#mie you should post your video

[evilovesyou]

How to get over the fact that louis did a whole “thanks for showing up, i see your support” speech right after only the brave, during which the crowd was FULL of rainbows without anyone having made a coordinated effort to bring rainbow flags ???????

#lokerse feesten #Louis #my show #only the brave #rainbows #mie you should post your video #mine

[miekasa]

mie….could we please get college au eren headcanons👉🏽👈🏽

Of course. I’m always thinking about his big head anyway <33 might as well put it good use.

One thing he learned in college is how to make his hyperfocus/fixation episodes work for him; that’s why he schedules all his classes as close together as possible. He’d rather have class back to back for 5 hours, than have it spread out with hours in between lectures, because that increases his changes of cutting.

You can always tell when he’s in class and/or what class he’s in by how much he responds to your messages. If he doesn’t text back at all, he’s in a class that hard or one he enjoys, or both. But if he’s sending you iMessage games, then you know he’s in his elective that he couldn’t care else about (and is probably cheating in someway somehow lmfao). 

He usually puts his phone on dnd when he’s in a class that’s important, but you’re in his favorite contacts, so your messages always ring through. What if it’s an emergency and you need him for something? Advanced Roots of Human Biology can wait. 

Some days there are one or two our breaks between his lectures, that’s just how the scheduling works out. When that happens, he usually sneaks into one of your lectures, or goes to your place to take a nap. Your roommates have become accustomed to him, honestly they’ve been considering giving him a key. 

Once, he didn’t realize that your lecture was basically a seminar, with you, the prof and maybe six other students. He still stayed lmao, and the prof was so amazed by his dedication, that she didn’t even mind. Occasionally, you’ll catch the two of them talking after lecture. It’s pretty cute the way she’s adopted him into the class even tho he’s not on the roster. 

You... have to show him where the library is lmfao. He genuinely has not stepped foot in one until you bring him to one. He likes it tho lmao once he gets used to it. 

Speaking of which, do not give him standard directions to find your classes on campus because all you’ll get is, “Babe, I’m gonna keep it real with you, I’ve never heard of the ‘West Quad’ a day in my life. What building are you near.”

He usually comes to see you in the library after all his lectures are done for the day. Sometimes he does homework, sometimes he’s just fucking around on his computer, sometimes he’s just bothering you. When you have to leave to go to class, he stays behind to watch your stuff so you don’t have to pack everything up and come back. 

Very protective when it comes to keeping your seat for you. No, you cannot take that chair to your table you good for nothing freshman; it’s reserved for you. 

He’ll drag you out of the library if you’ve been cooped up all day, tho. Eren will use his height and his strength against you to get you up. Placates you with kisses when he sees your angry expression, and promises to buy you food.

He takes your backpack for you when you’re walking together,m. His backpack is frustratingly light all the time, even during midterms. You swear all he’s got in there is a pencil and some flashcards. 

If you have night classes, he sticks around to walk you home after, especially in the winter when it gets dark faster. If he’s not already on campus, he’ll walk/drive back to meet you; he just doesn’t like you going home alone. Even if your friend/roommate is in the class with you, Eren will walk or drive the both of you home for his own sanity. 

He plays sports, so he usually has practice most evenings, but he’ll find a way to make time. If practice was particularly brutal, he’ll probably crash at your place.

He loves it when you come to meet him after practice. His whole face lights up and he waves obnoxiously, before he gathers up his stuff and all but sprints towards you. You get a cold water bottle to the face, or a bit of water splashed on you usually, which he takes immense amusement in. 

He knows it’s not possible for you to make it to all of his games, and usually it doesn’t bother him much; you’ve got your own life, and work to worry about. All he asks is that you wear his jersey, or any item of his sports apparel/merch on game day (he’s partial to hoodies).

By the time junior year rolls around, he’s not all that interested in attending parties that aren’t hosted by your friends; so, unless it’s at Connie, Jean, or Reiner and Bertholdt’s place, Eren will usually decline. Even team parties, he’s not crazy about unless it’s to celebrate a championship or something. He’d much rather celebrate with you. 

He does get excited about hosting parties though, and he and Jean become pretty damn good co-hosts. They don’t throw ragers, and that’s probably why Eren likes it so much. It’s usually your friend group and a couple plus ones, some good music, games, weed, and take-out. 

He’ll buy you coffee whenever you ask for it. The first time, he just orders something plain, not really knowing the difference between anything; but give it two or three tries, and he’ll get it perfect. He becomes so good that he can order you something new/different and you’ll love it. 

That’s kind of the start of his own coffee addiction, and more often than not, when he buys you a cup, he’s on his second or third of the day himself. The flavor has really grown on him, okay. 

He much prefers your apartment, but on occasion, he’ll ask you to come to his. You’ve been studying for so long, a change of environment should do you good, he claims. He’s a fucking liar tho because that’s all Eren Talk for “I do genuinely want you to come over, but my plans are to coerce you out of doing your assignments and doing me instead.”

Lmfao he adds you on Apple Watch Rings just so you can see him close his rings every day and laugh at you. Even if yours get closed by virtue of walking around campus or working out or whatever, his numbers are stupidly high because he fucking has practice at least 4 days of the week. 

Of course when you’re running on a soccer field for 2 hours every day, you close your Move Ring five times, Eren. Leave the rest of us alone. 

He buys you guys matching accessories for your keychains. It’s something pretty cute, and slightly random, but it reminded him of you. It also serves as a reminder to himself to take his fucking keys with him when he leaves his house. 

He sleeps like a fucking rock, so do not let him fall asleep in the library. Waking him up is a mission, and he’s never happy to be woken up. He looks kinda cute tho. 

He schedules dates for you and his friends. Usually by accident, but hear me out. Sometimes he’ll make plans with Armin, then forget that he has class or a test or something; so his solution is to text you, “hey, i forgot min and i were supposed to go some aquarium tomorrow but i have a midterm so here’s the pdf of my ticket, go with him for me, thanks babe love u” then, boop, you and Armin have an aquarium date Friday evening. 

The same thing happens with Mikasa, though, she usually catches the scheduling conflict before Eren does, and invites you out herself. You and Mikasa hang out quite a bit anyway, so it comes to the point where she tells you when she’s gonna hang out with Eren, so you can make yourself free for when he inevitably remember he has a game that day. 

Mikasa is most amazed that you’ve put up with Eren this long lmao. You’ve certainly lessened her Eren & Armin babysitting hours, and for that she’s eternally grateful. Also, she’s just happy to have another close friend. She loves Eren and Armin, but they’re not the most social beings, and she was literally their only friend besides the other for all their childhood PLEASE she’s so happy you’re around. 

It’s Mikasa, however, who babysits you and Eren whenever you both get too drunk. Says you guys are two peas in a pod (affectionate<2)

If you tell Eren something important that happened, like an internship you got, or a good grade in a class, or something, he usually relays that information to his mom pls. He texts her every day, and if she doesn’t ask for an update on you first, he gives her one.

Carla calls you sometimes, too. At least once every few weeks, just to check on you herself. She really likes you for Eren, and is grateful someone is willing to put up with her hotheaded son. 

