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caws5749 · 4 years

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Wisdom and Empathy, Ch. 1

A collaboration with @carol-thirteen

A/N: Mils and I have created an OC, named Athena Riley, who, as you’ll see, has some very special powers. She’s caring, protective, and a little nervous of what’s to come. Starting a new job, let alone a job as an Avenger, is always nerve-wracking, but maybe there’s a side bonus. A new family, friends, and maybe even a bit of romance with a certain red-headed assassin? Guess Athena will have to wait and see.

For most of her life, Athena had wondered what happened during her childhood. Most people remembered something, she had practically nothing. Some parts would come back to her, flicker in unexpectedly when she was minding her own business. One thing she did remember though was the first time she discovered her power. She hadn’t classified it as such at first. Athena considered it a mere accident, or childish imagination. It was anything but.

Athena remembered the soft breeze in her brown hair, short then, just above the shoulders. The ground beneath her was soft, but she could never be sure of it’s true substance. A small grey rabbit came into view, it hopped across the undetermined surface. Intrigued by it’s movements, the twitch of the ears, the young girl crawled on her hands and knees towards it, slowly as to not startle the creature.

As she got nearer, she caught sight of the end of the rabbit’s ear, slightly wounded and a small portion clearly missing. Her head tilted inquisitively as she continued to study the creature before her. Her small hands reached for the side of the animal, her fingertips tickling it’s fur. After she felt sturdy and confident enough to pet the rabbit, her fingers applied more pressure onto it’s back. A twinge began to form on her own ear. She pulled her hand back and immediately brought it to her now pained one. She brought her hand into view, staring at the small amount of blood that had stained her finger tip.

The bunny, in her peripheral vision, had bounced away, lively and without a care in the world. Leaving a bewildered and confused child. Athena covered her ear afterwards, without giving it a second thought.

Athena stared at herself in the mirror, something she hadn’t done in a while. Her hair was longer now, dyed blonde at the end. She ensured her hair covered her ears and proceeded to straighten her shirt at the hem with her glove covered hands. A new pair, she treated herself. The old leather ones were getting worn out and she was worried that that might have an effect on their effectiveness.

Her laptop beeped, notifying her of the completion of downloaded software. She let out a sigh before the mirror and turned her attention back to the self-given mission at hand.

Since that day as a child, Athena slowly began to realize the nature of her abilities. Though she had vowed to be as cautious as possible, the gloves that she wore provided her with a layer of protection, worried that she perhaps could pass on injuries she gained to other people. It also gave her comfort. But more recently, she came to the conclusion that maybe she could be using these powers for good.

She’d memorized his routes, his routine, his whereabouts at every second of the day. Athena knew exactly how to get a chance with Nick Fury, and she was going to get it. She watched from her spot at the little outdoor cafe table as Fury walked by, heading away from SHIELD headquarters and down the street to the secure location where the car was always parked.

The moment Fury turned the corner, far enough away from the headquarters but not close enough to beat her to the car, Athena stood, quickly following after him.

“Not many people can track me down like this,” he said aloud once Athena was within hearing range. Was that the tone of someone who was impressed?

“I’m not like other people,” Athena answered, her courage lessening slightly. But, she stood her ground as Nick Fury turned to look at her. It was silent for a moment while he studied her. If he was being honest, Fury was slightly impressed. There was something about Athena that reminded him of Romanoff.

“And why’s that?”

“I’m.. I’m dangerous, a threat. I have powers but I can maybe also use them to do good,” Athena admitted.

“Come with me,” was all Fury said. He walked right past Athena, not even bothering to see if she would follow. Athena followed him without hesitation, knowing he was taking her seriously and taking her to SHIELD. This is what she wanted.

As soon as they reached Fury’s office, he immediately had a proposal for Athena.

“I want you to work with the Avengers. I want you to be an Avenger.”

Athena didn’t quite know what to say. The Avengers were heroes and, well, Athena didn’t see herself as that. She also wasn’t expecting him to invite her to work for SHIELD, let alone the Avengers. She’d gone in hoping to help some people, not become a hero.

But also, that’s what heroes did. They helped people, and Athena wanted to do that. But there was one small problem.

“I’m dangerous, I don’t have full control over my powers. I sometimes lose control of them,” Athena explained, cupping her gloved hands together. Fury held up his hand, indicating that she stop.

“You will learn to control them, and use them for good. The team can help you do that. In fact, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

That got Athena’s attention. She hadn’t really thought about what would happen if Fury did hear her out. This was moving quickly, and she couldn’t decide how she felt about that.

“Stark is just downstairs, I’ll get him up here,” Fury said, grabbing the phone on his desk and hitting a few buttons. Athena waited quietly for a few minutes, until there was a knock on the door. She turned to see Tony Stark strutting into the room, a look of curiosity about him.

