#smart fitness solutions

[toxictoxicities]

Stop making Trafficlight so cute! I’m melting! I SWEAR I’m slowly converting (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)

I love how they interact so much. When they work on projects they're both contributing something meaningful to improve the product and achieve the best possible outcomes

Screenshot from this vid, it's fucken golden

[doctor-says-im-alright]

Just got told I cant be seen because I have Crazy UnCooperative Bitch Disease (paranoia). I also have Emotional Vampire Disease i.e trauma. :/

I think people would armchair diagnose bad people with cluster B disorders much less if psychiatric disorders hadn't all been given names by ableists who of course picked the traits most unberarable to "sane" people to name them rather than, you know, the ways it affects the people that have them. It's like, when doctors are all "this disorder gives you extremely low self esteem. and it's called the Selfish Fucking Asshole Disorder" or "this disorder makes you want to die so bad. and it's called the Hysteric Bitch Disorder" or "this disorder disconnects you from your peers. and it's called the Insane Evil Cunt Disorder" and so on and so forth, so of course you have people going "oh, this person is a selfish fucking asshole, they MUST have Selfish Fucking Asshole Disorder! this further proves that all people with this disorder are like that in the first place!" Do You See It

[whatsinmytrunk1]

Stay perfectly organized on every journey with our utility toiletry pouches, offering smart storage solutions tailored to fit all your essentials. .

[pergola-company-in-dubai]

Pergola vs Gazebo: Cost, Benefits, and Suitability for Your Garden

Explore the cost, benefits, and suitability of pergolas vs. gazebos for your garden. Get expert insights from top pergola builders and suppliers in UAE.

[equalonline]

Benefits of Having a Weighing Scale at Home

We use many gadgets in our daily lives for a variety of purposes. Our daily lives are enriched by weighing scales, which help us manage our weight conveniently at home. There are many advantages to using these machines, such as their efficiency, ease of use, and accuracy. With digital scales, you can easily plan your daily diet because they are simple to use. Weighing machines are therefore essential for everyone at home.

Weighing Scales: Reasons to Have Them at Home

In addition, using a weighing machine at home offers many advantages and conveniences. Weighing machines have the primary advantage of providing information about your body when you step on them. Moreover, you can measure your weight and other parameters from the comfort of your own home. Here are some of the benefits of having a weighing scale.

1. Poor Diet and Obesity

Obesity is an increasing trend among Indians, as most of us are aware. We all know that obesity has been linked to early death, stroke, heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, according to the CDC (Center for Disease Control). When it comes to our body weight, this is really something we need to keep in mind. A good habit is the key to resolving the problem. Weighing ourselves regularly should definitely become a daily habit when we discuss good habits. It only takes a few seconds!

However, it's not just about gaining weight. Even people without obesity have an increased risk of the above-mentioned health problems. Body constitutions change significantly as a result of poor dietary habits. It is possible to have a disproportionate amount of body weight without being obese. This is why it is so important to have regular checks of your total body weight. Having a body weighing machine at home makes this process simple. 

2. A System With Intelligence:

For their daily use, everyone prefers efficient and smarter products. It is therefore important to have a weighing scale at home. Your health can be monitored effectively with these devices thanks to their high accuracy. In addition, they are affordable and user-friendly, making them easy to use.

Moreover, using a home weighing machine will improve your mood and provide better control over your health when you are managing your weight at home. As a result, you can stay motivated for your fitness goals all the time with this intelligent device.

3. It Promotes Better Practices:

In comparison to traditional weighing scales, digital scales are more convenient to use. You can track your weight and other body parameters easily with their advanced technologies. You can learn new things and stay motivated for your fitness goals when you have a weighing scale at home. In addition, it encourages you to improve your habits, allowing you to concentrate on weight loss rather than other activities.

A weighing machine with advanced features allows you to track body weight, body fat, and BMI, as well as several other parameters that can help you improve your health. This is why it is a good idea to have a weighing scale at home.

4. Achieves Accurate Results:

Using weighing scales at home also provides accurate measurement results, which makes them a great option. Using high-precision sensors, the latest weighing machines measure body weight and other parameters precisely. In addition, they allow you to monitor your health more accurately after each measurement. You can also choose between kilograms and pounds when measuring weight, so you can easily switch measurement results.

