#relations and functions class 12

[ashishkumarletslearn]

Class 12 Maths Exercise 1.1 | Relations and Functions - MathYug

Delve into the realm of Relations and Functions in Class 12 Maths with MathYug's expert teacher Ashish Kumar, fondly known as Agam Sir. In this comprehensive video lecture, we unravel the complexities of NCERT Exercise 1.1, exploring empty relations, universal relations, and more.

Timestamps:

00:00:05 Introduction and How Ashish Sir is going to teach you Class 12 Maths on MathYug

00:06:37 Empty Relations and Universal Relations (Trivial Relations) Lecture 1 (NCERT Exercise 1.1, NCERT Exemplar, Board’s Question Bank)

00:12:27 Question 1 Let R be the relation in the set N given by R = {(a, b) : a = b – 2, b ≥ 6}. Choose the correct answer. A. (2, 4) ∈ R B. (3, 8) ∈ R C. (6, 8) ∈ R D. (8, 7) ∈ R (N)

00:15:17 Question 2 Let A= {1, 2, 3,} and define R = {(a, b): a – b = 12}. Show that R is an empty relation on Set A. (B)

00:17:47 Question 3 Let A be the set of all students of a boy’s school. Show that the relation R in A given by R = {(a, b) : a is the sister of b} is the empty relation and R′ = {(a, b) : the difference between the heights of a and b is less than 3 meters} is the universal relation. (N)

00:28:17 Question 4 If A is the set of students of a school then write, which of the following relations are Universal, Empty, or neither of the two. R1 = {(a, b) : a, b are ages of students and |a – b| > 0} R2 = {(a, b) : a, b are weights of students, and |a – b| > 0} R3 = {(a, b) : a, b are students studying in the same class} (B)

00:40:47 Question 5 Let A = {1, 2, 3,} and define R = {(a, b): a + b < 0}. Show that R is a universal relation on set A. (B)

Join us as we embark on a journey to master Class 12 Maths, guided by Agam Sir's expertise.

[groceryreceipts]

Do you think it’s likely merchants did actually go to the hob and katniss just didn’t notice?

[literaryvein-reblogs]

heya!! Was wondering if you had any tips for writing characters going through withdrawal? Sorry if it's a weirder ask, but would a symptoms list be possible? Thanks in advance!!

Writing Notes: Withdrawal Symptoms

Withdrawal - Substance-specific physiologic effects, symptoms, and behavioral changes that are caused by stopping or reducing the intake of a substance.

It is a pharmacologic symptom in which untoward physical effects occur when the drug is stopped or when it is counteracted by a specific antagonist

Substance Withdrawal - A syndrome that develops after cessation of prolonged, heavy consumption of a substance.

Symptoms vary by substance but generally include:

physiological,

behavioral, and

cognitive manifestations, such as nausea and vomiting, insomnia, mood alterations, and anxiety.

DSM–IV–TR identifies 6 drug classes associated with withdrawal:

alcohol,

amphetamines,

cocaine,

nicotine,

opioids, and sedatives,

hypnotics, or anxiolytics.

DSM–5 and DSM-5-TR list

tobacco in place of nicotine and

further identify caffeine and

cannabis as being associated with a withdrawal syndrome.

To be classified as a substance-withdrawal disorder,

the withdrawal syndrome must cause the patient significant distress and/or impair functioning (e.g., social, occupational).

Most patients with withdrawal recognize that readministering the substance will reduce their symptoms.

ALCOHOL WITHDRAWAL

Alcohol Withdrawal - Symptoms that may occur when a person who has been drinking too much alcohol on a regular basis suddenly stops drinking alcohol.

These symptoms tend to occur within 8 hours after the last drink, but can occur days later. Symptoms tend to peak by 24 to 72 hours, but may go on for weeks.

Common alcohol withdrawal symptoms include:

Anxiety or nervousness

Depression

Fatigue

Irritability

Jumpiness or shakiness

Mood swings

Nightmares

Not thinking clearly

Other alcohol withdrawal symptoms may include:

Sweating, clammy skin

Enlarged (dilated) pupils

Headache

Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)

Loss of appetite

Nausea and vomiting

Pallor

Rapid heart rate

Sweating, clammy skin

Tremor of the hands or other body parts

Delirium Tremens - a severe form of alcohol withdrawal. It can cause:

Agitation, irritability

Sudden, severe confusion (delirium)

Fever

Seeing or feeling things that aren't there (hallucinations)

Seizures

A continuum of symptoms and signs of central nervous system (including autonomic) hyperactivity may accompany cessation of alcohol intake.

A mild alcohol withdrawal syndrome includes tremor, weakness, headache, sweating, hyperreflexia, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Tachycardia may be present and blood pressure can be slightly elevated. Symptoms usually begin within about 6 hours of cessation. Some patients have generalized tonic-clonic seizures (called alcohol-related seizure, or rum fits) but usually not > 2 in short succession. Seizures generally occur 6 to 48 hours after cessation of alcohol.

Alcoholic hallucinosis (hallucinations without other impairment of consciousness) follows abrupt cessation from prolonged, excessive alcohol use, usually within 12 to 24 hours. Hallucinations are typically visual. Symptoms may also include auditory illusions and hallucinations that frequently are accusatory and threatening; patients are usually apprehensive and may be terrified by the hallucinations and by vivid, frightening dreams. Alcoholic hallucinosis may resemble schizophrenia, although thought is usually not disordered and the history is not typical of schizophrenia. Symptoms do not resemble the delirious state of an acute organic brain syndrome as much as does delirium tremens (DT) or other pathologic reactions associated with withdrawal. Consciousness remains clear, and the signs of autonomic lability that occur in DT are usually absent. When hallucinosis occurs, it usually precedes DT and is transient.

Delirium tremens usually begins 48 to 72 hours after alcohol withdrawal; anxiety attacks, increasing confusion, poor sleep (with frightening dreams or nocturnal illusions), profuse sweating, and severe depression also occur. Fleeting hallucinations that arouse restlessness, fear, and even terror are common. Typical of the initial delirious, confused, and disoriented state is a return to a habitual activity; eg, patients frequently imagine that they are back at work and attempt to do some related activity.

OPIOID WITHDRAWAL

Opiates or opioids are drugs used to treat pain.

Opiates are derived from plants and

opioids are synthetic drugs that have the same actions as opiates.

The term narcotic refers to either type of drug.

If you stop or cut back on any of these drugs after heavy use for a few weeks or more, you will have a number of symptoms. This is called withdrawal.

Early symptoms of opiate and opioid withdrawal include:

Agitation

Anxiety

Muscle aches

Increased tearing

Insomnia

Runny nose

Sweating

Yawning

Late symptoms of opiate and opioid withdrawal include:

Abdominal cramping

Diarrhea

Dilated pupils

Goosebumps

Nausea

Vomiting

These symptoms are very uncomfortable but are not life threatening. Symptoms usually start within 12 hours of last heroin usage and within 30 hours of last methadone exposure.

Withdrawal from opioids can cause:

Sweating

Chills

Anxiety

Agitation

Muscle aches

Insomnia

Abdominal cramping

Nausea

Vomiting

Withdrawal symptoms may increase in severity over 72 hours before beginning to ease. Unlike withdrawal from other drugs such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, withdrawal from opioids is uncomfortable but rarely life-threatening.

The opioid withdrawal syndrome usually includes symptoms and signs of central nervous system hyperactivity.

Onset and duration of the syndrome depend on the specific drug and its half-life.

Symptoms may appear as early as 4 hours after the last dose of heroin, peak within 48 to 72 hours, and subside after about a week.

Anxiety and a craving for the drug are followed by increased resting respiratory rate (> 16 breaths/minute), usually with diaphoresis, yawning, lacrimation, rhinorrhea, mydriasis, and stomach cramps. Later, piloerection (gooseflesh), tremors, muscle twitching, tachycardia, hypertension, fever and chills, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may develop.

Opioid withdrawal does not cause fever, seizures, or altered mental status. Although it may be distressingly symptomatic, opioid withdrawal is not fatal.

The withdrawal syndrome in people who were taking methadone (which has a long half-life) develops more slowly and may be less acutely severe than heroin withdrawal, although users may describe it as worse.

Even after the withdrawal syndrome remits, lethargy, malaise, anxiety, and disturbed sleep may persist up to several months.

Drug craving may persist for years.

