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tangibletechnomancy · 1 year

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How To Use AI To Fake A Scandal For Fun, Profit, and Clout

Or, I Just Saw People I Know To Be Reasonable Fall For A Fake "Ripoff" And Now I'm Going To Gently Demonstrate What Really Happened

So, we all know what people say about AI. It's just an automatic collage machine, it's stealing your data (as if the rest of the mainstream internet isn't - seriously, we should be using that knee-jerk disgust response to demand better internet privacy laws rather than try to beef up copyright so that compliance has to come at the beginning rather than the end of the process and you can be sued on suspicion of referencing, but I digress...), it can't create anything novel, some people go so far as to claim it's not even synthesizing anything, but just acting as a search engine and returning something run through a filter and "proving" it by "searching" for their own art and "finding" it.

And those are blatant lies.

The thing is, the reason AI is such a breakthrough - and the reason we memed with it so hard when DALL-E Mini and DALL-E 2 first dropped - is because it CAN create novel output. Because it CAN visualize the absurd ideas that no one has ever posted to the internet before. In fact, it would be a bigger breakthrough in computer science if we DID come up with an automatic collage machine - something that knows where to cut out a part of one image and paste it onto another, then smooth out the lighting and colors to make them fairly consistent, to make it look like what we would recognize as an image we're asking for? That would make the denoising algorithm on steroids that a diffusion model is look like child's play.

But, unlike the posts that claim that they're just acting as a collage maker at best and a search engine at worst, I'm not going to ask you to take my word for it (and stick a pin in this point, we'll come back to it later). I'm going to ask you to go to Simple Stable (or Craiyon, or the Karlo demo, if Google Colab feels too complicated for you - or if you like, do all of the above) and throw in a shitpost prompt or two. Ask for a velociraptor carousel pony ridden by a bunny. Ask for Godzilla fighting a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man. Ask for an oil painting of a capybara wearing an ornate princess gown. Shitpost with it like we did before these myths took hold.

Now take your favorite result(s) and reverse image search them. Did you get anything remotely similar to your generated image? Probably not!

So then, how did someone end up getting a near perfect recreation of their work? Was that just some kind of wacky, one-in-a-million coincidence?

Well - oh no, look at that, I asked it for a simplistic character drawing and it happened to me too, it just returned a drawing of mine that I never even uploaded, and it's the worst drawing I've done since the fifth grade even just to embarrass me! Oh no, what happened, did they change things right under my nose, has digital surveillance gotten even WORSE?? Look, see, here's the original on the left, compare it to the output on the right - scary!! They're training on the contents of your computer in real time now, aaaagh!!

Except, of course, for the fact that the entire paragraph above was a lie and I did this on purpose in a way no one could possibly recreate from a text prompt, even with a perfect description.

How?

See, some models have this nifty little function called img2img. It can be used for anything from guiding the composition of your final image with a roughly drawn layout, to turning a building into a dragon...to post-processing of a hand-drawn image, to blatantly fucking lying about how AI works.

I took 5 minutes out of my day to crudely draw a character. I uploaded the image to this post. I saved the post as a draft. I stuck the image URL in the init_image field in Simple Stable, cranked the init strength up to 0.8, cleared all text prompts, and ran it. It did exactly what I told it to and tried to lightly refine the image I gave it.

If you see someone claiming that an AI stole their image with this kind of "proof", and the image they're comparing is not ITSELF a parody of an extremely well-known piece such as the Mona Lisa, or just so extremely generic that the level of similarity could be a coincidence (you/your favorite artist do/es not own the rule of thirds or basic fantasy creatures, just to name one family of example I've seen), this is what happened.

So from here you must realize that it is deeply insidious that posts that make these claims usually imply or even outright state that you should NOT try to recreate this but instead just take their word for it, stressing ~DON'T FEED THE MACHINE~. It's always some claim about "ohhh, the more you use them, the more they learn, I made a SACRIFICE so you don't have to" - but txt2img functions can't use your interaction to learn jack shit. There's no new information in a text prompt for them TO learn. Most img2img models can't learn from your input either, for that matter! I still recommend being careful about corporate img2img toys - we know that Facebook, for instance, is happy to try and beef up facial recognition for the WORST possible reasons - but if you're worried about your privacy and data harvesting, any given txt2img model is one of the least worrying things on the internet today.

So do be careful with your privacy online, and PLEASE use your very understandable knee-jerk horror response to how much extremely personal content can be found in training databases as a call to DEMAND better privacy laws ("do not track" should not be just for show ffs) and compliance with security protocols in fields that deal with very private information (COMMON CRAWL DOESN'T GO FAR OUT OF ITS WAY, IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET ANY MEDICAL IMAGES THE PATIENTS DIDN'T SHARE THEMSELVES HOLY SHIT, SOME HOSPITAL WORKERS AND/OR MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPERS BETTER BE GETTING FIRED AND/OR SUED) - but don't just believe a convenient and easy-to-disprove lie because it aligns with that feeling.

#generated artwork #sort of #not art #also sort of

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jackiequick · 11 months

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Marvel — Singers OC 🎼

-> -> -> I was listening to music a lot while looking over my old OC Tyler Sharp and decided why not ;)

-> Disclaimer! I don’t own the anything like the songs mentioned, artist mentioned here are just ideas and I’ve haven’t been in contact with anyone related to this post such as Sony Music. It was just a fun idea I had.

Ana B 🎼

Full Name: Ariana Sandra De Baillo

Nicknames: Ari, Ana, De Baillo, Princesses of pop, Sandy, Dra

Birthday: June 25th

Age: 25

Height: 5’1

Place of Origin: Brooklyn, New York but grew up around Washington Heights

Currently located: Los Angeles and on occasion Florida.

Specie: Half Human aka Mutant

Abilities: Sonic Screams. She can emit a highly enhanced scream of a high amplitudes. She also has the ability to vibrate her vocal chords at will.

Occupation: Singer and dance. And on occasion a bit of a small vigilante which causes her to be late to concerts and rehearsal sessions.

Type of music she likes to dabble into making: Pop, Latin Pop, R&B, Hip Hip, Rap and some acoustic.

Awards Won so far: Latin America Billboard Awards, Kids Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards & Premios Juventud Awards

—

Arianna grew up in the lower east side of Brooklyn to a Ecuador & Mexican mother and Colombian father who always made sure that she was loved. Even if they didn’t have much, her parents made sure she had a roof over her head, food, clothes, and money for a education in New York.

In very late high school, she discovered her love for music and dance (it was given in her culture but still) Ari became in love with it. Listening to music from artists like Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Selena, Shakira and plenty of others. Singing, dancing, rapping and creating music videos using her phone or a actual camera.

—> She would practice dancing in her bedroom, creating videos and then later on uploading them onto YouTube. Especially her covers of songs and funny skits she would make with friends. Eventually a record label (Sony Music), reached out to her and help her start crafting her own.

First songs being The Way, Ready or Not & Hurricane. Being her popular ones too!

During this period of time, Ariana started singing and rapping more instead of just dancing. It was great until one day her voice was really sorely used and decided to rest her vocal chords. Soon enough she got a little cocky and frustrated waiting so long, as she decided to try to sing in her room instead. Screaming out the lyrics, resulting in her vocal chords to ring and a bounce of a quaking strength released, causing her desk to stumble back a little few feet away from her.

“Oh my..d-did i just do that?” She questioned, curiosity took over and she tried again.

It was captivating how powerful it seemed, also it was a small soft advantage to her singing. Ariana wouldn’t admit it, but she feared this power. Wondering how this would effect her career and life in general. It took her months to control it, there was a few accidents and even her manger found out one day, but she pulled though.

—-

Flash forwarded to a few years later, Ana B was singing and dancing on stages, for her own performances and other artists. Performing frontline for Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Cher Lloyd and backup dancing for Fifth Harmony performance for Grammy Awards 2014.

Even being featured in Cher Lloyds songs as well. Due to her mother’s encouragement, Ariana decided to dabble into Latin Pop as well. Her Hispanic roots. Adding a mix of Latin Pop and a bit more R&B into her songs

—> Which resulted in her to featured in Reggaetón Lento with CNCO and Little Mix, create Downtown with J Balvin, and a couple of others. Those are just to name a few. It resulted in her expanding her reach in the music and tv appearance on shows every once in a while.

——

It was going great until one dark cloudy while visiting Los Angels after chilling at the corner store she heard screams and yelling loudly from a alleyway running to help wearing her black hoodie, just all black in general due to leaving rehearsals a hour earlier.

A two girls were being robbed of their money, Ariana couldn’t stands for it and started to try and fight the robbers. The two girls were trying to fight them too.

One caught her by the wrist and held her backwards, Ariana was pissed off and narrowed her eyes a scream piercing scream filled up a sound attack sending both men to fly backward onto the brick wall. Slamming their heads against the wall, knocked out cold. She didn’t mean to do that, it was a scream of panic and anger.

It shocked Ariana as she turned to the girls, “A-are you okay?”

“Y-yeah..h-how did you do that?” One of them asked, grabbing their purse.

“I um..i just screamed, i guessed.” She replied, trying to cover up what happened.

The other one recognized her and gasp, “Y-your—you’re Ana B!”

Ariana smiled sheepishly and nodded, “..y-yeah i am..you girls should go home. We all should!”

The both girls nodded and gushed realizing that this artist saved their lives. They called the cops and went home. However Ariana spent those next few day rethinking that captivating scream and how she saved those girls. She smiled, it felt good. Real good. It took a few days to quietly decide but Ariana decided to used her gift and saved a few others every once in a while. But since Ariana wasn’t trained or anything, she wasn’t the best low crime fighter, at least she tried..

She took up a bit of boxing and stuff to help with fight. A few short self defense posts and it helps her moves on stage, a lot. Sometimes Ariana would be late to rehearsal dressed in a black outfit afterwards. For example…

At start of a small bank robbery downtown, a few men dressed in grey and black suit came running in. There were guns and shouting, when she sneaked into the place. Everything was fine as she pretended to be one of others until a robber grabbed her grab and smirked, “Oh, not so fast, sweetheart.”

She groaned, using her shoulder to elbow him in the chest, “Don’t grab women, sweetheart.”

Her and one of robbers started to dance, twirling, kicking and spinning around the room. Ariana was thrown across the room, her back landing on a desk near a receptionist as she yelled with her vibrating vocals chords, “Get the cops online..p-please.” The women nodded, doing as told.

Ariana was slammed into a wall, she sighed, “Now I know how The Avengers feel..this hurts.” She glances at the clock, as her eyes widened in shock, 1:23pm, she was going to be late to the studio. Better make this quick.

Taking a deep breath and narrowing her eyes towards the robbers. Like singing loudly into a microphone, Ariana lowering her mask closed her eyes shut as a scream ripped off at a medium amplitude modulation knocking off both men. They stumbled back, holding their ears and full lose balance. The cop sirens went off and Ariana nodded at the receptionist putting a finger over lips, that were covered again by the mask, then ran out.

She arrived 5 minutes late, not the worse thing. If one had to be honest, the girl tend to always be a tad late depending on what day it was. Her manger Naya, rushed her off to get ready asking if she was alright seeing how she looked a little bruised. Ariana smiled, getting an ice pack for her aches and Advil for her pains. Naya was like a big sister to her, making sure she was okay and healthy, however she always wondered what her client was up to when she’s not around.

-> Her street outfits

-> Causal Outfits

—-

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Remember to like, comment and share ;)

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @mandylove1000 @morgan108 @drspencereidhotch @gcthvile @superspookyjanelle @msrochelleromanofffelton @sherloquestea @rooster-84 @meiramel @halesfavoriteharlot @blueboirick and etc

#marvel oc #marvel original character #becky g #writing community #singer au #singer and actress #sonic scream #x men imagine #x men oc #celebrity #celeb style #avengers au #latin music #latina artist #sony music

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capricornus-rex · 4 years

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Someone Left to Save (6)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Requested by Anon

Summary: The Mantis crew arrives to the capital of Ulfin, in the planet of Pevera, under siege. They meet the local rebel cell spearheaded by the former Republic admiral, Jax Beneb, who seeks to destroy the Empire’s occupation that was aggressively imposed upon while exploiting the planet of its natural resources. A plan is devised to destroy the Imperial’s main base of operations—as well as their influence—in the planet; however, it was a do-or-die mission that you and Cal had gotten yourselves caught in.

A/N: Sorry if I haven’t been uploading as quick as I used to. I’m not in a good place right now mentally. I’ve had random crying episodes that rooted from last night’s breakdown, I’m stuck dealing with overbearing parents who don’t understand and can’t be bothered to take in the time to listen to their kid. I had to look for that from my friends who really know and understand me. It’s really hard. Because what do you do when your boomer, overly-traditional parents misinterpret your artworks and then drag you down for it? But I’m trying my best to fight it off and be better, so I can still give you guys good stories. I’ll get through it, I’ll be better eventually. So, if my posting frequency seems slow, I hope you understand. Thank you for your continuous support! You guys are the greatest. Love, Veron.

Tags: Force-Sensitive! Reader, Inquisitor! Reader, Jedi! Reader, Fake Death, Jedi turned Inquisitor, Seduction to the Dark Side, Turn to the Dark Side, The Dark Side of the Force, Aftermath of Torture, Torture, Psychological Torture, Redemption Arc! Reader, Possible Redemption, Premonitions

Also in AO3

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 | Previous: Part 5 | Next: Part 7 | Masterlist

6 of ?

In the span of three weeks, you and the Second Brother were in constant observation by the medical droids—encoding and then relaying their findings to the doctors who occasionally visited you every other day. A medical droid reports that you might open your eyes perhaps at the end of the week. The same goes for the Second Brother, despite his severe injuries and that tedious surgical operation that he underwent.

When the third and a last week came, you did open your eyes. The Bacta-infused water stung your eyes and you realize you’re submerged—by instinct, you held your breath, unaware that you have a medical breather on until you bit on its silicon mouthpiece, you felt the rather uncomfortable armbands on your pruning skin. Through the glass of the vat you’re encased in, a medical droid hovers in front of you.

