#look i read a lot and therefore i mispronounce a lot

[thewholechildcollectiveblog]

What is Dyslexia? What Are Its Pros and Cons?

Helping you to understand what dyslexia is

Like everyone else, I assumed I didn't need to be concerned about dyslexia; therefore, I scarcely paid attention to discussions about it. But I was mistaken! I learned the hard way that knowing more about a problem or issue increases one's capacity to assist those dealing with it, whether or not they are family members.

Being uninformed of dyslexia in a world with an estimated one billion dyslexics is unwise. There are a lot of dyslexic persons all around us. It means that there's a probability you have a dyslexic family member, but you might not know it. When I recently took my child for a dyslexia testing portland oregon, and the results were positive, this truth hit me hard!

I want to encourage everyone to take the time to learn about dyslexia so that they will not feel anxious when they face it, as I did when my child was diagnosed with the condition.

What is dyslexia?

Fundamentally, dyslexia is a learning disability characterized by reading challenges affecting the ability to recognize speech sounds and comprehend how these sounds relate to letters and words. The areas of the brain involved in language processing are typically affected by dyslexia.

What red flags should I look out for regarding dyslexia?

As I have indicated earlier, I was nervous when my kid was diagnosed with dyslexia. What was more puzzling was the fact that it was tough for me to detect the disorder before the kid began school.

The kid’s teacher first noticed the problem because it was at this stage that the kid was expected to learn reading and writing.

As I mentioned before, I was anxious when my child was given the dyslexia diagnosis. More perplexingly, I had a challenging time spotting the issue before the child started school.

Here are some warning signs to watch out for in your child to determine whether you should pursue dyslexia treatment options:

The child delays starting to talk.

They typically learn new words slowly when they are first used in speech.

The child frequently struggles with word formation, including mixing up confusing words with similar sounds.

The child often has trouble recalling colors in addition to recognizing or naming numbers or letters.

Although kids well like rhyming games, the kid finds it challenging to learn or play them.

Teachers can help in the detection of dyslexia in children when the children start school. In fact, dyslexia is frequently discovered early on by teachers. Because of this, early childhood educators need to get familiar with some dyslexia warning signals to tell the child's guardians to take the child for a dyslexia exam.

The child frequently reads below the level that is expected of him or her.

The child typically displays difficulties processing and comprehending what he or she hears. Here are some dyslexia Symptoms Lake Oswego to watch out for in children who have started school:

The child exhibits trouble identifying or differentiating between the similarities and differences between letters and words.

They characteristically have trouble remembering the sequence of events.

They start to shy away from reading-related activities.

They frequently have trouble pronouncing or sounding out new words.

They commonly misspell words.

They take an unusually long time to finish reading or writing assignments.

If you miss detecting dyslexia in your child's early or middle school years, the following dyslexia signs could help you to detect it during their teen years:

The teen struggles with reading, especially when reading out loud.

They typically shun reading-related activities because they are slow and struggle with reading, writing, and spelling.

They frequently mispronounce words or have trouble recalling words.

They find it difficult to understand jokes or idioms with underlying meanings.

Both are learning other languages and summarizing stories can be challenging for them.

They struggle to recall information and finish math problems.

Does dyslexia have any pros?

Yes! A number of cognitive talents frequently coexist with reading challenges. Scientists have discovered several distinctive abilities in children and teenagers with dyslexia, including the following:

A keen sense of "things out of place." While dyslexic children and adolescents may have trouble reading, they often react quickly to visual depictions of causal reasoning. A child or adolescent with dyslexia will have a very high sensitivity to visual irregularities, making, for instance, weeds in their garden readily upsetting. For example, employing a security guard with dyslexia could be beneficial since they can quickly identify strange things out of the ordinary, allowing them to prevent crime before it occurs.

Sensitivity to causal perception. Dyslexic children and teenagers frequently place a high value on cause-and-effect interactions. They typically have highly keen analytical and causal reasoning skills.

Enhanced processing of the visual. It has been discovered that people with dyslexia have exceptionally strong processing skills for certain kinds of visual information, such as knowing when one object is the mirror image of another. They tend to be visually skilled since they struggle to sustain visual attention.

Greater attention dispersal. It has been discovered that readers with dyslexia spread their focus farther than average readers. Due to this, they can recognize letters that are simultaneously flashed in the middle and around the edges, even when the distance between the letters is wide.

The cons associated with dyslexia

Dyslexia has a lot of drawbacks if untreated, including the following:

Low esteem

Behavior problems

Anxiety

Aggressive tendencies

Withdrawal from friends, parents, and teachers

Problems when one becomes an adult because the inability to read and write could prevent the child from reaching his or her potential as he or she grows up.

Reach out for dyslexia assessment and help your child’s future life

Early dyslexia assessment can help you find support for your child so the adverse effects of dyslexia do not burden them.

The Whole Child Collective provides outstanding assistance if you require more details about dyslexia testing, dyslexia symptoms, dyslexia indicators, or dyslexia testing in Portland, Oregon. You can reach them by phone at [phone] or [phone], or you can click here to send them an email.

[miralines]

I’m very grateful Peter said the cure mother was a panacea because that’s one of the words I’ve read and know what it means but haven’t known how to pronounce until now

#the penumbra podcast #tpp #peter nureyev #kind of a side note #thats the benefit to listening to podcasts #your new vocab comes with built in pronunciation #look i read a lot and therefore i mispronounce a lot

[antidotefortheawkward-art]

Hey there! In regards to your post about white people adapting JTTW, how do you feel about Overly Sarcastic Productions' JTTW Videos?

Oh man I have a lot to say about this so I’m putting it under a cut, but 

TLDR: OSP’s stuff is mostly harmless and I don’t think they’re being actively malicious or anything but like- they’re white and there is a loaded history behind white people using the stories from POC’s cultures, especially when the story seems to be made more “digestible” from an outside lens. Sometimes it feels like they don’t research enough, or even put in enough effort sometimes, and it sort of sucks to see when they’re profitting off it. It’s fine if you enjoy their adaptation and I’m not attacking OSP or anything, but I want people to recognize the experience they’re in for is a Chinese story through a white lens. 

Also, tbh, just support Chinese people telling Chinese stories when you can. I know there’s no Chinese-made easily digestible mythology channel when you can watch JTTW right now, but that’s just a general rule of thumb. Support creators of color, please.

OSP’s stuff is mostly harmless and I don’t think they’re being actively malicious or anything but like- they’re white. As a POC, I’m never going to feel completely okay with white people adapting the stories of my culture without consulting some people from said culture. There’s a long history of POC’s religions being brushed off as “myth” and “fairytale” and although OSP don’t do that, the history of white people doing that is still there and thus as a POC, I’m not 100% comfortable with white people profitting off my culture’s stories. I think it’s great to introduce JTTW to more people, but honestly, I sort of wish they left that space to the people this story is important to. (Also, I get that their channel style is very light-hearted and humorous, and JTTW is only getting the same treatment as their other adaptations, but look-  a white person poking fun at POC’s gods is going to feel off no matter what.)

