#zotero also

[kissycat]

I feel like humanities people are always talking about formatting citations and bibliographies and I am concerned that they don't use/don't know about literature management programs where this takes literally 1 click .... if you're reading this and it's applicable, download zotero and look up how to use it, takes a bit to get used to it but saves you hours and hours of work down the line

[eldritch-elrics]

honestly though this whole thing is making me more enthusiastic about doing citations than i've ever been. like obviously you should always cite your sources regardless of whether or not they're the Hot New Topic, but there is something nice about something you've always found tedious becoming Cool in your brain

[classicslesbianopinions]

does anyone have a note taking app/website they like that i could use on desktop. specifically for advanced latin and greek classes where i have to take notes on vocab and grammar in a given text. ideally something i can use offline that doesn't try to get me to subscribe to anything (i don't necessarily mind a paid app if it's a one-time purchase but i cannot abide the constant attempts to upsell me).

[hylianengineer]

So, I got a new laptop. Yay, I don't have to rely on the library loaner one anymore!

Huge thank you to everyone who chimed in when I asked for laptop buying advice - I ended up with an ASUS Zenbook. So far so good, I guess? Most of the things I need in a computer won't be evidence until I've been using it long term, but it is endearingly tiny.

Also, they were not kidding about the fancy OLED screen. Why are all the colors so BRIGHT?! It's a touch screen and I kind of live in fear of breaking it because my sibling has a touchscreen laptop that broke from getting a dent in the back of the casing.

And for whatever reason, the touchpad doubles as a number pad. Not sure what to make of that yet.

[paceees]

Chromebooks suck so bad I decided to get Linux on a bootable USB key with literally no computer literacy, just googling how to xyz everytime I need something. Anyway wish me luck

[adventuresinchemistry]

The fact that I can’t set every function to a hot key in every software I use is homophobic

[bisquid]

Since the plagiarism video happened, and that despite their sudden abundance I've never seen a citation style poll that includes Nature Style, I am surveying the Tumblr ecosystem

[greyeyedmonster-18]

(one of my least favorite and i mean actually least favorite, things i do as a writer particularly academia is when i read a thing and completely make up the author/year when I'm writing about it in text. so i'm out here trying to cite something that DOESN'T EXIST.

only to find out. no it wasn't Hall who published it. it was Holler.

and no, they didn't write it in 2008, it was actually 2018.

and then i actually have to read my work???? and go back and find all the times i said "Hall stated..."

yeah, real fun.)

[zizygy]

god, i redownloaded zotero and it has ALL my thesis sources in it and it’s like. damn i did so much fucking research, and my thesis topic was so cool the thesis itself was not well organized, and it’s easy for me to remember it primarily as the scramble to write the second half (i had one chapter and then wrote the entire rest of the thesis in a week) but like. i did SO much research i wrote 70 pages i think if i did it again i would focus on different things but i just want to acknowledge for myself that like. as much as it felt like i was getting by on chutzpah and a prayer, i did a LOT of work and research that didn’t even end up in the final product and like. maybe i do actually know what i’m talking about in this topic (my thesis was called “Punching Hitler in the Face: Identity and Representation in Superhero Comics” and was like. half abt jewish representation in the 40s-60s and half abt gay representation in the 90s-2010s in the Big Two. and wow i forgot how much research about non-comic jewish representation i did)

[fractallogic]

farewell, I have found one more way to not read but feel like I'm being very productive at reading the literature (capturing it into notion in such a way that I don't have to decide what to read next)

I do feel extremely cool though and like maybe it will be useful when I'm not just spending the night setting it up. can't wait to read Inoue 2002 tomorrow because tumblr reminded me it existed.

[bitual]

wait reference management systems r kinda great i ❤️ programs on my laptop but generators seem more convenient idk idk

[lifehacksthatwork]

Just a bunch of Useful websites - Updated for 2023

Removed/checked all links to make sure everything is working (03/03/23). Hope they help!

Sejda - Free online PDF editor.

Supercook - Have ingredients but no idea what to make? Put them in here and it'll give you recipe ideas.

Still Tasty - Trying the above but unsure about whether that sauce in the fridge is still edible? Check here first.

Archive.ph - Paywall bypass. Like 12ft below but appears to work far better and across more sites in my testing. I'd recommend trying this one first as I had more success with it.

12ft – Hate paywalls? Try this site out.

Where Is This - Want to know where a picture was taken, this site can help.