In confusion, your heart rate spiked—reflecting on the heart monitor just right next to the tank—but the droid wasn’t alarmed. It deduced it as a natural, conscious bodily response. The medical droid tapped hurriedly on its dapatad; shortly after, a doctor comes rushing into the ward, he approaches the vat to look at you.

Peering again through the glass, you can see through your squinting—and already stinging—eyes that the doctor’s mouth is moving, but the bubbling of the substances shrouded your hearing from any outside noise.

“Prepare to drain the patient’s Bacta vat,”

A loud rumble echoed in the back of your ears, your head jerked up to the source of the sound and saw the water level lowering. As the substance fell to the level of your breasts, you mentally prepare yourself to plant your feet on the floor and your palms to the walls of the tank once you needed to balance and support yourself.

Finally, the tank has been emptied—the remaining liquid gurgled under your feet as it disappeared into the drain. The glass whirred as it retracted into its round, metal frame and then the nurses helped your balance yourself. Their faint whispers of encouragement rang indistinctly in your ears.

“Hello there, can you hear me well?” asked the doctor.

“I… I suppose,” you groaned, hooking your grip on the nurse’s arm. You looked at your surroundings. “Where am I?”

“You’re in a medical facility, in Mons Golotha,”

“Mons Golotha? Where is that?”

“In the Outer Rim. Don’t worry, you’re safe here. We’ve been helping you recover,”

“It looks like you had quite a dangerous brush with death there,” the nurse added.

Still confused, you surveyed the room further—there were more droids manning the computers and the machines. It appears that you’re the only patient in this room. You blinked several times until your eyes adjusted to the light pooling in the dull, gray ward. Something didn’t sit right with you, but your waking up gave you a bit of a hangover that you can’t pinpoint it. Little did you know that the Second Brother is still submerged in his own tank in his own room and that you are in Inquisitor—rather, Imperial—territory.

The Inquisitors were informed in the comfort of their temporary lodges that you’ve finally awakened. The Seventh Sister smirked with satisfaction, as if her work given by Grand Inquisitor is close to its completion. At her mercy, she allowed you until tomorrow to rest, after that you will be sedated and transported to the main fortress; when she finished hearing the report, she resumed her meditation in peace.

You stayed in bed, fed with three square meals, regularly checked for your vitals, temperature, blood pressure and the like—this was your entire routine for a day and half.

The Seventh Sister’s given timetable is due. As a way to not startle you, the doctor was very subtle on your sedation in the guise of a treatment.

“Alright, [Y/N], the vapor that’ll flow out of this mask when you wear it will dissolve the smoke and particles that may have polluted your lungs when you inhaled the smoke from your accident,”

You nodded, “Okay.”

You lied down flat on your back first, then the doctor gingerly placed the transparent mask, then the medical droid switched on the machine at the doctor’s command. It growled and the vapor hissed through the tube up to your nose and mouth; the sound sort of lulled you to boredom, you thought that it was a hypnotizing sound that you slowly let your eyelids drop and lean your head further into the pillow.

“Just a few more milliliters until she’s fully sedated,” the doctor mouthed to himself, watching you lie perfectly still in your bed.

Ten minutes later, the medical droid’s readings indicate that you’re now asleep.

“Vitals are still at a normal and optimum level, she is amenable for transfer,” the medical droid added.

Through his own comlink, the doctor contacted the Seventh Sister.

“Is she really unconscious now?”

“Yes, she won’t be able to recall a single thing before the sedation,”

“Good. Oversee the preparations for the transfer,”

The doctor nodded in compliance and the Seventh Sister switched off the transmission on her end. He immediately did as he was told and then you were transferred from your ward bed to the hovering gurney. It was a warden who escorted you to the main fortress, the apparatus used to administer the sedative is still attached to you as they wheeled you through the corridors.

—–

Eventually, you’ve arrived to the prison block. At the end of it is the torture chamber especially designated for you. The Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother were waiting inside the chamber, they turned to the door when they heard it whir and found you still as a rock in that gurney.

“Put here in,” the Mirialan ordered.

The warden pulled the gurney closer to the torture chair—with its restraints wide open, like an animal’s maw waiting to snap shut once its prey has fallen in—and put you to the machine. The restraints clamped shut when the warden stepped back, the metal clanged so loud that it startled him, making his shoulders jump. The warden was dismissed immediately and left the chamber.

The sedative wore off by the minute, the intensity of the light shone differently than what you recalled, and now you find yourself unable to move—you flinch your wrists and ankles to find polished, silver handcuffs that are three inches thick banding around them. Leaning in front of you is the mechanical limb of the torture chair with panels running with electrical current; you attempt to sink yourself farther into the bed, and the cold metal stung through your bleach-white tunic that the nurses dressed on you. Your heartbeat spiked again, the Inquisitors can sense the fear oozing out of you.

The Seventh Sister stepped out of the shadows, hands tucked behind her back.

“Oh don’t bother fighting it off, it’s not like you have the strength to break out of that,”

Your eyebrows furrowed, struggling to recognize her.

“You’re an Inquisitor, but I… I’ve never seen you before,”

“Who I am to you is not important. You, on the other hand, know something we don’t—and we’d like you to let us in on that,”

“Oh I bet you do,” you spat.

The Seventh Sister liked your snark, she’ll give you that, but she didn’t like other people outclassing her. One flick of her finger and the Stormtrooper operating the machine flipped a switch; the limb with the electrical panels lowered closer to you until only an inch hangs between you and the bright, violet cracks.

In the next second, a jolt courses throughout your entire body. The metal cuffs on your wrists and ankles amplified the voltage and doubled the pain of the shock. You didn’t even get to take a deep breath, you were simply taken by surprise. The limb then retracted, returning to its original distance from you.

“She’s got a kick to it, doesn’t she? You’re gonna have more than just a kick if you don’t tell us what we want to hear,”

“I’ve had worse beatings!” you winced.

“I’ll bet you have, [Y/N],”

It didn’t matter how the Mirialan knew your name. She proceeded with your questions that you retorted with the perfect opposite of it—sarcasm.

“Tell us where the rebels are hiding, and we’ll let you go scot-free. We’ll even give you a headstart so you can warn your friends,”

“The last time someone gave me a bargain like that…” you panted, recovering from the shock. “They found my lightsaber sticking through their ribs.”

The Seventh Sister sighed.

This is gonna be a long day… but I don’t mind. She thought.

Hours dragged on as you kept yourself mum, filling in the blanks of their questions with sarcasm or straight-up refusals. But for every time you decided to keep your mouth shut about the location of the rebels who staged the bombing of their outpost in Ulfin, you were returned with a shock of the torture chair—the voltage became more powerful and lethal than the last.

“Impressive,” the Fifth Brother commented. “Not many can withstand this many hours, let alone that high of a voltage, in the chair.”

“Perhaps, there’s a better way of persuading you,” the Mirialan chided.

From her pocket, she fished out her holodisk. She thumbs the button and out comes a figurine-sized projection of Cal. The faintest, sharpest inhale from you wasn’t spared from the Inquisitor’s keen sense of hearing. She smirked and glanced at you.

“Oh, you know him, don’t you?”

You didn’t answer, but it already feels like the Seventh Sister has seen through your tough-faced façade.

“The longer you stay in this chair, the more likely my troops are capable of finding him. Who knows? I could bag a complete package if he was siding with the rebels the whole time. Definitely likely.”

The rage rooting from the pain and the Seventh Sister’s taunting flared in your body. The Mirialan could almost feel the blaze of that anger pouring out of you. She catches a whiff of it and was intrigued.

Your body impulsively leaned away from the backrest and strained yourself to get at least an inch closer to the Seventh Sister, but you’re nowhere even near six inches in front of her.

“IF YOU DO SO MUCH AS PUT A FINGERNAIL ON HIS HEAD, I’LL MAKE SURE YOU GET TWENTY TIMES THE PAIN YOU’RE GIVING ME NOW!!”

“Oh, there we go. Yes, use that hate, that anger!” the sheer adrenaline rush caused the Seventh Sister to slam her fist against the wall of the operating computer. “TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!!”

“I…” you hissed. “Will never… TELL YOU!!”

The Seventh Sister eased her shoulders.

“So be it,” she jerked her head to the operator. “Again! And don’t stop until I say so!!”

Your shallow, rapid breathing didn’t save your lungs to overcome the pain sent by a thousand to ten thousands volts coursing through your body. Your throat strained as you cry in agony, your fingers twisted and curled as the tendrils of electricity violently pricked the nerves, your body thrashed in all angles trying to alleviate the pain but it’s as though several daggers entered and left your body repeatedly.

Your head jerks back, unable to withstand any more of the gradual pain the longer it dragged on. The only thing that filled your eyes was the lamp that hung overhead and the cracks of compacted lightning from the electrical panels. You don’t know how much your heart can take. At the Seventh Sister’s mercy, she shot her hand up—signaling to stop—the Stormtrooper obeyed; it only was a ten-second breather, and she asked again.

“Where are they hiding?”

“In a Bantha’s arse,” you gasped.

Seventh Sister scoffed, she snapped her fingers and the torture resumed. Your mischievous snickering at your own joke was instantly replaced by a wail of pain. The longer you remained in that torture chair, the more the Inquisitors saw your rage and hate crawling out of you—and they relished each waking minute the darkness seeps out of you.

In the midst of your screams echoing across the entire chamber, the Seventh Sister stepped back into the shadows to join the Fifth Brother. She stood on the tips of her toes to reach his height, close enough for him to hear her, and she whispered.

“She will be a good Inquisitor.”

There was no worded response, but the Fifth Brother smiled in agreement. The violet light of the electrical current flashing and pooling over the surface of their faces as they watched you at the mercy of the torture chair.

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stevenuniversallyreviews · 4 years

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Episode 133: Dewey Wins

“But...I’m hurt.”

I started reviewing the Week of Sardonyx in late 2017. It was slow going thanks to grad school and student teaching and licensing tests and my job (boy do I not miss those days), but I’d clawed my way through Cry for Help in October and Keystone Motel on the first Sunday of November. In those reviews, I wrote at length about how this was the most devastating arc of the series, a massive argument spanning multiple episodes with no easy answers.

Then the Friday after my Keystone Motel post was uploaded, Cartoon Network dropped the Breakup Arc on us all at once, and I had to make some edits.

There’s no official name for the span of episodes between Dewey Wins and Kevin Party, but considering it features not one but two breakups, with only one reconciliation by the end, I think my nickname is apt. Just under a fifth of Season 5 is devoted to six consecutive episodes designed to make us miserable, and on top of being an outstanding sequel to the Week of Sardonyx, it’s the best precursor we’ve got to adolescent trials of Steven Universe Future.

The Week of Sardonyx is strengthened by numerous previous episodes where Pearl does bad things without consequence, making it something of a shock when her actions are finally addressed. In a similar way, we’ve been taught from Log Date 7 15 2 and Kindergarten Kid and The New Crystal Gems that emotionally draining arcs are followed by cooldown episodes, and Dewey Wins sounds like the name of a fun adventure with our goofy mayor. There’s no situation where the Breakup Arc would be a pleasant affair, but the pattern adds an extra layer of angst as our anticipated relief period ends up more stressful than the arc we needed relief from.

But not every big arc gets a cooldown. Our very first, ending with Jailbreak, is followed by one of the Breakup Arc’s major prequels: Full Disclosure, an episode about missed phone calls and the importance of keeping friends in the loop regarding space adventures. The ghosted party is flipped, as Connie now refuses to talk to Steven, and watching his struggle gives an even greater appreciation for Connie’s own turmoil (not just from Full Disclosure, but Steven’s reckless self-sacrifice).

We know something’s wrong from the moment we see her, in a way that’s different from Greg and the Gems’ wide-eyed concern. Her discomfort manifests just as it did in Mindful Education: a downcast expression and curt demeanor made more apparent by Steven’s cheery chattiness. But because she’s the only one of them that has truly taken the lessons of that episode to heart, she soon expresses her feelings outright (after a brutal “Of course I’m happy to see you”—Grace Rolek only needs one scene to be the episode’s MVP). Her complaints are all valid: this is not the first time she’s been left on Earth, and her sense that Steven isn’t taking her seriously is confirmed when he can’t even take her seriously within the conversation. She’s as direct as she can be, but when Steven refuses to acknowledge her pain, her anger takes over and she shuts him out. Lion’s side-eye is icing on the cake.

My biggest issue with Dewey Wins, however, is Steven. I’m torn, because it’s easy to justify his behavior throughout the episode as a result of recent trauma and the relief at surviving such a harrowing experience (and, later, the same sleeplessness that made him snap in Rose’s Room and Warp Tour). It makes sense that his martyr complex is intensified by his experience with Lars, that he falls back on helping others at the cost of his own well-being on instinct. But his flippant dismissal of Connie’s emotions still feels off, especially because it comes with a heretofore unseen swagger about his own heroism. She pours her heart out, making it clear that she wants to keep being Jam Buds but he’s making it really difficult, but every word goes right over his head. This is a version of Steven that somehow doesn’t get that “hurt” can refer to emotions instead of physical damage.

Throughout the episode, but particularly in this opening scene, Steven feels exaggerated for the sake of honing Connie’s argument. Perhaps it’s necessary, considering how easy it is in first viewing to see his sacrifice as noble rather than selfish; we need to see a more extreme version of his behavior to understand that going it alone was a bad move, or else Connie’s arguments seem small against the scale of the stakes. It’s further complicated by the fact that Steven’s sacrifice was noble, even if it was selfish at the same time. This isn’t a case where Steven is fully right or fully wrong, so it’s bound to be confusing to hear that his traditionally heroic move wasn’t as great as he (or we) first thought.

So yeah, I get why Steven is acting this way for the sake of the show. And, again, I can find reasons to explain his sudden emotional idiocy, making it leagues better than a true Annoying Steven episode. But it still comes across as clumsy to me; I can see the wheels turning to move the plot along in a way that’s normally hidden better on this show. His final monologue where he realizes that Connie felt the way he feels about Dewey abandoning the race feels like something from another show, a show that’s way more on-the-nose than Steven Universe is at its best. It was probably the right move, because as much as I can’t stand it when media is patronizing to young audiences, this lesson is complex enough that it’s worth a little clunkiness to ensure that the message gets through to smaller viewers. But compared to the elegance of our recent space adventure, Dewey Wins sacrifices polish for clarity when we usually get both.

