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legobiwan · 4 years

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Cestus Deception review: Part 2 (now with less wine):

Finished up Cestus Deception while taking a much-needed drive around town (by myself, not getting out except to take some pictures of mountains in a remote area, in a car no one else ever gets into because...well, one I am terrible about keeping a neat car and two I tend to hoard strange, partially disassembled instruments in my backseat along with exercise clothing, power tools, and books. #socialdistancing please do it, my friends).

Kenobi’s plan! Was to...visit an opium den, collude with a criminal, and then fake a Sith acolyte attack on a bunch of commerce families with Kit Fisto playing the role of evil!being? All in the name of getting the ruler of the planet to sign an accord with the Republic to stop manufacturing Jedi-killing droids? But, it was all a fake? Kenobi! Your deviousness is showing.

I CAN’T, YOU GUYS. Who came up with this name for Kit? How did they not both start laughing hysterically? Kit “Nemonus” Fisto roleplaying as a lightwhip-wielding Sith battling Obi-wan Kenobi. This was your plan, Kenobi? Honestly.

And then Ventress gets some footage of Kenobi’s machinations and he is totally exposed in front everyone at the signing of the accord and ordered offworld. I mean, 100% caught in his own bullshit.

And then he doubles-down, I don’t know, I kinda dig this intense version of Obi-wan. He’s very...I hate to say it (lie, I *love* to say it) Dooku-ish in this novel. ...eeeehhhhh, *shrugs aggressively a la Larry David* can’t complain?

Okay, so Obes and his barrister friend are ordered offworld. Not even two minutes out of the atmosphere, Obi-wan is basically like, yeah, no, I’m going back down and peaces out on an escape pod while ordering a clone to take law-friend back to Coruscant.

And then Ventress attacks the ship. Xutoo, the clone...well, it doesn’t end well.

Surprisingly, Doolb Snoil (who I keep wanting to call Sny Snootles which I know is incorrect) survives this encounter and escapes on his own via pod to the surface. I was 100% expecting him to bite it because all of Obi-wan’s friends tend to bite it in tragic manner...

HAHAHAHAHHA NEVERMIND THEY NEEDED TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER ONE OF OBI-WAN’S FRIENDS TO DIE IN HIS ARMS WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY, STAR WARS, WHYYYYYYYYYYY??????

Okay, so I feel like the audiobook was abridged because I would have remembered this exchange. I think. Or I was distracted. Not unprecedented. Anyway, this is the kind of philosophical debate about free will in this universe I love and it does raise some very interesting ethical questions about the Jedi practice of taking children at that age. (Granted, no one was ever a prisoner of the Jedi Order, but it is far more difficult to escape an institution when you have been brought up in it. But then again, perhaps that child would have had a far worse life on their home planet. Or not. And it’s rare we see any insight into that decision, beyond Dooku in Dark Rendezvous, and of course, Rael, to a certain extent and Anakin. (If you know of others in Legends or Canon, let me know because I find it to be a fascinating question with no good answer.))

Meanwhile, Obes and Kit’s little Onderon-esque insurrection is drawing the attention of the local authorities.

Why, yes, I agree, Dura. Brilliant, ferocious, tactically diverse, respectful, knows the Alderaanian Reel, *ahem*

Can we briefly talk about the spider-friend army attacking the Jedi Killer droids and defeating them because the droids, like recent Apple products, had a shitty battery life? Gotta get that portable battery/USB for your genocidal droids, Dooku. That was some Class-A Star Wars bullshit.

Speaking of the JK droids, Obi-wan battles one himself later, and two things about this encounter:

JFC, of course he did.

Did...did Obi-wan just...punch a droid to death? I mean...well, that is to say...not very civilized, is it, Kenobi?

Sorry, but the love story between Jangotat (Nate) and Sheeka Tal was...less than inspiring. Maybe it was the narration or the editing (as I am realizing going through the pdf that they cut some stuff for the audio version), but I was not so into it. Then again, romance isn’t really my thing in general. But Obi-wan Kenobi being a living Jedi pregnancy test...(okay, okay so I’m sure all Jedi were able to sense little life Forces forming themselves in people’s reproductive systems, but the fact that Star Wars feels compelled to come back to this idea of Obi-wan pointing out secret pregnancies is pretty hilarious, in my mind. Obi-wan Kenobi, Jedi Master and aspiring OBGYN. Good lords.)

