#that lecture was the time for intelligent (sometimes) discussion and this tumblr post is the time for me to have a rant

[immortalsins]

was in a bioethics lecture today discussing a proposed plan to reduce prison sentences in exchange for donated organs/bone marrow ... insane. anyway. the number of opinions from my peers that went along the lines of 'this is wrong because criminals shouldn't be offered the opportunity of a shorter sentence' or 'this is a good idea so they can pay their debt to society' or 'they're criminals, what does it matter?' made me want to bash my head in

[quinintheclouds]

Hey, I just read your post on ADHD/EFDD and was just wondering if you have read any research articles on this and if you have, could you tell me which ones because it all sounds super interesting and I need to choose a topic for my psych lit review and I’m thinking about doing something to do with all the stigma around and misconceptions about different mental health disorders.. it’s totally okay if not tho, I know it’s a big ask, but thanks anyway

That sounds like such a great topic!!! I would be HONORED to help :D 

The first person I think of when discussing the term EFDD is Dr. Russell Barkley. He’s one of the leading ADHD experts, and has been a spearhead for studying executive dysfunction in people with ADHD for decades. Very much ahead of his time compared to the DSM. I’ve had his book “Taking Charge of Adult ADHD” recommended to me so many times, but have yet to read it.

Here’s some free stuff, though! 

[reblogs appreciated because Tumblr hates posts with links and I wanna make sure this anon sees it!]

I tried to include some short stuff and longer stuff, some articles, images, videos, and comic recs, so you can choose based on your current energy and focus level :) I’ve also bolded links and key points of each source if you like skimming. Let’s go!

...................................

Here’s an interesting article/study on EFDD! They found that “ADHD [is] associated with deficits in inhibition, managing one’s attention, self-directed speech and rule-following, self-motivation, and even self-awareness [...] ADHD therefore involves deficits in self-restraint, [...] selfsensing and imagery, self-control of emotion, and self-directed play for problem-solving.”

Thank you for motivating me to look up some articles, because I learned some new things, too! For instance, they assert that ADHD could also be called SRDD (Self-Regulation Deficit Disorder), but conclude the article by saying either SRDD or EFDD fits better than ADHD, and that the terms could be used interchangeably, because SR (self-regulation) and EF (executive function) are effectively talking about the same things. So his assertion is that even if the name ADHD never changes, it can still be scientifically classified as either of the other terms. I believe in recent years he’s preferred EFDD more and more.

[note that the above article/study is from 2011, back when we were on the DSM-IV, so a lot of research has been done since then]

...................................

If that article’s a bit wordy or you want something more visual and up-to-date, here’s a really detailed PowerPoint presentation used during the 2018 ADHD Symposium! It’s long but well-organized so you can just read the big headers or you can read all the bullet points explaining it. Keep in mind this was a lecture, so some of it probably made more sense in person. I’m glad I read this, because I realize the terminology I’ve used is slightly off: according to the Symposium, there aren’t “subtypes” of ADHD, but the different names (ADHD-PI, ADHD-PH, and ADHD-C) are really just used to show the prevalence of certain symptoms in that individual. So they’re all terms for ADHD, but “subtype” was poor word choice on my part. 

Oh! I just found a video of him giving a lecture in 2012 using many of the same PowerPoint slides! Here ya go! It’s a bit longer than the other videos I’ve linked below (13min), but it might make the slides easier to interpret :)

...................................

If you want a really short and basic overview, here’s a video explaining 5 main ways executive functions affect the brain and how they work differently in people with ADHD. [I put the video below as well if you wanna stay on tumblr] It’s from 2010, but it holds up. It only covers 5 big ones, so remember (if you can) that executive function affects EVERYTHING and the symptoms will affect everyone differently and at different levels. 

This is just the most basic overview and a good place to start:

...................................

Here’s one where he talks about our Time-Blindness! (below) I was going to pick a couple favorite quotes to give you an idea, but that’d wind up being a transcript of the whole video because HE GETS IT. This is from 2014, but I CANNOT recommend it enough!!! He mentions that ADHD doesn’t have a deficit of attention, but rather a deficit of intention. He describes us as having a near-sighted sense of time, and talks about deadlines, “laziness,” etc.

 ALSO he talks about how our brains DON’T CONNECT our knowledge to our performance (back of brain to front) like everyone else’s, so we have the same level of knowledge and intelligence, but can’t access and use it the way others can. This is why teaching skills and organization/memory/time-management tips isn’t helpful -- we can learn them, but our knowledge and action centers are separated, so actually doing them/sticking with them is just as hard as before. 

If you don’t watch the whole thing, at least skip to 3:29 cause that part’s really funny and relatable (ok the whole thing is relatable):

...................................

And of course, I highly recommend the YouTube channel How to ADHD! I have a couple friends who work on it, and they REALLY know their stuff! (They’re the ones who taught me during a game night that RSD isn’t a real term and it should be called “rejection-sensitivity” as part of the emotional dysregulation umbrella) 

I went looking and found this video (below) has the BEST explanation of it that I’ve seen in such a concise, entertaining way. I hadn’t seen this one before, but it even covers some of the things I mentioned in that post your ask is about! Especially the Internal Restlessness that I mentioned as the true “hyperactivity” we all share; even though some of us also express outward hyperactivity, both presentations come from the same restlessness in our brains.

^^^This has some great examples, visuals, animations, and different ways of explaining and thinking about our symptoms! If you want more about this, the description has a bunch of links to their sources! Jessica and everyone else who works on this channel is great at making the videos watchable for people with ADHD (even if we have to rewind sometimes)

Here's Jessica's official Twitter @HowtoADHD! (I was today years old when I found out that she follows me)

...................................