Also, the fact that they ended up using the Arthur Waley names really rubs me the wrong way. You’re gonna call them by their correct names for a while and then default to what’s “easier” for you? Literally, there’s no reason for them to use the whitewashed 4kids names and given their platform, they’re influencing a lot of people’s first interactions with JTTW so I just really hate that decision. I’d honestly sit through them mispronouncing the actual names because that’d mean they tried. And if I’m being completely honest, it doesn’t sit right with me that white people profitting off JTTW (both in terms of video monetization and channel merch), don’t put in the effort to learn how to say names correctly.

I also really dislike it when people take what OSP say as gospel because there’s a lot they get wrong in a lot of little ways. (OSP saying they’re “nothing if not faithful to the source material” in the first ep is quite a bold statement from some gweilo ngl)  I’m not really sure where they got “Sanzang is the main character” from, but most Chinese sources I know of don’t really say that? So? Hrm. Also small stuff like “studying the Dao! [shows drawing of Buddhist monks and not Daoist priests],” “I don’t know why they call him Sandy [if you google translate the first character, his surname is sand],” “the name Zhu Wuneng [shows characters for ‘Zhu Bajie”],’ “[makes the artistic choice to paint the Jade Emperor entirely green including his hat and therefore branding him a cuckold as per Chinese culture and THAT IS QUITE DISRESPECTFUL NGL]”, “[calls Taishang Laojun “Lao Tzu”]” make me feel like they’re not putting enough effort in doing their research? Like, yes, JTTW is a long story but stuff like mixing up Daoism and Buddhism and using the wrong characters for a name is stuff that’s really easily avoided. 

And smaller detail but I don’t think they really get just how ubiquitous JTTW is in Chinese culture so I personally don’t find it as enjoyable an adaptation. Like, JTTW is an important story, but also it doesn’t occupy the space of a holy book where very few people actually go read it, and it doesn’t occupy the space of classical novels like Shakespearean literature where very few people actually go read it. As arguably the most approachable book out of the Four Great Classical Novels, JTTW is very common knowledge in people’s minds cuz everyone grows up hearing the story (some people even have it as summer reading). There are a few title chapters that people can instantly recognize, there are a few villains that people can grow up naming, and most people have a specific set of imagery that associate with each character. Stuff like this is humorously apparent when you do stuff like compare the English dub of Monkie Kid to the original Mandarin and discover just how much more added exposition there is. Small details in OSP’s adaptation, like Red Boy’s character design being a fully grown man instead of a baby, just bring you out of the story and remind you you’re not getting the full experience. It makes me feel like they just didn’t know Red Boy is traditionally a child with a huadian, whereas if I saw a Chinese adaptation with a fully grown Red Boy, I’d assume they were making a conscious choice to change it up. 

Honestly a lot of their adaptation just feels very.... made digestible for non-Chinese audience, and not in a particularly faithful way? Like yeah you can make a story more easily accessible to people not originally from a culture, but don’t strip away parts of the culture, you can explain the parts of the culture and that’ll be infinitely more productive.

I understand a lot of people became interested in JTTW because of OSP’s work and I think that’s great! It’s cool to see JTTW gain more recognition in the western world! This isn’t an attack on OSP’s work and you’re totally able to enjoy watching it. I just want people to recognize OSP’s version of JTTW is a Chinese story told through a white lens.

And while i’m here, I just wanna say- tbh, just try to give the same support to Chinese people telling Chinese stories. I know there’s no Chinese-made easily digestible mythology channel when you can watch JTTW right now, but that’s just a general rule of thumb. Support creators of color, please.

#asks #anonymous #journey to the west #overly sarcastic productions #honestly a lot of this just comes down to representation #not a problem with osp personally but like- so many of their fans do stuff like ship Guanyin with people and call the Jade Emperor an idiot #and i feel like maybe OSP isnt emphasizing enough the nature of JTTW as a story if their fans feel comfortable doing *that* #hey people who found my jttw art from osp? please read this #edit: @dorkshadows also brings up the good point of..... wukong being misrepresented as someone who lacks braincells #like yes wukong has a shit ton of brute strength and he can solve problems by beating them up #but most of the time he doesnt? he is the literal embodiment of wit #he can make dumb decisions but honestly ive always seen them as arroange rather than pure impulsiveness #im an abc so im not the best authority but like... arent monkeys supposed to be seen as mischievously clever in chinese culture..... #its not the dumb ooh ooh ahh ahh monkey concept from western culture #idk the way wukong is portrayed just feels like a very westernized interpretation #please go look at @dorkshadows tags because theyre good too

[survivetoread]

The Devanagari script and how it is used in Marathi‍

If you are studying Marathi online, you probably want to study its writing system first. Doing so is not necessary to speak Marathi fluently, of course—there are many illiterate Marathi speakers after all (including children too young to read and write). However, as my langblr will make extensive use of Devanagari, there will be no getting around it.

There are plenty of guides and apps already present that can teach you Devanagari.

My personal favourite is this guide by Sarvabhashin, which is used to teach Hindi. Contrary to many guides, it does not teach you the letters in the traditional order, and instead focuses on similar shapes and sounds so that you can learn much faster. There are also plenty of practice exercises in it—excellent if you like to be kept on track.

Most guides on learning the Devanagari script, including the one above, are written with Hindi in mind.

Marathi pronunciations for Devanagari letters are mostly similar to those of Hindi. However, there are several critical exceptions, which I am going to list below.

ऐ

This letter is pronounced as if it were a flowing combination of अ + इ. This is in contrast to Hindi, where it is pronounced as the ‘a’ in the English ‘dare’.

औ

This letter is pronounced as if it were a flowing combination of अ + उ. This is in contrast to Hindi, where it is pronounced as the ‘o’ in the British English ‘not’.

अं

There’s a lot to process with this one, so I’ve given it its own article.

ऋ

This letter is pronounced as ‘ru’ in Marathi, in contrast to ‘ri’ in Hindi.

अ‍ॅ

This letter is pronounced as the ‘a’ in ‘action’, or the ‘a’ in ‘ant’. In Marathi, this letter is used in loanwords from foreign languages, particularly English. It is uncommon in Hindi, and some would argue it does not exist in the Hindi alphabet.

ऑ

This letter is pronounced as the ‘o’ in ‘body’, or the ‘o’ in ‘lock’. In Marathi, this letter is used in loanwords from foreign languages, particularly English. It is uncommon in Hindi, and some would argue it does not exist in the Hindi alphabet.

क़ / ख़ / ग़ / ज़ / फ़ / ड़ / ढ़

The nukta is not used in Marathi, and so these none of these Hindi letters exist in Marathi. Most of these sounds are also not found in the Marathi language.

Two of these sounds (ज़ and फ़) are indeed found in Marathi, however, and we will have a look at them shortly.