NICOTINE WITHDRAWAL

Common Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Having urges or cravings to smoke

Feeling irritated, grouchy, or upset

Feeling jumpy and restless

Having a hard time concentrating

Having trouble sleeping

Feeling hungrier or gaining weight

Feeling anxious, sad, or depressed

Trying to quit smoking feels different for each person, but almost everyone will have some symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. When you stop, your body and brain have to get used to not having nicotine. This can be uncomfortable, but nicotine withdrawal can’t hurt you – unless you give in and have a cigarette. Over time, withdrawal symptoms will fade as long as you stay smoke-free.

CAFFEINE WITHDRAWAL

Caffeine intoxication and caffeine withdrawal are included in DSM-5-TR.

Caffeine use disorder, however, is in the section of DSM-5-TR for conditions requiring further research. While there is evidence to support this as a disorder, experts conclude it is not yet clear to what extent it is a clinically significant disorder.

Some signs of caffeine withdrawal include:

impaired behavioral and cognitive performance,

decreased or increased blood pressure,

decreased motor activity,

increased heart rate,

hand tremor,

increased diuresis,

skin flushing,

flu-like symptoms,

nausea/vomiting,

constipation,

muscle stiffness,

joint pains, and

abdominal pain.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ⚜ More: Notes ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, it's alright. This is an interesting topic and quite important to portray in literature and other media. The symptoms depend on which substance/s your character has been using, but each person may also have different withdrawal symptoms. You can find more details in the sources. Hope this helps with your writing!

[fatliberation]

I totally understand and can empathize with fat activists when it comes to medical fatphobia. But I do think its important to provide nuance to this topic.

A lot of doctors mention weight loss, particularly for elective surgeries, because it makes the recovery process easier (Particularly with keeping sutures in place) and anesthetic safer.

I feel like its still important to mention those things when advocating for fat folks. Safety is important.

What you're talking about is actually a different topic altogether - the previous ask was not about preparing for surgery, it was about dieting being the only treatment option for anon's chronic pain, which was exacerbating their ed symptoms. Diets have been proven over and over again to be unsustainable (and are the leading predictor of eating disorders). So yeah, I felt that it was an inappropriate prescription informed more by bias than actual data.

(And side note: This study on chronic pain and obesity concluded that weight change was not associated with changes of pain intensity.)

If you want to discuss the risk factor for surgery, sure, I think that's an important thing to know - however, most fat people already know this and are informed by their doctors and surgeons of what the risks are beforehand, so I'm not really concerned about people being uninformed about it.

I'm a fat liberation activist, and what I'm concerned about is bias. I'm concerned that there are so many BMI cutoffs in essential surgeries for fat patients, when weight loss is hardly feasible, that creates a barrier to care that disproportionately affects marginalized people with intersecting identities.

It's also important to know that we have very little data around the outcomes of surgery for fat folks that isn't bariatric weight loss surgery.

A new systematic review by researchers in Sydney, Australia, published in the journal Clinical Obesity, suggests that weight loss diets before elective surgery are ineffective in reducing postoperative complications.

CADTH Health Technology Review Body Mass Index as a Measure of Obesity and Cut-Off for Surgical Eligibility made a similar conclusion:

Most studies either found discrepancies between BMI and other measurements or concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support BMI cut-offs for surgical eligibility. The sources explicitly reporting ethical issues related to the use of BMI as a measure of obesity or cut-off for surgical eligibility described concerns around stigma, bias (particularly for racialized peoples), and the potential to create or exacerbate disparities in health care access.

Nicholas Giori MD, PhD Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Stanford University, a respected leader in TKA and THA shared his thoughts in Elective Surgery in Adult Patients with Excess Weight: Can Preoperative Dietary Interventions Improve Surgical Outcomes? A Systematic Review:

“Obesity is not reversible for most patients. Outpatient weight reduction programs average only 8% body weight loss [1, 10, 29]. Eight percent of patients denied surgery for high BMI eventually reach the BMI cutoff and have total joint arthroplasty [28]. Without a reliable pathway for weight loss, we shouldn’t categorically withhold an operation that improves pain and function for patients in all BMI classes [3, 14, 16] to avoid a risk that is comparable to other risks we routinely accept.

It is not clear that weight reduction prior to surgery reduces risk. Most studies on this topic involve dramatic weight loss from bariatric surgery and have had mixed results [13, 19, 21, 22, 24, 27]. Moderate non-surgical weight loss has thus-far not been shown to affect risk [12]. Though hard BMI cutoffs are well-intended, currently-used BMI cutoffs nearly have the effect of arbitrarily rationing care without medical justification. This is because BMI does not strongly predict complications. It is troubling that the effects are actually not arbitrary, but disproportionately affect minorities, women and patients in low socioeconomic classes. I believe that the decision to proceed with surgery should be based on traditional shared-decision making between the patient and surgeon. Different patients and different surgeons have different tolerances to risk and reward. Giving patients and surgeons freedom to determine the balance that is right for them is, in my opinion, the right way to proceed.”

I agree with Dr. Giori on this. And I absolutely do not judge anyone who chooses to lose weight prior to a surgery. It's upsetting that it is the only option right now for things like safe anesthesia. Unfortunately, patients with a history of disordered eating (which is a significant percentage of fat people!) are left out of the conversation. There is certainly risk involved in either option and it sucks. I am always open to nuanced discussion, and the one thing I remain firm in is that weight loss is not the answer long-term. We should be looking for other solutions in treating fat patients and studying how to make surgery safer. A lot of this could be solved with more comprehensive training and new medical developments instead of continuously trying to make fat people less fat.

[lilislegacy]

Percy doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything

i know everyone won’t agree with this future for him, but humor me

percy in college figuring out that he doesn’t want to be stuck in a lab, but he wants to make a difference. he can talk to animals. he wants to use that ability for good. he wants to help animals in some way

percy wanting to become a veterinarian for aquatic animals. he doubts himself, becasue it takes someone smart and hard-working, but annabeth has full faith in him. and he finds he actually really likes learning about how sea animals function, and how to help them. once he’s a vet, he knows he made the right choice. he loves going to work every day, wherever that is. an aquarium, a marine clinic, the ocean, it doesn’t matter. he listens to the animals and helps them in a way that no other vet on earth can. his co-workers call him the animal whisperer. (which he finds funny, because he’s not whispering, just having a normal semi-telepathic conversation)

while he’s in college, percy having an experience that makes him begin to take notice of people and animals dying in fires. he remembers how his home in new york had been affected by 9/11 as a kid. he figures “i’m fire resistant. i can control water. im strong. i think quick on my feet… i can help.” so after college and throughout vet school, he’s a firefighter. he loves it. he gets to save people every day, he gets action, he thrives. and he saves so many lives. maybe he even takes ownership of the fire house’s new dog—a dalmatian-shepherd mix. he says it’s just for a bit, but the dog ends up as his and annabeth’s family pet (which annabeth totally knew would happen). but he loves being a firefighter. it makes him feel like he’s using his abilities to help people, not just kill endless amounts of monsters. he actually feels like a real hero this way.

percy becoming certified as a professional diver so he can do deep sea rescues, for animals mainly, but he ends up doing human rescues too. in tragedies like the thai cave rescue, he’s there. he’s the pro diver on call for an emergency—human or animal related. he’ll dive any depth to save a life. he’ll even just do it to help researchers, or historians, or anyone, really. and he never charges much, if anything at all.

percy volunteering as a marine wildlife rescuer. he’ll answer a call, day or night. he’ll help get a shark off the beach, cut rope off of a whale, save sea turtles caught in a net. it doesn’t matter, he’s there. and it’s nothing new for him.

percy maybe even writhing a book or two over the course of his life.

percy going on some boat expeditions, which he always leads.

percy maybe even one day teaching, when he’s older and his kids are grown. whether it’s 12 year olds with dyslexia or whether he’s teaching a college class on aquatic animals or greek mythology. he’d be good at it. he’s patient.

percy doing multiple great things throughout his life. percy using his experiences and abilities for good. percy not letting his past—being kicked out of every school, making bad grades, being called stupid—define him. not letting his past stop him.

percy doing a little bit (or a lot) of everything. becasue he can. becasue he’s alive. becasue he’s talented. becasue he’s intelligent. and because he has a huge heart.

and he has the most supportive partner in the whole world.

percy thriving in life.