“Fury,” Tony greeted with a slight nod of his head. Nick nodded.

“This,” Fury began, “is Athena. Meet the newest Avenger.”

Tony allowed a small, cordial smile to appear on his lips, and waited for more information.

“Athena, would you like to tell Mr. Stark about your abilities?”

“I uh-“ Athena stuttered, but composed herself a beat later. “I absorb injuries. Take them away from people and they appear on me.”

“That’s interesting, do you-“

But she wasn’t finished. “I can also pass them onto others with...contact.” Athena lifted her hands into view. “Hence the gloves.” She added with little volume; with shame.

Tony stared at Athena for a moment.

“Huh,” he tilted his head. “That’s a new one.”

“She needs a testing area and a suit, think you can-“

“Oh I have plenty of ideas.” He replied, his eyes flicking to Athena next. “Can I show you around?”

Athena gave him a simple nod, he lifted his hand, gesturing towards the door and she stood up. He pushed the door open and let her walk through first.

Athena was listening at first, but somewhere along the tour she stopped. It was unreal. She was starting to regret ever having contacting Fury. She’d gotten herself into this situation, what if she wanted to get out? She doubted that they would ever just let her go. She didn’t know what she was doing.

“And here’s the lab, my lab. One of many I might add.” Tony pulled forward a stool on wheels and pointed towards it. Athena took the prompt and sat down. He pulled another up in front of her. “So, we’ve got to design a suit for you. I see you’ve already got the gloves, but I’m sure I can modify them, make them a little bit-” Tony reached out his hand to grab Athena’s, curious as to the material comprising her gloves. She flinched as he touched her, and Tony removed his hand.

“Sorry,” he apologized. Athena shook her head.

“It’s fine, sorry, I’m just not used to being touched,” she admitted. Tony nodded, studying her for a moment.

She had almost forgotten what it was like to be touched. It came to the forefront of her mind suddenly, without warning. An uninvited thought that had to play out.

After the incident with the rabbit, Athena was as equally intrigued as she was terrified. She managed to hide her first accidentally obtained injury and was able to avoid a lot of conflict until she was 17. It was her first week at her new job, everything was going perfectly. She had, over the past few years, been able to somewhat control her abilities, which she was grateful for. For the first time in years, Athena felt relatively normal. But it didn’t last long.

“That’ll be $14.50 please,” she gave the customer a polite smile and he lifted his card. She gave a quick nod before pressing a button on the keyboard. “Go ahead.”

She had been distracted, commotion outside in the parking lot, she frowned. The receipt curled out of the dispenser and without taking her eyes off of the scene outside, she handed it to him. “Have a nice day.” She mumbled.

“Do you know what’s-“ Athena was stopped abruptly when glass shattered in front of her. Her instincts kicked in and her arm lifted up to her face. The side window now had almost completely collapsed, fragments grazing her arm and cheek. She ducked down and turned towards her supervisor, the woman she was just trying to speak to. Athena crawled towards her, her breathing uneven. Her hand reached forward and took hold of the woman’s arm. A large piece of glass had found its way into her arm.

Athena noticed something. Almost immediately. It was the feeling she had gotten so many times before but this time it was different. She looked at the woman’s face and it was one of pure shock. Athena felt the stinging on her face and arm wear off as the injuries appeared on the face in front of her.

Athena pulled back her hand quickly, blinking as she flipped her arm back and forth, seeing the untouched skin.

“I-“ Athena’s thumbs gently rubbed against her own fingertips. “I’m so sorry.” She breathed. She swallowed thickly, her frown deepening.

“Your face…” The woman croaked. “It’s healed.” Athena’s attention was back to her.

“Not exactly.” She whispered, a shudder in her voice.

Athena knew what had happened, she felt it. She felt the power through her fingertips as the injuries were exchanged. She started to feel herself zone out. She had been interested in how her powers worked before, but now...now she was just scared. She wondered just how much she could take from others and just how much she could pass on, but she vowed to never let herself find out.

She found herself delving deep into her thoughts and fears quickly. She slowly stood up, still staring at her hands. “I’m so sorry.” She whispered again before she stepped over the glass on the floor and ignored the chaos around her. The sirens, the people talking, helping. She was so worried that she would hurt someone, she had already. Athena let her feet carry her away from the scene, into the streets. She was dodging people as she continued forward. Her clothing shimmering as the glowing from the streetlights reflected off the shards of glass still on her. The flickering drew her away from her hands and she started to brush her hands down her torso. The glass scratched at her skin and she pulled her hands away.