Eren’s always using your fucking chapstick. Always. You know he has his own, so why he needs to use yours is beyond you. Finds time to make some dumbass comment about how it’s an “indirect kiss” every time he uses it too. Like bro, we’re dating, and have had many direct kisses why are you like this.

He posts on Instagram every few weeks or so, but you’re on his story every few days. Usually, it’s just a video of you minding your business and doing your work while Eren slowly zooms in before making some loud noise to surprise you, all so he can get your reaction on video and laugh at it. He’s annoying. 

He’s a bit of a copycat when it comes to the products you use. He’ll buy the same brand of pens as you (for that matter, all of his school supplies mirror yours because what does he know about the difference between A4 and A5 notebooks?), put a little hand sanitizer on his backpack like yours (and a lotion, too, for good measure), he even copies your Starbucks order until he finds one he likes for himself. It’s one of his love languages <3

If you’re wondering where your eyelash curler went, Eren stole it to try it on himself, hurt himself, vowed to never use it again, went back because he wanted to “do it right and not give up,” liked the results when he didn’t pinch his eyelid, and now it’s his. 

That being said, stop trying to put your Fenty lipgloss on him, it’s never going to happen. Eye makeup, maybe, only if you sit in his lap and he can have his hands on your ass while you do it. 

What he does love is letting you do his skincare. He will set aside dedicated skincare nights, he adores it. Easily one of his favorite things ever. 

You have his wallet. Not because he’s your sugar daddy or anything (although, if you want something, he’d definitely let you use his card to get it; and even if you bought something without asking, he wouldn’t think twice about it), but because he put it in your bag once and never took it out. 

When you tried to give it back, he just shook his head and told you to keep it, “I have my ID in my phone case anyway, and you’re less likely to lose it. Plus I put all my cards on Apple Pay, so I’m good.”

When you do make it to a game of his, he’s all over you when it’s over. Not in a cocky athlete boyfriend kind of way; in a very sleepy boyfriend kind of way. He’s usually got ice on at least one part of his body, and he’s got half his body weight on you as you walk to the car. 

By the time you guys get back to your place, he’s practically sleep walking. The only thing on his mind is taking a hot shower to soothe his muscles, and heading to bed. The aftermath of game days aren’t all that bad though, because even if you didn’t show, you’re always there to kiss him when he’s home and massage his shoulders, and cuddle him to sleep; and that’s his favorite part. 

#anonymous #hes so fucking cute hes my fucking BOYFRIENDDDDDDDDD #eren x reader #aot x reader #eren jaeger x reader #aot imagines #eren fluff #eren smut

[attract-mode-collective]

It’s Still (Pixelated) Hot Dog Legs Season

Fall should officially be in full swing by now, yet here in NYC (and many other parts of the US), it still feels like summer. Which I’m not thrilled about, though at the very least, I don’t feel so bad for sharing the above (by Robert Penney) so late into September.

On that note, time for a way overdue game culture round up! It’s been a while, and a LOT been going on. And not to be a downer, but the chaotic weather has been in the news, obviously.

Here’s a pic from Gamer Geek Nation on Facebook, who shared the aftermath of the Hurricane Harvey, along with: “… This is a time when we collectors need to remind ourselves that ultimately, this is just stuff, and our lives are more important. And make sure your collection is insured properly.”

Elsewhere in the world, the Tokyo Game Show just wrapped up, and not to repeat the obvious, but yes… the biggest, most exciting news was the Sonic X Hooters collab…

Though the one between Hello Kitty and Game Center CX is far, far better (photo courtesy of Kotaku)…

You also have this comically large Rockman doll, which apparently was available on Amazon but is now out of stock…

Though I mostly wished I had been there to pick up some primo looking attire, like this Mega Drive track jacket that miki800 gave the heads up on before show time (there was also a Dreamcast hoodie that I personally don’t think looks as nice, hence why I’m skipping it)…

I also really like this Pac-Man shirt…

This Galaga shirt as well…

Also taking place in Japan was an exhibition held by the JARGA (Japan Retro Game Association); miki800 was there and captured some interesting bits of hardware, with the highlight being (IMHO) this Mega Drive clone that resembles a perfect mix of the model 1 MD and the original Wondermega…

There’s no preview of the music yet, though may as well share the recently unveiled cover to the third (and final) installment of 8 BIT MUSIC POWER…

Meanwhile, according to Original Sound Version, Mitch Murder has released yet another soundtrack to another game that never existed. In this it didn’t come out for the Mega CD and doesn’t involve mecha…

Remember that Jet Set Radio figure I showed a while ago? Well, it's finally available for pre-order! Alas, it's not cheap, at least over at Big Bad Toy Store...

BTW, videogamesdensetsu shares with us what Beat looks like, sans-cel shading…

Sticking with VCD for a tad bit; here’s what Pulseman looked originally looked like, and he sure was cute!

Whereas NiGHTS looked goofier… as well as more menacing….

Am confident most people will not give a rat’s ass about seeing hand drawn Virtua Racing track designs, but as a massive fan of the series, oh man, oh man, oh man...

Two never before seen Saturn prototypes that must be: “[taken] with a grain of salt!”

Apparently Looney Tunes X The Matrix was actually a thing? Somehow this does not surprise me…

The work of Hideaki Kodama was recently highlighted, which was also recently auctioned; I wonder how much this painting of various PC Engine hardware went for?

Yet another Kickstarter mention? Yup. And this one is Jed Henry's third crowdfunding campaign: this particular variant of the Ukiyo-e Heroes concentrates on boss battles, with perhaps my fave piece being his depiction from The Breath of the Wild...

Am particularly fond of this image from the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary art book that grease-howard spotted, of old Chun Li chumming it up with her younger self...

Any and all BoJack Horseman fans out there may want to pick up this piece by Jude Buffum...

legendofnes reminds of that time Batman visited New Donk City…

It's just a bunch of cyber kids, all just hanging around, by sanigo...

Speaking of the gang, here we have the kids from Persona 5, by @aranciart…

Apparently, if Jedah (from Darkstalkers) ran a juice stand, it wouldn’t be the best, according to dreaminerryday…

The individual who runs SPLENDID LAND describes SLN-003 Gacha Man as a: "vendor robot who dispenses toys. even he doesn’t know what’s inside the capsules, so he always gets excited to find out"...

Meanwhile, here’s official artwork of Mario and Peach, courtesy of the thevideogameartarchive’s catalogue of the Mario Golf N64 manual; am pretty sure I’ve seen images of Mario looking distressed, though never to this degree…

The above is something Super Mario Broth would normally deliver, and speaking of, may as well share some recent faves on that end! Like these photos from a promotional campaign with a Japanese sports drink when promoting Mario Sports Superstars…

Instructions found on the arcade cabinet for Vs. Super Mario Bros (which I remember so distinctly, and fondly)…

From some Japanese video guide for the same game (am assuming the home Famicom version this time)…

A greeting card (am assuming a Valentine’s)...

Mario without his hat, as he appears in a Game Boy controller test cart that Nintendo service reps used to calibrate buttons on a the handheld…

And he we have a shortcut in SMB3 that I had no idea existed, and it’s a safe bet that most don’t either: “In Super Mario Bros. 3, the rock between the path to the first fortress in World 4 and the Spade Panel can be destroyed with a Hammer item, allowing the player to bypass the fortress. There is no obvious indication that this rock is destructible, as it is surrounded by decorative rocks. In fact, many guides for Super Mario Bros. 3 do not mention this shortcut.”