[auriidae]

LIFESTUCK ?!?! (pt 2 here!) (pt 3)

i was sick a couple days ago and spent like 12 hours straight doing nothing but classpecting life series characters and then was like Yeah i have to draw this now. so here's some sillies 👍 (super long classpect ramble under cut because i spent far too long on it not to share hfshjf)

quick note: i really really love @/classpect-navelgazing's theories and used them for a lot of the ideas here. go check their blog out it rules :]

ok you guys flower ranchers (scott tango jimmy) are making me so insane for this au specifically because of this idea i had about doom/life players. doom in true canon is related to inevitability, fate, and knowledge of the specific rules that keep the characters trapped within their story, right. and life is sort of related to healing, physically and mentally, within the confines of the game. so within this au, the aspect of life refers to the rules within the game that the players can see and are aware of (last life’s trading lives system + boogeyman, third life’s soulmate mechanic, secret life’s tasks, etc.). life players have some amount of dominion over these elements (depending on their class, of course). doom on the other hand refers to everything surrounding the games (stuff like admin powers, the world barrier, and whatever happens to the players after they die). 

as a mage of doom, scot (his name is so funny to me. like yeah he sure is) has a bunch of intrinsic knowledge about the way the games function on a logistical level. he’s like a guy who read the script a while ago and forgot all the characters’ names but knows the basic plot and how it’s going to end. or who knows all the ins and outs of tech crew and for whom the apparent magic of the show for the audience is lost on, since he knows how it’s being done. the thing is, scot isn't especially able to act on this knowledge during the game. what director wants someone in the audience — or one of the actors — taking all the magic out of the show, spoiling how it works and how it ends? no, it’s best if they keep that knowledge to themselves — and so scot’s narratively unable to affect the stories of those around him, even his close friends who he’d want to help. he’s aware of this, of course, which makes him more than a little depressed, as he can see the futility of it all and can’t even explain to anyone what’s going on and how the game works. (the only story he’s able to affect, of course, is his own. which. depressed doom player + mage martyr complex + guy who Really cares about his friends is not necessarily a good combination.)

the amount of stock i put in the idea of gendered classes is close to zero so tangoe gets to be a maid of life because ohh my goodness. i like the theory (thanks classpect-navelgazing) of life as “the aspect of affluence,” where life players usually enter the game with some kind of material wealth or status that helps their position in some way. i also like the idea that maid players start the game with a surplus of their aspect but often end up feeling as if they’re only seen as a provider of that specific thing as a result of this, and so end up longing for something else instead. this primarily applies to last life tango because that’s the season i’m most familiar with lol, but i thought the way he started out with so many lives there and quickly dwindled as a result of everyone taking from him and only him was Really interesting. mans has all the luck of the game he could need, but only wants friends to actually be able to live with. being a life player also ties into his little gambling games and things (again, dominion over stuff within the overarching game/story, but nothing beyond that).

then we get to jimi (again fantastic name). the basic premise of an heir is that they’re played by their aspect, right and Oh Boy is jimmy played by life in the life series. i don’t personally know much about anything he’s done other than heehoo canary guy but along with the previously stated points it’s So fun to see him as a life player because it allows for some really clearly contrast between the way he interacts with tangoe and scot based on their aspects. i really like the idea of scot being like “you’re a life player jimi. it's in your name. the game is not going to let you die” and jimi like “you really think so? aw thanks man” neither of them knowing that dying as a life player in this game is literally like in the job description. (ok. i kind of feel like i’m letting jimi down by basing his story so far around other people.. but this is just for fun and i can always change it later)

(also i could easily have put tangoe and jimi as doom players too but for the fact that i don’t think they necessarily see through the game as much as scot does (or at all). and so life it is.)

feel free to ask me questions abt them!!! i have so many thoughts about this bro 

[botanical-garden-system]

Psychology is a very broad field, and there are a lot of different aspects to this field. It’s really hard to navigate this science without a bit of academic knowledge, so I’m going to open up my asks in general for people who are interested in psychology. I have access to several academic databases and I would love to share them with people who want them! I also really want chances to info dump and get excited over psychology more often :,))

My research surrounds psychology, especially psychopathology and DID research, so a lot of my support will be good through that. However, I do have a bit of knowledge on other branches of psychology if you are interested (e.g. sensation and perception, cognitive, early childhood development, some neuropsychology). I can also connect these to psychopathology fairly well, that being my specialty. If this actually gets interest, I may make a side blog to help give psychology education.

I have more information under the cut if you would be interested!

(Yes I know a lot of the tags are DID related but thats a big target audience of mine so sue me /lh)

If you do send me an ask, make sure to be as specific as possible. I can (and will) do some extra preliminary research to figure out things, but the more specific the better for me! Terms that are used colloquially usually have other terms in research/are misunderstood by general discussion. I also have access to general textbooks covering branches of psychology if you are interested in the overall field!

Also please be sure to ask me for a simplified explanation if you need one! The abstract, background info, and discussion sections are your friend.

No question is a stupid question!!

Here are some different overall categories to stir up some interest (and these are categories I definitely feel the most comfortable in, but it is not an expansive list):

Sensation and Perception: This is the study of the different senses and how this contributes to our perception of the world. The research surrounds the physical detection of stimuli through the senses (sensation) and how the brain interprets this information (perception). Some commonly covered sense are: vision, audition (hearing), vestibular, somatosensation (touch), interoception, olfaction (smell), and gustation (taste). (I am currently looking into the vestibular system, it’s very cool).

Cognitive psychology: This is the study of how people think and process things. A lot of this includes attention, perceptions, memory, language, and problem-solving skills. This branch is all about the process of information, including the ones we are not consciously aware of. (I have been a TA for this class).

Developmental psychology: This is the study of development through the human lifespan. It is typically broken down into early childhood (infancy to 10-11 years of age; infancy can also be separated on its own), adolescence (roughly 12-18 years), adulthood (age ranges from 18-65, but this is usually broken down), and later adulthood (65+ years of age). It can be very all encompassing of psychological functions.

Social psychology: This is the study of how society impacts the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the individual—regardless of whether it is an imagined or actual interaction. Social psychology can cover things such as race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, disability, etc.. Covers conformity, deviance, socialization, prejudice, and more.

Personality psychology: This is the study of personality traits we can find in an individual and how it influences an individual’s behaviors, adaptations, or interactions. The three levels of personality analysis: human nature (how alike we are to the entirety of humanity), individual/group differences (how alike we are to specific groups), and individual uniqueness (how we are like no one else).

Biological psychology: This is the study of the biological and physiological processes that make us react and behave in the ways we do. It includes human anatomy to explain the interactions of biology (endocrine, immune, neural pathways, etc.) to psychology. When I use the term “biomarkers,” it is most likely related to biological psychology

I can probably make a few posts about how to navigate research papers, the kinds of papers you will come into, different statistical tests, and some general basic introductory psychology information.

[rosesrded]

04.05.2025 (sun)

Day (25/30) DOP COLLAB CHALLENGE

There was no offline school today because of NEET (I have only a year left AHHHHH), but we did have online classes.

They started at 9, and I woke up at 9:05—but thankfully class actually began at 9:10. The teachers were struggling with the online setup and it totally took me back to COVID times lol.

Anyway, class ended around 12:40-ish, after which I procrastinated, cleaned my room (which was an absolute pig’s pen for the past week or so), ironed my uniform, and did other random stuff. I still haven’t even broomed my room yet—planning to do that tomorrow.

It’s almost 7 pm rn and these are the things I've still yet to do will have to end up pulling an all nighter just when I was planning to get my sleep schedule fixed wtf.

They gave us so much work just because we had Sunday, which wasn’t even technically off. Watch me as I die?

Also I’m most stressed about the speaking test in English which they count towards our internal marks so AHHHH.

Bio - test on reproductive health

Bio - record

Bio - notes +diagrams

Chem - haloalkanes and arenes test

Chem - notes

Phy - test on current and electricity

Math - relations and functions test

Math - hw

Eng - Speech

[4okra]

my term paper written in 2018 (how ND games were made and why they will never be made that way again)

hello friends, I am going to be sharing portions of a paper i wrote way back in 2018 for a college class. in it, i was researching exactly how the ND games were made, and why they would not be made that way anymore.

if you have any interest in the behind the scenes of how her interactive made their games and my theories as to why our evil overlord penny milliken made such drastic changes to the process, read on!

warning that i am splicing portions of this paper together, so you don't have to read my ramblings about the history of nancy and basic gameplay mechanics:

Use of C++, DirectX, and Bink Video

Upon completion of each game, the player can view the game’s credits. HeR states that each game was developed using C++ and DirectX, as well as Bink Video later on.

C++

          C++ is a general-purpose programming language. This means that many things can be done with it, gaming programming included. It is a compiled language, which Jack Copeland explains as the “process of converting a table of instructions into a standard description or a description number” (Copeland 12). This means that written code is broken down into a set of numbers that the computer can then understand. C++ first appeared in 1985 and was first standardized in 1998. This allowed programmers to use the language more widely. It is no coincidence that 1998 is also the year that the first Nancy Drew game was released.