TOS/DR - Terms of service, didn't read. Gives you a summary of terms of service plus gives each site a privacy rating.

OneLook - Reverse dictionary for when you know the description of the word but can't for the life of you remember the actual word.

My Abandonware - Brilliant site for free, legal games. Has games from 1978 up to present day across pc and console. You'll be surprised by some of the games on there, some absolute gems.

Project Gutenberg – Always ends up on these type of lists and for very good reason. All works that are copyright free in one place.

Ninite – New PC? Install all of your programs in one go with no bloat or unnecessary crap.

PatchMyPC - Alternative to ninite with over 300 app options to keep upto date. Free for home users.

Unchecky – Tired of software trying to install additional unwanted programs? This will stop it completely by unchecking the necessary boxes when you install.

Sci-Hub – Research papers galore! Check here before shelling out money. And if it’s not here, try the next link in our list.

LibGen – Lots of free PDFs relate primarily to the sciences.

Zotero – A free and easy to use program to collect, organize, cite and share research.

Car Complaints – Buying a used car? Check out what other owners of the same model have to say about it first.

CamelCamelCamel – Check the historical prices of items on Amazon and set alerts for when prices drop.

Have I Been Pawned – Still the king when it comes to checking if your online accounts have been released in a data breach. Also able to sign up for email alerts if you’ve ever a victim of a breach.

I Have No TV - A collection of documentaries for you to while away the time. Completely free.

Radio Garden – Think Google Earth but wherever you zoom, you get the radio station of that place.

Just The Recipe – Paste in the url and get just the recipe as a result. No life story or adverts.

Tineye – An Amazing reverse image search tool.

My 90s TV – Simulates 90’s TV using YouTube videos. Also has My80sTV, My70sTV, My60sTV and for the younger ones out there, My00sTV. Lose yourself in nostalgia.

Foto Forensics – Free image analysis tools.

Old Games Download – A repository of games from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Get your fix of nostalgia here.

Online OCR – Convert pictures of text into actual text and output it in the format you need.

Remove Background – An amazingly quick and accurate way to remove backgrounds from your pictures.

Twoseven – Allows you to sync videos from providers such as Netflix, Youtube, Disney+ etc and watch them with your friends. Ad free and also has the ability to do real time video and text chat.

Terms of Service, Didn’t Read – Get a quick summary of Terms of service plus a privacy rating.

Coolors – Struggling to get a good combination of colors? This site will generate color palettes for you.

This To That – Need to glue two things together? This’ll help.

Photopea – A free online alternative to Adobe Photoshop. Does everything in your browser.

BitWarden – Free open source password manager.

Just Beam It - Peer to peer file transfer. Drop the file in on one end, click create link and send to whoever. Leave your pc on that page while they download. Because of how it works there are no file limits. It's genuinely amazing. Best file transfer system I have ever used.

Atlas Obscura – Travelling to a new place? Find out the hidden treasures you should go to with Atlas Obscura.

ID Ransomware – Ever get ransomware on your computer? Use this to see if the virus infecting your pc has been cracked yet or not. Potentially saving you money. You can also sign up for email notifications if your particular problem hasn’t been cracked yet.

Way Back Machine – The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites and loads more.

Rome2Rio – Directions from anywhere to anywhere by bus, train, plane, car and ferry.

Splitter – Seperate different audio tracks audio. Allowing you to split out music from the words for example.

myNoise – Gives you beautiful noises to match your mood. Increase your productivity, calm down and need help sleeping? All here for you.

DeepL – Best language translation tool on the web.

Forvo – Alternatively, if you need to hear a local speaking a word, this is the site for you.

For even more useful sites, there is an expanded list that can be found here.

[readingloveswounds]

so i may have written a few pages of the silly side paper BUT i also did some reading that i REALLY needed to do (whOOPS) so it balances out

[latte-cucumber]

teacher: these journals just have to be like 3 paragraphs, i don't rly care abt grammar and stuff. use at least one source outside the textbook pls, and have it be academic like a museum website, not just a blog

me: got it. 800+ words, extensively sourced with in text citations, perfect grammar, a minimum of two scholarly journals.