As for Super Mario Broth’s counterpart, Sonic the Hedgeblog has seen plenty of action as well… largely pinpointing all the obscure references found in Sonic Mania, So head over for that if that sounds like fun to you! Otherwise, there’s also the Mario Bros having a Sonic Panic…

A reminder of how Sonic looked at one point as he was being prepped for the Dreamcast; it would appear that at a certain point, in Sonic Adventure, he was going to look a lot more realistic…

And this issue with EGM featuring a sneak preview of Sonic 2 is the very first video game magazine that I ever picked up!

Meanwhile, oldgamemags recently posted a page from an issue of GamePro, circa 2000, on a peripheral that allowed the Game Boy to play mp3s. Am sharing it cuz I really want a GB-looking mp3 player…

So someone on Twitter (who has since protected his account, so I’ll have to refer to nintendolife they snagged the pic before it was locked down) cracked open a electrocardiogram measurement instrument and found... a GBA? It’s theorized: “perhaps earlier revisions of the unit had different screens, and once the supply chain dried up MiE was forced to source the next best thing?”

vice-s-assistant sez: "OK Guys, I’m ready to hack."

According to bunney: "i was working at a convention arcade this weekend and some guy cosplaying ryu was playing street fighter with a blunt in his mouth"...

Can anyone tell what's being played here? At the very least, it's a nice shot (via rekall)...

Much like Arcade Crusade, I have no idea what’s going on, and I agree that whatever it is, it looks intense...

If you’ve ever wanted an artist’s rendering of the Raspberry Pi, then look no further than the work of retronator…

rasec-wizzlbang states: “those square cross sections of the human skin layers you always see in biology books but as like, a minecraft block”…

Courtesy of Arcade Crusade once again comes a very tender moment…

Is it just me or does this promo image for Food Fight sure does look like a Norman Rockwell painting? As seen on thedoteaters...

Here we have a flyer for a really old SNK arcade game (we’re talking really old; almost a decade before the Neo Geo was a thing) that looks like it was made with today’s sensibilities, doesn’t it?

Also via obscurevideogames is a moment of pathos from Hacchake Ayayo-san 4 - Sexy Olympics - Ayayo’s Live Affection. It’s… pretty obscure alright…

Yup, that's Hieronymus Bosch-styled Tetris all right (via freeindiega.me)...

crashcarnival presents: "true facts of the Ice Age"...

Hey, it’s the Ninja Turtles playing Pong (via rewind01)…

Behold, Fighters Megamix version 2017 (via lonelyfrontier)…

Yup, that is definitely a Chu Chu Rocket skirt  (via radicalhelmet)...

For those who have ever wondered what their Sonic character’s political leanings are, in relation to the rest of the crew (and can’t be bothered to sift through DeviantArt; via erratticusfinch)…

Face to face (via futureisfailed)…

It’s been out for a while, though it’s not too late to pick up this Xenogears tribute zine, right?

Just a friendly reminder of how bat-sh*t insane Sin & Punishment is (via n64thstreet)...

Zimmerit.moe has everything you need to know about a game by Square involving mecha that you’ve probably never heard of. And no, am not talking about Thexder; it’s even more obscure than that (am talking about Cruise Chaser Blassty BTW/FYI)...

Meanwhile, Michael “Kayin” O’Reilly discusses the “Barrel Distortion” look that emulators use to recreate the look of playing something on a CRT display and why it’s total crap…

And… that’s  it! You’ve made it to the end! Enjoy a cool, refreshing drink with Pac-Man (on the behalf of arcade-crusade)...

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.

[the-reactionist]

begging

for some reason [US's crazy fear-based policy to not trust easter European states with their internet privacy stuff] i can't write emails so i am posting personal stuff here; sorry MESSAGE: i have to post more often here as writing about issues helps me resolve them and understand them deeply; i never find the time ad strength/energy to; i need to make it my priority, though, because i can; i have the power too, so i’m obliged to do so;the pain whe delving in the wounds by teal swan’s methods, is too large to handle, though; she mst have bee treated real horribly to have that incapacity to relax within herself; because healig hppens with time; nd time ca heal anything; yet she is so restless in her death-cult-leader-scapegoat programming, that she has no time to deal with her issues and overcome them fully from within, to embrace her trauma and demonstarte to us her teachings emodied - what it looks liek to have overcomeyour trauma, physically; nd that is what we need; because ppl like myself, we follow, by example; so teal, your followers who have pened up not merely their minds but their hearts to your presence, need you to heal your inner child and go to other levels of expressing the truths you are embodying, because you don’t have time, ad we don’t have time, physically, to wait our entire lives; i have seen a decline in your activity and i saw a short fb video two or three years ago inw hich you explained you need to work more closely to the people so you are changing your course of teaching/actions; but i think that being i the flashlights IS what you have the power to be doing; beign amidst all the controversy;and i think that you still have lingering uresolved childhood torture and unimaginable abuse trauma; but i eed you to overcome it; i’m dying,i can’t hndle my issues and i need you because you are strg, you have before, and you can; PLEASE, be there for me, and please, teach me; i love you and i trust you, and moreover i do believe in you; please teach me in your ways btu the things i need for my expansion and development, which i feel is not simply mie but is the communnity’s; you are capable of leading us to the next levels; which is owning pour realities and being masters to the extent we all individually can; please do that for me/and others whi are erady for your hardcore strength ~thank you i feel like ale, a lot - when he pursued you, teal, and you didn't look at him at first, because of disbelief, i suppose; i am ready for you and i want you both for my and your sake; it is actual bonding, and i am not even joking - i mean it; iu know you are always asking your audience for questions to make videos on; and i am trying to write from years, but i can't; so instead i created blogs and fb groups, and pages, all related to your teachigns and how i interpret them for my life, ad how they help me grow; i need to work more completely with your mind, because when combining other spiritual philosophers' calmness with your catalystic power and depth, and structure/ logic of understanding, i become completely different - empowered to unbelieveable extent https://the-reactionist.tumblr.com/post/187233997680/benevolence-unconditional-love-the-innate i am sorry i have not enough money to buy your things - meditations, courses, workshop passes, retreats; i know they cost very little, but i can't hndle my life and i am not financially independent; but i love you, i want you to experience i 3d your fullest potential and capacity ebcause you rock, you help me every time, so i beg, please somehow connect to me in the spiritual plane so i can give you the srengths i am carrrying to hep you resolve, in time, your leftover past trauma - and it's a lot, i see it still, so that you can rock on life as you want to, and not keep stuck in these patterns of self-mistrust and victimhood, and powerlessness; you are gREAT, but unlike many of us - literally; and i am very very excited by you, on every single level,so you truly catalyze change i me, on a molecular, subconscious, sexual, physical, and though levels - hi5 for dat! because i'm hardcore too, eyt you manage to get through to me; i need you more, though, because i am workig with a lot of trauma myself; i have bee put in psychiatries by my parents because i started speakig about things they don't want to hear and maybe it wasn't tiem for them to; but sorry to be so hones - i see in you a sort of restlessness that is not helping the peoplewho depend on you to be helped and uided on our ow journeys/paths through reality; and you can help us; many more than you are targeting presently, in fact; your inner child feels unheard ad unexpressed, though, so in my view you still act a little irresponssibly, exerting your powerfulness in ways which are uhealthy and not deep enough/mature/rooted; maybe i'm too needy, as i have been to my mother, to my loved one, to my spiritual teacher/sect leader/first sexual partner,and i am to you now too, but i am needy, i am human, i am breaking - in body, and i spirit sometimes; im sorry; i am truly breaking/soft. and i think this is the genuine human condition; and i liek your power but i NEED to be protected by it to be fully myself and give MY gift to the wrld -w hich is mthering, care, heartful compassion and being there and holding space, but from the heart-space, not physically, and not so mcuh mentally, because i am not very educated in philosphies, and i have poor strength in that faculty; i am more basic, primitive, and i dont really feel ashamed by that; i am the powerful people's job, as the tao te chig goes; so i beg you - i can't do with teachings i the way your power/energy demands; there are thse whi are that physically strgn, but i aint; and i can't be; peopel have tried to train me but i'm too connected with teh feminiity and teh earth aspects of human beings to be able to overcome those - i am NOT a shaoulin monk, although i love both you an dthem all; i feel respect ad am honored to be residing on earth among peope like you, but i am sexually drawn to your types of strength and endurance - i wanna bear childern to the kids of you; i am NOT liek you 

