#because that's what cycling through my brain when i should be writing my research paper

[achingly-shy]

you know that one clip of aos (don't ask me the season episode or timestamp it's just in my head) where hunter is like oh did he come on too strong? subtlety is key. and then bobbi interrupts him like you were dressed like a cowboy. and then may interrupts her saying enouuugh

[brandwhorestarscream]

Skywarp helping Thundercracker get over his depression by telling him to write fanfiction 🤌🤌🤌 like I’ve never considered it before but it’s now been ingrained in my brain that he’s a fanfic writer bc it’s very in character for him. And now skywards gotta figure out how to get Starscream to feel alive. Who knows how he does it. Is it science? Is fashion? Is it G1 starscreams favourite hobby of being a bastard?

It’s probably not that…

I'm glad you asked! I think we've got a pretty great idea for what he does for Starscream

So, Vos is a flying city, right? It's way, waaay up in the atmosphere, barely a gleaming speck when viewed from the ground, and it has no set day or night cycle due to it constantly moving independently of Cybertron's rotation. As a result, though the acid rains they produce nourish the vast crystal flora on the planet beneath them, Vos is entirely barren. It's environment is entirely unfit for crystals and they can't thrive, bleeding their color til they turn gray and shattering to dust within mere hours. Because of this, most Vosians have never even seen a real crystal flower before.

This is where Skywarp comes in. Starscream can only pursue his love of science, of exploration, of the unknown in the palace's vast library. This sort of thing would put Skywarp to sleep, but there's always fire in the prince's optics when he's glued to a textbook or meticulously scanning through advanced theories, and it's clear he's boundlessly curious. He'd love to do some proper hands on science, but it's not necessary for his future as the Winglord to know advanced physics or xenobiology, so the current ruling trine wouldn't approve. In a perfect world, Skywarp would love to see a laboratory space installed in the palace, but seeing as that's not going to happen anytime soon, he sets his sights elsewhere

The idea comes to him after a portrait catches his eye in the halls while he's escorting the prince and his fiance. It's a beautiful painting, lovingly crafted and flawless perfection down to the tiniest detail. It depicts Starscream's carrier, visibly sparked, his chassis glowing softly with the life he carries and belly perfectly round. He's seated in his throne, a regal, serene smile on his face, posture perfect and arms tenderly cradling the swell of his midsection. It was a commemorative painting to celebrate the Winglord's first concieved children, but that's not what garners his attention. No, it's the background: the second Lord of Vos is surrounded by glistening white crystal flowers, reflecting light in rainbow dapples. They're gleaming and glittering and only serve to make him glow with a heavenly backlight.

He asks Starscream if those were real flowers, and he responds that of course they were. It may have been before his birth but he knows perfectly well that his sire would never spring for anything less than the real deal. Skywarp asks if he's ever seen a crystal flower before, and Star kind of sighs, rolling his optics and shaking his helm. Of course he hasn't.

And that prompts Skywarp to suggest that maybe he should.

Starscream scoffs because that's ludicrous. Importing flowers has an asanine price tag, and they shatter within mere megacycles. The dust gets everywhere. He's seen pictures, that's plenty.

But Skywarp jumps in, insistent, "No, I mean, you should grow your own!"

Starscream barks a single, bitter laugh, because surely he must be insane. Crystal flowers dont grow in Vos, it's impossible!

...wait.

Is it impossible?

Skywarp can practically see the gears turning in his head, and goes in for the kill.

He suggests that Starscream experiment. Research. Learn. He's read plenty of books on botany, right? Sorted through academic papers and knows Vos's atmosphere extremely well. If anyone could figure out a way, it would probably be him. Crystal gardens are a common sight amongst the houses of grounders nobility; why should they have anything the seekers don't?

It takes him a long time, a lot of trial and error and a lot of research, combing digital foreign libraries and maybe even writing to botany professors from Praxus or Crystal City. Starscream noticeably changes, becoming brighter and more exuberant now that he has a hobby he truly enjoys. The shelves in his room start filling up with various pots of ground metal soil from the surface, full of seeds and withered half-sprouts, and he's always got his face in a notebook, scribbling away new theories and notes and recording data, tweaking his hypotheses and trying everything he can think of. Thundercracker is always nearby reading his latest romance novel or writing his own fantastical ideas down, and Skywarp is always there too, watching over them and thoroughly enjoying just how happy they look.

And sometimes 🤭 multiple nights a week, Skywarp takes him down to Cybertron. Checking out the gardens and wild fields of flowers around Praxus, maybe even wandering through the delicate forests surrounding Crystal City. Star takes samples and observes them with intense scrutiny, and buys hundreds upon thousands of seeds for his experiments. Skywarp has never seen him so happy, so excited, when his first crystal seed sprouts.

It's after months of work and trial and error, but miraculously, it finally happens: a shy little blue crystal sprig, poking out of it's pot by less than a pinkie's width, but it's there! Starscream is overjoyed, mumbling to himself a mile a minute and rushing to triple check the sample ID and write everything down, as well as begin mass replicating that batch to see if they can get more to grow! He's smiling so widely it looks like his cheeks may become sore, and his wings are fluttering behind him, actually fluttering, he's so pleased with himself. Skywarp lends a hand preparing more pots and flower boxes, and when Thundercracker arrives he congratulates his fiance wholeheartedly. Maybe his endeavor even inspires the blue seeker to write some more 🤭 it may not have been the chemistry lab work ups Starscream used to dream of, but the thrill of scientific experimentation and discovery feels just as good as he thought it would, and for the first time in a long time... he truly feels happy. Content. Fulfilled. And it's all thanks to this lovely courtesan. That night Skywarp puts on the best show he can, and who knows? Maybe someday, he'll be able to dance for them with petals falling from the sky 💖

[youthofpandas]

what is the hermit crab lore

The beautiful hermit crab lore… so when I was starting my transclair fic I knew early on I wanted Demian to have a weird animal metaphor the same way he talks about the moths mating cycles in the books and I was circling through animals and eventually landed on the hermit crab because I wanted to focus on the idea of constantly evolving and outgrowing yourself because like. Sinclair wouldn’t have her gender figured out by the end of the fic and was going to grow a lot before even game start. I also really liked how the shells are something passed on and a lot of Sinclair’s issues revolve around figuring out which of the people they know they wanna follow after and strive to be like.

Well so after this I went like okaayyy uhm well if Demian is gonna be giving a biology lesson on the crabs I should probably look up if they have any gender shit going on and went down a rabbit hole of research papers and hermit crab raising forums talking about if they can naturally change sex or not and from what I read it seems like they need parasites messing with their hormones to do it and aren’t 100% sure if it can happen without the parasites. Anyways this was a beautiful stroke of fate because Demian is already parasite coded with the little prince abno mushroom thing so the idea of parasites as a guide and also something Sinclair is kind of into is well charted territory for me. And then I got nervous about focusing too much on the fun little parasite sex changes and didn’t bring it up in the final draft but in my mind palace the themes and imagery are all there and playing perfectly together.

I hope it works well in the fic by itself without the mental connections that exist in my little brain. A couple friends said it was all fine and good so I’m trusting them but I do always worry that maybe what I’m writing makes no sense to anyone but me because I keep bailing on ideas…

Thank you so much for the ask beloved anon 💕💕 and everyone: read my silly crabfic !!

[cancerbiophd]

Hi Julia,

Would you mind asking for your advice about how to properly study review papers?

The thing is, every single information is both new and important to me, that's why I'm struggling in memorizing all these new information!

For example, learning about 1C metabolism using different review articles. Still, don't understand most of yet "as usual" due to many many molecular/ cellular names Lol, that's why I can't memorize them at all.

Am I doing it wrong? Should I proceed with a different strategy? I've searched a lot about how to properly retain these info. from review articles, but couldn't find any!

Would appreciate your guidance!

Thanks!🤍

Hello!

Ah, I totally understand your struggle! My job right now often consists of learning something new and I always have to go through mountains of review papers first to figure out the field before I can even think about diving into primary research articles.

I think there are two possible scenarios happening that could explain the challenges you’re facing: 1) the reviews are not foundational enough for your current depth of knowledge and/or 2) a more active approach needs to be taken in absorbing the information. 

1) If the reviews are not foundational enough for your current depth of knowledge:

Review articles are written for an audience who have already gained a basic, foundational background on the subject matter. They are written by those in the field for those in field to consolidate all the evidence in literature (up until when the author wrote the article) with the goal of a) summarizing everything, b) identifying knowledge gaps, and c) advertising where the authors’ own research falls in the field and those knowledge gaps. (A lot of PIs will use the cycle of publishing a few primary papers and then writing a review of the field where they can then self-cite/promote their new papers.)

Thus, review articles may not be suitable substitutions for textbooks, lectures, and other purely educational sources. So if you find yourself struggling to understand many of the concepts (especially if it occurs early on in the Introduction of the paper), I recommend taking a break from review articles and instead build up your foundational knowledge first. This may include taking a class, seeking out a professor or another grad student’s help, browsing a textbook on the subject, or spending some time doing online research, etc. You don’t need to learn everything about the subject first, of course, but I think a good metric is: if you can fully understand the Introduction of the articles, then you’re good to go. 

2) If you require a more active approach to absorb the information:

I recommend taking copious notes when reading, and to not worry about memorizing things yet. I never "just read"--I always take an active approach, even if it's just highlighting one line in the abstract. My brain has limited space, after all! Honestly most things I read just go through one eye and out the next, so I rely heavily on my notes to act as a “second brain” of sorts. I personally use OneNote on my work PC to record main points of what I learn because the program has the added benefit of letting me paste in screenshots (of tables, figures, etc) as well. If you use Apple products, Evernote is a good alternate app. 

And the way I take notes is in a way that works best for me to retain/recall information, which in my case is bullet-point summaries or tables. I’ve also learned that I should never just copy and paste text from the article directly into my notes, and instead should rewrite it in my own words. 

I also recommend finding other resources to supplement your learning if something is unfamiliar (like a method), including (but not limited to) youtube videos, online image searches of various flowcharts/signaling pathways/summary cartoons, textbooks, consulting a knowledgable professor or even another student who may have more expertise in the subject, etc.

And as you read, you may slowly find yourself taking less and less notes with each article as you realize the information is slowly becoming more familiar. You may even notice that the same statements are being repeated and cited with the same references. And you'll get to a point where you will have certain things "memorized" not because you sat there with flashcards, but because you've taken the time to get to know the subject, like becoming friends with someone who used to be a stranger. 

I hope that helps! Let me know if you ever need anything else. Reading and understanding scientific papers is literally what I do for my job, so I’d be happy to share any other tips that have worked for me! I’m also available on chat too. Good luck, and happy learning!

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

as usual, an unrealistic list of things I’d really like to get done over the three-day weekend, which is not super likely to go well considering I’m posting this at 5 fucking p.m. but whatever:

gaming-related

I have exactly a month left on my (so far unused, whoops) PC Game Pass subscription, so I need to go over my wish list again and identify

which games have achievements

each game’s average playtime so I can prioritize

which ones interest me the most (emphasis on spooky games because...it’s spooky season)

try Fallout 76 once it finally finishes downloading, because I played the free weekend on Steam before and this is Microsoft, and...I think my character should just be on their servers but I don’t actually know hahahaha yeah that super didn’t work, maybe in a week when our billing cycle restarts I’ll try redownloading and reinstalling it, and anyway I did download and test a couple other Game Pass games

cancel my current SWTOR subscription so I’m not still paying for that while focusing on Game Pass games

play one of a few Flash games on my to-play list, if there’s something short

misc/housekeeping

check out my current backup situation and see how hard it would be to modify, I mean at some point I have got to set up an actual system but for some reason that’s intimidating so if what I currently have is at all usable, I should add to it

and then verify my drivers. I don’t know what’s wrong with my PC and I’m really not sure how to figure that out but since Memtest86 ran for three fucking hours and came back clear, it seems like this is the next major step in the troubleshooting process okay I actually didn’t do this but I did try some other things that also didn’t work

finish claiming all the Black Panther comics

a tiny bit of room cleaning? maybe?? I actually already did a very tiny bit, and this is something (one of...many things) I could do while on a call with friends, which is also in my plans

open a couple packages from one of said friends, which keen-eyed readers might note was in a to-do list ages ago oops

check Tumblr drafts

work on modifying or fixing some masks that currently aren’t working well

send an email that’s been on my to-do list for...a while

actually another email would be a good one too

keep trying to get Hazy to learn that letting people handle her paws results in good treats, so we can make an appointment for a Petco nail trim (and ideally clip them ourselves, sometimes)

ah fuck I still need to finish my will

creative

mildly edit the short fic I posted a few days ago, give it a title, and toss it on AO3

as always, some typing would be really really good

so would...some writing...

make some more potion bottles with, uh, random stuff I’ve collected on recent walks around the neighborhood (other potion bottles with other random ideas I’ve had wouldn’t be a bad idea either...and I would like to try one of the Youtube tutorials I found for making tiny hourglasses, but I guess that’s probably not a priority)

do a little reorganizing in my giant to-do lists for a) 1/6-scale projects and b) lyrics for titles

doing more research on parts for a 1/6 female Loki is really not urgent but...I might want to...and some things are on sale right now...

repair Tiny Loki’s tiny mask

rewrite my paper list of prioritized projects, which I needed to do anyway, but now I’ve also lost the original and that’s very annoying (also make a pocket for it in my notebook so this is less likely to happen again)

make designs for a few new Pride Cap shields, maybe? it really would not take long to make just a few, and now is when I should be adding stuff to Etsy if I have any hope of like...holiday sales

for that matter, now would be an extremely good time to at least start planning what kinds of holiday-specific things (and/or other new listings) I might be able to make in time to list them on Etsy

mental health

write up a post for the ADHD Reddit and maybe other related places

experiment with Notion and Airtable as organizational options

research some bullet-journal layouts to see if anything seems like it would work for me

in general, spend some time just kind of...brainstorming the type of system that would be useful for me in keeping my shit together, so I have a better idea of what I’m looking for (also probably helpful to list like...the big problems I’m trying to fix)

see if Penzu seems like a good option for a keeping-my-shit-together strategy I have in mind from my latest therapy session, and if not, do a little research on other journal-type possibilities

shopping I probably shouldn’t be doing

make a Michaels order tomorrow when both coupons will be active, because...there are some Halloween things that are somehow already sold out at the nearest store but I still want them...and they’re available at the store all the way across town...so...

possibly go to an estate sale benefiting the rescue group where we got Scully and Hazy, which is also all the way over on the other side of town but if I’m going over there anyway, I might as well

some stuff in my Etsy cart that I don’t want to miss

ditto eBay, I think mostly in my cart but also check watch list

AliExpress is also having some sales and yes there are more tiny things I want to buy for Loki’s arcane workshop, shut up (but also if I’m going to buy another Hot Toys body, this time for Thor, I gotta...take some measurements)

politics

call legislators

I really don’t know why I bother but I’ve found a bunch more articles recently that I’d like to throw on Facebook

for that matter at some point I’m probably just going to do a Facebook post like “hey, if you care about me at all, please consider voting Biden,” which also probably won’t make a difference but like...there’s a tiny chance it might

actually write those Sierra Club letters to voters that I meant to do like...two weeks ago...and maybe also some postcards, idk

maybe go to a thing Monday afternoon

also maybe just like...look through my links and folders to see who’s doing textbanking? like I don’t necessarily have to do any of it this weekend, just figure out what’s available?