I love the confrontation between Ventress, Obi-wan and Kit. Kit is such a third wheel here, his only reason for being is to make vaguely threatening comments towards Ventress and for her to ignore them so she can continue to villain-monologue at Kenobi. Also, Dooku wanted Obi-wan alive? WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED.

Okay, but Obi-wan and Ventress have the most EXTRA duel ever. They have a lightsaber battle...underwater? And then somehow rip each other’s rebreathers out at some point, which, let’s be honest, kiiiinda feels like a euphemism and then Ventress just gets frustrated with Obi-wan’s lack of coronavirus, meaning he can hold his breath underwater a really long time and peaces out in an angry cloud of random underwater smoke. Hilarious. THIS LINEAGE, I SWEAR, DOOKU IS THE INSTIGATOR OF SO. MUCH. DRAMA.

Can we appreciate that Obi-wan’s “backup plan” is to buy a half-million credit radiation suit form a opium addict gangster and sabotage a commercial production plant singlehandedly? And he shows up with credits! The Council must have loved that request. Half a million credits. The audacity of this man.

All this to sabotage a plan, that apparently, was a total smokescreen. It turns out that no, the CIS wasn’t trying to mass-produce Jedi killing droids, but pretending to in order to lure the Republic and engage them in combat where they would be framed for mass civilian casualties. That is some 4D chess, right there. Well played, both Dooku and Sidious. Well fucking played.

Okay, I think (think) audiobook cut the part where Obi-wan:

a) negotiated for spider clemency from Dura, who is so smitten by Kenobi she’s totally going to go with it even though Obi-wan is totally representing large, poisonous spiders this is FANTASTIC. (side note, I love spiders) Obi-wan Kenobi, Friend to Large Animals is probably the truest thing I have ever posted on this hellsite, so now we add gigantic spiders to the list. Have I mentioned I love this man? And who else but the student of Qui-gon fucking Jinn would be like this? Of course. Of. Course.

b) where he admitted to at one point being in love (what?!?) and

c) where he was the sole preoccupation of Ventress’s thoughts as she left Ord Cestus, just...what???? Amazing. Truly amazing.

Overall, I really enjoyed the Obi-wan characterization, it was nice to see Kit in action (and Kit, by the way, didn’t totally approve of Obi-wan’s methods but went along with it), the Jangotet/Nate storyline was okay. Some of the machinations of the overall plot were a little muddled (which was probably due, in part, to the audiobook cuts) even if I did like how they tried to deal with the free will aspect of being a clone (even if it was not totally deftly handled). 7/10 would have been 7.5 but the audiobook cut some things that were important to me. (Or I zoned out and didn’t catch them :D

#hello there #cestus deception #legobiwan listens to a book #obi wan kenobi #kit fisto #asajj ventress #i hope everyone is keeping their spirits up right now!#it's spooky out there #we're probably max 3 days away from a shelter in place order #over here in legohome #kinda pissed we don't have statewide drive up tests yet we should considering #we'll get through it #it's going to get weird #but we'll get through it #and now tumblr #i am tired and want to read my (non star wars) book #will try and answer stuff tomorrow i'm super behind on this and writing but a little distracted by life atm

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bookcub · 6 years

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A list of books I have 2 copies of

Because I just got a second copy of another book.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan- My first copy was one of the first books I bought with my own money. The Cover has fallen off and been taped back on and I’ve had it for half my life. The second copy I got from my mom and sister when we first went to the college I now attend. It’s the illustrated version and it’s beautiful. This book gave me friends when all of mine were leaving me and then found me new ones when I was older.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray- I just bought the ebook of this book because I constantly quote and think about. I have the hard copy, which I got when I was 17, I believe, maybe 16. It drastically changed my mind of the world and myself and made me a true feminist. It’s hysterical yet completely serious and always makes me think and laugh.

Soulless by Gail Carriger- This was an accident, but the hard copy was 50 cents and the entire series as a collective ebook was like $15, and how could I pass that up? Plus the series is fun and engaging and it’s a great book to lend out.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss- So I bought the ebook about a year after I read the book, but I wanted to highlight my edition and write notes and be able to search for certain parts and quotes. Then, one day, a few years later, I saw the hard copy version, which I’d never seen. It was far too expensive but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to lend it out to people and that has paid off, as it’s now being lent to the third person. It’s clever and beautiful and heart wrenching and I’m practically in love with it.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine- The fact that I have two copies is an accident actually. I bought a copy for a dollar and told my mom and she was like, but don’t you want my copy, which is the one I grew up with. So now I have 2 copies of my favorite retelling of Cinderella, one I can give to my sister for her kids when she has her huge family.

