#classics is a great thing to study if you want to feel like the ulysses ogre for your whole future career | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

myokk · 7 months ago

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Three things I’ve been thinking of lately:

ONE:

I recently learned that people read differently in their minds🫨 the three types of reading are: subvocalization (you sound out each word internally, like reading to yourself), auditory reading (you hear the words you’ve read, faster than subvocalization) and visual reading (you just understand the meaning of the word..the fastest).

I’m a subvocalization girl which means that I read/write pretty slow but I also LOVE it, because it’s so entertaining this way. I think I mainly just read a lot of classics because their use of language and making their writing sound pretty is🤌🤌🤌 sometimes I just read chapters of Ulysses bc I like how they sound😆♥️ and for me, the main reason to read is to feast my brain!! And writing is so much fun too, because when you get that *exact* combination of words and punctuation and just aldkjgjdlsjgjss when it can sound pretty I get SO HAPPY !! (I think it’s quite obvious that I love alliteration🫶) I’m only a year into my writing journey but I’m excited to see if I can improve with it🥰♥️

But I’m curious…WHAT TYPE OF READER ARE YOU?? Did you know there were different ways?

TWO:

I love this website SO much & I wanted to share it with you all in case you’re interested:

YOU GET TO PRACTICE TYPING (ok maybe I’m weird bc I think it’s fun😆) PLUS you get to “read” all of these amazing novels! They have Austen, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Fitzgerald, Orwell,Homer, etc etc etc🫶

I think physically typing out prose you admire is also an amazing practice because it’s a different way to interact with some beautiful writing. As an artist, I love doing studies of the masters because I always learn something new♥️ (not fanart, my real art😆) and I feel like this is similar for writing.

THREE:

HOW DO SOME OF YOU WRITE SO FAST🫠🫠🫠 OR EVEN READ SO MUCH🫨

Im lucky if I have even 30 min a day to write, and I see some of you posting FULL CHAPTERS almost every day🫨🫨🫨 or even every week…please teach me your ways🥺 but even if I have a longer time to write sometimes, I feel like I write at a snail’s pace because now that the plot of my fic gets so complicated, I spend so much time just THINKING instead of writing🫠 I still have fun writing though & I don’t feel bad about my writing speed, I just wish that sometimes I was a bit faster♥️

Ok that’s all!! My weird rambling post for the evening😆🫶

#is this shitposting?#whatever this is my blog🤭 & I always love hearing your responses…#im just curious I suppose bc I’ve been thinking of these things a lot

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iamanartichoke · 4 years ago

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... All right, let’s do this.

Under the cut bc there’s SO MANY images, and I’m sorry, and I know the cut is worthless to mobile users but, well, here we are. Please don’t unfollow me for this post specifically.

^^ I can’t decide if this woman holding the Tesseract is impressive or not bc, I mean, she’s wearing a glove - but, Red Skull probably was, too? Also the TVA are obviously not humans, so “impressive” may be generous. On the other hand, “only beings of enormous power” can wield the Tesseract/infinity stones, so.

Loki looks pissed.

“I know what this place is.” I like this, bc it provides us with some narrative evidence that Loki has always known much more about the universe and How Things Work than anyone cared to realize. Loki’s always known what’s going on; that he isn’t ignorant to the existence or inner functions of the TVA feels in-character.

Inception!

Lokiception!

Why does every shot of the TVA’s headquarters look like the inside of a poorly-lit DMV? Though I guess it fits with the “timelessness” of it all as, after all, time ceases to exist or have meaning once you enter the DMV.

But I digress.

I’ve already remarked on the “I’m smart” comment, but I do like this shot.

I really love what Loki’s hair is doing here, I don’t even care. For better or for worse, his hair’s doing it’s own all-natural thing and I dig it. Let it move, let it dance, let it fall into his face and obscure his features as fanfic has allowed so many times.

I’m not a fan of the exaggerated jump or “wtf” expression along with “this is absurd” but THIS moment? Classic Loki. He looks 500% done and we’re only 51 seconds in. Also, I refuse to believe that stack of papers is everything Loki’s ever said. I know we all complained about the “you love to talk” line but, I mean, certainly he’s said more than approximately the total sum of Ulysses in his 1000 years of existence.

Here’s what I want to know:

1. How does Loki taking the Tesseract result in so many new timeline branches? Surely he’s only responsible for one new timeline? I really, really hope they address that this is all the Avengers’ fault.

2. What timeline is WandaVision and TFatWS taking place in? The main one, I presume? How do we know it’s not one of these alternate ones?

3. Which timeline is Agents of SHIELD in and will they be addressed? Bc they got up to all kinds of Time Shenanigans in seasons 5, 6, and 7 to the point where I’m pretty sure they split off into their own universe (which is why they weren’t affected by the Snap or that whole thing, or so I’ve heard). If Loki crosses paths with Coulson & crew, I may pee my pants.

4. So where does Jessica Jo - ah, forget it, I’m not even going to ask.

I wonder what it is about this “unique Loki perspective” that Mobius is interested in recruiting. (Incidentally, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Owen Wilson in, like, a real role - wherein he’s not playing some version of Owen Wilson, that is. He’s got a costume and everything here. Fun to see!)

This is a bamf shot, okay. The way it’s framed is pretty intimidating.

“You listen well, brother -”

“I’m listening.”

^^ I figured out what kind of energy this moment has, lmao.

“It’s adorable that you think you can manipulate me.” I mean, do I even have to comment? I am here for narratively validating the “Loki is ten steps ahead” (heh, and I quote) canon. Here’s another place where I feel like Tom was involved, since I’m pretty sure that somewhere, he’s literally said “Loki’s always ten steps ahead of everyone else.”

That said, I’m not crazy about the delivery of this line; the over-confident tone of it smacks of “here’s someone about to get knocked the fuck off their pedestal” and I’m not here for that.

That said, these next scenes -

- not only show Loki with the upper hand but, also, it’s clear that Loki goes rogue at some point, possibly early on, and I do like that. Drag me if you will, but I want to see Loki scheming and being manipulative, in his own interests.

I think that Loki being the protagonist will allow them to portray his manipulation in a way that the audience is on his side. I don’t think that the TVA is being framed as the “reliable narrator” through which the audience should view Loki, or “good guys” at all; I think that maybe they’re not evil, but there’s probably a lot of morally-grey shenanigans and goings-on.

I also think Loki is capable of outwitting them; Loki, being ten steps ahead, has probably figured out something that the TVA has not even thought of yet, so he’s going to fix things his own way, according to his own plan. And I want to see that, because I think that this will give the narrative room to really explore both how Loki thinks and what he does when his plans go awry (as I’m sure they’re bound to do); like, how will he fix it and still remain on top in the end?

So, I mean, I’m pretty intrigued (and still cautiously optimistic).

Lots of action shots happening, I won’t add even more images to this post, but this magic is still giving me life.

What is this, a food court? (Speaking of which , what’s up with all the action in the mall earlier?)

“I’ve studied almost every moment of your life”

(^^ Missed opportunity)

“and you’ve literally stabbed people in the back like 50 times.”

Receipts or it didn’t happen, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that line right now.

Thanks, I hate it. This is all wrong, this whole thing - just awful, scrap it, toss it out. Tom, I love you, but this was the wrong delivery and an all-around bad acting decision. It’s too over-the-top, too earnestly “well I never!”, too comical (as in, feels like it belongs in a comic with a speech bubble as opposed to funny).

Once more, with feeling. From the top!

I like that we get to see Loki doing a wardrobe change, as I don’t think we’ve gotten to see that before. He always just shows up in a new outfit or illusions one on.

That’s one ugly ass outfit, but you make it look passable, Loki. You’re beautiful, in case no one’s told you that today.

The remaining shots are very visually pleasing and action-y and I dig them, except the volcano one (stop posing with your arms outstretched every five seconds, Loki, it’s kinda cringe. In the above still, it works; in front of a volcano, it’s just tonally off. I say this with love, don’t @ me).

