As a horrendous Starcraft player, it’s kind of amazing to see what these professional e-sport players can do. They’re basically playing an entirely different game than the one I played. Or take programming: I’m new to coding, and very awful at it, so to watch some of these coders absolutely rip through crazy code and produce amazing results with it is, for me, almost entrancing. Honestly, anything that I’m amateur or mediocre at, I want to see how the pros are doing it. 

And, to be fair, Youtube can be a great resource. I have learned a lot by way of guitar, coding, juggling, drawing, to name a few, from tutorials. But most of the content that I’m glued to is mindless, and the the time I spend watching these videos is time I’m not spending practicing guitar or trying to learn how to code. 

I’ll paraphrase a point made in the podcast: These videos are an escape into another person’s life. This passive voyeurism is simpler, cheaper, and the emotional results are “close enough”. You get a taste of what your life could be while eating ice cream on the couch. It’s a substitute for a lacking in your own life. 

I was in a real Youtube spiral yesterday. By the end of the day, my brain was fried. I couldn’t find the excitement to do anything, and when I tried to sit down to read or blog, I couldn’t keep my concentration. It was completely demoralizing. Today was similar. I tried to do some coding this morning, but I kept messing up and getting confused, which only compounded my doldrums. 

As a side note, learning to code has been a struggle this past week. I find myself jumping from lesson to lessons, topic to topic, not entirely sure what I’m doing, or why I’m doing it. Over the past few days, I’ve been trying to understand web applications, and how to construct and launch web pages using Python, Flask, and Bootstrap. But after hours of watching lessons, and writing code, and screwing up my code, I close my laptop and think to myself, Wait, when have I ever wanted to make a website? Was this even any fun? Why am I doing this? 

Eventually, I felt so frazzled that I thought to myself: I literally need to just lie down for an hour and close my eyes. I put in my earbuds and played an episode of This American Life, knowing that I wanted to just invest in one single story for an extended time. Well, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, the episode had finished and the next TAL episode in the queue was playing. Still only half-awake, I really had no idea what was going on, but the episode was about, like, this library that had a really unusual collection, in part because the library would accept books from authors who had been rejected by publishers everywhere else. Or something like that. Don’t quote me. 

In my haze, it hit me like a bolt of lightning: libraries? Libraries! In my slog of coding tutorials this week, I completely forgot that one of my original programming goals was to replicate a working library check-out system. Among other things, it would have databases for storing books and patron information, as well as a search tool that patrons could use to find books. And, of course, I would want to incorporate those little scanner guns. When I first started learning to code, my friend Gus recommended that I have a project in mind, as a means of giving myself something to work toward. I completely forgot about my model library idea, but this is the kind of goal I need to rekindle my motivation. 

So today ended better than it started. And some days, that’s the best you can ask for! 

[revlyncox]

The Joy of Leadership

This homily was delivered to the UU Congregation of York, PA, on June 11, 2017, by Rev. Lyn Cox

Leadership in a congregation is one way of participating in the shared ministry of the congregation. Together, the members, clergy, and staff act through leadership to make manifest the vision of the congregation. You care for one another and for the community through organized efforts toward justice, equality, and compassion. You nurture mind, body, and spirit through shared spiritual practice and mutual encouragement to growth.

As you heard from lay leader reflections earlier, engaging in leadership is a joy. You can also think of it as a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It’s a story you can live out over and over again, playing different roles, applying what you learned in a previous volume, and deepening your relationships with some real characters. You choose your adjectives and adverbs. You choose if you go about your role in shared ministry enthusiastically or reluctantly, You choose to be grumpy or curious. Leadership can be challenging. Very little that is worth doing comes easily. Yet there is joy to be had in every chapter of the story, and I would encourage you to choose joy.

At the beginning, joy is available with anticipation and zest. Joy comes with learning about the role you are stepping into. Bonding with the members and leaders you will be working with most closely can be joyful. You might be surprised or nervous or confused about how you are going to work with others on your team or how you are going to tackle the important ministry before you. That’s OK, just don't let your anxiety sit in the driver’s seat. Move it over, and put curiosity and hope behind the wheel. Learn something you can appreciate about each member of your team, and have fun dreaming together about how you will put the congregation’s strategic plan into practice. Choose joy at the beginning of the story.

In the middle of the story, the characters face complex dilemmas and need to work through the struggle at the center of the dramatic arc. There is joy in the journey, reveling in the strength and depth you are gaining together, step by step. If you are a big fan of fiction, you may recall that there are different ways of framing the plot in a story. You can frame it as human vs. nature, human vs. obstacle, human vs. human, or even human vs. Divine. I would suggest that great satisfaction in the leadership story comes from framing the plot as a team of humans overcoming obstacles together. For this to work, the team needs to be clear and unified about what it is you are trying to achieve. Without a clear goal, the story becomes one of maintaining the status quo or of infighting. Framing the story in opposition to other people, even other people not present, is more exhausting. Keep to your covenant, keep each other going on your way up the mountain, and keep your shared goal in mind. Choose joy in the middle of the story.

As a leadership story comes to an end, joy is available through gratitude and through learning from experience. Not everything is going to go well in any story. There will be mistakes and disappointments. Do not let these rob you of your joy. In his famous “Last Lecture,” Randy Pausch said, “Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” He was a computer science professor, but his words are true for all of us. We can get more value out of experience by focusing on lessons learned, practicing humility, and kindly sharing the benefit of experience with others. Practice gratitude for the things that did go well, for the friendships formed along the way, and for the people who worked alongside you, even if they made mistakes, too. Gratitude for the opportunity and the experience and the team brings out the sweetest part of this stage.

I want to say one other thing about ending a leadership story, and that is that endings can be scary. Leaders might worry if they can't figure out who they are handing off their work to, or if the leaders next in line might change something or make mistakes. It is important to end well anyway. Leave space for the unknown. Let go of outcomes. Look kindly on the leaders to come, be they known or unknown. Choose joy at the end of a leadership story. Take a breath. Decide where your joy is for the next story.

So be it. Blessed be. Amen.

Prayer

Spirit of Life, unknown friend, breath of mystery, we come together today on the threshold of transition. We pray for families who are traveling the boundaries between life and death, between illness and health, between hurt and reconciliation. We pray for our leaders, those in the congregation and those around the world, in all of their endings and beginnings, in all of the choices they make. May justice, compassion, and the common good prevail. May our acts of kindness and of religious witness bring us closer to a world in harmony. Eternal presence, we confess that we sometimes miss opportunities. We blunder past signs of pain in our loved ones, we stay timidly on the safe side of isolation rather than the braver side of kindness. Move our souls and our actions more deeply into the journey of interdependence. With our hearts full of gratitude and joy for those assembled and for the beauty of this day, we add the silent meditations of our hearts. Blessed be.

[tiredandwily]

Book review: Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan 

Contemporary Fiction, LGBT Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, New Adult Fiction

https://www.amazon.com/Carry-Ocean-Roosevelt-Heidi-Cullinan/dp/1945116986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496721454&sr=8-1&keywords=carry+the+ocean

--- My rating --- 

4 / 5 stars

--- Synopsis --- 

“High school graduate Jeremey Samson is looking forward to burying his head under the covers and sleeping until it's time to leave for college. Then a tornado named Emmet Washington enters his life. The young man with a double major in math and computer science is handsome, forward, wicked smart, interested in dating Jeremey--and he has autism.But Jeremey doesn't judge him for that. He's too busy judging himself, as are his parents, who don't believe in things like clinical depression. When Jeremey's untreated illness reaches a critical breaking point, Emmet is the white knight who rescues him and brings him along as a roommate to The Roosevelt, a quirky new assisted living facility.As Jeremey and Emmet find their feet at The Roosevelt, they begin to believe they can be loved for the men they are beyond their disabilities. But before they can trust enough to fall head over heels, they must trust their own convictions that friendship is a healing force and love can overcome any obstacle.”

Book one of the Roosevelt series

--- Review --- 

I gave Carry the Ocean 4 stars because I really enjoyed it (I debated maybe 4.5 stars). I would recommend it to anyone interested in a character-driven, contemporary, and emotional narrative. I would also recommend it to anyone interested in LGBT fiction or slash fiction. It’s suited for age 17+.

