#Educational Video Production Company

[divya2023]

8 Types of Corporate Video Production?     

The Corporate video production encompasses different types of videos. Each serves a unique purpose and caters to specific communication needs for businesses and organizations.

Here are some common types of Corporate Video Production

1) Company Profile Videos: This video provides an introduction to your company, its history, mission, values, achievements, and overall brand identity.

They aim to give viewers a glimpse into what your organization stands for and the products or services it offers.

2) Training and Educational Videos: These videos are designed to train employees and educate customers on various topics such as onboarding, safety protocols, professional development, and how to use a product or service effectively through visually engaging video content. 

It is created with step-by-step instructions, demonstrations, and explanations.

3) Explainer Videos: These videos are effective for introducing new products, explaining how a service works, and demonstrating the company's unique approach.

The explainer videos use animation techniques like motion graphics and iconography. 

4) Event Coverage: These videos capture the highlights of important events such as conferences, trade shows, seminars, product launches, etc.

The footage can be used during events to share key moments with wider audiences.

5) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Videos: These videos showcase your company’s commitment to social causes. 

It highlights their philanthropic initiatives for a better future.

These videos help to establish a positive brand image.

6) Internal Communication Videos: It is produced specifically for internal audiences within an organization.

They may include CEO messages, updates on company policies, internal announcements, etc.

7) Recruitment and Employer Branding Videos: It aims to attract top talents by showcasing the company culture, work environment, employee testimonials, and career opportunities.

8) Social Media Videos: This short and engaging videos aim to increase brand visibility, engagement, and reach on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

Over 90% of brands attribute new customers to social media videos.

These are just a few examples of the types of corporate video production.

The specific types and styles of videos chosen depend on the company's goals, target audience, and the intended message they want to deliver.

I hope this helps.

And also, if you want to elevate your brand to new heights with compelling video content?-

Get in touch today: https://visualconnections.in/corporate-video-production-company-in-bangalore/

[videoproductioncomapny]

Our full-service production solutions take your idea from conception to completion. We shorten the creative and production processes so that we can provide high-quality, cost-effective videos. We can produce live action video, drone footage, motion graphics, and 3D animation. We also provide Blu-ray, DVD, CD, USB, and SD duplication, as well as disc authoring, replication, and printing/packaging. To know more visit https://www.vcminteractive.com/educational-videos/ or call us at 647.401.1443.

[all-the-fish]

Oh, you know, just the usual internet browsing experience in the year of 2024

Some links and explanations since I figured it might be useful to some people, and writing down stuff is nice.

First of all, get Firefox. Yes, it has apps for Android/iOS too. It allows more extensions and customization (except the iOS version), it tracks less, the company has a less shitty attitude about things. Currently all the other alternatives are variations of Chromium, which means no matter how degoogled they supposedly are, Google has almost a monopoly on web browsing and that's not great. Basically they can introduce extremely user unfriendly updates and there's nothing forcing them to not do it, and nowhere for people to escape to. Current examples of their suggested updates are disabling/severly limiting adblocks in June 2024, and this great suggestion to force sites to verify "web environment integrity" ("oh you don't run a version of chromium we approve, such as the one that runs working adblocks? no web for you.").

uBlockOrigin - barely needs any explanation but yes, it works. You can whitelist whatever you want to support through displaying ads. You can also easily "adblock" site elements that annoy you. "Please log in" notice that won't go away? Important news tm sidebar that gives you sensory overload? Bye.

Dark Reader - a site you use has no dark mode? Now it has. Fairly customizable, also has some basic options for visually impaired people.

SponsorBlock for YouTube - highlights/skips (you choose) sponsored bits in the videos based on user submissions, and a few other things people often skip ("pls like and subscribe!"). A bit more controversial than normal adblock since the creators get some decent money from this, but also a lot of the big sponsors are kinda scummy and offer inferior product for superior price (or try to sell you a star jpg land ownership in Scotland to become a lord), so hearing an ad for that for the 20th time is kinda annoying. But also some creators make their sponsored segments hilarious.

Privacy Badger (and Ghostery I suppose) - I'm not actually sure how needed these are with uBlock and Firefox set to block any tracking it can, but that's basically what it does. Find someone more educated on this topic than me for more info.

Https Everywhere - I... can't actually find the extension anymore, also Firefox has this as an option in its settings now, so this is probably obsolete, whoops.

Facebook Container - also comes with Firefox by default I think. Keeps FB from snooping around outside of FB. It does that a lot, even if you don't have an account.

WebP / Avif image converter - have you ever saved an image and then discovered you can't view it, because it's WebP/Avif? You can now save it as a jpg.

YouTube Search Fixer - have you noticed that youtube search has been even worse than usual lately, with inserting all those unrelated videos into your search results? This fixes that. Also has an option to force shorts to play in the normal video window.

Consent-O-Matic - automatically rejects cookies/gdpr consent forms. While automated, you might still get a second or two of flashing popups being yeeted.

XKit Rewritten - current most up to date "variation "fork" of XKit I think? Has settings in extension settings instead of an extra tumblr button. As long as you get over the new dash layout current tumblr is kinda fine tbh, so this isn't as important as in the past, but still nice. I mostly use it to hide some visual bloat and mark posts on the dash I've already seen.

YouTube NonStop - do you want to punch youtube every time it pauses a video to check if you're still there? This saves your fists.

uBlacklist - blacklists sites from your search results. Obviously has a lot of different uses, but I use it to hide ai generated stuff from image search results. Here's a site list for that.

Redirect AMP to HTML - redirects links from their amp version to the normal version. Amp link is a version of a site made faster and more accessible for phones by Bing/Google. Good in theory, but lets search engines prefer some pages to others (that don't have an amp version), and afaik takes traffic from the original page too. Here's some more reading about why it's an issue, I don't think I can make a good tl;dr on this.

Also since I used this in the tags, here's some reading about enshittification and why the current mainstream internet/services kinda suck.