But enough about what doesn’t work for me, because so much of this episode works for me. Even if his behavior feels forced, Steven provides seamless in-universe exposition recapping his space adventure. His follow-up conversation with Sadie has the same kind of douchey detachment that he shows Connie, but in a way that’s far more consistent with his character: dismissing Connie’s emotions is out of left field for him, but it makes plenty of sense that he’d see Lars as “okay” despite being trapped in space, considering the alternative was a very real death. And, of course, there’s the matter of the episode’s actual hero.

Nanefua Pizza has been my everything since Beach Party, and it’s thrilling to see her gain more prominence in the tail end of the series. Her beef with Mayor Dewey has been running since Political Power, the Dewey episode that established all the flaws that drive him out of office in Dewey Wins. Then, she responded by rallying rioters to tip over his truck, but now she takes a more civic-minded approach to effect real change. Still, she’s driven by the same anger at Dewey, and can only become a true force for good when she gains a new appreciation for his struggles.

While the correlation between Dewey and Steven is obvious well before Steven straight-up says there’s a correlation (a moment that’s made easier to swallow when Dewey points out he has no context for Steven’s friend troubles), the general conflict between Nanefua and Bill(iam) is a more fascinating study on blame. At first, both candidates believe in the power of blame, with Nanefua laying all the city’s troubles on Dewey’s inaction and Dewey arguing that taking the heat is his greatest strength: in his mind, there’s not much he can actually do about the cosmic misfortunes that befall Beach City, but giving its citizens somebody to blame gives them a sense of control that’s necessary in a chaotic world. And both of these viewpoints can be found in Steven’s self-image.

Steven, like Nanefua, is quick to lay blame when anything goes wrong. But Steven, like Dewey, sees the absorption of blame as a virtue. So he loops between those two positions, looking for someone to blame at the drop of a hat and only finding himself. The ensuing guilt make him want to fix the problems of others to atone, rather than focus on the underlying cause of his own issues, and if that sounds familiar it’s because Steven Universe Future is entirely about how important it is to break this loop.

But obsessing over fixing things is also how Pearl tries to solve her argument with Garnet in the Week of Sardonyx: she focuses on finding Peridot instead of doing anything about her own actions until she has no choice but to talk things out. And, as I said back in my Friend Ship post, it evokes something Pearl once said about humans (which it turns out applies to Gems):

“They want to blame all the world's problems on some single enemy they can fight, instead of a complex network of interrelated forces beyond anyone's control.”

When was this said? In Keep Beach City Weird, in regards to Ronaldo. The same Ronaldo who poured gas on the fire in Full Disclosure by presenting the idea that heroes are aloof and keep their friends at a distance. So in a way, the Breakup Arc can be chalked up to ignoring the good Ronaldo lesson but taking the bad Ronaldo lesson to heart. But more on him in Gemcation.

Steven’s turmoil lends a somber edge to Nanefua’s powerful change of heart, where she rejects her past choice to blame Dewey. She apologizes for her own part in pointing fingers, because blame is a lousy substitute for getting things done, and forgives him for not being perfect. She pitches the act of helping as a community effort, rather than something that any one person must do alone; she remembers that the lyrics are “we can be strong in the real way.” She’s giving Steven all of the answers well before Steven Universe Future shows how much his guilt loop will continue to plague him, but he isn’t ready to listen yet, and leaves the debate dejected instead of empowered. (Considering Jenny’s appeal to taking breaks during trying times in Joy Ride, and an adventure with Kiki about not spreading yourself too thin on behalf of others in Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service, this is the third time a Pizza woman’s fantastic advice has gone ignored by our hero.)

Even Dewey seems better off than Steven, accepting defeat by acknowledging that Nanefua would make a better mayor. And he’s right! She sets up actual services to account for alien threats, services that end up changing the universe in a way Dewey’s brand of keeping the peace never could. He may need a new job (Sadie foreshadows both his fate and her own imminent career change in one fell swoop), but there’s a sense of calm as he passes the torch after a full episode of Joel Hodgson’s hammy anxiety.

I appreciate that Dewey is allowed some points in his favor even as he flubs his way out of office. Yes, he should be more thoughtful and attentive: his vow to find a new donut shop kid when presented with news that Lars is trapped in space is even broader than Steven’s reaction to Connie’s pain, but the mayor has always ridiculous so I don’t mind at all. Yes, he should try and do something to address the concerns of his citizens beyond saying everything will be fine. But it’s not lost on the show that it isn’t easy running a town that’s a lightning rod for alien encounters, so Dewey remains sympathetic even if his ineptitude must be addressed. After all, if he’s gonna stand in for Steven in a metaphor that’s clear enough to be monologued about, it’s important to point out that it’s okay when you fail against impossible odds. Neither Dewey nor Steven can do everything on their own, no matter how much power they wield.

Steven might skip a few crucial lessons of Dewey Wins, but he at least learns one. Perhaps in an earlier season, that would be enough to mend fences with Connie. But time makes you bolder, children get older, and she’s getting older too. She’s been more than patient with being treated like an afterthought, so the moment she’s had enough is bound to be a big one. Thus, we end with a cliffhanger, one that pulls Steven into the same landslide that’s surely consuming the rest of the town after his kidnapping. The Barrigas are missing a son, and Sadie’s missing a romantic friend. Bill Dewey is no longer Mayor Dewey, and Nanefua has a whole new set of obstacles to face. Greg and the Gems have their son back, but his kidnapping was traumatic for them as well, and Connie gets that trauma on top of her stated complaints. And Steven had learned two lessons instead of one: it’s important to take your friends seriously, and timing is everything.

It’s gonna be a rough week.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

I do like it, really. But Steven’s behavior takes it down a few notches, regardless of my ability to find ways to explain it. Great episodes don’t require the audience to seek ways to justify a character’s weird behavior. There’s more good than bad here, but I’d be lying if I said I loved Dewey Wins.

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Steven’s Dream

When It Rains

The Good Lars

Lars’s Head

Catch and Release

Chille Tid

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Doug Out

Are You My Dad?

I Am My Mom

Stuck Together

The Trial

Off Colors

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Dewey Wins

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

(No official promo art for most of the Breakup Arc, given the way they were released, but I can’t be too mad when we get brilliance like this from ajora.)

#dewey wins #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

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tokkitchen · 4 years

Text

[ kim doyoung, 25 ] did you hear? there’s a new addition to the hypehens family! [ tokkitchen ] was starting to get known for [ cooking/baking tutorials & challenges ] and i think they will hit it big this time around as a part of the [ kimcheese ] squad at hypehens. [ shin sunwoo ] is known to be [ cheeky ] and enjoys [ farming simulation rpgs ]. with their vibes of [ flour stained cheeks and freshly baked bread ] and a style that is unique, i think they are going to take the internet by storm!

hi there! this took me a hot minute, but i’ve finally got sunwoo’s page up and running! you can find the basics & background about him there. tl;dr he loves the culinary arts and overall is a genuine but playful person. for the love of god do not call him a flirt or be passive aggressive with him unless you wanna start some drama which i am 100% down for. you can im me on tumblr or discord (kupo#6438, my dp is a pikachu) if you’re down to plot!

please note that any gif icons posted here and in future posts were made by yours truly.

here are sunwoo’s basics & background copied and pasted from my pages for your convenience.

Basic Information

⥼ Full Name: Shin Sunwoo ⥼ Pronouns: He/Them ⥼ Gender: Cismale ⥼ Birthday: February 1, 1996 ⥼ Age: 25 ⥼ Orientation: Bisexual ⥼ Relationship status: Single ⥼ Occupation: Creator & host of Tokkitchen ⥼ Residence: Seoul, South Korea

Physical Appearance

⥼ Faceclaim: Doyoung of NCT 127 ⥼ Hair: Black, medium length tapered short at the sides and the back, fringe clipped neatly but softly resting just below his eyebrows ⥼ Eyes: Walnut brown ⥼ Height: February 1, 1996 ⥼ Age: 25 ⥼ Height: 179 cm (5'10") ⥼ Build: Slim, very little muscle definition ⥼ Piercings: Ear lobes ⥼ Tattoos: None… yet ⥼ Clothing style: Overall casual to semi-casual and simple, prefers loose fits for pieces like sweaters, hoodies, and t-shirts, prefers fitted for pieces like denim jackets, varsity jackets, jeans, chinos, and sweatpants

Personality

⥼ Positive Traits: Warm, perceptive, playful ⥼ Negative Traits: Blunt, resentful, opinionated If you were to ask someone what Sunwoo’s most remarkable characteristic is, they would most likely mention how he treats everyone he meets like they’re an old friend. To some, that can be comforting, his easy smiles and laughs providing them a sense of security and acceptance. To others, that can be irritating: a stranger acting much too presumptuous and all too familiar for comfort. While Sunwoo does his best to be tactful and mindful of others, it’s undeniable that his personality doesn’t always mesh well with others. Sunwoo is not afraid to speak his mind whenever he finds it appropriate and necessary. He highly values improvement for himself and his loved ones. As such, he is the first to call out his friends on their bullshit, in the most loving way possible of course, seeing it as an opportunity for growth. Though he tries to choose his words as carefully as possible and his intentions are never ill, he can sometimes come off as a overly blunt, and in worst case scenarios, harsh. In that same vein, Sunwoo never hesitates in building people up and often goes out of his way to compliment them, whether that be on their work or even on their looks, gaining him the reputation of a bit of a flirt. This is completely unintentional, as he’s not exactly aware of the way he holds eye contact with people a little longer than average, or the way his genuine tone of voice can slip into something more suggestive. He gets pretty offended if you accuse him of being a flirt and doesn’t really understand why he’s seen that way. He is an extremely genuine person, despite how he may come off. He always says what he means and hopes that other people will do the same for him. Consequently, he greatly dislikes people who are passive aggressive, finding it a waste of everyone’s time to fish out exactly what they mean.

Childhood

Sunwoo was born two years after his older brother, Shinwoo. His parents both worked at well known companies and earned good money, affording them an upper middle class lifestyle, but as a result were rarely ever home. Sunwoo did his best not to take their money for granted, understanding even at a young age just how much they had to break their backs to earn it.

Adolescence

His older brother excelled in school, earning straight A’s and getting into the first college of his choice. Sunwoo, on the other hand, was just a little above average and often felt overshadowed by his brother’s performance. This subsconsciously affected his work ethic. There would be times, for example, when he would just give up studying for an exam because he knew he wouldn’t be able to achieve the grade he wanted—that is, one that was comparable to his brother’s. Once he was old enough, Sunwoo got a job at local convenience store so he could earn his own spending money without bothering his parents. There, he regained some of his confidence and came to realize that his strengths lay outside of a rigorous school system. Still, he completed high school and decided to go to college, majoring in Business.

Tokkitchen

Sick of eating instant ramyeon for the fifth time that week, Sunwoo put aside his textbook and decided to look up simple dishes to cook. He fell into the metaphorical rabbit hole and found himself watching cooking videos for a few hours, landing on a few recipes that seemed simple enough to try. The next day, he went out to buy the necessary groceries and began cooking. His dish was… okay. It wasn’t completely awful, but it wasn’t spectacular either. Strangely enough, he wasn’t discouraged and vowed to try again the next day since he had leftover ingredients. The next day came, and this time the dish was light years better than before. Pleased with the results, Sunwoo continued to watch cooking videos online and improved his skills little by little. When he was able to perfect a pasta recipe, he invited his friends over to his apartment so that he could cook dinner for them—they would be his “first set of guinea pigs” as he put it. They were goofing around, and one of his friends took out their phone to record Sunwoo cooking. He began mimicking the narrative style of the numerous videos he watched, explaining what he was doing in an exaggerated soothing tone. It was one of the most fun nights he’s ever had. His friend sent him the video a few days later. Sunwoo watched it, cringing at the sound of his voice, but recalled how much fun he had filming it. He immediately began searching his college’s website for rentable video equipment, determined to make a cooking video, but for real this time. After transferring and editing his very first video—"gourmet" meals using convenience store ingredients—onto his bulky, old laptop, he uploaded it to the internet under the username Tokkitchen, a reference to his apparently notorious resemblance to a rabbit. This was mostly for safekeeping—he knew his laptop was on its last legs and he only had so much hard drive space after all—but he also secretly hoped that maybe he would be able to capture a small audience. Sunwoo enjoyed making these videos so much that he went as far as changing his major to Film (his college did not offer a Culinary Arts major.) His technique and style improved significantly, and his viewer count steadily grew. It wasn’t nearly enough to justify doing it full time though, so after he graduated, he began the dreaded job search.

Present

After a year and a half of uploading videos, and just a month into the job search, Tokkitchen was suddenly an overnight success thanks to a video he had certainly not expected to be his claim to fame. It was one of his more casual videos: a half vlog, half cooking tutorial of caramel flan. Commenters seemed particularly delighted by his inclusion of footage of his three failed attempts at not burning the caramel and the resulting existential breakdown he had following them. He continued this model for his next video, and the next video, and the next video, and his channel views continued to grow exponentially. He has been praised by viewers for his down to earth personality and warm, atmospheric style.

#hype!intro

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gundampilot · 6 years

Photo

Inspired by @dialup2002 to post some more old stuff. :) This is a desktop screenshot I posted on my DevART account January 2005. Kicking it with Windows XP, but I loved/preferred the classic style that I was accustom to (95-98-ME). I made the wallpaper used, but I’m having trouble finding a copy of it. I’ll prob try to remake it in non-1024x768 resolution lmao. Not sure if this is from 2005. It might have been from 2004, but I hadn’t posted it yet. I did that a lot. Some fun notes about some of the software icons pictured (lots of info):

Firefox - THE FIRST BROWSER TO DO TABS OMG. I was a huge advocate for Firefox, especially in its initial releases. They were doing things on the internet nobody had really seen up to that point, and made it popular! Since I had so many issues (as most people do) with Internet Explorer, I was shopping around for a new browser at the time of this shot. Google Chrome didn’t exist yet. (Can you imagine??)