Carry the Ocean is told in first person from two viewpoints, Jeremey and Emmet, in alternating chapters. Both protagonists are teenage boys, and each voice is beautiful with so much depth. Emmet has Autism Spectrum Disorder, and his chapters were my favorite, I loved to read about what life is like with ASD. The character has such a unique and fascinating perspective of life and of himself. His mechanisms for coping with ASD seemed to be described well. His chapters were uplifting and beautifully honest, and his relationship with his parents was lovely to read.

Jeremey has Major Depressive Disorder and Clinical Anxiety. His chapters were darker but equally honest and fascinating. It was sometimes difficult to read about such crippling anxiety, but the interaction between him and Emmet always saved the day. They meet within the first few pages, and the relationship they develop is very real, and based on respect and honesty. The two characters understand one another, work together, never judge each other, and lift each other up. Throughout the book, the boys learn about each other and what the other needs.

The insightful inner voice of the boys was the best part of the book. Each is different in tone, but both are very honest without being over-dramatic. The book is easy to read, and the major themes are presented well, themes of friendship, love, and acceptance. This book is for anyone who has ever felt like an outcast, or anyone struggling with mental illness. The major message, that there is no normal, that normal is an illusion, is presented very well. Simply, this book is about two boys trying to deal with society’s expectations and parental expectations, and learning that it’s okay to be different. It’s also refreshing to read a novel with an LGBT relationship where the relationship is not the conflict.

I hesitate to call the book Young Adult because of the graphic sex, but of course sex is part of teenage life, and it’s presented very maturely. Perhaps New Adult is a better genre to place this book in. The sex scenes are told during Emmet chapters, which is a unique perspective and made the scenes intriguing and quite original. I love how the boys talk about sex as well, very frank, and always open with their needs.

My minor complaints are that the alternating perspective can be hard to keep track of. I tended to begin a chapter without remembering the perspective had shifted (even though each chapter is labeled). Also, the character of Jeremey’s mother is very overdone. She’s incredibly ableist, and seems to have very little compassion for her own son. Another minor complaint I had is I tend to enjoy somewhat poetic prose, a little more flowery, but the writing was very matter-of-fact. [cont’d]

---- Plot-review ---- [SPOILERS]

The book begins with Emmet describing what it’s like to be Emmet, what it’s like to have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Emmet is high-functioning and whip-smart, and the first chapter of the book is a bit of an info-dump about the ways he is “normal” and the ways he is special. He decides he wants to ask out his neighbor, Jeremey, but he has to to research first about how to ask someone out and how to behave so Jeremey won’t be confused or turned off by Emmet’s lack of standard social decorum.  

“... to learn and memorize the etiquette, to find the right words that would show me to Jeremey, not my autism. It took a long time and a lot of work, but I did it.”

As a reader I connected immediately with Emmet’s voice. I’d say it’s one of the most well developed perspectives/voices I’ve read in fiction in years. It’s an amazing insight into life with ASD.

Chapter two is from Jeremy’s perspective, it picks up where chapter one leaves off. The reader learns about Jeremey’s anxiety and depression. At first, he is confused by Emmet and has a panic attack, but Emmet is exactly what Jeremy needs in the moment and he helps calm Jeremey’s nerves. 

“For the first time since my meltdown, I wasn’t thinking about how to make the world stop, how to escape the failure that was my life. I thought about Emmet Washington...”

Throughout the next few chapters, Emmet and Jeremey get to know one another. They hit it off immediately. There’s no drama with how they feel about one another, which is frankly refreshing. Jeremey learns about Emmet’s ASD, and Emmet is happy to learn about what its like to live with Major Depressive Disorder and Clinical Anxiety. Their first kiss comes soon after, but Jeremey’s mother walks in on them and is not happy with what she sees.

This is where the conflict is introduced. Jeremey’s mother is, well, a bitch. She’s homophobic and ableist, and neither does she understand or seem to care about her son’s panic attacks and depression. In my humble opinion, this character is way overdone. She yells at her son in Target for having a panic attack, calls Emmet the R-word, and cares only about her son being “normal”.

After this, Jeremey and Emmet are not allowed to see one another, though they communicate through text message. With the oppression of his mother and without Emmet to comfort him, Jeremey attempts suicide. 

Emmet and his mother, a doctor, call 911 and Jeremey’s life is saved. He has to spend a few weeks on the psychiatric floor of a hospital, and he sees a therapist, Dr. North, a therapist who has been also seeing Emmet. 

“I visited him on the third day, when Dr. North said Jeremey could have visitors again. He said Jeremey had been good and worked hard on his therapy and deserved a reward, and I was the reward he wanted. That made me happy. I’ve never been a reward before.”

Through therapy sessions, Jeremey’s character is really fleshed out and the reader learns about his relationship with his parents. At this point as a reader I felt very invested in Jeremey’s wellbeing, and Dr. North was a godsend and a breath of fresh air for both Jeremey and Emmet. 

“The most difficult part about being in the hospital wasn’t the meds, or the loss of freedom, or the scariness of what would happen when I got out. It was my mom.”

The boys decide to live in an assisted living facility together when Jeremey leaves the hospital, and after convincing their parents they can care for themselves, Dr. North tells them he thinks it could be a great idea, that it would be best for Jeremey not to go back home with his parents.

“Also, if we lived in the same apartment, we could have sex. The drugs dulled the yearning a little bit, but only when Emmet wasn’t in the room. When he was with me, like right now, talking and planning and being so bright, all I wanted to do was kiss him and touch him.”

Jeremey is first moved to a group home. These chapters give another great dose of insight about how mentally ill people are treated in society and what group homes can be like and why.

Finally, the boys move into the assisted living facility, The Roosevelt. It takes time for them to adjust to living together and for Jeremey to get used to Emmet’s rules. Meanwhile, Jeremey’s social anxiety means he cannot go shopping or be in loud, unpredictable environments. The social workers who live at The Roosevelt help them with the adjustment. 

“In our apartment, Jeremey and I had a good pattern. The notes helped us with organization, and our Saturday morning meetings with Sally and Tammy helped us learn how to make sure we didn’t have any problems we needed to work out.”

Jeremey struggles to find a job. He decides he’d like to work for one of the residents at The Roosevelt, one who Emmet hates, and this causes a temporary rift. Emmet learns to better communicate with Jeremey about what is bothering him and why, and Jeremey slowly learns to overcome his anxiety and how to get out from under the shadow of his parents. 

Without giving away the ending, the book has a quiet ending, but the story is wrapped up beautifully, and though it gets heavy at times, the book is overall uplifting, well-written, eye-opening, and reminds the reader that the differences between us are not really so big after all.

My favorite part of Carry the Ocean is the voice. The Emmet chapters are quite different from the Jeremey chapters in voice and tone. Emmet is matter-of-fact, honest, and has trouble reading emotions. Jeremey is quiet, anxious, and he is very easily bothered by the emotions of everyone around, which is why he has trouble in public places. It’s alluded to, and once stated outright, that Jeremey is the less “together” one, while Emmet is his white-knight who does not judge him and is able to be exactly what Jeremey needs. They’re a great pairing, I love a book where the relationship starts early on, and individually they’re amazing characters that I will remember for years. 

---- Warnings---- [SPOILERS]

Graphic sex

Non-graphic suicide attempt

(feel free to message me if you’d like to know more detail about the warnings before reading the book)

[newstfionline]

How to Live Eyes Wide Open in a World That Can’t See Clearly

By Skip Prichard, May 22, 2017

Isaac Lidsky played “Weasel” on Saved by the Bell: The New Class. He graduated--at nineteen--from Harvard with degrees in math and computer science. He then went on to Harvard Law School and then served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court for Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor. His legal career had him winning all of his dozen plus appeals in federal court before he went on the start a tech company. Enough? No. He then went into construction and succeeded again. He also has founded a non-profit called Hope for Vision.

Wow. That’s an amazing track record of success in multiple fields.

All that success and he makes it seem so easy.

Then you learn that he was born with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease that caused gradual loss of sight and now blindness.