च

This letter has two sounds in Marathi. One is the traditional Sanskrit ‘ch’ sound, as found in ‘church’, ‘chess’, or ‘check’. The other is a ‘ts’ sound, which is found in Slavic and Chinese languages. An English approximation of this sound is the ‘ts’ in ‘cats’.

It is not always obvious which sound you should use in which instance, as the difference is never marked, not even in a dictionary. The only way for you to learn this is by trial and error.

ज

This letter has two sounds in Marathi. One is the traditional Sanskrit ‘j’ sound, as found in ‘journal’, ‘jeep’, or ‘jail’. The other is a ‘dz’ sound, which is very uncommon in any language. It is pronounced very similarly to the ‘z’ as found in the English ‘zero’, ‘zen’, and ‘zest’.

It is not always obvious which sound you should use in which instance, as the difference is never marked, not even in a dictionary. The only way for you to learn this is by trial and error.

झ

This letter has three sounds in Marathi. The overwhelmingly common sound is the traditional Sanskrit ‘jh’ sound. It is somewhat similar to how you might pronounce the ‘dgeh’ in hedgehog.

Additionally, झ may be pronounced as an aspirated version of the ‘dz’ sound of ज. One example of a word using this pronunciation is झाड [zhāḍ] (tree).

The third pronunciation is in fact identical to the ‘dz’ sound of ज. झ is pronounced this way when it is used in loanwords from foreign languages, particularly from English.

This is a convention that exists because using the letter ज may cause readers to mispronounce foreign words. For example, ब्राजिल may be pronounced as ‘brājil’ instead of the intended ‘brāzil’.

This convention is not a hard-and-fast rule, so you may yet see ब्राजिल and the like.

ण

This letter uses a difficult-to-pronounce ‘hard n’, which is found in Punjabi and Dravidian languages. This is in contrast to Hindi, where it is pronounced identically to न. If you cannot pronounce it in the Marathi way, then pronouncing it as the ‘n’ in ‘den’, ‘hen’, or ‘net’ will suffice.

ष

This letter is pronounced identically to श in Marathi. That is, it is pronounced similarly to ‘sh’ in ‘short’, ‘shape’, or ‘sheep’.

फ

This letter is formally pronounced in the Sanskrit style as ‘ph’, i.e. as an aspirated ‘p’. Think the ‘p’ in ‘pig’, ‘pit’, or ‘push’.

However, most Marathi dialects use the ‘f’ sound instead, like ‘f’ in ‘fan’, ‘fit’, or ‘fall’. I recommend using the latter pronunciation for common use.

व

This letter is pronounced much the same as in Hindi, most of the time.

In some circumstances, it may be pronounced with more of a ‘w’ sound, such as in the word किंवा [kiṅvā] (or). This is a very subtle accent thing, so you don’t need to worry too much about it. Just pay attention to native speakers and speak as they speak.

An additional note is that its usage differs from Hindi when it comes to loanwords from foreign languages.

Hindi uses व as a substitute for both ‘w’ and ‘v’ as they are seen in English. That is, विलियम [William] and वनेसा [Vanessa] both use व.

However, Marathi uses व only as a substitute for ‘w’ and it uses the conjunct व्ह for ‘v’. Therefore, those names would be transliterated as विलियम [William] and व्हनेसा [Vanessa].

This is not a hard-and-fast rule, so expect to see exceptions.

ळ

This letter does not exist in the Hindi alphabet at all. In Marathi, it is used as a ‘hard l’ sound, which is very difficult to pronounce. It is found in very few languages, even in India.

If you cannot pronounce this sound, pronounce it identically to the ‘l’ in ‘love’, ‘luck’, or ‘life’.

ज्ञ

This conjunct is a rare combination of ज + ञ. In Sanskrit, it is meant to be pronounced as it is spelled, i.e. jñ. In Hindi, it is pronounced with a ‘gya’ sound.

In Marathi however, this conjunct is traditionally pronounced with the difficult ‘dnya’ sound. You start with a द sound and it flows into a न्य sound.

If you can’t pronounce this unusual combination of letters, then you can get away with using the न्य / ञ (nya) sound by itself.

र्‍य / र्‍ह

These difficult-to-type conjuncts are a unique feature of written Marathi. They are alternate combinations of र + य and र + ह, but they follow an important rule.

You see, when ‘r’ is joined with another letter in Hindi, it always goes at the end of a syllable, rather than starting a syllable itself. For eg. in कार्य [kārya], the syllables found are kahr-yuh, and not kah-ryuh.

In Marathi however, the ‘r’ can sometimes start a syllable of its own. In these cases, the conjunct is written as र्‍य or र्‍ह.

A good example of the difference between र्‍य and र्य can be found in the Marathi words सुर्‍या and सुर्या. Here, although the two words would be transliterated the same way, as suryā, they are pronounced differently.

The first word, सुर्‍या, has the following syllables: su-ryah.

The second word, सुर्या, has the following syllables: sur-yah.

This may be a difficult distinction for speakers of most languages, including English, but it may come more naturally to speakers of languages were syllables starting with ‘ry’ do exist, such as Japanese.

#marathi #langblr #language learning #languages #devanagari #learn marathi

[jamboreeedusingapore-blog]

What makes you miss your chance of cracking IELTS in Singapore

Whether you are looking for an education, a great career opportunity or are looking to migrate permanently in the English speaking countries. IELTS would be your go to program. Basically, IELTS stands for International English Language Testing System. It was designed for non-native English language speakers, who are willing to score an opportunity in the native English speaking countries such as the United States of America, Australia, UK and Canada. You might think that you are proficient enough when it comes to your vocabulary and pronunciation. And well, a majority of candidates have the same notion in their minds. But again, this is the same reason why a lot of candidates are repeatedly trying their luck to manage a decent score, but fail to do so. IELTS undoubtedly is one of the world's toughest English exams and it's definitely not easy to crack without a good guidance. And that is why it is highly emphasized to choose a good training program, which will not only provide the right kind of resources, but also the right direction. One of such trainers is Jamboree Education, which, with its 35 centers in 22 cities and 4 countries including India, Singapore, UAE, Singapore and Nepal has more than 25 years of success associated with them. They are the best in IELTS, GRE, GMAT, SAT and TOEFL preparation with facilities of private coaching, classroom training. Following are some points which explain the top IELTS exam comprises of four parts, which also test your four major skills, namely listening skills, reading skills, writing skills and speaking skills.

 Listening Part

The listening part is subdivided into four sections which tend to have increasing difficulty. Every sub part requires the candidate to listen to some sound pieces and right down their answer thereafter, from the questions asked. However, no amount of watching Hollywood movies can help to ensure a good score in this part of IELTS. Therefore, it is highly recommended to join a training program. Following are the common mistakes that are commonly made in section-

 1) - Listening to the audio without expecting what kind of information they will receive from it. 

2) - Misunderstanding the hidden meaning behind the dialogues.