IE - As stated above, I disliked IE. It was kept for various reasons, however. Such as testing website layouts, since the mass-majority of people used it and things looked different in browsers when you were coding.

Opera - While giving Firefox a try, I also managed to snag a very, very early copy of Opera. I’ve always been the type of person that loved to try out new stuff as early as possible, and this was a very special piece of software that I wanted to give a go. The reason that it was special? You had to send away for a CD for it. That’s right, kids. They snail-mail’ed me a CD because it was considered “commercial software.” I paid to get that browser lmfao. I was super super hyped later in 2005, because it became “freeware” and I was able to more-easily push my friends to try it out. The devs were (and still are) seriously awesome. This is why I still use Opera as my main browser today! Ya’ll should try it if you aren’t already! You can even use your most-beloved Chrome extensions on it. :)

Soulseek & WinMX - Holy crap, you guys! lmao Is anyone here old enough to remember these programs?? XD This was basically where most people went after Napster bit the dust. This was when we were all scrambling, trying to find a new P2P sharing program. This was right in-between the eMule/Donkey phase and before the Limewire/KaZaA fiascos where people’s computers were being overloaded with viruses from companies trying to stop pirating. Ahh, the wild, wild west... Days were so exciting when you spent hours downloading something that could potentially ruin your computer lmao

WS_FTP - Still one of my favorite FTP programs for Windows! Works like a charm! These days I use Transmit 5 for Mac, but this was my first program ever for file transfer protocol. It’s basically a tool for uploading files to my website’s server, because back when I first registered it, there was no web uploader for that kinda stuff. Now I stick with that because it’s easier and I’m used to it lol

Veo Digital Studio - Used to use this for my webcam back before webcams were built into laptops, and before they were common enough to have amazing freeware available for them. (Also this is hilarious.) The quality was horrible, but I was hella excited to take pictures and share them with friends and on my blog at the time. From what I remember, there was something I used after this that was some type of South Korean selca software. Haduri? Something like that. It was really cute and even let you do little animations. :)

Animation Shop - Okay. So... from what I remember, this might have been owned by the people that made Paint Shop Pro? I think it was Corel. I honestly don’t remember where I got this from, but this is what I used to use to make animated gifs (because Photoshop just....didn’t for some reason? I had to use PSP at some point, I remember that. I just don’t remember why lmao. It might have been my copy didn’t allow it, or my computer was just too shit to run it good enough, or just stopped working because....Windows).

Adobe Photoshop 5.0 - I originally got this rip from a friend of mine, whose dad got a CD from his company that he worked at. It was an official/real license, which was really awesome! I think this was the first version of Photoshop I ever owned (!!), which is pretty amazing to think about about! I had that CD copy for a few years. I initially was gifted a copy of the CD around 2001-2002 or so. I know for a fact I had newer versions (7.0 was legend before CS suite came around), so I’m not sure why I was using this one at this point lmao. My guess is, like mentioned above, something happened with my computer and I didn’t want to format it and reinstall everything lol or because it was the fastest version I had installed to boot up and do a quick photo edit.

Adobe Photoshop 7.0 - I do remember this took a long time to start up. I can only imagine this was like a bad pirated copy or something, or was so bloated with new stuff in it, and that’s why I kept 5.0 for a quick boot. I know I used this majority of the time, though. Most of my backups for brushes and fonts are from backups that include 7.0 as a zip. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ My computer wasn’t the most powerful at the time, despite what I pushed it to do, so this is prob why. But hell yeah! Photoshop represent! lol I still use it today, and its still one of the first things I install on a fresh OS install. Enjoying CC 2017 these days.

Nero Start Smart - I was so excited to make mix CDs and share them! Back in the day before you had stuff like playlists that were sharable on YouTube/Spotify, etc, you had this to share music. Or play in your car. Or CD walkman. Nero was a software you could burn your CD-Rs and make your own laser-etched album art! I begged for years to get a CD burner lmao. Back when casette tapes were still around enough that my parents were like “but why???” lmao. They were not common back in the day like they became over time, just, like, included on your computer. Back then you had to buy one and install it into your computer tower yourself! I got mine I believe.....in 2001? It was the year after the Playstation 2 was released. The first one I got was just a very standard burner. Did a very specific type of CD burning at a low (slow af) speed. It was $700 lmfao. Let that sink in for a minute because my parents didn’t let me forget about it for the next four years lmfao. I saved up birthday and Christmas money and went halves on it. Then I upgraded to the one that this one was! c: Which did the laser etching, and DVD burning! (And you better believe I was burning DVDs of stuff I was downloading online lmfao this was the golden age of the internet where everything was just available everywhere as long as you had the patience to download that shit, because it took forever to download)

Volume Control - My dad and I messed with the wires on all of these random computer speakers and stereo speakers that we had collected over the years and hotwired our own version of a 5.0 surround sound in the room, which was mounted to the ceiling corners and above the computer station. It was lit. I needed Volume Control easily accessible because sometimes the speakers needed redirecting, or I needed to turn the beats down because my mother was tired of my fifth time playing the Gundam Wing OSTs and Miyavi. (It was metal, okay???)

Windows Media Player - I did not use this to listen to media. Let me reiterate that. I did not use it to listen to media on. lol this was specifically used to rip tracks from CDs that friends lent me, because it was the easiest software I was able to use to change the KBPs for quality control and the ID3 tags so I could save it and organize it for use in Winamp and know wtf I was listening to lol. Nobody used WMP for listening to music.... xD

Winamp - The best music player. Period. Still. Nothing beats it. Pls, pls, Nullsoft! Come back and make a native version for MacOS. :’(((( I would buy it! Doesn’t even have to have new features or look different. Classic look, pls pls!

Media Player Classic - Do people still use it??? This player was amazing! Paired with k-lite codec pack, it played everything. It was like VLC before VLC. And it looked good. Clean. Small. Could be installed anywhere which was nice. And the codec packs just made everything look and run fantastic!

Recycle Bin - .... Trash XD

Magnifier - This was for my dad because he had bad eyes and couldn’t remember CTRL +/-/0 to increase the text on pages that he wanted to read.

My Documents - Where I saved all the stuff I downloaded. Not the real My Docs. Just a folder that I named as such, with a custom icon. I don’t know why I wanted it there lol. I think to just have a uniform square on my desktop haha

Journal - I renamed this. I forget the original name of the client, but it was the official client of LJ. It was basically a program that let you write up posts for Livejournal and you could format things, draft them, etc, and post without uploading to your journal/blog. I liked it because sometimes I couldn’t post right away, and it made making drafts a lot easier for me to go back and edit. It also let you edit past posts, which was really convenient instead of looking for it on the web version one post at a time.

AIM+ - I loved AOL Instant Messenger, but over time the ads became too much. I invested a lot of time in 3rd party clients. I was constantly switching between AIM+, Adium, DeadAIM, Pigeon, Trillion, etc. Depended on what I wanted to do that day. Want to clone a SN? Want to skin the colors of the chats? Need transparency? Want to customize your lists? Want to log into more than one msg system at once? They all had their strengths. This was my msg service of choice. Back in the day you were either on this, MSN, or Yahoo!. Some people rocked ICQ and there were a few others, but these were the most common from who I knew/hung out with. I miss those days. <3

You can see WinMX running in the taskbar lmfao so I was prob downloading something at the time of snagging this quick shot. I also had DevART open (prob because I was gonna share this on there). I really wish I had more programs open at the time of this! XD It’s wild to look back at some of the software changes over the years!

Anyway, that’s one of my oldest screenshots that I can find that I’m able to share right now. :) I’m going to be posting a remake of that wallpaper that I did later today for those of you that want that, too.

If you read this far, thank you!! Hope you had fun reading about old stuff!

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atrocitycl · 7 years

Text

BTS - “Dead Leaves” Review

(Audio—unofficial upload)

BTS – Dead Leaves

Reviewed on February 27, 2016

Nevertheless, although many fans might desire to praise and cherish the song on the basis of it being unique—which, again, I do not disagree with nor do I find these “unworthy” qualities as it is important to have distinguishable songs from the hundreds of thousands (Korean) pop songs—I disagree with praising the song in this way. In fact, I struggle to praise the quality of the song in general; certainly the song is by no means utterly weak, but I will argue that if we look beyond uniqueness we will find that “Dead Leaves” is a rather plain, negligible song.

Personal Message: First of all, thank you so much to the requester of this review for sending this in. It has been multiple weeks since I actually received the request, so my sincere apologies for this delay. Although the following is no way to excuse myself, I hope to clarify the delay is because I have been quite busy and not neglecting the request. For other news, if I am on track I hope to equally post another review request that also involves BTS. Afterwards, I plan to wrap up the shorter month of February with TWICE’s “Knock Knock”—a song that I am finding as my current favorite song of all-time and one that is excellently efficient and accommodating in its composition for TWICE’s weaker vocals. But we will save that discussion for when it is appropriate.

To address this current review’s link, I am using an unofficial YouTube upload. For basically what this means, for future readers reading this three years from now—which, now thinking of such, is definitely a bizarre yet intriguing thought—the link might no longer work because of copyright issues or because the uploader removed her/his video. As such, should this be the case—whether three years from now or somehow in a few months—then manually searching for the song will have to be done.

Addressing one last technical point, as mentioned earlier, due to also wanting to finish another request, this review will perhaps be shorter than usual and I might opt to skip over some details. (A prime example would be not discussing why I rated the lyrics as is—though this will not be the case for this particular review.) Moreover, I also plan to focus on key concepts rather than all of the minute details. I hope this all works out so that the review is brisk yet thought-provoking to read, and so that I can also review “Spring Day” in time.

Finally discussing the song itself, “Dead Leaves” is—in terms of its breakdown—incredibly different from a majority of other songs reviewed before. The song itself is not necessarily the strongest I have heard nor is its structural composition any better. However, in terms of its lyrics and its flow, both of these aspects are definitely unique compared to many other pop songs—and with the lyrics specifically, it scores incredibly well. Nevertheless, although many fans might desire to praise and cherish the song on the basis of it being unique—which, again, I do not disagree with nor do I find these “unworthy” qualities as it is important to have distinguishable songs from the hundreds of thousands (Korean) pop songs—I disagree with praising the song in this way. In fact, I struggle to praise the quality of the song in general; certainly the song is by no means utterly weak, but I will argue that if we look beyond uniqueness we will find that “Dead Leaves” is a rather plain, negligible song.

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Song Score: 6/10 (5.75/10 raw score) – “Slightly above average”

- Vocals: 6/10

- Sections: 5/10 (4.83/10 raw score)

Introduction, Verse, Rap, Chorus, Verse, Rap, Chorus, Bridge, Rap, Chorus, Conclusion

1. Introduction: 5/10

2. Verse: 5/10

3. Rap: 6/10

4. Chorus: 3/10

5. Bridge: 4/10

6. Conclusion: 6/10

- Instrumental: 4/10

- Lyrics: 8/10

[Instrumental introduction]

Like those dead leaves there that have fallen and are flying My love is collapsing without strength Your heart is only going further away I can’t grab you I can’t grab you any more, more, more I can’t hold on longer, yeah

Over there, the autumn leaves that look like they’re at stake It seems like they’re looking at us If our hands touch, even if it’s all at once it only seems like it’s going to be crumbs I just only looked with the winds of autumn The speech and facial expressions that have gotten colder all of a sudden I can only see our relationship withering Like the autumn sky, it’s empty between us An ambiguous difference that is different from before A night that’s much more quiet today A single autumn leaf that’s attached to the branch It’s breaking, I can see the thing called "the end" The dead leaves that are becoming shriveled The silence inside your aloof heart Please don’t fall Please don’t fall, the dead leaf that’s becoming crumbs

I want you who makes eye contact with me I want you who wants me again Please don’t fall Please don’t collapse Never never fall Don’t go far far away Baby you girl I can’t hold onto you Baby you girl I can’t give up on you Like the dead leaves that fell This love, like the dead leaves Never never fall It’s withering

As if every autumn leaf has fallen As if everything that seemed eternal is going further away You’re my fifth season Because even if I try to see you, I can’t Look, to me, you’re still green

Even if our hearts aren’t walking, it walks by itself Our foolishness, like laundry, is being hung piece by piece Only the bright memories are dirty It falls on me Even if I don’t shake my branch, it keeps falling That’s right, in order to raise my love, it falls Even if we’re close, my two eyes become further, spreads further Like this, being thrown out Inside my memories, I become young again

Never never fall yeah Never never fall yeah I want you who makes eye contact with me I want you who wants me again Please don’t fall Please don’t collapse Never never fall Don’t go far far away

Why, can I still not give up on you? I hold onto the withered memories Is it greed? The lost seasons I try to restore, I try to restore them

Blaze them brightly, flare It was all pretty, wasn’t it? Our pathroads But it all withered The dead leaves fall down like tears The wind blows and everything drifts apart all day The rain pours and shatters Until the last leaf You you you

Never never fall Never never fall

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Analysis: To begin this review, we first need to understand the song’s current strengths. After all, it scores at a six which is quite decent despite my harsher, critical remarks that “Dead Leaves” is supposedly a plain and forgetful song.

As discussed earlier, the song’s uniqueness does help its ratings—and more specifically, that uniqueness exists in the lyrics of which I consider an appropriate category for a song to be judged in. For why the lyrics score incredibly well—and readers should realize an eight for lyrics is incredibly rare and only two other songs on this blog have earned such—the details are phenomenal. Even if the plot itself is nothing too spectacular as it is a romantic-related (or more accurately, a not-so-romantic one as it involves a breakup) topic and thus, is far from unique, the details truly make the song become a miniature story.

