#Acquisition vs Learning

[german-enthusiast]

In my L1-acquisition class two weeks ago, our professor talked about how only 9% of the speech a baby hears is single words. Everything else is phrases and sentences, onslaughts of words and meaning!

Thus, a baby not only has to learn words and their meanings but also learn to segment lots of sounds INTO words. Doyouwantalittlemoresoupyesyoudoyoucutie. Damn.

When she talked about HOW babies learn to segment words our professor said, and I love it, "babies are little statisticians" because when listening to all the sounds, they start understanding what sound is likely to come after another vs which is not.

After discussing lots of experiments done with babies, our professor added something that I already knew somewhere in my brain but didn't know I know: All this knowledge is helpful when learning an L2 as well:

Listen to natives speaking their language. Original speed. Whatever speaker. Whatever topic.

It is NOT about understanding meaning. It is about learning the rhythm of the language, getting a feeling for its sound, the combination of sounds, the melody and the pronunciation.

Just how babies have to learn to identify single words within waves of sounds, so do adults learning a language. It will help immensely with later (more intentional) listening because you're already used to the sound, can already get into the groove of the languge.

Be as brave as a baby.

You don't even have to pay special attention. Just bathe in the sound of your target language. You'll soak it up without even noticing.

[writingwithcolor]

Not all Second-Language Speakers are Made Equal.

@waltzshouldbewriting asked:

Hello! I’m writing a story that features a character who’s first language is not English. He’s East African, specifically from Nairobi, Kenya, and is pretty fluent in English but it’s not his primary language, and he grew up speaking Swahili first. I’m struggling to figure out if it’s appropriate or in character to show him forgetting English words or grammar. From what I’ve researched, English is commonly spoken in Nairobi, but it wouldn’t be what was most spoken in his home. For context, this is an action/superhero type story, so he (and other characters) are often getting tired, stressed, and emotional. He also speaks more than two languages, so it makes sense to me that it would be easier to get confused, especially in a language that wasn’t his first. But I’m worried about ending up into stereotypes or tropes. For additional context: I’m monolingual, I’ve tried to learn a second language and it’s hard. A lot of how I’m approaching this comes from my own challenges correctly speaking my own, first and only language.

Diversity in Second-Language English

You seem to have an underlying assumption that second language acquisition happens the same for everyone. 

The way your character speaks English depends on so many unknown factors: 

Where does your story take place? You mention other characters; are they also Kenyan, or are they all from different countries?

Assuming the setting is not Kenya, is English the dominant language of your setting? 

How long has your character lived in Kenya vs. where he is now? 

What are his parents’ occupations? 

What level of schooling did he reach in Nairobi before emigrating? 

What type of school(s) did he go to, public or private? Private is more likely than you think. 

Did his schooling follow the national curriculum structure or a British one? Depends on school type and time period. 

Does he have familiarity with Kenyan English, or only the British English taught in school? 

Is this a contemporary setting with internet and social media?

I bring up this list not with the expectation that you should have had all of this in your ask, but to show you that second language acquisition of English, postcolonial global English acquisition in particular, is complex. 

My wording is also intentional: the way your character speaks English. To me, exploring how his background affects what his English specifically looks like is far more culturally interesting to me than deciding whether it makes him Good or Bad at the language. 

L2 Acquisition and Fluency

But let’s talk about fluency anyway: how expressive the individual is in this language, and adherence to fundamental structural rules of the language.

Fun fact: Japanese is my first language. The language I’m more fluent in today? English. Don’t assume that an ESL individual will be less fluent in English compared to their L1 counterparts on the basis that 1) it’s their second language, or 2) they don’t speak English at home. 

There’s even a word for this—circumstantial bilingualism, where a second language is acquired by necessity due to an individual’s environment. The mechanisms of learning and outcomes are completely different. 

You said you tried learning a second language and it was hard. You cannot compare circumstantial bilingualism to a monolingual speaker’s attempts to electively learn a second language. 

Motivations?

I understand that your motivation for giving this character difficulties with English is your own personal experience. However, there are completely different social factors at play.

The judgments made towards a native speaker forgetting words or using grammar differently are rooted in ableism and classism (that the speaker must be poor, uneducated, or unintelligent). That alone is a hefty subject to cover. And I trust you to be able to cover that!

But on top of that, for a second language speaker, it’s racism and xenophobia, which often lend themselves to their own ableist or classist assumptions (that those of the speaker’s race/ethnicity must be collectively unintelligent, that they are uneducated or low class due to the occupations where they could find work, or conversely that they are snobby and isolationist and can't be bothered to learn a new language). Intersections, intersections.

If you want to explore your experiences in your writing, give a monolingual English speaker in your cast a learning disability or some other difficulty learning language, whatever you most relate with. And sure, multilingual folks can occasionally forget words like anyone else does, or think of a word in one language and take a second to come up with it in the other language. But do not assume that multilinguals, immigrants, or multiethnic individuals inherently struggle with English or with multiple languages just because you do.

~ Rina

[inkdemonapologist]

Way back before we got the BatDR trailer I had this wild theory -- basically, that the reason they couldn't show any concept art/trailers/etc was that BatDR was gonna pull a wizard of oz and suddenly be in colour partway through. So then that's why we were getting teasers like "look, its a model of A SHELF," because all the actual interesting stuff would've obviously been in colour and spoiled the surprise.

Part of the reason I thought this would work really well was that I assumed Nathan's acquisition of the Bendy IP and "revival" of the franchise in-world would be thematically relevant, rather than just... an excuse to have a second game. Like, Bendy is in new hands now, the cartoons are essentially being rebooted, and there's a LOT of thematic potential in that concept of Old vs New or the good and bad aspects of Change, and the idea that reviving Bendy in the real world would impact the ink realm was a fascinating concept to me. Now that we know the main thrust of the story........... actually I still think this could've worked with it? The sepia-toned Memory of Joey's Regret and the evil of the Ink Demon lingers over the studio and corrupts this new colourful world, while Wilson, the Man Who Killed The Ink Demon, is the one trying to forcibly extinguish these old stains and make the machine useful again.