........hmm this is all a terrible idea, probably, in part because my brain is looking at this absurdly long list and still going “oh shit, oh fuck, we’re forgetting something major aren’t we!!!”

[accio-jungkookie]

shine on anyway - spider-man x reader (ch. 1)

shine on anyway - chapter one

A/N: Hey, guys! Welcome to the first chapter of my Spidey fic :D AHHH I can’t believe this lol. I’ve been working over this for a bit, and I can’t believe I’m actually posting it? Idk man, crazy world lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! I love feedback so please feel free to like or comment! Thanks! (Also note that this story is focusing on character building and development more so than fan service, so Spidey doesn't show up for a little bit in the story <3 Thanks for understanding).

Summary: A kid from Milwaukee has to grow up far more quickly than she should while facing threats that men half her age would never dare go near. So, when she has to uproot after losing everything, does she lose herself too? 

Word count: 1.4k (I promise the chapters get longer)

Warnings: Discussion of depression and anxiety, minor character death, swearing, fight scenes/injury, loss, I’ll add any more if I happen to have forgotten.

teaser - one - next

“Y/N!” You heard your friend, Kyomi, yell from down the hall. You looked up, slightly startled about your name being shouted, before spotting your beautiful best friend. You smiled in her direction before shoving your jacket and books for your afternoon classes into your locker and shutting it. By the time you turned to face her, Kyomi was already almost by your side.

“Hi, Ky. How’s your morning?” You asked with a yawn, glancing on your phone screen to see the time. Not even 7:45 yet, and you already wanted to go home.

“Oh, you know, a Monday morning. And how about you, grumpy gills?” Ky asked with a grin as you rolled your eyes.

“It’s not even 8 a.m. and yet I’m awake. So, as good as I can be.” You mumbled with a small grin, grabbing her sleeve to tug her to the second floor of the school, aiming for a cup of coffee from the school’s student-run café. You didn’t mind the taste of dirt, or the slight anxiety boost, as long as you could stay awake during your first two classes of the day.

You jumped slightly as someone slammed their locker, the noise hurting your ears as you wince. Ky frowns and holds your hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Anxiety not doing well today?” She asked quietly, and you nodded as you opened your eyes and blinked a few times. You took a deep breath, trying not to focus on the sensory input that’s nearly ruining your ears. It’s nothing serious, or something you have diagnosed since the idea of it scares you, but it’s enough to freak you out a bit. Sensory overload is something you deal with a lot, and your massive amounts of anxiety never really help at all.

“Is coffee really a good idea, then? I know it makes your anxiety jump a lot, and I don’t want you to be on edge all day.” Kyomi said with a gentle smile. She was always the caring friend, the one with answers who always knew what to say. You were caring too, of course, but it was harder for you to express your emotions than it was for Ky. Not a bad thing, but a thing indeed.

“I’m ok, Ky. I’ve gotta make it through this AP physics exam in first period, so a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.” You said with a small grin, walking into the small room. Ky eventually convinced you to go with tea instead, since it still has caffeine but much less so compared to coffee. Then, it was time for class.

The time passes slow, your brain being crammed full of new ideas and theories and such that you would have to re-teach yourself later, since the lessons were built for straight memorization, not memory retention or application. The American school system was a pain in the ass, and your high school was a prime example of that.

However, your three exams went well, if not mentally draining. Having multiple AP classes is an honest to god feat of nature, but you managed to do it with all A’s and B’s. You spent lunch in a hallway somewhere with Ky, and the end of your day sped by with minor hiccups in regard to your anxiety. But, overall, an averagely boring day. You went to the library after saying goodbye to Ky, since she wasn’t part of the school musical, and then set to work on your homework. The good thing about having three exams today meant you had minimal homework, only in three classes (Spanish, German, and AP English Language/Composition). Easy enough to work through translations and building sentences, but the English work was annoying. A research paper on any topic of your choosing, written in APA style. APA style was disgusting.

It was nearing almost 5 in the afternoon when the library was starting to close, so you packed up your things and went to the auditorium, sitting in a random chair in the back and pulling out your laptop. Not the best, not the worst, but it did what it needed to.

You shifted with a shiver, hating how cold the auditorium always is, before your felt a sharp pain on your ankle. You freaked out a bit, immediately slapping at your ankle in hopes of scaring off, or killing, whatever the hell had just bit you. You looked down at the floor once you had calmed down, and nearly gagged at the size of the spider on the floor. It was massive and disgusting with weird coloring.

“Fucking public school. I hate Milwaukee, swear to god.” You mumbled, snapping a quick picture of it so you could identify it later, before you got up and moved to a different section of the auditorium entirely. Rehearsals started in less than 15 minutes anyway, so there was no need to keep working. Instead, you changed your shoes and got on stage to stretch and warm up slightly. There was a slightly weird feeling in your stomach, and you kept looking down at your ankle every now and again to keep an eye on the bite, which seemed a little annoyed, if nothing else.

Soon enough, rehearsal ended, and it was time to walk home. You pulled out your pepper spray that you kept hidden in your bag and began walking. It was only a 20-minute walk, but 20 minutes walking in a big city, alone, and at night was freaky. Plus, you’re a smaller, high school aged girl. You were more prone to being abducted and sold into the sex trade simply because you were a girl. Disgusting, yes, but a sad reality. You continued walking, all of your senses on high alert as you kept glancing around. You got home right on time, locking the doors before setting everything down in the kitchen. You smiled as you heard the clicking of your dogs’ nails on the floor coming towards you. You smiled and sat on the floor, pulling the two dogs into your lap, cuddling them and giving them love before you had to stand up again.

You went upstairs to your grandparent’s room, lightly knocking on the door to let them know you were coming in, if they were even awake. You walked in, seeing them both asleep, and walked back out again. No need to wake them up if there wasn’t an issue. So, you went back to the kitchen on the main floor, writing on the whiteboard on the wall that you got home safe, and that you didn’t want to wake them. You grabbed your things, leaning down to give the two dogs another pat before leading them to their beds, telling them to sleep before you walked downstairs to the basement where your room was located. You walked through the curtain that served as your door and walked to the far end of your short room to pull the cord to turn your light on.

You turned towards your desk and sighed, knowing it would be a long night for homework. You set everything down on the floor and pulled out your textbooks and laptop, setting them down on your desk. You sat at your chair and got to work on your Spanish homework, ready to crank through it so you could get to everything else.

A few hours had gone by, and you were starting not to feel so well. You thanked your lucky stars for the timing, since you were just finishing up the last parts of your homework. You looked at the clock, seeing it was almost 1 a.m. You sighed and got ready for bed, starting to steadily feel more sick and tired. By the time you flopped into bed at 1:02, you were nearly half asleep and sweating buckets. You barely managed to remember to pull your glasses off of your face before passing out entirely for the night, dreaming of weird spiders and itchy ankles.

You woke up the next morning at 6:30, still tired as you cursed yourself tiredly for not timing out when you would wake up with your sleep cycle. Still, you had gotten more sleep last night than you had in all of last week combined. So, you told yourself you were rested as you sat up in bed, rubbing your eyes. You blinked the tiredness away, noticing you could see clearly.

‘Did I forget to take out my contacts last night?’ you thought, a little scared at the idea until you realized you had worn your glasses yesterday. With a frown, you got out of bed and started to get ready anyway, keeping an eye out for any creepy-crawlies. You were mildly confused, but you would figure it out later. For now, you had to focus on getting to school on time with the nasty migraine you had.

[spn-ficfanatic]

F*ck Cancer- Ch 3: The Beginning

SERIES MASTERLIST - CHAPTER ONE - CHAPTER TWO - CHAPTER FOUR 

Summary: After your rest period it’s time to go back to the hospital for scans before starting your next cycle of chemotherapy. What news will your doctor give?

Characters: Sam x Reader, Dean x Platonic!Reader* *For the Dean ladies/lads: it may not be romantic between him and the reader, but it’s a very close brotherly/sisterly relationship and I still think y’all will really enjoy it :)

Words: 2737

Warnings: Cancer/chemo talk, swearing

Sam and Dean walked either side of you, slowing down to match your stride as you walked from radiology to oncology. You’d just had scans done to check the lump in your brain and were now going to have to anxiously wait to speak with your doctor about the results. You flopped down on a nearby chair with a ‘hhumppff’, the guys following suit.

“I hate hospitals,” Dean commented glumly.

“You’re just jealous that I get to wear the fancy robe,” you told him with a smirk, elbowing him in the ribs. He chuckled and leaned back, the smile not quite reaching his eyes.

“So how long until we see the doctor?” Sam asked impatiently, his knee jumping up and down nervously.

“A couple of hours, she needs time to get the results of my scan and look them over. Get comfy boys,” you told them, earning a groan from each.

“Y/N?” you heard your doctor call a while later, and you turned your head to see her smiling back at you. “I’m ready for you now, if you’d like to come in.”

You nodded and lifted yourself from your chair. Dean and Sam did the same but were surprised to be stopped by your doctor.

“And who are these handsome gentlemen?” she asked with a kind smile. She’d always been concerned about your refusal to tell anyone about your condition, and you could see she was pleasantly surprised to find you had company.

“This is Sam and Dean,” you told her, and she extended her hand to shake theirs. “They’re old friends, they’re helping me through this. Guys, this is Dr Wheeler.”

“Call me Sally,” she added to them. “I’m so pleased to hear that you’ve opened up to someone Y/N. Now I’m required to ask you, are they joining you in your appointments?”

You nodded, having already discussed this with the guys previously. A part of you was worried about how they would react if the news was bad, but at the same time you wanted them to hear it first hand as well.

Sally smiled as she directed you and the brothers to her office and as you all sat down, the boys either side of you, she closed the door behind her and took a seat at her computer.

“How did the scans go this morning?” she asked you conversationally, and you shrugged.

“OK, I’m fairly used to them by now.”

“That’s good, I know they can be uncomfortable. Well, I’ve taken a look at those results and compared them with the results of the blood tests last week…”

She trailed off as she clicked some files on her computer, and you didn’t miss her smile falter slightly. It was so slight that no-one but a hunter would have spotted it, and you could feel an instant shift in the atmosphere of the room.

“Y/N, I’m sorry to say that the news isn’t what we were hoping for.”

You felt your heart stop, only for a moment. Sam and Dean’s hand instantly took your own and you felt them gently squeeze.

“The tests you had after the last cycle of chemotherapy didn’t show any marked improvement in the size of the tumour, and during the rest period it noticeably increased in diameter.”

“So then why put her in a rest period at all?” asked Dean, and you could hear his anger bubbling under the surface.

“It’s an important step in the treatment process,” Sally explained to him calmly before turning back to you. “Normally the rest period would give your body time to heal before the next cycle, however based on what I’m seeing here I don’t believe that’s a viable option anymore.”

You swallowed thickly, choosing to look at your lap rather than the pity in her eyes.

“I don’t understand,” Sam commented. “Why can’t she at least try another cycle of treatment?”

“Her b-”

“Because it won’t help,” you interrupted her. You felt all eyes drawn to you and lowered your head even further, and started picking at the thread on your sleeve. “Because we’ve been down this road before. Because the same thing happened with the first cycle of chemo and we knew it was a possibility with the second. And because I’d already decided that if it didn’t work this time, I wouldn’t proceed with a third.”

You were embarrassed to be admitting this to them. Sure, you’d told them that the odds were slim, but never did you admit that you’d already made up your mind to stop treatment altogether if it stopped working. Silence filled the room, and you could practically hear Dean’s nostrils flaring. He quickly let go of your hand and stood, making a beeline for the door.

“Dean-” Sam called after him, but he was already gone.

“Go after him,” you urged.