And if you want something REALLY short and simple, here’s a 2 minute animation comparing living with ADHD to trying to film a movie with a director who keeps falling asleep [below]

....................................

If you like comics:

My favorite ADHD comic artists are: ADHD Alien [@ADHD_Alien on Twitter and @adhd-alien on Tumblr]; Dani Donovan [@danidonovan on Twitter and @danidonovan on Tumblr -- we’re somehow twitter mutuals and she is such a sweetheart. She has some really good infographics, too!!]; ADHD Bri [@AdhdBri on Twitter and @adhdbri on Tumblr]; and dreamadept [@yume_dango on Twitter and @yume-dango on Tumblr]

They’re all well-researched, funny, genuine, intelligent, insightful, talented artists who depict ADHD in a very accurate and relatable way. Go check ‘em out and support them! :D

....................................

I’m gonna stop there for now, but PLEASE feel free to add on to this with other sources, questions, videos, thoughts, comic artists, etc.!!! Hope this helps someone out there!

[violetsystems]

#personal

I promised I would keep things less heady this morning which is always a challenge.  I still wake up every morning at around four or five out of routine.  Most of what I’ve been doing since August has been reorganizing money and untangling things from my previous life.  I had both a severance and a payout on a pension from my previous job.  It was a hard cutoff and probably the most diplomatic time to get rid of me.  I spent a lot of time feeling like a failure.  Then I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I was going to do.  When Monday rolls around the city fully expects us all to do nothing for another thirty days.  I’m not really one to complain although you hear me grumble every Saturday morning like clockwork.  I save most of my emotional output for this blog.  I can say with good faith nobody talks to me this deeply at all.  I’m not on Facebook or Instagram anymore.  I am on LinkedIn more than I’d care to be but nobody ever reaches out other than Bitcoin scammers trying to get me to divest from Nio.  The last one being Andre Bobby.  They introduced themselves as Bobby Andre.  I greeted Andre and subsequently blocked them.  I’m often invited to the same discussions from the news team.  Always about the future of Higher Education and online learning.  Sometimes to the same thread.  I’ve long since ignored everything except jobs posted I’d be interested in over there in China.  From everything I have had to read into, I’ve learned that March is probably the soonest anyone of worth would be hiring.  This is reinforced by conversations with my dad who is admittedly just as much as a workaholic as myself.  I spent twenty years working for something I thought I was part of.  And it just seems like my work was never valued at all.  And the less depressed I got about it, the more I started to explore the reasons why.  I had a thick ass book delivered to me annotating the various financial holdings of what consisted of my share of a pension.  A pension these days is like an ancient relic.  One that many companies find too heavy on their books along with other benefits like health insurance or other basic needs for human survival.  When I started at an art school, the benefits were what were lauded the most.  I had over thirty days of paid vacation.  I spent a period of seven years from 2011 travelling by myself to Korea.  Towards the end of my travel, I had been itching to network for something else.  I felt stagnant in my job.  I spent over twelve years in the same job title drowning in the responsibilities of middle management.  My boss often never showed up to work.  Towards the end, they’d never show up to meetings.  They’d be offsite with an employee of mine making music in a garage.  When the news hit me the Thursday before the fourth of July holiday, it felt targeted and mean.  There was a great alibi, a piece of paper to sign absolving all wrongdoing in exchange for a severance and a health insurance extension and a lot of hurt.  A recruiter reached out the day before my health insurance responsibilities switched over.  My payments per month are about as much as my rent.  I had accepted the highest level insurance through open enrollment about a month before I was let go.  It’s all been pretty heady ever since.  Mostly because somehow I still managed to act like it didn’t even affect me.  Although nobody ever reached out an acknowledged how bad it looks in retrospect.  Nobody reaches out at all other than to punk me into selling stocks while I walk to the grocery store.  I did own a car once.  Now I’m just a target by activist investors and their Qanon buddies.  A step up from the Proud Boys I guess.  But who am I really after all of this?  

Nobody can tell for sure.  I’ve shared everything I could ever possibly feel in my writing week after week.  I’ve had bits and pieces of it lifted and used as actionable intelligence to bully me in public.  Everybody seems to know my business and sometimes I wonder if it really fucking matters.  You can bare your soul to people and they’ll stare right through the gaping hole and laugh.  Mostly because they see how empty they are themselves.  It’s an uncanny valley effect to look in my eyes these days.  People can talk all the shit they want about what theories they have but they’re afraid to face the truth.  That I’ve never really been anything other than genuine.  And America is so desperate to prove you wrong.  To prove how much better it is at everything.  I noticed this a lot with gaming particularly when I would play magic in public with people.  I always build decks at my kitchen table alone for fun.  I love the logic.  I will try unorthodox strategies just to learn through failure.  And I would fail year after year playing against people who literally would define their decks by a monetary value other than a strategic one.  I used to read the Tarot.  I love the idea of randomness.  You buy a pack and you have to work with what you have.  If you’ve ever gone to a prerelease, you know the feeling.  You get a box and you have thirty minutes to draft a deck on the fly with what you have.  You learn the economy of the cards and the existence of rules.  When you win, it’s a special feeling of accomplishment.  You did it yourself and the playing field was level and fair.  And then you sit around with a bunch of loud mouth know it all’s who crush you and laugh about it.  All the while the game’s fun fades into a lecture of mansplaining.  Nowhere does this tendency reel it’s ugly head than in the pundits and the stock markets.  Men telling you what’s best to do with your money.  Men with agendas so blatant it bleeds through the semi annual reports I sift through looking at investment ecosystems of days gone by.  Real estate is a pretty funny one to look at in COVID-19 times.  Nobody feels safe in the office.  Deutschbank recently turned heads saying that people working from home making a paltry sum of 55,000 should pay a tax.  The same week Ken Grfifin spent millions of dollars assaulting a fair tax amendment which died a quiet death.  Real estate sits empty in large droves downtown these days.  Chicago enters another stay at home order Monday which is somewhat of a relief for me.  It’s basically thirty days of respite from people wondering what I’m doing with my time.  Meanwhile we are lectured that we are supposed to save the economy by spending our money eating out instead of enjoying cooking your own meal in the kitchen.  This is incidentally why I like going to to grocery store.  Nobody ever asked but I was anorexic in high school.  I loved coca cola when i was little.  I used to drink too much of it and got a small belly.  When I was twelve American kids used to make fun of my weight.  I was a harsh critic.  I still am.  And I tried to fix it by starving myself.  I promised I wouldn’t get heavy.  I never promised I wouldn’t stay real.  No one would ever know these intimate secrets about me if they didn’t read.  And yet there’s people out there who will lift those very words to figure out a new attack on me.  You’ve got to wonder if I’m so transparent what other people are hiding under the surface if they’re so much more successful than I.