A traditional weighing machine requires periodic scaling to provide accurate results. When used properly, advanced body weighing machines provide accurate results and are easy to use. Due to their design, they can withstand weight fluctuations while in use.

Conclusion:

Every household needs a weighing scale due to its effectiveness and benefits. Using these devices, you can easily track your body weight, body fat, and other vital parameters at home. In addition to being technologically advanced, they are also highly efficient. Aside from that, these machines support the weighing of ingredients in the kitchen when preparing delicious recipes. In conclusion, weighing scales make your life easier at home.

[t3technologies]

Embracing the Future: Your Friendly Guide to 2024's Most Exciting Mobile App Ideas

Let's embark on a journey into the future of digital experiences in the ever-evolving landscape of mobile technology in 2024. Mobile apps have evolved beyond being just tools; they've become companions shaping the way we live, work, and connect. In this blog designed with you in mind, let's explore a diverse range of groundbreaking mobile app ideas set to redefine our digital world in 2024.

Your All-in-One AI Personal Assistant:

Imagine having a digital companion that not only keeps your schedule in check but also learns your preferences, providing proactive suggestions. This comprehensive AI-powered personal assistant goes beyond mere reminders, seamlessly fitting into your life to boost productivity and offer personalized content recommendations.

Virtual Fitness and Wellness Buddy:

Prioritize your health and well-being with a virtual fitness and wellness coach. This app, blending augmented reality and AI, gives real-time workout feedback, personalized nutrition plans, and immersive wellness experiences, making healthy living engaging and accessible.

Living Sustainably with an App:

Live a sustainable lifestyle with an app that tracks and encourages eco-friendly practices. Receive tips on reducing your carbon footprint, monitor your achievements in eco-friendly living, and connect with like-minded individuals or local initiatives to contribute to a greener planet.

Your Secure Communication Companion:

Addressing your privacy concerns, this app uses blockchain for secure communication. Enjoy encrypted messaging, secure file sharing, and decentralized communication channels, ensuring your sensitive information stays protected in the digital realm.

Transforming Travel with Augmented Reality:

Elevate your travel experience with an augmented reality travel guide. Access real-time information, historical insights, and interactive maps simply by pointing your smartphone at landmarks. Every trip becomes an immersive adventure with this innovative app.

Taking Charge of Your Finances:

Take control of your finances with a holistic personal finance wellness app. Using AI, it analyzes spending patterns, offers personalized savings strategies, and provides insights into investment opportunities, promoting financial well-being.

A Virtual Workspace for Team Collaboration:

Adapt to the rise of remote work with a collaborative virtual workspace app. Featuring virtual whiteboards, real-time document collaboration, and AI-driven project management, this app redefines the digital office space and enhances team collaboration.

Simplifying Urban Life:

Simplify your urban life with a parking space finder app. Easily locate and reserve parking spaces in busy areas, reducing the hassle of finding a spot and minimizing traffic congestion.

Contributing to Social Responsibility:

Contribute to social responsibility with a food donation app. Connect restaurants, supermarkets, and individuals with surplus food to local charities and community organizations, combating food waste and helping those in need.

Enhancing Workplace Communication:

Enhance workplace communication with an employee communication app. Streamline internal communication, facilitate team collaboration, and provide a platform for employees to stay connected, fostering a cohesive work environment.

Seamless Grocery Shopping:

Experience a new level of convenience with a grocery delivery app. Enjoy personalized shopping experiences, AI-driven recommendations, and doorstep delivery, making grocery shopping a seamless and enjoyable task.

Breaking Language Barriers:

Break language barriers with a voice translation app. Enable real-time translation of spoken words, fostering seamless communication among individuals who speak different languages, whether traveling or connecting with diverse communities.

Personalized Content Consumption:

Revolutionize content consumption with an app that uses AI algorithms to curate personalized content. Enjoy a tailored and engaging entertainment experience, discovering new content based on your preferences.