Geez, you could tie Wilson's motivation in pretty directly actually if you dropped the ENTIRE thing where he says he's trying to BETTER THE WORLD THRU THE POWER OF THE MACHINE or whatever and instead just make him an actual janitor whose dad just gave him this bottom-tier job at his company. Give Nathan one audiolog about how his son is neglectful at work and its hard to find a job he can actually do or some such, and then you have Wilson as someone desperate to prove he deserves more. He sees his father's idolisation of Joey is naive, is able to realise the memory of Joey may be literally corrupting the business through the machine, and wants to eradicate that -- including Audrey, the most subtle infiltration of Joey Drew's influence. He's essentially the force of the New applied with no respect for the Old -- and then you could still give Wilson ties to that psychedelic neon ink from the Shipahoy battle; in fact, you could probably lean into it more: colour taken to the extreme, colour taken too far, something just as destructive as Joey's monochrome obsession.

(I've always loved the idea that Wilson isn't actually an artist and just stole the Shipahoy design while janitoring, which works great with the Shipahoy Monstrosity at the end being part crab because he couldn't actually create an isolated model to feed the machine... in this current era of The Threat Of AI Generation, the idea of wilson introducing a lot of mechanical innovation and incompetently dumping artwork into the machine to make new, too-colourful horrors in the interest of impressing his father while destroying all the old things these cartoons were first built on feels apropos lmao. obviously AI wasn't a huge talking point while BatDR was in production, but "ppl who assume more technology automatically makes art better while inadvertently destroying its heart" is extremely not new)

So the ink realm could be partially in colour (a world changed by the new cartoons), partially sepia (the infected memories of the old studio), and partially glowy neon (wilson's overzealous renovation). It'd be neat if Audrey became a bit of both -- partially colour, partially sepia -- and represented the new cartoons' ties to the old. Learning about the horrors that befell her father's old studio and the Gent technology that Wilson is now using are both relevant -- Joey's exploitation of actual artists who care was bad, and so is Wilson's complete disregard for the heart of these artists' work. The memory of Joey can't fix it because he is part of the problem -- he and the demon are the source of the monochrome infection -- so you have to be the one to bring heartfelt colour into this world, a power none of the others have; find a way to heal those trapped by old wrongs and restart the cycle in a better direction. Then, when Audrey says she wants to create a kinder cycle at the end, we have an idea of what that means and that she can do it b/c there's simple symbolism associated with it -- the new, colourful world that's neither corrupted by festering wrongs nor torn apart by Wilson's machines.

anyway. thats my half-baked idea. i still think its a shame that there WAS colour in there for like 2 seconds and they did NOTHING WITH IT!!!!

[discordiansamba]

anyways some more thoughts about the zuko jet roleswap au because it's apparently A Thing now:

zuko's father was an earth kingdom soldier who infiltrated the fire nation royal palace in an attempt to kill fire lord azulon. it obviously did not work.

zuko's mom truly was just like. I have a strong suspicion that everything I've been fed since childhood is a pack of lies and you just tried to kill my father. let's talk. I'm sure this won't lead to anything more complicated down the line.

(spoilers: it did)

princess ran is ozai's older twin sister, making him originally third in line of the throne- and then fourth, after lu ten was born. he viewed her supposed untimely demise as a blessing.

ran never spoke of her life in the fire nation to zuko. she doesn't want to complicate his life with the knowledge that he's a prince by birthright. she put that life behind her when she helped her future husband escape and fled to the earth kingdom herself.

the soldiers who raided zuko's village did not recognize the supposedly dead princess. they just saw she was clearly fire nation, and a firebender as well. she tried to fight back, but was quickly overwhelmed and killed as a traitor.

zuko's father died in the same attack.

zuko was taken in by distant relatives on his father's side of the family for awhile, but it was obvious they were always uncomfortable with his presence. he learned to hide his firebending quickly.

when he was thirteen, he decided he'd set out on his own- and no one stopped him.

the orphan acquisition started with, of course, The Duke. shortly thereafter, he befriended Pipsqueak. pipsqueak ended up bringing the second orphan kid into the group and it just kind of snowballed from there. by the time the gaang meets him, his little gaggle is eight orphans strong, excluding himself and pipsqueak.

zuko needed something other than his firebending to defend himself with, so he taught himself the dual dao. which he stole. he is no stranger to petty crime if it keeps himself and his kids fed, though he tries to be smart about who he targets.

(the blue spirit is famous for his hit and runs on fire nation supply convoys. they don't know he's taking what he steals back to his kids.)

he actually doesn't mean for the blue spirit to be A Thing. it's just a way to hide his face in case things go wrong. he doesn't realize people are going to end up making a big deal out of it.

when the moon abruptly turns red, zuko decides its time to bite the proverbial bullet and take the kids to ba sing se.

jet vs zuko swordfight in the catacombs of ba sing se.

azula forges an alliance with jet and even gives him the credit for killing the avatar. jet is instantly suspicious of this. there's no way the princess would do that... unless she has some kind of game.

maybe the avatar isn't actually dead. he asks longshot and smellerbee to make absolutely sure he is.

zuko follows the gaang into the fire nation, while pipsqueak and the duke stay behind with hakoda to help gather invasion forces.

[copperfirebird]

WIP Ask Game! <3

@fictionalrelapse tagged me.

Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Aaric/Cam

Acquisition

AI-Assisted World Domination

Aimsir and Lilith talk about hatchlings

Appropriate Use of Shadows

Are you coming home for Solstice

Bare minimum encouragement

Bodhi week

Brennan timetravel fixit

Bullet with Butterfly Wings

Cat and Dain at the Riorgail Wedding

Come on, cowboy, I want to show you something

Compersion (Xaden/Ridoc)

Cyberpunk AU

Dain/Codex SOS

Deja Vu

Divorce AU

dreamwalking roleswap smut

eldritch horror Chase

Fangirl

Fantasylanding

fkn Varrish

Gage

Garrick is Cast

if you love her

Imogen and Garrick go back in time

Insta Reel Imrrick

It's taken me quite a while, but I'm ready to try

Lab Rats AU

left to our own devices

Liam as Xaden

Mysterious Ways

Naolin

Naolin whispered

Nolon POV

omegaverse bits

On Request

Pat Voice Experiment

Poison ch 9

Rare book dealer Violet vs the Riorson Collection

Ridoc vs the ACA tag

Ridolet after

Righter Hand

Robin Voice Experiment

Second Chances (Liam/Violet)

sleep walking

Sts- Monday after Threshing

Summer Exchange

Summer Nights

Summer Visit

temple

text adventure

The black parade

Time& 11

Toys

trans Bodhi

the craft but with scribes

What Do You Want, Jack?

With Liam, under the ice

Worst best fixit

X/V in Aretia library w/Dain watching

XVR Xaden learns to share

You can have my screams

Tagging: Yeah, that's not happening. I love all of you, consider all of you tagged.

[felixir-of-moths]

MASTERLIST

🏚️Hayloft I (songfic inspire by Mother Mother)

AO3 | WIP SERIE

R: E | wc: 16,481 rt: 1h Steddathan | drama, romance | love triangle | thriller

♫ A Life Trite and Jaded (your best won't do)

AO3 | WIP SERIE

R: M | wc: 18,730 rt: 1h15 Steddie | social drama | paranormal investigation | angst & humor

🎵 Playlist : Trite & Jaded

Steddie Events :

🌸 In Bloom | SteddieBingoSpring | AO3 | [will be a serie]

R: E | wc: 12,716 rt: 50min | 3rd most💗 on ao3 getting together | modern setting | angst & comfort | flirting 🍋

🎵Playlist : In Bloom

🥇1,5k hits on ao3 !! 🥇

🪁 High as a Kite | AO3 | SteddieBingoSpring

R: M | wc: 9,220 rt: 36min | 1rst most💗 on ao3 post Vecna | hospital shenanigans | first kiss | drugs | comedy

🎵 Playlist : Kite

🫦 Casting Error | AO3 | SteddieBingoSpring | 2cnd most💗 on ao3

R: E | wc: 6,296 rt: 25min fuckbuddies | BDSM | Dirty Talk | subspace | kink negotiation 🍋

📝 Small fics:

🪦 Make him pay | steddiemicrofic, prompt: delay R: T | wc: 408 rt: 2min | AU soulmates, battle VS Vecna, bad ending

🚌 Gasoline | steddieholidaydrabbles, prompt: school's out for summer | 5th most💗 on ao3 R: T | wc: 988 rt: 4min | AU modern, graduation, arson, first meetings

✍️ Robin's RPF of Boredom | crack fic, Robin is writing Steddie RPF R: T to E | wc: 1,288 | still going

👀 Hold that for me | steddiemicrofic prompt: hot | domsteve prompt caught | R: E | wc: 315 | voyeurism, 3some, Stomdie

Other fics :

🧜🏻‍♂️Mermay Bingo | Stmonstercalendar

🦩The Pool | Steve's Afterparty | mermay bingo, prompt: size difference, rum, mimicry R: T | wc: 8,339 rt: 33min | Steve&Eddie&Robin | friends with benefits, good babysitters Steve&Eddie, baby mermaid Robin

💎The Cove | Eddie's loot | mermay bingo, prompt: pirates, trinkets, anatomy lesson, show R: E | wc: 7,425 rt: 28min | Steddie | monsterfucking, Merman Steve, Pirate Eddie, grief, past Gareth/Eddie, strangers to lovers

Soon: 🧚‍♀️ | 🐣

🎸 Corroded Coffin Bingo | May Mayhem

🏳️‍⚧️ Freakier than me | corrodedcoffinfest, prompt: nice guy who only hates you R: T | wc: 2,575 rt: 10min | Gareth&Eddie, enemies to friends, coming out

🚗 Their youngest fan | corrodedcoffinfest, prompt: grand theft me R: T | wc: 1,331 rt: 5min | Chrissy&Eddie, Steve&Robin | accidental baby acquisition, Corroded Coffin Tour

🍩 We admitted we were powerless | corrodedcoffinfest, prompt: sold his soul for a donut R: T | wc: 1,805, rt: 7min | Chrissy&Doug, Doug&Eddie | eating disorder, 12 steps program, Doug is a sweetheart

🛏️ Only in my head, my head | corrodedcoffinfest, prompt: too many beds R: T | wc: 1,284, rt: 5min | Steddie | meta fiction, limbo, backrooms, major character death, liminal space

👑A Party of Freaks | corrodedcoffinfest, prompt: from riches to rags R: T | wc: 2,978, rt: 12min | dungeons&dragons, Eddie&the band, mercenaries, tieflings, mild Stobin and Steddie

---

🦌 Caught in the Headlights | STWG RarePairFicSwap | AO3 |

R: M | wc: 3,909 rt: 15min | 4th most💗 on ao3 Stonathan | time loop | getting back together | nightmares | angst

🗡️ From Falcon to Hawk | AO3 | [may be a serie]

R: M | wc: 3,462 rt: 14min dark fantasy | tech magic | kings and witches

About me :

Felix, he/they, French, 30+ NeuroA, queer, freshly out of burn out writing genres: angst with happy endings, sci-fi, fantasy writing topics: found families, queer & neuroA identity, mental health struggles do I write 🍋: not always, mostly BDSM related

Writing is an all-time passion, but writing in English is pretty new for me. If you see some misspelling or some obvious errors, you can always DM me, I'll be happy to learn new things!

