#technological impact

[omegaphilosophia]

Voices and Pages: Navigating the Pros and Cons of Oral and Written Communication

In the vast tapestry of human communication, two fundamental threads have woven intricate patterns throughout our history: the spoken word and the written script. Both modes of expression, oral and written, bear their unique strengths and weaknesses, shaping the ways we share information, preserve culture, and advance as societies.

Oral Communication: The Power of Spoken Words

Advantages:

1. Immediate Impact: The spoken word carries an immediacy that written language often lacks. In face-to-face interactions, nuances of tone, pitch, and rhythm enrich the message, fostering a deeper connection between speaker and listener.

2. Dynamic Adaptation: Orality allows for real-time adjustments. A speaker can gauge the audience's reactions and tailor their message accordingly, ensuring comprehension and engagement.

3. Cultural Tradition: Many cultures have passed down their histories, myths, and wisdom through oral traditions. Storytelling, poetry, and oral epics are integral to preserving the essence of diverse cultural narratives.

Disadvantages:

1. Ephemeral Nature: Spoken words are transient, existing only in the moment. Once uttered, they often fade into the recesses of memory, unless intentionally recorded or passed down through generations.

2. Limited Reach: Oral communication has geographic limitations. It primarily serves immediate, local audiences, making it challenging to convey complex information across vast distances without distortion.

3. Subject to Interpretation: The absence of a fixed script can lead to misinterpretations. The same oral narrative might be recounted differently by different individuals, introducing variations and potential inaccuracies.

Written Communication: Unveiling the Power of the Written Word

Advantages:

1. Permanent Record: Written language creates a lasting record. From ancient scrolls to digital archives, written communication preserves knowledge, allowing it to transcend time and be shared widely.

2. Precision and Clarity: The written word allows for precise expression. Authors can carefully craft their messages, providing clarity and reducing the likelihood of misinterpretation.

3. Global Reach: With the advent of written languages and translation technologies, written communication can traverse continents, enabling the dissemination of information on a global scale.

Disadvantages:

1. Lack of Immediacy: Unlike oral communication, written messages lack immediacy. Responses are not instantaneous, potentially impeding dynamic, real-time exchanges.

2. Fixed Expression: Once written, a text is static. It remains unchanged unless intentionally edited. This lack of adaptability can be a drawback in situations that demand flexibility.

3. Potential for Misinterpretation: Despite efforts to be precise, written communication is susceptible to misinterpretation. Readers bring their own perspectives and experiences, influencing how they understand written words.

In the ongoing evolution of communication, the interplay between oral and written forms continues to shape our understanding of the world. Whether spoken in the heat of the moment or etched onto pages for posterity, each mode carries its significance, contributing to the rich tapestry of human expression.

[theadaptableeducator]

Beyond Conquest: Embracing Sustainable Alternatives to Colonialism, Nationalism, Imperialism, and Capitalism

Josiah Warren was a notable American individualist anarchist and social reformer who critiqued existing societal structures and advocated for more equitable and sustainable alternatives. To discuss the interconnectivity and unsustainability of colonialism, nationalism, imperialism, and capitalism, and to propose sustainable alternatives, let’s delve into each concept and Warren’s…

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

Kaveh is like this close to committing a sin with Mehrak, like he's playing a really dangerous game. It's just a matter of time Mehrak gets even more sentient when it's already this far. I know Kaveh keeps it in check, but man... I hope they'll talk about this one day. Either that or Kaveh will always brush it off, as if he didn't get some ancient core to build it??? Also, I always love your thoughts, thanks for loving these two so much!

hiya! thank you for your ask! i'm so glad you enjoy my posts :") <3 Mehrak’s existence is so ??? funny to me. we have tighnari’s story quest detailing the akademiya’s ban on research into mechanical lifeforms, directly alongside kaveh building his own mechanical lifeform and parading it around, sending it on solo coffee retrieving missions whilst everyone in sumeru looks on smiling <3