“No, he can handle himself. You need me,” he told you firmly.

“Sam, please, what I need right now is to know he’s ok,” you begged quietly, resting your palm on his cheek affectionately. He closed his eyes and leaned in, turning it over quickly to kiss it before standing up and leaving the room also. When the door shut behind him you let out the breath you had been holding.

“Y/N? How are you taking this news?” Sally asked gently, and you gave a weak smile in return.

“I’m not surprised,” you admitted. “The headaches are getting worse, I’m having at least 4 blood noses a day, my vision is getting blurry and I’m bumping into everything… I haven’t even told Sam and Dean half of the things going on.”

She nodded knowingly, and took a prescription pad from her drawer and started writing.

“These painkillers should help with the headaches. Unfortunately I can’t do much for the blood noses and your vision other than suggesting rest when you feel you need to.”

She reached over and handed the paper to you and you took it, and she grabbed your hand gently before you could pull it back. You squeezed it gently, not letting go.

“How long?” you asked quietly, surprised that you had yet to shed a tear. You imagined asking this question a thousand times and each time you were a sobbing mess… the calm you felt at the moment was never what you expected.

“With the speed of its growth I think 2 months is a reasonable expectation.”

“What about my memory?” you asked her with a cringe, remembering the moment Sam had to save you from down the road.

“Because of where it’s positioned you will find you have more and more periods of time you cannot remember, both short and long term. As your time draws nearer other abilities will start to go, namely your ability to walk. Once you reach this stage, it should be fairly quick,” she explained. You nodded, and retracted your hand from hers.

“You can do another cycle if you would like Y/N,” she added. “I won’t offer false hope, another round of treatment would only offer a 3% chance of success, but I’m willing to try if you want to.”

You shook your head. “I’m done. I don’t want to go out of this life pumped with that poison. I want to be able to enjoy the time I have left, however much of it there is.”

Sally smiled sadly and nodded, leaning back in her chair and sighing loudly. “I’m so sorry Y/N, I wish I could have helped you.”

“You did,” you assured her, “more than you know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dean!” Sam called out, running after his brother who had managed to slip out a side door and to the nearby gardens. He was pacing in front of a fountain, running his hands through his hair roughly.

“Go away Sam,” he growled. “You should be with Y/N.”

“So should you numb nuts, she needs us both.”

“I can’t be in there, not with that quack doctor putting shit into her head like how she can’t make it through another round of treatment. Hasn’t that idiot heard of the power of positive thinking, or whatever crap it is you go on about?!”

“She’s right Dean,” Sam told him, and stood his ground despite the look Dean gave him. “Y/N showed me her medical records, and if the results weren’t good this time then another round isn’t going to fix it.”

“Well we have to do something,” he snapped, kicking a nearby plant out from its roots. Sitting his hands on his hips he took a deep breath and tried to calm down, resisting the urge to punch his little brother for agreeing with the wrong side.

“We will ok? I’ve been doing some research and I think I’m close to finding her a way out of this,” Sam admitted, looking around to make sure they were alone.

“One of our ways?” Dean asked sceptically, and Sam nodded in response. “Oh sure, because those always work out for the best don’t they?”

“It has its risk yer, but it’s worth it isn’t it?”

Dean mulled it over. “Have you told Y/N about this?”

“Not yet, I thought we’d see how today went first.”

“Well, it went crap,” Dean snapped in response. “Might be time to have the talk Sammy.”

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

The drive back to your house was painfully silent, but you knew that once you were behind your closed door they would have their say. You weren’t an idiot, you’d caught Sam reading some pretty serious literature and knew what he had in mind, and were prepared to dispute any ideas they had about saving you “their” way.

You watched the trees flying past the window and thought about what you wanted for your final weeks of life. You didn’t know if you were going up or down once all was said and done, so making the most of the time you had would be your priority. You didn’t want to waste time chasing after supernatural cures when you’d already made peace with what was happening. Thanks to Sam and Dean Disneyland was scratched off your bucket list, and while there was no chance of finishing everything you wanted to do you felt the majority would be doable.

You were so deep in your thoughts you didn’t notice Sam calling your name until your door opened and he knelt down in front of you.

“Hey, you with me?” he asked, looking at you worried. You raised your eyes to see Dean hovering looking just as concerned, and you smiled at them.

“I’m ok, sorry, got lost in thought,” you assured them. “Let go inside.”

Walking through the door of your house felt surreal, it felt like everything should be different but it all looked the same. The bowl from cereal that morning was still on the dining table from when you had to rush out for your appointment. The plant in the corner of the room was still dying despite your best efforts to get the blasted thing back. Photographs hung on the wall of you with your parents and friends; a large picture of you, Sam and Dean sat proudly on the hallway table greeting any visitors you had.

“Y/N?” Dean asked, offering his hand. You looked down blankly, reaching for it and allowing him to guide you to the couch.

“Let me get you some water,” he mumbled more to himself, and headed to the kitchen on his quest. Sam sat down on the coffee table in front of you, its legs creaking under the weight.

“I’m going to fix this,” he promised you. “Don’t worry about anything ok, what Dr Wheeler said… well, she doesn’t know the things we do.”

You looked up with a frown, and silently took the glass of water Dean handed you.

“I’ve been researching and I think I found-”

“No,” you told him blunty.

“Wh-what?” he stuttered, your comment catching him off guard. Dean leaned on the wall in the corner of the room with a frown, the same spot he stood when you told him about your tumour, with his arms crossed.

“No spells. No demons. No crossroads. Nothing.”

Sam looked at you with his jaw hanging, and scratched the back of his head. “If you’ll just let me show you-”

“I’ve seen the book Sam, I’m not a moron.”

You stood up as he stared at you incredulously. “This will save your life! We should at least talk about it.”

“No Sam,” you replied sharply, sitting your glass on the table and pointing a finger at him. “It might save my life. But I’m not willing to make the sacrifices you clearly are for something that has no guarantee.”

“Wait, hold up,” Dean interjected. “What sacrifices?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Sam growled, earning a humourless laugh from yourself. You turned to Dean.

“For his genius plan to work, he would have to split off a piece of his soul.”

Dean’s eyes widened, and he glared at his younger brother angrily.

“What is she talking about?” he asked, his voice dangerous.

“Oh please, it’s a tiny bit, I won’t even miss it,” he tried to brush it off. Your blood boiled, and before Dean could move a muscle you threw a punch across Sam’s jaw. He looked at you in shock, and Dean didn’t know whether he should interject or bolt.

“You’re a fucking idiot Sam Winchester. If you think there’s even the slightest chance I’d want you to take this risk for me then you don’t know me at all.”

You hadn’t shed a single tear at the news of your impending doom, but Sam singlehandedly started the waterworks. Shaking your swiftly swelling hand you bolted for your room. Dean called your name but you kept moving, not stopping until the door slammed shut behind you.

15 minutes later someone dared to knock on your door. After a decent crying session you were now sitting on your bed, looking through some old photos, and you frowned at the interruption.

“Do you REALLY think I want to see you right now Sam? Because if you do-”

“It’s Dean,” came the reply, and you bit your lip.

“Um, ok, come in I guess,” you replied quietly, and he let himself in.

“Thought you might want this,” he explained, sitting down next to you on the bed and placing an icepack on your bruised knuckles. You hissed, but took it from him with a small thank you.

“I didn’t really hear anything after I left. Did you… I mean, is Sam, you know… still breathing?”

Dean chuckled and patted your knee. “I didn’t hurt him. You got in first, I thought you’d appreciate keeping that crown for yourself. Anyway, I can’t be too mad at him for considering something I probably would have done if I’d seen it first,” he admitted.

“Et tu, brute?” you sighed, and Dean shrugged.

“Yer well, what can I say, he’s not the only one who loves you kid. Just in a veeeeery different way.”

You raised a curious eyebrow at Dean, not sure he realised what he’d just revealed about his brother, and opened your mouth to say something before he continued.

“He’s taken off in Baby, hopefully just getting some air and not a new plan.”

You nodded in silence, deciding to ask Sam about Dean’s admission later.

“What do you want?” you asked him, curious to know his thoughts.

“It’s not about what I want,” he shrugged. “Obviously I don’t want you to- you know.”

“You can say the word Dean,” you told him, taking his hand which was still on your knee. “I’m going to ‘die’. See, easy.”

“No,” he replied with a huff. “Not easy. Not by a long shot.”

You watched as his eyes became glassy, and you swallowed the lump in your throat. Suddenly an idea formed.

“Tell you what,” you started, your voice wavering slightly. “I have a list of things I want to do before I go. I know it’s corny as hell but it would mean a lot to me to get them done. Well, the things I CAN anyway. Do you think you and Sam could help me with it?”

Dean looked at you with a small smile and nodded, and you rested your head on his shoulder enjoying just being with him in the moment.

“Love you,” you told him.

“I know,” he replied, kissing the top of your head.

CONT.

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

SERIES MASTERLIST - CHAPTER ONE - CHAPTER TWO - CHAPTER FOUR

MY MASTERLIST

Tag Lists (Open)

Series Taglist: @deghostyboi , @dreaminemz , @spence-rreid, @almostelegantfire , @ericaprice2008,  @mirandaaustin93

“Dean/Jensen” taglist:  @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk, @perpetualabsurdity, @mlovesstories

“Everything” taglist: @angelsandwinchesters, @grace-for-sale, @growningupgeek, @iamnotsaneatall, @nanie5, @waywardasfudge, @im-dead-inside05, @julzdec, @adoptdontshoppets, @meghanbeinghappy, @sleepylunarwolf , @sammysgirl1997, @imaginationisgrowth, @screechingartisancashbailiff , @flamencodiva , @salt-n-burn-em-all

People who requested tags, that I cannot tag (but will still mention because I feel bad :( ): @ronja-uebrick, @lilydarcy, @cabbagewithissues, @ruffdog921

[anxietysimplified]

Podcast 43: 15 ways to Improve Your Sleep

​Sleep Better Even having Insomnia because of Anxiety

Podcast (Audio Only)​

Joanne Williams discusses How lack of sleep can affect your health and 15 ways to Improve your sleep and 3 ways to help you sleep better, even with anxiety interferes with you good sleep.

Sleep is a necessity and yet we seem to treat it like not getting enough sleep will come without consequences. The research will challenge you on this, sleep is necessary for good health.We will share15 ways to make sleep better, and how do deal with ruminating thoughts that go around and around in your head at night, that interfere with good sleep.Sleep deprivation is when you don’t get the sleep your body and mind needs, and it is It’s estimated to affect around 1/3 of American adults, have a problem that has only worsened in recent years.Lack of sleep directly affects how we think and feel. While the short-term impacts are more noticeable, chronic sleep deprivation can heighten long-term risks of physical and mental health problems.

10 reasons why you want to figure out how to get better sleep-

- Sleepiness Causes Accidents. ... - Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down. ... - Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems. ... - Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive. ... - Sleepiness can be one symptom of Depression. ... - Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin. ... - Sleepiness Makes You Forgetful. ... - Losing Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight. - Cardiovascular disease: Sleep deficiency and cardiovascular problems including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. - Diabetes: Insufficient sleep appears to affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. - Obesity: Research has found that people tend to consume more calories and carbohydrates when they don’t get enough sleep. - Immunodeficiency: Sleep deficiency has been shown to lead to worsened immune function, including a poorer response to vaccines. - Hormonal abnormalities: Sleep helps the body properly produce and regulate levels of various hormones. - Pain: Sleep-deprived people are feeling that their pain is getting worse. Pain may cause further sleep interruptions, creating a negative cycle of worsening pain and sleep. - Mental health disorders: Sleep and mental health are closely intertwined, and poor sleep has strong associations with conditions like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.Given these diverse and important impacts of sleep deprivation, studies have found insufficient sleep to be tied with a greater overall risk of deathas well as a lower quality of life.On a society-wide level, the impacts of sleep deprivation are enormous. sleep deprivation has been calculated to incur hundreds of billions in added healthcare costs as well as over $400B in productivity losses per year in the United States alone.Here are 15 Ways to sleep better BY MICHAEL MARTIN SEPTEMBER 3, 2020  You Think Sleep Issues Are Part of Normal AgingAt age 40 or 60, you need the same amount of sleep as you did in college.

1.You're Getting Less Than Seven Hours

According to Gallup, the average American sleeps 6.8 hours nightly, and 40 percent of us sleep less than six hours a night. Adults, need seven to nine hours.2. Shut Down Screens An Hour Before Bed"Wind down by reading a (paper) book, writing in a journal, or chatting with your partner."

3. Don’t Drink Late-Night Cocktails

Researchers have found that alcohol shortens deep (REM) sleep, which makes sleep less restorative. Stick to one to two drinks nightly, and don't use booze as a sleep aid.

5. If You're Snoring

It can be the sign of a serious health problem: Namely, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). During OSA, breathing can stop for as long a minute, before your brain wakes you up to resume breathing. It's also exhausting. talk to your doctor.

6. If You're Using Sleeping Pills- think again.

You shouldn't need to rely on meds to get to sleep, even over-the-counter drugs. Some studies have linked the use of hypnotic (sleep-inducing) drugs to an increased risk of cancer and death.  Instead figure out a new way to relax and slow your mind.I did a survey of my clients and the #2 Challenge with having anxiety was getting good sleep because of difficulty of shutting off your brain.