Graceling by Kristen Cashore- Now, I kind of sort of have 3 copies of this one. My mom has one copy, and I bought 2 other copies for a VERY nice price, thinking I would give one to my sister. And apparently, neither my mom nor my sister want a copy, so I will have three. It’s a superb series and everyone should read it and now I can lend it to everyone I know.

The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce- I was perfectly content with my one set of this series, which is mismatched, but I’ve had since I was 10, and had to replace the spine on the first one. And then I walk into a book sale and there is a beautiful, barely used collection of all four books of matching editions. This series has been with me through thick and thin and always comforted me and I just had to have another set.

Hushed by Kelley York- Okay, so I used to have a hard copy of this and then I lent it to a friend and I never got it back. But now I have the ebook version of this, and in spirit, I feel as though I have 2 copies. It’s a good book, really, something special and should be read more.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakspeare- I directed a version of this last semester, so I had the Folger’s version, the Sparknotes version, and a printed out copy in a binder, which cost the most. All of them are written in and I want to give them all away now.

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs- This was a fluke. I got the paperback version for Christmas one year and the ebook was free one month so I got it and I’ve never finished the series.

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller- So I got my first copy of this when I was 9 because my friend lent it to me and I loved it and she hated rereading. It’s a soft cover version and very beat up and taught me half of what I know today, very educational (it’s where I learned how to pick a lock). And a few years later, my mom’s school library was giving away its old books and Kiki Strike was one of them. So now I have an old library version. (read this book you will learn so much)

Princess from Another Planet by Mindy Schanback- This was also unintentional. But like, really unintentional. I had this book since I was 8, I believe. And I lost my copy and I was devastated because it’s a hard book to find. One day, at a used book store, I saw a copy. I bought it without hesitation (I was 12 maybe). Then I went home and cleaned my room and found my first copy. I feel bad for hoarding them but alas, I can’t part with them.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss- I bought the ebook the day it came out, no hesitation. But there are beautiful illustrations that are limited by my ereader and I want my sister to read it, which she won’t do on an ereader. So I bought a copy this weekend so I can make her read it. It’s stunning on every level and seeing the physical version just brings me joy.

Bonus: During the summers, there are THREE sets of Harry Potter at my house because my mom bought her set as they came out every year and my sister and I each got a complete set for graduation. This is also not including the incomplete tape or CD audio books we also have of the series. There also may be an extra copy of The Half Blood Prince floating around the house as well.

(I think this is all of them but who knows for sure)

#booklr #graceling #tamora pierce #rick riordan #patrick rothfuss #kiki strike #mine #in case anyone was wondering #i was

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jnfsavellon · 4 years

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Quarantine Life, Alright.

(Selfie file photo, April 7, 2020)

April 8, 2020 - It's barely two weeks into the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Cebu City since the Mayor's declaration last March 27 but the changes were drastic which I will describe in the later paragraphs.

To name one is the near-zero traffic congestion comprising mostly of private cars, shuttle services for front liners and employees exempted from the "lockdown."

Our neighborhood here in Sitio Colveta II was peaceful. I can drive my car with ease. I'm my mother's chauffeur while I'm on paid leave - Yeah, Big Head's waiting for a reallocation because my clients won't let me work from home - my route is from home to Barangay Bulacao's Health Center and Birthing Center and back home. At times we're having stops at the grocery stores to stock up our inventory; we're not hoarding, just stocking up.

I could remember Mother spoke that such smooth traffic reminded her of the 80s to 90s roads where everyone was just walking around with lesser people and vehicles roaming around the streets. She said that traffic became worse during the 2000s, but yeah that was it.

I even told her that I could hear our parish the Archdiocesan Shrine of San Roque's bells ringing at 8:00 pm. The church is 600 meters away from home.

Safety and health was a top priority at this time. I've got to credit to Station 11's regular roving rounds in the neighborhood. Neighbors have been called out by police due to the former's hard-headedness because they're still going out of their respective houses at this period. The officers usually use their megaphones to call them out, but there was one time that they've had enough. One officer came out of the patrol car to warn them of their stubbornness. I share the same sentiments with the police on this part. The quarantine period is for everyone's well-being, and there are still stubborn people outside.