C++ Libraries

          When there is a monetary investment to make a computer game, there are more people using and working on whatever programming language they are using. Because there was such an interest in making games in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, there was essentially a “boom” in how much C++ and other languages were being used. With that many people using the language, they collectively added on to the language to make it simpler to use. This process ends up creating what is called “libraries.” For example:

          If a programmer wants to make a function to add one, they must write out the code that does that (let’s say approximately three lines of code). To make this process faster, the programmer can define a symbol, such as + to mean add. Now, when the programmer types “+”, the language knows that equals the three lines of code previously mentioned, as opposed to typing out those three lines of code each time the programmer wants to add. This can be done for all sorts of symbols and phrases, and when they are all put together, they are called a “package” or “library.”

          Libraries can be shared with other programmers, which allows everyone to do much more with the language much faster. The more libraries there are, the more that can be done with the language.

          Because of the interest in the gaming industry in the early 2000’s, more people were being paid to use programming languages. This caused a fast increase in the ability of programming. This helps to explain how HeR was able to go from jerky, bobble-headed graphics in 1999 to much more fluid and realistic movements in 2003.

Microsoft DirectX

          DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for tasks related to multimedia, especially video game programming, on Microsoft platforms. Among many others, these APIs include Direct3D (allows the user to draw 3D graphics and render 3D animation), DirectDraw (accelerates the rendering of graphics), and DirectMusic (allows interactive control over music and sound effects). This software is crucial for the development of many games, as it includes many services that would otherwise require multiple programs to put together (which would not only take more time but also more money, which is important to consider in a small company like HeR).

Bink Video

          According to the credits which I have painstakingly looked through for each game, HeR started using Bink Video in game 7, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002). Bink is a file format (.bik) developed by RAD Game Tools. This file format has to do with how much data is sent in a package to the Graphical User Interface (GUI). (The GUI essentially means that the computer user interacts with representational graphics rather than plain text. For example, we understand that a plain drawing of a person’s head and shoulders means “user.”) Bink Video structures the data sent in a package so that when it reaches the Central Processing Unit (CPU), it is processed more efficiently. This allows for more data to be transferred per second, making graphics and video look more seamless and natural. Bink Video also allows for more video sequences to be possible in a game.

Use of TransGaming Inc.

          Sea of Darkness is the only title that credits a company called TransGaming Inc, though I’m pretty sure they’ve been using it for every Mac release, starting in 2010. TransGaming created a technology called Cider that allowed video game developers to run games designed for Windows on Mac OS X (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Findev). As one can imagine, this was an incredibly helpful piece of software that allowed for HeR to start releasing games on Mac platforms. This was a smart way for them to increase their market. 

          In 2015, a portion of TransGaming was acquired by NVIDIA, and in 2016, TransGaming changed its business focus from technology to real estate financing. Though it is somewhat difficult to determine which of its formal products are still available, it can be assumed that they will not be developing anything else technology-based from 2016 on.

          Though it is entirely possible that there is other software available for converting Microsoft based games to Mac platforms, the loss of TransGaming still has large consequences. For a relatively small company like Her Interactive, hiring an entire team to convert the game for Mac systems was a big deal (I know they did this because it is in the credits of SEA which you can see at the end of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0gAzD7Q09Y). Without this service, HeR loses a large portion of their customers.

Switch to Unity

          Unity is a game engine that is designed to work across 27 platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Playstation, Xbox, Wii, and multiple Virtual Reality systems. The engine itself is written in C++, though the user of the software writes code in C#, JavaScript (also called UnityScript), or less commonly Boo. Its initial release took place in 2005, with a stable release in 2017 and another in March of 2018. Some of the most popular games released using Unity include Pokemon Go for iOS in 2016 and Cuphead in 2017.

          HeR’s decision to switch to Unity makes sense on one hand but is incredibly frustrating on the other. Let’s start with how it makes sense. The software HeR was using from TransGaming Inc. will (from what I can tell) never be updated again, meaning it will become virtually useless soon, if it hasn’t already. That means that HeR needed to find another software that would allow them to convert their games onto a Mac platform so that they would not lose a large portion of their customers. This was probably seen as an opportunity to switch to something completely new that would allow them to reach even more platforms. One of the points HeR keeps harping on and on about in their updates to fans is the tablet market, as well as increasing popularity in VR. If HeR wants to survive in the modern game market, they need to branch outside of PC gaming. Unity will allow them to do that. The switch makes sense.

          However, one also has to consider all of the progress made in their previous game engine. Everything discussed up to this point has taken 17 years to achieve. And, because their engine was designed by their developers specifically for their games, it is likely that after the switch, their engine will never be used again. Additionally, none of the progress HeR made previously applies to Unity, and can only be used as a reference. Plus, it’s not just the improvements made in the game engine that are being erased. It is also the staff at HeR who worked there for so long, who were so integral in building their own engine and getting the game quality to where it is in Sea of Darkness, that are being pushed aside for a new gaming engine. New engine, new staff that knows how to use it.

          The only thing HeR won’t lose is Bink Video, if that means anything to anyone. Bink2 works with Unity. According to the Bink Video website, Bink supplies “pre-written plugins for both Unreal 4 and Unity” (Rad Game Tools). However, I can’t actually be sure that HeR will still use Bink in their next game since I don’t work there. It would make sense if they continued to use it, but who knows.

Conclusions and frustrations

          To me, Her Interactive is the little company that could. When they set out to make the first Nancy Drew game, there was no engine to support it. Instead of changing their tactics, they said to heck with it and built their own engine. As years went on, they refined their engine using C++ and DirectX and implemented Bink Video. In 2010 they began using software from TransGaming Inc. that allowed them to convert their games to Mac format, allowing them to increase their market. However, with TransGaming Inc.’s falling apart starting in 2015, HeR was forced to rethink its strategy. Ultimately they chose to switch their engine out for Unity, essentially throwing out 17 years worth of work and laying off many of their employees. Now three years in the making, HeR is still largely secretive about the status of their newest game. The combination of these factors has added up to a fanbase that has become distrustful, frustrated, and altogether largely disappointed in what was once that little company that could.

Suggested Further Reading:

Midnight in Salem, OR Her Interactive’s Marketing Nightmare (Part 2): https://saving-face.net/2017/07/07/midnight-in-salem-or-her-interactives-marketing-nightmare-part-2/

Compilation of MID Facts: http://community.herinteractive.com/showthread.php?1320771-Compilation-of-MID-Facts

Game Building - Homebrew or Third Party Engines?: https://thementalattic.com/2016/07/29/game-building-homebrew-or-third-party-engines/

/end of essay. it is crazy to go back and read this again in 2025. mid had not come out yet when i wrote this and i genuinely did not think it would ever come out. i also had to create a whole power point to go along with this and present it to my entire class of people who barely even knew what nancy drew was, let alone that there was a whole series of pc games based on it lol

[supahstarrr]

im offically out of high school!!!!!!! what an eventful day :)!!!! journal time!!!!!

> the graduation ceremony was so fucking far away from me i had to catch a big ass train thats actually pretty good for traveling out of your city > hhowever there was no cafe car in it which made me annoyed but its whatever i guess. even more annoyed because i forgot to make a sandwich and take it with me, and my mother kept emphasizing the possibility of the car having a cafe car but its ok because we got food at two places > however listening to music on max volume with headphones while staring out the window on the train is so awesome and a freeing experience i 100% recommend doing this when youre on a train > had to suffer through a bunch of bickering and almost-arguments between my mother and grandmother but we move i guess??? > we got to the place that held the ceremony kind of late > my anxiety is usually not so bad but while sitting down to wait for my row to stand and moving as guided, i genuinely was feeling close to being a bit sick > i saw my english teacher walking to see the students and i thought about getting her to like. Notice that i was a student in her class and chat with her but i was so caught up about my anxiety about the graduation i just didnt have the strength to talk > two boys sitting next to me were yapping and yapping. some of the things they said were funny and totally relatable as someone else also very cynical about the school but we're graduating from they seemed a little loud?? and it was annoying at some points. but also amusing at some points too. and about three girls, including one next to me, kept turning their head and giving them the side stare which was a little funny > speaking of being cynical about school this graduation lowkey made me insecure about having a 3.4 gpa even though i thought it was good and also stupid about thinking the "distinguished honor roll" being listed in my report cards for a few years straight was genuinely important enough for an reward or shout out or like you know a simple acknowledgement but whatever i guess. > however the constant "congrats for graduating :D" and the occasional "you look so pretty :D" comments when i wore my robe and cap to hershey chocolate world and in public in general. on the side note i kept getting stared at by a few people which was a bit weird but we move > yes i went to hershey chocolate world!!! genuinely was moreso thinking about going on a train to center city to go to one of my favorite restaurants to eat at but a kind teacher + guide got me to consider going to hershey chocolate world's and i decided to go!!! because not only it was convenient as we were near by, but also going to that amusement park would be a much more rarer experience than going to that restaurant i wanted to go before > its a bit of a whimsical place i like it however i do not buy into hershey's propaganda about their chocolate. However i did eat a mini hershey bar i got for free and i liked it yay > sweets are genuinely good for the human to function is what i got out of this experiecne because i ate one hershey bar after months (probs a few years) of not having one and some how it tasted so good yay. also a yellow ladybug (looked more like one of those asian bugs but let me believe) landed on my finger while i walked around and ate the chocolate bar but my grandma shooed it away because she was paranoid it would bite me > after that and getting take out food from one of the restaurants in the world we went to station to catch a train back home but there were constant delays. but while we were waiting i couldnt help but to admire how bright it looked even when it was around 8:20-8:40 PM. i also found the site of fireflies in the distance to be so amazing i pointed towards them and was like LOOK!!! fireflies :D because i hardly see them in the city anymore. fireflies are so whimsical and comforting > i came home at like 12 am which was crazy considering we left home at 9:40 am. so thats like... idk almost 24 hours idk shit im tired im still writing this and its 2:08.