 The total duration for this part is 40 minutes where the candidates get 40 dialogues to listen and answer to, while the sound clip is played only once. So if the candidate isn't listening to it with full concentration, he might miss it, or might miss the meaning behind it, hence making it difficult to achieve a good score.

 Reading Part

Generally it is considered as the easiest part, but underestimating it can cost a good score. Although this also can be considered as the most potential section when it comes to scoring, so you would want to be extra careful before answering the questions here. Let’s have a look on some common mistakes which are made by a number of candidates particularly in this section.

1)- Not reading the instructions carefully. This is a common mistake made by candidates, because they are unaware of the fact that reading and listening sections come with special instructions.

2)-Answering before reading the question properly- often candidates assume that they have the required knowledge about the topic, so they tend to under emphasize it, and overwrite the answer. Keep in mind that the IELTS only tests your command on the English Language and not your knowledge on the given topic, and chances are, if you overwrite, you might risk a good score.

The reading part lasts for 60 minutes. The one basic skill that you must master at any cost is speed because it takes a while to read, understand, plan and finally jot down the answer. Since there are total of three sections, and there are 40 questions altogether, lacking accuracy and efficiency can cost you a good score.

 Writing Part

Writing part in IELTS can usually be considered as an info graphic section. In this part, the questions consists two sub-sections. However, not knowing the correct tips and tricks on how to go about in this section can keep you from a having good score, for instance, let's take a look on some common mistakes in this section.

1) - Trying too hard to impress the grader- Candidates often forget the purpose of the exam, which is to test their command on the English Language and not their knowledge of aesthetic words. So, they try to use complicated expressions redundantly, however, they don’t realize that the IELTS isn’t looking for high end and fancy words, in fact, usage of such words unnecessarily will only fetch negative results. But in reality, the grader expects you to use simpler words that can put your message through.

2) - Informal style of writing- Another mistake that should be avoided at any cost is the style of writing. Excessive use of personal pronoun to structure your essay, for instance, can completely ruin your entire work. Hence, you should make sure, that the usage of personal pronouns such as I, him or her etc must only be limited to the introduction part.

The writing section again has a duration of 60 minutes, where the first subsection is info graphic, meaning, it requires for the candidate to analyze some figures as in graphs and pictures and summaries their opinion thereafter. While in the second is purely essay based.

 Speaking Part

The speaking part requires the candidates to have a verbal communication with the examiner. Although the questions asked are very generic which focus more on day to day life, yet candidates often make small unintentional mistakes. Few are addressed below-

1)- Poor Pronunciation- Correct pronunciation is a vital part of Speaking section, if you mispronounce a word, it is likely to get noticed and can be a minus point. Therefore, it is recommended to practice a lot on improving the pronunciation

2)- Memorized Answer- If you are answering a question which you have already mugged up or have memorized, there is a high chance that the examiner will immediately notice. It should be kept in mind that the questions are general in nature and they are expected to be answered that way.

Getting a good score in IELTS isn’t a tough task. However, this can only be ensured through proper training, ample amount of practice and right direction, without any of these components, clearing this exam can be challenging. Therefore, signing up for a good training program and getting guidance from industry experts is highly recommended. For more information on the same, you can visit

Jamboree Education

.

#education #IELTSsingapore #ielts in singapore #jamboree education

[meandmyechoes]

 unpopular opinion.

the idea of the live-action cast of an ALIEN has to be of a certain human skin colour is absurd. First, it’s an alien species, the simple act of casting a human, and an Earthling is already outright misrepresentation. Secondly, source material says the alien species also comes in a range of skin colours, some unnatural to human. But we don’t insist on pairing up a certain human skin colour with said unnatural alien skin colour because it’s not realistic to do so. Therefore, if an alien species of unnatural human skin color and be played by an Earthling of any colour with body paint, why can’t the same species’ members with skin colour merely resembling (mind you not replicating) human skin color has to be cast with a human with similar color, instead of a more qualified actor? i.e. Why achieve 90% when 100% is feasible?

tl;dr alien species shouldn’t be seen as visual representation of any certain race on Earth. (Otherwise you’re appropriating alien culture) 

(Culture groups, on the other hand, is comparable on an anthropological point of view. And an interesting topic in comparative literature too. Also I believe my universe-view as a lot to do with having read Ender’s Game)

honestly this just suddenly comes back because i’ve seen an art on dash that makes me feel like she looks asian instead of the usual african(-american) take. i’m not saying any side is wrong but i’m a big sucker to ACCURACY first.(being strictly brought up in a critic culture and trained exam-ist and all) Chinese proverbs literally say ‘hide your imperfection’ instead of encouraging kids to try even though they are not good at it. Especially in the local ACG community, I'm no stranger to arguments that broke over anime to live-action. They almost always end terribly, unless in the slim case of a really stylized director, or the story diverge so much from the source material that most fans are used to regarding it as non-canon (every year).

the other thing that’s making me sad is by hiring such a high-profile actor, there’s very little hope that they would pull a motion capture. We know the actor isn’t a profession suit actor for that part, which was okay because I hadn’t expected her role to be huge. and if it’s only gonna be a small speaking cameo it wouldn’t make sense to hire someone athletic rather than an actor that can generate noise for marketing. Also the make-up and styling is never going to be as perfect as animated because they couldn’t hire a cosplayer. But, this can also be avoided if they stay true to the source material and cover her up with a large cloak and put her in a turtleneck. So the only shots we’re gonna see are HD close-ups of a big mouth with crackling skin. I’m gonna put my money on the fact that it will only be a small speaking role - one that the fans can easily dub the Voice over. 

The real threat here is that if this is a test case, and people are not responding terribly, She WILL be monetized and we will forever see another name associated with Her. and I feel robbed. It’s the idea that a manipulative liar who claims to love her but can’t even pronounce her name right would forever be associated with my daughter that DISGUSTS me the most. I’ve hated people who misspelled or mispronounced since 2009. You can see how she’s just pushing the free publicity of the fancasting to benefit herself. Her lie above is enough call in question for her character, thus making allegations sound very convincing. 

As a fictional character being monetized only makes economic sense and I have no logical objection to Disney earning money that way BUT. We’ve all seen what happened to Jake Skywalker. I’ve seen Den-O and I know when a character has overstayed their welcome because the company wanted to milk more cash from them, and when the PRODUCER can’t even keep up with their own canon and ended up ruining a character’s legacy (re: Zi-O Ryuki special). I know about Solo and if I am not the happiest about someone other than Harrison Ford for a smuggler I met no more than 5 times I sure as hell not gonna be there, until 20 years later, to bring my kids to the movie. 

I think when we’re discussing the possibility of a spin-off series/movie, the situation is quite similar to the Artemis Fowl movie. It sucks the way it is now. It’s practically #NotMyArtemis. Am I still gonna see the movie if it’s shown in theatres? Yeah. One, I wanna see how bad it is with my own eyes. Two, what if, miraculously, enough kids are fooled enough to warrant a sequel? But maybe just not on the opening weekend. Of course, this comparison is limited in the two franchises are not comparable in terms of scale, especially when TCW already has a much richer visual original. However, my love for both of these characters are comparable and thus the experience relevant to my case.