(File photo, April 7, 2020)

I shared a post of a former photojournalist that captured a photo of a congested Tabada Public Market. No crowd control. Just significant foot traffic that makes you itch to the bone. The good thing on the next day, the LGU and local police set up a post on the entrance/exits to ensure that people are following protocol such as wearing face masks and quarantine pass.

People just have to be aware that this coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic isn't just the seasonal flu where you could just have some home treatment to get rid of it. It's a new strain that eats out your organs most especially the lungs potentially leading to pneumonia. Once you have it, you'll be isolated away from your loved ones. You'll be met with front liners in PPE spacesuits whom you can't distinguish who's who because they are covered from head to foot. These came from the words of veteran journalist Howie Severino, COVID patient #2828 and now a survivor.

PET PEEVES!!

Speaking of pet peeves, I'm just bothered with some situations whenever I'm out in public to run a few errands: citizens, whether supermarket employees or customers are wearing their face masks improperly. They're wearing it covering just the nose. Worse is that some even take it off and hang it under their chin. Clothe masks have the least protection we can have compared to the N95 counterparts. People just need to be reminded of this.

Another thing is the long lines in the groceries and the padala centers and public market. They are essential, but the inconsistent practice of social distancing is just disturbing to see. I remembered one time I was at Shopwise with my mother, and there's this customer behind me who just keeps getting closer and closer while I was trying to distance myself. I couldn't blame myself because this crap has been giving me anxiety since the disease's spread, and I'm not buying this to catch it.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Nevertheless, Mr. Severino's recovery story gives us hope that we shouldn't feel lonely during these tough times. He made sure to keep in touch with loved ones through video chatting. Do you what you gotta do to make yourself safe and productive. This was my point in Episode 08 ("Do What You Gotta Do, Citizens of Earth) of the Jump Shot Podcast.

I'm happy to be with my family at these times. I feel that there's safety here at home. I'm out of that paranoia I felt while I was traveling to work and going back home. Every time I went home, I was irritated and exhausted. During that weekend I broke down while I was on a call with Charrie, realizing that my mental well-being was shaky because of that ordeal.

But still, I figured out that I should stay at home. Then here I am writing. I still have enough funds to sustain our daily needs. I'm maximizing my time staying healthy and spending time on my pastimes.

I'm doing my home workouts together with my brother at least thrice a week. We have this exercise mat, a homemade 10-pound dumbbell, and a 20-pound barbel, and tons of health and wellness videos you can find on YouTube. It may seem nothing compared to going out to a gym or playing basketball, but something is better than nothing.

(Taco Monday!!!! April 6th)

We're continuing with our healthy diets of boiled egg, canned tuna or sardines, sometimes there's tacos and shawarma wraps filled with seasoned ground pork, cucumber, white onions, tomatoes, and a variety of sauces like sriracha, ketchup, mayonnaise, and hot sauce - our mother's best home cook meal (haha).

Also I'm focusing on some of my skills like Photoshop and audio editing. We're producing the most podcast content right now compared to December to February (haha).

Charrie is catching up with Photoshop as well. She's doing some editing as I've been tasking her to do graphics like the shirt and product designing and creating a sample logo for a possible business hopefully we can concretize it soon.

(Our second to the last coffee night out at Starbucks IT Park, March 14th)

It's been two weeks since we saw each other. We're currently in a long-distance mode right now. Yeah LDR, although Liloan is just 25 km away, the border lockdown is inevitable. So we've got to stick to online communication - it's reminding us of the humble beginnings of our relationship haha. But yeah, we've got some catching up to do after this crap.

(After the Holy Mass live streaming, March 21, 2020)

Meanwhile we've organized the parish's social media team, under Fr. Carmelo Diola's guidance, to continue serving. We're live-streaming the daily Holy Masses while increasing our reach as much as possible. We've also had catechetical-recollections. This way we can serve to have the people sustain their spiritual nourishment. It's just fulfilling to serve once again after many years as an altar server. It's good to be back in my old parish nevertheless. Check our Facebook page.

FINAL THOUGHTS

At this time there are still over 43,000 persons under monitoring (PUMs), and it's still early to call off the ECQ. I do hope Governor Gwen Garcia and Mayor Edgar Labella would consider an extension while strengthening the safety and weakening the virus' spread. I just hope there would be enough supplies for each family especially the ones who are relying on their jobs that were stopped due to implementation of the Executive Orders except for the front liners and other exempted industries.