Mehrak’s legality hasn’t been mentioned at all in-game as of now, and as it’s been used consistently, both in kaveh’s hangout, a parade of providence, and now nahida’s birthday event, with not one mention of legality or potential trespasses, makes it seem that that’s how things will stay - especially since Cyno has met/is aware of mehrak’s existence during the battle scene during a parade of providence (then again, cyno did meet the wanderer during this event, and yet in nahida’s birthday event it seems he’s only HEARD of the wanderer through sethos??) but even then, since Cyno trusts Tighnari with karkata’s continued existence, it’s likely not a stretch to say that to Cyno, Kaveh can be trusted with Mehrak’s existence (it’s all very iffy)

Mehrak’s existence, overall, has had little focus other than its usage in battle, its official introduction in a parade of providence, where kaveh stipulates it has low intelligence, and was built to assist him, as well as being incapable of talking back and giving him ‘attitude’ (implicitly comparing mehrak to alhaitham), and in kaveh’s hangout when he works on designing a building. It’s only in recent events, such as cyno’s second story quest, and now in nahida’s birthday event, that mehrak has gotten more mentions, and now a spotlight, which is all in relation to coffee, tying back to alhaitham and kaveh’s improved relationship (the coffee analysis will be in the updated essay finally!!). as of right now, overall, mehrak doesn’t appear to be a major focus

It might be strange for the game to mention now that mehrak has been an illegal creation all this time, unless it’s a significant plot point that has to be resolved, but if mehrak is further explored, like in the temple of silence for example (hoyoverse I am once again asking), then perhaps this collective ignoring of a crime occurring will be explained away, if mentioned at all? It’s interesting that tighnari says it might be possible that this ban is reversed in the future, but as for whether that will actually happen, and the implications of this, aren’t clear

Mehrak’s accepted existence in general poses so many questions. I’m interested in the specifics of the ban, like does it depend on the autonomy of the machine in question? Abattouy aimed to make Karkata essentially human, capable of individual thought, processing, emotion, and conversation, which definitively broaches on the intersection of mechanical and biological life which caused the Akademiya to ban this type of research in the first place. So if a machine is able to act on its own, irrespective of human interference, then this is what the akademiya would want to prevent

In mehrak’s case, it’s unclear as to what its limits are, but from what has been shown so far, it seems that mehrak can only act on kaveh’s commands and when held in battle – it’s uncertain rn whether mehrak can act independently of this, but as kaveh invented it to only assist in certain matters, it’s doubtful. But then again, we don’t have a great scope of whether it can experience emotions, as it has shown signs of being distressed in a parade of providence when kaveh states that it can’t talk back, and when being scolded by kaveh in nahida’s birthday event

if mehrak has limited intelligence, it's interesting to compare mehrak with karkata. abattouy was attempting to make karkata understand human language, and be able to respond in order to have conversation, which was proved impossible, whereas although mehrak only speaks in beeps, kaveh is shown to have a thorough understanding of what it’s saying? Mehrak can be programmed to recognise people’s voices, but seemingly also language, as mehrak can obey spoken command, which is what abattouy tried to accomplish but was unable to with modern technology.

Mehrak, on the other hand, understands kaveh’s basic requests – which is made even funnier in kaveh’s old sketchbook, where he says that more than anything he really wants mehrak to understand what he’s saying. he got his wish but at what cost???

Mehrak being made from ancient technology, belonging to that of king deshret’s civilisation, offers many interesting paths that could be explored in future events, as besides the primal constructs roaming around, the puzzles in the desert, and now the temple of silence, no technology really exists from that time. Someone commented that mehrak’s presence in nahida’s birthday event, in conjunction with the event being based around ancient technology with the wedjat eye, could be highlighting mehrak’s irregularity in modern day sumeru – potentially foreshadowing for a future event that could further expand upon mehrak? If this is the case, I am all for it, there are so many questions concerning kaveh’s little light <3

[evelynpr]

Why the fuck are there roller skates, dubstep, stage lighting, an LED screen, and all kinds of modern technology in Xilonen's trailer??? I thought Fontaine had the most advanced technology next to Schneznaya and arguably Sumeru, and every instance of high-end technology we have seen leaned more towards machinations with gears, magic, alchemy, essentially fantasy styled sci-fi???