For example, with the first rap, we come into details that are not repeated or are cliché as oftentimes is the case with pop music. Unlike lyrics that follow extreme simplicity such as “Our love is going away / My heart hurts every day” (I made up these lines; if I end up quoting an actual song, it is by pure coincidence), the first rap instead brings out an entirely fleshed scenario and description of the protagonist’s feelings. This occurs at other moments in the song, and even the choruses are still building off the main story versus spewing lines that are not specifically rooted in an individual, creative plot. This incredible level of details in the lyrics is why I have given it an eight. It is like a story; and for me to be able to claim such—even if, yes, the story itself is not necessarily amazing in of itself—the very fact that it comes off as one versus “regular, generic pop lyrics” is praiseworthy.

Another aspect that is the song’s strength—though it is one that is not quite scored and thus unable to directly aid the song’s rating—is that the style involved is different from many other pop songs. Although many might disagree, I believe it is still important for songs—especially in pop as there are a plethora of songs existing—to have a distinguishing, creative style that is heard in either aurally or structurally (or even both). In “Dead Leaves,” what makes its style unique is how it flows: the song focuses on slower build up that, once it reaches its climax (the choruses—as is oftentimes the case), the release from there is orientated towards slower, wave-like progression versus the expected and typical style of merely streaming out the climax.

Let us use some examples since what I am discussing is incredibly abstract. In BTS’ “I Need U,” we find that the chorus flows out rather fluently and directly: the chorus occurs and it simply continues off the song. In fact, it is hardly thought that a song’s climactic piece would run anything but as a fluent stream. However, in “Dead Leaves,” this is not the case as the choruses is frequently chunked up and therefore carries subtle pauses, and furthermore the choruses are quite lengthy and dragged on versus occurring in a somewhat hastier fashion so that the song can easily “reset” back to its build up form. (And for another random note, pop songs run in what is called a “binary” form because of this very reason; there is oftentimes a “cycle” of going from “A” to “B” and back to “A” and the cycle begins again—and hence “binary” as there are two main portions. But this is getting far too technical and further abstract and is definitely not a part of the discussion for “Dead Leaves.”)

Returning to the main reason for all this lengthy explanation, I mention this all to explain that the song very much sounds unique. Seldom do pop songs follow this type of flow and, with the “binary” form of pop music (which I attempted to explain), it is definitely interesting to hear “Dead Leaves” have its own style to the binary format.

All that said, while creativity is welcomed and is arguably necessary for a group/soloist to survive—and by “survive” I merely mean “stay relevant” because I love being dramatic—in the K-Pop scene, this does not mean a song is automatically good. In other words, just because a song sounds different does not mean it is therefore a strong song; this will ultimately be the driving idea behind this current review. If a listener hears a very different song and then uses that as her claim for why the song is good, it is an incredibly weak argument. Equally said, it is also a weak argument to critique a song for “sounding generic” on the sole basis of that. For example, in the past I have claimed some songs sounded awfully generic and typical, but I then (or at least I hope) went on to explain why it sounds generic and why sounding generic in that song’s particular case is bad. If nothing else is gleaned from this review, I do hope readers understand these crucial points: never discuss and critique music quality purely on sounding “different” or “similar” to other songs. Instead—as I will do with TWICE’s “Knock Knock,” a very generic pop song—it is about looking at the composition and production involved and then deciding whether a song is good or not (and of which there is no right answer as music is all subjective).

With all that in mind, let us now discuss what I do find weak in “Dead Leaves.” To save time and to not bore readers with robotically breaking down each aspect to the song, I wish to instead hone in on one section: the choruses. As much as I admire the creativity involved in general but more specifically the choruses, I find that the composition sacrificed efficiency and even quality just for “Dead Leaves” to be deemed “creative” or “unique” within the context of its chorus and overall flow. What remains most troubling is how excessively dragged the choruses sound. For example, as already partially discussed above, the choruses do not just run through and carry on the song; rather, the choruses contain frequent pauses and, to describe its flow, it is akin to waves: pushing out hard, receding a little, and then pushing out hard once again and repeating this.

Now, this composition decision is not just for the sake of creativity and I do wish to clarify that. A musical benefit that comes from this approach is that the vocals are granted additional chances to showcase minimal beltings—this being a pleasing aspect to BTS’ vocals in this song. Nonetheless, this main benefit is still questionable: doing such comes at the expense at making the vocals and instrumental sound “stretched.” To explain what I mean, the choruses’ ending time should be much shorter than they currently are. Especially with considering the second half of the choruses, this portion of the choruses are not necessary per se and I argue this additionally, length-dragging aspect only creates a more rigid, awkward “recycling”—going back to the following verse’s calmer state—when in many ways the song have done that transition without needing the excessive dragging manner. And with this, besides structurally lowering the choruses’ ratings, this section’s instrumental is also in of itself poorly executed because it very much amplifies the problem and indeed, a lowering instrumental rating can be quite detrimental.

Ultimately, “Dead Leaves” does score decently but we have to be critical: is the decent rating because in an aesthetical sense the song is solid—in other words, gauging its lyrics and uniqueness—or is, despite the given rating, the song in a musical sense is actually slightly weaker? Readers can tell, I personally argue for the latter: “Dead Leaves” struggles with its composition and thus it renders as a bit too stretched during its choruses. Again, I do wish to highlight and praise the creativeness involved and for the risk taken with the song’s composition, but with being a critical, active listener I cannot help but bring up the song’s significant flaws.

But of course, readers have to be remember this is all my opinions; I do not state these points to bash BTS or their song, but I instead wish to begin a discussion that I hope fans and listeners can build upon whether through disagreeing with me, agreeing with me, or a combination of both. That is why music is reviewed: for the intellectual, mature, and respectful discussions. No one reads music reviews because they want a reviewer to form an opinion for them; after all, it only takes perhaps seven playbacks of a song for one to get a firm grasp on what their take is. Indeed, people read music reviews because they want to have various insights—perhaps even insights that would completely conflict with what they think of a song. That is the goal of my review, and I very much mention this as I understand there will be fans who are upset at my words even if statistically the song manages to score decently.

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I feel incredibly guilty for this request being delayed for so long. Since it is later at night that I am finishing this one, the request for BTS’ “Spring Day” will instead come out tomorrow or in a few more days. I am getting slightly less busy, but I do still have school tasks to handle and thus might be unexpectedly busy. (Examples include group projects, essays, and preparing my third lesson for seventh graders—the latter being something I am excited for.) But admittedly I have been spending much time watching TWICE videos instead of finishing up priorities, such as a theology essay, but that is beside the point—I mean, “So what?” as Momo says. And “so what” if the ladies are all incredibly gorgeous—physically and non-physically—and can still look flawless with minimal makeup on while if I do the same I still look like I have not slept in weeks.

Jokes and TWICE references aside, thank you to all for reading this review whether in full or skimmed. Thank you so much to the requester once again for sending this in and for being patient. “Spring Day” by BTS will be next for review, and afterwards, I will finish up the month with TWICE’s “Knock Knock” and begin March with another new review request. Make sure you “Don’t go far far away.”

#BTS #Dead Leaves #Jin #Suga #Rap Monster #JHope #Jimin #V #Jungkook #Big Hit Entertainment #Bangtan Boys #Kpop Reviews #Korean Pop Reviews #Song Reviews #Music Reviews #Audio

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thrashermaxey · 5 years

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Ramblings: Panthers Producing, Tampa Chasing History, Binnington, Murray, & Couturier (Feb 20)

Don’t look now, but the Ducks have won three of their last four games. Two via the shutout including a 4-0 victory over the Wild on Tuesday evening. None of these contests have seen John Gibson, either. Ryan Miller is healthy and providing exactly what’s expected of him: providing legitimate netminding if/when Gibson isn’t in the crease.

Anaheim is just three points back of the final Wild Card spot – held by the struggling Wild. This despite boasting a league-worst -50 goal differential.

That Pacific Division is yuck.

Those cats from Minny are trying their darndest to fall out of the playoff picture. They’re 1-6-3 over their past 10 games. They sure appear to miss Mikko Koivu a great deal.

On the other side of the ledger, the Blues simply refuse to lose. They put their 10-game win streak on the line against the Leafs on Tuesday and despite blowing a 2-0 lead in the third period, came away victorious in overtime off the stick of Ryan O’Reilly.

Robert Thomas has been toiling away on the fourth line during even-strength play, but the rookie pivot is beginning to look awfully comfortable on the top power-play unit. He didn’t have any points in this one but he has six in his last seven games.

Thomas should be considered a real threat to break out in 2019-20. Keep that one in your back pocket for draft season next fall.

Another start for Jordan Binnington and another victory. He hasn’t lost in a full month with 13 of his 15 starts in 2019 have been quality – meaning at or above league average save percentage – around 0.910.

He’s been a key figure in the revolution happening in Missouri these days. The real question is where we peg him as an asset moving forward? Obviously, this type of run will not be sustained. No one can run hot forever. But a 25-year-old who appears capable of leading a playoff-calibre team should be worth some serious action in drafts next season.

Andreas Johnsson returned to action. He skated 15:27 alongside Nazem Kadri and William Nylander at evens. The Leafs didn’t receive a power plays in this one, but Johnsson was practicing on the left point on the second unit.

Johnsson is a very interesting player moving forward. Will he price himself out of Toronto as an RFA this summer or is he destined to be a swiss army knife for the squad? He’s a sleeper right now; let’s see if that lasts through the summer.

For those leagues who employ two-week playoff matches, this week was the kickoff to the 2019 Fantasy Post-Season. The team with the healthiest schedule is the Panthers, and they got things moving and shaking in the right direction on Tuesday with a 4-2 victory over the Sabres.

Florida plays eight contests over the next two weeks including six at home. They may not be a playoff team, but they score like one – kicking around the top half of the league for goals for. Their big cats really flashed their teeth late in this one.

Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov both chipped in three points – all accrued in the third frame to seal the victory. They were some pretty tallies too.

https://dobberhockey.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/02/Hubey-deke.mp4

Barkov has seven points in his last two games and remains above a point-per-game pace. On the other hand, Huberdeau’s production has to be a welcomed sight for those owners who were getting used to his early season dominance. The skilled winger came into this tilt with just three points in his previous eight games.

His name has been in trade rumours leading up to the deadline. 30 teams should be calling if Dale Tallon is dumb enough to move him.

No points for Rasmus Dalin despite leading all Buffalo skaters in PPTOI with 5:59.

The illness-riddled Penguins overcame a couple of one-goal deficits to defeat the flailing Devils 4-3. Sidney Crosby posted an assist to extend his point streak to six contests, while Evgeni Malkin’s apple pushed his personal streak to eight games.

Matt Murray stopped 33 in this one, including some bell ringers in the final frame. He has three wins in his last four tries. He’s 14-5-0 with a 0.931 save percentage since returning from injury in mid-December.

The Pens are third in the Metro and just two points behind the Caps.

Carter Hart was given the Tampa Bay treatment on Tuesday. The 20-year-old netminder surrendered three goals on six shots before getting the yank. No sweat, kid the Bolts are chasing history as one of the all-time great teams.

Here’s a look at the a few of the top seasons of all-time (Win %)

1929-30 Bruins (0.875) – 44 GP

1943-44 Habs (.830) – 50 GP

1976-77 Habs (.825) – 80GP

2012-13 Blackhawks (.811) – 45GP [Lockout season]

1977-78 Habs (.806) – 80GP

1944-45 Habs (.800) -50GP

1995-96 Red Wings (.799) – 82GP – 62 wins [NHL RECORD]

1975-76 Habs (.794) – 80GP

2018-19 Tampa Bay (.787) – 61GP – on pace for 62 wins

1970-71 Bruins (.776) – 78GP

Yes, we can look to the shootout and overtime frame as boosters for this squad, but their RPt% (regulation point-percentage) is still a very pretty 0.730.

This is a special team, doing special things.

Sadly, Nikita Kucherov was held off the scoresheet and wasn’t able to hit triple-digits on Tuesday despite the Lightning beating Philly 5-2. Tampa has now won seven straight games for the THIRD time this season.

Nutty.

Sean Couturier continued his hot streak by adding two assists. The 26-year-old has recorded four consecutive multi-point outings; has 22 points in his last 15 games, and is playing just a hair below a point-per-game output on the campaign.

His 132 points over the last two seasons sit tied with Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns for 27th most. Not bad company to keep.

Henrik Lundqvist made 43 stops as the Rangers defeated the Hurricanes 2-1 a crucial tilt for Carolina. The loss kept the Canes a single point out of the final Wildcard spot held by Columbus.

Speaking of Columbus, they weren’t able to create any extra separation on Tuesday when they fell 3-2 to the Canadiens. Tomas Tatar tallied the game-winner with under seven minutes to play in this one. Tatar has been a very shrewd pickup for many poolies. Left for dead in Vegas, he’s risen from the fluorescent ashes of Sin City to be a contributing member of the fantasy landscape once again.

The 28-year-old has 11 points in his last 12 games and has vastly outperformed the player who went the other direction in Max Pacioretty.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi chipped in with two assists in the win. The 18-year-old is posting a very respectable rookie campaign, clicking right at the half-point-per-game mark.

He's the real deal.

For those gearing up for a lottery pick, get excited for Kaapo Kakko. The recently turned 18-year-old is scoring goals in the Finnish Liiga at an unheard of rate.

{source}<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kaapo Kakko- making goal-scoring history among u-18 players in Finnish Elite League… check this out. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Octagon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Octagon</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2019NHLDraft?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2019NHLDraft</a> <a href="https://t.co/OTISEamGFP">pic.twitter.com/OTISEamGFP</a></p>— Andy Scott (@Andy_Scott15) <a href="https://twitter.com/Andy_Scott15/status/1097946211468730368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2019</a></blockquote>

Roman Josi tallied two goals and an assist, Ryan Ellis chipped in three assists, and Pekka Rinne made 36 stops as the Preds defeated the Stars 5-3. The Stars have lost three straight and are heading the wrong direction heading into the trade deadline next Monday.

The Oilers were without Connor McDavid on Tuesday against the Coyotes due to illness. I'd be a little queasy too seeing my team tumbling to the bottom of the standings once again.

The Oilers stuck to the script and lost their fifth straight and 11th of their last 12 with a 3-2 shootout defeat.