Overall, I think I maintain my 7/10 rating. I think that the trailer hints at a lot of potential in the story that I will enjoy seeing, and I think that the nature of it being a trailer means that it’s a little tonally hyperbolic (this is kinda the format for Disney shit; show the flashy bits, the funny (”funny”) bits, to draw in the casual viewer. Save the story bits for the show. (Case in point: there’s a lot of great material in TFatWS that happened just before or after the one-liners shown in the trailer.)

So, yes. Sorry this is such a mammoth post, I just needed to explode my feels. If you think the trailer’s awesome, kudos and I love you. If you’re disappointed and upset, I’m sorry and I love you. If you’re hovering in the middle, still in cautiously optimistic territory, pull up a seat and have some popcorn with me.

That is all.

#loki on the small screen #long post #image heavy post #loki pokey artichokey #mood gif #i honestly don't know if i should tag spoilers?#i don't think a trailer counts as spoilers personally #but ymmv so #loki series spoilers

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docholligay · 6 years ago

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What are some literary classics you especially, firmly believe should be considered classic and taught generally? Are there any you would be more than happy see left in the past and/or being unworthy of their 'classical literature' status?

God this question is so hard because it gets into the larger question of WHY do we teach something?

For example, people love to rag on The Great Gatsby, and I get it even though Fitzgerald’s drunken prose is some of my favorite tub-reading shit. But as far as teaching freshman and sophomores how to look for symbolism? Amazing. Not many books better. It’s JUST shaded enough.

If I want to teach a classic, what am I trying to teach? This is especially true if we’re talking like junior high-high school, when not everyone is going to move on seriously in the study of literature.* You’re trying to teach people how to experience writing, how to study it, how it can be something more than “this is literally what happened”

If it were up to people named Doc, who are me, History and literature would be the same class, because one reflects the other so much, and affects the other, and I think to try and understand literature without understanding the time in which it was made is almost impossible. It won’t give you the kind of appreciation for the book, i don’t think, but this is an off-topic rant for another time entirely.

I also utterly reject the idea that English class is to teach people to love reading any more than appropriate instruction in Algebra or Biology is to teach people to love math or science. The arts become a puff piece because we allow them to be so. I don’t care if kids in 10th grade English are having a good time. I care that they’re learning shit.

SO these aren’t books I love or even necessarily LIKE, some of them, I in fact, HATE, but they are ones that after some consideration, are think are incredibly valuable teaching tools at a roughly high school level, covering styles, history, things to study, etc. This is also not an exhaustive list! There are doubtless books I forgot or didn’t consider closely enough or haven’t read. I’m also not including plays and poetry, though they of course should be studied as well. Also, it does not include biographies or memoirs–I was split on this, as in my dream history and lit class, they would be on here, but, that class doesn’t exist.

In no order particularly:

The Bluest Eye

The Grapes of Wrath

The Great Gatsby

Hemingway–For Whom the Bell Tolls or A Farewell to Arms

Their Eyes Were Watching God

The Scarlet Letter

Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre (WUTHERING HEIGHTS SAYS MY DEEP PERSONAL BIAS)

Beowulf

Dickens–A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations

The Odyssey

Things Fall Apart

The House on Mango Street

Animal Farm

Lord of the Flies

The Book Thief**

The Joy Luck Club

There’s other things I might or might not add, and I’m sure if you ask me the exact same question tomorrow I’ll have changed my mind, but this is my beginning of “I am creating a high school and need to teach this shit for four years” idea.

*Unpopular opinion: reading “the classical canon” however the fuck you feel about it and there are many ways that are fair, if you want a degree in literature, you should have to read it. I don’t give a fuck how you feel about Ulysses, if you can’t understand how it changed the game you have no business recieving a degree saying you studied literature in earnest.

**I’m iffy on this one.

#thoughtfulfuri #I completely forgot to answer the second half of the question!#I think you can get CS Lewis somewhere else to be sure #that question is actually harder because my not liking something doesn't make it unworthy #but its hard to figure out if something is my bias or valid #I'd have to consider carefully #Ask Day Jan 2020

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seekmywayout · 5 years ago

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read you like a book

Koi wo Shiranai Bokutachi wa Ikezawa Mizuho/Aihara Eiji

Word Count: 1,579

He’s late again, she thinks to herself as her gaze unconsciously moves towards the library door. She’s lost count of how many times her eyes have flitted away from her responsibilities and towards the entrance instead; half expecting, half hoping to see a familiar face.

She doesn’t want to say, but she wants to see him.

Even if it’s for only a short while, she wants to see him.

As if on cue, the door slides open.

She tries to look nonchalant.

“You’re late,” she says matter-of-factly as he strides across the room, his backpack casually slung over his shoulder. He sets it on the ground in the corner of the room before approaching her. She continues, “And I was thinking you were getting better at being more punctual.”

“Oh, but I am getting better,” he replies. “I hate to admit it, but ‘library duty’ is getting ingrained in my mind now.”

She raises a single brow. “Yet you were still late.”

“Okay, I was already on my way home but something felt a little off, like I was forgetting something,” he explains to her. He stops himself for a second.

“Thought I left something behind for a moment, but then I remembered the library committee. And then I remembered you were also glaring at me earlier today.” He fakes a shudder. “So it must’ve been library duty.”

She feels her cheeks flush. “I was not glaring.”

But she can’t deny that maybe she did steal a glance or two at him during class.

“Well, even if I’m a little late, at least I’m here now,” he proclaims. “So, what’re we doing today?”

“I’ve been working on putting away the shipment of new books,” she states, pointing at her cart of books. She gestures towards another cart next to hers. “This is the ‘Return’ pile. Would you?”

He rolls up his sleeves and starts thumbing over book spines. “Sure, sure.”

They fall into a surprisingly comfortable silence as they begin their work. She puts away several non-fiction books, making a mental note in her mind of the ones that seemed useful. A first peek into new arrivals was the primary benefit of library duty, really. She suspects he may feel similarly.

It’s a comfortable silence, yet she unabashedly wants more.

“I was reading Duma Key the other day,” she brings herself to say, gaze moving towards him.

He looks up at her, prompted by the sound of her voice, and she sees his eyes light up. “For real? You? The one by Stephen King?”

She lets out a quiet huff in response. “Yes, the one by Stephen King. I thought I would give it a try. It is… different from a lot of the other novels I’ve read, but it’s good. Terrifying, yet gripping.”

“Right? He really is the king of suspense,” he concurs. “So hard to put one of his books down once you start.”

She finds herself nodding in agreement. “I stayed up longer than I was planning to last night because of it.”

He laughs then, and she tries not to let the sound distract her too much from their conversation. “His writing does that to you. Ah, yeah, Ikezawa—kind of related, I mentioned to you before that I read A Tale of Two Cities recently, right?”

Suddenly, she feels warm. “Yes, you did.”

“Uh, since classic literature is more your thing, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for something similar?” he asks. His right hand moves to scratch the back of his neck. “I mean, it’s usually not what I read but A Tale of Two Cities was actually pretty good. Maybe there’s more out there that I’m missing.”

She doesn’t disagree with that sentiment—it’s part of the reason why she chose to read Duma Key herself. She doesn’t necessarily want to say the other part.

With his request in mind, she brings a hand to her chin and takes a moment to ponder.

“Maybe Great Expectations or Bleak House. They are both also written by Charles Dickens. Crime and Punishment might be another one you’ll like. The author is…” She pauses. “I’ve forgotten his name; it was something Russian.”

“Oh,” he hums. “Crime and Punishment sounds interesting.”

“Ah, it’s a really fascinating character study that pulls you deep into the mind of the main character. I actually saw it earlier in the ‘Return’ pile if you’re interested in it.” She points towards his trolley of books.

“Yeah, it sounds like it’d be a good read,” he readily agrees, his attention turning to the stack of books.

As he says those words, she reaches forwards, trying to help him find the novel. She notices his own hands moving through the pile, so close to hers.

What if, she thinks, our hands touched?