Efficient Supermarket Checkout:

Simplify your shopping experience with a supermarket checkout app. Scan and pay for items with your smartphone, eliminating traditional checkout queues and bringing a new level of efficiency to your grocery shopping routine.

Redefining Travel Planning:

Redefine travel planning with an app offering personalized itineraries, real-time travel information, and AI-driven recommendations. Make your journey seamless and enjoyable with this travel planner app.

Your Dream Wedding Planner:

Plan your dream wedding effortlessly with a wedding planner mobile app. Organize every aspect, from budgeting to vendor selection, ensuring your special day is as magical as you've always imagined.

Conclusion:

The mobile app landscape of 2024 promises an array of tools to enrich your life. Whether simplifying daily tasks, promoting sustainability, or fostering seamless communication, these user-friendly and innovative mobile app ideas are set to shape the digital landscape in the years to come. Embrace the future of technology, and stay tuned for exciting developments in the dynamic world of mobile applications!

[xcrino1]

The Xcrino GYM Management Guide offers comprehensive insights into efficiently managing your gym facility. From member registration and scheduling to equipment tracking and billing, streamline operations with our smart solutions for enhanced productivity and member satisfaction.

[twenty-qs]

Everything between Jayce and Viktor can really be traced back to their childhood inciting incidents and it’s killing me.

Jayce: a miracle saves him and his mom, forever imprinting him with the certainty that miracles do exist, they can be controlled, he can save his loved ones no matter how awful things get, if he can just be smart and bold and quick enough.

Viktor: he saw the horror of what Singed had done—of forcing a creature to live against its will, of the degradation and terror of being fundamentally changed. For a while he thought he understood Singed, when he decided that he was willing to throw away all his principles to survive his own body. But he didn’t, really. He didn’t understand. There was still a line he would not cross. He wanted to die human.

It’s fitting, then, and unspeakably tragic, that Jayce is the one who played Singed’s role in the end. Because you can’t ask Jayce to let a loved one go, when he knows there’s a miracle that can save him, the solution is right there, it will work if you will just let him try—and so he forces a change onto Viktor against his will. He traps him into the Arcane, takes apart and reassembles his body, strips him of his selfhood and humanity. All so that Viktor will live. Singed wasn’t talking about the desperation not to die—he was talking about the desperation not to lose someone you love.

And so Viktor is…changed. He lives, whether he wants to or not.

And so Jayce loses him anyway.

[angelyuji]

ford pines dating headcanons

18+!!! minors dni!!

cw // sexual content under the cut

cutie patootie

FIT AS FUCKKKKK

writes about you in his journal like first time he sees you, first date, every single thought about you? journaled!!

he wanted to ask you out but he was sooo nervous you would reject him, especially considering how young and pretty you are

he was scared you would laugh at him for trying

so he didn’t try :(

so when you showed up at the mystery shack and asked him out to dinner, he would’ve jumped for joy

“you-you’re asking me? on a date?” ford stares at you, mouth open. you tilt your head in confusion and ford almost melts. he clears his throat, “i-i would love to, (y/n). thank you.” ford blushes.

your first date was cute, he was so flustered and so nervous

i feel like he calls you by your name, sometimes by your last name, sometimes like ms/mr. last name. idk he’s silly like that

HE loves pet names tho, he lovessss pet names

when you call him love, baby, sweetheart, anythingggg he loves it

he especially loves when you call him sir like in any context

idk he’s silly like that :)

literally the sweetest man in the world

constantly thinking about you and talking about you

constantly creating new things/inventions for you

he would start writing up the mock-up of a project or an experiment and start thinking about you and then end up making something he thinks you’d like

sooo down bad for u dude, would give you the world if you asked

i feel like bill would find his love for you either fascinating or be so insanely jealous that you’ve got ford wrapped around your finger like that’s his man

imo the only solution is a threesome

WHAATTT WHO SAID THAT…. some of these artists draw bill so fine that i cant help it

he loves when you’re passionate about something! it doesn’t have to be mysteries and monsters, but just something that makes you yap (but he also loves when you listen to him talk, he’s more of a talker than a listener but he will listen to you)

yk that scene in those cliché romcoms… idk how to describe it so ill just put it into dialogue

‘gorgeous’ ford hums as you talk, the way your lips move, your expressions, everything hypnotizes him. ‘gorgeous’ he can’t help, but be enamored with you. you’re smart, kind, and passionate. “gorgeous” you stop and look at him.