The disrespect towards Native American and African cultures is enough to piss me off already, but it even goes against Genshin's own consistency with its fantastical world design..and for what? Just so you can have this...pop and gamer aesthetic???

Just look at these two bubbly and optimistic characters for me okay

Yoimiya's design isn't the most respectful and accurate representation of a Japanese firework craftsman, but at least you can damn tell she is Japanese. The large ribbons, hair accessories, tassels, leg covering, tattoo design, shoe style, and fabric patterns all allude to this (I apologize for not knowing the exact terminologies for these, this needs further research).

Then there's Mualani who has...what? Please do correct me if I am wrong here, but her character must be inspired by the real Mualani, a Hawaiian Chiefess. Additionally, her tribe's specialty is in tourism and vacationing, which further leads into the idea that she and her tribe are based off of Hawaii despite the known issues regarding Hawaii and tourism (if there are any good sources that summarize the issue, please do lmk).

I am not too familiar with Hawaiian culture, but there really is nothing about her design that reads as Hawaiian, or even just traditional, to me. What about a 2 piece swimsuit with bows and tails, a bow + braids + ponytail hair style, combat gloves (?), and an entire neon shark, is Hawaiian???

The characters, their designs, and their trailers, are just so culturally disconnected from their real life counterpart that it's even disconnected to Genshin's own world building and design. How the fuck is the fashion trend in Natlan denim pants. I feel like the only parts of Natlan that feel like Genshin Impact and culturally inspired are the in-game music and landscapes (God bless Hoyo-mix and the world designers).

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[silencehysterical]

Table of approximate life years of the characters in the Hazbin Hotel

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13P-IBVWjQCxdTBugDELkhP3F_iyFwNqSTmufVLmV__8/edit?usp=drivesdk

Made it because many people don’t seem to realize that a huge part of the characters were alive at the same time

[girlwhoisgoingtobeokay]

honestly i used to have this idea of like “oh yeahhh tiktok trends/twitter discourse they dont represent people’s views in real life!” boy was i fucking wrong. seeing my friends completely change how they acted based on micro-trends just to move onto the next, hearing little boys as young as 8 laugh and joke about andrew tate and seeing little girls take over sephora obsessively searching for makeup

[ethics-and-ink]

Read More Here: Substack

[atalante241]

About Genshin Impact and the technology of Teyvat

We get a kamera at the start of the game from Xu for the “Snapshot” world quest. In it Xu remarks that the kamera is a new invention from Fontaine.

Xu shows surprise at the Traveler knowing what it is, this supports the idea of the kamera being a new invention meaning it’s pricey and rare to have at this point. Later on, on the Traveler’s journey, we get quests to take pictures of things. This could mean that the kamera is becoming more widespread a time goes on, or just the knowledge of it.

During the 4.3 Fontinalia Festival the focus was placed of films. This was an attempt by the Fontaine Film Association to introduce films to the populace, making the main point of the festival the films produced for it.

This would give idea to films still being a new invention, as they aren’t widespread, just like how the kamera was at the start of the game which was about 3 years ago. And based off of Furina’s Character Demo “Furina: All the World’s a Stage” we can assume that the films recorded were black and white in quality. Unless, we assume that the mini-games during the 4.3 “Roses and Muskets” event were canonical in the way they showed the film quality. No noise was shown in either, but one was in color the other not.

This gives us an estimate of where — technological advancement vice — Teyvat is compared to our world. Films started becoming a thing at the end of the 1800s and start of the 1900s. Colored film started showing up around the 1930s, but became more accessible and profitable later on. Films started getting sound added to them around the mid-to-late 1920s. This gives us an estimate of around the start of the 1900s placement vice.