[superlinguo]

New Research Article: Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics

This handbook chapter is a behind-the-scenes of how the Crash Course Linguistics video series came together. I’m really proud that this article includes contributions from the linguistics writing team, including my co-writer Gretchen McCulloch, and our fact checker Jessi Grieser, but also from members of the Complexly team, who produced the show, including Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen and Ceri Riley. As with the actual videos themselves, this was a dream team. Lingcomm that is inclusive doesn’t just happen as an accident - in this article we discuss some of the ways we set things up to make the best series we could.

This chapter is also a dream project, because it’s part of the excellent double feature: Inclusion in Linguistics and Decolonizing Linguistics, both edited by Anne Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, & Mary Bucholz for Oxford University Press. These books are both be available through digital open access. They include some of your new favouite classics about the state of linguistics in research, education and outreach, even if you don’t know that just yet.

Abstract

This case study vignette provides an insight into the choices made in the writing of Crash Course Linguistics (Complexly/PBS 2020). This series of sixteen 10-minute videos cover core introductory level topics for English speakers who consume online content. We discuss how the topics were selected and arranged into a series order. We also discuss the ways we actively built inclusion into the series workflow and content, including in the team that worked on the content, the language examples selected and topics covered. Throughout we discuss the challenges and benefits of working in a collaborative team that includes a media production company and linguists with a commitment to public engagement and communication linguistics to new audiences. Sharing these observations about putting Crash Course Linguistics together is part of our commitment to using public communication to advance the standard of public engagement with the field, and the field’s approach to inclusive practice.

Reference

Gawne, Lauren, Gretchen McCulloch, Nicole Sweeney, Rachel Alatalo, Hannah Bodenhausen, Ceri Riley & Jessi Grieser. 2024. Creating Inclusive Linguistics Communication: Crash Course Linguistics. In Anne H. Charity Hudley, Christine Mallinson, and Mary Bucholtz (Eds), Inclusion in Linguistics, 383-396. Oxford University Press. [Open Access]

See Also:

Open Access for the whole Inclusion in Linguistics volume

Crash Course Linguistics on YouTube

Mutual Intelligibility posts for Crash Course Linguistics

[wonderlandleighleigh]

Have I fallen down the Try Guys drama hole? 

Yep.

But damn. Ned “My Wife” Fulmer, cheating on said wife with one of his production assistants, as if that wouldn’t eventually put the company he is probably part-owner of at risk for a sexual misconduct lawsuit is wild. He thought nothing of how his wife would feel, or how his actions would affect his friends and coworkers at the company he helped create.  

Of course he got fired. There wasn’t any other option. Any way you look at this, this is the cleanest, least painful way to handle this.

If they’d kept him and Alex they would have lost fans in droves.

If they’d kept him and fired Alex, she could have sued for wrongful termination and/or sexual misconduct. And lost fans in droves. 

I don’t know if they’ve let her go as well, but you know what? Good for the other three guys and the rest of the company. 

When you build parasocial relationships with your fans and they find out it is a lie, there are going to be consequences. And I’m not talking about cancellation on Twitter. I’m talking about lost subscriptions and views. They make bank on those Youtube videos. They were popular enough to score a real television show. 

A lot of people are comparing this to what happened with John Mulaney, but as I think about this more, I wonder if Mulaney is the correct corollary to Fulmer. 

Mulaney is a comedian. He spins yarns and tells stories and jokes on a stage. Did the internet take them as fact? Sure. Did he present them as fact for his stage shows? Yes. Did he do so strictly because they were the base for some very funny jokes? Yes. 

And Mulaney is still working, though less popular than he was. Because comedians blur the truth for a laugh all the time. Was it right to do so and exploit those parasocial relationships? Probably not. Is this what comedians have been doing for a long time? Yep. 

But Fulmer brought fans literally into his home and his life. He created a space  that made his wife and children apart of his narrative and his parasocial relationships as a lifestyle brand. Because that’s what Ned’s function in the Try Guys really was. 

Look at the way the videos break down. Eugene’s solo videos often tackle inclusivity and culture, and sometimes civic duty. Keith’s go for music and comedy and food. Zack often goes for education on disability and chronic illness.

Ned’s were lifestyle.

The home redesign. The cookbook. The baby videos.  

However true that persona used to be, it no longer is, and now all of his previous videos ring completely false. No one wants to watch someone gush over their wife who turned around and cheated on his wife. 

So yeah, letting Fulmer go quickly and decisively was the correct move.

[hedgehog-moss]

[1] `there are often translations available in other languages long before English ones` This is really interesting! I'm familiar with translation in games, where english is often a very early target (a small game might get 0-5 translations, depending on amount of text) because the size of the market is larger.

[2] Do you happen to know why this is different for books? Is it faster to come to a deal about publication rights for some other languages to get started on the translation? Is translation to english harder (at least from French) than to say, Spanish?

The literary translation situation has long been very dismal in the English-speaking world! I don’t know a lot about video games, but are localisations provided by the company that makes the game? Because if that's the case it makes sense that games would get translated into English as a priority. For literary translations which are imported rather than exported, other countries have to decide to translate a foreign author and anglo countries (US, UK and Canada at least) are not very interested in foreign literature. There's something known as the "3% rule" in translation—i.e. about 3% of all published books in the US in any given year are translations. Some recent sources say this figure is outdated and it’s now something like 5% (... god) but note that it encompasses all translations, and most of it is technical translation (instruction manuals, etc). The percentage of novels in translation published in the UK is 5-6% from what I’ve read and it’s lower in the US. In France it's 33%, and that’s not unusually high compared to other European countries.