“thank you?” you tilt your head at his words and his eyes went wide. he sputters as you laugh.

can have moments of smooth talk and flirting but the moment you reciprocate, he’s red in the face and stuttering

need him carnally, need him ways that even god will not allow me into heaven

switch!!!

he can do both i fear

he’s okay with you on top or him, definitely depends on his mood

like i said, FIT AS FUCK, whatever he’s been doing in that portal has treated him well

not insecure about his body more insecure about his lack of experience

he never talks about it about the stuff from before

he did a lot of research in positions, toys, and stuff like that

you had to tell him to calm down and take it slow

he’s more into giving pleasure than receiving

he wants you to feel good more than he wants to feel good

if you feel good, he feels good ykwim?

hes sooo pathetic tbh like begging, pleading, to eat you out like he wants it so bad

his glasses would fog up as you guys make out and he whips them off like sung-hoon does in business proposal

honestly that entire scene in business proposal?? ford.

hgnhhghghgngngnhgn i need him i feel ill

[bvidzsoo]

Stern, but sweet

✎ Teacher!San ✎

TW: nothing, just San being soft and hansome

Word count: 1.2k

A/N: Helleur, lovelies! As you can see, those pictures are from San's latest YouTube live, which means I was inspired by it (dies). Also, it's the first time San bias wrecked me and I sincerely hope it stays that way, I've already got 3 official wreckers (dies again). Idk what this is, but he gave me cute aggression and at the same time the need to crawl up a wall...how is that possible? Anyways, enjoy, feedback is always welcomed!

so, you had been working at this school for a year now and you absolutely loved your job

the kids are lovely and you happened to grow attached to them quite fast, wanting to ensure they got the adequate education

but when it comes to your colleagues, well, they are quite boring

most of them are well past the age of 40 and they prefer going straight home after work, most of times refusing your invitations for a dinner between co-workers

and it also doesn't help much that you're a lot younger than most, making you feel left out when you hear them conversing about topics that you're either not interested in or just simply don't understand, like: raising children and maintaining a family at home

but when one of the homeroom teacher moves away and the school is in a frenzy to find someone fit for the job, a man around your age seems to confidently accept the challenge

Choi San, is his name

and my lord, when I tell you he's absolutely ravishing with his sharp eyes and soft looking skin

he looks like someone who would discipline you at the slightest misbehavior, and you don't know how to feel about it at first

but then he smiles and those cute dimples in his cheeks make you absolutely swoon over him, his aura so warm and lovely

you've come to know that Choi San is a man with a colorful personality

in his own class, he's very authoritative and stern, he doesn't allow his students to slack, and he doesn't accept any excuses as to why they haven't done their math homework

but San is an amazing teacher, and despite his subject being math, which many students tend to hate, those who he teaches just simply can't wait for his class to come

despite being stern and quite serious, he always cracks harmless jokes while explaining the hardest equations and theories, lightening the mood, and also helping the students focus

they love San in and outside of the classroom

whenever they have a problem, they know they can go to him as he will listen, giving them smart advice instead of rolling his eyes at them and telling them to get lost (like their last homeroom teacher had done so many times)

when there's a conflict, he first listens to both sides and then comes up with a solution (or punishment) that is fair and doesn't favor a student (like their previous homeroom teacher had done quite often)

but San, with his positive and warm energy, seems to also light up your office, the grumpy older teachers laughing a bit more often, a lot more open-minded with San here now

and well, you're a simple woman and you can't really help yourself when you start swooning over him (of course, when he's not watching you or paying attention to you) about just how perfect, and dreamy, he actually is