[librarycards]

do you have any tips for making reading more accessible for people with attention / focus issues and low energy? i feel like whenever i try to read, i'm missing huge chunks of information or otherwise not reading as closely as i would like due to having adhd, and it discourages me from reading entirely.

ty for the question! I've addressed this in some ways here and here, but i'm also listing some quick bullet points for both pleasure / leisure reading and for more intentional reading (it's important to have both in your life!)

intentional reading: citation managers, esp. Zotero, are your friend. Read slowly and annotate. annotation forces your brain to get out of skim-mode and really think about what you need to remember from a given passage! it's best to do this when you're not on a deadline, because you can take all of the time you need.

intentional reading: for many people, print is the only way they can read intentionally, as digital is too distracting. try printing readings or using only paper books, and get physical with them - colored highlighters and pens, post it notes, etc. physical engagement helps a lot! write in your books!

intentional reading and leisure reading: if you're worried about not retaining information, try doing a quick mental summary after every x number of pages, or every chapter, etc. like, okay, if your friend asked "what happened in chapter 3" what would you say? I do this all the time, especially when i'm reading more intricately plotted scifi/fantasy with lots of unfamiliar words/names, as i get confused. if it's a very popular book with existing summaries, you can also read a chapter summary after finishing a chapter and make connections/go back to places you didn't understand. this is the best use of sparknotes and similar services, imo.

for leisure reading: you're reading for fun, so make your environment as comfy as possible. do you have a drink or snack with you? do you have your annotation materials close? make reading as convenient as possible so that you don't have to interrupt your time.

if you're busy or work with your hands, try an audiobook! you can speed it up or slow it down, depending on your brain's processing speed. [i listen to mine on 2x speed (narrator accent permitting) bc i'm a maniac.]. for a lot of people, stimming while reading helps them stay focused, so if you stim by knitting/doing something with both hands, audio might be for you.

for leisure and intentional reading, especially if the book is very difficult, you can try listening to an audiobook while reading a physical copy! if you're in college and have accommodations, you might be able to get audio copies of otherwise unavailable books through disability services.

lastly, for leisure reading: don't be afraid to start basic. there's kind of a novella boom happening right now, and a lot of books below 200 pages getting the recognition they deserve (if people want, i can make a recs post for short books?). if you can read ten pages a day, you can finish a 200 page book in less than 3 weeks, which is a lot more encouraging than picking up a 600 page tome. if you want to start smaller, try 5 pages! some people assume that they need to read a ton immediately, but what matters is that you're enjoying it and getting something from it. Quality >>>>> quantity.

Let me know if this is helpful/if you have any other questions! Good luck and happy reading :)

[liongoatsnake]

Website Update and Announcement For Major Project

Our website, The Chimeras Library, has been updated.

Changes include:

An Updated "Symbols Found In The Alterhuman Communities" which now includes the symbols for endels, archetropes, and conceptkin!

An overhauled "A Deeper Look Into Cladotherianthropy."

Added a Spanish translation of  "A Timeline of the Therianthrope Community." Translated by the alterhuman aike.

Added a Spanish translation of "A Timeline of the Fictionkin Community." Translated by the alterhuman aike.

Added a Spanish translation of "A Timeline of the Alterhuman Community." Translated by the alterhuman aike.

Added a Spanish translation of "A Timeline of Plant-Identified People in the Otherkin Communities." Translated by the alterhuman aike.

We're also happy to announce a major project we hope to be sharing in the near future.

The Chimeras Archive.

The Chimeras Archive will consist of an ever updating link to a Zotero account hosting citations for the over 500 items of various media related to the alterhuman community, mentioning alterhumans, or of interest to alerhumanity.

Categories that will be included: academic books, dissertations, journal articles, academic lectures, theses, non-academic books, documentaries, lecture or convention panels, magazine articles, zines, TV broadcasts, newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, podcasts, novels, comics, games, movies, plays, and more.

The Chimeras Archive is an updated version of a project we have been working on for the past decade. We are committed to collecting materials as they relate to alterhuman and sharing their existence with others. This includes not only collecting the citations of these many different kinds of media but also acquiring physical/digital copies of these materials.

Unlike our other projects which have designated versions published in pdf form. Our plan is to instead run a live and updating Zotero listing and a document where the same information will be listed in written form.

As this is a massive overhaul of our existing project, the completion into these two formats is taking a significant amount of time please see our "Academic Publications, Non-Academic Publications, Media, Art, and Fiction Related To Nonhumanity" for the previous rendition of this project in the mean time. We plan on releasing links to our Zotero and the live document in the near future once we have had a chance to better layout the groundwork for them.