Now I’d like to bring up Khaenri'ah. It was heralded as “the pride of humanity” as said by Dainslief. Khaenri'ah has more than one notable scientific aspect linked to it, one of these being the “Field Tillers” aka Ruin Machines. Ruin Machines vary from “simple” Ruin Guards to a Ruin Serpent(s).

Ruin Machines seem to have been around for a while, since the Archon War even given the Ruin Hunter stored by Guizhong in a domain. This means that the technology may have been around for 1000s of years, likely being used as a defense method during the war and preserved thereafter. The knowledge of this technology didn’t spread much beyond Khaenri'ah, this showing through how the people of Teyvat started calling the Ruin Machines “Ruin Machines” after they spread globally after the Cataclysm.

Around Sumeru there exist three giant Ruin Machines called “Ruin Golems”. These were giant mecha style machines were piloted by a crew of people, and — get this — include a colored screen. By screen I mean the type of screen you’re viewing this through, footage from outside the Ruin Golem being broadcasted to the screen to allow the people piloting to see where they’re going or what they’re doing.

During the “Vimana Agama” world quest that was apart of the Aranyaka quest line we can go into the Ruin Golem in Devantaka Mountain by Port Ormos. There we can use the actual screen and see through it. This being a machine that has sat unused for hundreds of years. And its screen is still in working condition.

So, simply put. Khaenri'ah was very mechanically advanced.

BUT!

I have yet to mention the Terminal Viewfinders in Fontaine. You know, those eye ball machines you use to transfer energy to terminals in puzzles in the Fontaine Research Institute area. You know, the machines with working colored screens. Mind you this isn’t technology you’re able to find all through out Fontaine, only in certain areas usually accompanied by a researcher from the Institute. So it would be more comparable to machines found in laboratories and not accessible to common people.

But still. At the very least Fontaine is near the mechanical advancements of Khaenri'ah either a few hundred to thousands of years ago.

And I have yet to mention everything going on in King Deshret’s places in the Sumeru desert. And I’m not going to go into more than this mention because that is a headache I have yet to even get around to in game.

TL;DR Khaenri'ah was very technologically advanced to the point of hundreds of years later working colored screen technology. Fontaine is around that point with the Research Institute while normal day to day people are around silent movies in advancement, while I have no idea what’s going on with the Sumeru Desert.

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Work and Leisure

The philosophy of work and leisure explores the fundamental nature and value of work and leisure in human life. This field examines the roles that work and leisure play in shaping our identities, societies, and overall well-being. Philosophers analyze the ethical, economic, and existential dimensions of work and leisure, seeking to understand how these activities contribute to or detract from a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Key Themes in the Philosophy of Work and Leisure

The Nature of Work:

Work is often seen as a means of survival, economic production, and personal achievement.

Philosophers explore different conceptions of work, including its intrinsic and extrinsic values, and its role in human flourishing.

The Value of Leisure:

Leisure is traditionally viewed as time free from work, dedicated to rest, recreation, and personal pursuits.

The philosophical study of leisure examines its importance for mental and physical health, creativity, and overall happiness.

Work-Life Balance:

The tension between work and leisure and the quest for a balanced life is a central theme.

Philosophers debate the ideal distribution of time between work and leisure and the impact of work-life balance on individual and societal well-being.

The Ethics of Work:

Ethical considerations in the workplace, including labor rights, fair wages, and working conditions, are crucial topics.

Discussions also focus on the moral obligations of employers and employees and the ethical implications of various forms of work.

The Purpose of Work:

Philosophers ask what makes work meaningful and how it contributes to a fulfilling life.

Different theories propose that meaningful work is aligned with personal values, contributes to the common good, or provides a sense of accomplishment and purpose.

Leisure and Culture:

Leisure activities are deeply embedded in cultural practices and societal norms.

The philosophy of leisure examines how cultural values shape leisure activities and how leisure, in turn, influences culture.