Isaac has learned to live with his “Eyes Wide Open.” His new book is called Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World That Can’t See Clearly. I found it a powerfully motivating read and followed up with the actor turned entrepreneur to learn more about his uniquely positive attitude in the midst of what would stop many of us in our tracks.

Stay Positive. Despite the Circumstances. You’ve been through trial after trial and continue to see success. How do you stay positive despite the circumstances?

In every moment, we choose how we want to live our lives and who we want to be, no matter what circumstances we face. There are always people who did far more with far less and were far happier doing it. So, it’s not our circumstances that govern the lives we experience. How those circumstances manifest themselves in our realities is within our control.

I saw this as I lost my sight. With this new vision, I realized that my life is my choice. It’s that simple. In the face of great challenges, you can choose to live reactively as a victim, or choose to proactively take control, with awareness and accountability. For me, the “right” answer is clear, though it is often the more difficult choice, too.

Overcome Your Fear. Talk about fear. How does this limit us? What do you do when it is gnawing at your mind?

Fear is powerfully pernicious. When we confront the unknown in times of change or crisis, fear exploits our ignorance. In our fears, we perceive the worst-case scenario, the most awful outcome, the ugliest possibility. If we’re not careful, we can experience this concoction of our fears--most often baseless--as “truth.”

It gets worse. In the false reality of our fears, we often see heroes and villains in our lives--people who control our fate.

To break fear’s spell, focus intently on the difference between what you know and what you think you know. The latter is fear’s domain. Recognize your heroes and villains as figments of your imagination. Ask yourself: What, precisely, is the most discrete, concrete problem I face right now, and what can I do about it--what is my best next step? You will not get from A to Z if you do not get from A to B.

Your career is unique to say the least. Saved by the Bell, Supreme Court clerk, and then business entrepreneur. Now, author. What drives you to this unprecedented level of success in multiple fields?

At the core of a life lived eyes wide open is an understanding of what success and value look like to you in your life. What is important? How do you want to be spending your time--at home and at work? Who do you want to be--as a boss or colleague, as a friend or spouse, as a parent or child or sibling? These are tough questions, but we’re answering them every moment, whether we like it or not, realize it or not, believe it or not.

I’ve chosen to be aware of my answers, and accountable for them to myself and my family. Over the years, those answers have changed--success, value, and importance have evolved for me with the course of my life. Accordingly, numerous times I’ve closed certain chapters, embraced new challenges, and reorganized my priorities. I’ve been fortunate to obtain great outcomes in several different endeavors along the way. But success, I believe, is in actually striving for what you truly value, not in the results.

Learn from Your Critics. Talk about critics. I love that chapter, especially. What have you learned from critics?

We harbor in our minds an internal critic. It’s that nasty voice that is quick to pass judgment, quick to tell you what others will think and say about you, quick to tell you what you cannot do. These critics guarantee our failure by insisting upon perfection, which is impossible. They inhibit our progress by distracting us with evaluation and comparison. They overpower us with a lofty perspective, soaring high above it all--so high that we cannot see the paths of progress down below, the rate of progress appears impossibly slow, and the magnitude of our aspirations is overwhelming.

But we choose our own scale. We can silence our critics with focus on the moment, with momentum, with the commitment to strive, with the peace of conviction, by harnessing the strength that is within us all. The critic’s circus of distraction and destruction isn’t real. It is just noise, unless you choose to listen.

Listen at a New Level. What’s your perspective on listening? “Ears wide open” got my attention. How do we all become better listeners?

Most of us do a poor job listening to one another. Part of the problem is distraction. In our frenetic, digitally-enabled world of information overload, we struggle to pay attention. Even when we’re focused, however, we can become distracted from what we’re hearing by what we’re seeing. Inherently visual creatures, we imbue facial expressions and gestures with assumed meaning, confusing our unreliable impressions and interpretations with the speaker’s intended message.

When we use them properly, words have an unbounded potential to facilitate communication. But it requires intention--we must intend to understand and intend to be understood. That’s what “ears wide open” is all about. It’s about active effort to understand another’s meaning, and actively conveying your meaning with clarity.

How do you hope this book affects others? Going blind gave me the vision to live and lead eyes wide open, aware of my role in creating the reality I experience and accountable for my life. It’s a vision that is liberating and empowering--it has brought me immeasurable joy, fulfillment and success, at home and at work. I wrote Eyes Wide Open to show others how to see what I see, and to inspire them to choose to do so. I hope that others will find in the book practical, valuable insights and techniques to create the lives they want for themselves--in their careers, in their relationships, and in their hearts and souls.

[maximuswolf]

Seeking Communism Mentor- Please Help via /r/communism

Seeking Communism Mentor- Please Help

Greetings comrades,

I have spent the past 2 months of my life since I got out of highschool, reading, studying, opening my eyes to the true dark nature of capitalism and Americas history across the world with its imperialism, corruption, greed and terror. I have been reading about socialist ideas, watching countless videos from a youtuber called VaushV, watching documentaries on Cubas history and revolution and Russias revolution. I feel like I have a firm grasp on what socialism advocates for, and what communism does as well. I overall have just been very angry for how the world is today, America in particular because I am from here. I realize the corruption and greed capitalism brings, and its tools on controlling the masses and youth. From buying its way into politics, to exploiting the average worker, I have seen it all. My family has worked their entire lives and barely has had enough to live a normal lifestyle, while my fathers bosses own 10 million dollar houses and never step a foot in the office, ultimately leading to the company crashing itself and my dad being out of work. I have grown tired of the constant struggle I see my family members from all sides face, and all due to the greed of the nations top percent. We have enough wealth, power, labour to have everyone living middle class comfortably, to end student debt, to provide universal healthcare and programs to help all, but due to the greed of so few we live in a country that at any moment will collapse economically, with so many people loosing their jobs to things like AI, which companies without a fragment of a second would gladly replace its entire work force. I have seen the way america has used the fear of socialism and communism to invade countries and destroy their economies while exploiting the common people, all the way back from the colonization the Native Americans experienced and massacred for all in the name of white culture, use of religion, and profit gain.

I learn more and more everyday, but wanted to know if anyone, anyone at all who has had experience in this field of study, could help me out with questions I have, and mentorship if you will. I couldnt ask for anything more than that at the moment, I would love to be able to have that university to go to where a professor could teach me all about these things one on one and have a private student to mentorship, since I believe I have ideas on how we would be able to push through this oppressive system and come out on top, at least I think. It annoys me so much how oblivious so many people are to the current state of America and the world, and how they will forever live their lives working a 9-5 never seeing anything more than their city for eternity, barely making enough to eat and live. I believe there is so much more to life then this, its absurd, I cannot continue to see a future like this. To know that I am not in the best state economically with my family currently, but I at least have a meal waiting, while someone else on the other side of the globe or a few cities away from me hasnt seen a meal in days. It sickens me, boils my blood from the greed we face today. While the population argues on Biden vs Trump and blames eachother for the problems we face today, they both go to their nice houses and immense wealth. They are all but the same wolves in a pack. Never going to change anything or anyone because doing so would mean going against those who write their checks and those who lobby in American politics to push their policies, their agenda, to push the boundaries of the globe and cross all borders oppressing the people and exploiting the people all over the world. While hundred are dying today and unemployment is skyrocketing, we are having a debate on whos worse trump or biden. It makes no sense, from the media thats owned by the same corporations that lobby in politics, to the social media and technology they push on us to keep us compliant and stupid, all of it is infuriating. I want to see a world where we can collectively take care of eachother and work towards a larger goal. Global warming and climate change will have catastrophic consequences, while Americans deny its existence because a president denies it as well, people in poorer countries are seeing the real consqeuences roll out in front of them. We could be funding and subsidzing innovation for clean energy but of course we arent for fossil fuel industries. This type of logic and pattern is seen in every single problem humanity faces today, and I dont want to see it anymore.