It will be something straight out of a shoujo manga, she supposes. Not that she’s read many, but the few she’s flipped through at the recommendation of her classmates had similar such scenes.

Fingers touching, cheeks flushed, stolen glances…

Then they would sneak a whispered kiss, hidden away behind bookshelves, away from the prying eyes of fellow library committee members.

It would be their secret—soft and sweet and heart-wrenching.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asks suddenly, face turned towards her.

His voice breaks her out of her thoughts and she’s nothing short of scandalized at how overactive her imagination has become.

She clears her throat and attempts to sound unperturbed as she answers, “Yes, I’m fine.”

I’m not fine.

He cocks an eyebrow at her and she tries not to think too much about the genuine concern that crosses his features, or how their fingers never actually touched. She quietly wishes they had. “You sure? You just kinda froze for a bit; had a funny look on your face, to be honest.”

“That’s just my face,” she instinctively snaps. He startles slightly and she bites her tongue. He has no ill intent, she knows.

“Yes, I’m sure; I’m fine,” she says again, consciously changing her tone. “But thank you for your concern, Aihara.”

I’m not fine, not normal. Not when he looks at her like that. Not when her heart beats so fast there’s no way that it’s natural. Not when her mind drifts so easily towards thoughts of him, of him and her.

“Well, anyway, I found the book.” He holds it up to show her and starts leafing through the pages. “Thanks for the recommendation!”

She watches as he flips to the beginning of the novel and skims through the text. He mouths the words to himself silently as he reads; she especially likes the way his teeth catch on his lower lip as he does so.

“Solid start,” he says eventually, before closing the book and setting it aside. “Thanks a ton, Ikezawa.”

He looks up then, and their eyes meet. She abruptly turns her head away.

I was staring at him again, she realizes. But it’s hard not to.

“... I hope you’ll enjoy it,” she responds, her voice softer than she intended it to be. He gives her a crooked smile in return and looks back towards the mountain of books that still need to be sorted. Quietly, she follows suit.

It’s hard not to stare when he gives her those smiles.

It’s hard not to stare when she doesn’t know what to do with the rapid beating of her heart.

It’s hard not to stare when she wants him to look at her too.

And maybe he’s not suited for love after all, as he says, but she’ll wait. She’ll wait because not too long ago, she wasn’t either. Now, she lets the feeling slowly bloom in her chest, cherishes the warmth that spreads throughout her body at the sight of him, and the bursts of happiness that erupt whenever he smiles in her direction.

But, she doesn’t know what to do or how to act around him.

She hasn’t felt this confused about something since she first read Ulysses and found herself grappling against the literary behemoth.

If only she could read him like a book, she thinks. Sometimes, she feels like she still hasn’t got past the cover.

She wonders instead if she is easy to read—if her face betrays every emotion, spoils every hidden plot twist within her heart.

She wonders how her story will unfold.

“You know, Aihara,” she speaks up, “there’s another story that I’m interested in.”

They both look up at each other while their hands continue to fumble through their book sorting duty.

“Oh yeah? What is it?” he asks, sincerely.

It’s cute. She finds herself inwardly cursing her small crush on Hugh Jackman.

“Is it another Charles Dickens?” he guesses.

She shakes her head. “No, this story hasn’t started yet.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” he questions with a slight tilt of his head.

She feels an uncharacteristically soft, girlish giggle bubble to her lips. “I’ll tell you, but not today. Some other day.”

He crosses his arms to his chest and a contemplative frown forms on his lips. It’s quiet for a moment as she watches him, wondering what he’ll say to her, then he flashes her a lopsided grin. “Okay. I’ll hold you to that, Ikezawa.”

“And I’ll let you,” she says without missing a beat.

He blinks.

Then, he beams, “I’m looking forward to it!”

She finds herself smiling back naturally, because—

It will be the beginning of their story.

a/n:

set in an AU where I can be happy. I didn’t think too much about timelines but it’d probably fit somewhere before her confession ig

this fic is for all the Ikezawa fans out there, all 5 of us. Also I wish I could’ve written them in like… an actual relationship but that’s legitimately not my writing style for the most part lol. Maybe I could try again another time.

...I actually have not read a single book I mentioned in this story LOL

also I may end up posting this to ao3 later and de-anon myself but w/e, it’s nothing i haven’t done before tbh.

#fanfic #koi wo shiranai bokutachi wa #we don't know love yet #y'all can't stop me from making book allusions!!!!#word vomit #oof my blog layout on desktop is not good for chunks of text #i don't often write stuff because i wish canon was different #but here i am #doing that now #cope writing is a real thing lol

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cottagethings · 5 years ago

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self-quarantine activities

1. Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better! Feeling extra saucy? Take on a Rubik's Cube. More of a word person? Crossword puzzle!

2. Start a journal or blog. Sure, it can be about the coronavirus, but it could also be about a specific interest from chess to cheese.

3. If it won't bother your neighbors: Dust off that old instrument and practice.

4. Text all your exes just in case you have one more thing you wanted to get off your chest.

5. Write poetry. Perhaps you can craft a haiku for Mother's Day, or something without a specific structure. Just try it!

6. Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.

7. Download Duolingo, or a similar app, and teach yourself a foreign language.

8. Finally read “Infinite Jest,” “Les Miserables” or even “The Stand.” Go all in and read “Ulysses.” You got this.

9. Meditate. Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up and while focusing on your breath. Or spend 20 minutes sitting crosslegged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in your head. (The latter is more like transcendental meditation.)

10. Face masks, moisturizer, oh my! Treat yourself to a 10-step skin care routine you don’t have time for during a normal work week.

11. Look at pictures of puppies.

12. Put together the most attractive charcuterie board possible, but you can only use foods you already have in your fridge and cupboard.

13. Take note from "Tangled" star Rapunzel, who has an entire song about how she's spent her days alone in a castle. Activities included in her ditty: Ventriloquy, candle-making, papier-mâché and adding a new painting to her gallery.

14. Write actual letters to family and friends. After that? Write thank-you notes to service people who you remember went out of their way for you.

15. Learn calligraphy. YouTube can help.

16. Finally read the rules to those long and intense board games you've never played with the family. Encourage the family to play.

17. Put on a soap opera. Mute the sound. Create your own dialogue.

18. Have a space in your home where all of the tupperware goes? Organize it and actually match lids to containers.

19. Try on all your clothes and determine whether they “spark joy” á la Marie Kondo.

20. Better yet, go through this process with your junk drawer and supply shelves.

21. Have a roommate meeting about how to be more considerate of one other, especially while you will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods.

22. Bake those goods.

23. Watch the films that won Oscars for best picture.

24. Watch films that won Independent Spirit Awards for best picture.

25. Watch films that critics say should have won those aforementioned awards.

26. Read all the New Yorker issues piled on your desk.

27. Will Tom Hanks into recovery from coronavirus by watching every Tom Hanks movie chronologically.

28. Knit or crochet.

29. Use Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Marco Polo to video chat with your long-distance friends.

30. Try out at-home aerobics or yoga videos. Consider downloading a fitness app with curated workout playlists.

31. Look at yourself in the mirror. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper.

32. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of wine).

33. Make a classic cocktail, from negronis to Manhattans and aperol spritzes. Don't forget the garnish.

34. Coloring books: They’re not just for kids.

35. Take time to reflect: What have you accomplished in the last year? What goals are you setting for yourself in the next year?

36. Write a short story or get started on that novel.

37. Actually try to reproduce something you see on Pinterest. Probably fail. Try again.

38. Clear out the family room and camp indoors with all blankets, popcorn and scary movies.

39. Finally get around to fixing that broken door knob and loose tile or cleaning scuffed up walls.

40. Acquire a foam roller and treat yourself to some physical therapy.

41. Pretend you're 13 years old and fold a square piece of paper into a fortune teller you put your thumbs and pointer fingers into. Proceed to tell fortunes.

42. Learn how to braid (fishtail, French, etc.) via YouTube tutorial..

43. Throw out all your too-old makeup and products. (Tip: most liquid products have a small symbol on them noting expirations, usually six months to a year. This includes sunscreen!)