Economic and Social Structures:

The organization of work and leisure is influenced by economic systems and social structures.

Philosophers explore how capitalism, socialism, and other economic systems affect the distribution and value of work and leisure.

Technology and Work:

Technological advancements have transformed the nature of work and leisure.

The impact of automation, remote work, and digital leisure activities on the traditional boundaries and definitions of work and leisure is critically analyzed.

Leisure and Human Development:

Leisure is considered essential for personal growth, education, and the development of human potential.

Philosophers discuss the role of leisure in fostering creativity, lifelong learning, and self-improvement.

Historical Perspectives:

Historical changes in the perception and practice of work and leisure provide context for contemporary discussions.

The evolution of work and leisure from ancient times to the modern era reflects shifts in economic, social, and cultural paradigms.

The philosophy of work and leisure offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex interplay between these two fundamental aspects of human life. By examining the ethical, economic, and existential dimensions of work and leisure, this field provides insights into how we can achieve a balanced and fulfilling life. It encourages a reflective and critical approach to our work habits and leisure activities, emphasizing the need for meaningful engagement in both.

[theadaptableeducator]

Rethinking Civilization: Sustainable Alternatives to Colonialism, Nationalism, Imperialism, and Capitalism Through the Lens of Lewis Mumford

Lewis Mumford, a prominent historian, sociologist, and philosopher, provided critical insights into the development of modern civilization, particularly focusing on the interconnections between technology, society, and urban development. His work often emphasized the unsustainable nature of various socio-political and economic systems. Let’s explore his perspectives on the interconnectivity and…

[jrueships]

zesty lowkey just another way for str8 ppl to say faggot / faggy and get away with it

[reason-with-the-underdog]

an alternative career path for kaveh

(giving him a quarter-life crisis like the rest of us)

thinking about if kaveh went through a quarter life crisis after alcazarzaray and mehrak was the start of his new passion/career designing assistive technology/mobility aids

it could be an alternative path for him to go down that lets him combine practicality/utility, humanitarian/public spirited altruism, connecting with individual people, and creativity

in a way that maybe feels more fresh and less raw than architecture at that time (which is something he loves but also maybe can't bear to look at anymore bc "could i ever do anything better")

and with sumeru akademiya discouraging arts in general, its a career pivot that skirts the arts ban in a way that's even more directly benefiting the common person (everyone benefits from a more accessible society)

[pezpenser205]

i miss when i could be excited about new technological innovations instead of going "wow how will rich people exploit poor people and cut moral corners with this."

[notecapn]

so. Faruzan was in Liyue at one point

[kn-1013]

i know i've been on my anti-modern AU propaganda lately and it's just because i've been delving deeper into the sally face ao3 tags and i just keep finding them over and over. it's frustrating because there are a lot of really interesting concepts out there that would fit really well and make for a genuinely really interesting story in the 90s, but they get thrown off because the author doesn't know enough about the 90s to write for that time period, so they make it into a modern au instead. there's nothing inherently wrong with that, and i think there's room for modern aus to be done well here, i even have my own half-serious modern au, but i do think you often lose part of what makes sally face special when you turn the story into any other kind of contemporary love story/horror story/etc where all the characters just have ~iphones~ and use ~snapchat~ and all these things.

like, the 90s was not some kind of alien planet, and a vast number of the problems that you're solving with smartphones can be worked around very easily with just a bit of research or thought. long distance walkie-talkies, pagers, and PDAs were all (though sometimes expensive) perfectly capable contemporary technologies for talking to people when you are not physically with them. in fact, a lot of the abbreviations and slang we use over text right now was developed by young people in the 90s using pagers to talk to their friends. PDAs were a bit more out there in the 90s than they were in the aughts, but it's still completely plausible for henry in particular to have one, considering he already owns a home computer, which was not at all ubiquitous in the 90s. considering the apparent financial limitations that he and sal live under (it's never stated explicitly, but i mean, they live at addison's, they can't be in a great financial situation) and how insanely expensive computers were back then, it's more than likely that henry's job requires a home computer of some sort, meaning that a PDA would probably be incredibly useful to him if he were away from it, because there's no way in hell he's getting himself a luggable or another kind of early laptop to bring with him, that would've been too expensive.