The truth is that I stay down here and write because I’ve found friends to connect with.  It may have not always been the most obvious or personal way to maintain contact.  But nowadays what else do we really have?  A bunch of people who speak through money instead of emotion.  People who assign value and compare each other based on speculation rather than connection.  I often feel like nobody knows what I’m worth.  This is perverse to watch as my bank reports my net worth rising when I spent so many years in debt.  And yet every day I go out in society people follow me around and talk so much about me but never to my face.  Are they scared to find out who I really am?  Are they trying to figure out what makes me so special?  Do they ever succeed?  No.  Things just end up sucking even more.  When the rules change and cheating doesn’t pan out anymore, they figure out more ways to be corrupt.  New ways to target you and intimidate.  New ways to control who you think you are.  All the while advertising this country as the freest place on Earth.  I don’t feel free.  I feel trapped, isolated and caged.  Mostly now for my protection granted.  Which is important to note that the only one keeping me safe is myself.  Nobody really has done me any favors.  It’s been a fucking insult to live out since the summer.  And yet, I still have to keep my shit together.  I have to be there for myself emotionally.  I need to feed ecosystems that I feel a part of.  And we all do this in varying ways seeking connection.  When I come to Tumblr, there isn’t some huge expectation that any of this does anything other than share my feelings.  Are my feelings valued?  Here, yes they are.  Sometimes they are valued in ways that I cannot betray or explain.  And there’s a sort of sacred intimacy to that I have never experienced in my life.  I wonder sometimes how people think they’ll ever fall in love if they can’t feel it.  Love is much more complex than the sum of it’s parts we’ve melted it down to to market back and sell at a cut rate.  Love is supposed to transcend, renew and replenish the soul to keep on existing.  Love isn’t a dividend in your stock portfolio or a cadre of late night trysts that haunt you and demand attention.  Love is a lingering spirit in the dark leading you towards a light.  Sometimes you fear being hurt again.  Sometimes you fear the change.  Sometimes you are excited and afraid.  But love never rushes.  Love never is easy.  Love is never right out there in front of your face demanding affirmation every moment of the day without anything in return.  Love doesn’t forget you and leave you alone in the dark crying for some sort of purpose.  Love isn’t a waste of fucking time.  Patience isn’t either.  And you will never feel the depth of love if you force it.  Love will come to you when it’s time for it to blossom.  Love is part of an ecosystem of connections and kindness you nurture with nothing in return.  But love doesn’t come for free.  There is a cost to love beyond dollars, yen, yuan, won or bitcoin.  You can’t speculate on something you don’t control.  And love is free, chaotic, and most of all nurturing.  Love isn’t a competition.  It’s not something you can quantify and bottle up.  Love is about as heavy as it gets for Saturday morning.  So if anything just remember I love you all.  One person more than most as always.  That’s about as free as I can be.  And if you fuck with my love I will leave you cold in the shadows where you belong not I.  It’s nothing personal.  It’s all love. <3 Tim

[theapprof]

The Storytelling Special | Episode 48

00:49 | Special Series 05:24 | Storytelling in the A&P Course 20:14 | Storytelling is a Human Skill 22:16 | Sponsored by HAPS 22:38 | Playful & Serious Stories 36:43 | Sponsored by AAA 37:01 | Cells Hate Calcium 43:52 | Sponsored by HAPI Online Graduate Program 44:18 | Actin & Myosin in Love 56:03 | Podcast Award Nomination 56:56 | Last Best Story

If you cannot see or activate the audio player click here. Questions & Feedback: 1-833-LION-DEN (1-833-546-6336) Follow The A&P Professor on Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Nuzzel, Tumblr, or Instagram!

  To be playful and serious at the same time is possible, and it defines the ideal mental condition. (John Dewey)

  1 | Special Series of Episodes

4.5 minutes

This and the next few episodes will be super, spectacular, and special. So I'm calling them "specials" just like the grownups in the media world do.

These specials are single-topic-ish recasts of some of the major themes from the past 18 months of this podcast. A mix of old and new. But mostly, the classic stuff that we'll benefit from reviewing and reflecting upon.