I'm finally out of highschool. but a part of me feels a bit empty after graduating; its not even just about feeling my achievements werent acknowledged (at least i thought they were good and significant achievements but im not sure, probably not) but like also going to school being like.l I dont know like my "purpose" for a significant phase of my life, that is childhood and teenhood. but its like weird because going out of highschool at at least feeling like stepping into the adult world, but i hardly have the skills to feel like an adult plus i will *still* be treated as a minor because well i am a minor. so its like Im out but its like. Idk. Its still a huge part of my identity so its kind of weird to be officially out of school, especially considering im still considered a minor so that legal stance of me still being a minor plus the lack of independent skills i have due to not being taught or encouraged to have those skills kind of conflicts with me supposedly being an "adult" now? Idk but anyways.

time to focus on studying the driving manual and finishing up my resume and start applying for summer jobs! bye guys

[splinterswerve]

Haiku Recovery 12

⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ ignorant people surround me in class tonight- yes, she's ignorant. ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ What is ignorance? Any idiot can get high- So annoying… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Big pharma and the Lobbyists are now staple- U.S. med a joke… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ The Sacklers were American institution- What a fucking joke. ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Hispanic Karen- I said it; she's ignorant- I want to slap her. ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Addiction is a business so American- blue and red, so white… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Hippocratic oath- it does not mean shit today- But did it ever? ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ M. & G.'s laughs are so irritating to me- Like needles in eyes… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ what am I holding so tightly onto in here? suffocating self… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ I'm valuable. "Passively suicidal"- now active, alive… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Bargaining to live- Drinking to passively die… Cycle is insane! ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Night is over and sun rises, slants- I'm fearful- how do I function? ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ I can't replace self with substances- cowardly- not an answer, no… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Wandering and I've wondered how I have survived- Must be higher P. ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ No mud, no lotus- Muddy lotus, I spring up- I respect myself… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Clarity moment- Letting God in, surrender- Blossoming within… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Plants thrive, push forward- Humans push but growth painful- Roses, truth have thorns… (Thoreau) ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Remain H.O.W. and way through will reveal self… RESPECT the process… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Being drunk, stupid- duality beckons false- Freedom is beyond… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Sobriety is like stringing beads on necklace- One day at a time… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Excuses are like toy soldiers at war with self- Easy to kill them… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Experience, balm to soul & relating to others, transcendence… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Foundations reforged- God's grace awakens my soul- How grateful am I! ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ relationship with a loving God absolute- Help me move on… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Night falls, twilight glows- My flesh humming, change coming- will I be on time? ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Recovery takes trust that my Higher Power instills in my soul… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Skulls, glitter across my mind's eye, momento mori- Fire sparks, embers die… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Celebrate myself sobriety is afoot- one day at a time! ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Paraphanalia of person's past presents a problem so profound! ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ My flesh quivers, quakes- God forbid I desire another human… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Is truth relative? Each perceptive mind differs- Both dead and alive… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ What are his motives? I really am attracted- He seems to be good… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Insidious is disease, trauma, my own mind- Will I carry truth? ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Negligence has worn my soul, but ignorance is the worst enemy… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ boundaries are key- Building my foundations now- Assertiveness reigns! ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ Continuum with conscious contact with God is freedom from dukha… ⋆・ﾟ:⋆・ﾟ

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Ross Pomeroy

Published: Jan 4, 2023

Boys are under-performing girls across all ages, education levels, and in most countries — and the divide is worsening.

A recently published study of 39,000 Italian tenth graders found that for male and female students who have identical subject-specific competence, teachers give higher grades to girls.

A simple solution to grading-related bias is for students to write their names at the very end of any test or assignment, so the grader only knows their identity after scoring the wo

Across all ages and nearly all areas of education, boys are under-performing girls.

“Girls are about a year ahead of boys in terms of reading ability in OECD nations, in contrast to a wafer-thin and shrinking advantage for boys in maths. Boys are 50 percent more likely than girls to fail at all three key school subjects: maths, reading, and science,” Richard Reeves, a senior fellow in Economic Studies and the Director of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative, wrote in his recent book Why the Modern Male is Struggling,

According to a 2018 Brookings Institution report, about 88% of American girls graduated high school on time, compared with 82% of boys. In 2020, six out of ten college students were women. Once on campus, they graduate at higher rates, receiving more associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in the process. As evidenced by declining college enrollment in the U.S., a drop for which men account for 71%, the gender disparity is continuing to worsen.

The reasons for this expanding educational divide have been vociferously debated and discussed. A startling shortage of male K-12 teachers (just 24%), the hands-off, tedious structure of school, and poor parenting are a few of the explanations offered. Another, less frequently discussed, is starting to emerge from the scientific literature: Boys appear to be graded more harshly than girls.

Boys vs. girls

When researchers across the world — from Israel and Sweden to France and Czechia — explored teachers’ grading behaviors, either by having educators grade hypothetical students’ identical works while only changing the students’ gender, or comparing grades achieved by “similarly competent” male and female students, they found that girls consistently receive higher grades than boys.

Further cementing this pattern is a recently published study conducted on nearly 39,000 10th grade students in Italy.

Authors Ilaria Lievore and Moris Triventi, both in the department of sociology and social research at the University of Trento, found that for students with the same level of “subject-specific competence,” as measured by standardized test scores, girls are graded more generously than boys. In Italy, students are graded on a one to ten scale, with six being a passing score. In mathematics, girls are graded about 0.4 points higher than similarly competent boys. In language, the gender grading premium is 0.3 points in favor of girls.

Since the researchers also procured data on students’ teachers and classroom characteristics, they explored whether the teacher’s gender or the classroom size had any effect on the difference in grading. Alas, they didn’t see any sign that male teachers were kinder graders to boys. Moreover, fewer students in a classroom did not mitigate the effect.

The researchers were thus left to speculate about the cause of the grading imbalance.

Teacher bias?

“One related theoretical stream interprets gender grading mismatch as also being a function of students’ observed behaviours,” they wrote. “School and classroom environments might indeed be adapted to traditionally female behaviours. Female students might thus adopt such actual behaviours during class, including precision, order, modesty, and quietness, which go beyond the individuals’ academic performance, but which teachers may highly reward in terms of grades.”

The simple fact is that, despite their best intentions, teachers can be swayed by the same unconscious biases as the rest of us. As one anonymous teacher pointed out on Reddit, “Teacher’s mood plays into grades. How the student acts in class affects grading. How the students’ parents act plays into grades.”

Thus, a simple solution to grading-related bias is for students to write their names at the very end of any test or assignment, so the grader only knows their identity after scoring the work.

==

Teacher bias has been studied quite extensively.

Abstract

Schools and teachers are often said to be a source of stereotypes that harm girls. This paper tests for the existence of gender stereotyping and discrimination by public high-school teachers in Israel. It uses a natural experiment based on blind and non-blind scores that students receive on matriculation exams in their senior year. Using data on test results in several subjects in the humanities and sciences, I found, contrary to expectations, that male students face discrimination in each subject. These biases widen the female–male achievement difference because girls outperform boys in all subjects, except English, and at all levels of the curriculum. The bias is evident in all segments of the ability and performance distribution and is robust to various individual controls. Several explanations based on differential behavior between boys and girls are not supported empirically. However, the size of the difference is very sensitive to teachers' characteristics, suggesting that the bias against male students is the result of teachers', and not students', behavior.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the presence of systematic differences between teacher non-blind assessments and external blindly graded standardized tests as a measure of grading misalignment. Using a large administrative database covering two student cohorts (N = 31, 183 pupils) from publicly-funded schools in the Basque Country (Spain), we explore the grading gaps found between these two type of assessments for several student characteristics using fixed effects modeling. We find that, after controlling for standardized achievement, systematic teachers’ under-assessment exists for student groups that, on average, lag behind in school: boys, children from an immigrant background, and low SES students. The observed data patterns withstand several robustness checks, including the use of instrumental variables approach (IV) and other alternative regression specifications.