3 Ways to Shut off your Anxious mind:

Learn ways to Let Go of the worry thoughts that are not processed in the day, that are affecting your sleep if you are a chronic worrier.For instance, If you're still hashing over a conflict or a meeting at work that you didn't say what you felt you should have said.Learning letting go skills of the What if’s, what if I would have said this or that or the ruminations of the thoughts that are going around and around. Instead refocusing these thoughts on peaceful calming thoughts to instill that feeling in your body to relax. Learn progressive tense and release of different muscle groups starting at your toes to your head that has been shown to not only reduce your physical muscle tension and stress, but it also refocuses your thoughts on your body.Add a breathing technique of counting your breathes in through your nose as you count to 4 and exhale to the count of 8 and patterns of a set of 4. This is a profound relaxer because it stimulates the Vagus nerve to excrete a relaxing chemical acetylcholine.Create a nightly practice of a meditation. You could put on a headset, listen to some musicThis building new habits of releasing the worry that you can actually build ways you can use to shift these rumination to a more peaceful place.

7. Make your Afternoon Nap earlier or not at all

Just don't doze too long — anything over 25 minutes or so will put you into a deeper sleep and make it harder to wake up. Snooze too late in the day — say, anytime after 5 pm — and it may be harder for you to hit the hay later. Or try not to nap during the day at all.

8. Don’t  Sleep On A Full Stomach

Eating a full meal too close to bedtime increases your risk of acid reflex and indigestion, which can lead to snoring or insomnia. Eat dinner at least three hours before bed. If you need a late-night snack, stick to something light.

9. Change Your Pillow

Your pillow should be washed every six months and replaced every year or two. The reason to wash: Dust mites. These microscopic critters (and their waste) can worsen allergies and asthma, impairing breathing and therefore your sleep.

10. Wash Your Sheets More Often

Experts recommend washing your sheets at least every two weeks, weekly if you suffer from allergies, asthma or eczema. To prevent dust mites from inhabiting your mattress, use a protective cover. Wash it every two months.

11. No Sleeping With A Pet

Man's Best Friend is causing your worst nightmares. 53 percent of people who sleep with their pets have disturbed rest and abnormal sleep patterns, because of their four-legged friend's restless behavior (or the real estate they take up).12. Get Enough ExerciseGetting as little as 10 minutes of exercise a day has been shown to lead to better shut-eye, warding off sleep-inhibiting conditions like sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome

13. If You Toss And Turn

Experts recommend that if you're having trouble getting to sleep, get out of bed after 20 minutes.  Do a calm activity, like reading a (paper) book or listening to music until you feel sleepy. Avoid screens.

14. Don’t Sleep On Your Stomach

Many stomach sleepers experience pain because that position twists the body out of alignment. You have to sleep with your head turned to the side, which makes it hard to breathe and puts strain on your back and spine, raising your risk for neck problems or a herniated disk.

15. You're Sleeping Too Much

Sleep is vital for health as we age, but there can be too much of a good thing. Oversleeping has been correlated with an increased risk of dementia. Stick to nine hours, max, and wake up at the same time every day.I hope this helps to relax to sleep better and will your health and lower your anxiety.This is by no means a replacement for therapy of any medical attention if you need it.  Always reach out and take care of yourself or if you are feeling like you want to hurt yourself, there is always someone standing by at 1800-273-8255 or call 911. Remember to Share the Love.Or check out more atAnxietySimplified.netOr go tohttps://esapros.comfor an emotional support animal or a Psychiatric Service Dog to go with you everywhere to give you the support to lower your anxiety.Join us for Our next podcast: What Happens in Vagus, stays in Vagus, when you learn how to use the Vagus nerve to calm you.See other podcasts atAnxietySimplified.net   Load More Read the full article

[the-saucy-wave-equation]

For most of my studying life, I’ve never been able to work anywhere near as long as many other people I know. After 2-3 hours, I would be exhausted, and once I stopped, that was it for the day. 

However lately, I’ve managed to get masses of work done in one go, and stay productive without taking massive breaks. Here’s how I did it!

(Note- I was suddenly able to start working much more intensely once I’d been in treatment for mental illness for almost a year, so that may also be a factor. These are just things I did in addition to that minor little thing).

Prepare for your work. This is key- without it you’re going into a day without a plan, and hence no structure. You can plan your day as rigidly or as loosely as you would like, so long as you know what you would like to cover. Personally, I use very loose plans, just choosing 3 main topics, or 1 large task for the whole day. I know some people plan when exactly they work, and if that works, great! I prefer to be flexible so I can do whatever work I most feel like at the time. Make sure to pack everything you need, or have it at hand.

Move to a workspace that is isolated enough to protect you from distractions, comfortable enough that you can sit there for a few hours, and has plenty of space to put all of your stuff. Once you get here, get settled in, but do it quickly. Take out any materials you need for studying and start work pretty much immediately. Don’t get distracted by your phone or fun websites. Turn off or silence your phone, and block any distracting websites on your laptop, should you be using one (I like SelfControl for that). 

Once I get started working, I tend to work until my brain starts to feel fuzzy, and I can feel my focus slipping away. If you’re having trouble focusing in the first few minutes of work, don’t give up. Identify any distractions that are hindering your focus and think about what you could do to mitigate them. If I’m having problems focusing because friends are around, I apologize and leave to work alone. If it’s noisy, I move somewhere quieter, or listen to white noise. If it’s too quiet, I listen to non-distracting music, either instrumental, or music I’ve been listening to a lot lately so nothing new can grab my attention. 

If you’ve been trying to work for an hour, and you really can’t, even if you’re removed distractions, give yourself a break, and try and assess what might be bothering you. Are you hungry? Is it too stuffy? Is the environment bad? A change of scenery is usually good in this case, so long as you don’t try and move every 20 minutes.

Sometimes you just need to push through the misery and work, regardless of how little focus you have. Work despite your lack of focus, and remind yourself that half-assing something is better than not-assing anything. 

Once you’ve been working for a while and your brain feels fuzzy, or you feel tired, it’s important to take a break since your retention and performance will begin to suffer. Don’t take too long a break, as that can lead to procrastination and stopping work, but it is vital to do something other than study. Things that I do for breaks:

go buy a cup of tea

go to the bathroom

skype my parents

play a mindless and repetitive game on my phone

take a quick walk around the library building

have a quick chat with a friend

read a chapter of a fiction book (dangerous since I sometimes don’t stop reading)

fill up my water bottle

clean up my workspace and throw away any scrap paper

go buy food (I eat a lot of sugar when I study like this, but fruit would be better learn from my mistakes)

write a tumblr post (this is a fantastic break from thermo atm)

As soon as your brain stops feeling fuzzy, or is at least less fuzzy, get back to work doing something different if you can, or finish off what you were doing and switch topics or tasks. I really find that making sure that you’re not doing exactly the same kind of thing the entire time really helps. Variety really keeps me from getting incredibly bored over the course of the day, and reengages you since it’s something new. 

Repeat until you notice that you’re getting tired in shorter and shorter intervals. If I feel forced to take multiple breaks in the space of say, half an hour, and I’ve been working all day, then I know I’m reaching the end of my tether, and I’d better stop. This is usually between 8-12 hours of work.

NOTE: I only work this long when I am in last-minute exam preparation. Before the last week before my exams I was working maybe 4-5 hours a day, since I was doing a different type of revision, taking notes and reviewing them and making and using flashcards. For an overall review of notes and doing past papers and marking them then addressing my weak spots, it’s easier to work longer. It’s also easier to work longer when you’re writing a report or an essay, since that naturally has different stages you can cycle through (I can write another post about that too, since I have a research proposal to do for mid-June!). I also tend to sleep about 11 hours a night when I work this much, since it really exhausts me. Be sure to pace yourself appropriately and don’t let yourself burn out

Okay, there we have it, my tips for working for long periods of time! I hope you enjoyed it (if you made it all the way to the end-kudos!), and do let me know if there is any other advice you’d like! Best of luck my lovelies xx

[techyminute]

Artificial Intelligence in Software Testing

Artificial intelligence isn’t a new concept, in fact, it dates back to the 1940s with McCullouch and Pitts' formal design for Turing-complete "artificial neurons." Fast-forward some 76 years later, improved computing power and an abundance of data have fueled the revolution of AI to handle and solve some of the world’s most difficult problems. 

Over the last decade, we have heard how artificial intelligence will revolutionize medicine with machines accurately diagnosing diseases within seconds, self-driving cars maneuvering all sorts of obstacles to get you from point A to B safely, and AI taking on a multitude of tasks, both large and small, in virtually every industry. But, what about the field of software testing? Can we create machines that think and work like human testers? What will this mean for them and their careers? This paper focuses on artificial intelligence and its impact on the software testing industry. The topic at hand is rather complicated, so it would be impossible to cover all aspects in this paper. So, I will provide an overview. First, highlight how AI will disrupt testing in the future by discussing some of the advantages. Next, I will discuss some of the challenges we may face as we adopt the technology. I will then summarize my key findings after reviewing articles, studies, and videos on the topic and provide my opinions.

Andrew Ng, perhaps the most respected person in Applied AI, says “Pretty much anything that a normal person can do in less than a second, we can now automate with AI.” And, that could be true when you look at AI and its role in software testing. Think about how many manual testing steps or verifications could be done in about a second. Artificial Intelligence gives machines the ability to make decisions and work like humans without having to program a set of complete instructions. A training set in machine learning includes many input and output values, much like testing where we provide an input and then an expected output when writing a unit test, for example. The machine using the data to train is later able to make decisions on its own. Therefore, the more you feed it the smarter it gets. Based on the articles I have reviewed, AI is not just a dream, but is already transforming testing in the following ways and it’s pretty mind-blowing. For example, it’s being used today to auto-generate testing scripts where AI can fill out forms, click on-screen links, log in and out of apps, etc. According to the article “How AI is Transforming Testing Today,” these scripts are generating 80% of code reliability, which in my opinion, is pretty impressive. I am stunned at how these bots can automatically fill out forms, and perform many time-consuming, mundane tests human testers would complete during a manual test. These bots are not only faster, but can operate on a much larger scale. For example, these AI bots are able to create thousands of users and test them all surpassing the current number of manual tests a human can perform.

Moreover, anytime code is changed, AI agents can automatically rebuild the tests ensuring a commitment to continuous quality. Imagine the time that could be saved in every sprint and how analysts could take on more productive stories such as reviewing requirements, planning, communicating, etc. Regression testing can take a lot of time to retest code affected by a recent change. And, changes happen often in the software development life cycle. So, having an AI-powered system is not only testing smarter but more efficiently as releases, which usually occur monthly, can now happen weekly.

Aside from automatically generating test scripts, AI is intelligently optimizing the tests it runs to quickly identify risks and defects in code. In the article “Why AI and Machine Learning Will Redefine Software Testing in 2019,” AI is not only said to be more efficient than a human, but less error-prone. While completing some homework assignments, specifically the ones regarding equivalence classes, and designing test cases, I found myself missing critical tests, and often times making simple mistakes. I had a hard time keeping track of variables on the excel spreadsheet and often confused the cells when performing a number of repetitive tasks such as calculating the total amount based on shipping. Automated testing, according to the article, helps by “performing the same steps accurately every time.” As learned in class, a simple error, such as a simple miscalculation can bring down a rocket, cost a company millions of dollars, or even worse bring down an aircraft killing hundreds of people. Any testing method that can improve accuracy and detect defects and risks faster is worth exploring as it can save lives, time, and money.

Other benefits of automated testing using AI include increasing overall test coverage. While we may never achieve 100% coverage and 100% defect-free code, as discussed in class, writing meaningful tests to improve coverage increases scope and depth to improve software quality. Automated testing allows testers to run “1000+ different test cases in every test run providing coverage is not possible with manual tests.” Furthermore, these tests can run at a lower level examining memory, file contents, internal program states, and data tables, which is remarkable. Therefore, automated testing improves accuracy, efficiency, and coverage while improving software quality and reducing costs and delivery time.

But, new technology brings a set of challenges. Of course, there is a learning curve. Testers may find the new technology intimidating because of unfamiliarity forcing some to feel desperate to learn new skills. It will likely highlight why ongoing education is vital in this business. Those who are unwilling to learn new skills will be left behind, others will reap the benefits of staying employed. While the bots work no different - generating a number of inputs and outputs putting them into a BlackBox (machine learning tool) and training - the technology ultimately only does what it is told to do. According to the article “Can Artificial Intelligence replace humans in Software Testing?,”  a problem “that cannot be solved manually cannot be solved by an AI tool as well.” After all, we are the ones training the machine. This is not to say these testing bots can’t think on their own because they can. In fact, from what I’ve discovered they can find new paths and are open to change since the tests aren’t hard-coded. The machine is only as good as how you train it. 

Another downfall is the cost - it isn’t cheap - therefore leaving out smaller businesses or companies that simply do not have a sufficient budget to incorporate the new testing technology. And, finally, one of the biggest downfalls, I have discovered in my research is the impact it could have on the livelihood of millions of testers around the globe. Or will it? I was shocked to learn most of the articles I read conclude testers will not be replaced, but their roles will change. AI testing tools will allow them to work more efficiently. That’s great news. The consensus, AI testing tools aren’t smart enough, just yet, to develop test plans, monitor progress, evaluate results, and take corrective actions when necessary. Humans still need to handle those tasks. While AI can definitely help with designing and building test cases and data, the communication aspect is missing. Humans still need to communicate with stakeholders. This is not to say these AI bots can’t develop these skills 20 years from now, but the experts say it won’t happen anytime soon. In the article “Does AI replace or assist?,” John Bates, the CEO of TestPlant says “AI isn’t a robot coming to take your job, but is a smart assistant.” He says these AI bots will predict and spot defects as code changes faster, but won’t outright replace all human testers, which is a sigh of relief for many.  