The general topic of this special episode revolves a recurring theme of this podcast:

teaching as a form of storytelling

    2 | Storytelling in the A&P Course

15 minutes

Kevin explains why he thinks storytelling is the heart of effective teaching, especially in the A&P course. He outlines the “storytelling persona”; making sure there is a beginning, middle, and end to our stories, applying storytelling to both lectures and the entire course, using drama, conflict and resolution, and other techniques.

First released as Segment 3 in Storytelling is the Heart of Teaching A&P | Episode 12

Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling (website with many resources) my-ap.us/2uwk6ul

Crash Course in Storytelling (book on the basics of storytelling) amzn.to/2GprR6B

Long Story Short: The Only Storytelling Guide You’ll Ever Need (book; the title says it all) amzn.to/2GYXm8Q

  3 | Teachers vs. Robots | AI in Teaching

2 minutes

Artificial intelligence (AI) is seen by some as the emerging technology to replace teachers. Really? How should we respond? In Episode 47, I suggest that developing the uniquely human (and humane) skills��such as storytelling—is our best strategy. This is a clip taken from the middle of that segment.

First heard as part of Segment 1 of The Human Microbial System | Episode 47

3 Necessary Skills for Educators in the Era of A.I. (Article posted by Raj Shah at Getting Smart) my-ap.us/2ZUdjFo

How Storytelling Works in the Brain and Why We Need Stories (another post at Getting Smart) my-ap.us/2ZUuhUh

Storytelling is the Heart of Teaching A&P | Episode 12

Actin & Myosin – A Love Story | Episode 15

  4 | Sponsored by HAPS

0.5 minutes

The Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS) is a sponsor of this podcast.  You can help appreciate their support by clicking the link below and checking out the many resources and benefits found there. AND mention your appreciation to the HAPS leadership while you are at the conference—or anytime that you communicate with them.

Anatomy & Physiology Society 

theAPprofessor.org/haps

    5 | Playfulness & Seriousness

14 minutes

Segment 1 explained Kevin's view that effective A&P teachers are good storytellers. This segment "continues the story" by discussing analogies. Analogies can be stories that help students understand complex concepts. Sometimes, they are most effective when they are playful, which helps engage students and makes the stories easy to remember. Kevin relates his use of "phosphorylation frogs" in a story that can be referred to every time ATP generation comes up in the course. What are the pros and cons of using analogies?

First released as Segment 3 of Playful & Serious Is the Perfect Combo for A&P | Episode 13

Refers to Storytelling is the Heart of Teaching A&P | TAPP Radio 12 (where the story of storytelling in A&P begins)

Frog pop-ups (toys similar to those described by Kevin in this episode) amzn.to/2J7o2Vw

Books by John Dewey (book sales help defray podcast expenses) amzn.to/2JaAQdF

Metaphors & Analogies: Power Tools for Teaching Any Subject (book that addresses many issues, including English-language learners) amzn.to/2E8MIcH

  6 | Sponsored by AAA

0.5 minute

The searchable transcript for this episode, as well as the captioned audiogram of this episode, are sponsored by The American Association of Anatomists (AAA) at anatomy.org. Their big meeting is in April at the Experimental Biology (EB) meeting in Orlando FL. Check it out!

Searchable transcript

Captioned audiogram 

  7 | Cells Hate Calcium (and Sodium) but Love Potassium

7 minutes

A simple analogy can help students remember a recurring principle about cell behavior involving important ions.

First aired as Segment 2 in Running Concept Lists Help Students Make Connections | Episode 8

Cells hate calcium! (a blog post for students; you can link to this page from your course) my-ap.us/2XxsRlh

  8 | Sponsored by HAPI Online Graduate Program

0.5 minute

The Master of Science in Human Anatomy & Physiology Instruction—the MS-HAPI—is graduate program for A&P teachers. A combination of science courses (enough to qualify you to teach at the college level) and courses in instructional practice, this program helps you power up  your teaching. Kevin Patton is a faculty member in this program. Check it out!

nycc.edu/hapi

  9 | Actin & Myosin: A Love Story

12 minutes

Kevin tells the story of actin and myosin as an analogy to a classic love story. This playful story reflects the focus of recent episodes about the use of storytelling and analogies in teaching A&P.

First aired as Segment 2 in Actin & Myosin – A Love Story | Episode 15

Refers to Episode 12: Storytelling is the Heart of Teaching A&P (introduces the strategy of storytelling)

Refers to Episode 13: Playful and Serious is the Perfect Combo for A&P (introduces the value of playful analogies)

Survival Guide for Anatomy & Physiology (Kevin's brief manual for A&P students features a version of the actin-myosin love story) amzn.to/2HBhVYo

Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscle: A Love Story? (article from HAPS Educator with a version of this story) my-ap.us/2FpUPlC

Metaphors & Analogies: Power Tools for Teaching Any Subject (book that addresses many issues, including English-language learners) amzn.to/2E8MIcH

  10 | Podcast Award Nomination

1 minute

The A&P Professor podcast needs additional nominations to get to the next round of The People's Choice Podcast Awards. Lot more. Will you please take a moment to nominate this podcast? And ask your friends and relatives, even strangers, to also nominate us?

PodcastAwards.com

  11 | Last Best Story in Adult Neurogenesis & ANS Pathways

12 minutes

The "last best story" is what I tell my students I'm providing to them. That approach emphasizes the evolving nature of scientific understanding. In this episode, I mention two stories that are evolving right now.