There are complaints that there are local government units (LGUs) having delayed deliveries the relief goods from house to house especially in our barangay. Mother has had phone call duties as well, answering complaints of other citizens. The barangays lack manpower I've learned. I'm not sure what the real reason for the delays. On one side I believe that the LGUs are doing their best to deliver it - in Barangay Mambaling, there are 8,000 households. On the other people are starving as they are relying on jobs that were forced to stop as what I've mentioned.

I hope they would sort that out while we are quarantining. After all at the end of the day we just want to have peace and order. We just need some patience I guess.

Going back let me sum up my thoughts: (1) Health is a top priority; (2) SOCIAL DISTANCING please, (3) Let's pray for this pandemic to end, (4) Be a better citizen, stay disciplined, (4) Catch up with loved ones, (5) Keep busy, make your day productive.

I guess that's it for now.

Stay safe.

- James

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gigslist · 4 years

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Streaming Content Gets Market Boost

If you are like me you are in lockdown in an apartment or house somewhere fooling around on the screen. Looking for something interesting to watch or write or interact with.

This is creating hardship for most of the world. For the entertainment industry it is boosting their market. Now that people have no choice, they are going to get a few months indoctrination. Or read books.

The boost isn’t only for content creators. Studios big and small need equipment, stage trusses, camera dollies, lights, and crew to manage them. Teach the newbies how to rent them to get started like your other productions do.

On screen talent need makeup artists, stylists and costumers. Please, some of the people on Youtube are plain eeeek. They also need voice coaches and on screen coaching. Productions also need good video editing and sound and experienced directors.

Either way, no matter how good or bad your content is, people want something new everyday. Currently every hour, so you can have a few projects in production at once. I recommend at least 20 minutes long for videos and 1 hour long for music. The short 5 to 10 minute vids and music clips are not that satisfying, not to mention too much surfing and clicking. It makes you compete with a lot more crap, so not much gets watched.

If you have something to say, say it and be original. The puffed up bla bla of something everybody else is saying will get me to avoid your channel completely. Especially repeating bad research. Instead do your own research and create content on why the other bits of bad research is bad.

Do your own research and find an original angle and new information. This will get you more more views and shares and subscribers and respect than click bait. Don’t fluff it up with bla bla, instead find interesting backstories.

Also original presentation. Not kerning or panning still photos, but actual footage and animation. If you don’t have access to original moving footage, get creative with stop motion and hand drawings. Or get your friends and family to dress up and play parts.

Stock images, music loops and footage use sparingly, if at all. Always check that stock footage and audio, animations, and music are not in anything else. At least not in the same topic and genre as your creation. The more original and engaging your stuff is, the less viewers’ and listeners’ eyes glaze over and tune out.

There are plenty of creatives and techs looking for a reel for their portfolios and resumes. Instead of playing video games and watching food youtube. Get on a discussion group and post to classifieds and make it happen.

Funding is always an issue and there never seems to be much of it. At least according to sites that publish one of two grant notices at a time. But good news is there is a professional old school hack. It will give you hundreds more funding options and get your application seen ahead of the rest.

GIgsList.info recently published The Film and Video Money Directory. 400 page directory of organizations in the USA and some international that give you money to create content. Feature length films and short films, documentaries, games, animations and even music videos.

Some grant makers listed in The Film and Video Money Directory give as much as $1,200,000 for one film. Plus no getting grants trickle fed and your application competing with the hoards. You can go straight to the sources and apply to many funders before the rush. The Film and Video Money Directory also has a list of sites and groups to recruit crew and and techs and cast talent.

The Film and Video Money Directory is the Little Black Book for producers and content creators. Get it on your mobile device for only $16 https://www.blurb.com/b/9925921-film-and-video-money-directory?ebook=715640#

#entertainment business news #entertainment marketing tips #stop fake news

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thesmashcake · 4 years

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Staying Sane While Editing Photos

The first thing I need to say before we get into this blog is that I believe photo editing is a fantastic way to enhance the creative vision you had in you head when you took the photo. For that reason I love editing my photos in Adobe Lightroom/ Photoshop and I think editing can be the cherry on top of any well crafted image. But, if we’re being completely honest I do have those days where I’d rather gouge my eyes out with a spork than sit behind my monitor for 6 hours straight.