Kucherov has been getting most of the attention these days, and for good reason. Before his scoreless evening on Tuesday he had 18 points in his previous five games and has a whopping 99 points in 61 games. He’s on pace to be the first player to break 130 points in nearly 25 years.

Here’s the thing though, Patrick Kane is somehow running even hotter right now. He has an incredible 65 points in 37 games stretching back to Nov. 24th. He recently surpassed Mike Hoffman’s earlier season point streak of 17 games for the longest run of the season.

Kane has produced 40 points on his current 18 games run. 40.

In the Last 10 years, the top streaks are:

Kane – 26 games in 2015-16

Crosby 25 games in 2010-11

Taylor Hall – 19 games in 2017-18

Steven Stamkos – 18 games in 2009-10

Corey Perry – 19 in 2009-10

Phil Kessel – 18 in 2008-09

Don’t take these lengthy point-streaks for granted. They don’t come around too often.

And don't go handing that Hart trophy to Kuch just yet. If Kane can drag the Blackhawks to the post-season – and they're only one point back right now, his massive point totals and lack of surrounding talent will be difficult to argue against.

Follow me on Twitter @Hockey_Robinson

from All About Sports https://dobberhockey.com/hockey-rambling/ramblings-panthers-producing-lightning-chasing-history-binnington-murray-couturier-feb-20/

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wjwilliams29 · 6 years

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21 Effective Low Effort & High Return SEO Techniques for 2019

Ranking high takes both time and effort. But there are some SEO techniques out there that are easy to implement and will definitely bring some results. The best part? You can probably do everything yourself.

Spoiler alert, though: many of them include basics. During the years we have observed something rather shocking. Many clients that I’ve picked up had paid big time for search engine optimization services in the past. To my surprise, however, basic things like keywords in titles were missing.

Now before you start, you can always perform an audit. It’s not actually something easy to do, depending on the size of your website, but it will help you prioritize your actions in order to save time. Depending on each individual situation, different actions in the list below might not be useful or might not apply to your case.

Optimize Your Titles and Headings

Prioritize Pages in Website Navigation

Add Breadcrumbs to Your Pages

Implement Tracking on Your Site

Install an SSL Certificate

Secure Your Maps Listing

Compress & Optimize Your Images

Increase Site Speed

Interlink Your Pages with Keyword Rich Anchor Texts

Link to Relevant, Authority Websites

Secure Your Social Media Profiles

Increase The Shareability of Your Pages & Posts

Share Other People’s Content

Ask Friends and Customers for Reviews

Custom Design Your 404

Post Fresh, High Quality Content

Update/Improve Existing Content

Repurpose Existing Content

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

Invest in advertorials with nofollow backlinks

Acquire Your Competitors’ Backlinks

1. Optimize Your Titles and Headings

As mentioned in the introduction, I was often surprised to see that although some of my clients had paid big money for SEO services in the past, basic optimization things like keyword research and title optimization were not performed.

These being said, make sure your pages are targeting the proper keywords. The title tag has the most weight in search engine optimization, so make sure your keyword is there. The closer the most important keyword is to the beginning, the better. After that, you need to add the proper keywords to your Headings as well. The H1 is the most important heading so it should be the first thing on a page. In many cases, it’s the same as the title, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

If you have a PPC campaign running, you can inspire yourself from those titles. Many people think that PPC titles are unfit for SEO, but the truth is that the PPC titles are focused on conversion, which will benefit SEO greatly.

Same thing goes for the meta descriptions. Optimize the meta descriptions to convince people to click your link. Make sure you have your keywords there as well, otherwise the chances of it showing up are much lower.

Once you get a hold of it, you can start targeting multiple keywords with one page. Although this article doesn’t really target multiple keywords, we could say that this title is optimized for “effective seo techniques”, “seo techniques” and “seo techniques 2019”.

This is a great thing, because you can focus on writing bigger pieces of content instead of many smaller ones. Google loves longer content.

2. Prioritize Pages in Website Navigation

Navigation is the most important structure element on your entire website. Why? Well, because it’s the first thing linking to your ‘other’ pages and it’s usually at the very top of the page, giving those links a lot of weight.

You can see, for example, that pages optimized for some of our most important keywords are linked to right from the navigation menu. These links are found on every page on the website, making those pages look very important in Google’s eyes.

That’s actually one of the reasons the Homepage has such high authority on all sites. It’s because, usually, the logo on every page links to it.

3. Add Breadcrumbs to Your Pages

Adding breadcrumbs can be very beneficial to your website, especially if it’s an eCommerce one. This is due to the fact that they create structure within your site.

Most, if not all online stores, link their products from their category pages. This means that the category pages send some equity to the product pages, making them stronger. Not a bad thing, overall.

However, I’m pretty sure though that you want your category pages to rank high, because those are the ones optimized for the keywords with the most search volume. With Breadcrumbs, you will consolidate the strength of your Category pages by linking to them with all your subcategories and related products.

If you’re using a CMS, things are pretty easy. Most templates already come with breadcrumbs, so make sure you check the template’s settings first. If not, you can search the web for “Your CMS Platform” + “breadcrumbs plugin/extension/module”. I’m sure there’s something out there for you.

On a custom platform you might not be able to do it yourself without coding knowledge. However, a programmer should be able to do it pretty quick, so it won’t be a big expense.

4. Implement Tracking on Your Site

Tracking is extremely important. If you don’t track your rankings and traffic, you can’t spot the issues with your website.

What pages do the users leave quickly? You know you can improve those first, especially if the search volume for them is high!

Also, if you don’t monitor your organic search traffic you can’t know if you’re making any progress and, worse, you won’t know if the search engines penalized you or your rankings have dropped.

You can use Google Search Console and Google Analytics to monitor your organic search traffic and issues with your pages. They’re fairly easy to install as long as you have access to your server. You might even be able to install them via a plugin for your CMS. I recommend using Google Tag Manager to implement all tracking codes. They will be easier to manage afterwards.

If you want to go to the next level, you can try things like HotJar, which creates a heatmap of where your users click most on a page. However, that’s a lot harder to understand and improve correctly, so an experienced person is required.

5. Install an SSL Certificate

SSL has become a ranking factor since 2014. If you’re wondering why, the answer is pretty simple. Because of security. Cybercrime has been on the rise constantly and more and more people share more and more sensitive data on the web.

Installing an SSL should be pretty easy. Most of the time, your hosting provider can help you. However, there is a simpler solution which is also free: CloudFlare. You simply have to change your domain’s nameservers to point out to CloudFlare and then CloudFlare will act as a filter, blocking spam and bad IPs from reaching your server.

Beware, though! Migrating to HTTPS can cause some serious SEO issues!

If you want to know more, you can read this detailed guide about migrating from HTTP to HTTPS.

6. Secure Your Maps Listing

This isn’t something that people will be able to ‘steal’ from you very easily, but it will provide your website with great value. Using Google MyBusiness you can get your website listed multiple times on Google.

Not only that, but it will also link back to your website. People will be able to find your website a lot easier if it’s not already ranking very well.

Once you create your listing or claim ownership of it, make sure you fill out all the required details correctly. You should also add nice pictures of your location, products and team. This helps building trust with your clients.

7. Compress & Optimize Your Images

Images take up the most physical space on your server. That means they also take the most physical space on your user’s device, which means they also take the most time to load.

Slow loading times greatly impact your conversions and images really take the longest to load.

There are two ways an image takes up too much space. First, it’s not compressed in its physical size on the disk. So you can have two images that look the same, but one has 1MB and the other has one fifth of a MB.

How is this possible? Well, I’m not sure how image compression works, but it makes images smaller in size on the disk without reducing their size or quality on the screen. You can use plugins such as Smush for WordPress, or image compression tools like ShortPixel which have APIs. You can also compress your images every time you upload them using TinyPNG. If you can’t connect a tool, just download batches of images (if you don’t have thousands) compress them and then reupload them to your server.

Then, of course, you have the size on the screen. A 2000 by 2000 pixels image will take up more physical disk space than a 500 by 500 pixels image. Therefore, don’t load a 2000x2000px image and shrink it to 500x500px using CSS. The browser will have to download an image 4 times larger than it needs.

To make this work with responsive designs, you can research the “srcset” HTML attribute. You can use it to only download specific images on specific screen sizes.

8. Increase Site Speed

Although images have the most impact, there are other elements that can affect your site’s loading speed. Most of the time it’s related to files, but other times it can be because of PHP conflicts or database queries taking very long to load.

To avoid conflicts and slow database loading times, you can try and limit your plugin use to the very minimal. Do you have a lot of unnecessary plugins and extensions? Get rid of them. Do you think something looks nice on your site, but you rarely every use it or it provides little value? Get rid of it.

You can start by removing your slider plugin, for example. Replace the slider with a static image and a CTA button. Why? Well, it turns out that sliders kinda suck! People rarely click on those offers, they take up a lot of space and resources and they can be very annoying when you’re reading something and the image shifts automatically.

Some other things you can do to increase your site’s speed include having a great hosting provider and minimizing the resources needed to load a page. You can use PageSpeed Insights and GT Metrix to monitor these issues.

Some are easy to fix and some are not. For example, a caching and file minification plugin like W3 Total Cache (for WordPress) can be useful. You can use this guide to set it up properly. However, beware of possible CSS and JS issues and conflicts that might mess up your design and functionality. Usually, disabling minification will fix the issue, but have a backup of your files and database before you change anything!

In Page Speed Insights check your server’s response time. If multiple tests show that the response time is over 2.5 seconds, you can consider switching to a better hosting provider.

You should also take a look at this Technical OnPage SEO Guide. Not everything there is easy to implement, but considering that it’s OnPage SEO, you have complete control over it, so it’s worth doing!

9. Interlink Your Pages with Keyword Rich Anchor Texts

Interlinking is one of the most effective SEO techniques out there. You can use it to link to important pages using specific anchor texts. This has a lower risk than building backlinks on keyword rich anchor texts and, more importantly, you have absolute control over it.

Whenever you add new content, make sure you link to other relevant pages within your website. Vice-versa, go edit some old pages from your site and add links to your new content, if relevant.

If you have thousands of pages, it can be hard to interlink, but you can use plugins such as Interlink Manager. Make sure you also check out this guide about interlinking.

10. Link to Relevant, Authority Websites

I know you’d rather prefer other websites linking to you, but just as with the social media example, you’ll have to share other people’s content in order to get linked to yourself.

This can actually improve your SEO. Why? Well, it’s because Google works on backlinks! That’s how it finds good content and figures out which content is worth ranking at the top. That’s why Google encourages webmasters to link to great content

11. Secure Your Social Media Profiles

Although you’ll only probably use one or two of them, it’s a good idea to secure as many as possible. Social Media profiles are a great way of getting some initial backlinks to your website. Sometimes you might even lose the name if someone else (like a competitor) registers it before you.

The most popular ones are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. However, depending on your niche, you can consider Reddit or any other niche oriented social media platform, such as SoundCloud or Yelp.

However, for the links on the social media profiles to be effective, you’ll need to get shares, retweets, pins, etc.

12. Increase The Shareability of Your Pages & Posts

If you want to get more traffic to your website, you have to use social media to get viral. Even if people read your content and like it a lot, they might not bother sharing it if you don’t facilitate the process.

Add share and like buttons on your pages. Focus on the platforms most relevant to your site instead of adding as many as possible. Again, if you have a CMS, there’s a plugin there for you!

You can also add CTAs within your content. There’s a nice SEO strategy called locked content. You can unlock that with a share. While locking the content you said you’d provide in the title is a very bad idea (bad user experience), locking some extra PDFs or tips can definitely increase the number of shares/ tweets about your site.

13. Share Other People’s Content

Also, make sure you share interesting content, even if it’s not from your own website. If you want other people to share your content, you’ll have to share theirs.

It’s better if you get shares from other pages instead of people, because personal profiles aren’t usually indexed. This means that Google won’t be able to see the backlinks created from those shares.

14. Ask Friends and Customers for Reviews

Now that you have your Google MyBusiness listing secured, it’s time to get some reviews. Many people ignore this and I never understand why. It’s something so easy to do!

Although reviews are a local SEO ranking factor, the higher your listing ranks, the more value it will provide to your website and business.

Getting good reviews is fairly easy, considering you offer quality products/services. Users are more likely to leave a negative review, so you have to work a little more. However, asking your friends to review your page on Google MyBusiness (and Facebook as well) isn’t hard. Also, everytime you have a satisfied customer, ask them to review you. You’ll be surprised, but many will do.

15. Custom Design Your 404

Depending on how big your site is, you might get a lot of 404s (an error message displayed by a browser indicating that an Internet address cannot be found). If people land on those 404 pages, they will inevitably leave, costing you a lot of money. One way to fix this issue is to create a custom design for you 404 page, with a Call to action in it.

Take a look at ours, for example:

If you have an eCommerce store, you can even add some categories, an offer, or hell, even a discount code! Now that’s going to heavily reduce the bounce rate.

Here’s a link where you can read more about how 404 pages affect SEO.

16. Post Fresh, High Quality Content

It’s no secret and no rocket science. The more (quality) content you post, the more traffic you will get. However, I still see a lot of new websites that want results with SEO lacking a blog. If you only have 5 pages that list your products, chances are you won’t outrank Amazon and Walmart for “Diapers”, even if your diapers change themselves. You need to post blog posts regularly to show Google that your website is active. It’s also a great way of earning new backlinks, as people will be more likely to share those rather than your services pages.

Countless times I’ve noticed that whenever I post new blog posts on a website, all the pages gain a little boost in their rankings, especially if the pages aren’t on the first page of Google.

This proves (to me at least) that Google trusts websites that post regularly more. After you get to page 1, you might see what’s called the Google dance, where Google sometimes puts your page up to see how users react to it and then uses machine learning to figure out if it’s good. If they like it, you will rank higher. If they don’t and your bounce rate is very high, you’ll drop back to lower positions. Search engines are all about user experience these days.

The secret to always coming up with new ideas and topics for content and blog posts is to try and answer customer questions. Answering questions is also a great idea to target keywords introduced through voice searches. If you haven’t answered all your customers’ questions, you should start with that!