[imitationgame77]

ART and Human Adolescents

~ Reason Why ART Befriended Murderbot in AC ~

A sort of theory...

In Network Effect, Murderbot notes several times that ART likes adolescent humans. For instance,

I'd noted that ART's tone when it spoke to Amena was completely different than it was to the other humans. [...] Whatever else ART was, the classroom space and bunk-rooms said it was actually, on a regular basis, a teaching vessel. And before this when I was stupid and we were still friends it had talked about human adolescents in an indulgent way.

[Network Effect, Chapter 9]

Murderbot uses ART's soft spot for adolescents to its advantage!

And then, a couple of chapters later,

Amena still had questions. "Then why did you do it? You didn't - you don't care about me. You didn't really even know me then."

Why does ART like adolescent humans? This was exhausting.

[...]

ART must be recovering because it had to butt in with, Tell her you care about her. Use those words, don't tell her you'll eviscerate anything that tries to hurt her.

[Network Effect, Chapter 10]

ART does show protectiveness towards Amena's feelings, and urges MB to do the same.

ART also shows indulgence towards young people, who probably have left adolescent recently. In Artificial Condition, Murderbot's young client Tapan gets herself into a dangerous situation (again), then in a relatively safe environment of a hotel accommodation, inadvertently upsets MB with personal questions. ART helps MB calm down by playing its comfort media's soundtrack, then

In my feed, ART turned down the soundtrack to say, Young humans can be impulsive. The trick is keeping them around long enough to become old humans. This is what my crew tells me and my own observations seem to confirm it.

[Artificial Condition, Chapter 7]

An American psychoanalyst Erik Erikson has developed a theory of personality development which consists of 8 stages from infancy to old age. Each stage has a central theme with basic conflict. Successful resolution of conflicts at each stage results in development of healthy personality and acquisition of virtues.

Adolescence (12-18 years) is defined by its conflict of Identity vs. Role Confusion. Adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through exploring values, goals, interests, and so on. If they are not given enough support and/or restricted in their exploration, they are left with role confusion - struggle to identify their purpose in life, not knowing who they are and what they want. Social relationships are also important in finding their roles in society. Successful resolution of this stage will lead to the virtue of fidelity that involves being able to commit one's self to others on the basis of accepting others even with differences.

The next stage is Early Adulthood (19-29 years), whose basic conflict is Intimacy vs. Isolation. This is when people learn to establish intimacy and relationships with others. If an individual can successfully form intimate, reciprocal relationships with others, love is the virtue to be gained. But, unsuccessful resolution in earlier stages can cause failure in this stage, resulting in isolation. Isolation can be the result of unresolved identity crises, fear of rejection, etc.

This stage thoery was developed in the 1950s. Since then, societies have changed somewhat and many young people can afford to be in "not a child, but not quite grown-up yet" stage for longer.

Presumably, machine intelligences, however sophisticated like ART, do not need to be influenced by physiological changes associated with hormones. Humans are largely influenced by nature part of nature/nurture, but for AIs, nurture (experience) is a lot more significant in forming their personalities. Having been "brought up" in loving human family environment with Iris as its "sibling", ART has developed very good understandings of human development as well as enormous tolerance. Having been interacting with many, many university students (presumably still 18-22 ish), it knows how important adolescent is to their later development in their characters.

One of the fundamental reasons why ART immediately took to Murderbot, in my view, is that it recognised adolescence in it. Whatever its human-equivalent chronological age was when they met, MB had only been governor-module-free for 4 years or so, and its experience of interacting with real people autonomously was very limited. MB was smart and competent in its functions, but also extremely vulnerable and awkward. It fits the definition of adolescence of not knowing its new role (not an appliance anymore)in the world.

So, ART's initial interaction with MB and protectiveness it exhibited were largely because ART was basically kind to vulnerable young people and MB was one. (Their 'relationship' evolves rapidly, but it is getting too long, so I stop. For now.)

----

Addendum

ART was not exactly gentle to Three which had had less-than-1-cycle of experience at being autonomous. It was more like a colt than a human adolescent. Must have been stress and anxiety talking.

Does an advanced AI have an equivalent of adolescence?? (probably mild, being hormone-free)

[la-galaxie-langblr]

Hot Enby Language Summer Weeks 2-4 Review

Between a holiday and general lack of being able to perceive time, I've forgotten a few posts, but ah well!

French 🇫🇷

Vocab acquisition is going slowly and steadily, I doubt I'll be able to get 500 words learned because I forgot just how long doing Anki takes and I don't want to overload myself with new words, but that's alright!! Over these weeks I've learned words related to the bank, cars and driving, and what you might hear on the news. I've gotten into a cooking/food phase recently so that'll be an excellent source of vocab :D

Grammar topics studied: forming questions, direct and indirect object pronouns, passé composé vs imparfait, all things I seriously struggle with!