#myechoes #anyway fuck ros*ri* d*ws*n #keep in mind I took the bitchy side of being a hker tonight

[thechekhov]

How many languages do you know? Do you have any tips for people attempting to learn new languages(especially any for people on tight budgets)? And have you ever heard of the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis?(It's really interesting and there's a great Ted talk that relates to it in a really cool way that I'd be happy to send you a link to if you'd like)

Thanks for the question! I technically speak 3 at a conversational level - English, Russian and Japanese right now. I used to take German in school but since I never use it it has been shelved inside my brain and I probably couldn’t use it anymore. 

That being said, I basically just revealed my answer to your other question: how do languages get learned? Use. How do languages get remembered? Use. If you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s it. That’s the only secret you need to know. Now and forever. Some company offering you The Fastest Way to Learn And Retain A Language? They’re lying unless their solution is to force you to use a language EVERY DAY hopefully for tasks which are absolutely necessary for you so it becomes something you NEED to keep using. 

So, I studied Linguistics in college. Basically, I think you know what this is if you watched a TEDt on the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis (more on that later). It’s the study of how languages are acquired by the human species, how they are processed in the brain, etc. And if we wanted to go back to the root of things the answer would be clear. Why did humans evolve to be able to learn language? Because it was necessary for us to use it. Because it is our greatest tool. We are expert tool-users and tool-makers. Language is, arguably, one of our most complex and most natural tools. Kids are programmed language-learning machines. They acquire language with an incredibly speed and precision. Why? Because it was necessary for the survival of our species for millenia. So if you want to learn a language? You have to use it as a tool, otherwise nothing will work out.

To learn a language, you don’t need money at all. You just need access to a library card, or a phone app, or a really kind friend. Let’s discuss first the basics of what a good language-learning tool will provide you with... 

It needs: Input, output, feedback and (on your part) lack of fear. 

1. Input is an environment in which you can learn the language. This can be anything. Ideally, you are picked up by a stork and re-deposited in a place where your target language is the ONLY language you can use and you are forced to use it to survive. That sounds really tough and mentally it’s a hike up a really tall mountain. Psychological breakdowns would probably ensue. But would it help your language ability? Absolutely.

Short of that we have a source of info. A native speaker buddy or a teacher who would teach you. A really good book. An app. Duolingo. Anything. Anything that tells you “hey, you wanna say CAT in ____? Ok, then you wanna do  X and Y and Z.”

2. Output is a chance to use the language. If you just read a book on Swahili without uttering a single word aloud or trying out any of the grammar rules, you’re screwed. Even if you memorized that book, you don’t speak Swahili. Probably nowhere close. You HAVE to use the tool in order to learn it. 

This can be in a classroom setting, in a series of worksheets where you have to write sentences, or just a chatroom with native speakers where you can try to talk to people using what you just learned. It can also technically be your kitchen, with no one around as you talk to yourself. However, this is a slippery slope because you still need...

3. Feedback is an object which listens/accepts your attempted output of a language and gives you feedback about how well you are understood. This can technically be anything - innocent bystanders who speak your target language and who are going to look confused when you mess up! Or a teacher who will politely tell you that you mispronounced the word for “food preservatives” and said “condom” instead. 

Feedback is important because if there is no one to judge your use of the tool, you don’t know how to use it well. Languages are made up of separate parts, and ideally all those separate, small parts should function well on their own in order to function well together as a sentence. Basically: If you wanna say “I want to sit in the chair.” you gotta make sure you know how to properly pronounce each of those words, otherwise it might be a disastrous jumble of nearly impossibly bodily function horror.

4. Lack of fear is something you will need because speaking languages that you don’t know well is embarrassing. Alternatively, this can be replaced with a fear of something larger than the language. Say you’re trying to make first contact with aliens who are carrying weapons and you’re not sure what exactly you need to say but the safety of your entire civilization depends on you communicating to them the idea of “No, don’t worry, we already impeached Trump. There’s no need for extreme action anymore.”  

* * *

What are some things you can do this with? Duolingo, for one. Books, for another. Lots of books. Also there’s tons of apps - like HelloTalk, or online chatrooms, youtube videos, etc. It’s entirely possible to learn a language without paying a single penny for it. All it hinges on is your determination to keep going and to continue USING the language, in one way or another. 

* ALSO, I KNOW I SAID YOU COULD USE A REALLY KIND FRIEND, BUT I’VE THOUGHT ABOUT IT, AND NO, PLEASE DON’T ACTUALLY ASK FRIENDS TO DO THIS FOR YOU, ESPECIALLY NOT FOR FREE. Language teaching is a really difficult job. People get qualified for it. It’s a skill. You asking your friend to just randomly do you this big favor is kinda shitty unless they’re getting something out of it too. 

And finally, for the Sapir Whorf Hypothesis... I think it’s safe to say every single Linguist learns about this really early on in their school days. To say that I’ve heard of it might be putting it lightly.

I don’t know if the TED talk mentioned this, but there’s a strong version of this and a weak version. I’m sorry to say that the strong version (that the language you speak determines how you think) is regarded as sensationalist by most Linguists and has a few holes in it. I myself am not a fan, especially because it tends to inspire really racist conclusions in some people who use it and it was the forefather of things such as “the esk*mo language has 100 words for snow” and other inane generalizations. 

The weaker version (that language may constrain thought patterns or influence thought process) has a little more leeway, but I still think that it should be used with caution for what kind of racist theories it could give way to. For example, some languages don’t have as many words for colors as English does. The conclusion might be given that these people don’t see color as well and are therefore beneath the color-seeing peoples and are ‘better’ in a way. Still, when looked at from a neuro-developmental point of view, it’s really kinda cool! Brains are weird.

Sorry that got really long. Thanks for reading!

#linguistics #sapir-whorf #language #language learning #toebeanz

[dastrigon]

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[renzanandsinghramananda]

Kabbalistic Musings on "Life of Pi"

On the first page of the novel, Life of Pi, the main character, Pi Patel, states that one of his two academic majors was in religious studies, with his thesis focused on "certain aspects of the cosmogony theory of Isaac Luria, the great sixteenth-century Kabbalist from Safed."  Luria, also known as the "holy Sri" (Lion), is still revered as one of the greatest of all Jewish mystics.

In the movie, Pi does not mention Luria by name, but he does say that he lectures on Kabbalah at the university. Given this reference (and a few others I will explain below), I feel justified in assuming that there are Jewish mystical themes encoded in the story, even though they are presented mostly in terms of Hinduism.  As I am a visual-oriented person (one of my autistic gifts), I will focus primarily on the movie, while using the book for more background references as needed.

(Warning: If you read beyond this point, you will encounter spoilers, so if you have not read the book and/or seen the movie, stop here or proceed at your own risk!)