I have been editing photos in Photoshop professionally since 1999 and in that time I have had many a day where I caught myself staring blankly at a box of sporks thinking “In the valley of the fed-up photo editors, the no-eyed man is king”. In order to save you from becoming a pale shell of your former self that hoards sporks and calls them “my precious” I’m going to throw you a lifeline. Here are my 5 tips to keep from going crazy while editing photography. I have developed these “sanity hacks” over many years and I use them daily. I’m using a few of these tips right now as I write this blog.

Editing can be extremely bad for your body

Before we begin, I really want to beat the dead horse so you guys understand just how bad extended photo editing sessions can be to your long term physical, mental and hormonal heath. According to the Mayo Clinic sitting for long periods of time has been linked to the following health issues:

Increased blood pressure High blood sugar Excess body fat around the waist Abnormal cholesterol levels

They went on to say that too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Read the full article by The Mayo Clinic

Now that I’ve scared the hell out of you, let’s get to my list of tips to help you be happier and healthier while editing your photos.

Tip 1- Get yourself a record player.

As I write this blog I’m listening to Weezer on an honest to goodness vinyl record. I started listening to records while editing my photography because I think records just sound better than digital. My decision to listen to records was purely fueled by nothing more than audio snobbery but I quickly discovered a hidden health benefit. Records can only fit about 20-30 mins of music per side before you have to get up and flip them over. That means that twice every hour I have to stand up and walk over to the record player, giving me a much needed break. Of course while I’m up I do things like visit the restroom, talk with my coworkers, grab some water and so on. All of this adds up to about 5-10 minutes away from my desk twice every hour. Can anyone guess how often the Mayo clinic recommends you take a break from sitting at your desk? Yup…every 30 mins.

I’m currently listening to a Bluetooth record player that connects directly to my noise canceling wireless headphones. This is the only way to edit because I get the intoxicating pop and crackle of vintage vinyl while my state of the art headphones filter out distractions like traffic, ringing phones and annoying coworkers. If you work at home the same set up filters out dogs, children and annoying spouses. When I really need a break at home I pretend to be editing my photography while listening to David Bowie and sipping a nice Merlot. Daddies need breaks too.

For those of you interested in picking up a Bluetooth record player here’s a nice entry level player. Don’t forget to include some records with your order so you’ll have something to listen to when it arrives.

youtube

Tip 2- Learn the lingo, gringo

There is nothing that’ll turn your brain into a giant quivering pile of tapioca like than a marathon Photoshop session. If you’re about to punch in for a six hour shift of editing and are at all concerned about pudding brain, then you need to stay mentally engaged. One of the best way I found to stay mentally engaged while photo editing is to learn a new language.

This is something I discovered this year and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Every time I sit down to edit photos I simply ask Alexa to open the Daily Dose app on my Echo Dot and I learn Spanish while editing. It’s a brilliant way to stay mentally tack sharp while utilizing the otherwise wasted time I’d be spending sitting at my desk. You’re stuck there anyway, you might as well learn a new skill. The best part, aside from being able to communicate with millions of more people on the planet, your brain won’t ooze out of your ears... Oh, and did I mention that the Daily Dose language app is FREE? (Free is our friend!)

For those of you that don’t have an Amazon Alexa you can pick one up for around $25.

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Keep Your Hormones in Check

So far we looked at tips for keeping your body and your brain healthy during epic editing sessions. But what about your hormonal health? This is often the most overlooked aspect of health when it comes to the negative effects of a prolonged photography editing. Many of you have probably suffered from the effects of a hormonal imbalance due to prolonged photo editing and just didn’t realize it.

When we edit photos our computer screens are adversely affecting our body’s Circadian Rhythm. The National Institute for General Medical Sciences describes circadian rhythm as “physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. They respond primarily to light and darkness in an organism's environment.”

Without going to deep down the rabbit hole: our body uses the light around us to decide when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep. It does this by taking in how much light is available and what color that light is. As photographers we all understand that the color of natural light changes throughout the day from blue light to golden yellow at sundown. By bombing our eyes with blue light from our computer screens at all times of the day or night we are confusing our brains and really screwing up our hormone levels.

Every feel restless, depressed or irritable after a long Photoshop session? Now you know why. To get the whole scoop on your Circadian Rhythm check out this blog by Mental Health America.

Fortunately there are a couple of things we can do to combat the side effects of screen gazing and the first one just happens to be FREE. (I love free)

Tip 3-take a short walk in the sunshine.