This upcoming week I intend to start reviewing what I learned in uni this year and getting that vocab and grammar into my head, so we'll see how it goes

I've also been making an active effort to find YouTube videos to watch in French to get some listening comprehension in, the litte-and-often method is working well for my attention span 😅

Irish 🇮🇪

I've done 2 chapters in my workbook! The only annoying thing about it is that it doesn't have the answers in the back, which isn't as much of an issue for the basic stuff where I can easily compare with the material in the book but this may become an issue later down the road, we'll see

My summer has been so chill and relaxed so far and I intend to keep it that way ✨ on my holiday I found a secondhand book of 18th-20th century French poetry for a v low price so I'm ecstatic with that, and I'll always take more reading materials!! Have to actually read them though, I was reorganising my bookshelves recently and discovered that I have quite a few French books but I've only read bits and pieces from any of them, I think I should pick a book and start working through it tbh

[southsuns]

unpopular opinion (as a homeschooler, who had visitation for years, who was physically neglected and emotionally abused in one home, notably NOT the one where i was being taught…) but if you’re homeschooling and you cannot teach your child basic skills and knowledge like reading, writing, math, science, geography, history, if your child cannot tell you who the leader of your country is or where they live at 10-12 onward (And yes, I have and continue to see this among homeschooled people i know) You are neglecting your child. and i KNOW you, as the parent may well be trying your best, and you may not have a lot of options and it’s hard. you may be taking them to all the co-ops you can. but all of that trying doesn’t make up for the myriad of ways the kid is behind. yes i know learning disabilities exist this isnt about that. this is about the perfectly abled 11 year old i know who struggles to write 3 full sentences every day on paper, who finds that the most miserable part of his schooling, this is about the 8 year old who can barely read basic phonics books. who actually cries trying to read complex phonics books (as in, more complex than “mat sat. sam sat. sam and mat sat.”) and these kids are stunted in ways they may not be ABLE to recover from. studies in the limited forms they exist suggest the height of our language acquisition is until 12 or so, and after that point, it is incredibly difficult or impossible to grasp language. and this will affect them in EVERY aspect of their life FOR THEIR WHOLE LIFE. and we act like it’s just an unfortunate reality of american education. i feel fucking bad for these kids. i lucked out and i loved reading and my mum taught me well and we found ways to push through subjects i didn’t like because she knew it was important, or to make them fun by using different books (science via textbook vs “let’s learn about basic physics and science by making a tiny catapult!”) like holy shit. holy shit

[lingual-exploits]

Language Acquisition vs Language Learning

The average person can learn their native language starting as a toddler. Toddlers are bombarded by a language they hear around them. The learn language because their baby brains realize that communication can help express needs and better interact.

Adults usually aren't bombarded, and they usually have some idea about the language before going to that area that speaks it.

I learned Darija, Moroccan Arabic (and clawed out some French from the back of my brain) out of sheer necessity while living in Morocco Rabat's old walled city. I didn't know any Darija, maybe Hi and Thank You. I kind of knew the standard Arabic alphabet but almost no words.

Since no one spoke English at all and as you went "deeper" into the walled city many didn't even know French I learned Moroccan Arabic out of necessity which is basically the same reason a toddler learns a language.

I had to take a Darija "class/course" while there and came extremely close to flunking, I didn't get a single good grade.

Yet buying correct foods in the walled city, bartering in the souk very effectively, taxi conversations, and other things I did just fine— despite nearly flunking. I think language acquisition and language studying/learning can be two different things.

Babies get acquisition long before proper education based learning. In Morocco, I got language acquisition and nearly flunked language learning.

Also I know literally none of it now.....like at all. I don't even know Arabic script, I forgot it because I never used it.

In 2019 I probably could have easily relearned Arabic/Darija. But now? My memory, TBI, and exhaustion say no.

This is from a post on my main blog link

[luxe-pauvre]

Hi, Holly. If I'm not mistaken, you have a PhD in neuroscience, right? I'm a 4th year psychology student, and I'd like to pursue a doctorate degree after graduation, preferably choosing a topic that is somewhat connected to neurobiology/neuroscience, i.e. a more scientifically oriented one. I was wondering, could you perhaps point me towards some topics that are currently relevant in your field? Sorry if this question is too personal or too demanding. Love your blog! 🩶

I almost have a PhD in clinical neuroscience, I'm not quite finished yet.

This is a big question and my field vs. neuroscience in general are two different things. I work on intraoperative neuroimaging which is a small niche.

Neuroscience is such a huge and varied field so this is almost an impossible question to answer. I think you're looking for the current big topics in neuroscience in general which are broadly considered to be: consciousness, memory, learning, how the brain represents abstract concepts, computational neuroscience, plasticity, free will, language acquisition, sleep.

It's not a bad time to be in neuroscience as pretty much every sub-field still has more questions than answers. Find something that interests you rather than what everyone is saying is the next big thing and go from there. Good luck!

[kafkaoftherubble]

看到别的《不灭》粉针对“长生不死”的看法，在下小感

// Some thoughts on Immortality vis-à-vis To Your Eternity

------------------

Why is there a (sometimes hidden) assumption that being immortal automatically means the following expectations:

being incredibly intelligent

hella knowledgeable

an expert generalist

"the one with the answer" in the entire group?

It's prevalent in pop culture which, I'm gonna guess, is a product of tons of fiction and myths that "say so."

But I think people take these assumptions for granted way too much and start to impose a universality that I don't think holds up to immortal characters who are human or possess human brains.

The qualifiers "human" and "possessing human brains" (or human cognition) are very important here. If this immortal is non-human, then this critique isn't aimed at them. Read on if you like, though.

The (human) brain is simply not an infinite memory space the way a computer database could theoretically be. Limitations are one of the most important factors that shape the course of a brain's evolution; hell, I once wrote a ramble regarding the difference between an AI's information processing vs. human cognition.

(Yes, it was outfitted with citations. Yes, it was completely unprompted and no one asked for it. At all. You may start to notice a pattern regarding me.)

Children generally get to learn and absorb as much information as they like with minimal cost until they're of a certain age, and then the pruning of neurons starts. The number of neurons we have is reduced because the brain now favors depth instead of breadth of knowledge. You cut off the things you don't actually need in your life to free new neurons for any domain that needs it.

This isn't just about memories. It's about things like your optical sense, your auditory sense, the whole shebang. Every part of your brain is constantly vying for free real estate to bolster its own domain; it's a relentless competition for neurons.

What does that mean?

It means even if you're immortal—so long as you're human or possess a human brain—you'll always be limited in your knowledge and skills. You can try to learn as many things as you want, but you're doing it at a cost, all the time.