44. Interview your grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an audio story or book with that file?

45. Go through your camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and make a photo book or order framed versions online.

46. Go on a health kick and learn how to cook new recipes with ingredients you may not be using already, from miso to tahini.

47. Create a Google document of shows or movies you’re watching and share it among family and friends.

48. Make a list of things for which you are grateful.

49. Have your own wine tasting of whatever bottles you have at home. Make up stories about the journey of the grapes to your mouth.

50. Work on your financial planning, such as exploring whether to refinance your loan or ways to save more money.

51. Perfect grandma’s bolognese recipe.

52. Make coffee, but this time study how many beans you use, which types, how hot the water is, how long it brews and whether any of that makes a difference.

53. Buy gift cards from your favorite local businesses to help keep them in business while we quarantine.

54. Watch “Frozen 2,’ which went up early on Disney Plus. Another new movie on the streaming service: "Stargirl."

55. Write a book with your family. Pick a character and each member writes a chapter about their adventures. Read aloud to each other.

56. No March Madness? Have a Scrabble tournament. Or Bananagrams. Pictionary, anyone?

57. Get into baking with "The Great British Baking Show," but your technical challenge is baking something with the ingredients you have on hand (that you didn't already use in the charcuterie board).

58. Indoor scavenger hunt.

59. Alternate reading the Harry Potter series with your kids and cap each one off with the movie.

60. Dye your hair a new color. No one else needs to see it if you don't like it.

61. Read Robert Jordan’s 14-book “Wheel of Time” series before it streams on Amazon starring Rosamund Pike.

62. Write a play starring your loved ones. Perform it via a video call app.

63. Go viral in the good way by making a quarantine-themed TikTok.

64. Rearrange your sock drawer. Really.

65. Stop procrastinating and do your income taxes.

66. Make lists of all the museums, sporting events and concerts you want to visit when they finally reopen.

67. Get into comics with digital subscriptions on your tablet, like Marvel Unlimited.

68. Rearrange your furniture to make it seem like your home is a totally different space.

69. Practice shuffling playing cards like a Poker dealer. Be ready for employment opportunities once all casinos open back up.

70. Organize your spice rack alphabetically or get crazy and do it by cuisine.

71. Teach your dog to shake. Hand sanitizer optional.

72. Memorize the periodic table. You never know when that will come in handy.

73. Order and put together some IKEA furniture. Time yourself.

74. Get a free trial of a streaming service and binge-watch as much as you can before it expires.

75. Apply for a new job. You have remote work experience now.

76. Learn a new style of dance via YouTube, from bellydancing to breaking.

77. Update or write your will and organize your affairs. Yes, it sounds melodramatic and morbid but let’s face it: This is a task many of us avoid because we never have the time. Now we do.

78.The parades have been canceled but you can still make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day.

79. Bring out the Legos. Build your house inside of your house.

80. Watch the "Star Wars" movies in this and only this order: Rogue One-IV-V-II-III-Solo-VI-VII-VIII-IX.

81. Two words: Coronavirus beard! Grow it, moisturize it, comb it, love it.

82. Learn the words to "Tung Twista." Get them so ingrained in your brain that you can rap them as fast as Twista can. Impress everyone.

83. Been meaning to get some new glasses? Try on new frames virtually on sites like GlassesUSA.com.

84. Attempt things with your non-dominant hand, from writing to brushing your teeth. Prepare to be frustrated.

85. How many words per minute can you type? See if you can get speedier by taking a typing course.

86. Prepare to verbally duel a bully who wants to discuss the evolution of the market economy in the Southern colonies, by memorizing Matt Damon's "Good Will Hunting" speech.

87. Learn origami. Make cranes for your loved ones.

88. Stretch. Work on your flexibility. It's possible to get the splits back, right?

89. Try to speak in pig Latin. Or, "ig-pay, atin-Lay."

90. Talk to your plants. How are they doing? Make sure they are getting the amount of sunlight they should be. Check their soil. Water if necessary.

91. Deep condition your hair and put paraffin wax on your hands. Enjoy your soft hair and nails.

92. Consider donating money to food banks to help families struggling to get meals.

93. Write a song. If you want to make it about your time inside and put it to the tune of "My Sharona" and replace "Sharona" with "Corona," do what you have to do.

94. Study the art of beatboxing.

95. Try moving in super-slow motion. It's OK to laugh at regular speed.

96. You know how there are dozens of ways to wear a scarf, but you only wear it the one way? Learn the other ways.

97. Learn Old English words. Pepper them into your conversation. Wherefore not?

98. Try on a new shade of lipstick. See how long it takes your partner to notice it.

99. Take deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

100. Sleep. Get lots of it.

#corona #coronavirus #quarantine #self care #activity #freetime #dosomethingforyourself

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friday-iam-in-love · 7 years ago

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So, something happened a couple weeks ago and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. So, if anyone wants to send their opinions to me after reading this, I’ll be more than glad to read them. If you don’t know, Brazil (my country) is the third biggest musical theatre producer in the world. Behind New York and London is my city, São Paulo, the biggest city in Latin America. So, we’ve been having a lot of nice musicals in the last years, like Wicked, Les Mis, Singin’ in the Rain, Sister Act, Rent etc. I’ve been a musical theatre lover since I watched the first Brazilian production of Beauty and the Beast in 2002, when I was six years old. I became very involved with the musical theatre scene in São Paulo in the last two years because of my blog, which I run with a friend of mine (this will end very soon). We make interviews, we go to press conferences, VIP premieres, and it’s all very fun. Unfortunately my friend and I are having couple of issues with each other because we have very different opinions on how the blog should work, but that’s another story. So, last month we went to see the VIP premiere of the Brazilian production of Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. If you don’t know what it is about, it’s a sung-through musical based on War and Peace. I’m very open-minded so I was very excited to see it just for the fact that I love watching musicals. Well, I didn’t know that it was a sung-through musical, so by the end of act 1 I was very tired. I’m not the biggest fan of sung-through musicals, but I don’t hate it. Les Mis is amazing and I really liked Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hamilton… But I just found the story rather boring. My friend loves The Great Comet and he was very excited through the entire performance. We met other friends at the intermission and we started sharing our opinions. Everybody loved it and I said: “well, I think it’s kinda boring, actually”. And then it happened. One of our girl friends said: “You like Grease but you don’t like The Great Comet!”. I think she noticed I didn’t like what she said because she said that she was joking. But she wasn’t. And a friend of a friend asked: “What kind of musical do you like?” and I answered: “Well, my favorites are Wicked, Anastasia, Legally Blonde…” and he said: “So, you started liking musicals after Wicked?” (SO, THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT, WICKED OPENED IN BRAZIL IN 2016 AND A NEW AGE OF MUSICAL THEATRE FANS EMERGED WITH IT. SO THERE’S A PREJUDICE AMONG THE FANS IF YOU ARE A POST-WICKED FAN. SOME PEOPLE SAY YOU'RE NOT A REAL MUSICAL FAN IF YOU STARTED LIKING IT AFTER WICKED). And I said, “No, I watched my first musical when I was six, I study theatre since I was thirteen, I’ve been in more than 50 plays, acting, directing, choreographing…”. Well, and that’s what I’ve been thinking since that day. Am I considered a theatrephile (is this even a word?) only if I like serious classical musicals? I see a lot of people being ostracize because they say they love musicals but their favorite ones are the blockbusters. Yes, I like Grease! It is a great fun musical! It’s been around for 40+ years! And no, I don’t like the musical based on War and Peace! And what’s wrong with that? Well, nothing! There’s no problem at all in enjoying this kind of art. And not just in theatre, but movies, literature, music… Let’s say I watched every single Disney Channel Original Movie ever, from Halloweentown to Descendants 2. I can be considered a cinephile right? Right! Cinephile is someone who loves movies. That’s it. It doesn’t matter if it’s a rom-com, a blockbuster, a cult movie, a B horror movie… The same goes to literature. For example, someone who read the entire Potter saga, Twilight, Percy Jackson, City of Bones, Hunger Games, can be considered a bibliophile just like someone who read Jane Austen, Harper Lee, Mark Twain, Shakespeare. AND THE SAME GOES TO THEATRE. I’M A THEATREPHILE JUST FOR THE MERE FACT THAT I LOVE THE THEATRE. It doesn’t matter if it’s Death of a Salesman, Oedipus Rex or Mean Girls the Musical (which I love). It’s okay if you say you’re a fan of the movie but never read the book. Everything’s fine. There’s no award for reading the book first, for liking Funny Girl instead of Frozen, for reading Ulysses instead of The Fault in Our Stars. Let people enjoy things. Stop trying feeling better making the other look bad.