and that's ignoring the fact that so many situations where two characters are apart form each other but need to communicate could just be fixed by rewriting the plot so that they can meet in person. i know that's not what people wanna hear because rewriting sucks, but you can find a lot of reasons for characters to meet each other randomly or to have reasons to meet up later if you give it a bit of problem-solving. part of what makes the pre-smartphone era interesting to write for and so optimized for horror, and probably a big reason that gabry chose this time period for the story in the first place, is the level of disconnection between each character in the story BECAUSE they don't have things like smartphones. having to work around this technological limitation is part of the fun, because you get a very enjoyable push and pull of closeness vs. disconnection between each character.

this is great for alienating ash, the only one who doesn't live in the apartments (except for neil), and causing her internal conflict about her relationships with the rest of her friends, especially as the story progresses and they start discovering more shit about the cult, and her instincts are to call the cops because she's a lot more normal than her friends are. or, it's good for alienating travis, who also doesn't live there and is far more isolated than everyone else (more on that next), or for creating an unhealthy and codependent relationship between sal and larry, who, with the walkies, are the only two in the friend group who DO have semi-instant access to each other all the time--all of which are plot points i put into my writing.

and if that's not enough, think about the implications for travis's character in particular. his father is a preacher, and a huge talking point of christian extremists in the 90s was that things like television were evil and demonic in some way. they campaigned against these things heavily. with the kind of person that we know kenneth phelps to be and the way many technologies we take for granted today, including TVs, were still being adopted by older generations, it's not out of the question at all that travis doesn't own something like a TV or a VCR, putting him even more out of the loop with what other people his age are doing than he already would be, having approximately 0 friends. he doesn't know what DND is, and he doesn't know how to look it up because he's not familiar with computers or the internet, he just knows his dad thinks it's demonic, so he steers clear of it.

the intention of cult leaders like kenneth is to keep their victims as isolated as possible, and not owning a TV, VCR, home computer, etc, is a great way to keep travis and his sisters isolated and disconnected from their peers, and therefore more connected to the cult, and it's a lot easier to justify not owning these things in the 90s, where the story already takes place, than it is if you're writing a modern au. a modern au for this situation would require all kinds of technological workarounds to make sure that travis owned a phone but couldn't do anything his father didn't want him doing on it. he's the kind of father who would go through and monitor his kid's texts, he wouldn't just let travis have snapchat or whatever, but i digress.

i know i'm just doing my petty bitching and people can do whatever they want however they want to, but i really do feel like there's a huge piece of the story that is lost in turning the sally face story as it is into some kind of modern au, and it's pretty unfortunate to me that people seem to think that the 90s was such a primitive alien world of incomprehensible technology that they don't want to write for that time period at all. it's really not as terrifying as it seems, genuinely. a surface level understanding of the era's technologies would be straightforward enough for anyone who wasn't there to write something perfectly coherent, if lacking in specific cultural/technological details that nobody but me cares about because i have autism.

if you're a sally face fan reading this and you struggle with writing for the american 90s because you weren't there, go look up pagers (also called beepers) and PDAs (which are basically early pocket computers) and how they work. ask older family members if or how they used them. go look at the different kinds of home computers of the era from companies like packard-bell and IBM. learn what a pentium III is/was, or what it means to be X86 compatible. look at the history of the CD-ROM, and how when it was invented, it could contain so much data that consumers had absolutely no idea what to do with them until people started putting video games on them. go watch cathode ray dude, LGR or techmoan on youtube.

go learn things about this era, it's good for you and you will have a lot of fun, even if you're not like me, i promise, and your fanfiction will be better for it. please learn about this era. take my hand. we can go to beautiful places together.