I don't think it's only because of the global influence of English* and the higher proportion of English speakers in other countries than [insert language] speakers in the US, or poor language education in schools etc, because just consider how many people in the US speak Spanish—I just looked it up and native Spanish speakers in the US represent nearly 2/3rds of the population of France, and yet in 2014 (most recent solid stat I could find) the US published only 67 books translated from Spanish. France with a much smaller % of native Spanish speakers (and literary market) published ~370 translations from Spanish that same year. All languages combined, the total number of new translations published in France in 2014 was 11,859; in Spain it was 19,865; the same year the US published 618 new translations. France translated more books from German alone (754) than the US did from all languages combined, and German is only our 3rd most translated language (and a distant third at that!). The number of new translations I found in the US in 2018 was 632 so the 3% figure is probably still accurate enough.

* When I say it’s not just about the global influence of English—obviously that plays a huge role but I mean there’s also a factor of cultural isolationism at play. If you take English out of the equation there’s still a lot more cultural exchange (in terms of literature) between other countries. Take Olga Tokarczuk’s Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead; it was published in 2009, and (to give a few examples) translated in Swedish 1 year later, in Russian & German 2 years later, in French, Danish & Italian 3 years later, in English 10 years later—only after she won the Nobel. I’m reminded of the former secretary for the Nobel Prize who said Americans “don't really participate in the big dialogue of literature” because they don’t translate enough. I think it's a similar phenomenon as the one described in the "How US culture ate the world" article; the US is more interested in exporting its culture than in importing cultural products from the rest of the world. And sure, anglo culture is spread over most continents so there’s still a diversity of voices that write in English (from India, South Africa, etc etc) but that creates pressure for authors to adopt English as their literary language. The dearth of English translation doesn’t just mean that monolingual anglophones are cut off from a lot of great literature, but also that authors who write in minority languages are cut off from the global visibility an English translation could give them, as it could serve as a bridge to be translated in a lot more languages, and as a way to become eligible for major literary prizes including the Nobel.

Considering that women are less translated than men and represent a minority (about 1/3) of that already abysmally low 3% figure, I find the recent successes of English translations of women writers encouraging—Olga Tokarczuk, Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, Valeria Luiselli, Samanta Schweblin, Sayaka Murata, Leila Slimani, of course Elena Ferrante... Hopefully this is a trend that continues & increases! I remember this New Yorker article from years ago, “Do You Have to Win the Nobel Prize to Be Translated?”, in which a US small press owner said “there’s just no demand in this country” (for translated works); but the article acknowledged that it’s also a chicken-and-egg problem. Traditional publishers who have the budget to market them properly don’t release many translations as (among other things) they think US readers are reluctant to read translated foreign literature, and the indie presses who release the lion’s share of translated works (I read it was about 80%) don’t have the budget to promote them so people don’t buy them so the assumption that readers aren’t interested lives on. So maybe social media can slowly change the situation by showing that anglo readers are interested in translated books if they just get to find out about them...

[cdragons]

When the East Winds Blow

Stannis Baratheon x YiTish Second Wife!OC (who also doubles as a childhood friend)

Aka: A WOC fixes all of Westeros' bullshit with a magic flute and is about to whoop a bunch of old white men's asses with a slipper because they need it ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Next Part

Summary: 美灵 (Měilíng) was a young girl from the port city of Shenlong in Yi Ti when she learns that she is the only living child of 徐浩然 (Xú Hàorán), a cruel and powerful merchant in Wan, and takes her to Westeros to expand his company. Scared in a new land, her only companions are her trusty flute and memories of her mother's stories. But she will have a friend who will change her life forever, and she will do the same for him.

Warning(s): MDNI 18+; Domestic Abuse; Child Abuse; Cersei is the worst; Tywin is the worst; Robert is a pig; Měilíng's dad is like 40 years+ her mom's age, and the worst; the story is going to be written like those Ted Ed mythic videos; Robb and the Northern boys and the other OC don't show up for a lil' bit, but it's coming

Author's Note: Please read this post for reference. Exams and ADHD are kicking my ass, and I need a distraction. Please do not repost without my permission. I did not come up with the names for the Yi Ti regions; that credit belongs to the brilliant @anya-snow. If you are interested in the names' translations, it is at the bottom.

From the Beginning:

“As she entered the world and cried out in victory for her survival – the fearsome, dark clouds parted, and the sun’s feeble rays shone only to pool the delivery room as the gentle breeze brought by the sea welcomed Xīwángmǔ’s new child, and the small wind chimes and bells danced in its embrace.”

In the Shenlong province, a young girl gave birth to a young girl. However, the baby was exceptional. As she grew, she showed to have a very cunning mind. She has met thousands of foreigners daily since being born in a port town. Her proficiency in learning foreign tongues alone caught the attention of one of the oldest and wealthiest merchants in Wan. Měilíng did not have much, but she had her mother and her simple life by the docks, and that was enough for her.

Xu Hàorán, an aging but powerful merchant in Wan, was the most important port city in Yi Ti. The merchant was very old, and his wife had long died without giving him any children. At the news of the child’s birth, he ordered the child and her mother to be brought to his home.

After seeing the child’s face, it was clear that this was his daughter. Recalling the time he spent with a girl from a poor fishing family years ago, he realized that Měilíng was the product of that night. Overridden with joy at the idea of him finally having an heir, he immediately ordered Mei to begin her education as he locked her mother in a small, dark room.

Měilíng despised her father. Soon, it became years since she saw her mother, and she missed the lullabies she would sing to her. She would long to listen to the stories of the great water dragons that controlled the storms and the seas.

But still, she decided to continue her education. She showed much promise at a young age for business and trade. She had a keen eye for craftsmanship and a talent for linguistics. Her proficiency in learning foreign tongues made her a vital tool in expanding her father’s company across the Golden Empire to Essos and eventually to the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

In return for how rich his daughter made him, Měilíng’s father granted Měilíng one visit to her mother. When the pair reunited, Měilíng’s mother gifted her beloved child a flute from the bones of a basilisk killed by the great Dragon King, who ruled the sky and its storms from his kingdom in the sea.

Because of how quickly she learned Westerosi’s Common Tongue, her father decided it was best to bring her with him on the voyage to Planky Town in Dorne, where he hoped to expand his trading route to the pockets of the high nobility.