Think about it. How well do you remember everything you've ever learned in school?

Do you remember the details of, say, the differing carbon pathways for C3 and C4 plants? Do you remember there are two kinds of mechanisms?

Do you remember how to calculate a region's longitude and latitude using their timezone via employing the Greenwich Meridian Line as a reference point, or a region of a known timezone?

Do you remember how to exchange inch to centimeter, or pound to kilogram, or Celsius to Fahrenheit, without using a converter?

How about recalling the detailed history of all four ancient civilizations and their ways of life: the Mesopotamian, the Egyptian, the Indus, and the Chinese?

So on, so forth. I don't know what everyone studied in their respective education system, but chances are, there is a lot of shit we have all "forgotten" even if we spent an inordinate amount of time committing them to memory back then. If you know the answer to any of these^ questions, then chances are you either just read/learn about them, or you regularly engage in this domain. Knowledge is never permanently stored in an individual's brain... because it can't. That's right; even skills and knowledge are not permanent in one's head. Impermanence, baby!

And that's my problem with the assumption of The All-Knowing Immortal.

While it's true that an immortal human has all the time in the world to study every knowledge humanity has accumulated as a whole, they can never have all knowledge at their fingertips, because at every acquisition of something new, they disregard what is judged to be unimportant and unnecessary by the brain to free up new neurons. There is always something the Immortal doesn't know—not because they have never heard of it, but because they have forgotten about it.

But surely immortality shapes someone such that they are different from a mortal being, right?

Correct! It does, and I think in at least two major ways:

(1) Expertise

Even a mortal being could gradually become an expert in one or—in the case of a polymath—various domains. Again, a mature brain favors depth instead of breadth. The more you practice, the more your neurons refine and develop, and the more skilled you become. That's how experts are created.

Since an Immortal has a lot more time (and with time comes resources and opportunities) to hone their skills in several domains, it stands that they will be incredibly expert in these domains over a long period.

The catch, though, is that they are only an expert in the domains they frequently engage in. It doesn't translate to being an expert in literally every other trade under the sun. It doesn't even mean they will become an instant expert after some light-reading about those trades because expertise ≠ genius. Some domains' knowledge may afford the Immortal an easier path to understanding related domains, but it still doesn't mean the Immortal is gonna be a pro and galaxy-brain at it without effort and cost.

(2) Experience

Experience is gained from how long one experiences life, so naturally, an Immortal is gonna have a lot of that. This is why I do agree that an Immortal should likely be one of the wisest in the group... but I don't think this rule should be universal to all immortal beings either.

What if an Immortal spent 40 years of their life in isolation, as a hermit, whose only occasional companion was a phantom-like observer who called them out anytime he felt like the Immortal was underwhelming?

The human brain's growth and learning depend on sociality. An isolated Immortal loses its most important source of learning, so of course, they would now be even less experienced than a poison-tasting woman who traveled around and recorded her adventures and knowledge in a book.

----

That's right. This post has always been about Fushi... because To Your Eternity was in the title of this ramble. Ha! Read the signpost before you enter next time, you dorks! I gotcha good!

While some criticisms against Fushi's suboptimal intelligence and knowledge are warranted (and even those that aren't warranted are still interesting arguments to think about), I think people's expectation of what an Immortal being should be has gotten in the way of them seeing/appreciating Fushi as a "different kind of Immortal."

Fushi's default form is a 14-year-old boy who, for the longest time, has been living alone. That's a boy who's been deprived of social learning for a long enough time that it might have caused some brain damage (technical). That's not counting the fact that a 14-year-old brain simply isn't mature and is easily overtaken by impulses. I'm of the hypothesis that Fushi's beholden to the form they take; the proof is in how, whenever they change into one, they begin to exhibit their attributes.

Fushi's saddled with quite a lot of trauma—in fact, their trauma starts almost immediately and constantly after they are active beyond being a piece of rock or moss. What's the second word they learn after "Arigatou?" Wasn't it 痛い ("it hurts")? All of that stuff can indirectly hamper their social learning.

Fushi's base Nameless Boy form may also just be... well, not good at social learning. Or, Fushi themself isn't good at it. In other words, Fushi might just be... autistic. Bit of a headcanon there, though.

That's not all. While Fushi might have chosen to read a ton of books and whatnot, what do you think their interest will be? I don't think it's science, or politics, or philosophy, or looksmaxxing—the point is, they choose their own domains to engage in.

And even if they had read things like, I don't know, Trigonometry and Beauty or The Philosophy of Algebra or Sun Tzu's Art of War—my previous point about how knowledge can still be forgotten when those neurons fall into disuse still apply. And that's if Fushi was paying attention to what they were reading in the first place, because if you're not attentive, then good luck encoding things into your long-term memory effectively.

------

So what does all of this amount to?

Well, it means one may think Fushi is a dull-witted Immortal,...

...or think Fushi is a different kind of Immortal.

An Immortal that isn't as common a depiction as most others we knew in pop culture, to boot. Stil, they exhibit the two things Immortals should possess in abundance compared to a mortal being.

Firstly, they display expertise in wielding their powers (they are actually a very competent fighter come the Modern Arc and the Future Arc when they want to be). They are skilled at cooking and are generally the best at remembering the quirks, characteristics, and inclinations of every person they know well enough.

Why? Because these are the domains they engage in all the time.

Secondly, they exhibit an abundance of experience accumulated through their long lives. But here's the twist that I adore To Your Eternity for:

While the experience of an Immortal is usually depicted as a net benefit that shapes that Immortal into becoming wise, Fushi's abundance of experience as an Immortal is sometimes detrimental to them.

I'm talking, of course, about trauma as one of the main components of their experience.