You’ll see that content can be written in any niche, even the shitty ones! Just take my example above… do you imagine how many parents search for “how to change a diaper” on the internet? If you don’t have a guide yet, well, you should have one! Especially if your diaper changes itself, because you can then say “ignore all this and buy my product!”.

17. Update/Improve Existing Content

If you already have content on your website that’s targeting a specific keyword, don’t start writing something else on the same topic. You’ll get into keyword cannibalization, when multiple pages will be competing for the same keyword (and probably none will be ranking).

Simply improve the existing article by adding new content to it. The simple way to do it is to use CognitiveSEO’s Content Tool. Just search for the keyword you wish to target, add your title and content and hit optimize. The tool will provide you with a bunch of relevant topics and keywords you should add to your article in order to rank higher.

Whenever you find out something new related to an article you already have on your website, make sure to write it down. You can update your article from time to time to keep it fresh.

You can also add things like “Updated dd/mm/yyyy” to let users know that the information is not outdated.

18. Repurpose Existing Content

You can easily obtain new search traffic by repurposing existing content. You can turn it into a PDF and use it to build your e-mail list, or you can turn it into a video or a podcast.

You could even use that content to share it directly on social media as a story. It’s known that a longer text without links gets more reach on platforms such as Facebook.

Different audiences prefer different types of content format, so expanding to more than just text is a smart move, especially considering that video content demand is on the rise!

19. Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

This is part of those SEO tactics that aren’t really easy to do. Considering how old your website is, it might require and entire redesign, or even rebuilding from scratch.

However, it’s worth it, since Google has recently moved to a mobile first indexing process. This means that Google will rank your pages depending on how they’re viewed by users on mobile devices.

You can fix everything on a CMS by simple installing a responsive template. However, depending on the plugins you have installed, some functionalities might suffer from the change. It’s not really a low effort change, but it’s definitely high result!

20. Invest in advertorials with nofollow backlinks

“But Adrian, isn’t buying backlinks dangerous?Is this white hat SEO?”

Well, yes. But things are different when it comes to nofollow links. The dofollow purchased links are the ones that bring trouble. Those you should earn, not pay for.

Theoretical, search engines are aware that websites and the internet work with advertising and links. However, it does not want websites to take advantage of its organic search algorithm.

Nofollow links remove all the risks. You no longer have to hide yourself under “informative content” and can directly promote your business through the content and advertising texts you purchase. Just make sure the content is still valuable to the reader. Don’t just buy it for the link. The more traffic it gets, the more it will benefit your site as well, so invest in quality.

21. Acquire Your Competitors’ Backlinks

Backlinks are very hard to get, but also very effective. Link building opportunities are not easy to found. However, there are some easy OffPage SEO strategies that allow you to acquire high quality backlinks that are proven to work.

How?

By using cognitiveSEO’s competitive backlink research tool. Once you analyze your website and your top competitors, you can easily identify common referring domains between the websites using our tool.

This helps you identify websites that are prone to share content in your niche. Even if the links are purchased, you know they work if your competitors are ranking with them. Sign up for a free trial and get a list of your competitors’ best backlinks.

Conclusion

You’ve probably heard these SEO tips before, but the real question is have you truly tried them?

Not all these SEO strategies might be easy to implement, but you will definitely be able to improve your rankings with them. Everything listed above doesn’t require an expert and won’t put your website in any risk of getting penalized.

If you have any questions, I will gladly reply in the comments section. Also, I’m curious: which SEO technique above have you already used? Was it effective? Did I miss anything? Share it with us and let’s help each other!

The post 21 Effective Low Effort & High Return SEO Techniques for 2019 appeared first on SEO Blog | cognitiveSEO Blog on SEO Tactics & Strategies.

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krisggordon · 6 years

Text

21 Effective Low Effort & High Return SEO Techniques for 2019

Optimize Your Titles and Headings

Prioritize Pages in Website Navigation

Add Breadcrumbs to Your Pages

Implement Tracking on Your Site

Install an SSL Certificate

Secure Your Maps Listing

Compress & Optimize Your Images

Increase Site Speed

Interlink Your Pages with Keyword Rich Anchor Texts

Link to Relevant, Authority Websites

Secure Your Social Media Profiles

Increase The Shareability of Your Pages & Posts

Share Other People’s Content

Ask Friends and Customers for Reviews

Custom Design Your 404

Post Fresh, High Quality Content

Update/Improve Existing Content

Repurpose Existing Content

Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

Invest in advertorials with nofollow backlinks

Acquire Your Competitors’ Backlinks

1. Optimize Your Titles and Headings

This is a great thing, because you can focus on writing bigger pieces of content instead of many smaller ones. Google loves longer content.

2. Prioritize Pages in Website Navigation

That’s actually one of the reasons the Homepage has such high authority on all sites. It’s because, usually, the logo on every page links to it.

3. Add Breadcrumbs to Your Pages

Adding breadcrumbs can be very beneficial to your website, especially if it’s an eCommerce one. This is due to the fact that they create structure within your site.

On a custom platform you might not be able to do it yourself without coding knowledge. However, a programmer should be able to do it pretty quick, so it won’t be a big expense.

4. Implement Tracking on Your Site

Tracking is extremely important. If you don’t track your rankings and traffic, you can’t spot the issues with your website.

What pages do the users leave quickly? You know you can improve those first, especially if the search volume for them is high!

5. Install an SSL Certificate

Beware, though! Migrating to HTTPS can cause some serious SEO issues!

If you want to know more, you can read this detailed guide about migrating from HTTP to HTTPS.

6. Secure Your Maps Listing

Not only that, but it will also link back to your website. People will be able to find your website a lot easier if it’s not already ranking very well.

7. Compress & Optimize Your Images

Images take up the most physical space on your server. That means they also take the most physical space on your user’s device, which means they also take the most time to load.

Slow loading times greatly impact your conversions and images really take the longest to load.

To make this work with responsive designs, you can research the “srcset” HTML attribute. You can use it to only download specific images on specific screen sizes.

8. Increase Site Speed

In Page Speed Insights check your server’s response time. If multiple tests show that the response time is over 2.5 seconds, you can consider switching to a better hosting provider.

9. Interlink Your Pages with Keyword Rich Anchor Texts

Whenever you add new content, make sure you link to other relevant pages within your website. Vice-versa, go edit some old pages from your site and add links to your new content, if relevant.

If you have thousands of pages, it can be hard to interlink, but you can use plugins such as Interlink Manager. Make sure you also check out this guide about interlinking.

10. Link to Relevant, Authority Websites

I know you’d rather prefer other websites linking to you, but just as with the social media example, you’ll have to share other people’s content in order to get linked to yourself.

11. Secure Your Social Media Profiles

However, for the links on the social media profiles to be effective, you’ll need to get shares, retweets, pins, etc.

12. Increase The Shareability of Your Pages & Posts

Add share and like buttons on your pages. Focus on the platforms most relevant to your site instead of adding as many as possible. Again, if you have a CMS, there’s a plugin there for you!

13. Share Other People’s Content

Also, make sure you share interesting content, even if it’s not from your own website. If you want other people to share your content, you’ll have to share theirs.

14. Ask Friends and Customers for Reviews

Now that you have your Google MyBusiness listing secured, it’s time to get some reviews. Many people ignore this and I never understand why. It’s something so easy to do!

Although reviews are a local SEO ranking factor, the higher your listing ranks, the more value it will provide to your website and business.

15. Custom Design Your 404

Take a look at ours, for example:

If you have an eCommerce store, you can even add some categories, an offer, or hell, even a discount code! Now that’s going to heavily reduce the bounce rate.

Here’s a link where you can read more about how 404 pages affect SEO.

16. Post Fresh, High Quality Content

Countless times I’ve noticed that whenever I post new blog posts on a website, all the pages gain a little boost in their rankings, especially if the pages aren’t on the first page of Google.

17. Update/Improve Existing Content

Whenever you find out something new related to an article you already have on your website, make sure to write it down. You can update your article from time to time to keep it fresh.

You can also add things like “Updated dd/mm/yyyy” to let users know that the information is not outdated.

18. Repurpose Existing Content

You can easily obtain new search traffic by repurposing existing content. You can turn it into a PDF and use it to build your e-mail list, or you can turn it into a video or a podcast.

You could even use that content to share it directly on social media as a story. It’s known that a longer text without links gets more reach on platforms such as Facebook.

Different audiences prefer different types of content format, so expanding to more than just text is a smart move, especially considering that video content demand is on the rise!

19. Make Your Website Mobile Friendly

This is part of those SEO tactics that aren’t really easy to do. Considering how old your website is, it might require and entire redesign, or even rebuilding from scratch.

However, it’s worth it, since Google has recently moved to a mobile first indexing process. This means that Google will rank your pages depending on how they’re viewed by users on mobile devices.

20. Invest in advertorials with nofollow backlinks

“But Adrian, isn’t buying backlinks dangerous?Is this white hat SEO?”

Well, yes. But things are different when it comes to nofollow links. The dofollow purchased links are the ones that bring trouble. Those you should earn, not pay for.

Theoretical, search engines are aware that websites and the internet work with advertising and links. However, it does not want websites to take advantage of its organic search algorithm.

21. Acquire Your Competitors’ Backlinks

How?

Conclusion

You’ve probably heard these SEO tips before, but the real question is have you truly tried them?

The post 21 Effective Low Effort & High Return SEO Techniques for 2019 appeared first on SEO Blog | cognitiveSEO Blog on SEO Tactics & Strategies.

from Marketing https://cognitiveseo.com/blog/20208/effective-seo-techniques/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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101percentindia · 6 years

Text

Like The Dandi March, I Set Off On My Own Protest March

Protest is protein for democracy, use it generously.

Many times I’ve felt the need to protest against the road conditions and civic apathy in and around Bombay.A bridge collapse here, a wall collapse there, a pothole mishap every now and then, or the chance of involuntary immolation while you’re downing your fifth peg of Old Monk in a pub, chances are aplenty.

I'm not ready for an embarrassing death. Nobody is. Nobody wants to fall in a manhole and die in filth. Every time I ride under Khar subway, for 10 seconds I cannot help but imagine the whole shit crashing down on me. I don't even step out of my house much.

But this protest was mainly about roads, or whatever the corporation tries to pass off as roads, a rare feature that’s sometimes visible in between all the potholes. Maybe not in South Bombay. Last I heard, somebody was trying to get Bombay into the Guinness book of records for the maximum number of potholes.

#RoadToHell

We have a billion dollar airport and people stepping out of the vicinity should be forgiven if they think they have landed on the moon. Superficial development is not progress. And here we are talking about bullet trains and hyper loops. The right to protest shitty governance is my fundamental right. In this case, it’s a right I have to exercise to avoid going mental traversing the Martian terrains of Bombay.

The night before my planned protest was the night of the FIFA world cup finals. That was also the night Russian punk rock group, Pussy Riot, invaded the pitch in an audacious show of protest against the policies of the Russian government. Needless to say, that display of people power definitely ingrained in me a final dose of confidence. If they could pick on an authoritarian Putin, then I could definitely stand my ground against the richest corporation in the country.

In many ways, protests can be equated to the white blood cells fighting an infection. History has shown its effectiveness; it’s also the little remaining power citizens can exercise to make the government accountable.

Related: We Need A New Soundtrack For Protests

The #notinmyname protests forced the Prime Minister, who otherwise chose to remain mum, to speak on the issue of lynchings. The Kisan Long March not only ensured the government’s attention to the plight of farmers, but also intimately wove it’s way into our social conscience. Then there are those protests that gathered momentum but fizzled out without achieving what they aimed for, like the FTII protests. And the biggest of them all, Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

I was pissed off to stratospheric levels and just wanted to communicate it to the power that be, through physical presence. I was ready to go on my own but invited friends on social media. Two of them turned up, one was my partner.

Related: "My Friend In FTII Was Just Put Behind Bars"

I started my social media campaign under #roadtohell encouraging everyone to post photos of bad roads in their neighbourhood. The day before my protest, we fashioned a waterproof banner and it felt like I was back in SUPW class in school.

My protest weapon

I had participated in a few #notinmyname protests. It’s easy. All you have to do is show up, while the organizers deal with the logistics and permissions. I didn’t have the inclination to go about getting permissions to arrange a large-scale protest, which is why I decided to go it alone. Ok so I’m not as gutsy as Rosa Parks or the Tank Man from Tiennaman Square or current protest stalwarts like Emma Gonzalez or Palestinian teenage rebel Ahed Tamimi; but I moved my butt!

Protest Day The local autorickshaw driver who took me to the Marol metro station was elated to see my banner and gave me suggestions and information.

My friends at the metro station

Then came trouble or just plain bullshit behavior. Mine started with the security at the Mumbai metro station preventing me from boarding the train with my banner that had photos of bad Marol roads along with pictures of the local MLA. For some reason they envisaged that I might do a dharna inside the metro coach. After wasting two hours, I boarded the train after covering and taping my banner with newspapers, which they were kind enough to do. Even though they understood my protest was theirs as well, fear of authority kept them in check. I, too, dialed down my temper for fear of getting into unnecessary trouble.

I let the cover stay during my journey to Churchgate but once I reached BMC, I planted myself on the divider in front of it and passed the first few minutes in unease, conscious of passersby peering at me. Soon, my musician friend Stuart joined me and that's when I started having fun.

Strength in numbers

The public started interacting with us, agreeing with our cause. It was obvious they were an angry lot who had little expectations from the state authorities. From fire fighters to cops and cab drivers to regular office folks, there was a vibe of appreciation. Of course, a lot of people didn’t give a shit either.

For me though, more than sending a message to the people concerned, I didn’t have much expectation. It was about making the public aware about their right to good roads and the right to protest against bad roads.

So on this Independence Day, when freedom is taking a beating like the dhols during Ganesh Chaturthi, remember that protest is protein for democracy. Which is why I downloaded the BMC app where you can register complaints and upload photos of bad roads. The app is sitting tight on my phone, just like a pothole on the road. I haven’t been been able to register on it due to BMC’s server problems. So much for digital India.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are independent views solely of the author(s) expressed in their private capacity and do not in any way represent or reflect the views of 101india.com.