On the seas, a cyclone headed directly to the ship Měilíng and her father were on, but only Měilíng was calm.

Taking out her bone flute, she played a simple but beautiful tune to the sky, and the cyclone disappeared, and the winds brought their ships to Dorne in half the expected time. Although this story was kept secret by the crew under strict oath of Hàorán’s orders, she was soon called “风子” or “Child of the Wind.”

“Bewitched were the Martell’s – for they have never seen such finery in all their years. ‘What luster! What radiance!’ they exclaimed. After rigorous negotiations that resulted in a broken vase and spilled wine by thrown glasses, a trade was brokered, and the Xu’s have planted their first flag in the West.”

After reaching Dorne, the Martells refused to meet with the foreign merchant. They believed that any goods his ships carried had long become spoiled and rotten from the sea voyage. But they were shocked to find the fruits fresh and ripe, the herbs and spices’ scents had not dulled, and the porcelain vases retained their glossiness and shine. But what caught their eye the most was how superior their silks were compared to their own. Their roughest bolt alone was far smoother than the Princesses’ finest dresses.

The silks and fruits caught the eyes of a young Princess, Elia Martell, and her younger brother, Prince Oberyn. Fascinated by the riches, their curiosity was peaked by the olive-skin-toned girl, who wore strange braids and smelled of the ocean and wind.

Elia asked Mei if Yi Ti was anything like Dorne. Měilíng replied that only one region in her country matched Dorne, and it was Ren. She wove tales of how the Renii managed to thrive in the deserts and become masters of magi and developing technology and medicine. Although Mei had never personally visited Ren, she told the Donrish princess and her brother all the stories of the province she could recall from her lessons and her mother.

Měilíng asked Elia if there was any magic or dragons in Dorne. Elia laughed in delight. She told the foreign girl that Dorne did not have dragons, but they had vipers with poison so potent that it would instantly kill a ten-foot man. The Seven Kingdoms' only dragons were underneath the Red Keep in King’s Landing. But they were all dead. But there was no magic. This disappointed Měilíng.

Elia asked if Měilíng knew anyone, and Měilíng replied that Elia was the first person in Westeros she had ever spoken to. Amazed by the girl’s fluency, Elia exclaimed that she and Měilíng would be best friends for the rest of their lives. Měilíng thought the young princess strange but agreed nonetheless.

Seeing her children make friends with the merchant’s daughter, Princess Lorenza was pleased to see the strange girl smile. But Hàorán was furious. Greed from his newly gained wealth made him paranoid, and he thought Měilíng was ridiculing him in the Common Tongue. He faked a smile before hurrying his sale to the mother so that he may properly punish his willful brat.

After purchasing their goods, the sewists in Sunspear immediately went to work producing the finest garments for the upcoming ball hosted in the Red Keep at King’s Landing.

Meanwhile, Hàorán grabbed Měilíng’s arm and dragged her to the ship. He locked her in her room and told her she would not have any food tonight. They would leave for Yi Ti after the Martells returned from King’s Landing.

“Silence swept across the hall when the heralds announced the arrival of House Martell. When Dorne’s ruler and her children arrived, a collective gasp was heard amidst the hushed keep – never had anyone seen such pure, unadulterated beauty before their eyes. Every young girl, hoping to catch the eye of Prince Rhaegar and hold his gaze, felt fury flush their bodies. But no other girl was more envious than the little Lioness of Casterly Rock. Cersei Lannister, daughter of the Hand to the King, had come in complete confidence that she would be the most beautiful girl in the Seven Kingdoms. But after gazing upon the young Elia Martell’s dress with silk-embroidered suns and stars, golden rings, and topaz diadems – she felt utterly and completely humiliated. She turned to her father to demand they go home, but his stern gaze made the spoilt and rotten girl stay silent in flushed shame.

Tywin Lannister was not faring any better. He had paid more than enough gold dragons to order the finest Dornish silks for his daughter’s dress – only to see it as a tacky, cheap counterfeit. But even he had to admit that Princess Elia Martell was the only girl whose beauty was worthy of watching the crown prince’s. Seeing how her father’s eyes were no longer on her, Cersei decided that she would do whatever it took for Elia Martell to die a miserable and painful death.”

Nobles crowded the Martells’ daughters and sons. They were driven mad with envy at their beauty– so rare to find silk so smooth and lustrous while remaining thick enough to keep away the chills in the evening sky as autumn chased summer away and winter was creeping on the Mad King’s doorstep.

One noble lady with embroidered turtles on her dress approached the Martell Princess. She was Lady Cassana Baratheon, nee Estermont. She begged her friend to tell her who gifted the princess with such luxury, and her friend revealed that her husband had brokered a deal with an old, wrinkled merchant from Yi Ti, along with his young daughter, who carried an old flute with her everywhere she went. She shared stories about how her little sun, Elia, was quickly won over by the foreign girl’s charms, and now they acted as close as sisters born from the same womb.

Cassana wished to know if they could invite the merchant to her home. She thought it would be cruel for such a sweet girl to be trapped on a boat with no companions.

“‘Oh, how wonderful it would be to have a girl around,’ thought Lady Cassana. ‘Robert has gotten too used to being so rowdy after being fostered in the Vale, and hopefully, the little merchant girl will straighten him out.’

Robert stood beside the table, its surface heavy with meats and sweet cakes. He was only ten years of age and had already managed to grasp the attention of every young man his age in the room. Her mind wandered off, thinking about her youngest son, Stannis, who locked himself away in the guest chambers after the Martells arrived—always studying, her youngest boy. Lady Baratheon adored her two boys, but she longed for the longest time to be blessed with a daughter. She thought if the Gods had blessed her and Steffon with a girl, she would help bring Stannis out of his walls and help reel Robert in. If what the Princess of Dorne had spoken true of this trader and his daughter, then Cassana had no doubt that she would make a truly excellent companion for her boys.