San was the one to approach you, and you quite liked that as he talked to you freely as if you had known each other for ages

you feel your most authentic self around him, never having to worry that he'll judge you or make fun of you behind your back (like you have caught a few of your fellow co-workers doing so before)

and seriously, San is just so good with children, that you can't help yourself as you develop a crush on him rapidly

and you hope he doesn't notice the way you gaze at him longingly when he's explaining something thoroughly to his students, or pats them on the head as encouragement, or even brings them candy so he can give it as a reward when they excel on their tests

and you certainly hope he doesn't see the way you stare at him for minutes at a time when you're both in your office, your cubicles next to each other, him busy typing on his computer and you busy...well staring at San

and you definitely do not absolutely die when one Friday he asks if you're doing anything later that night, eager to go to the new Amusement Park, saying he was thinking of inviting a few other colleagues as well since he's on good terms with them

you hate Amusement Parks, but if San loves them, well...you might grow to dislike them a little less

and so you definitely do not dress up all cute and spend two hours on your makeup and hair just because San invited you (and your colleagues, but you tend to ignore that part) out

what the two of you absolutely do not expect is for your colleagues to bail on you last minute, all of them saying the same excuse, "something came up, but we should go next time"

and perhaps you die a little on the inside, because you suddenly realize just how of an awkward person the both of you are, blushing and quickly avoiding eye contact when you catch the other one already looking

you don't want to tell San that you're afraid of heights and anything that goes with high speed when he points excitedly at the large roller-coaster, telling you how he's been waiting all day to go on it

you say nothing, you suck it up, because you're an adult and this is your work crush, and perhaps because the way San has been paying attention to you all evening, keeping people away from your body in the crowd as you moved around, or how without touching you, would hold his arm out behind your back when someone walked too close, made you feel rather comfortable in his presence

so, you brace yourself for the ride and certainly don't tremble as San helps you inside the cabin, sitting down next to you

once you're tied up and secured inside of it, is when you start praying to all Gods to give you strength so that you don't lose your mind during the ride

what you don't expect is San noticing how nervous and pale you are, grabbing your hand and interlacing your fingers with his as the ride takes off, making you clutch onto his hand for dear life

and the ride is so much fun that you're surprised how much you're enjoying it, but perhaps it's also because San keeps making you laugh and keeps talking to you, holding onto you

what you don't expect, once again, is him not letting go of your hand once you get off the ride, and instead he pulls you towards a photobooth, saying he wants to commemorate tonight's 'date'

oh, and you certainly don't faint when San decides to press a kiss against your cheek as the camera goes off for the last photo

seems like your work crush was crushing back on you, huh?

(seems like all of your coworkers knew about it and cancelled last minute on purpose as they've been secretly shipping the two of you and making bets about when you'd finally start dating)

Masterlist

↳ Perm. taglist: @jjoongstar @tinyelfperson @thestarskiller

❀ complete the forms if you're interested! ^^

[hamletteprinceofdenmark]

One of my favourite things about Tubbo and how he rp’s is that he’s simultaneously completely unassuming and ridiculously intimidating.

The guy has barely been here a week and has already demonstrated how crazy knowledgeable he is about the create mod, and how dedicated he is once he has a project on the brain.

The most common comment he got while he was building his base was “wait … you’ve done all this already? You’ve only been here a couple of days.”

And yet he carries with him such a completely non-threatening air (until he doesn’t 👀) that most people — despite knowing how competent and smart he is — let their guard down around him and underestimate him.

He’s just Tubbo. He’s doing his own thing. Don’t worry about him. Ha ha. The Tubbo Chunk. Isn’t he silly?

Until he asks Cucurucho all the right questions. Until Fit lets slip something to him he’s literally told no one else but Ramon. Until Tubbo keeps breaking and breaking and breaking rules and find new loopholes and back doors, not maliciously, not even necessarily with intent, but because he is so solidly practical that he will think of solutions to problems no one else has anticipated, simply because he wants to do something and he’s a problem solver. He will find a way. And by God, he will use a nuke to get there. Literally just give him the excuse. Make his day.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

American education has all the downsides of standardization, none of the upsides

Catch me in Miami! I'll be at Books and Books in Coral Gables on Jan 22 at 8PM.

We moved to America in 2015, in time for my kid to start third grade. Now she's a year away from graduating high school (!) and I've had a front-row seat for the US K-12 system in a district rated as one of the best in the country. There were ups and downs, but high school has been a monster.