i’m an old person/elder type fo being; i need to nourisha nd provide for your vigor and power to be manifested in reality more safely and completely i feel towards you the same way i feel towards the man i am fully in love with but i can’t get to him because footh of our unresolved issues ad i beg for help because i want to resolve those - our issues aren;tours alone; we care about/for others’ problems, that si why we can’t hande our lives; so i that way we are much like you; and i am like you in many ways; i wish i could communnicate to you - and i will ebcause i should - i blog posts, if i can find energy to, which i can’t... i’m so sorry but stress is killing me literally - i develped diabetes since my stepfather dies eight years ago and now there is noone to take acre of my basic needs  financially and emotionally,a s supprt; so i breakdown; but i knw you can help me becaus ethsoe stuff don’t touch you; and i can help youw itrh stuff that dont touch me; or i have been a hero through, makig my way out of them;

sexual trauma ad abuse of femininity, is my specuialty, i believe; i am a one who in their love for humanity, their femininity and themselves, has raped themselves to try d develop compassion for those things humns do to each other - rape, abuse of feedom; i am thtat string in my plan for this incarnation; but i have been messed with, energetically and sexually - by a cult/sect; so i have lost my strengths and many of my point of stremgth - my stepfather being one of them; he is someone from my sould-family/group,and my grandmotehr has managed to manifest him into my reality to help me through life;

but he die physically, and his loss is unbearable, i have nothign to stand on and i cn’t handle my frmer tasts without taht kid fo support; that is why i am reahcig out t you; and i ave erached out to suzanne lie, sadhguru, and many thers for support; my lover/peron taht i am lin love with, AND his father, too -i have written to them and asked for suport dicetly, because i can and i need it; i am that in love withmyself that i have the capacity to ask for what i want when i eed my  eeds met; i want you to have that fr yourself, tio; let me etahc you soemhow, lover

i read you as an incarantion of shiva; i love this being’s energy and how sexual and open with sexuality he/it is; i am much more feminine in nature though; which is a weakness; but i need help to overcome it, or try to, as i have promised, in my soul contract; i am running out f time because i am runnign it of energy; my soulmate/’twin flame’ partner/the boy i love and wanna marry and have child with is running out of his shin as well, his essence, his power; we have both depleted our chi through mastrubatig and abuse of our chi; you - no; you have that fire strong within you; please help us with guiding to vercome our foolish weaknesses and purge from our actual sinfulness - devoted to earthly elasure in a society that udnermines a persons needs for that type of pelasure; so tahtwe and many more can heal from thise types of stereotype and thinkig and go on with life; i cant by myself; my loved person has ecaus he’s younger an dhas different energy - he is much liek you; liek curt cobai, like jeff buckley ad others; you rock the world, you are strogn with or without others; i am not; i  need others to grow still; i’m sorry i can’t be strger at this point; i am just t and i lose my mind when they want me to; i am a primadonna, an italian belcanto style opera singer type of person, and my femininity is such; and i have no shame for beign this wqay; i need your type of masculine scolding to refresh my poits fo view and receive revitalizing energy to grow into a best version of myself; better tahn i have been thus far; but you eed to be scolded by the lieks of me and becoem more herty and softer in your capacities, too; because i am a mother to you and th elikes of you - taht is ewhat i can; and i desire your kind sexually which is fun and awesome but it makes me frustrated a lot, too; look, this is nto a lustful invitation - idesire lustfully my neigbour who is a national chamion in hockey for my coutry,and the boy i mentioned ver  a thousand times thus far, ebcause i need actual physcial sex; and i like men; i am to girls a prtector and support; or have been, t put it more accurately - now with my stepfathe rgone, i dot anymore have the strength to tdo taht msot of the time’  idot desire girls sexually; more than one man, yeah, but girls - i cant handle in my heart; s sorry but iam not meanign my words in a direct physical way, but mor e enretically; i really love you - which is a neediness expression in itself; i feel like this when i’m saying these words to you 

Khajurahu, India

Ishtar ~Venus, Messopotamia

i feel my sacred feminine energy explode whenever around you; the spiritual catalyst - imma do a post specifically on how i see your energies linked to Quanyin and the sacred feminine; but as i have heard you speak before, you feel much more connected to your masculine energy so far, thus i’m gonna address you in the way i feel you as Lord Shiva/ the sacred masculine

i wanna #support YOU

.....

[furederiko]

After a brief detour through Shanghai, London, and Berlin, it's time to land on Dai Teikoku Gekijou once again. The stage is set for our main cast to take the spotlight! Furthermore, these 5 songs (Track 7 to 11), are representative of each character's personality, traits, or even backstory (so... SPOILER alert?). Basically, the meat of this album. You'll likely hear these tunes in full once you've successfully secured their solo endings, right? And throughout, the BGM version usually accompanies them during the playthrough. Let the song show begins!

Otome Nandesu yo (I'm a Maiden) by. Sakura Amamiya (Ayane Sakura)

First on the lineup, is the leading lady herself, Sakura. And, I'm not sure how to put it, but from a purely subjective viewpoint, it's my LEAST favorite of this set. Elise left a big shoe to fill following her one-woman Opera. And Sakura just couldn't keep it together, that we had to step down into an idol-mode or some sort. Sorry, no offense to idol fans out there! Different people, different tastes, and my idol phase had gone over the rainbow. If I have to be honest, I only heard the short MV I posted above (first one released) only a few times, before forgetting about it completely. I can't really understand why. Perhaps, it sounded generic? Sakura Shinguuji's image songs weren't a stand out in "Sakura Taisen" and "Sakura Taisen 2" either. Nevertheless, I enjoyed both "Sakura" and "Haru ga Kuru". I have even recorded my own covers for those two songs! They told the tale of naivety and sincerity, of a country girl who went to the big city and burdened with the fate to be a hero. Comparing those to New Sakura's solo is unnecessarily unfair, but it also can't be helped. What is the message of this song? It's about a girl who reunites with her childhood friend (Captain Seijuurou, who else). But she's no longer fond of the idea of him seeing her as a younger sister figure. But she couldn't say it, because *drumrolls*, she's now a maiden. My memory is fuzzy, but I believe Kouhei Tanaka-sensei had already confirmed that this is, in fact, an "Imouto" song. Hence the reason why my interest is not that high. Fortunately, the song took a delightful tone the moment that harmonica came along (which was after the first chorus, on the 1:30 mark). I actually DID enjoy it more because of it. I also liked the bridge part, and how the final result sounded less like a pop song. But that final line? Why did it feel needy and/or desperate? *sigh* Oh well, at least Sakura already did wonders with "Shin GEKITEI". I admit Part 3 doesn't really start off on the right foot. But worry not! It definitely gets better...