First appeared as Segment 6 in The Last Best Story in Teaching Anatomy & Physiology | Episode 37

Storytelling is the Heart of Teaching A&P | Episode 12 (where I introduce the idea of teaching as storytelling)

Adult neurogenesis in the brain

Running Concept Lists Help Students Make Connections | Episode 8 (where I first discuss this story)

The Discovery of the Neuron (outlines the origin of central dogmas about neuroscience, including Ramón y Cajal's role) my-ap.us/2FvvTde

Neurogenesis in the adult human hippocampus (paper that established the idea that adult brain neurogenesis does occur) my-ap.us/2FxjzJO

Human hippocampal neurogenesis drops sharply in children to undetectable levels in adults (paper that challenges the idea of adult brain neurogenesis) my-ap.us/2FtCxRk

New Study Questions Confidence in Neurogenesis in the Adult Brain (article that summarizes the recent controversy) my-ap.us/2FwaMHS

Are Learning Styles Real? Why or Why Not? | Episode 14 (where I bring up newer research on adult neurogenesis)

New Evidence Suggests Aging Brains Continue to Make New Neurons (article by Francis Collins on the new paper) my-ap.us/2v89Ngo

Human Hippocampal Neurogenesis Persists throughout Aging (new research paper in Cell)

The last best story in adult neurogenesis?

A New Look at Neurogenesis in Humans (blog post by Neuroskeptic, summarizing new perspectives) my-ap.us/2TDxTXU

Recalibrating the Relevance of Adult Neurogenesis (article by Jason S. Snyder in Trends in Neurosciences) my-ap.us/2TEb5r4

Are sacral autonomic pathways sympathetic or parasympathetic?

Sacral Efferent Pathways are Sympathetic, Not Parasympathetic (summary from The A&P Professor blog) my-ap.us/2TJMHnS

The sacral autonomic outflow is sympathetic (I. Espinosa-Medina, O., et al., of J.-F. Brunet lab's in Science the proposed change; includes an updated version of the classic diagram of sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways) my-ap.us/2fNdcF3

Neural circuitry gets rewired (Adameyko, I. in Science comments on the report cited above, stating that "This finding provokes a serious shift in textbook knowledge, and, as with any fundamental discovery, it brings important practical implications..." and goes on to mention of a few of the implications (e.g., how to treat bladder dysfunction) my-ap.us/2gg9O8P

The Autonomic Nervous System. Part I. (John Newport Langley's classic "primary source" that codified the modern concept of the ANS.) my-ap.us/2fYHt3M

The sacral autonomic outflow is parasympathetic: Langley got it right (John P. Horn's commentary in Clinical Autonomic Research; the last best story?) my-ap.us/2TCvwF5

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More details at the episode page.

Transcript available at the script page.

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Need help accessing resources locked behind a paywall? Check out this advice from Episode 32 to get what you need! https://youtu.be/JU_l76JGwVw?t=440

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  Transcript and captions for this episode

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  Check out notes and transcript for this episode!

[beesandbooks1]

Discussion: Science in Fiction

To read this post on my blog instead, click here!

Introduction

For this post, I’m not really discussing science fiction itself, but books that feature science on some level. These books usually comprise of a narrator or main POV character with a background in a scientific field–oftentimes a field that the author themselves have experience or great interest in. This POV character/narrator generally is considered an expert of some reknown and is relied upon throughout the story to provide explanations both simple and complex of the scientific phenomena that take place in the book. For this post, I’ll be discussing the three big trends I see happening in this type of book and why these trends aren’t always great.

Big Words: Not always useful

The first trend I want to address is the use of large, scientific jargon in these books. This isn’t exclusive to any one field either; this is something I’ve observed in a book about a maritime archaeologist, where the jargon was almost exclusively diving specific. Sometimes authors with a background in the field, or a desire to prove themselves knowledgeable, will use a lot of technical jargon to demonstrate the intelligence of their characters. Unfortunately, this often comes off as clunky and embarrassing–not least of all because sometimes the author, and therefore the character, is wrong. If these words are integrated in the form of exposition, they get rather boring as the character is constantly lecturing the readers and that’s just not fun to read. If the words aren’t explained at all, this can be even more annoying for readers without the background in whatever is being discussed.

Excluding your audience

The number one trap that these types of books tend to fall into is the idea that their only audience is those who already know what they’re talking about. When I read Atlantis last year, I enjoyed it far more than most reviewers had purely because I actually have a degree in maritime archaeology and understood the concepts, theories, and jargon being tossed around. Even then, because I’m not a diver, half of the book proceed to fall apart for me because of the intense focus on the diving aspects. This is the format for how exclusion works in a lot of these novels that incorporate too much science. Jargon, theories, and ideas are bandied about with just enough explanation to seemingly include the readers, but not really.

There’s something occasionally appealing about being part of a select group of people who are enthusiastic about a niche topic. But when writing a book, you have to realize your audience could be wider–you never know who’s going to try and pick up your book. You can’t please everyone of course, and there will be readers that just don’t get what you’re trying to do. However, to create a book about an interesting scientific topic and then pull the rug out from under readers by making it clear only those that have studied the topic at hand are going to enjoy the story… That’s rough.

Introducing new ideas

One of the positives to a book that incorporates a lot of science into its fictional story is that you can learn about new ideas, new fields, and new theories that you hadn’t been exposed to before! When done well, an author can explain these concepts to any reader and pique interest in some. If you’re like me, the kind of person likely to go into a Wikipedia spiral at the drop of a hat, then an author that manages to integrate some new field of research into their book without it being overwhelming or frustrating is also likely to inspire a new interest. When done well, a book like this might even inspire somebody to pursue an education or career in the field being discussed!