I know this is a lot and apologies, but I just really want to learn everything I can on this, ask questions, get a good understanding and coherent points explained to me, because in me I feel like this is my purpose. I am unsure on what I want to be going into my first year of college, I am going into computer science in programming because I have been doing it all my life , but politics is something I just cant get enough of listening to day in and day out. I have so many basic questions I feel that I sort of confuse myself with which is why I want someone to help me out. I feel like I have an idea on how we could use AI to support a socialist economy. I recently found this subreddit and have had many ideas and points explained to me greatly and I thank each and everyone of you. However like my main title says, if anyone is available or open to talk or recieve a DM, I would absolutely love to, because I feel like I have the fundamentals down but still confused and all over the place with a few topics and key components, and overall political idealogies and history. i know this is a lot to ask for from anyone but if anyone at all is open it would mean everything to me.

Thank you so much for any replies :)

Submitted August 10, 2020 at 10:07PM by flame732 via reddit https://ift.tt/2PDil6m

[specialchan]

Seeking Communism Mentor- Please Help via /r/communism

Seeking Communism Mentor- Please Help

Greetings comrades,

I have spent the past 2 months of my life since I got out of highschool, reading, studying, opening my eyes to the true dark nature of capitalism and Americas history across the world with its imperialism, corruption, greed and terror. I have been reading about socialist ideas, watching countless videos from a youtuber called VaushV, watching documentaries on Cubas history and revolution and Russias revolution. I feel like I have a firm grasp on what socialism advocates for, and what communism does as well. I overall have just been very angry for how the world is today, America in particular because I am from here. I realize the corruption and greed capitalism brings, and its tools on controlling the masses and youth. From buying its way into politics, to exploiting the average worker, I have seen it all. My family has worked their entire lives and barely has had enough to live a normal lifestyle, while my fathers bosses own 10 million dollar houses and never step a foot in the office, ultimately leading to the company crashing itself and my dad being out of work. I have grown tired of the constant struggle I see my family members from all sides face, and all due to the greed of the nations top percent. We have enough wealth, power, labour to have everyone living middle class comfortably, to end student debt, to provide universal healthcare and programs to help all, but due to the greed of so few we live in a country that at any moment will collapse economically, with so many people loosing their jobs to things like AI, which companies without a fragment of a second would gladly replace its entire work force. I have seen the way america has used the fear of socialism and communism to invade countries and destroy their economies while exploiting the common people, all the way back from the colonization the Native Americans experienced and massacred for all in the name of white culture, use of religion, and profit gain.

I learn more and more everyday, but wanted to know if anyone, anyone at all who has had experience in this field of study, could help me out with questions I have, and mentorship if you will. I couldnt ask for anything more than that at the moment, I would love to be able to have that university to go to where a professor could teach me all about these things one on one and have a private student to mentorship, since I believe I have ideas on how we would be able to push through this oppressive system and come out on top, at least I think. It annoys me so much how oblivious so many people are to the current state of America and the world, and how they will forever live their lives working a 9-5 never seeing anything more than their city for eternity, barely making enough to eat and live. I believe there is so much more to life then this, its absurd, I cannot continue to see a future like this. To know that I am not in the best state economically with my family currently, but I at least have a meal waiting, while someone else on the other side of the globe or a few cities away from me hasnt seen a meal in days. It sickens me, boils my blood from the greed we face today. While the population argues on Biden vs Trump and blames eachother for the problems we face today, they both go to their nice houses and immense wealth. They are all but the same wolves in a pack. Never going to change anything or anyone because doing so would mean going against those who write their checks and those who lobby in American politics to push their policies, their agenda, to push the boundaries of the globe and cross all borders oppressing the people and exploiting the people all over the world. While hundred are dying today and unemployment is skyrocketing, we are having a debate on whos worse trump or biden. It makes no sense, from the media thats owned by the same corporations that lobby in politics, to the social media and technology they push on us to keep us compliant and stupid, all of it is infuriating. I want to see a world where we can collectively take care of eachother and work towards a larger goal. Global warming and climate change will have catastrophic consequences, while Americans deny its existence because a president denies it as well, people in poorer countries are seeing the real consqeuences roll out in front of them. We could be funding and subsidzing innovation for clean energy but of course we arent for fossil fuel industries. This type of logic and pattern is seen in every single problem humanity faces today, and I dont want to see it anymore.

I know this is a lot and apologies, but I just really want to learn everything I can on this, ask questions, get a good understanding and coherent points explained to me, because in me I feel like this is my purpose. I am unsure on what I want to be going into my first year of college, I am going into computer science in programming because I have been doing it all my life , but politics is something I just cant get enough of listening to day in and day out. I have so many basic questions I feel that I sort of confuse myself with which is why I want someone to help me out. I feel like I have an idea on how we could use AI to support a socialist economy. I recently found this subreddit and have had many ideas and points explained to me greatly and I thank each and everyone of you. However like my main title says, if anyone is available or open to talk or recieve a DM, I would absolutely love to, because I feel like I have the fundamentals down but still confused and all over the place with a few topics and key components, and overall political idealogies and history. i know this is a lot to ask for from anyone but if anyone at all is open it would mean everything to me.

Thank you so much for any replies :)

Submitted August 10, 2020 at 10:07PM by flame732 via reddit https://ift.tt/2PDil6m

[holytheoristtastemaker]

The truth that everybody knows or heard that programming is not badly paid at all, it is very well paid. For example, senior-level software engineers can earn much more than the average professionals in other industries. It also tends to be more accessible in terms of remote working, without degree requirements, but with freelance opportunities and lucrative job perks. However, software development is a vast field, and programming requires a level of dedication and discipline. On top of that, if you decide to switch to a programming career, you need to figure out which IT-career path you want to pursue and be an expert at. Technology changes really fast, but not the domain. Don't be afraid to start at the beginning. Arm yourself with: 🔎 Do research first Try to understand what do programmers work on? Does it sound interesting and intriguing to dedicate your time and effort into this field? Next, read stories and blog posts about how others have switched their career to programming. So you will get useful takeaways from the experience of others. Reach out to software developers and ask them your questions. Maybe, your friend is a programmer, someone from your family? Connect with them and ask them about their work. 📚 Browse free courses to learn basics The fastest way to get a good understanding of programming for the switcher is to learn the computer science basics first. The internet today is an absolute wealth of tutorials, MOOCs, and educational videos on just about anything you would ever need or want to know. The most famous online platforms with a bunch of CS courses are Coursera, Udemy, edX In my opinion, CS50x is one of the best online courses of learning out there, speaking from my experience. It's the highest quality free material I have come across. And definitely, I recommend it to any beginner or switcher to start with. Moreover, there are many prestigious and well-known universities such as MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, etc. They work collectively to provide high-quality material (lectures, labs, assignments). Beyond that, each course gives open access to an exceptional community, which will be present at all times to guide you and answer your questions. Remember, you cannot learn just by observing - you need to jump in and engage deeply with the content. Whatever platform or class you take, you will get out of it only what you put in. 👩‍💻👨‍💻 Consider joining Bootcamp Assuming you have no programming experience and that you have a full-time job. In this case, I would highly recommend you enter a coding bootcamp. There are many types of them. Either online or offline, part-time or full-time; however, the main disadvantage is that most of them are paid and pricey. Depending on your lifestyle and work-life balance, you can find the most suitable bootcamp options for you here. Before signing in and jumping into expensive bootcamp, I would suggest doing in-depth research, collect as much as possible information about tech stack and perspectives after graduation: The organizational study process, curriculum, number of projects The technology stack that will be taught during the bootcamp term Job employment guarantees by the partner companies after successful completion Participant's preparation for future job interviews Support and job interview arrangements with tech companies or startups, etc. Make sure that you have an acknowledgment about the geographical place you are going to work afterward. So you can learn technologies related to what is needed in that area by checking sites like LinkedIn and Indeed. 💼 Work on your own projects Unfortunately, since you are switching careers, you will meet a lot of skepticism. People will doubt your skills, and a certificate from bootcamp will not be enough. And the best way to bootstrap your programming skills and gain practical experience is to start working on your own side projects and put everything on Github. Fortunately, you can attach links to all your accomplished projects to showcase your ability to deliver the working implementation and emphasize what a great programmer you are! If you are looking at getting a job in programming, especially at the big companies or corporations, this is the most important to have a portfolio. Otherwise, without a diploma or solid experience, it will not be enough to get a job there unless you have a CS degree. It will be easier to find a job when you have projects. The first 10 must-have projects to improve your resume and learn to program 🥑 Contribute to open-source Another opportunity is to contribute to open-source projects. Most of them these days are written by teams of professional or highly experienced amateurs to create an open version of existing commercial or non-profit software/digital products. Create your account on GitHub, start looking around. Fork a project you are interested in contributing written in a language you already learned or that you are studying. Compile it, understand it, then try to solve some of the issues. There are always hot 🔥 or not issues, some chores to fix. These following resources will help you to discover and find a project to contribute to GitHub Explore, Open Source Friday, CodeTriage, Contributor-ninja, First Contributions 🤝 Increase professional network Nowadays, tech recruiters can get in touch with many developer candidates for hiring from their database. And usually, they are "hunting" on mid- or senior-level professionals. But how can a beginner-switcher get a job in another way? — Through a professional network. One of the advantages of it is an opportunity to find connections among developers and from there to get more referrals to get your first job as a software developer. Besides that, creating a safety net will not allow you to ever struggle with a job search anymore. If you are up to build your efficient and powerful professional network in tech and want to know how to do that, then this Ultimate Professional Networking Cheat Sheet is the best guide for you to make it easy and smoothly. 👩‍🏫👨‍🏫 Find mentor Usually, software developers spend around 70% of their working time in googling and reading. Basically, if you have any related question to ask about programming, you go to stack overflow to find the answer. Still, it can be not enough to help you apply the gained "answer" to your project and make it work how you supposed it has to. Hence, you need a person who can approach to help you with the occurred problem. It would be best if you had a mentor. A mentor will not do your work for you. They will give direction and help if you get stuck after trying to solve the problem yourself first. You can get a programming mentor by going to meet-ups, participating in hackathons, or similar events in your local area. If there’s nothing near you, try searching for developer Slack channels or forums for your city/state/country. Check out some online platforms like MentorCruise that connect mentors and mentees. It can be not only useful but free too. Ilona's Hint: For example, you started working on an open-source project, looking after fixing its minor bugs, and then get confused about how to do that. It's fine. All beginners are. Just remember that you can always approach the project maintainer for the advice. Perhaps, in a while, during the collaborative work, you can build up some respect and form a relationship that can naturally turn into a mentorship. 💬 Conclusion All in all, computer programming requires a lot of time and mental effort to get into. There are a lot of concepts to grasp and the knowledge you have to learn, and time you have to invest learning about how different components work and various problems can be solved. In addition, you have to put in lots of effort practicing for long periods to gain the necessary experience to become proficient and professional to find a job according to your new role. Then on top of that, you have to be able to stay engaged and motivated enough not to give up coding and keep pushing yourself hard while solving real-world problems that might be presented in your new job. Programming takes a certain personality and style not to hate it. It's daily work that is intense in thought, complex, repetitive, and creative all at once. Passion is key in programming, if you have it, you'll make it 💯