We're a decade and a half into the "common core" experiment in educational standardization. The majority of the country has now signed up to a standardized and rigid curriculum that treats overworked teachers as untrustworthy slackers who need to be disciplined by measuring their output through standard lessons and evaluations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Core

This system is rigid enough, but it gets even worse at the secondary level, especially when combined with the Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which adds another layer of inflexible benchmarks to the highest-stakes, most anxiety-provoking classes in the system:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Placement

It is a system singularly lacking in grace. Ironically, this unforgiving system was sold as a way of correcting the injustice at the heart of the US public education system, which funds schools based on local taxation. That means that rich neighborhoods have better funded schools. Rather than equalizing public educational funding, the standardizers promised to ensure the quality of instruction at the worst-funded schools by measuring the educational outcomes with standard tools.

But the joke's on the middle-class families who backed standardized instruction over standardized funding. Their own kids need slack as much as anyone's, and a system that promises to put the nation's kids through the same benchmarks on the same timetable is bad for everyone:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/11/28/give-me-slack-2/

Undoing this is above my pay-grade. I've already got more causes to crusade on than I have time for. But there is a piece of tantalyzingly low-hanging fruit that is dangling right there, and even though I'm not gonna pick it, I can't get it out of my head, so I figured I'd write about it and hope I can lazyweb it into existence.

The thing is, there's a reason that standardization takes hold in so many domains. Agreeing on a common standard enables collaboration by many entities without any need for explicit agreements or coordination. The existence of the ANSI/SAE J563 standard automobile auxiliary power outlet (AKA "car cigarette lighter") didn't just allow many manufacturers to make replacement lighter plugs. The existence of a standardized receptacle delivering standardized voltage to standardized contacts let all kinds of gadgets be designed to fit in that socket.

Standards crystallize the space of all possible ways of solving a problem into a range of solutions. This inevitably has a downside, because the standardized range might not be optimal for all applications. Think of the EU's requirement for USB-C charger tips on all devices. There's a lot of reasons that manufacturers prefer different charger tips for different gadgets. Some of those reasons are bad (gouging you on replacement chargers), but some are good (unique form-factor, specific smart-charging needs). USB-C is a very flexible standard (indeed, it's so flexible that some people complain that it's not a standard at all!) but there are some applications where the optimal solution is outside its parameters.

And still, I think that the standardization on USB-C is a force for good. I have drawers full of gadgets that need proprietary charger tips, and other drawers full of chargers with proprietary tips, and damned if I can make half of them match up. We've continued our pandemic lockdown tradition of my wife cutting my hair in the back yard, and just tracking the three different charger tips for the three clippers she uses is an ongoing source of frustration. I'd happily trade slightly sub-optimal charging for just being able to plug any of those clippers into the same cable I charge my headphones, phone, tablet and laptop on.

The standardization of American education has produced all the downsides of standardization – a rigid, often suboptimal, one-size-fits-all system – without the benefits. With teachers across America teaching in lockstep, often from the same set texts (especially in the AP courses), there's a massive opportunity for a commons to go with the common core.

For example, the AP English and History classes my kid takes use standard texts that are often centuries old and hard to puzzle out. I watched my kid struggle with texts for learning about "persuasive rhetoric" like 17th century pamphlets that inspired anti-indigenous pogroms with fictional accounts of "Indian atrocities."

It's good for American schoolkids to learn about the use of these blood libels to excuse genocide, but these pamphlets are a slog. Even with glossaries in the textbooks, it's a slow, word-by-word matter to parse these out. I can't imagine anyone learning a single thing about how speech persuades people just by reading that text.

But there's nothing in the standardized curriculum that prevents teachers from adding more texts to the unit. We live in an unfortunate golden age for persuasive texts that inspire terrible deeds – for example, kids could also read core Pizzagate texts and connect the guy who shot up the pizza parlor to the racists who formed a 17th century lynchmob.

But teachers are incredibly time-constrained. For one thing, at least a third of the AP classroom time seems to be taken up with detailed instructions for writing stilted, stylized "essays" for the AP tests (these are terrible writing, but they're easy to grade in a standardized way).