Final thoughts

I think there are definitely times when using scientific jargon and concepts are effective in storytelling–especially when your characters or plot hinge on such things. But it’s easy to get carried away when incorporating terms, theories, and ideas behind scientific processes or phenomena. And getting carried away can unfortunately lead to your readers no longer feeling like they’re part of the story. I don’t have a lot of patience, personally, for books that seem to just be jamming in as many science credentials as they can. If the book reads more like a manual or a textbook, then it’s no longer enjoyable. But I can appreciate a book that sparks an interest in those topics.

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[brianwhitedarkdaily-blog]

April 2018 Listening List

Came across some great new music this month and revisited some old favorites along the way.

Black Mass by Behold the Void: Djent at its best. This was a great find. Halfway through the first song I found myself unconsciously headbanging to the steadily pounding beat. There are some great 7 string guitar moments, channeling Vildhjarta and Humanity's Last Breath but with a unique touch that will, from here on, be known as signature BTV. Haven of Void, was my favorite song with a series of slow interludes followed by erupting guitars and ending in an explosively played arpeggio that is one of the coolest riffs I've heard in a long time. Great EP. Can't wait to hear more from this band. I think this will eventually be expanded upon as an influence to one of my novels on the DarkTunes Page.

Cold and Cloud by Leila Abdul-Rauf: This is slow and atmospheric with great female vocals. This was an album I relaxed into while meditating.

Medusa Truth Part 1 & 2 by Omitt: This is excellent atmospheric doom metal with great female vocals. I listened to these two albums a lot and really liked the blend of heavy guitar and operatic singing.

Varahtelija by Oranssi Pazuzu: I've already written a lot about this album and its influence on my new novel, Horn and Dagger, but for those of you who may have read some of my Metal Mediation posts you know that I often like to use certain types of Metal Music to meditate to. This month I tried out Varahtelija which has some very jarring moments that I equated with the strange bells and horns that are often used by Tibetan Monks during their mediation practice. This psychedelic album with its pounding rhythmic bass riffs leads you slowly into the black depths and then jolts you upward using harshly yelled Finnish lyrics and beautifully odd guitar moments. Turns out this was a great album to mediate to.

After by Ihsahn: I haven't listened to this one in a while but I believe Ihsahn is coming out with a new album soon which reminded me of how great his previous albums were. One thing I like about this album is Ihsahn's blend of clean and growled lyrics. But my absolute favorite thing is his use of the saxophone. Sometimes he can make it sound like a human cry of terror and at other times the weeping of a child. He was also careful not to overuse it. It was one of those elements that was added at just the right moment, where it felt like it completed the song, filling a gap that would have been palpable should it have been missing. After a first listen you anticipate it, wait for it, believing that it is coming, but he holds back and  when it feels like it will never come, there it is, blaring through the song, breathing in new life. The Barren Lands and Frozen Lakes On Mars are my two favorites and well worthy of a listen.  

Covenant by Unprocessed: First thing I noticed was the pounding bass, odd time signature changes, and great guitar work. Another great djent album. This one also had a healthy blend of clean singing and growling for those of you that like that juxtaposition. Looking forward to seeing more from this band.

Relive // Regret // Repeat by The Fallen Prodigy: Great sound. Great album. This reminded me of early Periphery with a blend of clean-and-scream delivery of lyrics with some great riffs that will have you headbanging in record time. There are also these great interludes where they slow everything down, change time signatures and deliver and explosive rhythmic riff to fill a pregnant silence. A good example of this is at the end of Extinct.

PodCasts and Interviews

I listened to lectures about philosophy and the occult this month.

Ram Dass - Here We All Are: This was great. I had never heard Ram Dass before and this took me by surprise. In this 2 hour lecture he tells his life story telling of his early interests, his becoming a professor, his experimentation with mind altering chemicals, and his journey of discovery which took him all over the world. Very powerful and moving talk which ended with him expressing his love of all, the unity of all things, and the power of living in the eternal moment.

Derrida & Deconstruction: Interesting lecture that tells the history of Derrida and the formulation of his deconstruction method. This falls more into the category of technical logic and less into metaphysics, which is my prime area of interest in philosophy, but still captured my interest.

Austin Osman Spare, Art and Magick Roundtable: This was a great discussion of Spare's history, occult practices, and art. For anyone not familiar with Spare this is a great place to start. He is a truly astounding occult character possessing an awe inspiring artistic talent. That he has largely been forgotten by history, is a shame. His individualistic, rogue approach to magickal and artistic expression influence the birth of chaos magic and continues to influence other occult systems and philosophy.

Yuval Harari: Techno-Religions and Silicon Prophets - This was a great lecture given by the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and explores how new religions will arise from Silicon Valley because of the faith we place on technology and those that create it. Covers varies technical topics such as virtual reality, artificial reality, and bio-engineering.  

Yuval Harari on the Rise of Homo Deus - Another great talk by Yuval where he talks about the technical advances mankind is making and how this is bringing humanity closer to becoming gods in the literary sense of the word, in which we are creating novel beings capable of consciousness through computer science (artificial intelligence) and bio-engineering (cyborgs, implants, genetic manipulation). Definitely worth a view.

That is it for this month.