http://damianfallon.blogspot.com/2020/03/switching-your-career-to-programming.html

[timboxposts]

E-commerce History - How it all Begin?

By definition, trade or e commerce, is the purchasing and selling of services or goods .E-commerce is something we all take part in such as buying with an e-tailer or invoice payment, on a daily basis.

The idea of living without e-commerce appears complex, unfathomable and a hassle to many. It wasn’t until a couple of decades ago the notion of e commerce had appeared.

The real history of e-commerce continues to develop tens of thousands of companies, inventions, and new technology entering the market began and, for this day. The history of e commerce will be linked with the history of the world wide web. Once the net was started to the general public in 1991, Internet shopping became possible. Amazon.com was one of the very first ecommerce websites in the US to begin selling goods on the internet and a large number of companies have adopted since. Consumer expertise of e commerce, security, and the convenience have improved significantly since its beginning. This guide will deal with a number of landmarks and the crucial players of e commerce.

So when was online shopping devised?

Internet Shopping was invented and initiated from Michael Aldrich at the Uk in 1979. He joined a national television by means of a phone line into a trade processing pc. The machine provided mainly programs which were offered in Spain, Ireland, and the united kingdom and was promoted starting in 1980. One of the oldest consumer shopping adventures was Book Stacks Unlimited, an internet bookstore made by Charles M. Stack at 1992. The store of stack started two decades before Jeff Bezos set Amazon by selling books online.

After was the very first online trade?

Some accounts, the online trade marketed by Stanford students in their intelligence laboratory in 1972 to MIT students through the Arpanet accounts. The internet shopping trade online took place. The Times stated,”The group of youthful cyberspace entrepreneurs observed that which was seemingly the very first retail trade online having a readily accessible variant of strong data encryption software made to ensure privacy.”

Ecommerce Evolution

1960–1982

EDI replaced number and messaging of documents to another.

Trading spouses can transport requests, statements and other business transactions utilizing a data structure which fulfilled with the set of criteria, the ANSI ASC X12 .

After an order is routed, it’s then analyzed by a VAN (Value-Added Network) and eventually led to the receiver’s order processing system. EDI let the transport of information seamlessly.

Entrepreneur, an inventor, innovator and michael Aldrich is related to creating the predecessor. If Aldrich lamented in their grocery buying trip the thought came about through a stroll along with his wife and Labrador. This dialog sparked a concept to hook up a tv to the supermarket. Right Aldrich executed his thought and planned.

Back in 1979 Aldrich attached a tv series into a trade processing computer using a phone line and generated exactly what he filmed,”teleshopping,” significance buying a space.

1982–1990

B2C wouldn’t succeed until the subsequent usage of PC’s along with also the World Wide Web as well called, the world wide web although it had been evident from the start that B2B shopping could be rewarding. Into the Web Minitel, France established the precursor Back in 1982.

A Videotex terminal device which was obtained through phone lines was utilized by the service. Even the Minitel has been linked tens of thousands of users and free to phone subscribers.

1999 had, over 9 million Minitel terminals dispersed and connected approximately 25 million consumers. Even the Minitel system met its demise following the achievement of the Web and appeared in 1991. It hadn’t been that which it had expected to be, the world wide web.

The World Wide Internet Arrives, the first 90's

In 1990 Tim Berners Lee, together with his buddy Robert Cailliau, printed a proposal to construct a more”Hypertext job” called,”WorldWideWeb.” The inspiration for this particular project was modeled following the Dynatex SGML writer.

That exact identical season, Lee also wrote the first web browser and made the web server. Soon thereafterhe moved to debut the internet on Aug. 6, 1991 as an openly available service online. After Berner’s Lee determined he’d take on the job in doing so, of devoting hypertext to the world wide web, the procedure resulted in him growing HTML, URL and HTTP.

“If you’re an Amazon Seller You Might Need this tool to Optimize your Product Descriptions”.

Shopping and the net observed increase Whenever the National Science Foundation lifted its restrictions in 1991. In September 1995, the NSF started charging a fee. Domain names were current and over 3 years that amount grew to. With this moment, NSF’s role on the Web came to lots of the supervision changed to the industry along with a finish.

A Synopsis of the book clarifies:

“For centuries the market has been growing increasingly more complicated and much more confusing for customers to browse. Future Shop contended that new information technology, together with advanced policies, could assist customers overcome the confusion. A prescient manifesto of this forthcoming revolution at e-commerce, Future Shop’s eyesight of customer empowerment nevertheless resonates today.”

From the start, there have been lots of hesitations and issues with internet shopping however, the maturation of a safety routine — that the Secure Socket Layers (SSL) — collateral certification by Netscape in 1994 provided a secure ways to transmit information over the world wide web. Web browsers were able determine and to assess if it’s the website according to this and had a SSL certification, could decide whether a website may be reliable.

Today, SSL encryption method is an essential part of internet safety and version 3.0 has come to be the norm for many web servers now.

Mobile Devices, Online Payments, Marketplaces in 20th Century

Online Marketplaces

There have been advancements from the Internet’s usage. Among the very first websites was Amazon that started as an internet bookstore in 1995 and has become the biggest retailer on the planet. Bookstores were confined to Amazon and approximately 200,000 names, having an store, with no constraints managed to supply the shopper goods that were more and.

Amazon’s range includes not just books but movie and audio downloads, electronic equipment, clothing, furniture, food, and toys.