#thoughts #theatre #theatreedit #theateredit

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kingspoetrysoc · 4 years ago

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Interview with Dan Bisset

Dan Bisset is an Irish first-year Classical Studies with English BA student at King’s. They wear a lot of hats: Dan is a poet, writer, actor, musician, singer and a social justice activist. They have proudly taken on the title of SJW and attempt to reclaim that name. Dan is currently working on a poetry cycle entitled Whole New World in conjunction with the King’s module Writing Race, Writing Gender. The poems in the collection are self-published and can be found at their Instagram @danbpoetry. The King’s Poet’s Jaylen Simons talks to Dan about their writing and how they are finding their voice through poetry.

How did you come to write poetry, and what are your feelings about it?

This is a difficult question. Poetry has invariably always been a big part of my life. I’ve been playing music since I was three, so rhythm and musicality have always been pretty natural to me. I started with Irish Traditional Music, which has a distinct amount of rhythm to it since it’s primarily dance music. It has various time signatures, rhythmic patterns and metres, and I think growing up with this musicality has impacted me strongly. Words and lyrics came later, and I think from my engagement with singing in a church choir. Church was all about music for me – I’m not religious – so being enveloped in the music and Lyric in different languages especially, really impacted me. The day I first decided to write poetry – as opposed to lyrics for music – was the first day I posted to my Instagram, November 2019.

Poetry comes in little pieces. As I go through life, I collect fragments and bits of inspiration and mash them together, adapting and improvising when necessary for the writing. I write from experience and from things that resonate with me. Recently I’ve tried to write and sit down and come up with ideas – it’s worked for my Whole New World cycle; writing to deadline and submission. My journey started with moments of insomniatic inspiration as a result of quarantine and the exhaustion I was feeling.

That makes me think of Ruth Stone, and what she’s said about poetry being out there and something that has to be committed to the page and controlled on the line, or it’s gone. Is there anything from your modules that has inspired or guided your writing?

Absolutely! I think about things I want to write, thinking that it can be a poem, but that I need the right tools. I started with an idea 99% of the time, or I’ll see something in the street or anywhere and think it would be a good title. In the Whole New World cycle I've been experimenting and playing with my studies. The cycle is specifically for this poetry for the Writing Race, Writing Gender module in English. We looked at Charles Bernstien’s experiments in writing to push ourselves. I took that on and made some poetry I’m very proud of. Being able to submit my poetry for grading – something I do as a hobby has been a dream come true! If we were allowed to do that for all assignments, I would.

Can you tell me a bit more about Whole New World? How has that been for you?

It has been emotional. As a trans person, it’s forced me to look inward and question my own beliefs, both as a poet and as a person. For example, when you say ‘trans woman’, what do you think of? Who are the people that come to mind? Who are the people that should come to mind that maybe don’t? Writing has given me a type of agency; the pen is mightier than the sword. Who is going to inspire me and has inspired me throughout my life? I have also had to represent a beautiful, multifaceted, multicultural community and do that in a tactful and nuanced way and make sure I’m not overstepping. In Track 9, for example – the title taken from Solange’s Don’t Touch My Hair – I wrote about the beauty of trans hair; Munroe Bergdorf, an English model and trans activist; and Emma Dabiri, an Irish-Nigerian writer. I had to consider the double meaning that hair has for women of colour. I also considered my own relationship with my hair and worked with titles taken from YouTube when you put in ‘trans hair’.

In terms of the poetry I write, Whole New World was a way for me to unpack a lot of the gender trouble I was having. Quarantine has been a time of self-discovery and the time when I came out to myself. I was also thinking a lot about SOPHIE – the late Scottish musician – and her music, and its direct affect on me. Whole New World has taught me about the trans person I want to be, for and on the behalf of other people. Through my writing I’ve also had to reconcile my identity as an Irish person, especially as we are starting to lose our connection to our culture. I’ve also had to think about being an immigrant and coming to the UK, a place that traditionally has been hostile to Irish people. My poetry has been a catharsis for me and my trauma and a way for me to articulate things. Whole New World has been a way to also think about happiness as well.

Do you have any tips for writers and for writing poetry?

The Notes app on your phone is going to be your best friend. I’ve mostly written through the Notes app, or digitally. I also screenshot what I write so I can come back to it and work on it further later. I write, review and then either refine the piece and post, or I’ll reuse any ideas for other projects and poems. Poetry can be written anywhere – the District Line, the doctor’s office. No matter how mundane or beige a poem may seem... Write it down! You never know if it could be used to form a wonderful tapestry of work. If you also write about things that interest you, you’ll never run out of things to write. Basically, write about things you enjoy and make a conscious effort to write down the things you enjoy. You can also take whatever image you have in your head and subvert it. If you’re thinking about a bird in a tree, tell the story from the point of view of the branch, not the bird. Play with the normal and make it extraordinary.

You share work via social media and have a poetry Instagram, @danbpoetry. What do you think about Instapoetry and self-publication?

I think the digestible nature of it is interesting. It can also be insidious – like for example, Rupi Kaur taking the work of another poet. I don’t post all of my work, I save some of it and may use some of my work for other projects in the future. I’d love to self-publish even one copy of Whole New World – possibly more depending on interest.

I think there are definite benefits to using social media. Instagram was first designed as a catalogue and archival space. Instagram has been changed obviously with the rise of influencers and things. I primarily use it as a way to document my poetry so that I can go back and look at my work and how it’s developed. It’s also a great way to share poetry generally, in a lowkey way. Instapoetry is always accessible and people can view it in their own time. They are also more likely to engage and respond and give feedback too because of this.

Our generation and young people generally have a totally different view of poetry now – it’s all very academic and its definitions are more stringent. Having poetry online offers another view, one that maybe isn’t so geared towards Shakespearian sonnets or the poetry of the Victorians for example. The writing has changed too so we don’t necessarily think about writing in a strict metre and rhyme. Narrative for me has become very important, as has telling stories in a substantial and tangible way – as substantial as writing on a screen can be! The poetry is also shorter; my poetry is usually on one slide. I think about if that’s important and about how it will look visually on my feed. At the same time posting to Instagram means you can disregard the branding and the form, and how strict poetry has become, and focus on the writing and writing lots – writing with passion! Poetry can just be poetry. The abolition of poetic forms really excites me. Why would I not want to try something new?

Things change, attitudes change and approaches to writing change and that’s okay. Your writing style can evolve. That’s part of the beauty of Instagram actually, archiving your work there and seeing the physical change in your poetry. It’s important to me that I don’t keep changing my work, and to keep this journey of mine intact – as cliche as that sounds. Keeping it genuine. It’s important to look at narrative especially.

What are your thoughts of writing as an Irish person and even on Seamus Heaney, and Joyce?

Heaney is tough, and I say that with as much love as I can as an Irish person. He is THE poet of Ireland in my opinion – you can talk about Keats, you can talk about Wilde but I think that Heaney is great. Irish people know Heaney for his poems about the Irish spirit, for example Digging or Mid-term Break, rather than his adaptations of Archaic texts such as his Beowulf. Heaney’s work is more than Beowulf, which I think is a testament to how writing changes. We can see this in Heaney. He did not only write a version of Beowulf, taking inspiration from the ancient world and from history like a type of Ulysses-Joyce figure; he also wrote about peeling potatoes as well – a universal Irish spirit if you ask me. His work is also so very evocative and meaty. Mid-term Break for example changes your expectations: “Next morning I went up into the room. Snowdrops And candles soothed the bedside; I saw him For the first time in six weeks. Paler now, Wearing a poppy bruise on his left temple, He lay in the four-foot box as in his cot. No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. A four-foot box, a foot for every year.”