In both the book and the movie versions, Pi Patel's father owns a zoo, so he grows up with a lot of practical knowledge about animals.  He is also very interested in religions. In addition to his mother's Hinduism, he also explores Christianity and Islam, finding truth in all three paths and combining their practices in his daily life. His brother ridicules him for this, while his father tries to convince him that "religion is darkness" and that rational thinking -- science -- is the way of "the new India."  Pi replies with the words of Mahatma Gandhi: "All religions are true."

The book goes into considerable detail about the three theologies and the differences between them, while the movie relies more on visual scenes of worship to get this point across. The book has a poignant -- if hostile -- marketplace encounter, with Pi's three religious teachers each claiming him for their own faith.  The movie leaves this scene out, perhaps because it might offend viewers, or else be over the heads of children in a PG audience.  It is well worth reading if you haven't already.

Pi is especially puzzled by Christianity, because he cannot understand why God would allow his innocent son to suffer for the sins of the guilty.  To him this makes no sense at all. The question of suffering recurs throughout the story.  How can a God who loves us still allow us to suffer?

The shipwreck

Because of political changes in India (during the administration of Indira Gandhi), Pi's father decides to close the zoo, sell the animals, and move the family to Canada. They will travel with those animals headed for North America on a Japanese-owned freighter named the Tsimtsum.  Which brings us to the second Kabbalistic reference in the story.  Although Tsimtsum might look like a Japanese name, it is in fact Hebrew, and means "contraction" or "withdrawal."  It refers to the teaching of Isaac Luria which says that, before the Creation, everything was infinite God-essence.  In order for God to create the universe as we know it, God first had to create a vacant space -- a void -- for it to exist in.  God did this by withdrawing -- contracting  -- Him/herself.  Within this void, God is hidden, allowing for free will and for independent creatures like us to exist. 

That's all very interesting, but why did author Jann Martel name the ship Tsimtsum?  

In a blog article on this topic, David Sanders quotes Martel on this question: “I wanted a representative scoop of religions in the book – Hindu, Christian, Islam. I would have loved to have Pi be a Jew, too, but there are no synagogues in Pondicherry [where the family was from in India]. So I chose Tsimtsum as the name of the Japanese cargo boat because, although it sounds Japanese, it is a Hebrew word.”

So my intuition was correct:  Martel wanted to include Jewish mysticism in the mix, but like God in the cosmic tsimtsum, it is hidden. However, I think the symbolism goes deeper than that.  Genesis says that the world was "void and formless," with the spirit of God moving upon "the deep," often visualized as a vast ocean.The Zohar describes Creation as beginning with a primal point (singularity?) within the void, which then expanded.  When the ship sinks, Pi's world is contracted into a single point -- the lifeboat -- on a vast formless ocean, reversing Creation to chaos, so to speak. The graphics in the movie show this in several scenes, with Pi's boat a mere speck upon the ocean. 

"As above so below" -- the clouds reflecting in the water make it appear  as if the boat is in the sky

The movie also uses another common kabbalistic theme: "As above, so below." This is the idea that the physical world "below" is a reflection of the higher spiritual world "above."  In numerous scenes we see the sky reflected in the water to the point that there is no horizon, no differentiation between the two. In the contraction of Pi's world, everything blends into one.

In one scene, Pi looks into the ocean and sees the whole universe reflected -- reminiscent of a childhood story told earlier by his mother, about how the Hindu god Krishna opened his mouth and the universe was seen within it.  (The CGI graphics of the two scenes are very similar.)   Once again, we are reminded of the spirit of God moving upon the waters in Genesis. 

The voyage

Pi makes it to the lifeboat, along with four animals: a wounded zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a tiger named Richard Parker, a name he got through a mix-up of paperwork.  There is a lot of focus on names in this book.  Pi's first name is Piscine, from the French. But the bullies in his school take to mispronouncing it as "Pissing," so he re-names himself Pi. The Tiger was supposed to be called "Thirsty," but ended up as Richard Parker instead. In both cases, a less dignified name was replaced by a better one.  In the Bible, a number of characters are given new names to reflect a new status.

The zebra and orangutan are killed by the hyena, which in turn is killed by the tiger.  This leaves Pi alone with a vicious, hungry predator.  At first Pi is terrified, but he soon realizes that he and the tiger must co-exist.  He therefore works to establish his dominance and define their territories, using the methods of a circus trainer.  Various interpretations for this relationship have been put forth, most centering on some form of the tiger being his animal self.  This also fits with Jewish thought, where we have both a good side (yetzer tov) and a bad side (yetzer ha-ra.)  One cannot destroy the bad side, but one can learn to control it, as Pi does with the tiger.  In the book he considers various ways to destroy the tiger, but comes to realize that they need each other to survive.  "My fear of him keeps me alert, tending to his needs gives my life purpose," he explains. 

The carnivorous Island

One of the strangest episodes in Pi's voyage is the floating island full of meetkats.  Safe by day, the island becomes carnivorous at night.  This is so weird that many readers see it as pure fantasy.  I would like to suggest it is a combination of reality and imagination.  No, there are no ecosystems like the one Pi describes. However, there are many small islands in the Pacific, and floating islands of volcanic pumice -- some with trees -- have been reported. (Read more...) Carnivorous plants also exist in some places. So these elements do have a ring of truth.

By the time Pi gets to this island, he and Richard Parker are so close to death as to be delirious. In the movie they have just gone through a terrible storm where Pi cries out to God, "I lost my family, I lost everything. I surrender. What more do you want?" He has reached the depths of despair, the deepest dark night of the soul.  He fully expects to die.  So why couldn't there be a real island with some sort of animals on it, that Pi mis-remembers in this state of confusion?  If you compare the images of the island trees with the banyans he walked among back in India, they are very similar.

Screen shot of The Island, enhance by me to make the reclining Vishnu shape stand out more clearly. 

Another aspect of the island is mystical. In the beginning of the movie, we are told that the Hindu god Vishnu "sleeps on the boundless ocean of consciousness" and the universe is his dream.  After Pi learns about Christianity, he thanks Vishnu for leading him to find Christ, and touches a small statue of Vishnu reclining.  When we see the island from afar, it had this same shape, formed by the outline of the trees. This suggests the possibility that the island may be some form of miracle, that God is watching over Pi and Richard Parker even if hidden.

But although the island suggests sweet repose, it is a false peace.  All that the island gives in the daytime, it takes away at night.  And it is lonely.  Pi could have stayed there forever, eating plants by day and sleeping with the meerkats in the trees by night, but it was an empty existence. When he finds a human tooth embedded in a fruit (which opens like a lotus in the movie) and realizes that some previous castaway had died there, he decides to leave and takes the tiger with him.