Back in Dorne, Měilíng scratched her ears. Had someone been talking about her? Was it the Dornish Ruler she met a few weeks ago? Perhaps Elia? Měilíng shook her head. Thinking someone would speak of her so much was a silly thought. She was only the daughter of a merchant who played the flute. Still, her ears burned as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. To forget her hunger, Měilíng brought her prized flute to her lips to ease her worries and blew to create a sweet but sad melody.

Back in the Red Keep, a young Stannis Baratheon had crept away from the banquet in the Great Hall. He despised crowded rooms, and Robert’s boisterous guffaws only added to his irritation. Once he entered his room, he opened the window and took out the book Maester Cressen lent him while packing for this trip. He had not begun reading it. But a stream of calm and soft notes entered his ear before he could read the title.

“A flute?” he thought to himself. He tried to remember the instruments played downstairs.

There were lyres, harps, and lutes. But there were no flutes. Stannis lifted his head and heard the sweet, silvery tune from the window. Book still in his hand, he decided it best to read his new book beside the window, where he could continue listening to the lovely melody. He glanced down at the book, finally reading the title.

The Golden Empire of Yi Ti”

Tagging: @asa-do-your-thing, @arcielee, @a-libra-writes, @aphroditesmoon, @valeskafics, @anya-snow, @dreaming-for-an-escape and anyone who wanted more of the worldbuilding of GOT are welcome!

Translations: Mandarin was used for YiTish bc author is Chinese

美灵 (Měilíng) - "美" means "beauty" and "灵" means "spirit or soul"; it can be translated as "beautiful spirit"

浩然 (Hàorán) - "浩" means "grand or vast" and "然" is a conjunction and the author will look further into it; it can be translated as "vastness or expansive"

徐 (Xú) - a common Chinese surname that became popular in the Zhou Dynasty and has multiple translations, but the author chose the translation of "slowly."

瑶池金母 (Xīwángmǔ) - "Queen Mother of the West"; the wife of the Jade Emperor and mother goddess in Chinese mythology

风子 (Fēng zi) - "风" is "wind" and "子" is for "child"; it can be translated as "child of the wind"

[afloweroutofstone]

Cannot possibly imagine anything worse for educating vaccine skeptics than the company that sells the vaccine making corny web videos about how safe their product is

I’m triple-vaccinated and seeing this makes me more skeptical of the vaccine

[soon-palestine]

Workers said Project Nimbus is the kind of lucrative contract that neglects ethical guardrails that outspoken members of Google’s workforce have demanded in recent years. “I am very worried that Google has no scruples if they’re going to work with the Israeli government,” said Joshua Marxen, a Google Cloud software engineer who helped to organize the protest. “Google has given us no reason to trust them.” The Tuesday protest represents continuing tension between Google’s workforce and its senior management over how the company’s technology is used. In recent years Google workers have objected to military contracts, challenging Google’s work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and its role in a defense program building artificial intelligence tools used to refine drone strikes. Workers have alleged that the company has cracked down on information-sharing, siloed controversial projects and enforced a workplace culture that increasingly punishes them for speaking out.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the Tuesday protest and workers’ concerns over Project Nimbus. The Israeli Finance Ministry announced its contract with Google and Amazon in April 2021 as a project “intended to provide the government, the defense establishment and others with an all-encompassing cloud solution.” Google has largely refused to release details of the contract, the specific capabilities Israel will receive, or how they will be used. In July 2022, the Intercept reported that training documents for Israeli government personnel indicate Google is providing software that the company claims can recognize people, gauge emotional states from facial expressions and track objects in video footage. Google Cloud spokesperson Atle Erlingsson told Wired in September 2022 that the company proudly supports Israel’s government and said critics had misrepresented Project Nimbus. “Our work is not directed at highly sensitive or classified military workloads,” he told Wired. Erlingsson, however, acknowledged that the contract will provide Israel’s military access to Google technology. Former Google worker Ariel Koren, who has long been publicly critical of Project Nimbus, said “it adds insult to injury for Palestinian activists and Palestinians generally” that Google Cloud’s profitability milestone coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Nakba — which refers to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians following creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

In March 2022, The Times reported allegations by Koren — at the time a product marketing manager at Google for Education — that Google had retaliated against her for criticizing the contract, issuing a directive that she move to São Paulo, Brazil, within 17 business days or lose her job. Google told The Times that it investigated the incident and found no evidence of retaliation. When Koren resigned from Google in August 2022 she published a memo explaining reasons for her departure, writing that “Google systematically silences Palestinian, Jewish, Arab and Muslim voices concerned about Google’s complicity in violations of Palestinian human rights.” Koren said Google’s apathy makes her and others believe more vigorous protest actions are justified. “This is a concrete disruption that is sending a clear message to Google: We won’t allow for business as usual, so long as you continue to profit off of a nefarious contract that expands Israeli apartheid.” Mohammad Khatami, a YouTube software engineer based in New York, participated in a small protest of Project Nimbus at a July Amazon Web Services conference in Manhattan. Khatami said major layoffs at Google announced in January pushed him to get more involved in the Alphabet Workers Union, which provides resources to Khatami and other union members in an anti-military working group — though the union has not taken a formal stance on Project Nimbus. “Greed and corporate interests were being put ahead of workers and I think the layoffs just illustrated that for me very clearly,” Khatami said.

[naturalrights-retard]

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

My biodynamic brand, Solspring, has one of the largest assortments of biodynamic products of any company in the world. We offer more than 70 Demeter certified biodynamic pantry staples, from snacks and spreads, to coffees and teas

Biodynamic agriculture is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, initially developed by Austrian scholar Rudolf Steiner, Ph.D., (1861-1925). Biodynamic certification meets both organic and regenerative certification standards, and then some

Biodynamic farming provides superior crops both in volume and increased density of nutrients. Biodynamic farms are also completely self-sustaining

Buying foods produced by farms certified as biodynamic through Demeter offers the greatest assurance of food quality and environmental sustainability

Get to know your local farmers. Talk to them. Visit their farms. Organic, regenerative and biodynamic farmers tend to be extremely passionate about their work and most will embrace the opportunity to educate consumers about what sets them apart

The short video above features three American biodynamic farmers who supply the raw materials that go into our biodynamic product line. The first is Justin Trussoni, president of Fifth Season Cooperative in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Trussoni grows biodynamic hemp and vegetables.