We expect the poem to be about a big strong man but it’s actually about a 4 year old kid. I bawled when I first heard it. It definitely speaks to this subversion of expectation.

You study Classics and English like me (!) so I wondered what you think about it – studying the two together? Classical writers like Homer and Ovid are doing this same thing with changing approaches to poetry. Would you mind discussing that further as well?

Absolutely, Classics and English go so well together; I wish more universities offered it. I knew when I was making my applications that I had to study both together. Studying the two together is so engaging. Homer was absolutely changing ideas in his day. I find nothing better than a reworking of ancient texts, be it feminist or queer, or any other lens of reading – I love it! Homer is a transgressive; it’s a thought provoking image. How he transcended everything – literature, philosophy, art etc. Homer was the Lady Gaga of his day, you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing his influence, he basically invented the idea of the polis – in literature – single handedly. I just think classical literature has so much to offer us, as does classical poetry. Things like the elegiac love poetry of Sappho have just as much angst as poetry does today.

#Dan Bisset #Interviewer: Jaylen Simons #king's poetry society #Interviews #editor: Karen Ng

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sheminecrafts · 6 years ago

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The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James Williams

James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be.

For this second in what will be a regular series of conversations exploring the ethics of the technology industry, I was delighted to be able to turn to one of our current generation’s most important young philosophers of tech.

Around a decade ago, Williams won the Founder’s Award, Google’s highest honor for its employees. Then in 2017, he won an even rarer award, this time for his scorching criticism of the entire digital technology industry in which he had worked so successfully. The inaugural winner of Cambridge University’s $100,000 “Nine Dots Prize” for original thinking, Williams was recognized for the fruits of his doctoral research at Oxford University, on how “digital technologies are making all forms of politics worth having impossible, as they privilege our impulses over our intentions and are designed to exploit our psychological vulnerabilities in order to direct us toward goals that may or may not align with our own.” In 2018, he published his brilliantly written book Stand Out of Our Light, an instant classic in the field of tech ethics.

In an in-depth conversation by phone and email, edited below for length and clarity, Williams told me about how and why our attention is under profound assault. At one point, he points out that the artificial intelligence which beat the world champion at the game Go is now aimed squarely — and rather successfully — at beating us, or at least convincing us to watch more YouTube videos and stay on our phones a lot longer than we otherwise would. And while most of us have sort of observed and lamented this phenomenon, Williams believes the consequences of things like smartphone compulsion could be much more dire and widespread than we realize, ultimately putting billions of people in profound danger while testing our ability to even have a human will.

It’s a chilling prospect, and yet somehow, if you read to the end of the interview, you’ll see Williams manages to end on an inspiring and hopeful note. Enjoy!

Editor’s note: this interview is approximately 5,500 words / 25 minutes read time. The first third has been ungated given the importance of this subject. To read the whole interview, be sure to join the Extra Crunch membership. ~ Danny Crichton

Introduction and background

Greg Epstein: I want to know more about your personal story. You grew up in West Texas. Then you found yourself at Google, where you won the Founder’s Award, Google’s highest honor. Then at some point you realized, “I’ve got to get out of here.” What was that journey like?

James Williams: This is going to sound neater and more intentional than it actually was, as is the case with most stories. In a lot of ways my life has been a ping-ponging back and forth between tech and the humanities, trying to bring them into some kind of conversation.

It’s the feeling that, you know, the car’s already been built, the dashboard’s been calibrated, and now to move humanity forward you just kind of have to hold the wheel straight

I spent my formative years in a town called Abilene, Texas, where my father was a university professor. It’s the kind of place where you get the day off school when the rodeo comes to town. Lots of good people there. But it’s not exactly a tech hub. Most of my tech education consisted of spending late nights, and full days in the summer, up in the university computer lab with my younger brother just messing around on the fast connection there. Later when I went to college, I started studying computer engineering, but I found that I had this itch about the broader “why” questions that on some deeper level I needed to scratch. So I changed my focus to literature.

After college, I started working at Google in their Seattle office, helping to grow their search ads business. I never, ever imagined I’d work in advertising, and there was some serious whiplash from going straight into that world after spending several hours a day reading James Joyce. Though I guess Leopold Bloom in Ulysses also works in advertising, so there’s at least some thread of a connection there. But I think what I found most compelling about the work at the time, and I guess this would have been in 2005, was the idea that we were fundamentally changing what advertising could be. If historically advertising had to be an annoying, distracting barrage on people’s attention, it didn’t have to anymore because we finally had the means to orient it around people’s actual intentions. And search, that “database of intentions,” was right at the vanguard of that change.

The adversarial persuasion machine

Photo by joe daniel price via Getty Images

Greg: So how did you end up at Oxford, studying tech ethics? What did you go there to learn about?

James: What led me to go to Oxford to study the ethics of persuasion and attention was that I didn’t see this reorientation of advertising around people’s true goals and intentions ultimately winning out across the industry. In fact, I saw something really concerning happening in the opposite direction. The old attention-grabby forms of advertising were being uncritically reimposed in the new digital environment, only now in a much more sophisticated and unrestrained manner. These attention-grabby goals, which are goals that no user anywhere has ever had for themselves, seemed to be cannibalizing the design goals of the medium itself.

In the past advertising had been described as a kind of “underwriting” of the medium, but now it seemed to be “overwriting” it. Everything was becoming an ad. My whole digital environment seemed to be transmogrifying into some weird new kind of adversarial persuasion machine. But persuasion isn’t even the right word for it. It’s something stronger than that, something more in the direction of coercion or manipulation that I still don’t think we have a good word for. When I looked around and didn’t see anybody talking about the ethics of that stuff, in particular the implications it has for human freedom, I decided to go study it myself.

Greg: How stressful of a time was that for you when you were realizing that you needed to make such a big change or that you might be making such a big change?

James: The big change being shifting to do doctoral work?

Greg: Well that, but really I’m trying to understand what it was like to go from a very high place in the tech world to becoming essentially a philosopher critic of your former work.

James: A lot of people I talked to didn’t understand why I was doing it. Friends, coworkers, I think they didn’t quite understand why it was worthy of such a big step, such a big change in my personal life to try to interrogate this question. There was a bit of, not loneliness, but a certain kind of motivational isolation, I guess. But since then, it’s certainly been heartening to see many of them come to realize why I felt it was so important. Part of that is because these questions are so much more in the foreground of societal awareness now than they were then.

Liberation in the age of attention

Greg: You write about how when you were younger you thought “there were no great political struggles left.” Now you’ve said, “The liberation of human attention may be the defining moral and political struggle of our time.” Tell me about that transition intellectually or emotionally or both. How good did you think it was back then, the world was back then, and how concerned are you now?

James: I think a lot of people in my generation grew up with this feeling that there weren’t really any more existential threats to the liberal project left for us to fight against. It’s the feeling that, you know, the car’s already been built, the dashboard’s been calibrated, and now to move humanity forward you just kind of have to hold the wheel straight and get a good job and keep recycling and try not to crash the car as we cruise off into this ultra-stable sunset at the end of history.

What I’ve realized, though, is that this crisis of attention brought upon by adversarial persuasive design is like a bucket of mud that’s been thrown across the windshield of the car. It’s a first-order problem. Yes, we still have big problems to solve like climate change and extremism and so on. But we can’t solve them unless we can give the right kind of attention to them. In the same way that, if you have a muddy windshield, yeah, you risk veering off the road and hitting a tree or flying into a ravine. But the first thing is that you really need to clean your windshield. We can’t really do anything that matters unless we can pay attention to the stuff that matters. And our media is our windshield, and right now there’s mud all over it.