Onna!! Matsuri no Kokoro Iki (Woman!! The Spirit of the Festival) by. Hatsuho Shinonome (Maaya Uchida)

Time to get fired up again! And seriously, I dare you not to shake your body or smile as soon as this song begins. Because you certainly would! On a glance, this sounded and showed the traces of being the Kanna Kirishima's style of the new generation. But with one obvious twist: It's... AWESOME!!! Kanna is a good character, but her solo numbers rarely appealed to my taste. Suffice to say, this song took the best parts of her numbers and blended it into one spot. I've always loved this song ever since the MV came out. And this full, almost-5-minutes, version with extra arrangements just sounded... MINDBLOWING. One would argue that a bulk of this song was instrumental, with Maaya Uchida as the Matsuri's (Festival) Miko shouting her commanding cues. That is undeniably true. But listen closely, and you'll get why I or anyone would dig this. If you have been keeping up with me, you'll know that traditional tunes from various countries fascinate me. So it should come natural that I'm a sucker to festival songs like this. Especially with that mix of heavy metal rock guitar building up towards the dynamic duo of the energizing Taiko beat and an iconic whistling of Shakuhachi that added the authenticity of things. Wagakki Band, anyone? Aaaaaahhhhh... and Kouhei-sensei just HAD to slip in that speedy CRAZY-sounding piano bit! *applause* Just like Lancelot's song, this made me feel like I was being transported to Tokyo or Kyoto, attending and witnessing an actual Summer celebration. Uchida, a good singer, didn't perform this in her smooth vocal style. But she shouldn't! This is something you sing at ease while plainly having fun. Being all out and letting loose is basically the key! For the first time in Sakura Taisen's music history, I've bumped into a song that I simply don't want to sing along. Instead, I would DIE for the chance to participate in that Taiko play. Oh my, I need to see this in a live performance. You TOTALLY need to hear this! And dance along if you will... PS: If there's any gripe about this, it's when Hatsuho and the background voices are yelling "Oisa!" (literally means "Hey!"?). It tends to sound "Oisa, Osa, Usa, USO, USO, USO!". "Uso" means "Lies", and ends up giving it a misogynist feel by accident. The message of this song is that a woman is the spirit of the festival. Girl power! Feminism! But then there's these choir of ALL MALE that seemingly shouts "Lies, Lies, Lies!". That's pretty contradictory, eh? I know I'm totally making too much of a big deal out of this, but it honestly bugs me out...

Ninja Azami (Azami the Ninja) by. Azami Mochizuki (Hibiku Yamamura)

We haven't left Japan, as indicated by another tune of Shakuhachi and Koto, preparing us for the next performer. It's a familiar tune that many have heard in "Naruto", "Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger", or other feudal Japan-themed series. And the title had already said it all. This is the biographical description of Azami, as Shin Hanagumi's resident ninja-in-training. But as soon as it entered the verse (as you could hear in the MV), the sensation changed pretty significantly. No longer a serious Shinobi song, it morphed into the franchise's usual playful little girl song. Yes, even though Azami is technically older than Iris Chateaubriand, Coquelicot or Rikaritta Aries! She mentioned her hobby on practicing the various ninja scrolls, and even her love to eat snacks like Manjuu during breaks. Yare yare... With just 3:28 minutes, this is the second shortest song after "Shin GEKITEI". Obviously, the tempo does play a role in that. Hibiku Yamamura is a Sakura Taisen fan, yet she had the shortest solo number in the album. Somewhat ironic, isn't it? Nonetheless, she did a fantastic job. In fact, her unique voice remains consistent throughout the album, and that's worthy to be praised. I liked the traditional Japanese feel in this, but it also had too many speaking lines for my taste. Still, I'll gladly take this bouncy and head-bopping fun tune over Sakura's anytime. PS: Both Yamamura and Ana's VA made guests appearances more than once during the monthly Teigeki Report, which apparently will still going next year (probably until the TV series airs?). So you can hear them sharing personal experiences and stories on those videos. It's insightful, that's for sure!

Kaereru Basho (A Place to Return to) by. Anastasia Palma (Ayaka Fukuhara)

Goodness! I've been itching to arrive to this song. A good song is one that tells a story. Just like the previous songs, this one does the same, but with a deeper meaning and values. Ana is most definitely the "sexy Onee-san" archetype of this game, complete with having a curvaceous figure (reminds me of Rangiku in "BLEACH", wait a sec...). But personality-wise, the Greek lady gave off this mysterious, unpredictable vibe. She's like a mix of mature Maria Tachibana, with a vibe of Glycine Bleumer and Soletta Orihime's European presence, but with a cloudy past of Hanabi Kitaouji, and the hidden sides of Reni Milchstrasse or Subaru Kujou. If I had to describe it in one word, she's puzzling. However, there's one trait that she's been constantly identified with: she's an actress. It thoroughly commanded the message of the lyrics. But I digress. Was the whole song really all about Ana's passion for acting? There seemed to be more than meet the eye. From what I gather, there's an underlying hint of a journey of sadness, past events or eras that had emerged and faded, beloved people that had come and gone. In short, she basically acted her way through the ups and downs of her life. A coping mechanism, perhaps? Laughing away loneliness, a facade of her true emotions. And what did she mean by "A Place to Return to"? Was it the stage, or acting, or just like many of previous Sakura Taisen's heroine: someone to go home to? Or someone who can finally discover and understand her real self? I need to either play the game or watch the TV series to confirm that. Now that I'm older (and wiser? Naaaah), this is my idea of a good song. It asks you to listen, pay attention, and also feel challenged to try to figure it out. This was the longest Shin Hanagumi and solo song of the album. You'll understand why it needed to be that long to be good. The moment that alluring piano intro kicked in, and the violin started to seep in, it's classy and elegant as hell. Ayaka Fukuhara stated that this was a challenge to sing, and indeed it is. It should be. Even though the vocal range wasn't as demanding as Elise's opera, the pitch work was exceptional! She gradually went from a lower tone to higher and higher. It sounded like the aura of the room changed every time another verse began (due to the modulation, as well as the flow of passion and emotions), seemingly depicting Ana's many masks. And those sharp notes? Oh my, oh my, OH MY!!! No wonder Subaru's VA, Mie Sonozaki (who is a prolific singer herself) congratulated Fukuhara on doing such a fine job. This is another highlight of the album for me and my favorite Shin Hanagumi character song by far. Now, where can I get the off-vocal version? Because I totally want to try singing this song... PS: Similar to Elise, voice-wise, Ana is one of my favorites due to her range and distinct pronunciation style. She can go mezzo-soprano and heavy, but also high and soprano. I strongly enjoyed that versatility is utilized wonderfully in this song.