The second is Cecil Wright, a biodynamic maple farmer and founder of the Maple Valley Co-op. The third is Brian Wickert, vice president of Fifth Season Cooperative. He’s been growing biodynamic vegetables and herbs since 1997. Wickert is also the primary formulator of the biodynamic soil preparations used by other biodynamic growers.

As noted by Wickert, my biodynamic brand, Solspring,1 now has one of the largest assortments of biodynamic products of any company in the world. We offer more than 70 Demeter certified biodynamic pantry staples, from snacks and spreads, to coffees and teas, and that’s in no small part thanks to our partnership with growers like Wickert, Wright and Trussoni, who put their hearts and souls into their work.

What Is Biodynamic?

Biodynamic agriculture is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, initially developed by Austrian scholar Rudolf Steiner,2 Ph.D., (1861-1925). Today, it meets both organic and regenerative certification standards, and then some.

Biodynamic farming provides superior crops both in volume and increased density of nutrients. Biodynamic farms are also completely self-sustaining — something that cannot be said even for most organic farms. For example, biodynamic standards do not simply require farmers to use organic animal feed. Most of the feed must actually originate from the farm itself.

And, while an organic farmer can section off as little as 10% of the farm for the growing of certified organic goods, 100% of a biodynamic farm must be in compliance with biodynamic standards to qualify for certification.

In addition to that, 10% of the land must also be dedicated to increasing biodiversity. This could take the form of forest land, wetland or insectary, for example. Biodynamic farming also has all of the features associated with regenerative agriculture, such as crop rotation, the use of cover crops and so on.

Having animals integrated on the farm, with a focus on animal welfare, is another core principle of biodynamic farming. In short, the farm is viewed as a living, self-sustainable whole, and biodiversity of both plants and animals are integral parts of that.

In my view, this is really as good as it gets, and buying foods produced by farms certified as biodynamic through Demeter offers the greatest assurance of food quality and environmental sustainability.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the biodynamic principles pioneered by Steiner, check out Jonathan Stedall’s documentary “The Challenge of Rudolf Steiner,” below. It’s also available on Amazon Prime Video.https://www.youtube.com/embed/ASqW2MRuvoQ?si=chPvFBPgGpTRAp1S&wmode=transparent&rel=0

The Need for Regenerative Agriculture Has Never Been Greater

Modern chemical-based agriculture has resulted in the destruction of rural economies, water and air pollution, depletion of aquifers, destruction of pollinators and biodiversity, soil erosion and loss of soil fertility, climate destabilization, food contamination, nutrient degradation and the deterioration of public health.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,3 6 in 10 American adults now have a chronic disease; 4 in 10 have two or more, and one of the primary reasons for that is poor nutrition.

The most recent government data4 back that up, showing that 45% of Americans do not meet the daily requirements for vitamin A, 46% don’t get enough vitamin C, 95% fall short of their vitamin D requirement, 84% don’t get enough vitamin E, and 15% don’t get enough zinc. Any one of these deficiencies can spell trouble. As noted by the authors:5

“A well-functioning immune system is essential for human health and well-being. Micronutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and zinc have several functions throughout the immune system, yet inadequate nutrient intakes are pervasive in the US population.

A large body of research shows that nutrient inadequacies can impair immune function and weaken the immune response ... Dietary supplements can help address nutrient inadequacy for these immune-support nutrients ...

Given the long-term presence and widening of nutrient gaps in the U.S. — specifically in critical nutrients that support immune health — public health measures should adopt guidelines to ensure an adequate intake of these micronutrients.”

Sad to say, I don’t think that will happen, because even if you consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, you’ll still fall short of nutritional requirements for the simple reason that today’s conventionally-grown produce contain far fewer nutrients than their counterparts 50 years ago.6

The reason for this is because plants get their nutrients from the soil, and if the soil is depleted of nutrients, the fruits, veggies and herbs will contain lower amounts as well.

Factory farmed, GMO grain-fed meat, eggs and dairy also typically contain lower levels of omega-3s, vitamin E, beta-carotene, antioxidants and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than 100% grass fed and biodynamically-raised animal products.

Research7 has consistently shown that organic foods contain significantly higher amounts of antioxidants, especially in no-till regenerative systems,8 and an antioxidant-rich diet is associated with reduced risks for chronic diseases, including heart and brain disease and certain cancers.

And again, biodynamic is organic on steroids, so it stands to reason that biodynamic foods might be even more nutritious than certified organic, primarily because so much of the focus is on optimizing the soil.

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An Agricultural U-Turn Is Necessary

Food security is no longer a given, even if you have plenty of available land, and here’s why:

Groundwater depletion is accelerating.9

Water pollution is worsening — Precious water sources are also threatened by pollution from large-scale monocrop farms and concentrated animal feeding operations.10 According to a report11 by Environment America, corporate agribusiness is one of the biggest threats to America’s waterways.

Soil erosion and degradation is rapidly worsening — Twelve years ago, in 2012, University of Sydney professor John Crawford noted that 40% of agricultural soils around the globe were already classified as degraded or seriously degraded.12 In large part due to conventional farming methods, topsoil is also being lost 10 to 40 times faster than nature can regenerate and replenish it naturally.13,14

Desertification is speeding up — Land is turning into desert at a rapid clip and, with it, we’re losing biodiversity of both plant and animal life.