That's where standardization could actually deliver some benefits. If just one teacher could produce some supplemental materials and accompanying curriculum, the existence of standards means that every other teacher could use it. What's more, any adaptations that teachers make to that unit to make them suited to their kids would also work for the other teachers in the USA. And because the instruction is so rigidly standardized, all of these materials could be keyed to metadata that precisely identified the units they belonged to.

The closest thing we have to this are "marketplaces" where teachers can sell each other their supplementary materials. As far as I can tell, the only people making real money from these marketplaces are the grifters who built them and convinced teachers to paywall the instructional materials that could otherwise form a commons.

Like I said, I've got a completely overfull plate, but if I found myself at loose ends, trying to find a project to devote the rest of my life to, I'd be pitching funders on building a national, open access portal to build an educational commons.

It may be a lot to expect teachers to master the intricacies of peer-based co-production tools like Git, but there's already a system like this that K-8 teachers across the country have mastered: Scratch. Scratch is a graphic programming environment for kids, and starting with 2019's Scratch 3.0, the primary way to access it is via an in-browser version that's hosted at scratch.mit.edu.

Scratch's online version is basically a kid- (and teacher-)friendly version of Github. Find a project you like, make a copy in your own workspace, and then mod it to suit your own needs. The system keeps track of the lineage of different projects and makes it easy for Scratch users to find, adapt, and share their own projects. The wild popularity of this system tells us that this model for a managed digital commons for an educational audience is eminently achievable.

So when students are being asked to study the rhythm of text by counting the numbers of words in the sentences of important speeches, they could supplement that very boring exercise by listening to and analyzing contemporary election speeches, or rap lyrics, or viral influencer videos. Different teachers could fork these units to swap in locally appropriate comparitors – and so could students!

Students could be given extra credit for identifying additional materials that slot into existing curricular projects – Tiktok videos, new chart-topping songs, passages from hot YA novels. These, too, could go into the commons.

This would enlist students in developing and thinking critically about their curriculum, whereas today, these activities are often off-limits to students. For example, my kid's math teachers don't hand back their quizzes after they're graded. The teachers only have one set of quizzes per unit, and letting the kids hold onto them would leak an answer-key for the next batch of test-takers.

I can't imagine learning math this way. "You got three questions wrong but I won't let you see them" is no way to help a student focus on the right areas to improve their understanding.

But there's no reason that math teachers in a commons built around the (unfortunately) rigid procession of concepts and testing couldn't generate procedural quizzes, specified with a simple programming language. These tests could even be automatically graded, and produce classroom stats on which concepts the whole class is struggling with. Each quiz would be different, but cover the same ground.

When I help my kid with her homework, we often find disorganized and scattered elements of this system – a teacher might post extensive notes on teaching a specific unit. A publisher might produce a classroom guide that connects a book to specific parts of the common core. But these are scattered across the web, and they aren't keyed to the specific, standard components of common core and AP.

This is a standardized system that is all costs, no benefits. It has no "architecture of participation" that lets teachers, students, parents, practitioners and even commercial publishers collaborate to produce a commons that all may share and improve upon.

In an ideal world, we'd get rid of standardization in education, pay teachers well, give them the additional time they needed to prepare exciting and relevant curriculum, and fund all our schools based on need, not parents' income.

But in the meanwhile, we could be making lemonade of out lemons. If we're going to have standardization, we should at least have the collaboration standards enable.

I'm Kickstarting the audiobook for The Bezzle, the sequel to Red Team Blues, narrated by @wilwheaton! You can pre-order the audiobook and ebook, DRM free, as well as the hardcover, signed or unsigned. There's also bundles with Red Team Blues in ebook, audio or paperback.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/16/flexibility-in-the-margins/#a-commons

[co-dependance]

I’ve seen people talk about the main theme of the owl house being acceptance, and I think they’re completely right about that. But I haven’t really seen anyone look at the sub themes depicted in the show around the acceptance theme.

Specifically how the owl house is really advocating for child autonomy. Specifically in the ways of discipline, showing that communicating and talking with children ends up being a lot more beneficial and effective than punishing them.