Rondo (Round Dance) by. Clarissa Snowflake (Saori Hayami)

You're watching a European-based fairy tale romance. What happens at the end, when the one true love has been found and all evil that stands in the way has perished? They hold a gala, where everyone waltzes into a happily ever after... That is the core of this whole song, a composition that Kouhei-sensei described it as feeling "like a movie". As a character, Claris fancies herself reading books (nerd alert! Hahaha), and I think many of her scenes in the game takes place in the library. But she also writes stories and loves to fantasize about a paradise filled with mermaids and magical elements. Perhaps because she alone wields a magic book. And her dream is to dance with someone while surrounded by those things. Those are the essence of the simple but poetic lyrics. I admit, when I first heard it, I was taken aback by the decision to putting this track as the final Hanagumi song. But now it makes perfect sense. It easily serves as a calm and astonishingly perfect capper to a series of solo songs, a grand celebration to conclude a colorful parade. My knowledge of reed or woodwind instruments is poor, so I couldn't tell if it was an Ocarina or another type that played in the intro. I'm not sure if that's native to Luxembourg too. One thing for sure, the medieval melody would naturally pierce through your soul, until that graceful combo of Lute or acoustic guitar (again, sorry if I'm bad at names) and harp soothed you into a more familiar space. Then suddenly, the song changed tone halfway through and turned into full folk song mode. Yes, the Kouhei-sensei style I told you before. Someone on Youtube mentioned that this reminded him/her of Disney's "Tangled". Well, I can attest that the catchy interlude was very true to that notion. To think that this song arrived while "Frozen 2" is still playing. Such a great coincidence! Saori Hayami is a great singer, known for her gorgeous legato siren-like vocals. Just like Ana (oh hey, fellow non-Japanese Shin Hanagumi), I'm beyond happy that this song fully made use of her unique charm. Especially once it got into that royal ballroom dance chorus, reminiscent of Orihime's image song. It didn't take long for me to imagine Claris as the protagonist, dancing with her prince (or princess, if that's her thing. Right, Hallmark?) in a grand finale of her fictional story. Speaking of which, I'm still confused as to why Hayami's name is always placed at the end. Even though the promotions clearly showed that Claris is one of the first members of the team. Could it be that she's a "special cast member" type, like in Hollywood movies? That would make sense... Another highlight of the album, another personal favorite (that I've been humming and singing unconsciously on repeat), this clocked as the second-longest solo of the album. But just like the previous number, I doubt anyone would complain. You only need to close your eyes and just start swaying left to right, back, and front. Take your beloved person's hand, embrace him/her tightly, and just follow the musical flow. Dance the day or night away, with much joy and passion! PS: The official MV wrote the title as "RONDE". I still go with "RONDO" because pretty sure that's a typo, considering even the French (one of Luxembourg's official language) equivalent is "RONDEAU". Rondo itself is a musical form that refers to a theme that keeps coming back around. But in Japanese, the kanji can also be read as "RINBU" which means "Round Dance".

Next: the final part of the review, featuring voices old and new, and my overall impression...

Video is available on SEGA Official Youtube Channel. "Shin Sakura Taisen" is produced by SEGA, and RED Entertainment. Credits and copyrights belong to their respective owners.

#music #review #sakura wars #Sakura Taisen #shin sakura taisen #Shin Sakura Wars #project sakura wars #mind blown

[kacydeneen]

Interactive: See Political Ads Targeted to You on Facebook

Political ads on television are easy enough to spot: anyone who lives in a battleground state or watches TV in late October can recognize the attack ads and candidate promos that blanket the airwaves, always with a disclaimer.

Facebook ads have been much different: Ahead of the 2016 campaign, each user saw a tailored set of advertisements and political ads that often appeared as just another post in the newsfeed.

Facebook Finds Coordinated Effort to Influence US Politics

Facebook has changed its rules to make political ads more obvious. New data released by Facebook and collected by researchers at NYU shows that Americans are still seeing plenty of political ads there — at least 2.2 billion times since May.

Use the tool below to explore political ads that were targeted toward your state, gender and age group, sorted by the advertisers who reached the most people in the demographic you select.

Russian Bots, Trolls Test Waters Ahead of US Midterms

Some pages that Facebook announced this week had been banned for taking part in "coordinated inauthentic behavior" ahead of the midterm elections did not appear in the Political Ad Archive database.

Still, the database shows both the size and the continued murky nature of political advertising on Facebook, even after Facebook started requiring that ads disclose their source of funding.

Facebook Stock Down Billions on Slower Revenue Growth Report

While some ads clearly support political campaigns, others promote a cause and some sell politically charged merchandise — clothing brand American AF has the second-most impressions of all advertisers on the platform. And some of the biggest political groups in the country, like Democratic super PACs Priorities USA Action and Senate Majority PAC, run ads through "community" pages that don't appear political on their surface.

"Advertising is a deliberate and strategic behavior seeking to influence voters, and voters have a right to know who is influencing them," said Young Mie Kim, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has studied political advertising on Facebook. "In the 21st century digital media environment, it's incredibly difficult for voters to understand who is targeting them."

The new data comes from Facebook's Political Ad Archive tool, a transparency initiative the social media giant began after receiving bipartisan criticism over the spread of misinformation on its platform in 2016. The tool is one of several the company created to better regulate its own platform — social media is largely unregulated in the U.S., though lawmakers are considering ways to step in.

The database indicates that political advertisers spent between $21 million and $108 million between May 1 and July 18, receiving between 2.2 billion and 5.9 billion impressions in the time period. (Facebook does not provide precise numbers, instead offering a range for each figure to protect advertisers’ confidential information.)

Trump’s Make America Great Again Committee was the top overall spender in the period, spending between $344,000 and $2.3 million. Also included in the top 10 are advocacy groups like Planned Parenthood, companies like ExxonMobil and politicians like Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Texas, who is running to replace Republican Ted Cruz in the U.S. Senate, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN'S INNOVATION Trump's 2016 presidential campaign was one of the first political campaigns to use Facebook advertising on such a large scale, spending tens of millions of dollars on narrowly targeted ads. Sometimes each ad would have thousands of variants, with subtle tweaks in color or wording to test what would perform best.

After the election, Facebook executives internally praised the Trump campaign as an "innovator" in advertising on the platform, according to BuzzFeed News.

But this year, Trump-affiliated firm Cambridge Analytica was revealed to have obtained personal data of 87 million Facebook users through a personality quiz taken by only a few hundred thousand people. Authorities are investigating whether Cambridge Analytica used that data to influence the campaign.

Amid the fallout, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was called before Congress to testify about how his platform was used in 2016 and to explain what it would do to ensure foreign actors couldn't influence future elections. Facebook was also hit with fines in the United Kingdom and could face more in the U.S. for allowing Cambridge Analytica to collect data without users permission, while the data firm eventually filed for bankruptcy amid investigators' scrutiny.

Cambridge Analytica wasn’t the only group to be accused of using Facebook unethically during the election.