Biodynamic Agriculture Is the Answer Everyone’s Looking For

The good news is that biodynamic farming addresses all of these problems and more. We just need to get a larger segment of agriculture to make the transition. Our decision to partner with Maple Valley Co-op and Fifth Season Cooperative is just one small part of the effort to expand and normalize that niche. Expanding the demand by buying biodynamic products is how you can help in that effort. As noted by Wickert, reasons to buy biodynamic food include:

It’s more nutritious, so you don’t need to eat as much

It has longer shelf-life than conventional produce

Biodynamic supply chains engage in association economics, making sure everyone in the supply chain, from the bottom to the top, is able to make a decent living

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little “sneak peak” into the biodynamic farms that are part of our brand. Knowing who your farmers are, where your food comes from, how it’s grown and according to which principles — these are all important aspects of a truly healthy lifestyle.

So, get to know your local farmers. Talk to them. Visit their farms. Most will be happy to show you around and discuss their processes. Organic, regenerative and biodynamic farmers tend to be extremely passionate about their work and most will embrace the opportunity to educate consumers about what sets them apart.

[bit-b]

The Pi's gone bad...

TL;DR: Raspberry Pi showcased police surveillance and police activity in a positive light. And that makes the Bit upsetti spaghetti. ------------------------------------ I don't know how many people on Tumblr are into geeky computer tech, but I felt like making a blog post to vent my frustrations about a recent goings-on. There's a company called Raspberry Pi that's been around since 2011 (with early development of Raspberry Pi starting around 2006). They're known for making small micro-computers the size of a credit card. It was originally an education initiative to get kids interested in coding. These computers run Linux, have a variety of ports for various uses and flexibility, and have a very low introductory cost. They've been utilized in all sorts of places. -Hobbyists used them in custom builds for robotics and automation. -Coders have used them to create all sorts of programs that help with entertainment, productivity, internet security, etc. -Educators have used them to help teach the fundamentals of Linux to students. It's a group and product that I've supported for a long time.

WELL, on December 8th, Raspberry Pi made a news post on their site announcing that they've hired a new person. Which is totally fine. It's good to see company growth. Only, this person was an ex-policeman in the UK surveillance division.

In the interview for the article, this ex-policeman said: “I used to be a police officer tackling serious organised crime and terror threats across the east of the UK. I was a Technical Surveillance Officer for 15 years, so I built stuff to hide video, audio, and other covert gear. You really don’t want your sensitive police equipment discovered, so I’d disguise it as something else. The variety of tools and equipment I used then really shaped what I do today.” "I started playing with Raspberry Pi hardware at home around the same time I started using Linux at work. I have used Raspberry Pi a lot in various police tactics over the years. They were dependable, low-cost, portable, and supported by such an awesome community. I tried almost every ‘fruit-based’ single-board computer out there, but I always came back to Raspberry Pi." Now, I don't blame Raspberry Pi for their computers being used as surveillance devices. It's a very open-source type of device. People are gonna get ideas. And sadly, using a micro-computer for this kind of job makes sense. HOWEVER, Raspberry Pi have full control over who they choose to hire. AND they have full control over what they choose to post to their website. If this hire and this information are things that they are happy to showcase to the world, I can't interpret this any other way than them endorsing their product for secret surveillance. Others saw it the exact same way. People went to the replies on Twitter and Mastodon to voice their concerns. But the social media manager chose to start blocking and hiding posts from people that were talking negatively about the ex-policeman and/or the article. To be fair, there were a LOT of hateful and trollish posts. And I DO NOT in any way support the harassment of anyone. Still it's not a good look to silence criticism on something so potentially contentious. It's ESPECIALLY not wise to word your replies to these comments in a dismissive and antagonistic way.

I don't know if they're still blocking people and hiding comments at this point. There seem to be plenty of angry comments left under their Twitter post. So I'm gonna guess they decided it wasn't worth trying to fight. On top of this issue, people continue to point out that it's legendarily difficult to purchase a new Raspberry Pi computer nowadays. The retailers that sell individual units can't seem to keep steady stock. This means that you either have to be VERY lucky when a supply drop happens, or you have to buy one of the scalped units being sold on either eBay or Amazon. The deluxe model is routinely sold for twice it's normal price.

That being said, if you're a business and want to buy a bulk shipment of Pi computers, that option is still readily available. Seems like the Pi company is more than happy to move inventory around if it means getting bulk batches out the door for businesses that want to stick Pi computers in random things (whether it be service devices or consumer products). And that's who I think Raspberry Pi's current REAL customers are: big businesses with big pockets. I don't completely believe that they hired this ex-policeman for the sole purpose of pushing the idea of using Pi computers in covert surveillance to law enforcement. That hinges on conspiracy talk. But I DO have a suspicion that someone in the marketing department saw the opportunity. The interview at times has an ere of advertisement. It puts Raspberry Pi computers in a position of looking like the perfect solution for police equipment. This is all my own interpretation. I can't really know 100% what their intentions were with this. I could be completely off on my assumptions, and they could turn around and say that it was a complete misfire on the PR side of things. What I do know is that I am now much more wary about Raspberry Pi. I once had interest in seeing how their newer units performed. But now I can't in good conscious hand my money over. I'm a major advocate of only allowing the police what they need within reason. And surveillance like this steps over that boundary. I was one of the first people who ordered the OG Raspberry Pi. I have great memories of learning Linux and tinkering around with it. It's one of the big reasons why I'm so interested in Linux today. I hope the Raspberry Pi company takes a minute to remember where they started. To remember their original goal. Making learning and computing accessible to all.