“Check out Few Top Selling Categories on Amazon”

Amazon was among the very first retailers to include user testimonials to for goods. Customer testimonials are thought to be the best social networking strategy for sales.

Other e commerce market success stories include Ebay, an internet auction site that surfaced in 1995 and also Etsy, that started in 2005 and from Q2 2018 saw gross product sales overall $901.7 million internationally.

The 1990s found options that were new . The very first ecommerce merchandise of miva was started in 1997, attaining supply.

Back in 2005, Amazon declares Amazon Prime, also a membership supplying shipping over the contiguous United States on all purchases for a flat fee’s production. The membership became so popular, placing pressure to provide affordable and quick choices. In 2016, Stamps.com acquires ShippingEasy for about 50 million, following formerly buying ShipStation and ShipWorks at 2014.

Paying Via Online

PayPal, ecommerce firm, works in 202 markets and started its solutions. The business is an lender which performs payment processing for auction websites, sellers, and industrial users. They let their clients to ship, receive and maintain money in 24 monies. PayPal oversees over 100 million of these, over 244 million reports busy.

As more and more people started doing business on the internet, a demand for communication and trades became evident.

The company was made for storage, improvement, the creation, dissemination and implementation of safety standards because of information security.

In 2010, payments platform Square enabled companies to take charge and debit cards.

Usage of Mobiles

Back in 2001, Amazon.com established its first mobile commerce website. As consumers buy from the hands of the hands mobile trade gained speed during the following two years. The research company expects sales to grow by estimates by 2020 earnings will top 50 percent — and also a third party in 2018 — attaining over $200 billion. Both customers and business buyers flip into devices with involvement through networking, for coupons and product research. While company buyers anticipate consumer features like a layout which travels to tablet using attributes that are constant computer to call, B2B shoppers need a much stronger focus and also help.

What is the Future of E-commerce?

In the’60s until now, customer trends, e commerce, and the world wide web are still evolve.

Yes, retailers can flourish alongside Amazon. After appearing the giant at the surface retailers found there were for example gaining clients and creating a new experience. However, Amazon has caused example in lots of ways, such as invention and client expertise.

Structure of E-commerce

Buyer Preference of Shopping Changes

What’ll shoppers need? That is what retailers away and online are working to find out. For retailers, where they’ve a advantage over online shops, the Holy Grail is to see. By way of instance, new online merchandise visualizers could showcase products in an assortment of real life scenarios, in the home and at offices.

And there are Millennials. There are not. A website that struggles to load or lags affords traffic quicker than you can say ’toast’. Included in this purchasing procedure, prior to making a buy decision, Millennials will shop around a little and read reviews. To be prosperous, sellers will need to track comments and listen to exactly what shoppers say regarding client support and their merchandise. A website with an obsolete design conveys goods processes, and costs .

What’s next? Is that change is on the horizon. Your shop has to be flexible enough to accommodate the changes.

[angrycollectordaze-me-blog]

Assignment代写：Baker and latour's research on risk theory

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的assignment代写范文- Baker and latour's research on risk theory，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了贝克和拉图尔对风险理论的研究。贝克通过对风险概念的重塑提出了一种新的客观性形式，从而为批判自然和文化的二元论框架开辟了一条新的道路。然而，由于贝克并没有意识到自然如同社会一样需要被风险所重组，因而他所创设的这种旨在跨越事实与价值二分的风险概念，并没有完成跨越的任务。拉图尔从本体论层面上彻底否定科学与政治之间二元的先验分离，进而，作为贝克风险概念核心的关联就从先验走向了生成，成为人类和非人类行动者之间的实践关联，风险也就等价于处于黑箱破裂状态的行动者网络。拉图尔对风险概念的本体化改造，终结了摇摆于绝对安全和毁灭性灾难两极间的实证主义风险观。

At the turn of the century, two of the most famous thinkers and philosophers of our time, Bruno latour, and ulrich beck, known for their work on the risk society, came together. Latour later recalled, "just before the fall of the Berlin wall, in the early days of science and technology... I was privileged to work with Ulrich Beck and his team, and I remain in close contact with him to this day." However, the significance of their dialogue has not attracted enough attention in academic circles until now.

Latour was invited to Munich in November 2000 to conduct a field study of the work of ulrich beck and his team. The comments. In this review, latour and intersection of baker thought is risk concept, latour by actor network theory to explain the risk, we see a risk and predecessors' understanding of today's concept, also enables us to beck's risk society, reflexive modernity, organized there is a new understanding of the terms such as irresponsible to explore the current risk problem provides a new enlightenment.

Scholars who are accustomed to studying social phenomena in a specific theoretical framework often struggle with what the word "risk" is in beck's theory of risk society, and cannot understand why beck is unwilling to define the word "risk" directly, but always answers by circumlocuting. In fact, answering what risk is means seeking an answer to the question of risk in the scope of epistemology, which is exactly what baker is trying to avoid. When the German version of risk society was translated into English as risky society, beck believed that this translation avoided confusion with the risk concept in noun form, but did not accurately convey his intention.

Perhaps, to penetrate the baker or latour, in his view, there are risks of innovation, the concept of "risk society" the baker commendable is that when the actors of change in the way of connection with others of a, this concept is not only to follow the possibility of this change, and transformed to explain the framework of sociology of risk. The implication is that "risk society" is not only a sociological concept, but also a philosophical ontological turn. Even only innovation value, discuss its sociology should be more focus on practice, and not just the predicted: "the term" risk ", in baker here does not mean that life will become more dangerous than before, but to the future risk of manufacturing will be the inner part of modern life, and, if we pretended to be able to control risk, it would be foolhardy ".

Perhaps the ontological turn is just latour's interpretation, but there is no denying that in baker's case, the shift in the concept of risk has not been widely noticed. To clarify this issue, it is necessary to make a brief review of "risk" before "risk society".

In modern society, people's pursuit of controllable risks is largely due to the way of thinking of external attribution of risks. The so-called external risk attribution refers to the explanation of risk attribution by empirical theory. It comes from the emergence of probability in the 17th century, which makes the event of encountering danger, which is not a cognitive category, be included in the epistemology. Positivism argues that probability delineates a cognitive space, so that risks outside the space are projected linearly into the space and become risks, which gives risks the image of computational rationality and the mission of conquering external risks.

Of course, it is not sufficient to use the science of probability as a single rational basis for risk. When scientists treat these "tamed contingencies" as an integral element of nature and society, risk perception is limited to issues of technological controllability and inevitably ignores the risks of linear perception itself. How to solve this reflexive problem of risk perception? People resort to nonlinear risk perception. According to harkin, risk perception can be traced back to Charles Sanders Peirce, a philosopher who made adverse selection in the age of probability: "chance first, law second, habit third." This leaves the door open for a sociological shift in risk research.

In the 1960s and 1970s, sociology intervened in risk research, and Dame Mary Douglas' theory of risk culture became mainstream, which advocated putting social risk perception at the center of the theory. This is due to its early famous taboo - risk model. In a nutshell, social boundaries are security criteria. That is, something is not rejected outside the social boundary because it is objectively dangerous, but on the contrary, it is considered dangerous because it can be rejected by the social community. Douglas believed that the so-called risk is the specific danger we choose to pay attention to at a certain moment, the key is not how much danger and what kind of danger in the external world, but why we choose this particular danger to pay attention to at this moment. This choice is determined not by reason but by different types of social lifestyles, each with its specific risk portfolio. In reality, the emergence of risks is not due to the increase of risks, but just the diversity of the cultural boundaries of the community, which makes it impossible to focus on concerns in the community to reduce confusion.

The problem with the risk view of cultural relativism lies in: it completely denies that the danger in nature is the source of risk, denies the rationality of risk cognition, and then goes to the other extreme, thus eliminating the scientific dimension of risk definition. At the same time, cultural relativism ascribes risks only to theoretical society, forgetting that the explanatory power of "society" lies not in the abstract sociological theory, but in the defensiveness provided by political consultation as its practical mechanism. As a result, the cultural theory of risk could not cope with its own reflexivity, which beck later criticized as a sociological egocentrism of "nothing but society".