The two stories

Richard Parker walks off into the junge

After 227 days of survival on the high seas, Pi is washed ashore in Mexico.  As he lies exhausted on the beach, Richard Parker walks off into jungle without even looking back  The tiger is never seen again. This deeply saddens Pi, who even years later wishes there had been some sort of final look or growl in parting.   In the book, during the first part about life in a zoo, Pi told the story of a black panther that escaped the Zurich zoo in winter and survived on its own for several months.  Now we know this was to lay the groundwork for the possibility that Richard Parker also survives in the South American jungle. Still, Pi misses him.

Once back in civilization, parts of the voyage sound too strange to be true. The two Japanese insurance investigators don't believe him, and ask for an ordinary story to put in their report, one that their company will believe. So he obliges them and tells a more common lifeboat survival tale, one of treachery, murder and cannibalism, in which only he survives. In this second story, the zebra is a wounded sailor, the hyena is a barbarous cook, the orangutan is his mother, and he is the tiger.  In its own way this tale is also hard to believe, because his mother and father can't swim, his brother refused to get up to investigate the loud noise, and all three were down below when the ship sank. Only Pi was on deck because he went up to see the storm.

So which story is true?  In both stories the ship sinks, he loses his family, suffers for 227 days at sea and is the sole survivor.  In the end, neither story explains why the ship sank. Neither explains Pi's suffering. Neither can be proven true or false. 

Pi asks, "Which is the better story?" The writer who is interviewing him says that the one with the tiger is better.  The Japanese insurance men apparently agree, because in the end, they include the tiger story in their report.  As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov once said, "Not all the stories are true, but when the people tell them, they are holy." One cannot prove religion one way or another. Is rationalism really better than mysticism? What if life really is a random jumble of meaningless events?  Can we live with that?  It is the nature of human beings to seek meaning in life, to bring order out of chaos.  Whether or not Richard Parker was real, without the tiger Pi would not have survived.

"Above all things, don't lose hope," said the survival manual in the lifeboat. 

"Nver despair!" taught Rebbe Nachman. 

The better story is the one with hope.

from Notes from a Jewish Thoreau http://ift.tt/2gRsTgN via IFTTT from CoscienzaSpirituale.net Associazione "Sole e Luna" via Clicca

#Sole e Luna #IFTTT #CoscienzaSpirituale.net Associazione

[kljackson]

Cinco de Wren-O

Happy Birthday Baby!  

Once again, your dad feels the need to pour his feeling out and tell you how much he loves you, how proud he is of you and how much joy you have brought to his life over the last year…

First, I wanted to tell you about a new phrase, since you’re always asking what things mean and you love to learn anything you can:  “Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen”.  What this means is, when there are too many people involved in something (a work project, a movie, a song, etc) then the thing will not turn out well because people inherently can’t agree and work toward a common goal without putting too much of their personal agenda into the job, thereby undoing work that others have done.  (Yeah there are a lot of big words in there which I’m sure you will ask about, but don’t worry – Dad’s vocabulary is very very small so there won’t be many more).

So why do I bring this up? Well, since your mommy and I separated almost two years ago, part of the unknown for both of us was that there would (hopefully) be other people in our lives, and therefore other people in your life. There’s always a concern that with a Mom and a Dad and a Stepmom and a Stepdad (or two Stepmoms and two Stepdads, we’re tolerant like that) there are all of a sudden twice as many people involved in raising you.  Your mommy and I have always been on the same page with what we wanted for you, how we wanted to treat you, what we wanted to teach you, but new people in the mix could have gotten in the way of that, because they would come in with their own ideas and all of a sudden we could have a situation with “too many cooks in the kitchen” and this perfect child we had raised for 4 years may be confused if she heard different things from different people.  

We’re all very lucky in this regard.  This year, you moved into two new houses – one with Daddy & Jeanie, one with Mommy & Jeff.  Both Jeanie and Jeff have grown to love you very much.  From the beginning they were involved and helpful but for the most part would leave decisions to Mommy and I.  Over time, they have gotten more comfortable with you, you trust and love them both, and they can offer their input on what’s best for you, and they’re a huge part of who you are today.  Even with four of us in your life on a daily basis, you are better than ever before, this happy, intelligent, curious, sweet child.  In November, I asked Jeanie to marry me and just yesterday, Jeff asked mommy to marry him.  I am very happy for them both, you are so loved and the more love you have in your life, the happier you will be.  I think you have the best “cooks” in the world by your side as you grow up, no matter how many there are.  Congratulations to Nicole & Jeff, and Jeff – welcome to the kitchen.  

 On to this past year…

Wren, there is no way I can convey the pure joy you bring to my life.  You are a concentrated ball of enthusiasm and love, a supernova of happiness and music and dance and art.  You wake up in the morning eyes bright and dimples flashing.  When you come into our bedroom, you always have some opening line that starts the day off right.  It’s never something like “I’m hungry” or “Can I have some candy?” but it’s a story about something one of the cats did, or a silly dream you had, or a make-believe game…the last morning you were at our house it was “Hey!  Do you guys wanna hear a song I learned at school?” and you burst right into a song, your beautiful sweet voice cutting through the grogginess of the morning and warming our hearts.  

Our year has been full of adventures – trips to Tahoe, Florida, Disneyland, San Francisco and Hawaii. You have gone to plays, baseball games and your first “real” concert.  You have continued to love learning at your school, and worked hard at gymnastics and dance.  This was really the year where you started playing with friends without one of your parents needing to supervise.  You have had sleepovers and parties and it’s all been so great to watch you having so much fun.  

You are so very fortunate to go on these trips, to have the friends you have and the things you have. Some people may say you’re “spoiled” because of the great things in your life, but I have never seen you act like a spoiled child.  You are the first to share, ask nicely and say thank you.  You don’t whine or throw fits.  People reading this might think that of course on your birthday I would never admit that you have your bad moments and tantrums, but I can say I have never seen you make a scene or throw a fit because you can’t have something. You can take “no” for an answer, which is HUGE for a 4-year old.  A big part of these fun trips we have taken has been LOTS of travel time.  Long car rides and flights, time in airports and early morning & late nights.  You are a JOY on every trip.  When your parents are dragging, you are the brightness to snap us out of it.  You are not spoiled so much as very lucky but very deserving.

Sometimes I forget that you’re a kid.  We have these conversations and you understand so much, we speak more like friends than anything else.  You and I are always on the same page when we get into our bits in the car, making up songs, rapping and beatboxing or just playing make-believe games.  You are so intelligent and funny, I never need to “talk down” to you, though sometimes I have to clean up my language, and the fact we can communicate on the same level has brought us closer.  I know your favorite things, what will make you laugh and what will interest you.  When we talk I will intentionally throw in a word or phrase that you have not heard before because you ALWAYS ask and then it just becomes something that you know. You always want to help, whether cooking (you can crack eggs, mix, season and bake with the best of them), you have helped me paint, build shelves and fix the toilet.  The other day I had a flat tire.  I needed the tire fixed and could have had the tire place put the new tire on the car for me but instead I decided to do it myself because I knew you would want to help.  You loosened the nuts, turned the jack and then grabbed your camping chair and shined the flashlight for me while I finished up.  Your love of learning has awoken mine, and you inspire everyone around you to look at the world with wonder.  