To summarize my findings, there are many ways AI in testing is beneficial: increases productivity and reduces deployment times, improves test accuracy, spots and predicts bugs, defects, and risks faster, surpasses and go way beyond the limits of human manual testing by exploring test cases virtually impossible for humans to test, adjusts and adapts to code changes faster than a human. While the thought of AI can be scary for some testers, they should not be fearful that the bots will take over their jobs. Instead, they should think of them as helpful friends, giving human testers more time to focus on other tasks such as planning, improving product ideas and designs, reviewing tests, meeting with clients and business stakeholders, and taking corrective action when necessary.

While preparing to write this paper, I stumbled across an awesome product called AppDiff (test.ai), which touts itself as the first AI mobile testing platform. Its service is pretty revolutionary. Imagine uploading your application, the binary to the cloud, robots then wake up and begin figuring out ways to test. Spinning up thousands of copies, the bots walk through the application and its thousands of lines of code, just like a human end-user, finding bugs, UX issues, crashes, error dialogs, and generating a full test report in under an hour. The robot “a virtual brain” automatically generates tens of thousands of test cases based on training thousands of inputs and outputs. Mind you, I said, thousands, which is impossible for a human to do. The company behind the product, which was founded just a few years ago in 2015, has already raised $2.5 million in seed funding. The company’s co-founder Justin Liu says testing that would normally take five days to complete can now be done in less time than it would take for someone to grab a cup of coffee. Not bad!

I am personally excited about the future and the way we are using AI technology to solve problems and enhance lives. While some people may have a negative view of AI, I am optimistic about what lies ahead in the future. Yes, it is true, technology can be used for bad (especially if biased), but there is much good that can be achieved. Having learned about testing and its processes and concepts over the last 10-weeks, I am fascinated by the power of machine learning. I can see how these new tools could make my life easier as a tester. But, the only concern I have is accuracy. While, based on my research, the technology is said to be more accurate than humans, I still have my doubts about putting all of my trust into a machine. I guess that’s normal for us humans to feel. After all, machine learning works on data. If the data is biased or flawed, it could throw everything off. So, I don’t know if I could truly rely on such technology 100% just yet, especially when testing software that has the potential to harm people. I definitely feel there needs to be at least a human supervising the entire process and working alongside the bots, whether it's performing random testing and verifying if the bot is working correctly, etc. Overall, I found this topic fascinating to research and had a great time learning about what is here and what we could expect to see in the future.

 Sources:

https://www.softwaretestingnews.co.uk/ai-replace-assist/

https://devops.com/how-ai-is-transforming-testing-today/

https://www.business2community.com/business-intelligence/why-ai-and-machine-learning-will-redefine-software-testing-in-2019-02204554

https://www.webomates.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-and-software-testing/

[overthinkingmarguerite]

My friends are the best

I literally don’t know what I would’ve done without their support

My boyfriend (I guess now my ex) (cool now I can say I’ve got exes I guess) was selfish in how he acted and I now see how cruel what he did was. That’s all thanks to my lovely and dear friends who have not left me alone since I called my best friend while bawling my eyes out and feeling like I was dying

He calls me up. We had been doing great. Due to the honours programme I had been under extreme pressure, and due to ever stronger family and hometown issues I was struggling quite a lot. But I’m strong and I’m clever and I was doing all I could. I thought he’d support me. Apparently not. I don’t even know why he left me yet. I refused to let him talk.

He calls me up. We talk about life about everything. About the concert we were going to, the concert of our favourite artist. The artist he introduced me to because he had heard a song from him and thought of me. “Give me every person in the whole wide world and I’d pick you up in a second girl”. He gave me vinyls of this artist. He had also given me vinyls of la la land soundtrack which was the movie we went the day he became my boyfriend. My Ma****.

We kept talking. About how stressed I was for my Friday deadline. About what research question sounded best. About our Vienna vacation... indeed he confirmed the days chosen were perfect for him.

We kept talking, he asked a few times: when are you coming to (the city we study in and live in). The city we built a life in together. Stupidly enough maybe, I should have seen that having him around so much, having us be as if we lived together this year, would not be good. All the things I’ve built, everything from how I schedule to go out with my friends, to when I schedule to go home. Or to make the Good Diner. Or to study. Or to go to extra lectures. I mean who am i gonna go to extra lectures with now? To the restaurant? To concerts. Ugh. I’ll think about that later.

I told him, to answer his question, which he kept insisting on, “tomorrow but it’s only to see the writing advisor’’ “maybe do a little ethnography to have more data” “I mean you can come down and just give me a kiss and then we’ll really see each other on thirsday’’. Silly billy me 🙃 I thought he was eager to see me as always, I mean he had kept telling me all weekend how much he missed me... I thought as always when we don’t have time we’ll just meet each other halfway on our bikes, get down, kiss, hold each other, talk for 5 minutes, kiss, hold, say goodbye and cycle away.

Then he said, after I told him once again “you know this is what I’m talking about when I ask you to be more verbally affectionate”. He’d always been so romantic, he always showed his love for me in the most wonderful ways. Flowers, doing dishes, sharing with me his joys and hobbies, massages for my sick back, learning our love song on his new ukulele (that was two weeks ago) bringing junk food, letting me pick the movie when he knew it would be a Disney again, hearing to me talk endlessly without sighing, laughing at my jokes and funny moves and looking at me with those sweet sparkling eyes.

However he had recently been less verbally expressive with his love for me. I had had a rough time and thus we had had a rough time, but we talked and we were making efforts. And one of the things I insisted on was that. Just, tell my I’m beautiful, nice, affectionate, wonderful, funny, that you love my passion and my eyes and my body and my brain! Tell me you live me more than anything, the me you are in love with me, tell me you are crazy about me! Fucking lie to me: tell me I’m perfect! Was that so hard? Is that what made you leave? Am I so repulsive?

Anyway... he calls me, we talk, I do something, he doesn’t react, I remind him I’ve shown him my concerns regarding telling me nice things. And then the dreaded words “about that... we need to talk”

We need to talk? Really? What happened now? Did I do something? Oh god what is it? “Not right now, when we see each other” Okay? So it’s that bad???? Is there a complaint? Will this be an argument? Or worse will he ask for a break???? I would rather not have him lie next me after we come home from the concert if we have just argued and ruin the night...

“No tell me now! It’s better” (silly me)

and then about how he felt weird about us this weekend and he could see I wanted him to say things but he just couldn’t. And then me going into warrior mode, thinking about how hurt I was with my ex. And I laugh hysterically. “I’m not gonna break up with you! If that is how you want it you have to do it” “you cannot play with my feelings” then him “I’m not even sure i want to break up with you” and then “well honey come back to me when you’ve decided” and hanging up.

I told him, after hanging up on his calls 10 times and calling my best friend in sweats, he could call me again if he wanted. He answered, said he wanted things to be over. I told him I loved him, that I was happy and I didn’t understand I thought he was too. I didn’t expect that. This weekend, last week, everything? Had that been a lie? All that happiness? How could one person wake up and say such beautiful things to me and 6 hours later say such painful things? My body ached, I couldn’t breathe, I wanted to yell and cry and say a part of me was being ripped out of my damn ribcage.

I asked him are you certain. I asked again. I asked if he wouldn’t prefer a break. We could fix this if only he communicated... “ did you talk to someone?” thinking maybe someone pushed him to do this... he said no... I said “you should, this is not a decision to be made lightly”. I mean yes we’re young it’s not the end of the world but we are also each other’s first serious relation; and each other’s support in our city; and we partically live together; and that has been more than two years of our lives. I asked again “are you 100% sure with this decision?” “Yes” “do you still love me?” He looked down, i knew immediately I shouldn’t have asked. I hurried up to tell him to please not answer. I should never forget: don’t ask questions you do not want the answers to.

He wanted to talk... I wouldn’t let him. I told him, to me talking will only be beneficial if it is to try to fix things. If you are absolutely certain you do not want to be with me anymore then why talk? Just so he could vent to me? Just so I could reassure him and he could tell me everything that was wrong with me and us. And hurt me and hurt me and hurt me again. Just so he could feel better about himself. Because I know he doesn’t have anyone with who he can talk about this. (Sadly enough for me, pathetically enough, I keep feeling sad for him, thinking he’s probably in need of someone to talk to, I should messages his cousin or his friend, I should message him, I should be there for him, even tho I’m the thing he wants out)

So I hung up. And I cried, and cried, and cried. I called for help. I felt like fainting. I felt like oxygen no longer existed. First thoughts? Running to my mother. Crying in her arms. Second thought? I don’t understand, i thought we were happy, last week was so happy, the messages of the weekend, the dog photos he sent me because he saw dogs and he knew it would make me happy? The sweet voice message from this morning? Thursdays concert? Vienna? How can this happen? This is not happening. This is not happening. How could it? It’s not possible. He will change his mind. Why is this happening? Is it my fault? I don’t understand? What did I do? What happened, what happened, this is not happening.

My rescue cavalry arrived. I cried the whole afternoon. My friend left. I cried the next day waking up. I went to my university town for my meeting. I went him and with my mothers help removed the box of photos of us and me and him he had sent to be printed through a special service and gave to me last week. I removed the pictures from the walls, the letters from the nightstand drawer, the birthday card, the teacups, his towel, his pajama, his flip flops, his toothbrush... I walked to my faculty. Every student in a suit made me shiver. Could it be him? I had to be alone to walk to my faculty I cried a little. I couldn’t breathe and I still hadn’t eaten since the day before. I met with my professor, I managed to remain okay. At the end of the meeting I close my notes and see my screen image. Him. Us. Disney. What a wonderful time that was. I broke down in front of the front office lady. Quickly ran back to my car.

Ugh I had written more but I was erased. This was initially just to write a few lines to vent but turns out it helped venting it all out.

I conclusion I’m dumb and want him to change his mind and be like oh these days without talking to her are hell. But fear he’s actually happier... or is taking to somebody else to compensate...

I need to get over this. He is selfish. I have been unable to work on my research paper for tomorrow which lens I am going to have to fail it. It makes me so stressed and angry. He could have waited.

Also I gave him many chances to communicate. If we were on trial period I needed to know. I needed to know everything was not perfect. Now I’m devastated. He betrayed me and broke a dozen promises we had made that we would communicate and tell each other if there was any doubt. It would be better to hear there was doubt and have a chance to fix it than losing each other forever.

I am worth more than how he handled these past weeks. I thought everything was fine. He was a better liar and hypocrite than I thought. Either this is indeed an over the weekend over an hour decision. And then he is an idiot. Or it was well prepared and thought over. And then he is an asshole for not telling me earlier, and for telling me during my exam, when he knows how I react to things emotionally.

I will be better. I will find hapinesss. I will learn to be alone again. I will find someone else. Someone as perfect, someone who I also think to be the man from my childhood dreams. Someone who wears suits and is classy and old fashioned, someone who likes music and plays an instrument, someone who understands sinuses problems and maybe even back problems too. Someone who likes culture and museums and concerts and theatre and dancing. Someone who likes good food and wine. Someone like him, but better for me. Someone who will communicate, who will not leave me because I’m going through a difficult time, who will not feel bad because I have higher grades than him, because I have more friends in our university city than him. Someone who will not tell me he doesn’t understand and to calm down when I’m having anxiety. Someone who will not mock how I am socially because he knows the introvert me, because I was comfortable enough around him to be like I am when I am alone. Someone who will know not to hurt me during wrong times. Someone who will respect my boundaries. Someone who won’t be weirdly jealous. Someone who will understand my culture and thus my relationship with my mother. Who will not be weirded out by my relationship with my dog. Who will not bring attention to him and how it makes him sad and how he is confused when I am the one telling him I’m feeling unwell. Someone who will love me for who I am, flaws, illnesses, anxiety, family problems, traumas, phobias and all.

[allhailstephenking]

So, I borrowed this from a post (that I reblogged.) I wasn’t tagged and I won’t tag anyone else, but please! Feel free to do this too and put me in your tags so I can check it out! :)

1. Which book has been on your shelves the longest? So, a few of my Stephen Kings were originally my moms, like Cycle of the Werewolf, Drawing of the Three, ‘Salem’s Lot.... And I can’t remember which others. As far as what book started out as mine and stayed mine are a few R.L.Stine books and Christopher Pike. Also, the first brand new SK book was Tommyknockers that my grandmother bought for me in Bradley’s (old school store!) when she worked there.

2. What is your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next? Current reads are IT, Cujo, and the Devil in the White city. Last read was The Long Walk and House of Leaves. Next read is Wind Through the Keyhole. 

3. Which book does everyone like and you hated? I think Mr. Mercedes is awful and I completely dislike Bill Hodges. I also hated Dewy the Librabry Cat. If that book had more cat OR if it told me ahead of time that it was mostly a history book about the midwest, I would have enjoyed it. But it portrayed a book about a cat in a library and there was significantly less cat in a library than expected and I ended up very disappointed. 

4. Which book do you keep telling yourself you’ll read, but you probably won’t? There are so many classics that I tell myself I;m going to read and then don’t read.

5. Which book are you saving for “retirement?” Live life now, kids. don’t wait for shit. Although, I might get around to those classics by then.

6. Last page: read it first or wait till the end? THE END! What is wrong with you?! That’s some garbage my brother would do. A movie will be on and he looks up what happens before it had even started.

7. Acknowledgements: waste of ink and paper or interesting aside? I enjoy reading them. I also enjoy skipping over them if they’re too long.