Abstract

The ‘boy crisis’ prompts the question of whether people interpret inequalities differently depending on whether males or females are lagging behind. We study this question in a novel large-scale distributive experiment involving more than 5,000 Americans. Our data provide strong evidence of a gender bias against low-performing males, particularly among female participants. A large set of additional treatments establishes that the gender bias reflects statistical fairness discrimination. The study provides novel evidence on the nature of discrimination and on how males falling behind are perceived by society.

Abstract

Teachers’ evaluations of students do not consider only academic competence, but are imbued with social considerations related to individual teacher and student characteristics, their interactions, and the surrounding context. The aim of this paper is understanding the extent to which teachers grade girls more generously than boys, and which characteristics of teachers and classrooms are likely to reduce this gender grading gap. We use Italian data from INVALSI-SNV, providing information on 10th-grade students linked with their teachers. The analysis relies on grade equation models in multilevel regression analysis, with students as first level, teachers/classrooms as second level, and schools as third level. Results show that, when comparing students who have identical subject-specific competence, teachers are more likely to give higher grades to girls. Furthermore, they demonstrate for the first time that this grading premium favouring girls is systemic, as teacher and classroom characteristics play a negligible role in reducing it.

ABSTRACT

We study if the Italian school system suffers from gender bias when judging students. To this aim, we use a differences-in-differences approach that compares the teachers' assessments and the standardized test scores that the students receive during the school year. We have census data for all Italian fifth and sixth graders in two different subjects, math and language, that include a rich set of additional controls. Our evidence reveals that, since primary school, boys are graded less favourably than girls in both math and language. This result is also confirmed for middle school students (sixth graders), and it holds even when (a) we separate the analysis between the most and least developed Italian regions, (b) we control for possible gender-specific attitude towards cheating and teachers' manipulation and (c) we introduce class and school fixed effects in the models. Comparing the results obtained across different levels of schooling and subjects, we cannot clearly identify the role of specific mechanisms in determining the gender bias. Overall the analysis suggests further study on the role of teachers' characteristics.

Abstract

I use a combination of blind and non-blind test scores to show that middle school teachers favor girls in their evaluations. This favoritism, estimated as individual teacher effects, has long-term consequences: as measured by their national evaluations three years later, male students make less progress than their female counterparts. On the other hand, girls who benefit from gender bias in math are more likely to select a science track in high school. Without teachers’ bias in favor of girls, the gender gap in choosing a science track would be 12.5% larger in favor of boys.

2.1 Grading bias and teacher assessments

The OECD found that girls are more likely to receive better marks from their teachers (in class tests), even when compared to boys who perform equally well in PISA (anonymous, surprise test), and they report similar attitudes and behaviors (amount of time spent reading and on homework, school enjoyment, etc.) [15]. Students’ expectations of their future and ambitions were shown to be linked to their grades. It is concluded that because of the grading bias, boys are more likely to not go to college and to end their education earlier than girls who perform equally well at PISA and display similar behaviors.

The OECD is not alone in their observation of the grading bias. Researcher Camille Terrier found that this favouritism towards girls has long-term negative consequences for boys’ progress. In particular, she notes that “without teachers’ bias in favour of girls, the gender gap in choosing a science track would be 12.5% larger in favour of boys” [16]. She also finds that, contradicting the OECD report’s speculation1, “girls’ better behaviour in class is not behind this nudge forwards”.

Another study analysed the grades of almost 30,000 pupilsfrom 300 Israeli schools, across multiple cohorts of high school seniors, and found a grading bias against males across nine subjects by comparing blind grades from external state exams with non-blind teacher grades [17]. These findings were consistent even in schools where boys outperformed girls on average. As this study is a natural experiment, the findings have a high degree of generalisability.

A very recent study from Italy reports that, among students with identical subject-specific competence, teachers tend to give higher marks to girls [18]. The study further reveals that this bonus in favour of girls is systemic, as teacher and classroom characteristics have minimal impact on reducing it. Thus, a holistic approach may be needed in order to solve the problem which may not be caused by any one particular failing. Notably, the authors conclude: “[…] the magnitude of the bias against male students in not negligible, and may have negative consequences. This is especially true regarding Mathematics, where a teacher penalty may translate into a failing grade, since the average teacher grade for boys falls right on the passing mark.” [emphasis added]

[rabbitindisguise]

happy adhd awareness month!

I'm not gonna lie, I saw posts that reminded me I've been meaning to do a self dx post for adhd since 2 minutes ago (when I realized I could channel my energy into something fun and exciting)

Anyways, this post comes in two parts:

ADHD diagnostic criteria a) literal criteria b) discussion of the meaning of various terms and how they relate to everyday experiences

ADHD community terms a) executive dysfunction b) neurodivergent c) hyperfocus/hyperfixation

bonus content: a) getting diagnosed b) stim toys and other accessibility aids c) accommodations d) bonus literature

diagnostic criteria

Symptoms and/or behaviors that have persisted ≥ 6 months in ≥ 2 settings (e.g., school, home, church). Symptoms have negatively impacted academic, social, and/or occupational functioning. In patients aged < 17 years, ≥ 6 symptoms are necessary; in those aged ≥ 17 years, ≥ 5 symptoms are necessary. Symptoms present prior to age 12 years. Symptoms not better accounted for by a different psychiatric disorder. Symptoms may be classified as mild, moderate, or severe based on symptom severity.

Hyperactive type - ADHD-H

Patient meets inattentive criterion, but not hyperactive/impulse criterion, for the past 6 months.

Hyperactive Symptoms:

Squirms when seated or fidgets with feet/hands

Marked restlessness that is difficult to control

Appears to be driven by “a motor” or is often “on the go”

Lacks ability to play and engage in leisure activities in a quiet manner

Incapable of staying seated in class

Overly talkative

Impulsive Symptoms:

Difficulty waiting turn

Interrupts or intrudes into conversations and activities of others

Impulsively blurts out answers before questions completed

Inattentive type - ADHD-I

Patient meets inattentive criterion, but not hyperactive/impulse criterion, for the past 6 months.

Inattentive Symptoms:

Displays poor listening skills

Loses and/or misplaces items needed to complete activities or tasks

Sidetracked by external or unimportant stimuli

Forgets daily activities

Diminished attention span

Lacks ability to complete schoolwork and other assignments or to follow instructions

Avoids or is disinclined to begin homework or activities requiring concentration

Fails to focus on details and/or makes thoughtless mistakes in schoolwork or assignments

Combined type - ADHD-C

Patient meets both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive criteria for the past 6 months.

source: DSM-5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition; ADHD: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (via aafp.org)

Changes made in the DSM-5 update:

Overall, the revised diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 do not fundamentally change the concept of ADHD. However, the definition of the disorder has been updated, to more accurately characterise adults affected by ADHD. In all previous versions, ADHD was depicted as a disorder affecting mainly children, and to a lesser extent adolescents, but not adults. Hence, the wording of the 18 symptoms, and corresponding examples, was appropriate for assessing mainly school-age children. With the DSM-5, efforts have been made to more appropriately guide clinicians when assessing adult ADHD. These changes are based on two decades of research, which show that, although ADHD is a childhood-onset disorder, the core symptoms and resulting impairments can persist into adulthood, and continue to have a significant impact on everyday life. Box 1. The most important changes to the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition [bulleted list below]

ADHD grouped with other neurodevelopmental disorders, rather than with behavioural disorders

Subtypes changed to presentations

Age of onset increased from seven to 12 years

For adults and adolescents aged 17 and above, only five symptoms now required instead of the six needed for younger children

New symptom examples added

Updated definition of situational pervasiveness

Definitions of ADHD severity added

Autism spectrum disorder removed as an exclusion criterion

Mild ADHD is defined as having no, or only a few, symptoms in excess of those required for making the diagnosis. At the other end of the spectrum, severe ADHD requires either many symptoms in excess of the minimum required, several very severe present symptoms or a very high degree of social or occupational impairment. Individuals with moderate ADHD are between the two extremes, either in terms of the number of ADHD symptoms or the level of impairment. Although this initiative is praiseworthy, in that it defines terms that are already in use but lack specifications, the definitions are not particularly specific or operationalised. It could also be argued that adults with persisting ADHD may have a more severe form of the disorder; this has not been incorporated in the definitions of severity, despite the fact that adults with ADHD often have more problematic outcomes.