By Mohan KK Photographs by: Mohan KK

#101India india #independenceday

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demitgibbs · 6 years

Text

Q&A: ‘Cirque Dreams Holidaze’ at Broward Center

Cirque Dreams Holidaze, the iconic holiday stage spectacular, lights up South Florida’s holiday season in the Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with eight unforgettable performances Tuesday, December 26–Saturday, December 30 as part of its 10th Anniversary National Tour.

This critically-acclaimed holiday celebration is a Broadway musical, new cirque adventure and family show wrapped in one!

Broadway Director and South Florida’s own Neil Goldberg has reimagined this season’s holiday stage spectacle of Cirque Dreams Holidaze the New York Daily News proclaimed, “A delicious confection of charm, sparkle and talent by the sleigh load.” It’s “The perfect holiday gift and show everyone will enjoy” raved BroadwayWorld of the sold-out performances that “Dazzled…at The Kennedy Center” hailed the Washington Post.

South Florida audiences can celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at this multi-million-dollar live stage production with never-before-seen performances, over 300 costumes, 20 of the world’s best acts, the finest singers, original music and seasonal favorites. Experience elaborate costumed characters celebrating Winter, Christmas, Chanukah, New Year’s and more with snowmen, penguins, candles, reindeer, toy soldiers, gingerbread men, Santa and ornaments…flying, balancing and stretching imaginations in this groundbreaking iconic show. Exciting theatrical production numbers, illusions and gravity-defying feats will leave you on the edge of your seats at this “Las Vegas…meets family entertainment…meets musical theatre” Cirque Dreams Holidaze production raves the Boston Globe.

Diana Pombo was discovered by Cirque Dreams Founder Neil Goldberg in 2015 at age nine when he cast her in Broward County’s theatrical centennial celebration We produced by Cirque Dreams. Pombo, now 11, recently gained national recognition on NBC’s World of Dance. Jennifer Lopez proclaimed, “It wasn’t just all the flexibility and strength you had, it was the passion that you put into every move.” After her World of Dance fall tour, Diana will join the 30-performer international cast of Cirque Dreams Holidaze.

Says Creator/Director Goldberg, “Adding Diana Pombo to the 10th anniversary season of Cirque Dreams Holidaze elevates the shows already incomparable world talent and further makes this production at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts the holiday season show not to be missed. This will be our largest and most elaborate production to date that will celebrate, gratify and amaze the entire family.”

Other South Florida locals in the cast include singer/songwriter Ariel Rose, who portrays the Ice Queen, a featured lead vocalist, and actor Frank Vomero who will lead the audience in a delightful interactive bell symphony.

Another South Florida local is Company Manager, Benjamin-Michael Joseph Antipuna, who sat down for an exclusive interview.

#td_uid_1_5a3bd1e29165b .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item1 { background: url(https://hotspotsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_1674-160x120.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #td_uid_1_5a3bd1e29165b .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item2 { background: url(https://hotspotsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_1675-160x120.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; } #td_uid_1_5a3bd1e29165b .td-doubleSlider-2 .td-item3 { background: url(https://hotspotsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/IMG_6010-160x120.jpg) 0 0 no-repeat; }

Benjamin-Michael Joseph Antipuna

1 of 3

Did you always want to be an entertainer, even as a child? When and how did it start?

I did, I started when I was 12 in Philadelphia in a local community theater. I went to college to study acting and dance, and when I graduated I went right into my professional career.

What was your first professional/paid gig?

It was at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I worked there in my junior and senior year of college during the summer time. I went back last year for a small job and it was great seeing some of the guys I started with growing into big positions there.

How did you come to work for Cirque Dreams?

Cirque Dreams asked Busch Gardens to produce a show for the summer of 2002 and I was the stage manager for that. When that was done, I was asked by Cirque Dreams to come on board, and when my contract ended with Busch Gardens I moved to Fort Lauderdale to join their team.

What has been your favorite role outside of Cirque Dreams?

There were two. The first was when I got to play Dracula at Universal Studios, it was great because the families visiting treat you like a rock star. The other was Diego in the show Diego and Drew say I Do. It was extremely special as I also got to perform right here in Fort Lauderdale, my home town for all my family and friends.

What is your fantasy role?

Angel in Rent. It was the first pro audition I did.

When did you become company manager and how is that position compared to being an entertainer?

This is my fifth year as company manager. It was a natural evolution. I think I am a good company manager, since I came from the other side and I try and treat everyone as good as I possibly can. In my opinion, one of the most important things to do as a company manager is keeping a daily routine. Having everyone know what’s going to happen gives them a comfort on the road.

Being company manager is much more comfortable than having to hustle for the next part.

What should the South Florida audiences expect from Cirque Dreams Holidaze?

It’s the traditional European circus that everyone has come to know and love over the last decade or so. We have a Broadway production slant to it and also a Holiday theme. The show really is for people 5 to 105. We have 20 acts, 30 artists and tickets are affordable.

Tickets are $29.50–$69.50 with $123 LATAM AIRLINES CLUB LEVEL tickets and $99 VIP Tickets. Ticketmaster is the only official ticketing service of the Broward Center, Parker Playhouse and affiliated venues. Buy tickets online at BrowardCenter.org or Ticketmaster.com; by phone at 954.462.0222 or the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office. Know who you are buying from when you purchase tickets.

from Hotspots! Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.com/2017/12/21/qa-cirque-dreams-holidaze-at-broward-center/ from Hot Spots Magazine https://hotspotsmagazine.tumblr.com/post/168787762950

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wellpersonsblog · 7 years

Text

The 23 Minute Post-Run Routine that Builds Strength, Recovery, and Mental Toughness

To run — as defined by our friends at Google — is to, “move at a speed faster than a walk.”

Wouldn’t it be beautiful if training was that simple?

The thing is, no matter if you’re training for a 5K or 50K ultramarathon, successful runners do a lot more than just run … something I haven’t always been willing to accept.

I’m the kind of guy that loves to run — weekend-long trial runs are a highlight each week, and daily runs fill me with energy and excitement. But as I progressed in distance and worked towards goals, it became clear I’d need to do more than just move at a speed faster than a walk to be successful.

If I could take care of my mind, legs, and nutrition, I’d speed recovery, and stay focused and injury-free.

The only problem? Nothing got me as excited as the act of running.

So I had to make a shift that would change everything. That shift?

To consider each run not as just the time on the road or trail, but the entire workout experience.

And it’s that viewpoint — which I share with you below — that helps me finish 100-mile ultramarathons and helps my coaching clients meet their goals.

Why Runs Don’t Stop When Your Watch Does

For most runners, the run stops when your GPS watch does. You hold down the top right button until it beeps, and boom. Workout complete.

That’s a problem.

Because what you do in those 20-30 minutes directly after your run will impact the effectiveness of your workout. What and when you eat impacts recovery, and how you move can cool down muscles and aid in preventing injuries, for example.

But that physical stop of the watch often queues a mental end to your workout, whether you intend to tack on post-run activities or not. In my opinion, that’s why most runners never do the post-run routine they know would benefit their training.

Motivation stops right with the watch.

Which brings us back to that mental shift: when you begin to consider a “run” or “workout” as more than just the miles logged on your watch, it’s easier to incorporate the other routines and tasks.

They’re no longer bonus activities, but instead simply part of what you do.

Developing Your Perfect Post-Run Routine

Every runner has a story … and their own needs to be met by a post-run routine. I could tell you exactly what I do, but what I do might not be what you should do.

So instead, I’ve developed a simple formula to create a routine that fits your needs (and your story). The formula focuses on strength, recovery, and mental focus — the three areas I’ve found most helpful for post-run success.

What do you say? Let’s start easy:

1. Hydrate (1 Minute)

You’ve heard it since you were eight years old — your body is made up primarily of water. It’s no shocker that we need to hydrate after a tough run. As your body begins the recovery process, muscles rely on fluids to stay lubricated and elastic, and dehydration will hold them back.

How to do it:

Fill up a bottle or glass to nurse throughout the rest of the routine. Electrolyte heavy sports drinks are great after tough workouts or long runs, but plain water will do just fine.

The amount of water you need largely depends on what you lost during the workout, but no matter what the temperature outside or how much you think you sweated out, make re-hydrating one of the first things you do after a run.

2. Build Strength (10 Minutes)

Arguably the most ignored running truth is that while running increases strength in certain muscles, other areas of the body are left weak and under used. But running is a full-body activity…

… Your arms help propel your legs.

… Your back keeps your form in line.

… Your core is engaged with every stride.

Growing weak in one area often leads to an inefficient stride, loss of power, and worst of all, injury.

As much as you may hate it, regular strength work is an essential ingredient to proper training and a post-run routine.

How to do it:

Choose a routine based on your abilities and needs. All runners can benefit from basic core strength work, which is an easy place to get started (shout-out to elementary school PE for teaching us the basic sit-up!).

If you have a history with injuries, I also recommend to incorporate focused work in that area on top of core exercises. Take IT band issues, for example. Committing to exercises that help strengthen the IT band and surrounding muscles will help prevent future issues. Same goes for hips, feet, and any other area of your body that gives you trouble.

Here are a few strength routines to get you started. Don’t stress out about which is exactly right for you; pick one that looks like a good fit and give it a try:

Strength Routine for Trail Runners (Rock Creek Runner)

The Standard Core Routine (Strength Running)

ITB Rehab Routine (Strength Running)

Yoga for Runners (No Meat Athlete)

A post shared by Doug H (@rockcreekrunner) on Nov 23, 2016 at 1:20pm PST

3. Speed Up Recovery (5 Minutes)

As soon as the strength work is complete, recovery begins, and you have the opportunity to directly impact on how efficiently it happens. By taking a few minutes to focus on the major muscle groups (for runners) like your quads, hips, IT Band, and hamstring, you’ll get a jump start on repairing those muscles and working out any nagging issues or hot spots.

How to do it:

Foam roll (aka my favorite torture device)

Stretch — While a lot of experts now think static stretching before your run is a bad idea, stretching after a run can release tight muscles and help prevent injury

Self-massage

Gentle yoga — Unlike the yoga mentioned above, I use gentle, stretching-focused yoga to stay loose and flexible

4. Eat (5 Minutes)

We see a lot of talk about fueling before and during your workout, but post-run fueling for recovery is often neglected. And it makes sense — after a run the first things you want to do are rest, shower, and drink a beer (or my favorite, all three at the same time).

Eating might be up there, but it often takes a back seat to washing away your stench. The thing is, food is your way to restock your body. Eating restores depleted glycogen stores and repairs damaged muscles, which is most effective when you do it within twenty to thirty minutes of the end of your run.

How to do it:

I like to think of post-run fuel as a snack, not a full meal, which is why it takes five minutes or less to prep. You can eat a full meal a little later (within two hours of your run).

The suggested nutrient ratio for that snack is 4-to-1 carbohydrates-to-protein, but sticking to the No Meat Athlete way of simplicity over stress, I encourage you not to worry too much about ratios. Instead, think carb-heavy, with a little protein.

Doesn’t that relieve a lot of the pressure?

Some of my go-to post-run stacks are:

Fruit smoothie (with nut butter, seeds, or protein powder)

Toast with avocado or nut butter (heads up, you can get a free jar of Justin’s Classic Almond Butter through Thrive Market here)

Oatmeal with nuts and fruit

Trail mix

Take a few minutes after you finish the movement portion of your post-run routine to fix a snack, and enjoy it while we complete the fifth and final element.

5. Track (2 Minutes)

A post shared by Doug H (@rockcreekrunner) on Feb 22, 2017 at 7:28am PST

Sometimes the simplest things have the biggest impact, and tracking runs is one of those times.

By keeping a training a log, you can see exactly what’s working and what isn’t. If a race or training cycle goes wrong — either with an injury or missed goal — you’re able to look back at the data and make adjustments. And if it goes right, you have a blueprint to build upon.

And even more than that, it’s a way to hold yourself accountable by checking in daily about whether you hit your goal or not. By simply taking a few minutes to note and reflect back on what you did (or didn’t do) that day, you’ll keep your mind focused on progress.

How to do it:

There are countless ways to track your runs. Some involve sharing them with the world (hey social media), and others keep your training private. I share three easy techniques below, but the most important thing is to be consistent in where you track, and to be thorough in how you track.

The more details on how you felt, where you ran, and what your workout looked like, the better.

Here are three ways to track your runs:

Through Strava — The easiest way is to simply upload GPS data to a site like Strava. It’s a great way to get clear stats on your run, but if you never look at them, there’s no point. For all online trackers, I recommend actually opening up the activity and writing in notes about the run.

Digital training log — I make all my coaching clients keep a digital log which they have to enter in themselves. No plug-in-and-go with this option, but it can be as simple as filling in a few cells on a spreadsheet.

Pen and paper — My favorite method for tracking is the ol’ pen and paper technique. Either in a true runner’s log or a simple notebook, jot down the stats, your route, and how you felt.

Putting it All Together: Design a Routine that Works for You

We talk a lot about routines here on No Meat Athlete because they work. Routines formulate a system, making it easier develop habits and stick with your desired actions.

But, as well-intentioned as a routine may be, it’s only sustainable if it fits your needs (time, body, and goal needs).

As you use this formula to put together a post-run routine of your own, keep those needs at the forefront of your mind. Maybe that means you start small, with just one aspect of the routine. Or maybe it means you focus heavily on a recurring injury.

Whatever the routine you develop looks like, make it just as much a part of your run as the run it self.

And over time, your definition of going for a run will shift from just moving quickly to moving, eating, drinking, recovering, and tracking.

Doesn’t that sound like a lot more fun?

About the Author: Doug is an ultrarunner, coach, and the co-host of NMA Radio. Pick up his free eBook, Why Every Runner Should Be a Trail Runner (And How to Become One).

The post The 23 Minute Post-Run Routine that Builds Strength, Recovery, and Mental Toughness appeared first on No Meat Athlete.

First found here: The 23 Minute Post-Run Routine that Builds Strength, Recovery, and Mental Toughness

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