8. Which book character would you switch places with? Huh. Switch places with completely?..... I honestly have no idea.There are plenty of characters I’d like to join on their journey. But I’ve never considered just replacing one entirely. 

9. Do you have a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)? IT reminds me of childhood/youth and exploring the outdoors. Rage brings me right back to high school. (no, I did not shoot my math class but I DID do a research project on school shooters and it was an experience that changed my life.) Sylvia Plath always reminds me of one of my friends.

10. Name a book you acquired in some interesting way. The Gunslinger. I feel like I was meant for that book. I had the Drawing of the Three but I knew it was the second int he series. I searched and searched for The Gunslinger. The more I couldn’t find it the more I knew I had to have it. i had plenty of other books to read but I had to have that ONE. Finally I found it at WalMart of all places. I remember checking the book section (the very small book section) every time we went, never expecting to find it. And then one day, there it was! I had to hide it behind some other books because we didn’t have extra money that week. But the next week we went back and my mom bought it for me. and now I am the obsessive dark tower junkie that I was always meant to be.

11. Have you ever given away a book for a special reason to a special person? Not really. I tried to give my friends books at their baby showers for their children. I guess that counts as something.

12. Which book has been with you to the most places? Hm. Probably..... The Gunslinger since I’ve read it so much.

13. Any “required reading” you hated in high school that wasn’t so bad ten years later? I would like to try reading Moby Dick just to see if I like it better now.

14. What is the strangest item you’ve ever found in a book? I’ve found playing cards, book marks, and writing. I’ve found dried flowers and dead bugs. None of it is strange, always welcomed.

15. Used or brand new? Whatever you got!

16. Stephen King: Literary genius or opiate of the masses? What an interesting question. Can’t he be both? Can’t he be something which is consumed mindlessly by some and a work of art to be savored and enjoyed by others? Why does it have to be either/or? Why, if something is good, must it only be seen by a few? Why, if something is good and loved by many, must be assumed that it is tasteless trash?

17. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book? Kiss the Girls. The ending of that book was AWFUL. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I hated it 20 years ago and I hate it now.

18. Conversely, which book should NEVER have been introduced to celluloid? The Bible. Just seems...... uncomfortable. Probably any religious text that people believe to have been written by God shouldn’t be film.

19. Have you ever read a book that’s made you hungry, cookbooks being excluded from this question? anything by Donna Leon! She sets her mysteries in Italy and they always eat the most delicious foods!

20. Who is the person whose book advice you’ll always take? I’ll always listen to anyone really. I love getting book recommendations! Doesn’t mean I’ll read them right away, but I stick them in a brain crevice and eventually I’ll pull it out and give it a gander.

[jakehglover]

Top Reasons to Meditate Daily

30 Tips in 30 Days Designed to Help You Take Control of Your Health

This article is included in Dr. Mercola's All-Time Top 30 Health Tips series. Every day during the month of January, a new tip will be added that will help you take control of your health. Want to see the full list? Click here.

Dawson Church, who has done a lot of work on the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) and brought a level of scientific legitimacy to the value of this powerful tool, recently published a new book with the self-explanatory title, "Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality."

"I was one of those people who was very focused on the effects of energy therapies in the physical body. I did the first triple-lined, randomized control trial showing how EFT affects cortisol levels. I've been very focused on immunoglobulins, brainwaves, hormones and all the things that we can measure in the body," Dawson says.

"I have a friend at Harvard who's a psychiatrist, who told me, 'It's the energy that's making those molecules be the way they are.' I was always a little skeptical about that. But with him and others, [such as] Dean Radin, Rollin McCraty … they all said, 'Dawson, it's the energy. There is really a direct chain of causation between our thoughts and things.'

But I thought, 'When I look at all the links in that chain, I'm sure I'll find a lot of broken links.' I began to look at the studies, the primary research … There were no broken links … It's just remarkable to me how our thoughts literally create things in our bodies and all around us."

Heart Coherence Allows Synchronistic Events to Occur

The term Dawson uses in his book is "synchronicity." And it was a series of synchronicities that led to the writing of this book.

"One of those synchronicities, just one of many, [occurred when] I was writing this chapter on synchronicity. I wanted to understand these things called 'field line resonances.' These are scientific concepts. The earth is like a giant magnet. It has a north pole and a south pole [and] these lines of magnetic flux around the planet.

As a solar wind goes by the Earth, it literally plucks these magnetic force lines like strings on a violin. I wanted to know more about this really fascinating but very complex subject.

I was speaking at a conference with Dr. Joe Dispenza … After my talk, they put me on a science panel. On the science panel was McCraty, who had just done the most remarkable piece of research, the authoritative paper on field line resonance. He told me all about it."

An interesting anecdote on synchronicity described in Dawson's book was how he managed to find a set of keys he lost while snorkeling in Hawaii. He retells the story:

"On this particular day, I snorkeled all over this big bay. I got back to the Jeep, put my hands in my pocket to grab the keys. No keys … So, my keys were lost and I thought I should get back to the water and try and find them.

I spent about an hour [searching]. Now, I didn't panic. That's the big thing. I talk a lot in the book about synchronous mind and being in synchrony with the universe. I got into that state. It's the synchrony of heart coherence; feeling totally fine, no panic.

I swam around this bay looking for them. But again, this is a big bay. I'm looking for two tiny keys lost in the coral 10 to 12 feet deep. There's no logical way of finding them. But my intuition said, 'Let's do this.' As dusk began to fall, a father with three teenage sons got into the water …

My intuition said, 'Just go talk to them.' I said to them, 'I've been noticing you, seeing you dive to the bottom. Did you, by chance, find anything in the coral down there?' The youngest boy held up my keys. The chances of that happening are infinitesimally small.

But when those things happen to you, again and again, it's like the universe saying to you, 'Hey. Pay attention. Something's going on here.' Synchronicity, when we're in sync, when we're in that state of a heart coherence, when we meditate, when we tap away our stress, we enter that space of what I call nonlocal mind.

In the nonlocal mind, we have access to information we don't have at a level of local mind. I begin the book and end the book with this really powerful plea to make that your life. That you aren't living your life just kind of limited by what you see at the commission of your local mind; that you open yourself to meditation every day, and to the mystery of the nonlocal mind …

Nonlocal mind is doing all kinds of miracles in our lives and nature all the time. If we just open ourselves to that level of information, we gain access to levels of consciousness [and] knowing that is far beyond the ones we have at the level of our small, little local minds."

Being in the Flow

This synchronous mind Dawson is talking about is the same as what athletes experience as "being in the flow" or "being in the zone." Using electroencephalography (EEG), researchers have shown that when an athlete is in the flow, their brainwaves are in phase. On the other hand, if you look at the EEG of someone who is angry or frustrated or processing a negative emotion, you find their brain waves are not in step.

"It's not a figure of speech, it's literally a flow state," he says. "You could actually measure the brain[waves], and then recreate that. It's not a mystery anymore. We know the formula. We could reproduce the formula. We can train anybody to acquire that kind of a state."

The book also discusses research showing how our brainwaves affect our biology. Delta frequencies, for example, have been shown to trigger cellular regeneration. Up until a few years ago, we didn't have the equipment to measure really slow delta waves below one cycle per second. Now, there's research showing that telomere regeneration is sparked by ultraslow brainwaves at 0.19 cycles per second.

How do you generate delta brainwaves? Certain types of meditation will get you there. Doing EFT will also generate delta frequencies. Certain theta frequencies, meanwhile, stimulate stem cell production.

According to Dawson, the Schumann frequency of 7.8 hertz is a special frequency generated through meditation that is associated with a number of beneficial changes in your body. This is also why many integrative cancer specialists are now stressing the importance of lowering stress and incorporating meditation in their cancer treatment programs.

A Cancer Story

A woman named Beth Misner is writing a book about her cancer experience, and how she drove her cancer into remission using nothing but energy medicine. In March 2017, she was diagnosed with a 5-centimeter (2-inch) tumor in her right breast. The lymph nodes under her right armpit were also inflamed and full of cancerous cells — a sign that the cancer had spread into her limbic system. They also discovered three areas of concern on her right lung.

Her doctor at MD Anderson in Houston (a famous cancer clinic) wanted to initiate radiation right away, but Misner decided to wait. She eventually decided to address her cancer on the level of energy. She contacted Dawson for advice and suggestions. Dawson recounts what happened next:

"She began to do chi gung intensively. She began to tap intensively. She began to do energy medicine exercises, and got energy medicine treatments. She cleaned up her diet. She got rid of stress in her life. She did a whole bunch of proactive things to shift herself at the energy level.

Now, this is March [when] she gets the diagnosis of MD Anderson. By May, scans showed that all the lymph nodes under her right armpit were completely clear, and the tumor shrunk from 5 centimeters to 1.4 centimeters. One of her doctors said, 'Well, it looks to me like it's just necrotic. It's just dissolving. Her body has removed it.'

She, again, just kept on the energy techniques and later on her bloodwork showed not a trace of cancer in her body. That's the power of using energy. That's why I urge people, whatever your challenge is — it doesn't mean this is the right approach for everybody — but pay attention to stress. Pay attention to energy."

A very important side note here is that you have to make a choice, and it's not necessarily an easy one. If you have chemo and/or radiation, energy work will not be effective, as the treatments are simply too toxic. Metabolic cancer therapies such as cyclical ketosis and fasting, on the other hand, can be very beneficial.

"I'm not saying [energy work] is going to work perfectly for everyone. What I'm saying is look at your energy options. What 'Mind to Matter' shows you is that my consciousness and energy has enormous effect on the matter of your cells. If you're ignoring that leverage point, you're ignoring the biggest possible leverage point of your own health," Dawson says.

How to Get Into a Coherent Flow State

So, how do you get into a coherent state of flow? Lifelong meditators can do it effortlessly, showing that it's a matter of training. Through experimentation, Dawson developed a program he calls EcoMeditation that combines HeartMath's quick coherence technique with tapping and mindfulness.

Dawson cites research showing that EFT can cause a 37 percent drop in cortisol in just one week. And, when cortisol goes down, DHEA goes up, because they make the same two precursors. It also improves many beneficial enzymes. For example, in one week, baseline immunoglobulin levels rose by 113 percent, basically more than doubling immune-functioning markers. It also decreases sympathetic nervous system activation.

"We know now, because we've looked at this in peak performers, athletes, business people, financial experts, in people in meditative monasteries and nunneries and people who are really focused on meditation in the long term.

We know that meditation has these effects, but how do you get there quickly? You can spend an hour with your eyes closed and not be meditating. Or you can spend two minutes and enter a deep state. How do you get there? I'm focused on that really intently now," Dawson says.

Dawson defines meditation as the ability to sustain an alpha state for 15 seconds or more. EcoMeditation can get you into a coherent brain state in about four minutes.

"You essentially are mimicking the breathing, the posture of that 10,000-hour Tibetan monk. If you do what they do, if you mimic with no belief, no spiritual superstructure, and just give the physiological cues to your body, you go into that what we call the 'awakened mind state' just like that," he says.

Seven Steps to Awakened Mind

You can find a series of guided meditations by Church on InsightTimer.com, including entraining yourself with synchronicity and affirming inner peace.

There are seven steps to Dawson's EcoMeditation formula.1 For best results, set aside 20 to 30 minutes for this practice each day. Studies suggest half an hour of meditation daily produces noticeable changes in about a month or two, but even as little as 10 minutes a day can produce shifts in about 10 days. 

1. First, tap each of the EFT acupressure points (see diagram), while holding the intention that you are calm and peaceful. While tapping, say to yourself (out loud or silently), "I release any and all blocks to inner peace. I release all tension in my body. I release anything in my past, present or future that stands between me and inner peace."

Source: EFTuniverse.com, 7 Steps of EcoMeditation

2. Next, relax your tongue on the floor of your mouth. This relaxes the hypoglossal nerve that runs from your tongue into the vagal nerve, which tells your vagal nerve that you aren't under threat. As a result, your whole body starts to relax.

3. Now, picture a large empty space behind your eyes. Simply doing this will put you into an alpha state.

4. Do the HeartMath quick coherence technique, which involves slowing your breathing to six seconds per in-breath and six seconds per out-breath (five breaths per minute).

5. Next, visualize your physical heart, and imagine breathing in and out of your heart. This will put you into a deep state of heart coherence.

6. With each out-breath, imagine a beam of love flowing out from your heart toward a person or place that you love. Hold this image for several breaths. Simply doing this will generate delta, theta and even gamma brainwaves. Gamma is the wave of happiness and integration.

"Most people don't have a gamma flare that lasts more than two seconds," Dawson says. "But after a week of meditation, you live in that state where you're having these flares of integrative brainwaves called gamma at the very top of the band, and then people feel totally wonderful."

7. Lastly, bring the beam of love back into your heart and visualize it flowing into any part of your body that is uncomfortable or in pain. To end the meditation, take three deep six-second breaths., then return your attention to the room and open your eyes.

When to Meditate for Optimal Results, and What To Do When Stress Strikes

Dawson recommends doing your meditation first thing in the morning, and to complement it with EFT during the day whenever stress might rear its ugly head.

"If you wake up and the first thing you turn your attention to is being in that alpha state, that dreamy state and meditating, then you capture all benefits of being in that alpha state … I see this as extending that sleep state out into your waking state," he says.

"[When] you start your day that way, you condition synchronicity. You condition beta thinking … [R]esearchers find that people's problem-solving ability goes up by 260 percent when they're in that state. Their creativity doubles. Their productivity at work increases dramatically. You're now a far more productive human being …

When you're going through the day and [stress gets triggered] … that's when you tap … Usually within two minutes, you will see your subjective units of distress scale go down to a low number, often a zero. Then go about your day. Now, you're much calmer, and you're able to proactively move through your day with this little technique to help yourself recover.