(source Hayward Medical Communications 2015, ADHD IN PRACTICE 2015; Vol 7 No 2 - warning, pdf download link!)

Self-scorers:

others mentioned here

ADHD Rating Scale IV (ADHD-RS-IV) With Adult Prompts

Adult ADHD Clinical Diagnostic Scale (ACDS) v1.2

Adult ADHD Investigator Rating Scale (AISRS)

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) v1.1

Adult ADHD Self-Report Screening Scale for DSM-5 (ASRS DSM-5) Screener

Adult ASRS Symptom Checklist v1.1

Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11)

Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Symptom Assessment Scale (BADDS) for Adults

Clinical Global Impression (CGI)

Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS)

Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA) 2.0

Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS)

(source)

Discussion of terms:

Fidgets: picking at the skin around fingernails, tapping fingers/bouncing leg, tipping chairs, changing seating position frequently (more than once every ten minutes is too much), stimming, using a fidget toy, touching face, doodling, etc

Restlessness: the feeling of wanting to move, change activities, get up, or struggling to be satisfied by doing the same thing.

"driven by a motor" phrases: basically not wanting to take breaks because it'll be distracting, as far as I can tell. Busy as a bee, etc. Not wanting to (or being able to, or noticing) pause while speaking, not wanting to speak to someone while walking to something else despite being in no rush, etc.

Listening skills: paying attention without needing to doodle or imagining funny scenarios in your head the whole time. Might include being able to answer questions when asked about what they were listening to, responding when prompted, and looking in the person's general vicinity.

Unimportant stimuli: things not related to what someone *should* be focused on. Like if you're in school and you're distracted by a bus going by out the window, or if you get distracted by the sound the lights make while trying to focus on what the cashier is saying.

Daily activities: eating, sleeping, using the bathroom, doing chores (sweeping, laundry, shopping), getting dressed, etc

Completes schoolwork: includes answering every question you know the answer to, fully, and doing all the steps to questions as well as filling in required fields like name/date/etc.

Thoughtless mistakes: typos, spelling your name wrong, wrong fonts, forgetting to attach the bibliography, doing basic addition wrong on an algebra problem, etc.

In many of self-scorers there are questions like: "How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?"

This is a very "but I have a system!" question. It might help to understand the neurotypical expeirence here.

Neurotypicals do not struggle to remember appointments, unless they have so many of them that it would be difficult for anyone to keep track of. If they have one appointment this week, they are not setting eight alarms or putting stickynotes everywhere. They say "oh! I have an appointment." And then go to that appointment. That's it. It doesn't take a lot of energy to remember. They don't have to repeat it in their head every chance they get to remember it. They haven't tried three different planner systems in the past year or struggle to stay with them. They don't religiously check google calendar every day. They simply know they have an appointment, and (assuming nothing weird like they're a secretary managing 9 clients or they got a cold) they remember it. All of these questions are pretty much like this. If you've had to struggle to do something most of the time and still fail, the answer is you have problems "most of the time." It's not the amount of times you have failed to remember.

ADHD community terms

Executive dysfunction

Not specific to ADHD, this term describes something that both people with depression and people with ADHD struggle with (though often for different reasons). People with ADHD tend to put off tasks until the last minute, struggle to finish things, and have a difficulty doing something when they need to. It can have a severe impact on someone with ADHD and their ability to do things in their daily life. Having executive dysfunction is one of the (many) reasons why ADHD is considered a disability.

One person (Dr. Russell Barkley) has a theory that ADHD should be reclassified to be a disorder of executive dysfunction, but aside from being a useful tool to understand ADHD it doesn't explain many of the other symptoms or why they are presented the way they are. In particular: it doesn't explain many of the concepts that folks with ADHD have developed to talk about our experiences with each other, and how folks with ADHD tend to have less issues with executive dysfunction in settings where openly expressing ADHD symptoms is perfectly fine. It also understands ADHD through the lens of a disorder that's wholly maladaptive and dysfunctional, an understanding not shared by everyone in the community.

Neurodivergent

This is a term coined primarily by the autistic community. It describes autism (and other types of neurodivergence, things that diverge from the norm/"the typical" aka neurotypical) outside of the idea of the medical model. [Autistics in particular has faced a lot of inhumane treatment in schools and by the psychiatric system under abusive (and legal) things like ABA (applied behavioral analysis) and shock therapy. Autistics have fought for the right to openly stim, to not make eye contact, and to communicate while being non-speaking for decades. This has pushed back against the medicalization of autism, and the process of diagnosis not involving autistics in the creation of the criteria or what treatments (if any) should be approved for autistics.] This overall philosophy promotes the idea that neurodivergent people should not be stigmatized, and should exist as equal members of society regardless of how their symptoms present.

People with ADHD were early adopters of this concept (maybe because of the high rates of comobidity of autism and adhd). As a result, many of the concepts feature heavily in the language and strategies for ADHD- especially online. Along with alternative methods of orgnization (many small trash cans, two laundry bins, etc), you'll often find people with ADHD discussing stim toys and things like that.

Hyperfocus/hyperfixation

Hyperfocus describes one aspect of difficulty regulating focus. Basically: during hyperfocus a person struggles to pay attention to things outside of the thing that's taking up their attention.

More specifically they lose awareness of signals like hunger, exhaustion, the need to pee, and can even struggle to hear someone calling for their attention. If they do try to stop focusing on the thing they're focused on, they might still struggle to pay attention- even as they try to hold a conversation or go make a meal, they might be distracted by thoughts about the thing they were focused on before. This might lead to doing things incorrectly (like putting on shoes without socks or putting toothpaste in the freezer). With such acute focus someone with adhd can create art quickly with a lot of detail, discover a lot of information on a topic, and even learn new practical skills. It can also provide a lot of joy and accomplishment to someone, and improve self confidence.

A hyperfixation is the subject of hyperfocus, either once (hours) or over longer period of time (weeks, months, years). It can be anything from abstract (like a favorite subject) to specific and grounded in reality (like a hobby), or broad (a time period) to specific (a particular beetle).

Hyperfixation was a term coined by the ADHD community to describe an experience that wasn't described in the medical literature about us that needed terminology. Hyperfocus is also an experience that is really important to folks with ADHD because it's often wrapped up in the "twice exceptional" narrative many people experience- having both amazing talents and terrible grades in subjects that don't interest them. On top of that, neurotypical adults treat kids with ADHD hyperfocusing as doing something wrong and punish them, when what they're doing is perfectly fine and isn't hurting anyone. A greater understanding of this concept has helped people work with how their mind works, rather than try to resist it and be "normal."

Bonus content

Getting diagnosed

fill out self scorers

interview your family and teachers with parent/teacher scorers (optional)

get you information together, like insurance, debit, and credit card information. They will ask you for your full name, your date of birth, your insurance information, any pre-existing conditions, your availability

find a local low/no-cost neuropsych testing facility near you. If you're currently in school, you're in luck! Many will refer you out to a low/no-cost testing facility. (Either way, the result is the same: these can be universities teaching students studying neuro-psychiatry, state sponsored programs, and more. Here's a solid comprehensive guide on getting low cost testing, as well as managing the costs associated with ADHD).

make it known that you would like to be assessed for ADHD to have it ruled out. That is the specific phrasing that you should use with everyone- do not claim you think you have anything, simply that you're concerned and wish to be assessed. Talk to your therapist, your parents, your pcp, your teacher- whoever it makes sense to contact, based on your prior research. If you were unable to find anything, then contacting the people who might have better access to information like your therapist or teacher would be best. (If you're not yet in therapy, getting into therapy would be a good idea.)

If all else fails, contact your insurance (if you have it). Testing can cost a lot of money and might not be worth the expense. You're still welcome in the ADHD community regardless of being diagnosed or not.

If you go to get assessed, here's what to expect:

you will likely have to fill out self scorers for lots of things, including things that don't apply to your situation like mood disorder evaluations to rule of depression. Your answers on these should not affect how you will be diagnosed with ADHD.

there will be a lot of weird things in full neuropsych evaluations, like repeating words back to them, or playing with blocks, or drawing shapes

they will pay attention to how you act in the room, so don't resist the impulse to fidget and feel free to ask to get up or take a break after an exercise

it may last under sixty minutes, but with a student it could take longer. I have 4+ hour sessions twice a week for a month, but not everyone has such an extreme experience (they had last minute additions that went beyond ADHD testing).