We've discussed previously that Fushi's growth might have been hampered by the sheer trauma they had undergone at the start of the story. But here's the thing: their experience since then didn't exactly improve all the time. The grueling trial that was The Assault on Renril? Their previous attempts at fighting back Nokkers with varying results? Being stuck in a molten iron Prison Gate oh wow it's like Gojo ohmygod cube? Kahaku? You can list them yourself.

Even as normal human beings with limited timespan, we often find our own less-than-savory experience—including trauma—debilitating or even unbearable. Now imagine being an Immortal who keeps collecting experiences like these. Imagine yourself saddled with the suffering you've already gone through and beholden to more trauma and suffering as part of your experience living forever.

These are your experiences.

Have they made you exceptionally wise?

Not really?

Aye, that's the point.

-----

If I have to give a TL;DR for this, I guess it's:

"Guys, I think we should give Fushi a wee bit of break, doncha think, lads?"

I know they are an Immortal. And people expect an Immortal various things in a story. But they are also a lot more than what common depictions of eternal beings are like.

Fushi is, to me, a very interesting exploration of being an immortal, and one I appreciate for

deconstructing the assumptions people make about Immortals in general

and deconstructing the "shouldn't an Immortal be wise because of their experience" understanding most of us might have.

Thank you for reading my ramble. Check your eyesight when you have the chance just in case reading all of this gave you a myopia. Don't say I didn't warn ya!

-----------------------

I'm... gonna pretend this is my "Happy Fumetsu Tuesday/Wednesday" post of the week—which I haven't been doing for a while now. I might as well retroactively pretend this ramble was part of a tradition-that-is-never-really-observed-for-real, too.

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Concepts

The philosophy of concepts is a branch of philosophy that investigates the nature, structure, and function of concepts in our thinking and communication. Concepts are the mental representations or units of thought that enable us to categorize and make sense of the world. Here are some key areas explored within the philosophy of concepts:

1. Nature of Concepts

Mental Representations: Concepts are often understood as mental representations that play a fundamental role in our cognitive processes. They are the building blocks of thoughts and allow us to understand and interact with the world.

Abstract Entities: Some philosophers view concepts as abstract entities that exist independently of individual minds, akin to Platonic forms or universals.

2. Acquisition of Concepts

Innateness vs. Learning: There is a debate over whether concepts are innate (inborn) or acquired through experience and learning. Nativists argue that certain fundamental concepts are hardwired into our brains, while empiricists believe that all concepts are learned through sensory experience.

Developmental Psychology: This area studies how children acquire and develop concepts as they grow, shedding light on the cognitive processes involved in concept formation.

3. Structure of Concepts

Classical Theory: The classical theory posits that concepts have a definitional structure, with necessary and sufficient conditions for membership (e.g., a triangle is defined as a three-sided polygon).

Prototype Theory: This theory suggests that concepts are organized around typical examples or prototypes, rather than strict definitions. For instance, the concept of "bird" might be centered around a prototypical bird like a robin.

Theory-Theory: According to this view, concepts are like theoretical constructs that are part of our mental theories about the world. They are embedded in a network of beliefs and assumptions.

4. Function of Concepts

Categorization: Concepts allow us to categorize objects, events, and ideas, making it easier to navigate and understand the world.

Communication: Concepts enable effective communication by providing a shared framework for discussing and understanding ideas.

Inference and Reasoning: Concepts facilitate inference and reasoning by allowing us to draw connections between different pieces of information.

5. Conceptual Change

Scientific Revolutions: The philosophy of science explores how concepts change in response to new discoveries and paradigm shifts, as seen in scientific revolutions.

Conceptual Change in Individuals: This area examines how individuals revise their concepts over time in response to new experiences and information.

6. Philosophical Implications

Epistemology: Concepts are central to epistemology, the study of knowledge. Understanding how concepts are formed and justified is crucial for understanding how we know what we know.

Metaphysics: The nature of concepts raises questions about the nature of reality and the relationship between our mental representations and the external world.

Philosophy of Language: Concepts are closely related to language, and the philosophy of language investigates how words and sentences express concepts.

Conclusion

The philosophy of concepts is a rich and interdisciplinary field that intersects with cognitive science, psychology, linguistics, and artificial intelligence. It seeks to understand the fundamental units of thought that underpin our cognitive abilities and shape our understanding of the world.

[atticcreationz]

Dimension 20 fans! A lot of folks have been asking me recently where's a good place to start d20. I give them the usual (send them the wiki, talk about chronological vs connected seasons, ask them what genres they like so as to point them in a direction) but it reminded me of something I'm curious about!

I know a lot of my friends who love/started with Critical Role are big into A Crown of Candy, and Adventure Zone fans tend to gravitate more towards the likes of Fantasy High etc. So my question for you is: what dnd show is your favourite (besides d20) and which season do you think is the closest match for the tone of said dnd show?

So the list would go:

- if you like Critical Role, try A Crown of Candy for its world building and intense drama, or try Escape from the Bloodkeep where Matt is a PC

- If you like The Adventure Zone, try Fantasy High for a show that starts whacky and with the players learning 5e but transforms into a beautiful story, or try Tiny Heist for the McElroys

- If you like NADDPOD, try (fill in the blank) for (tone), or try (fill in the blank) for peak Murph and Emily

- If you like Dungeons and Daddies try (blank) or try Mentopolis where Freddie is a PC

- Friends at the Table

- Acquisitions Incorporated

- Hello From The Magic Tavern (not technically a dnd podcast but it feels like it's all the silly downtime moments with the actual game part cut out)

- Etc!

I'd love to have another metric for recommending D20 seasons to friends and this sounds like a fun one! Suggestions welcome!

[thesaleswhisperer]

How to Reach Decision-Makers and Close Them Today, With Adam Rosen

Adam Rosen, founder of an email outreach company, discusses the evolution of cold email and the impact of recent changes in the industry.