Recovery time is pretty fast. After a while, you develop a different and new homeostasis, where your irritability, your resentment levels, your level of guilt, shame, anger and blame, all of these negative emotions has to go way down."

Meditation Alters Your Brain Structure

According to Dawson, doing this meditation every day, your baseline levels of cortisol and immunoglobulin will begin to improve. Certain feel-good hormones will also increase. Once you get used to feeling good, that then becomes your new normal. This has to do with the neuroplasticity of your brain. Dawson explains:

"Neuroplasticity is like the hardware in our brains — the channels that conduct information, the neurons and the synapses that carry the flow of energy of information in our brains. The ones you use the most get developed … But the speed of this is extraordinary.

Within one hour of repeated stimulation, where there was just one synapse, now there are two. That's in one hour of repeat stimulation. If you stimulate that neural bundle for weeks, days, months and years, it grows much bigger. Eventually, the software of your consciousness literally creates the hardware of your brain."

One stunning story showing just how significantly you can change your brain through meditation is recounted in Chapter 1 of Dawson's book. Graham Phillips, a TV reporter, decided to try an eight-week meditation program given by Monash University. He was a skeptic, and wanted to test it out for himself.

"The experts there … did MRIs on every single region of his brain ... after which he began to meditate regularly and be mindful of the course of his day. After two weeks, he found, behaviorally, he was much less stressed. After eight weeks, he went back into the lab. Again, they spent a whole day going over all of these tests with him. They also got a second MRI to measure the volume of different parts of his brain.

This number sounds too crazy, it's almost like science fiction, but they examined a part of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus, which is the memory or learning center that has to do with the regulation of emotion … and found it grew by 22.8 percent … So, it's not just a feel-good practice. It's literally reshaping the content inside your skull."

Healing Can Be Learned

Research shows that when you expose cells to a frequency of 7.81 hertz, DNA replication becomes far more efficient. Importantly, certain frequencies stimulate the reproduction of stem cells, while other frequencies cause the stem cells to migrate and adhere where needed.

To use stem cells for healing, those are the three things required: replication, migration and adhesion, and all three can be triggered through meditation. "In the book, I have a list of the conditions that are treated successfully with energy healing," Dawson says.

"The disease is a symptom of the dysregulation of your system. Take cancer, for example. Those cancer cells can't live in a normal healthy body. They only live in a body that is dysregulated. You want to improve all those factors that are dysregulating you, then you'll see a pervasive upwards spiral and good effect on your health generally," he says.

"The more I learn about the body, the more I see that the body is a [self-]healing machine. The body heals naturally. You have to do something pretty radical to stop the body from healing. When you load it up with sugar, stress and things like that, you get in the way of healing.

But your body is just an amazing healing machine, the way cells proliferate. All you have to do is get out of the way. Get out of the way by not stuffing things in your mouth, stuffing things in your mind, stuffing things in your environment that hurt you and don't work for you. If you just quit doing the bad stuff, then your body is naturally going to heal …

Some people do need an external stimulus … Sometimes I will say, 'You need to go an energy healer. You need a boost energetically to get the process going. Go get acupuncture. Go see an energy medicine practitioner. Go see a therapist.' You need that external push for some people's bodies …"

Mind to Matter

To learn more, I highly recommend picking up a copy of "Mind to Matter: The Astonishing Science of How Your Brain Creates Material Reality." In it, Dawson lists 30 lifestyle practices that can make a big difference in your physical and psychological health. You can also find more information — including a free EFT mini-manual and Dawson's published research — on his website, DawsonChurch.com.

"I want to inspire people [to take action]," he says. "You will literally feel yourself changing when you [meditate every day]. That's the biggest gift that you can give yourself. Release that stress. When you do that, your full human potential starts to shine. All those parts of yourself that have been stuck, all those limiting stories you start to let go of, then you can be.

The magnificence of you starts to come through. As you're hooked up to your nonlocal mind in meditation, you get access to ideas, solutions and all kinds of knowledge and wisdom you don't have when you're stuck in the level of local mind.

Then suddenly, your life becomes way easier. You're living in synchrony not just with other people around you, but with the whole universe. That's what I call a synchronous life …

If you're listening to this … please, I'm asking you to raise your hand now and make that commitment to meditating every day. Meditation is free. It's online. Go there. Grab it. Try it out. You will feel the shifts inside of yourself. But do that as your gift for yourself for the new year."

Tip #19Support Groundwater Preservation

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/01/20/meditation-alters-your-brain-structure.aspx

[pangenttechnologies]

Argentina.

How did this all even happen?

I'm probably repeating myself. I do that.

It was December, 2016. Technically Alexander Schreyer was my assistant then, because his father didn't know what to do with him. In practice he was what he always was - an outsized pain in my ass. He embarrassed himself while answering questions on Twitter. My Twitter. Unprofessional doesn't describe it. I'm unprofessional. He was worse.

This led to meetings about how we needed to rethink our social media strategy. Somehow this became my problem. Like I was in marketing instead of research. I got to deal with bullshit while Alex failed upwards. Every inch the boss's son. I guess that was his plan.

So I had to delete everything from the Twitter and my personal Tumblr. My job depended on it, and if they read through everything I posted on Tumblr I'd be in more trouble than I was. Seems silly now. Seemed silly then. I wrote a script to delete everything and, well, it deleted everything. I fucked up, I really did. I guess that was his plan.

They fired me. Then they wanted me back. On the condition that I sign a new contract. I should have shoved it down his throat. Six sheets of paper and they owned me from that point on. Any work I did, any thought that came through my mind was theirs. How did they put it? Oh yes. "Any information may be duplicated, edited, and/or exploited in whole or in part by Pangent Technologies, in all media, throughout the universe, in perpetuity, and may be incorporated into other works in any form, media or technology now known or hereafter developed."

They owned my mind, right down to writing emails or writing a diary or shitposting on Tumblr. I kept doing that, by the way, once I had the Tumblr mostly on private, or encrypted somehow. I don't know if they noticed but I never learned how to stop.

It's not unusual when working for a big company that they want first refusal rights to your every thought. But Pangent London wasn't a big company. And I was walking into a trap. I knew that even then. Like I said, Alex had a plan.

I said yes, because the trap I was walking into was a really interesting one.

Now you might ask, with a contract like that, what happens later when I learn how to say no?

Alex had Leslie sign the same contract. I would put a bullet through his head today for that alone. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

And he sent me a photo of something.

He'd seen me working on Percival, one of my many outrageous failures. A project to translate a person's dreaming thoughts into computer data. The requirements for data storage were impossible. So was the processing power it required. I set the damn lab on fire.

Lancelot, Dean Schreyer, Alex's father, he forgave me for a lot of things. Too many. He could be a real creep but he let me follow my thoughts to their illogical conclusion. He didn't care how many labs I set on fire as long as I was onto something.

My specialty was using science to understand the human brain. And if you've ever met me in real life, you should be laughing right now, because I don't understand people. I'll admit that. I keep to myself and I don't make friends easy.

Leslie was my friend. And I wish I'd been a better friend to her because there's nothing about her I don't love.

My closest friend was Sharon Pacana, and she followed me around for years, like a walking shadow, before I realized I liked her company. Nobody else has ever been that patient.

Well, two men were that patient with me. They waited for me to love them and I married both of them as a thank you.

It never lasts, you know. You think something will last forever. You've got to find your happiness while you can. Every story ends. We've all got an ending coming to us. That's how it works. You've got to teach your children to enjoy life, in spite of it all, and to love somebody because who knows if we'll still be here tomorrow? But we don't, you know? We do our jobs and let inertia and anxiety take over our lives, and we don't make time to enjoy it because it gets too hard. Like Joni Mitchell said, you don't know what you've got til its gone.

I'd done a thing at Pangent that we just called Project Four. It started as something more high-minded, but became a stress test on the human brain. Pushing it to the boiling point. It was about sleep cycles and sleep deprivation and chemicals, so many chemicals. We stopped valuing our lives for awhile, in order to see how the brain really works when you don't mind a little bit of torture. It ended up involving some of the worst people at Pangent. I don't think that was an accident. I made every wrong decision I could have possibly made. On purpose, maybe. Subconsciously. We staffed the thing with a lot of over-ambitious backstabbers. They were the fire and the water that Project Four boiled in.

I should have been fired. I should have been arrested.

Instead I got fired over temporarily breaking our Twitter. And Alex used the time to search through my files.

Alex was just smart enough to know that if I hadn't been fired before, it was because I was following his father's plan. Consciously or not, I was getting approved to do research that Dean Schreyer thought was important. Even I didn't understand that then. I had a history of disastrously failed projects, but to Dean Schreyer, it was all the same thing.

It was about understanding the brain.

Alex knew that his father saw something in my work that even I didn't. So he pretended he saw it too. He pretended to understand. He figured whatever it was, he could profit off of it. Make his daddy proud. He learned just enough to get his father to tell him the truth.

There was something I wrote, for the personality test. I think I wrote it. And I never figured out the answer.

They would ask me, should technology be free? Does progress belong to the people? I could have been a billionaire if I’d only sold my soul. I really could have. Dean and Alex saw dollar signs in the wreckage I'd left behind me, if I could actually make it work.

Dean Schreyer had been planning this for a long time. And there's a point where that plan became very dangerous.

It was all just science. Research. But so was the atom bomb. Dean knew that too. He knew there was a line I didn't want to cross. He knew my projects tended to fail at the point where they could have become dangerous to the survival of the human race.

Project 555 started out dangerous, and it never got any less so. It made me lose all perspective on what dangerous even is.

To Dean Schreyer, I was his star student. The teacher's pet. I think he thought he loved me.

555 could have killed me. It was killing me. He didn't care about that, if I got results.

I was fired and far away from Pangent when Alex sent me a photograph of a Cube.

When I saw it, I somehow was filled with a paralyzing fear. I lost consciousness. I became very ill. Immediately. But there was something thrilling about it too. It didn't take long before I got used to that fear. Before that fear became a friend to me.

It came in a glass box. A shimmering blue, or black if you shined no light on it. Somewhere between solid and liquid. Always rippling but never moving. About a hundred folds in it per inch. I don't know where they got it, or how they made it, if they made it. I don't think they made it. I no longer had the clearance to ask. I guess I'll never know now, though it's hardly left my side since. Especially now. It had properties unlike anything I've seen before or since. It almost seemed alive. No, forget the almost. Whatever it was they couldn't duplicate it. That would be my job, if I could figure it out. But they saw the potential immediately. Data storage.

Enough storage to take the ideas I'd failed with in the past - Percival, Project Four - and make them work. The potential was there, if I could live through it.

I'd always cut myself off from the world. I'd lived inside my own head. Boxed in. I worked alone, not wanting to ask anyone else for help.

Dean Schreyer was counting on that. That I would push myself to the limit of my sanity. Thanks to Project Four he knew exactly what those limits were. We'd sealed those records. I'm sure now that he opened them. I was always at the breaking point but I never broke. I never consciously realized it, but Dean was always in control. Alex could be spiteful and vicious, and the project was stressful as hell, but somehow there was always just enough room to breathe and keep going.

That's why Project 555 succeeded under me, and failed when Leslie took over. It's not because I'm any smarter than Leslie is. It's because Dean Schreyer was dead, and Alex didn't know or care about Leslie's limits. There was nothing to stop him from breaking her.

Except for us. The Spice Girls. I stopped being Leslie's friend for far too long, but Sharon never did. She kept an eye on things. That was the promise we'd made. Project Drinking Bird.

The idea was to keep an eye on the Cube. Really, we were keeping an eye on each other. As friends. I wish I'd realized that then.

It's helpful to think of the Cube as being under constant stress. It is capable of learning. You can teach it things, and set it to work on problems that aren't particularly important. You have to, because it wants to constantly be moving. It wants to play, like a child.

If you have a cup of water that's 90 percent full, the cup can hold the water and function the way it's supposed to. The Cube is the same way. At a 90 percent stress level the Cube is still mostly harmless. But if you pour 20 percent more stress into that cup, it will overflow. It can no longer function. It might shut down. It might explode. It might never stop exploding.

When I first talked about this with Sharon, she said, "My God, Lottie, it's you. The Cube is you."

I was a cup filled 90 percent of the way with stress. I could still function, but if anything else went wrong I'd be useless for days. I figure Dean Schreyer knew that. I figure he had printouts and graphs about it.

Dean Schreyer wanted to own me, and Alex made that happen. I believe now that that was literally true, and that we were lucky to escape with our lives.

I learned before too long that the Cube has some unusual properties, when it comes to time.

I will tell you something now that I've never told anyone.

I own a drinking bird. A plastic toy, weighted with liquid to bob up and down. Little crack on the bottom. It came in a box, so I couldn't see what color it was. But it's red, with a black top hat.

When I bought it, it was blue.

There's lots of things like that. Wrong in little ways from how I remember them.

Maybe my brain's just broken. Maybe the Cube broke me after all.

Or maybe reality changes all the time around us, in silly little ways.

And we're not supposed to notice.

I'm looking at the Cube right now. I shouldn't. It could kill me. I've got my special glasses on.

Hello 555.

You thought I wouldn't notice, did you?

I did.

[studyblr-lawisintheair]

Things Top Students Do

1. They don’t always do all of their homework.

In college, homework assignments generally make up 5-20% of your grade, but can be the biggest time-suck for most students. Yes, working problems is one of the best ways to turn new concepts into working knowledge, but a large majority of those problems that take you hours and hours to work through, you’ll never see on an exam.