Tips for the day of testing:

do not bring your best self. Leave your best self at home. They need to see you at your usual or your worst to make an accurate assessment.

bring water. You will be talking a lot.

some information can help, like recent test performance and last semester teacher comments

comfortable clothing is best. T-shirt and jeans are totally fine.

prepare to be totally out of it when you leave, by bringing a snack or having someone you trust pick you up. It's mentally exhausting and makes you do all the things you avoid because they suck.

A neuropsych (or any type of ADHD evaluation) can help you get access to things you might not normally get, like medication (stimulants, typically), accommodations, and recommendations to your therapist about what to work on. It also can be shared with doctors and other therapists in the future so you don't have to worry about someone questioning your need for whatever it is they helped you get in the first place (like accommodations, etc).

Accommodations

In order to request accommodations through most colleges, you need a letter from a therapist of some kind requesting an accommodation in writing. Getting diagnosed for ADHD helps with this. Some accommodations you can request include:

time and a half on tests and quizzes

extensions of papers and projects

alternative assignments (i.e. oral exam over essays, different topics, etc)

excused absences

a notetaker

audio and/or video recordings of lectures

laptops in classes that don't ordinarily allow laptops

snacks in classes that don't ordinarily allow snacks (unless it poses a safety hazard, like in labs)

stim toys in class

and more

Literature

books on adhd:

You Mean I’m not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?!

Smart but Scattered Guide to ADHD

other:

additude magazine

*looks at the clock* oh god it's 7 p.m. I've been trapped in making-a-long-post hell for four plus hours OTL but I'm finally free.

Anyway, I hope this helps and feel free to DM me if you want to know more. I got diagnosed with ADHD (combined type) back in late 2017 so I'm happy to talk about that with anyone who might be considering going through testing.

[tf2heritageposts]

im here from your post looking at the code of the comic website. have you ever thought of like website development/coding/something related as a job in the future? i don’t really know anything on that topic but you seem to know quite a bit!

welllllllllllllllllll

the main reason we know our way around website code/the inspect tool/websites so well is back in middle school well uh

we used to use amino a lot, specifically kirby amino. it was our first social media and we were somehow popular on there for some ungodly reason, and we were constantly talking with our friends on there instead of doing anything productive. we used to use the computer lab a lot during lunch/computer time to just post/talk on amino, which the school quickly blocked. we quickly recovered by downloading a free shitty vpn, which the school later blocked. we then just used a different free vpn, which continued for a while until our school blocked any and all vpns including chrome extensions. we then figured out the school's blocking feature only applied to google chrome, so we downloaded opera instead since it didn't require admin priveleges to download. the school then later blocked opera, so we started using a fun little now defunct feature in google translate where if you inputted a website link, it would proxy the website as a cached version you could look at. it was heavily broken because of that, and it kept popping up with the "hey log into amino to continue!" so we couldnt continue scrolling, so we used the inspect tool to completely remove it manually as well as kind of fix some of the formatting issues with it being cached. school couldn't figure a way around that without banning google translate which they obviously couldn't do. we then figured out that we just needed to carry opera on a flashdrive with us and we could just continue what we did previously

the school got so fucking fed up with our shit that they brought in the best IT person a school salary could buy to stop our little 12 year old ass. we then figured a way around all of their blocks and firewalls within about the duration of a computer class. our teachers then heavily started trying to push us towards an IT career

we'd continue with our bullshit during the period we lived with our dad in high school in texas, where he put major lock downs on all of our electronics. we got given an andorid phone instead of our old iphone, which we used against him by downloading the tor browser and talking with our discord friends, which meant we got our shit taken away until we moved back to our grandmas. we got sent back our old laptop, but it still had all of the network nanny shit on it that would let him control the entire laptop remotely and stop us from getting on discord.

we then realized we could go into the net nanny files, open them in notepad, and then ctrl+a then ctrl+d to remove all of the code, and despite our dad still trying to stop it, we ended up doing this until all of the functionalities of the program were dead and we could just uninstall it

so like, a lot of our computer expertise is BREAKING code. however we've made about 7-8 websites by ourselves with html/css on neocities however i cant show any of them because we have a tendency to gut the code each time :^{

i have thought about doing freelance website work/code editing before but i'd have no idea how to start considering we don't really know "professional" code building aka the shit companies want

[brandywyne]

Worldbuilding - Technology

I decided to post my world-building list in case other people find it useful. Been sleeping on this for a while, but thought others might enjoy it, too. This information is intended to supplement your storytelling, and may not be relevant to all aspects of your work.

This is part 12/18 covering Technology with no notable highlights:

How advanced is the technology in your world compared to our own? Are there any specific technologies or innovations that stand out as particularly advanced or noteworthy?

What are the key principles or concepts that drive the technology in your world? How does it work and what are the limitations or challenges that technological advancement must overcome?

How does technology impact different parts of society in your world? For example, how does it shape transportation, communication, or medicine? Are there any unintended consequences or side effects of technological advancement?

How does the use of technology differ between different social groups or classes in your world? Are certain technologies more accessible or restricted based on factors such as wealth or status?

What is the relationship like between magic and technology in your world? Do they co-exist peacefully, or are there conflicts or rivalries between the two?

Are there any rules or regulations governing the use of magic and technology in your world? Who is responsible for enforcing these rules and how do they do so?

How does the use of magic and technology intersect with other aspects of your world, such as religion, politics, or the natural environment? How do these intersections shape the way magic and technology are viewed and used in your world?

Are there any magical or technological organizations or institutions in your world that serve a specific purpose or function, such as protecting the magical community or advancing technological research? How do these entities fit into the wider society and what is their relationship with each other?

How does the history of magic and technology in your world shape the present? Have there been any significant moments or events related to magic and technology in the past that have shaped the way they are viewed and used today?

Cheers! 🥃

(Drink Responsibly)

[boopshoops]

Ya know what SIKE i'm just gonna answer all of these bc I wanna write smth

Yuu Shi

1. I- I have so many. There is a whole playlist dedicated to her, but if I had to pick ONE in specific, it'd be Thank God I'm Not You.... and Aishite Aishite Aishite as a close second with the bonus that her voice claim sang a cover of it- and Siren as a third. Im indecisive.

2. Cater Diamond! They share a similar sense of humor, and they go back and forth pretty easily, somewhat similar to her and Ace. However, Yuu Shi actually enjoys interacting on social media, texting, and spamming with horrid jokes or memes. They share similar family issues as well.

3. Vil Schoenheit. She disagrees with him regarding a large majority of his principles he stands so firmly by, but she also relates to him greatly. She looks up to him and wants to rival him simultaneously. Whether she is successful in that regard enters spoiler territory.

4. Bugs, spiders, and snakes. Shit gets wild with Jamil.

5. Music is her best class :D She used to attend a performing art school, so she is very familiar with all the assignments and is usually called on as an example.

6. Art. She can't draw for shit. The long process of improving at it also makes her want to crawl into a hole. Not good at something immediately? Abandon it! Thats her unhealthy motto.

7. Pop Music Club. I feel this is rather self explanatory(#5). Plus she really needed an electric guitar to borrow since she lost her own. Music in general helps keep her sane at NRC.

8. Leona Kingscholar. She wants to kick his ass so bad. She DESPISES him. Mostly out of fear, but she would never admit it. The first interaction with him in the botanical gardens really scares her.

9. Of the canon staff members it would be Mozus Trein actually. She finds history to be a rather easy subject, and she really likes his cat. There's really not any other reasons. She isn't a big fan of authority figures (if she isn't one of them).

10. Octavinelle! Pomefiore is a close second, with beauty being of high importance to her, but she doesn't go to the same lengths to maintain it.

11. Hooo she would never admit it, but most likely Riddle. She just wants him to break out of whatever chains his mother shackled him in. Maybe it is because she is projecting, or maybe it is because she actually has a soft spot. Maybe both.

12. Bean day >:) No magic? Sign her the fuck up. Any more details and I'd go into spoiler territory.

13. Again, Leona Kingscholar. She would get her shit wrecked in a fair fight.

14. She places pretty high in her class once she gets the hang of how the world functions. She has similar grades to Azul or Jade.

15. She holds a lot of secrets away from the other characters. The most obvious one is her real name.

16. Shameless TCOAV chapter one plug LMAO

17. She finds them bothersome. She dislikes how jumpy they make her feel, and even when they are kind she is apprehensive around them. Yuu prefers to avoid them.

18. The magic, for sure. Not only just the magic itself, but how it affects the environment around her. It was a serious culture shock at first.

19. No.

20. Hm. :)c a tie between book two and three. Wink wonk.