I do this once every day and it really helps me feel more grounded during marathon editing sessions. (Makes the puppy happy too.) Combine this with flipping over your records every 30 minutes and it will really help you keep your sanity.

Tip 4- wear blue light blocking glasses when editing at night.

When you edit at night your computer screen is telling your body that it’s daytime and I find it hard to sleep after a nighttime edit session. So I simply wear a pair of cheap blue light blocking glasses and when I’m done editing I can sleep like a baby. Just remember to take them off momentarily when doing color correction otherwise your skin tones will be a bit smurf-ish.

Don’t Forget to Keep your business healthy

While the four tips above are designed to keep you healthy, this one is all about keeping your business healthy. It will also keep you mentally engaged so consider it a twofer. The next time you sit down to edit why not spend that time learning new business strategies, or marketing or researching SEO strategies. You know, all of those things you should be learning but never have the time necessary. Well, you’re going to be stuck in that chair for a while so why not have Alexa read you a business book on how to find more clients.

Tip 5- Download audio books on business from audible

Using the Audible app Alexa can read you any book in the audible library. This is hands down one of the best ways to get the most out of your time spent editing. I’ve said it in my blogs many times and I’m saying it again. I believe that for every hour a photographer spends learning photography it is imperative that they spend an equal amount of time refining their business skills. This is a great way to squeeze in those hours while not giving up the little things like…sleep. The best part: when you sign up for audible your first book is free.

I recommend checking out this audio book. It completely changed the way I viewed and approached my work life. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Conclusion

Editing for extended periods of time can be down right unhealthy. Add some fast food on the way to shoots and the next thing you know, you’ll be headed down the path to premature aging, obesity and possibly worse. So now is the time to protect your health by establishing good habits that protect both your mind and body. These are just a few of my healthy editing habits that I use daily and I really hope they help you. If you have any healthy editing hacks that might help other smash cake photographers, please share them in the comment section.

Until next time guys I wish you happy and healthy editing, Daniel

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smartwebhostingblog · 5 years

Text

Despite being exposed, fake news thrives on social media ahead of India polls

New Post has been published on http://thefaerytale.com/despite-being-exposed-fake-news-thrives-on-social-media-ahead-of-india-polls/

Despite being exposed, fake news thrives on social media ahead of India polls

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Two weeks after a suicide bombing in Kashmir in February killed 40 Indian policemen, a Facebook user called Avi Dandiya posted a live video in which he played a recording of a call purportedly involving India’s home minister, the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and an unidentified woman.

A crew member walks in front of a hoarding displaying the logo of BOOM, one of Facebook Inc’s fact-checking partners in India, at a studio in Mumbai, India, March 12, 2019. Picture taken March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

The trio could be heard talking about arousing nationalist sentiment ahead of India’s general election, with the BJP president allegedly saying in Hindi: “We agree that for election, we need a war”.

Within 24 hours, one of Facebook Inc’s fact-checking partners in India, BOOM, exposed Dandiya’s video as fake. An analysis on BOOM’s website said the video was created by splicing audio from older political interviews.

By the time Facebook took down the post, it had received more than 2.5 million views and 150,000 shares. There is no Indian law that specifically targets fake news, but police in New Delhi registered a case of forgery against Dandiya and an official said investigations were ongoing.

Still, Reuters last week found at least four edited copies of Dandiya’s videos on Facebook with about 36,000 views. One on Google’s YouTube has been seen 2,800 times while another on Twitter has 22,000 views.

Messages and e-mails to Dandiya, an avid Facebook user who last appeared in a live video on March 23, went unanswered. The home ministry, the BJP president and party’s information-technology chief did not respond to requests for comment.

The videos underline how social media companies are struggling with fake news in India despite saying they’ve taken steps to tackle the menace ahead of India’s general election, which starts on April 11.

With 900 million people eligible to vote and an estimated half-a-billion with access to the internet, fake news can have an enormous impact on the election. Dandiya’s video, for example, could have seriously damaged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP if enough people thought it was true.

Policing content has become a massive global problem for social media giants which have no template for consistently preventing online fake news or eliminating it.

Fierce internet disinformation battles gripped countries such as Brazil and Malaysia last year ahead of elections. Authorities in Indonesia and the EU, which are due to hold polls, have warned of the threat of fake news.

In India, Facebook has partnered with fact checkers and, like Twitter, ramped up efforts to block fake accounts.