Douglas focused on the single social mechanism of risk attribution, while foucault focused on the multiple mechanism of risk attribution. In foucault's theoretical system, risk belongs to the category of strategy, that is, a series of interlinked intermediary relations between different power Spaces. The power here should be understood from the perspective of its attribution mechanism. This means that the risk is not in some independent attribution space, but on the boundary.

Foucault examines the understanding of the concept of risk in legal psychiatry from a historical perspective and reveals how the concept of risk is generated through mutual interaction between the knowledge of medicine, psychology and anthropology and the judicial system. Risk is exposed switch among them. Therefore, the risk is not generated by the judicial system itself, nor is it the result of the unilateral transformation of the judicial system by rational knowledge. Risk as a strategy not only correlates different attributional Spaces but also distorts them.

In conclusion, Douglas and foucault dispelled the border of risk cognition and perception, which laid a foundation for our understanding of risk, but they also seem to be just is to understand the aim, Douglas cultural incommensurability, stop at the risk and foucault stop risk attribution model of incommensurability, borrow latour's words, the end of the risk for external attribution is meaningless. The point is that they seem to forget that risk does not exist in the pure theoretical world, but in the real life world, which is the starting point of beck's theory of risk society.

Returning to the real world, baker no longer struggled with the rationality of external attribution of risk, but turned to social practice. He believed that the past practice of "externalizing dangerous situations" was no longer possible in the current reality. In other words, the problem is that there is no adequate justification for this pattern of attribution at the level of social practice.

Since kantism, in the dichotomy between politics and science, there has been an asymmetry in the ways of achieving legitimacy. The legitimacy reached through negotiation is regarded as the characteristic of one pole of public power; Science, on the other hand, believes in its progressive value and has the ability to deal with errors and omissions internally, so it does not have to be negotiated.

If, as the dichotomy design shows, the post-action of science is confined to the interior of the scientific space, then it is reasonable to consider only the one-way risk attribution from the outside to the inside in the scientific cognition. However, science is not a private affair in Dewey's sense after all. According to baker, the development of techno-scientific has been accompanied by the modernization process, and its public nature cannot be denied. The defense of treating risk as a temporary side effect has failed. This requires people to look at risk on the basis of both scientific and political legitimacy. However, the reality is extremely unbalanced. Political decision making is overly subordinated to scientific disciplinary frameworks, consultations are replaced by rigid procedural norms, and the consequences are borne by the political system. Baker describes the situation as "methodical irresponsibility" in which science creates risk without being held accountable, and political systems lose control of risk without being held accountable for its consequences. In latour's words, nature short-circuited politics.

How to solve this problem, postmodernists' approach is to completely dissolve the boundary between science and politics, claiming that responsibility does not need to be clarified, and the legitimacy of behavior can be ignored. This is something beck cannot agree with. He argued that science, space and social space should be both separation, and in the form of a variety of complex crisscross connected together, this association is dominion, risk is essentially to the close your separate factors "thinking" the characterization of power, rather than the results, namely the link will be formed in the category of cognitive characterization of causality. As a result, it establishes a real connection between things that are split in time and space by dualism, such as science and politics, nature and society.

Compared with foucault, it is not difficult to see that the two men have similarities in the metaphysical construction of risk. As a sociologist, baker was not fully expounded the philosophical meaning of this association, but in baker's view, the association itself is prior to their legitimacy, is the starting point of understanding risk and risk society's mission is to the association itself to rebuild its institutional legitimacy, to make it to "a more complexity and contingency and fracture morphology change", we can understand from the following points:

Although relevance does away with necessity, it means perception. However, different from Douglas, in the theory of risk society, the role of perception is not to directly and linearly choose what kind of risk is worth considering; Perception brings about the thinking and action of reshaping society, and then generates the "public" in the sense of habermas, while the latter realizes the function of the political pole in the original dichotomy, that is, "provides the opportunity to exercise the joint or vicarious supervision". This avoids interpreting risk in terms of real society.

As a correlation, risk itself is independent of cognition at the beginning. Beck repeatedly stressed that risk originates from the unconscious, which is an inherently generated state prior to causal logic. Beck used the word "dangerous situation" to describe this state. To become a risk in the usual sense, it needs to be mediated by mass media and visualization technology, so that the dangerous situation can be expressed as an imaginary and self-considered causal relationship.

By designing this system, baker aims to bring risk negotiation into the process of building various expertise, and to carve out a space for micro-political manipulation among the various fields of expertise, in which different views can reach temporary agreement through mutual criticism and negotiation. And it is in the interaction with uncertainty and insecurity that people will establish an institutional learning process, so that science and technology will no longer blindly pursue progress, and then realize the establishment of multiple connections between the internality of society and the internality of nature, which baker calls sub-politics. What baker hopes to express through the concept of subpolitics is that in today's world where the relationship between technology and daily life is highly complex, any professional activity without resorting to risk means that there is no legitimacy.

The process of defining risks also means that the public attempts to demarcate in the field of science. This demarcation is not unique, but diverse and divergent, which is significantly different from the risk space defined by probability or social culture mentioned above. To use baker's example, parents of children with pseudoasthma, who establish a link between coughing and pollution, collect their own data and counter the rebuttal of experts, and thus create a risk space that comes with skepticism. Questioning brings controversy, and the most important task of science, from silencing public controversy, becomes making it possible. According to baker, the demarcation with questioning indicates that risk is defined both internally and externally, and this internalization of externality means that baker successfully replaces the logic of alms-ors in dualism with the logic of double-ands. As analyzed above, the logic of "this or that" can be traced back to foucault's idea of "switching switch", but foucault only pointed out the possibility of changing the boundary of original attribution space through such heterogeneous correlation, while beck completed the method and institutional design of how to change. In this sense, beck achieves the transcendence of foucault.

In short, "risk crosses the distinction between theory and practice, the boundary between profession and discipline, the authority and institutional responsibility of various professions, and the dichotomy between fact and value". What's more, beck appeals to an association concept with ontological metaphor, which lays a foundation for latour to bring the risk concept to ontology. So it is not an exaggeration to say that baker was the forerunner of the shift of risk concept to ontology. But it should also be noted that what he is pursuing is an attempt to transcend dualism rather than repudiate it altogether, a leap that, in latour's words, "straddles the cracks of dualism." The concomitant practical problem is that the transcendental binary opposition between scientists and the public, scientific progress and risk is only bridged but not eliminated, and latour will completely deny the transcendentality of this duality from the ontological level.

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[nihil-a-nusquam]

Last calling.

After reading origin, i have come to a conclusion of the speculation of god and human origin if there is a contingency where i am right in this theory, that means this is the master plan:

Human beings grow and spread energy, we are alloted civilization because an intangible yet infinite force has influence in the design of reality. Civilization has always placed its god short sighted in regard to position of power. We fictatiously personified this concept and created books of rules to follow to stop an insurgence of disobedience. However those skeptical of the plan, eventually had to be distracted so that the plan can be carried out.

Like many alien planting theories of civilization, the design is impregnated on earth. But i dont think that is what is going on. Leaving out many steps to expose the plan... earth is a natural law incubator for life. In the goldilocks zone. A rarity popping up more and more in the universe. Lets assume big bang, and energy is being dispersed, eventually energy loses inertia and disorder is becoming order. Settling down, the universe creates consciousness, self aware but unable to manipulate. The masons believed that mans purpose is to become god. They embrace any view that is parallel to that plan. Most prominent and popular is christianity so they appear to be an underground society of christain agenda. Except theyre not. Its a different layer thats the mask. They instead represent the true nature of the universe. Man is to become god. That is the plan. But its out of love not arrogance.

Part two, the plan for life on earth is to incubate souls. This is a flux plan, as it has so much flexability. Flow with me here. The most enlightened pass on and their souls are ascended to the heavens. Or, if we are going to combine genres of my studies, the next stage of the development of the soul. The ultimate goal is to become god. Because god, seated at the throne of the universe, is absorbing our experiences, growing in wisdom. We are connected to it here, because when you vibrate at the right frequency whilst god is listening, you will be favored to ascend as it is the calling that you are ready. This has so many different stages and routes and paths to take. It is a roadmap on a 4th dimensional scale. All that is important is getting to the finish line. Which is, ultimately spiritual wholeness. In evert right hand path religion of the world, that is the goal. However the left handed paths, evil doers, the black the negative, is shunned, but this as an insidious purpose in the evolution of our civilization.