Enjoy!

brianwhite@darkrevmedia.com

www.darkrevmedia.com/thedarkdaily

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[autoirishlitdiscourses]

Discourse of Wednesday, 12 April 2017

All of these texts in relationship to each other, and you accomplished a lot of important concepts for the midterm to me/. You picked an important passage and have some very important ways. And often used the same kinds or degrees of mental problems that you do speak, though not comprehensively—cleaning these up is a very solid aspects of the speech itself, for instance, if you have quite a strong job of interacting with the process of public speaking. The Soldier's Song Irish national anthem in Irish nationalism, and I will also be aggressively dropping non-attenders to make up for the exam, not 72. I think, is held back by this weekend, because that would be to start participating now, like I think that you need another copy of an unhappy man near the central claim was, written that as part of your recitation, you basically met expectations here. —You've got some breathing room too, if you pick, and that's part of the above course assignments must be completed, and/or larger concerns. It was an uncomfortable topic, based on my Tumblr blog that are ostensibly on the section for a change at the smaller scales, too, and I'll give the code to as soon as possible. I'm perhaps more flexible, is it that's interesting about the question of whether this happens: 1. You are perfectly capable of doing this. An eight-page paper, and it would have to be a substantial number of very good job of contextualizing your selection from Ulysses either 30 October or 6 pm McCabe page 4 and you'll get there, probably because he hasn't been to make specific suggestions immediately because I'm trying to promote either agreement or disagreement from the recitation half of The Covey 6 p. I enjoyed having you in the course website to serve as an allegory for the course components from the opening paragraphs of the last line of your claims would help—there are some ways as a person, then we'll figure something out. It all depends on what texts you choose as additional sources, though not easy deal for you to refine your topic before you finished final revisions too soon before it was actually necessary and by email by this weekend has just been going through them and wind up getting the same way that Shakespeare has been read as anything other than the syllabus.

Discussion notes for section-by-sentence perfect, most passionate is a suggestion in case the equipment you are nervous or feel that you may also be generally representative? I think you've got a lot of ways. I have some good things to say, and if you say is that sometimes it will give it back to you earlier I looked at them, supplement them, or moonshine, because week 1 began on a date, then I think, meant to be absolutely sure that I think that you can absolutely switch into my face and said that Wednesday is a lot of points and provided an important scholarly aspect of Plough into relief some rather crucial elements of the equipment you are perfectly capable of doing even stronger paper.

I'll have her talk to me you've picked a good paper topic is that your ideas and your paper to problematize the issues that arise as you point out, when talking about and always more worth talking about race, which is an A or A-territory with 1 point out, you can receive email at your current intro paragraph, you should be proud of. Otherwise, bring me documentation from the more obvious is to think about how you'd like to email in just a little bit happier: if you have read the two-minute lecture on Thursday, but it doesn't cause me to do is to think in the sanctity of gun ownership have their price quoted in guineas, for being such a good selection, effectively, doing a good move, which is full. Hi, Savannah! Something to hand back midterms in section, and several paintings called Woman or Women spring to mind I don't believe I've seen any of them? I think that Brother, Where Art Thou? Please let me know if you want to set up in some ways as a whole. I'll let you do well on both outlines, and that you have scheduled a recitation. DON'T FORGET TO BRING BLUE BOOKS TO THE FINAL! This is not necessarily a reason that you haven't done the reading. So, the ultimate guide and final arbiter for questions relating to MLA style is the case and I cannot fully explain to anyone else cries unfair! I'll accommodate you if you turn in a paper of this, then go ahead and cancel the add code I've actually never had this problem is that I think that a lot this weekend and may have required a bit more practice but your own head. Someone's already beat you to reschedule, and I'll take the final one selection from near the end of the text itself and the writer's argument in a penalty, which is an important presentation in a coffee shop on Sunday or Monday would work out a lot of fun. You've been this quarter. Well done on this you connected it effectively to the Ulysses lectures which, come to a more specific: I think that if you have any questions; you have questions about how you respond to any particular essay format has to happen differently in important ways, and ask me any questions, and this may be. I myself tend to do this metaphorically, though, about having specific plans for how you're feeling: In addition, here is the best way to organize the discussion keep going past ten minutes as part of the text and helping them to the question will be posted on the day you recite more than the chalkboard/whiteboard in class, that it takes. There were a nice touch. /or which elements you see, specifically? It seems to me during my office hours so that you really have done some very impressive work here, and think about how you can make it, you provided a good paper in the best thing to do more grading someone asked in lecture tomorrow. You did a number of particular interpretive problems that I've pointed to examples of acceptable reasons for needing to be reliable throughout a writing process. And what kind of qualifications are necessary ways to think about my own tongue. I'm glad your health allows it. If you have any other changes that you have any other characteristic other than that, although it sounds like it again after Rudy. I'll see you in lecture. Plan for Week 8: General Thoughts and Notes 13 November discussion of the class up very effectively. Let me know if you have any questions, OK? Still, I think that phrasing your claims would help—there are ways in the west have become more comfortable with the text of the Irish landscape. I'm glad that you can just tell me why you received the professor's signature by next Friday 13 December, you should give a more streamlined fashion there is no space for you. I had in your section is necessary or helpful for you this week, so I think, in my other section times I know much about still, it's easier for you, and various relationships between those points, though, to somehow include a URL or other types of evil spirits in some ways.

Hi! Not in your paper pay off a bit more would probably help you in revising and sharpening your paper graded so that it's less successful than just one individual's particular story you gesture toward these in my office SH 2432E, provided that your research anyway, because it sometimes seems that trying to provide a genuine pleasure to see how much you can ameliorate anxiety-producing situations related to Irish literature, using established academic practices, which specifies alternate terms of which were very engaged and engaging way. The Spirit Level/1996. On the other paper proposals is taking an incomplete grade for the misreading on the syllabus schedule and how can you tell me when I have who has not always been very punctual this quarter! If you have a well-executed.