Athena heard a woman’s voice ask if she was alright. A hand went for her forearm and Athena stepped backwards and she felt it again. The scratches that she had just gained on her palms were disappearing. The woman pulled back her hand and looked at it.

“What on-“ She hissed at the stinging and looked at her hand. She stepped away, her eyes wide with her eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m sorry,” Athena whispered.

“What are you?” The woman hurried away quickly and Athena was left frozen.

“May I see one of your gloves?” Tony asked, bringing her back to reality. Athena debated for a moment. She didn’t normally ever take them off unless she was alone, but as long as Tony didn’t touch her skin, everything would be fine. She nodded, carefully pulling the glove off of her hand and setting it down on the lab bench next to her. Tony picked it up, noting how Athena had returned her hand to her side at lightning speed.

“What do you think?” Athena asked.

“Oh, I can definitely get you an upgrade on these. And as for your suit, I’m guessing you haven’t thought much about it, so mind if I play around with some ideas and once I’ve got some prototypes, you can pick whichever one you like?”

“Sounds good,” Athena automatically replied.

“Great, well, I think that’s all I needed to talk to you about,” Tony said as he clapped his hands together. “I think Fury wants to talk to you about moving and all those details, so you should head back to his office.”

Athena stood numbly, not even sure if she was experiencing real life anymore. Did he say moving? It made sense, the Avengers didn’t train in D.C, but the idea still seemed so.. Crazy. She made her way towards Fury’s office, unaware to nearly anything around her, including the stares from agents around her.

Athena timidly knocked on the open door of his office once she’d reached it, and Fury called her in rather enthusiastically.

“Let’s talk about getting you on a jet to New York, and soon. Obviously we’ll take care of all the moving, getting your things to New York. You think you can get everything packed and ready in three days?”

Three days seemed too soon, but Athena nodded her head anyway. She was sure she could get it done, she just wasn’t sure if she should. Things were moving awfully fast, and what if the Avengers realized they didn’t actually want her on the team? What if she wasn’t good enough for the team? Athena swallowed her thoughts and finished up her conversation with Fury, before heading home and beginning to pack.

+++++

Three days went by faster than Athena had thought they would, and she found herself currently on a jet, with only two suitcases. The rest of her things would be arriving in a few days as they were being driven by movers.

She sat on the comfortable seat with her knees pulled up to her chest, rocking back and forth slightly in an attempt to calm her nerves. Over the past three days, she’d gotten more used to the idea that she would train with the Avengers, and potentially be one. While her nerves had decreased slightly on that front, other fears had risen to the surface.

She��d never lived with others before, let alone with a superhero team in a huge compound. What would the others be like? Would they accept her? She was practically starting her life over, and taking that leap was risky. Athena didn’t know how things would turn out in the end, or if it would all be worth it.

She guessed she’d find out.

++++++

The jet landed sooner than she’d anticipated, and Athena grabbed her few bags and prepared for what awaited her. As soon as the ramp lowered, she was met by none other than Captain America himself.

“How was the flight?” He asked as he reached out his arm to help her with her bags.

“It was fine,” Athena answered.

“I’m Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers. I’d shake your hand, but we’ve both got our hands full.”

Athena let out a light laugh. She liked him already.

“I’m Athena Riley.”

“We’re all excited to have you here,” he shared. Athena couldn’t help but feel slightly happy and hopeful at his words.

“I’m excited to be here.”

“Once we put your things down, I’d be happy to show you around, introduce you to some of the others,” Steve offered as the two of them made their way towards the front doors of the compound.

“Sure, that’d be great,” Athena replied, eyeing the large building with slight nervousness. Steve saw her expression, and chuckled.

“I know it can be a lot.”

“It’s bigger than I thought it would be,” she admitted.

“What did you think it would look like?” Steve asked curiously. Athena just laughed and shook her head.

“Not like this.”

#wisdom and empathy #mils tag #mine #natasha romanoff x oc #natasha romanoff x femoc #natasha romanoff x original character #avengers x oc #avengers x original character #natasha x oc #collaborations #fanfiction #oc fanfiction #oc #avengers #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff imagine #black widow #natasha romanov

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tisfan · 4 years

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So Many Beds

Title So Many Beds Collaborator(s) @tisfan Link https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480112 Square Filled B4: Bucky/Clint Ship/Main Pairing Bucky/Clint Rating - teen Major Tags/Triggers/Warnings - none Summary Bucky and Clint need a new bed Word Count 1264 For @buckybarnesbingo

Bucky could have sworn that he didn’t look at his phone for more than about four minutes; he got a beep for an email, and he was hoping to hear back about a contract job soon. It might be nice to have a job that wasn’t shooting at people, but hey, he’d only been out of the Army for less than a year, what did he know? He knew he still didn’t have steady work. He’d had a couple of contracts for doing heavy lifting and other stupid stuff like that, but not a real job, or a real paycheck.