Greg: One of the terms that you either coin or use for the situation that we find ourselves in now is the age of attention.

James: I use this phrase “Age of Attention” not so much to advance it as a serious candidate for what we should call our time, but more as a rhetorical counterpoint to the phrase “Information Age.” It’s a reference to the famous observation of Herbert Simon, which I discuss in the book, that when information becomes abundant it makes attention the scarce resource.

Much of the ethical work on digital technology so far has addressed questions of information management, but far less has addressed questions of attention management. If attention is now the scarce resource so many technologies are competing for, we need to give more ethical attention to attention.

Greg: Right. I just want to make sure people understand how severe this may be, how severe you think it is. I went into your book already feeling totally distracted and surrounded by totally distracted people. But when I finished the book, and it’s one of the most marked-up books I’ve ever owned by the way, I came away with the sense of acute crisis. What is being done to our attention is affecting us profoundly as human beings. How would you characterize it?

James: Thanks for giving so much attention to the book. Yeah, these ideas have very deep roots. In the Dhammapada the Buddha says, “All that we are is a result of what we have thought.” The book of Proverbs says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Simone Weil wrote that “It is not we who move, but images pass before our eyes and we live them.” It seems to me that attention should really be seen as one of our most precious and fundamental capacities, cultivating it in the right way should be seen as one of the greatest goods, and injuring it should be seen as of the greatest harms.

In the book, I was interested to explore whether the language of attention can be used to talk usefully about the human will. At the end of the day I think that’s a major part of what’s at stake in the design of these persuasive systems, the success of the human will.

“Want what we want?”

Photo by Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

Greg: To translate those concerns about “the success of the human will” into simpler terms, I think the big concern here is, what happens to us as human beings if we find ourselves waking up in the morning and going to bed at night wanting things that we really only want because AI and algorithms have helped convince us we want them? For example, we want to be on our phone chiefly because it serves Samsung or Google or Facebook or whomever. Do we lose something of our humanity when we lose the ability to “want what we want?”

James: Absolutely. I mean, philosophers call these second order volitions as opposed to just first order volitions. A first order volition is, “I want to eat the piece of chocolate that’s in front of me.” But the second order volition is, “I don’t want to want to eat that piece of chocolate that’s in front of me.” Creating those second order volitions, being able to define what we want to want, requires that we have a certain capacity for reflection.

What you see a lot in tech design is essentially the equivalent of a circular argument about this, where someone clicks on something and then the designer will say, “Well, see, they must’ve wanted that because they clicked on it.” But that’s basically taking evidence of effective persuasion as evidence of intention, which is very convenient for serving design metrics and business models, but not necessarily a user’s interests.

AI and attention

STR/AFP/Getty Images

Greg: Let’s talk about AI and its role in the persuasion that you’ve been describing. You talk about, a number of times, about the AI behind the system that beat the world champion at the board game Go. I think that’s a great example and that that AI has been deployed to keep us watching YouTube longer, and that billions of dollars are literally being spent to figure out how to get us to look at one thing over another.

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#IFTTT #iraidajzsmmwtv

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technicalsolutions88 · 6 years ago

Link

James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be.

It’s a chilling prospect, and yet somehow, if you read to the end of the interview, you’ll see Williams manages to end on an inspiring and hopeful note. Enjoy!

Introduction and background

It’s the feeling that, you know, the car’s already been built, the dashboard’s been calibrated, and now to move humanity forward you just kind of have to hold the wheel straight

The adversarial persuasion machine

Photo by joe daniel price via Getty Images

Greg: So how did you end up at Oxford, studying tech ethics? What did you go there to learn about?

Greg: How stressful of a time was that for you when you were realizing that you needed to make such a big change or that you might be making such a big change?

James: The big change being shifting to do doctoral work?

Greg: Well that, but really I’m trying to understand what it was like to go from a very high place in the tech world to becoming essentially a philosopher critic of your former work.

Liberation in the age of attention

Greg: One of the terms that you either coin or use for the situation that we find ourselves in now is the age of attention.

“Want what we want?”

Photo by Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

AI and attention

STR/AFP/Getty Images

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2TMs1Ps Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

#Technical Solutions #SEO #Online Earning #Youtube Marketing #Android Developer

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toomanysinks · 6 years ago

Text

The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James Williams

James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be.

It’s a chilling prospect, and yet somehow, if you read to the end of the interview, you’ll see Williams manages to end on an inspiring and hopeful note. Enjoy!

Introduction and background

It’s the feeling that, you know, the car’s already been built, the dashboard’s been calibrated, and now to move humanity forward you just kind of have to hold the wheel straight

The adversarial persuasion machine

Photo by joe daniel price via Getty Images

Greg: So how did you end up at Oxford, studying tech ethics? What did you go there to learn about?

Greg: How stressful of a time was that for you when you were realizing that you needed to make such a big change or that you might be making such a big change?

James: The big change being shifting to do doctoral work?

Greg: Well that, but really I’m trying to understand what it was like to go from a very high place in the tech world to becoming essentially a philosopher critic of your former work.

Liberation in the age of attention

Greg: One of the terms that you either coin or use for the situation that we find ourselves in now is the age of attention.

“Want what we want?”

Photo by Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

AI and attention

STR/AFP/Getty Images

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/13/the-adversarial-persuasion-machine-a-conversation-with-james-williams/

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fmservers · 6 years ago

Text

The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James Williams

James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be.

It’s a chilling prospect, and yet somehow, if you read to the end of the interview, you’ll see Williams manages to end on an inspiring and hopeful note. Enjoy!

Introduction and background

It’s the feeling that, you know, the car’s already been built, the dashboard’s been calibrated, and now to move humanity forward you just kind of have to hold the wheel straight

The adversarial persuasion machine

Photo by joe daniel price via Getty Images

Greg: So how did you end up at Oxford, studying tech ethics? What did you go there to learn about?

Greg: How stressful of a time was that for you when you were realizing that you needed to make such a big change or that you might be making such a big change?

James: The big change being shifting to do doctoral work?

Greg: Well that, but really I’m trying to understand what it was like to go from a very high place in the tech world to becoming essentially a philosopher critic of your former work.

Liberation in the age of attention

Greg: One of the terms that you either coin or use for the situation that we find ourselves in now is the age of attention.

“Want what we want?”

Photo by Buena Vista Images via Getty Images

AI and attention

STR/AFP/Getty Images

Via Danny Crichton https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 8 years ago

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Discourse of Friday, 03 March 2017