The most obvious example comes with the collector, where instead of talking to him, King’s dad punished the kid by putting him in essentially time out, for the actions of his siblings. Which he would’ve learned if he had talked to the collector. And then following that, every interaction before talking with Luz, has the collector being used or placated in some way instead of being treated like an actual child due to the amount of power he has. The titan trappers revering him as some sort of god, Belos manipulating him, and even king attempting to appease the collector, instead of really talking to him. Though for king it’s a bit more understandable. Even so, the show showcases the collector’s change only after he’s talked to like a person, and then shown why his views were wrong.

Luz, who’s the main focus of the show, has her character arc and journey centered around being punished for her not fitting in at school. And while, yes, some of Luz’s antics that were shown seemed to be legitimately dangerous, the real solution would’ve been to talk with her and teach her about safety and why bringing wild animals and fireworks into a school building is dangerous. It should have also been that Luz should be able to talk and negotiate with her teacher about what would be acceptable for her projects with her endless creativity. The solution was not to essentially punish Luz for being creative, and what that only did was make her feel worse about herself and more isolated from the people she thought would be on her side. And then we were shown in thanks to them and for the future, Camilla’s growth into understanding that not talking to Luz about this, and essentially forcing her into normality, was not the way to go about things.

And we see this theme again, with Willow forced into the abomination track because her parent’s thought that was what was best for her, until she was able to showcase her skills and switch to what she was actually good at. Alador realizing he missed a lot of Amity’s growth by not talking to her, and then making it up to Amity by letting her set the boundaries and reestablishing their relationship. Odalia being controlling and not listening to her children which lead to actively harming their social development, until she was confronted and then shut out. Belos manipulating Hunter, isolating him, and abusing him, not even listening to what he had to say. And all of these situations were made better and more bearable when they were given the chance to take charge and be heard.

All this, in an attempt to showcase that children can be vulnerable and malleable, but they are also smart and understanding. And instead of deciding what a child needs, it’s important to communicate with the child instead, asking what they need and listening to what they’re saying. And implementing that by guiding and supporting them, not attempting to control them to what someone else thinks is right.

Children are smart and observant, they just need to be taught how to communicate, and viewed and thought of as actual human beings.

In a way, the owl house is attempting to advocate for it’s audience, and that’s beautiful.

[enbysiriusblack]

things about the marauders i think should be explored more by the fandom:

sirius' love for motorbikes (him being drawn to a muggle creation, but specifically a muggle creation that has connotations to ideas of rebellion and freedom and alt culture, but also he then adds magical components to his bike, like he is not only interested in muggle culture but in combining the two and learning from both worlds, as well as showing his creative side)

the way remus talks/thinks about other werewolves (i think we want him to be fighting for werewolf rights and supporting other people like him, etc. but he does adhere and adjust who he is in order to fit into the wizarding world and does look down on other werewolves don't conform. and it is so interesting to explore that and the depths that that goes, and whether he does actually think like that, or just says that stuff to further fit in himself)

sirius having his own apartment at 17 (he's a rebellious, troublemaking teenager with his own place. shenanigans galore guys.)

lily giving slughorn a petal that turned into a fish as a present (it's obvious why slughorn like her- hardworking/smart/talented in potions, but lily clearly liked him if she gave him a thoughtful present. why?? it's very obvious slughorn picks favourites and shows off the famous ex-students he 'mentored', why would she like him?? did he help her adjust in first year? did she let him spend breaktime practicing potions in his classroom? was it purely because he thought she was talented and she was being favourited by him?)

sirius not destroying the portrait of his mother (there was a sticking charm to it, but there are ways around it. and him 'not coming up with muggle solutions' I've seen as an excuse on why, doesn't make sense since he's extremely smart and knows quite a bit about muggles. so is there still a glimpse of love towards her despite everything? did she feel the same to him?)

peter's death (what does that say about him as a character? in hesitating to harm harry, is there still care towards james and lily? or regret? did he look at harry and see james? the idea of him being killed by his hand, is interesting in thinking about peter as a puppet, perhaps manipulated in every action he takes? or forced to always be the right hand to someone else?)

[pergola-company-in-dubai]

Pergola vs Gazebo: Cost, Benefits, and Suitability for Your Garden

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[equalonline]

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