On Monday, Facebook said it had deleted 1,126 accounts, groups and pages in India and Pakistan for “inauthentic behavior” and spamming, many linked to India’s opposition Congress party.

Google has partnered with fact-checkers to train 10,000 journalists this year to better tackle fake news.

Facebook’s popular messaging app WhatsApp has launched newspaper and radio campaigns to deter the spread of misinformation.

Social media companies say they don’t outrightly remove all fake posts as that would jeopardize free speech. Facebook has said that circulation of posts which are debunked, or discovered to be fake, is reduced by more than 80 percent.

NO SILVER BULLET

Posts that violate Facebook’s community guidelines, including hate speech or content that could incite violence, are completely deleted, the company said, adding that Dandiya’s video came under that category.

But even when content has been identified as fake and removed, slightly modified versions of the same images, video or text can escape detection and spread further.

“This is a highly adversarial space, so we still miss things and won’t catch everything – but we’re making progress,” said a Facebook spokeswoman, who added that the overall volume of false news had been reduced on the platform.

“There’s no silver bullet solution in fighting misinformation.”

Twitter said it deeply cares about the potentially harmful effects of misinformation and encourages users not to share unverified information.

A YouTube spokesman said the company will continue to embrace the “democratization of access to information” while providing a reliable service to users.

Twitter and YouTube did not comment on Dandiya’s video.

SHOWN TO BE FALSE

Another fake post that went viral recently was on popular Indian student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested and charged with sedition after a 2016 rally to commemorate the execution of a Kashmiri separatist. Opposition parties said Kumar’s arrest by federal police was an attempt by authorities to curb free speech.

Some Facebook posts in February described Kumar as anti-India and showed his photo in front of a map that depicted some Indian states as part of Pakistan. Two Facebook fact-checkers in India investigated the posts and said the image was doctored.

Still, a month later, Reuters found at least two copies of those posts on Facebook with 375 comments and 1,500 shares.

Facebook in February announced an expansion of its fact-checking company partners to seven, from two. Facebook says it also issues an alert to users who try to share a post which its fact-checkers have debunked, but doesn’t prohibit further sharing.

Reuters found that when debunked posts of Kumar were shared, an alert popped up with a link to the fact-checkers’ analysis. However, all four variants of Dandiya’s videos could be shared without such fake news alerts from Facebook.

“There is no way you can solve this problem (quickly) … the magnitude of the problem is really huge,” said Kanchan Kaur, a Bengaluru-based assessor at International Fact-Checking Network at U.S.-based Poynter Institute.

FACT-CHECKING BUSINESS

When tensions rose between India and Pakistan in February following a suicide bombing in Kashmir and cross-border air strikes, social media was flooded with fake news – old videos of captured pilots and photos of earthquake-hit regions were spread as depicting current events.

“Since Pulwama we’ve been working seven days a week,” said Jency Jacob, managing editor at BOOM, referring to the site of the suicide attack.

On a recent visit to BOOM’s office in India’s financial capital Mumbai, five people were seen monitoring and analyzing online content. One of the rooms served as BOOM’s studio where television-style news videos are shot on debunked stories and published on its website.

As an industry, fact-checking is fast spreading in India.

British broadcaster BBC has in-house fact checking operations and a dedicated WhatsApp number where anyone can flag suspected fake posts for further checks.

“A dedicated team of journalists is debunking fake news daily, and also writing detailed explainers on controversial issues and claims,” BBC’s India Digital Editor, Milind Khandekar, told Reuters.

Former software engineer Pratik Sinha and his mother are part of a 10-member fact checking initiative named “Alt News” which is run from a two-bedroom-flat in the western city of Ahmedabad.

Using online video verification and social media tracking tools, Sinha said his team debunks up to four posts each day.

Slideshow (2 Images)

Debunked posts appearing online has become a problem even for India’s Election Commission.

In February, a WhatsApp message called for spreading the word that said Indians living overseas could “now vote online for 2019 elections” and should register on the Commission’s website. The Commission called it “FAKE NEWS” on Twitter and filed a police complaint against “unknown persons” for public mischief.

A month later, the message continues to circulate on Facebook – a user who shared it on March 23 has so far received 42 likes and 19 shares. When someone questioned the post, the Facebook user responded: “I think you can vote. Just check the web site and follow the steps”.

Reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Aditya Kalra; Additional reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Aditi Shah; Writing by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Martin Howell, Jonathan Weber and Raju Gopalakrishnan.

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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lazilysillyprince · 5 years