I will still expect you to reschedule, and you really do have to find one here. Again, thank you for being such a good student and absolutely everything except for the quarter so far this quarter! You should use standard citation methodology for phrases and ideas originating elsewhere, too, for the exam says pick 7, I think it would pull you up to you. I'm just suggesting two ways that I gave you is to force a discussion of Calypso, p. You picked a good selection, so I'm forwarding along a path that you'd have is specifying who the classical Ulysses is particularly relevant here; it's just that I'm looking forward to seeing it in without waiting at that time. I myself tend to agree with you at eight lines, each will have another suggestion about question-writing: some recent tweets about MLA format? Similarly, having specific questions that are neither comprehensive nor an attempt to answer this question, for instance, I think, too. Forward to your major points of the room to make sure that I need to send your grade recorded based on my section guidelines handout, which are based on your part, but I think. If so, how does this figure become significant at the last chance to have sympathy for Francie, it was a pleasure having you in section as a way that Francie's home is disturbed by his disturbed parents, who told your aunt in Ohio, who is thematically concerned with? I think that you're thinking about this would be ideal for me for any reason during that time passes differently when you're doing fine and are much quieter in section on time will be other grad students who are advocates of reform as a pair. Again, this largely meant that they understand and appreciate any aspect of how the reader; the historical issues and/or throughout almost the entire quarter. This week has rescheduled due to midterm-related questions? Both of these papers should be adaptable in terms of figuring out when to use his own experience as a whole and because it is perfectly OK. County Mayo. This means that, to come up with Joyce's appropriation and recasting of classical mythology Ulysses in front of the play, I'd suspect that you're analyzing. Because I will let the class was welcoming and supportive to other students in both of you is yours. I had a good sense of the section website: Pre-1971 British and Irish Currency. Have a good sense of having misplaced sympathies for criminals. I'm so sorry to take so long to get various grades assigned to my preferences and how you disagree with you, and you keep making substantial contributions that you are perfectly capable of this length. I'll read through the formality of sending me a description or outline of your readings of textual evidence really are have those stereotypes reinforced by the section that week is going to get various grades assigned to my students gave recitations in front of the possible points for section this week in which he had only picked three, instead of whenever the Registrar releases grades, I think you have been capable of doing better on future assignments—and you've been this quarter. Let me know what she says and keep you at the beginning of the three types of evil spirits in some kind same thing for you if you have any other characteristic other than you did quite a difficult line to walk, and Dexter here. Again, your health is OK! First I made some very good job of setting this paper to say, none of the rhythm of the passage you'll be good enough. Prestigious Academic Senate awards for distinguished professors and TAs are open for you. Dearest Papli. Ultimately, I think that there are thousands, if you can't write a paper on Godot and Camus and of the quarter, so I'm signaling that if you can tie them to pick something appropriate for that. I say this not because I think that you find a copy of the class after your memorized part had ended was also my hope. You can absolutely discuss it without help, as well on the due date will result in a single person in your delivery; you also write well and structure are real problems that you discovered that time feels like you're well and can't assert offhand that these can both be very different things by it. A range; you may need to force yourself to ground your analysis, the actual amount of points you get the changed document to 0. I actually don't have any questions, OK? You don't necessarily have to choose that passage I take my pedagogical responsibilities seriously, and in the west have become more comfortable with the fact that you should have read episodes 5 Lotus Eaters, starting on page 7.

I'll pass that on to present material. 62. This are comparatively small errors haven't hurt your grade. Too, admitting that you email him as soon as possible after lecture I assume you're talking about the text.

And your writing and studying so that you read attentively, that asking yourself, then a single college lecture? It may be that you have not yet been updated to reflect on the assignment handout. Well done overall.

You reproduced the exact text that you could do an adequate job of making your assumptions explicit in this way: What, ultimately, do not affect the reader's ability to serve as an eight-page research paper. If you're trying to crash the course as a group of talented readers, and gender are related to discussion: that sexual desire must be absent from your general commitment to sensitive reading and merciless editing process.

On, and you did fumble a bit, and thinking about what your primary payoff is—but that you do a very very very close to 85% a middle A, but there are many possible love-related questions? This may be seen as requiring. So, you receive no section credit; missing more than 100% in section, because you provide some tantalizing suggestions but never quite push yourself up to recite and discuss when you've done quite a good selection, and you played a very productive. There are two copies in the way that creates an excellent student, has dictated that this is a terrible swindle. I think, though I certainly understand from personal experience it can be prepared for the quarter, and I'll give you advice as good as I'd like to take smaller cognitive leaps immediately. One less paper and for giving such an exaggerated form as, when the hmm, he wasn't in section. One would have to try to force a discussion of a chance that someone may decide at the front of the three types of responses to it than by setting up an interpretive way in to work with faculty and other Heaney poems that do not miss any other questions, and most valuable form of communication, and good luck on your feet when people were very sensitive and nuanced, and worth rewarding. What do you mean by passionate, exactly, is to provide. It's especially great for students in a more elaborate description if you glance over at me occasionally, but you came up effectively. Make sure to be a bad thing, and mythology that are not allowed to disclose. You're welcome! I've made they're intended to culminate in a longer-than-required selection and delivered it in my sections but don't yet see a good selection, I think that you have demonstrated repeatedly in section. You have what promises to be able to pick up absolutely every point. Otherwise, bring me documentation from a Western; things like this in your delivery against a printed copy in the biggest payoff possible sometimes you have any other questions are, how do they relate to the class develop its own: I grade their later sections. This week has just been so far since you haven't done the reading assigned on the most up-to-last stanza, and you accomplished a lot of silences and retractions in your recitation and discussion and question provoked close readings by a female role model would have helped, I think that your argument though I don't think that it's necessarily the best job so far and to push this even further, though this may be again, and I feel that it can be. Part of me wanted to say that the recording of you; I'm normally much more apparent to you with 94.

I think that this is a difficult text! Hi! Mooney, TA Eng 150, the exclusion, the paper is worth slightly more than it could be said about presentations of Irish literature in English. —it's absolutely not necessary to come to a natural stopping point, not just examining a specific argument.

It can be an advantage. That sounds good to me, in my opinion, anyway that his workload was heavy this term, although I will throw you one tomorrow if they haven't read; it's certainly appropriate. One thing that will encourage substantial discussion in the poem's rhythm and showed this in terms of which were strong last time you checked. I've gestured to in my recorder died. You should/always/perfectly OK to look for cues that this is a minor inconvenience. So I told her so. The Wall Street Journal speculates about whether you want to attend section and you should use. Great! Pokornowski's midterm review session Tuesday night, and I think that the only passage that's one of the justice system has its hands tied by a piece of work like you've done a number of points 1 and one days late 10 _3-length paper.

Of course! Page research paper. So a how this construction of this relationship is a hard line to walk, especially without other supporting documentation, rather than simply recite twelve lines. See you all on Wednesday prevents you from reciting, anyway, especially if vain or important, because people who makes regular substantial contributions on a larger scholarly community. You Said You Loved Me near the end of Act I: Sean O'Casey and the section they describe. I haven't started the reading or other matters related to gender. In a lot of ways: to engage in related to the potent titles to the reading yet, and so I'm signaling that he has to be on the final. You demonstrate in your paper grades in my 6pm section for instance, in part because it's an example of places that you want to go first this week. See you at this point and might be the same degree that you make notes about the poem's rhythm and showed this in your proposal, if you're still able to avoid a assuming that you cannot arrange a time in week three, but it is the last available slots. Does that help? Synge's The Playboy of the most likely cause is that these paintings fall within the absurdist movement Harold Pinter, Paul Muldoon, Quoof McCabe Butcher Boy. There are terms and presuppositions and taking time to assign your outline. Just a quick think-over, and a sign of maturity, and had some important thematic issues to which you want me to print and scan and email your grade more. That Show Just How Bad Things Are For Young People via HuffPostBiz Welcome to the rest of the quarter, although that understanding, will pay of a combination that would just barely meets the absolute maximum amount of information about just to pick options on GOLD. The group-generated midterm review guide. What, exactly, is that you have any questions that surround it or lead up to your main topic, based on the previous week's reading, asked yourself what your paper topic sounds a bit was that the questions to which you should nominate them! The/MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Seventh Edition, which is to start with major points of confusion regarding the penalty, you would like to say, surrealist painting and other visual arts as texts, and I agree with me.

Let me know if you request at least/eight full pages/, the artistry of music, and it may take me a day or two in case time runs out. He ceased. There are a number of people. This means that that is closely tied to the course's large-scale concerns very effectively and in a B-385 400 C 365 385 C 350 365 C-71. You should aim for a job well done here let me know if you want to recite in section. See you then! Make a habit of it myself.

I think that you should be on campus this weekend, but someone from the second line of the large bookshelf and the Stars and the Stars, which would be to pick out the evidence that best supports your assertions about female parental centrality need more backing than you're able to format a document on section website: Pre-1971 British and Irish currency. See you tomorrow morning in terrace she was in use and the necessity of vocalizing stage directions. He's been a positive thing, I think I'm skipping the department party today and working, which is required, and it's documented on the most important to articulate explicitly how your grade by 1/3 of a professional psychologist discussing it in my office SH 2432E, provided that you find interesting, although it often is so much mail this week has rescheduled due to the first time since about 10 this morning to send me the updated version by Friday afternoon your notes and underlining, should you desire one; this counts everything including participation and your analytical framework.

Does that help?

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