In late 2017, the House Intelligence Committee revealed that Russian intelligence services had purchased thousands of Facebook ads in support of the Trump campaign, many of which promoted false news stories or aimed to suppress voter turnout among people who were likely to support Hillary Clinton. Russians created Facebook groups with names like "Secured Borders," "Blacktivist" and "Heart of Texas," according to an indictment filed in February by special counsel Robert Mueller.

And on July 31, the company announced that it had already discovered suspicious activity from bad actors who were running pages to try to influence voters ahead of the 2018 elections. Thirty-two pages and accounts with tens of thousands of likes were taken down. They had names like "Black Elevation," "Mindful Being," and "Resisters" and shared a variety of content to make their pages harder to identify than in 2016.

Nevertheless, the Trump campaign's Facebook strategy was effective, so other campaigns are now trying to learn from it. A New York Times report on an earlier version of the NYU dataset cited political consultants who said Republicans generally spent more on digital ads than Democrats did, but noted that trend may be changing — some prominent Democrats appear high in the lists of top spenders.

Boston University professor Tobe Berkovitz, a former political advertising consultant, told NBC that the Trump campaign's micro-targeting strategy has become an important tool for campaigns because traditional, unifying messages aren't as effective on social media.

"Very few people are persuaded by social media because it all comes from a highly partisan position," he said in an email. "It's better to reinforce existing attitudes or target people with weakly held positions and political affiliations."

IDENTIFYING ADS This spring, Facebook announced a number of new policies, among them creating the Political Ad Archive, to protect the platform from misuse of data, misinformation and foreign interference.

In a blog post explaining some of the new rules, Facebook said it would apply extra scrutiny and disclosure rules for ads that have "the goal of either influencing public debate, promoting a ballot measure or electing a candidate." The policies aim to prevent malicious activity from interfering in the 2018 midterm elections.

This brings the platform more in line with rules for broadcast political ads, which require that advertisements state the candidate or group that paid for them. Yet there are no legal regulations on political advertising on the internet, which means it's up to companies to make rules it as they see fit.

Many of the advertisers whose activity Facebook has flagged as political are similar: generic-looking news or community pages that share local stories, memes and short viral videos.

But one top advertiser in many locations is shirt vendor American AF, which offers apparel with phrases like "Kill a commie for mommy," "Guns don't kill people, I kill people" and "Shut up Hillary."

Its products are broadly supportive of Trump — shirts shows him riding a T-Rex or pumping iron — while all 15 products on the website that appeared in a recent search for "Hillary Clinton" were critical of her, including one that alludes to a vulgar word for women.

The brand has a large national presence on Facebook with more than 1 million likes and appears in the database as a top advertiser for men in age groups from 18 to 44 for most states across the country.

In an email, brand founder Shawn Wylde told NBC his page spent approximately $900,000 in Facebook ads since May. He said the ads do "remarkably well," although he disputes why they should be included in the political ads database.

"We don't feel the majority of our patriotic products are political in nature," Wylde said in an email. "American AF is a humor page where we make fun of both parties; however, since we find President Trump so funny, we currently offer more products based on him."

Yet, American AF has had run-ins with Facebook's ad moderators, Wylde said: "We have had ad representatives revoked, patriotic ads and posts removed, profile accounts banned and were denied the blue checkmark verification badge. I think the page gets punished because some Facebook employees think it’s conservative."

Devon Kearns, a Facebook spokesman, said the company regularly bans fake accounts but will allow anyone who goes through their verification process to post political ads. Facebook then evaluates each ad on a case-by-case basis, taking down ones that violate the rules — including an ad from American AF that contained a slur against Native Americans, which was removed when NBC brought the page to Facebook’s attention.

Many of these rules are recent, and Facebook is still working to balance free speech and regulations for ads on its platform. Berkovitz, the former political advertising consultant now with Boston University, explained that political advertising on the internet was once a free-for-all and the rules are still evolving today.

"There were basically no rules until Cambridge Analytica," he said. "Now there's an effort to create guidelines and procedures. ... I think increased transparency on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube is a trend that will continue."

The election advertising researchers who spoke to NBC for this article said Facebook's disclosure requirements aren't stringent enough. Facebook requires that groups put their legal name in the "paid for" statement, which is sometimes vague: the database includes sponsors like "One Nation" and "American Action Network" which don’t provide much more context for the average viewer.

"Now we have one more layer of information," said Kim, who said the change is a step in the right direction, but she would prefer more. "We really need to look beyond not just the face of the ad but the pages and the sponsors – and the payer who could even be different."

WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM It isn't always clear from looking at a page that it is being used for political purposes. That's the case for "Hoosier Country," a top advertiser in Indiana that calls itself "a community for anyone who wants to show their Hoosier pride" and has run attacks against Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Braun.

The page appears at the top of the list of advertisers for most demographics in Indiana, and it spent between $78,000 and $384,000 in the state, according to the Facebook data. All of those ads are funded by the Democratic super PACs Priorities USA Action and Senate Majority PAC, a fact that Facebook now points out on the advertisements.

Buying this kind of ad is an extension of the common political practice of creating small targeted websites to share information with voters, explained Priorities USA Action spokesman Josh Sherwin.

"These are locally focused pages for sharing articles and information from reputable news outlets," he said in an email, adding that the pages are "clearly labeled" as political sites. Yet as of Aug. 1, the page's "about" section did not mention its political aim or backers.

Before May 24, when the political advertising rules went into effect, it would have been much harder to know these ads were funded by two of the largest super PACs in the country. And researchers say there are thousands of smaller "dark money" groups across the country who quietly spend on advertising campaigns.

Kim and her team of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers looked at political ads on Facebook in 2016 and found that it was usually difficult to determine who was behind them.

"More than half the groups we examined were unidentifiable," she said, noting that if academic researchers had trouble identifying advertisers, voters would have an even harder time.

Her team found that in the six weeks before Election Day in 2016, some voters saw about 35 ads a day. "It's unfair and unreasonable to expect voters to figure out who are behind them," she said.

Facebook now says it's planning ahead and doing all it can to limit the misuse of political advertising on the platform for the upcoming midterm elections in November. In an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher this month, Zuckerberg admitted that the company was unprepared in 2016.

"This was a new thing," he said. "I think we understand that we were slow to it and need to do a better job ... defending against nation-states, which is not really a top-line thing that was a major focus before."

Now that Facebook has close to double the number of users as the population of China, this is the new reality the company will have to face. In the interview, Zuckerberg reiterated his commitment to doing better.

"A lot of people are using [Facebook] for a lot of good," he said, "but we also have a responsibility to mitigate the darker things that people are gonna try to do."

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. Interactive: See Political Ads Targeted to You on Facebook published first on Miami News

[madeedam]

The Hard Fact of Unemployed Era

I am 23 and now I am one of the richest man alive. Because I am unemployed. 

Say what? 

People agree that time is the most expensive thing in the world. Since I am unemployed (approximately from February 2017), I got all the time. I do enjoy this phase because I can learn anything, anywhere and expand myself even to the outside of my undergraduate major. 

I still manage to wake up in the morning and do my morning habits. After that, I surf the internet, I meet some people and discuss about things, design something, take some photograph and ask a lot of question to my father about how the business world will be. 

But still my family seem pretty worried about my and my daily activities. My mom has the most nervous. She always ask me about the progress of my job seeking (which I am pretty picky to choose which company and position that I am going to apply). She even makes me do things with low efficient in time consumption.