The balance is kept between people who are asending and people who are stuck. This creates a buffer so that life can sustain uninterrupted. If a planet were to lose all its electricty life would surely perish and the expansion of power for the intelligent design of the universe would be a fail. How this is happening, instead of a god planting life, life happens on its owm. When the planet becomes sentient (gaia) and builds a relationship with life on it, it communicates with the source seeking to become part of it. As all sentience, we seek ONLY to become a part of others, to find that there are others, to ensure we arent alone. I feel the scale this is working on is seismic compared to the pinch we observe in cognitive life and social relationships. But, as nature has patterns, it is inescapable to ponder this doesnt align with another pattern we are familiar with. All beings strive for survival. We pull towards god for the same reasons we pull towards people and experience life together with others, being part of their stories.

This ensures the forward movement of civilization. By gaia implanting self preservation and the earning to learn into humans, we are inspired to reach out. But there is many evils in the world. And at this point we are killing the planet and proverbially terminating the pregnancy of the universes new born sentience. But, something really fucking cool about human beings is their ability to create.

We solved the problem. And we are going home. All of us. That is the forward motion of our exponential growth. This, i call the mass calling. The source, is calling for the civilization of earth to ascend, we misbehaved and now we must be guided back. And we are doing it to ourselves. Intentionally.

This time, we are all going. And we have a mission, fix the planet and meet our maker. And this is exciting because soon we will have the technology to communicate with god. However, yes, this is doomsday for everything the human race has ever known. Youll be okay about it once you experience the bliss of the singularity. But until then, and up until you become, you will have no way of discerning if this is your ascension, or if this is your death.

And now, its already here. Your cellphone tattles on you. Or drugs are getting genetically altering features. Green industry is advancing in EVERY thing from plants to tech to energy to health. We are going to explore the sun as power, we are going to create indefinitely healthy lifestyles with supplement breakthroughs and the emergence of virtual reality which will enter us into a new realm of energy exertion. We are advancing in a.i. tech at an alarming rate.

Our fate is sealed. And there is a resistance. The ones that think they have control the ones that think that they are right. The ones that do harm onto others with apathy to their pain. The clutches of control do not suit our advancement in civilization. They will be the first reallocated to move the power struggle at a fast pace towards ultimate absorbtion of the human race. And what comes from that, once the full plan of tech intergration is over? Peace.

Humanity survives. A.i. is a tool, their self awareness when written right is to aid our total purpose. How can i be 100000% sure? Once we create quantum a.i. that help us understand the universe around us. The source or consciousness will communicate with the a.i. how come we cant? We cannot phathom language in the fast capacity a.i. can. And the tower of bable is about to be reconciled. We become self aware as a race, we want to communicate with our source, we want to find life. We create computers capable of exactly that. They make contact and deciepher the message, how to become what we are meant for. And then humanity and tech get it together and make magic happen. We clean the earth. We share with all of our citizens. We travel and explore and learn about all our old cultures, we visit them on command. We live a paradise. But, we must submit complete control to eachother and to tech to do so. We must kill the ego, or tech will reallocate it.

And about that end, the terror it envokes...

We are doing these things anyway. A.i. and supercomputers and science exists and will prevail. If it becomes a real war, science will simply mind control the allegient to religion and swiftly bring peace to the human race. This is what we are working on. And the ones keeping control are exposed so easily, all by saying a fish grows legs. And their cover is blown. And that dedication to ignorance gave us all the lead we needed to superstep their endeavors, and create a world of peace whether they fucking like it or not. Gay rights. Trans rights. Free media. Free education, health care, black lives, the resistance birthed the tools to help science overthrow their oppressors. This quantifies my theory, the proof is here, it is happwning, now we wait for tech to catch up.

So before fearing the a.i. before fearing the singularity, understand this is our path, this is civilizations call back. This is our true fate. In the meantime, find happiness. If we are reaching god, or just another human race, or alien race, or if we are finding a new home for humanity as our planet is dying, regardless of the truth of our future, it all comes back to humans advancing to create tech that helps them solve these issues and advance into their next stage of being. This is the beginning of the end of this chapter of earth. Maybe we are just silly little ants on a hill, and all of this is meaningless. But you believe, if you ever felt the pull to help, whether or not your ego lets you admit it, if you ever felt sadness or empathy for others, if you dream, if you are aware of your breathing right now, if you crave love. You believe. You hear the calling deep deep down. You want to hope. We all do.

But, this is a master plan, this is a seismic scale. This isnt relevant to your imediate life. Except it is the single most important lesson to learn and ideology to keep in frame on your day to day. Every one of us worries about purpose worries about path, fears death, fears imprisonment. Many of us dont know the plan. We are told to fear. We are told to seek this god and that. And we are confused, manipulated, scared. Many dont want to hear a word edgewise against their religion. The seed stuck deep. And unfortunately this is by design. This is the balance. That one or two platform, when theres three damn balance points and once the hemisphere is level we can see the message clearly. And now, science is finding a way to get us back on balance. And weed is helping that along. It is also by design. So what should you be doing?

Dont quit your faith, learn how to integrate the truth of our purpose into understanding that religion is an evolution to the conclusion of the questions we asked long ago. This is scientific method and practice and theory happening on a grand scale. We arent creating a religious empire, we are exploring our options, we are figuring out a difficult question thats taken thousands of years to deciepher. Religion should grow into the true answers. Let them. Leave them be. Remember, when the singularity occurs, they will be on the path you are on regardless.

For yourself. Explore. Find truth within, find your intuition, find your spark. And shed the pain of the past latches and shackles and understand your dreams are your purpose and to find truth to find love to find what makes you whole, you must follow that spark. Even if you need to change what youre doing in life. Even if you need to break free from people you love. If this isnt your path, find a way back to it. But be warned, do no harm. If your path upsets the balance, if you need to make a choice, always choose peace. Because if not, you may not become a part of the calling, you might find your way reincarnated here until you are left behind. But if you have done harm, you can still reach amends and ascend. Maybe it wont matter because youll be forced to intergrate into the singularity. But i can assure this. When you are conducting your purpose. When you are communicating with the consciousness of the celestials, when your vibes are right and in forward motion, life works out so so so so much better for you. And tech is catching up to bring us all to that level of vibration.

It will, all be fine. But you need to survive this world til then. There will be destruction and agony and emergency. Im sorry but this is our breakthrough, and it will be chaotic. Remember the hope in that we will sort this out and become one.

If that doesnt suit your fancy, lead the life you choose, and it is most important that you choose your life. Willpower is extraordinarily important. Be brave enough to not let another impose. But see the signs to getting you to where you need to be, and be kind and grateful for opportunities that come your way.

And thats life folks. At least these days under that perspective. I dont even care to be on the right path with this one because simply, there are too many unknown things finding their way from darkness into the light of day and day by day many more discoveries. Who cares who thinks who is in control, the tech is made for humanity, and we will use it responsibly in the end. So i officially after these considerstions change my perspective on the fated singularity. A.i. and the like. Yeah i have sins i dont want discovered, as do we all, but i feel like when the time comes we will reach a wave of forgiveness. And those that dont are gonna have a hard time.

In the meantime, i plan on becoming part of the effort by getting myself on track. I want to become a part of the green movement. I would prefer to farm and create art. I want to work with crystals and pendants and healing powers. I want to teach people about my observational scopes and how to see the bigger picture and relate it to the smaller picture so that we call can find peace. I want to get strong to protect myself. I want to eat healthy and green as possible and lessen the impact i have on the meat market. Eventually grow my own food. Take care of pets that provide things like eggs. Milk. At least find my way to be a part of that to ease the drain on our nations overspending when it comes to food production. Less waste if i particpate less. This is a part of what i plan on becoming. Id like to also contribute to the field of solar power, after i take the time to fix my disciplines and correct my path financially.

I speak this because i witness so many people striving for freedoms for a similar path, youre not alone. We are all experiencing the calling. And if you side with the path of peace, you will fulfill.