2. They never “read through” the textbook.

Per time spent, reading the textbook is one of the least effective methods for learning new material. Top students use the examples and practice problems, but otherwise use Google, lecture notes, and old exams for study materials.

3. They Google EVERYTHING.

It’s like an automatic reaction. New concept = go to Google for a quick explanation. Don’t think just because your professor gives you a textbook and some examples on the blackboard that you’re limited to that information. You have a massive free search engine at your fingertips, so make use of it.

4. They test themselves frequently.

Testing yourself strengthens your brain’s connections to new material, and gives you immediate and clear feedback on whether you know something or not. Bottom line, repeated self-testing significantly improves long-term retention of new material.

5. They study in short bursts, not long marathons.

Studying in short bursts tends to help you focus intensely because you know there is at least a short break coming.

This also fits in nicely with our Ultradian Rhythm, the natural activity/rest cycle of our bodies, which makes studying continuously for multiple hours on end counterproductive.

6. They reverse-engineer solved problems.

It’s one thing to follow and memorize a set of steps to solve a calculus problem. It’s an entirely different thing to understand what a derivative is, be able to take derivates of complex functions, know when to use the chain rule vs. the product rule, etc. The problem with simply following the steps the professor provided, or the textbook outlines, is that you’re only achieving a surface-level knowledge of the problem. Top students, instead,take solved problems and work backwards, from solution to question, asking “why.”

Why did this get this value? Why did they simplify this expression? Why did they use that type of derivative rule?

By following this process, you begin to understand the interconnections of the concept, and how to directly apply that to a problem. This “working knowledge” of a concept is key to performing well on exams, especially on problems that you haven’t seen before.

7. They don’t own a highlighter.

Highlighting anything = unengaged reading. If you want to note something that stands out, underline and write a corresponding note to go along with it. Or better yet, write yourself a note summarizing the item in your own words.

8. They sleep–a lot.

The daily routines of top performers, in any field, are characterized by periods of intense work (4-6 hours per day) followed by significant quantities of high-quality sleep (9 hours per night). You see this trend in top violin prodigies and chess champions, as well as elite athletes. The idea is to alternate periods of intense work with rest, so that you create tons of new connections in your nervous system, and then allow adequate time to assimilate those gains.

9. They engage themselves by asking questions.

What happens if I tell you, “Thomas Jefferson almost single-handedly drafted the Delcaration of Independence in 1776.”?

You might say “Hmm.. that’s interesting”, try to remember it for later, maybe even write down a note or two.

But what if I ask you, “Who was Thomas Jefferson?” What changes?

You start searching your memory, sifting through images of old guys, founding fathers, thinking about the Declaration of Independence. You come up with your own narrative, and then realize that you have gaps.

When was he around again? And why was he so important?

You’ll probably find yourself going to Google to fill in the gaps. Through that process your learning will be much more deeply seated in your brain than anything your history teacher ever told you about him. That’s the power of asking questions.

10. They make the best out of lecture.

Yes, your professor sucks. Yes, lectures are boring. Yes, it’s either too fast so you can’t keep up and miss all the important stuff, or it’s way too slow and you start zoning out because you already understand everything.

The best students look at this this way: I’m going to be there no matter what, so what’s the best use of my time while I’m in the classroom? Ask questions, bring the textbook and look stuff up, focus on the important practice problems to copy down in your notes, try to anticipate what the professor is going to say, make note of anything they put emphasis on as a potential exam topic. All of these things make the time you have to spend in lecture more productive and engaging. And that’s less time you have to spend studying later on.

11. They over-learn.

School is hard enough, with the amount of studying and homework you have to do. And on top of all of that Facebooking you have to get done? It might seem ridiculous to suggest learning more than you have to.

What!? Are you insane!?

But this is precisely what top students do. And paradoxically, they end up spending less time trying to understand how to do homework problems, andless time studying for exams because of it. Because when you “over-learn” past what’s presented in class, you build a better framework for the subject.

Think of trying to remember some details about Abraham Lincoln’s life. You try to remember the dates of the Civil War, or what he said in the Emancipation Proclamation. You study the same facts over and over and over again… but it’s just boring, and you quickly forget. But what if you knew his whole life’s story? About how Lincoln suffered from bouts of depression, and his relationship with his wife suffered? You start to learn that the dude was human, and you start to relate to the things he did and the struggles he went through. Now you’ve constructed a story in your head. And studies show that humans learn best through stories. So yes, it’s more information, but your brain knows what to do with it now that all those random facts are linked together. More learning, but less rote memorization and struggling to remember random facts.

12. They immediately study their exam mistakes.

Most students get their exam grade back, flip through to see if the professor made any mistakes they can argue about, and then promptly shove it into their notebook, never to be seen again until the mad scramble at the end of the semester to study for the final.

Instead, top students ignore what they got right, and use their mistakes as an indicator of what to improve on.

13. They’re busy with work and side projects.

Yes, to do well in a course, you need to focus and put in the hours. But like many geniuses throughout history have shown, involvement in a diverse set of subjects, activities, and skill sets keeps you active, and provides you with a rich and diverse set of mental models to pull from.

Also, as they say, “If you need to get something done, give it to the busy person.” If you stay active in multiple areas, you don’t have time to procrastinate, and are forced to be efficient with your study time. This generally translates into quicker learning and better performance throughout the semester.

14. They use lecture as a detective mission.

Though completely unaware of this fact, your professor has tells. Yes, like in poker. Tells during lecture will hint at particular types of concepts and problems that will be emphasized on the midterm or final exam. The best students pay attention to topics professors spend a seemingly inordinate amount of time on and make note. Chances are you’ll see something related on the final.

15. They don’t wait for motivation to strike.

Motivation comes and goes, but studying for a degree requires persistence and consistency. Just like Olympic athletes train even on their worst days, the best students figure out how to get their coursework done when it’s the last thing they want to do.

16. They practice under test conditions. The old adage “practice makes perfect” isn’t totally true. Deliberate practice under the right conditions, with the correct mindset, is more like it. Instead of reading through all of the lecture notes and redoing old homework problems, top students make themselves practice exams, and rehearse their exam performance, under time pressure and in similar conditions (no notes, uncomfortable chair, quiet room, etc.) to what they’ll see on test day.

17. They use old exams.

Professors aren’t the most inventive folk. Along with coming up with lecture material and departmental responsibilities, they’re also primarily concerned with research. So typically midterms and final exams more or less look alike for similar courses year-to-year and even across universities. Because of this, old exams are a gold mine of opportunity for figuring out what problems you should be able to solve and study from.

18. They make their own study guides.

The best students don’t simply use the study guide the teacher provides, they create their own.

Creating the study guide is half the battle, requiring you to go through your notes, consolidate them, and organize them in a way that you understand–all valuable study activities. You’ll also be able to use your equations sheet much more effectively on the exam itself (if allowed) because you know exactly where everything is.

19. They actually write on paper.

Writing out notes on a laptop is efficient. Too efficient. Because it’s so easy to quickly type out exactly what the professor is saying, you don’t have to do the work of trying to figure out how to consolidate the information into your own shorthand. Some also believe that the act of writing helps retain more information.

20. They use the 80/20 rule.

Yes, some students who get good grades do every reading assignment, finish every practice problem, and attend every study session they can get their hands on. But these students are missing the point. There will always be an endless amount of information you could learn given the time and effort, but having the ability to discern what is worth learning will truly set you apart.

Top students identify the 20% of concepts they need to learn deeply, in order to determine 80% of their final grade. They focus intently on those few things, and simply ignore the rest. This is a formula for high performance, without hours and hours of busywork. And it translates seamlessly into the real world too.

21. They don’t complain.

Complaining simply has no place in the smart student’s repertoire. If something sucks, change it or ignore it, but don’t waste your time, energy, and mental state talking about it. Got a crappy professor? Either switch class sections or focus on teaching yourself. Horrible textbook? Find alternate resources (Google is free in case you hadn’t heard).

22. They learn by doing.

Any technical subject can only truly be internalized through use. Just like learning a new language, learning to be fluent in algebra or calculus requires active application of rules and formulas. Top students know there is a big difference between knowledge, and applied knowledge.

23. They take personal responsibility for learning the material.

The best students understand that they, and only they are truly responsible for their own education. So waiting to be spoon-fed by your professor and doing the homework assignments will never be enough. Despite your school’s best intentions, they’ll never be as committed to your academic success as you can be.

24. Following what they love

Those students you admire are passionate about what they are learning. They have the drive to develop their learning further based on their love of what they are discovering. This may not always be the case and is often unavoidable but if you follow what interests you and cultivate a curiosity of this area, your motivation to learn will thrive.

Not every student is the same and many top students don’t follow the status quo. The best way to create good habits for students is to try a variety of techniques and figure out what works for you.

25. Question your teachers Thinking outside the box is a cliche but certainly a reality for students.  They question everything–especially test questions they get wrong.  This attitude is important because it shows a general inquisitiveness that is essential in learning.  As any parent of small children knows, questions are a way to gain knowledge.  Teachers can’t be offended when a student asks a difficult question and parents should encourage this behavior.  

26. They know the best way to study.

It is important to know the best way to study for yourself. Do you need pictures? Sounds? Study better in quiet or noisy environments? Figure out what works best for you so that you can make the most out of your study time.

27. They play hard.

We all know that a balanced lifestyle is the best way to stay mentally and physically healthy! Top students don’t spend all day in the library grafting (contrary to what you might think!) Rather, they take the time to put their studies aside and do something which is fun and exciting!

[iwriteshakespeareanninsults]

To help people in 2017

Guys here are some general tips I have accumulated over my terrible times.

Help you fall asleep better:

Blue light filters on devices 

Flux for computers, twilight for mobile phones. (both are free, both take some getting used to but will make a difference)

Burn lavender candles/use lavender scented products - calms you down!

Nightly routine + calming tea/drink. (Chamomile/lavender, or something else without sugar that calms you)

Help you sleep better:

Sleep tracking app (monitors your movements, can give you insight on your sleep schedule, etc)

If you use android I suggest ‘Sleep as Android’ - I pay for the premium, definitely worth it for me! 

Overactive brain at night? Sleep playlist of calming music/playlist of nature sounds to focus on.

Bonus if you have a playlist w/music and you still can’t stay still, make it a game of if you can stay still through a whole song

Throw a towel/t-shirt over any blinking electronic lights like your laptop/phone

Wake up better:

The first time that alarm goes off should be the last time, seriously, don’t you dare go back to bed

Bonus, if you get a sleep tracking app, alarms that will wake you up when your sleep cycle is the lightest, it’s less jarring.

Lay out your clothes the night before, even if you’re just wearing sweatpants

Try getting up earlier, even if it’s just by a few minutes it will make mornings less rushed

Mind-gone-wild begone:

Listen to music whenever possible, and focus on that

If you’re learning a new language, try to think in that language, it slows down your thought process.

If you can’t stop thinking about something negative, think of memes instead. (thinking about your grade on your final essay? What about the dog/pants meme?)

Homework better:

Have a planner/specific little notebook where you write down your hw.

Specific part of your binder/or a folder where you put your current homework assignments

Keep returned tests in another specific part of binder/folder until the end of the quarter

This is provided you actually do your homework. Seriously it will change your grades so much if you just do your hw you do not know.

Note take better: (not a studyblr but tbh they intimidate me because they’re so neat wth)

Taking notes on graphing paper makes them 10x prettier don’t ask me how

Try and color code notes with different colors of pen/highlighter.

It can either be per class, or categories, like green for vocab, orange for definitions, etc. Associating a certain color with a class can be really helpful on a quiz, and if you do it by category instead your notes will be much easier to decode.

Try sectioning off your notes. For example, once you finish writing down vocabulary, then box it in. It saves space and again makes notes super pretty as long as you use a straight edge (I use the side of my phone).

General tips:

Drink water and bring a water bottle with you everywhere

Seriously do it ffs guys it will make you feel so much better

When you see yourself in the mirror and you’re alone tell yourself you look pretty, make an ugly face, and then tell yourself you’re pretty again and wink 10/10 times boosts your confidence

Chocolate is usually the answer to all of life’s problems

If you are really not feeling a class/having a really tough day you can ask to go to the nurse’s office. 

Only use this sparingly as you will actually have to go to the nurses and it will look suspicious if you’re in there too much, like only if a class is seriously overloading you or you just cannot take it the nurse’s is a nice soft quiet haven

Swearing is generally theraputic, but research how to do it in a language not common at your school

If your school mainly speaks like Italian for example, try swearing in Russian, French, maybe Swahili. Whatever floats your boat. Nobody will know what you’re saying and you can comfortably tell somebody to fuck off or get your annoyance out w/being reprimanded

If you have a doctor’s appointment write all of your symptoms down/questions because you will forget them 10/10 times

If you have to take your meds at a certain time every day set an alarm ten minutes before, five minutes before, and for when you actually have to so you are prepared af and do not miss it

Brush your teeth and floss, getting a root canal/fillings sucks ass guys

Wait 15 minutes after eating food to brush your teeth it saves your enamel.

On that note, if you have a sugary drink/food it is (1) much better to drink it quickly than slowly or don’t snack on it slowly and (2) drink water right afterwards or soon afterwards.

Sugar has less time to stick around your mouth, essentially. The water will help wash it down. Ask your dentist guys I am 98% sure they will say I am right that it is better.

Aight, hope some of this helps, peace out guys xoxo