Like tonight, I got an issues with her. Let’s say we got some bill to pay but the bank account is different from our saving account. It will charge about 10.000 rupiah if we do a transaction to different bank account. Based on that, my mom told me to pay the bill via one of retail shop (Ind*mar*t or al*amar*). 

This is not the first time that I help her to pay the bill. I know that Ind*mar*t  is capable to do the transaction but I have no idea about the other retail. The problem is, she also ask me to transfer some money to my brother bank account. And ind*mar*t didn’t has the atm machine. She convinced me to go to other retail with assumption that the retail also could do the bill payment. 

Reality kicks. I go to the retail but they couldn’t facilitate the transaction, of course after a long queue. So I just transfer the money to my brother account and drive to ind*mar*t to pay the bill. Again, after a long queue, finally the transaction done. I drove home and see the clock. I spent 50 minutes for this sh*t.

I came home with bad vibes. I told my mom, for the next transaction what if we just use e-banking. My mom still argue that it will charge more money. With hot head I said that I will cover the charge since I lost my 50 minutes for this. Is it really worth it? Not to mention that I should pay 4000 for motorcycle parking in two retail. Compare to e-banking that will only cost less than 5 minutes.

Damn. 

In 50 minutes I could do :

1. Serve 10 instant mie or,

2. Read at least 6 articles on web or,

3. Watch 2 TEDx videos or,

4. Edit 10 photos or,

5. Do 4 set of push up and sit up or,

6. Write a tumblr post (but it only cost 30 minutes)

Instead of do the zero efficient transaction and of course ruin my mood. Maybe my mom still thought that you are rich of time, maybe you could lend me some yours. But man, is it really worth it to sacrifice 50 minutes of my life to a single transaction? Even when I had the most of my time, it still feels not right. 

The good thing is, I feel that I should appreciate time more wisely. Thanks mom for the lesson. 

[teachercast]

Microsoft Education Keynote

On May 2, 2017, I had the privledge of being invited to attend the #LEARNWHATSNEXT keynote produced by Microsoft. The first of it's kind during Microsoft Satya Nadella's tenure as CEO, the keynote revolved around education and what Microsoft thinks the classroom of the future should look like.

More than 20 educators from across the world representing Pre-K through University studies were invited to attend and meet with representatives from the Education team to share their thoughts about how this new direction for Microsoft can be implemented in their classrooms.

Establishing a Laser Focused Philosophy for the Future

The keynote started off with Nadella telling the story of how his grandfather started his journey into education and helped his father become an educated man.  It was a powerful story. "Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is now".  "Todays event is about education and technology . . . more importantly it is about empowering the students today to create the world of tomorrow."

Throughout the opening remarks Nadella kept referring to Microsoft's top priorities on education.  The concept of teachers spending less time focusing on technology and more time doing what they love, is a powerful example of the new direction that Microsoft and it's products will be headed in the future.

One key to Nadella's speech was the focus on making sure that all learners are brought into the conversation.  A Focus on students with Dyslexia and students who struggle in reading and writing is clearly at the heart of Microsoft future.

It was very clear after spending 2 amazing days with the team from Microsoft Education that this wasn't just a product launch, rather it was a philosophy launch.  The motto of Nadella and the entire Microsoft team is clear now more than ever.

Windows 10 S

This summer, a new education focused operating will be launched called Windows 10 S.  What does the S stand for?  Some say Safety, Security, Simplicity, or perhaps Streamlined.  As it was described at the keynote the S was added because it adds a little bit of Soul to the Windows experience.

Windows 10 S essentially puts a safe and secure shell on an already powerful and robust Windows 10 environment.  This means students will experience better battery, better browsing, and a much faster experience logging into their devices.  By default Windows 10 S actives the powerful Edge web browser that has also received some notable upgrades such as a Tab Preview Bar and the ability for users to use inking technologies to write and annotate directly on websites and videos.

Learn more about the new Windows 10 S Here

New Devices For All Ages

New Laptops Starting at $189

There were two big announcements about hardware.  The first was the addition of several inexpensive student focused laptops starting at just $189.  All of these PC's feature Windows 10 S and a dynamic touch screen experience.

To bring these devices to market, Microsoft teamed up with Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Samsung, and Toshiba.

Surface Laptop

In addition to the slate of inexpensive touch screen devices, Microsoft closed the keynote with a brand new device called the Surface Laptop.  Starting at only $999, the Surface Laptop completes and compliments a very successful line of Windows 10 devices that include the Surface Pro, Surface Book, and Surface Studio.  The Surface Laptop provides 14 hours of battery on it's 7th generation Intel Core Processor and comes in 4 beautiful colors (Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, and Graphite Gold).

I was able to spend some quality time with these computers and in addition to being very lightweight, they were very comfortable to the touch.  The trackpad was very responsive and didn't get in the way of the typing the way the new MacBook Pro trackpads sometimes do.

One extremely innovative feature of note was in the way that the speakers are now resting under the keyboard with the sound actually coming up through the keys.  This feature provides a very intimate experience that was very noticeable even in a room with hundreds of educators and reporters making noise all around me.  This was a very impressive feature for such a beautiful device.

A Commitment to The Future

Hardware and a new operating aside, this weeks keynote event truly pushed Microsofts commitment to education in the front of every teacher, student and parent on the planet. Their commitment to making learning easily accessible anywhere and anytime is at the heart of their online strategy at Education.Microsoft.com and starting May 6 is accessible at every Microsoft Store in the country.  This month, Microsoft is launching STEM Saturdays in their retail spaces.  Teachers, Students, and Parents are all welcome to attend free Hacking Stem activities for free and learn how to build sensors, robots, and become mechanical and electrical engineers all through the power of Windows 10, Surface devices and Office 365.  This is certainly an experience you want to attend with your young learner.

For more information, please visit the Microsoft Hacking Stem website.

Final Thoughts and Reflections

I want to end this post with a little bit of reflection on not only the experience I had this week, but on some thoughts I have been having about this revitalization from Microsoft.

Growing up, I can remember my dad bringing home our first Windows 3.11 computer. It was big and bulky but I loved every minute of it.  In time, we graduated to Windows 95, 98, ME, and yes, Vista. I remember taking over that computer and stripping the parts out of it and rebuilding it over and over with new sound cards, graphic cards, and multiple hard drives.  It was a Windows computer where I first learned about design, coding, and publishing.

Am I a Mac Fan Boy? Yes | Am I a Google Fan Boy? Yes

That being said . . . I am a very excited and proud Microsoft Innovative Education Expert that just had the privilege of watching my friends and family at Microsoft Education completely re-innovate the way that teachers are able to create and provide memorable experiences to their students.  From hardware, to software, to hands on experiences, the future is big and bright for students worldwide thanks to the hard work and dedication of the entire Microsoft Education team, the thousands of Microsoft Innovative Educators worldwide, and students of all levels and ages.

As the father of 3 year triplets, all who qualify for special needs services, the devices being developed today from each of the three major technology companies are directly having an impact on their lives and for that there are no other words that can be expressed beyond . . . THANK YOU.

If you are an educator looking to learn more about the MIE program, please visit education.microsoft.com and apply for the program before the July 15 due date.

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