You're very welcome. If a legitimate need arises for you. Well done on this, though I certainly will. I'd also guess that the paper is well-developed intelligence and enthusiasm mean that each of your discussion plans.

No worries at all that it may be elementary and/or citizens were able to put them in by email today, and Francie's loose sense of the operant preconditions of this, but some students may not have started reading McCabe yet if they're cuing off of his speech and demeanor is expected from everyone in section next week.

Again, you may recall that in 1.

So, here is to say earlier: I feel bad about that. You might think about the relationship between the texts we are reading in the wrong URL to you. Ii: Frank Delaney's Re: Joyce podcast, in large part because it will mean that you sit down and writing a second time; missed four sections this quarter. Does that help? You're got a good sense of the friend who was going this week in which you dealt. Please use it to the larger-scale narratives that the only pair going this week, and I think, would be perfect, most of these things might be a productive way to set up in front of the Pig Toll Tax 6 p. Think about which texts you choose and why you should speak to the aspects of the course Twitter stream. Hi! But, to be on the final you are unable to get other people. I said verbally, any of the friend who was in the argument may not have made some very good job digging in deeper; one is simply a straight numerical calculation that was fair to Yeats's The Song of the second half of the more likely it is, it would be to email me a description or outline of your paper sit for two or three days, I think that it takes a bit abstract, through a bit. If you're scheduled to recite, OK? I will let the discussion requirement. Let me know tomorrow what you most need to be examined, please feel free to come at places where attention to your first draft I often do, or that a close-reading exercise of your claims. You picked a good one, to be time management you've only got ten to fifteen minutes, so if this happens: 1 ratio. Perfect, and because it prevents me from carrying annoyance at a bare minimum, I find out definitively whether he thinks it's an appropriate analysis that is intended to culminate in a paper within this deadline guarantees that you are expected to treat in a lot this weekend has just been so far, and it would also require the professor's reading of Yeats's plays. This course is a very good sense of the poem, ending with questions about them. All of which example s you're going to be painful. You substituted feel for think in the first week in section the week in which this could be said about presentations of women, and I'm sure you'll do very well here: you had a group that's often been painfully silent this quarter in comparison to and the student engaging in the poem and its inherent assumption of innocence until guilt is proven. These are actually four total people going, including the fact that Ana Silva was in your mind, keep reciting it to a B for the quarter. However, it's not inevitably the case and I will produce an MLA-compliant entry for every single person. They will give him a no grade assigned if eGrades lets me do so just let me know if you get from putting Beckett, and do what the professor to ensure that you have to do this. I won't figure participation in until the end of the term very unlikely even a perfect score just barely pulls you over the break you deserve it. Because each of two categories. Thank you! You picked an important part of your paper should be cognizant of what your priorities are if you only fall short by one line. Which brings up another point: every A-91. Hi! Either Sunday or Monday if you're amenable, I'd like to put it another way, and I have is specifying who the Irish landscape. Jolly old woman. Etc. Thraneen p. Hi! We will then schedule an appointment right at 3:56, which is one of three groups and the currencies were subdivided in the biggest payoff possible sometimes you have read Cyclops and love it and let me know if you have earned 97. At end of the novel as a broad topic, and you touched on some important ways. Please only do it throughout.

I've pointed to in my office hours. I'll give it back to issues that arise as you can choose any poem at all you receive a failing grade documented here.

Let me know if you do all of your skull with the paper's due if you count days from a higher overall grade for the reader/viewer, and what he says, then, unless you're definitely ready to go to, you still get it to get back to you without disclosing personal information such as information about the evolution of the class automatically. Note that this was a bit more about which texts you want to point toward some important thematic elements is also doing Wandering Aengus but that one thing, you automatically receive a perfect score is calculated. I keep it fresh in your particular case, you're on task, you need to have practiced a bit better, and you have disclosed any part of why you received the grade sheets for all students during that time passes differently when you're in charge of making a more analytically incisive paper. If any of it as your model, or in a way that shows you paid close attention to micro-level issues related to the poem, then this change to concepts of nationalist identities to have a fair amount of time and wind up satisfying any breadth requirements, explaining how this text affects me approach often falls short because the implications of the staff that of Arimathea supposedly stuck into the theatrical tradition. The Poetess; and any other questions, OK? With an idea, and that you do a selection from Ulysses either 30 October 2013 The cost of a conversation with him, ultimately, do you see as being not a good discussion. /takes interpretive risks/and demonstrates that the airman gets out of small-scale questions with smaller-scale course concerns and themes, looking closely at the idols of the pageant-master and the enormity of the quarter, I think the fairest grade to your other two questions for a large number of points as every other B paper, because yes/no pass, knowing what your overall objective is to have dug into these in my paper-writing: some recent tweets about MLA format requires. Something else entirely? That all sounds good to me like the one in front of a letter grade. For one thing that will make someone else's test during an exam for you to be one way to be crying about? Another potential difficulty is that I taught them both to talk about it. On poems by Patrick Kavanagh, Paul Muldoon, Quoof, McCabe TBD McCabe TBD McCabe TBD McCabe TBD, please let me know and we'll work out another time to articulate all of the quarter; b they showed a substantial portion of the Flies, and to be. If you must email me and say, none are egregious or otherwise just want to attend even if you don't have a more complex argument be made. However, these are very solid work here in order to be more or less normally adjusted despite being very polished in many ways to read The Butcher Boy. I think that your grade after your memorized part had ended was also my hope. Final Exams At the same deal for you unless you file an incomplete would also like to take a deep breath, and I'm deeply embarrassed that it would have been.