[scuderia-hamilton]

Hey, my lovely mutual, could you please enlighten what exactly Lando did and preferably with receipts if you don't mind so more people would be educated on this?

hello, thank you for asking nicely, i'll do my best to summarize everything. :))

so, yesterday Lando posted on his land0.mov account, and the post is a video about him walking around in Melbourne and there was a shot of him holding a Starbucks cup.

people quickly noticed and started calling him out on it, because of the ongoing boycott against Starbucks, which is happening because of the genocide of Palestinian people. people were trying to educate him and make him realize that his actions were wrong and ignorant.

some of his fans started defending him, saying that he may not be aware of the boycott, which i find highly unlikely. he's known to be chronically online, there is no way he didn't hear about it at least once. there are also protests happening worldwide, people are rallying on the streets and more and more celebs speak out, demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

the other argument they brought up in his defence was that Starbucks has nothing to do with Palestine, because the boycott originally happened because the company sued their Workers Union over a post they made following October 7th (when the current genocide started) that was expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people. the law suit was filed because of copyright infringement, the Union's logo is very similar to the Starbucks logo. the company also stated that the post does not represent their views, saying they have no stance on the situation and they deleted the post shortly after, following numerous complaints against the company. if you want to you can read more about that here:

the company is not on the BDS movement's official list, but they backed up the union and Starbucks is widely accepted as one of the companies to boycott in support of Palestine. it also has ties with Nestle and Pepsico, which are two major companies on the BDS movement list. there are more important companies to boycott and you should by all means boycott them, but that does not mean you cannot boycott Starbucks too. it is one of the most widely known boycotts happening right now, because the company is extremely popular.

i will post some articles and websites that explain this situation in depth, so if you're interested you can check them out.

and here is the official BDS movement's list of the most important companies we should boycott.

i tried to keep this brief, cause i already made a lot of posts about it, so if you want to see those too, i'll link them below.

[sphero-official]

Since the beginning, our robots have always had multiple uses. From game controllers to teaching tools, our orbs, spheres, and balls have always had fun, security, and quality packed in from the start.

In 2010, we were founded as Orbotix and released our first robot, Sphero, in 2011.

In 2013, we released a revamped, faster, brighter, and better ball, Sphero 2.0.

In 2014, we released Ollie, the fastest app-enabled robot that we, or any other company, has ever made, using new Bluetooth Low Energy technology.

In 2015, we partnered with Lucasfilms, Ltd. to make BB-8 a reality in your home.

In 2016, we released SPRK+, an education-focused version of Sphero. We also released the Force Band, a new way to drive your robots like never before that same year.

In 2017, we made Mini, the smallest robotic ball ever*. *that we know of, at least!

In 2018, we released BOLT, our most advanced and feature-packed robotic ball yet.

In 2019, we released RVR, our most hackable, flexable, and creative robot yet.

That's why today we're happy to announce Sphero® Roboboobs™.

Breast implants are currently available through invitation only, but may become more widely available later on.

Connect with the app to track your sleep, heart rate, steps, and more. Record videos and take photos in stereoscopic 3D. Light the way in over one million colors. Control your other Sphero products without needing your phone. Find north, east, south, and west with the internal magnetometer. More features coming soon.

From balls to breasts, we're the leading innovators in today's field of robotics.

Sphero®. Inspiring the Creators of Tomorrow.

"Roboboobs", "Roboobs", and "intellitits" are registered trademarks of Sphero, Inc. © Sphero, Inc. 2023. All Rights Reserved.

[lili-bear]

Things you can do when small that ( mostly ) do not require a cg!

For those who may not have a cg, may not want a cg, or have trouble without one/when theirs is away

Whilst many find it easier to regress whilst in the company of a carer, it is 100% not needed if it is not wanted or not available. For those who may struggle to find ways to keep themselves entertained and engaged in positive and productive, safe ways; here’s a list I’ve created!

Let yourself play!

This could be playing with toys such as blocks, rings, trucks, dolls, or simply stuffed animals! Using your imagination ( or rather, learning to undo the rule that you cannot ) is an amazing way to pass time and also allow your little self to have fun and help their brain relax in productive and educational ways.

Though, this isn’t a reality for everyone. For those who cannot focus and therefore cannot imagine, or those who have trouble imagining or doing imaginative play, toys such as: blocks, rings, small puzzles, shapes, and matching cards can be useful! Engaging your brain in educational and experimental ways rather than imaginative is just as valid and useful to entertaining your smaller self.

Take yourself out on a small date! Who says you can’t?

A lot of us who regress love to imagine a day with a carer at the zoo, aquarium, pet store, toy store, or even the park. Whilst this is a super fun and interactive way to spend the day, who says you have to with a carer? If you’re able to, feel safe enough or are old enough: it can be an amazing way to spend time with yourself !Taking yourself out for treats whether alone or with friends is just as important and beneficial as it would be with a carer. Invent your love for different things, find comfort in exploring the world around you without the fear of judgement from someone else.

It can be just as important for our smaller selves to learn independence ( if possible ) as it would be for any child. Learning to cope with being alone is so important, and one of the first steps is to positively reinforce alone time.

Find friends who regress or are tiny too!

Sometimes it can be just as comforting to spend time with another small as it is to with a carer. Playing with each-other, creating a safe space to relate and connect on a level not many may be able to understand can be so very vital to your little self. Having that sense of unity can make being small feel less isolating, which can be important for those who struggle with loneliness. Play dates, calls, secret plans and mischievous adventures are also sometimes the highlight of the day! Why not get a little best friend? Your small self needs some “ bestie time “ too!

Watch cartoons, colour, play age-appropriate video games and snuggle with stuffed animals

Ahhh the usual. These are pretty universal things that anyone can do when regressed! Many of them are also very ‘hide-able’ for those who may not have very accepting housemates and family members around them. Relishing in childhood classic movies and cartoon series, colouring messily with crayons, playing that childhood favourite video game and snuggling are all things that ( at least personally ) fill my little self with great joy and happiness. Why not have a chill day at home? What sounds better than that?

Have a dance party

This one sounds a little silly, but if you are able to I believe it’s a fantastic way to get out energy whilst also having fun. Even just swaying when sitting down helps! Self-stimulating and a form of relaxing relief brings our smaller a sense of fun and joy. Get those headphones, turn on a childhood favourite jam and absolutely go dance-crazy! You can even turn on special lights, jump around or make a whole routine! Rolling around in bed, using the objects around you as a microphone, pretending to be royalty or even a pop star is a great use of imagination and energy in unique ways. If big you can have dance parties, so can little you!