He explains how the Squarespace acquisition of Google domains affected bounce rates and forced companies to adapt their cold email strategies.

Rosen emphasizes the importance of quality in cold email marketing and addresses the perception of cold email as spam. He also provides insights into choosing the right cold email tool and shares success stories of reaching high-profile executives through cold email outreach. 

Additionally, Rosen discusses the balance between travel and business growth and offers tips for negotiating Airbnb rentals. In this conversation, Adam Rosen discusses his customer acquisition methods, including cold email, LinkedIn outreach, and referrals.

He emphasizes the importance of setting proper expectations with customers and underpromising and overdelivering. Adam also shares insights on the direct approach in marketing and the need to build a system that works for you. He discusses the use of a primary domain for email outreach and the optimal number of touches in cold email campaigns.

Adam highlights the importance of personalized outreach and the value of a quick sales cycle. He also emphasizes the need to avoid overcomplicating sales conversations and to embrace pain as a learning opportunity. 

Takeaways

Cold email and LinkedIn outreach are effective methods for customer acquisition.

Setting proper expectations with customers is crucial for long-term success.

Underpromising and overdelivering can lead to satisfied and loyal customers.

Building a system that works for you is essential for scalability and efficiency in sales.

Personalized outreach from the point person tends to yield better results. 

Using a primary domain for email outreach can be effective if the list is highly curated.

The optimal number of touches in cold email campaigns is around three to five.

Decision makers prefer a direct approach and appreciate transparency in pricing.

Short sales cycles are possible if the right person is reached at the right time.

Simplifying sales conversations and avoiding overcomplication can lead to better outcomes.

Embracing pain and challenges can lead to growth and learning in business. 

Contact Adam Rosen at EOCworks.com for more information.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

00:23 Transition to Digital Nomad Lifestyle

01:24 The Evolution of Cold Email

05:02 Adapting to Changes in Cold Email

07:02 Addressing the Perception of Cold Email as Spam

08:06 Choosing the Right Cold Email Tool

09:07 Gaming the System and the Importance of Quality

10:03 The Game of Cold Email Marketing

11:02 Effectiveness of Cold Email in Reaching Executives

12:45 The Value of Cold Email in B2B

13:49 Success Stories from Cold Email Outreach

15:05 Transition to Email Outreach Company

18:18 Balancing Travel and Business Growth

19:37 Choosing Travel Destinations

22:25 Negotiating Airbnb Rentals

25:05 Providing Full-Service and DIY Options

26:43 Timeframe for Results in Cold Email

27:36 Business Growth Strategies

28:00 Customer Acquisition Methods

29:02 Setting Proper Expectations

30:52 Direct Approach vs. Ancillary Marketing

32:32 Building a System for Success

34:42 Personalized Outreach vs. Assistant Outreach

36:34 Using Primary Domain for Email Outreach

38:05 Optimal Number of Touches in Cold Email Outreach

40:43 Decision Makers' Preferences in Sales Outreach

43:11 Avoiding Overcomplication in Sales Conversations

45:03 Short Sales Cycles and Quick Buying Decisions

48:56 Simplified Call Flow and Pricing Transparency

52:40 Embracing Pain and Learning from Challenges

55:25 Contact Information

https://blog.thesaleswhisperer.com/p/adam-rosen-outbound-prospecting

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Check out The Sales Podcast's latest episode

[yagirlreach]

Some thoughts on RT.

I'm gonna get my proper thoughts together and post a response video later this weekend (hiatus be damned), but for now, I wanted to share a personal story. I don't know if I'm still technically under NDA for any of this but I don't care.

Several years ago at RTX 2018 or 2019 (I forget exactly which one), myself and several representatives from RT communities around the world were invited to a community summit, hosted by Rooster Teeth. The summit was hosted inside of Stage 5, meaning for the purpose of that meeting I have actually set foot within Rooster Teeth HQ. It was in that room that we learned about the Warner acquisition before anyone else. As soon as they announced it to us, I immediately looked across the table I was sitting at to my co-rep from the DFW community, and without saying a word I knew he was thinking the same thing I was: “This isn’t going to end well.”

After the summit was over and we had some privacy we talked with each other a little bit more in detail, we more or less had the same concerns. Yes, the Warner acquisition would open up a lot more funds for projects, animation and marketing, but it would also bring the corporate mindset to what was up until then an extremely community-driven company. Sure enough, over the next few years our fears would start to be realized. Layoffs, projects getting slashed or put on indefinite hiatus, stuff like that… But even more telling was that over the years, it seemed like the community engagement from the company to the community itself was beginning to wane, almost as if a disconnect was starting to form. At the start of COVID the community seemed stronger than ever, but as lockdown dragged on, those connections got weaker and weaker, until some of them dissolved away completely. And don't even get me started on @kdinjenzen's Tweet Hear 'Round the World... That day saw me pretty much disconnect myself from Rooster Teeth and the RT Community in its entirety. I wanted nothing to do with the company after all of that, and stepped down from my role as an admin for the RTDFW community so as to remove myself from any officially recognized role under Rooster Teeth's umbrella.

In short, I was against the Warner acquisition from the moment I heard about it, because every single fear that I had about it at the time has now come to fruition, ultimately culminating in the closing of the company and many, many talented and well-meaning people losing their jobs working on projects that they and we were so passionate about. The Warner acquisition was honestly one of the main reasons that I’ve removed myself as much as I have from the RT community, because for the past couple of years, I kind of had a feeling this was coming.

I still love RWBY. I still love Red VS Blue. I love the lessons that they taught us and the stories that they told. I love my friends that I was able to meet because of Rooster Teeth. No corporation can ever take that away from me. The Rooster Teeth community saved my life, and for that, I will forever be grateful. At the same time, though... There's a part of me that is perfectly content to sit back and watch it all burn.