People say that when you’re a parent time goes by too quickly.  I never understood this until we had you.  I can think of anything that little baby Wren used to do or say and it seems like yesterday.  This year as you grow and mature we said goodbye to many things that I never thought I would miss, but now I do.  You’re so much more independent, you go to the bathroom on your own, I don’t have to lift you up to reach the sink, you can go play in the neighborhood without me watching (although I admit the first time I was freaking out and went outside to “check the mail” about 15 times in an hour just to look in on you), you’ve gotten too big to ride on daddy’s shoulders, the list of words that you adorably mispronounce is dwindling by the day, you can swim completely on your own, you can put your own clothes on (and assert your strong opinion on which clothes you want to wear) and you can be in charge of brushing your teeth.  This is all good – I would not be doing my job as a parent if I kept doing things for you in order to make myself feel useful. You continue to blossom into an amazing young woman and I could not be more proud.  

Wrenny – the last 5 years have had ups and downs but I would not change a thing because you have been there for all of it.  From the moment I held you in the hospital to watching you take your first steps, vacations, art projects and even sick days, you have been an absolute treasure.  I know that you will change over time, but your essence, your joyful spirit and curiosity and sweetness will not.  You will have moments where Mom & Dad (and Stepmom & Stepdad) seem like they’re being mean or unfair, but I assure you that we all love you more than anything in the world and are just trying to help mold you into a well-rounded, happy and successful grownup.  I love you with all my heart and that will never change. I will always be here for you when you need help, and you can talk to me about anything.  I will never judge, just love.  Thank you for being the best part of my life, and I hope that age 5 is the best one yet.  

I love you,

 Daddy    

[hellozils-blog]

AY16/17 DIPLOMA IN VISUAL COMUNICATION & MEDIA DESIGN

MODULE BRAND COMMUNICATION STUDIO (BCS)

ASSIGNMENT VIRAL MARKETING

PROJECT TITLE INTRODUCTION TO VIRAL WORD-OF-MOUTH

INTRODUCTION On 11 April 2009, a video of Susan Boyle became a sensation (article) on YouTube within days. Even though the British TV programme "Britain's Got Talent" is broadcast mainly in the UK, and has a smaller viewership compared to American Idol, many of these videos promoting “Britain’s Got Talent” became widely watched overnight. How did these videos become so popular?

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Shared on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr etc. because the video was unexpected and shocking. Audience like these kind of different videos and want to share interesting, new and the latest media on their accounts. Social media is very prominent and is used very frequently in this day of age.

IN SINGAPORE Identify and discuss cases where “word-of-mouth” on the Internet has led to a rise in popularity of certain products, fashion or trends in Singapore. Look at this image of Ris Low, our ex beauty queen. What happened?

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She was interviewed on Razor TV as the beauty queen in 2009. However, the conversation was comical as she spoke poor English, mispronouncing words and using incorrect grammar and vocabulary. She was then made fun of and the video became viral as many people wanted to share something funny to their friends. Also, Ris Low’s bad reputation, due to the bad impression she gave, formed her brand as a joke that is not taken seriously.

Online Viral Marketing

What do you understand about the term online viral marketing? How is online viral marketing different from the general viral videos such as the Susan Boyle video mentioned above?

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Both viral marketing and other general viral videos can be used to build brands and increase sales. However viral marketing can allow the level of control over the brand’s message, to spread awareness, to sell a product and reaching out to a wider target audience? While a typical viral video can be used for entertainment, and for personal brand identity.

How is online viral marketing different from traditional marketing?

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Online viral marketing reaches out to a wider target audience, it is softcopy hence not limited to where users can get the information. However tradition marketing limits users to get hold of the information. And traditional marketing is hardcopy, hence more money is required.

The purpose of marketing is to create a positive impact of an organisation’s product or services to the public. Can a viral marketing create negative publicity for an organisation instead? Below are some examples. What is wrong with them?

A viral marketing ‘Wild bear’ stunt by Philips to promote its new razor backfired.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11539338

Another example is a viral marketing by SingPost to promote its sponsorship for Youth Olympic Games 2010.

http://sgforums.com/forums/3317/topics/387093

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1028960/1/.html

Discuss and explain what could be wrong with the two viral marketing stunts:

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There was miscommunication in the message brough out by these 2 ads. The perception is different from the intended purpose that the company is aiming to achieve. This caused a lot of unnecessary troubles and attention, not good marketing feedback/responses.

How to create a successful viral?

There is always a business objective for an organisation’s viral marketing campaign. Why do you think there must be a conscious thought and consideration for an objective?

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Where through the viral marketing campaign, social problems are solved. The objectives were met, regardless of what medium was used. At the end of the day, the message brought across was able to change/impact the target audience.

How are good videos being spread and discovered online? How can a business help promote and spread its marketing material online?

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The video have to be interesting, entertaining, unexpected, shocking etc to evoke emotion from the viewer to want to share with his/her friends/family. Majority of people in Singapore spend their time online, so this platform is a good way to market.

The time of release/marketing, the target audience, the purpose/objective etc are important. It is best to hit when the iron is hot.

Viral and the target audience

Do you think a marketing video will always reach the intended target audience?

Will it matter if the video is being viewed by others?

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Yes it will reach its target audience if the ad/video is marketed correctly, such as at the right time or place. It will not matter, as this cannot be avoided. There are various age groups and types of people online and due to the speed of which online materials can get spread, it is possible for everyone to view the video. The Internet is a huge place that can be accessed by many.

Many times marketing materials need help to make it more popular. How can a business help increase interest of its marketing material (e.g. videos) with the public?

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Businesses can not just aim to sell only things of tangible value but also intangible things such as customer services which a lot of consumers favour nowadays, or network and wifi from companies such as Starhub and Single

What is the most important factor that makes a viral marketing campaign successful?

Enter your comments here: Understanding of target audience and objectives of campaign.

Read the following article “4 Rules for a Video to Go Viral”. What are the factors for a successful viral video? Infer and discuss with other case studies to support the points mentioned in the article.

Rule 1              Rule 2        Rule 3    Rule 4

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Rule 1:Evoke emotion

Rule 2:Potray brand image without being overly promotional

Rule 3:Have a marketing plan

Rule 4:Other Branding/Marketing efforts must be in place

I think some things that will be good to take note is that eventually we are still taking risks in this marketing and therefore we need to come up with a good marketing plan and strategy. Taking the target audience into consideration is also helpful when we want to make promotional

Applying to your CA3 & CA4 Live Client project

If you were tasked to create a viral marketing campaign for your live client, what are the steps you will take to make it a successful campaign?

Based on what you have learnt about viral marketing campaign, explain how and why the “Coke’s Hug Me Campaign” was successful and explore the same success formula to apply to your CA3 & CA4 integrated campaign.