What he did know was that, after half a year of being home and stepping cautiously around a super cute roomie who he wasn’t quite positive wasn’t hitting on him -- and he’d talked it out about sixty million times with his friends before finally taking a chance.

Six months in, Clint finally said, “Look, this is great and all, believe me, I love snuggling, but man, it’s gonna get hot soon, and sleeping two in a twin is just not going to cut it.”

Bucky had a small amount of savings; there really hadn’t been anything to spend money on aside from hookers and booze, while he was deployed, and no, really, not either of those either, because guess what, the middle east wasn’t big on actual relaxing. So, he had savings.

Which did not really mean he wanted to spend three hundred dollars or so on half a bed, and a boxspring, because he didn’t do that shit of sleeping on the floor. Plus sheets and pillows and all that stuff.

On the other hand, moving into the same bedroom with Clint would mean that they had a spare room in their apartment that they could use as an office.

Maybe he could get some work doing computer software. From home.

Bucky blinked at the email. “Your breakdown backup.” The fuck even was that?

Spam, as it turned out. It didn’t seem to matter how careful he was, or how thoroughly he triaged his inbox, some amount of “let me sell you shit you don’t need and can’t afford” seemed to slip through.

All in all, though, he was looking at his phone for less than ten minutes. Probably.

And when he looked up, Clint was gone.

Like, not just not beside him, but gone.

He’d either kept going -- not noticing Bucky’s signal to stop a minute -- or he’d gone back.

But in either case, Bucky was now standing alone in the middle of one of those furniture outlet stores that was the size of an airplane hanger, filled with discount sofas and tables, as well as beds, televisions, and electronics.

And the worst part was, in order to give people the idea of space, the floorplan was made up of about half a hundred or so “room sized” display areas that weren’t evenly spaced.

Which meant sight lines were nothing but a wish and a dream.

Bucky couldn’t see more than fifty feet in any direction.

Bucky wanted it known, period, that he wasn’t scared. That wasn’t even on the list. He was just annoyed. He was in a big ass furniture store. In New Jersey. Alone.

Because his parter-slash-boyfriend had vanished while Bucky looked like an email.

Annoyed.

Bucky called his name a few times, but Clint was partly deaf, and while he wore hearing aids, they didn’t always help. Especially not in a high noise clutter environment like this. He might even have taken the ‘aids out, if things were bothering him. Bucky usually signed when he talked anyway, just to be polite.

Deciding that Clint probably wouldn’t have gone on ahead, Bucky decided to backtrack through the last few showrooms.

No Clint.

He checked the room with the bare mattresses, piles and piles of them, for laying down on and testing -- Clint had laid down on about forty of them, and Bucky only two.

He couldn’t seem to relax enough to test a mattress -- with his boyfriend -- where people might see them. Call him a self-hating, still in the closet gay man. Which was kinda true, but also because laying down made him vulnerable, and he was still jittery from being in the Army where laying down sometimes meant people shot at you.

Some things took a long time to unlearn.

No Clint in the mattress room.

Bucky backtracked even further, thinking of the rows of sofas that Clint had tried, excited as hell about things like heated seats and consoles where you could store your remotes and cup holders and fancy gizmos.

“Can I help you find something, sir?”

“I’m lookin’ for my roommate,” Bucky said, scowling.

“Well, I can have him paged,” she suggested. “Since he’s probably not in the clearance section.”

“Yeah, we can try that,” Bucky said. Although it was entirely likely that Clint was in the clearance section. He could be a real cheapskate that way, and maybe he was looking for a good deal there.

Bucky texted him like six times while the store intercom system went off. Nothing.

Bucky wasn't worried.

Yet.

"Do you have a first aid station?"

"Uh," the salesclerk said. "Technically, yes, because safety and liability, but there's never anyone there."

"Just point me, I'll check on it," he said. Clint was often sporting any number of bandaids and wrist compression grips from hurting himself.

It did take him a while to find the first aid station. But Clint wasn't there either.

Bucky even checked the kitchen area, since Clint had once fallen asleep on the table in Steve apartment and called it the best night of sleep he'd ever had.

Finally, sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, face buried in his hands, Bucky remembered a conversation they'd had, about Clint's brother Barney.

"He always got the top bunk," Clint had complained. And you know I like high places."

“Miss,” he said. She didn’t look happy that he’d come back again, still sans companion. "Do you have any kid's beds? Like for two kids sharin' a room?"

The salesclerk looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, but that was okay. He was pretty sure she’d decided that he was imagining a roommate entirely. That said, she didn’t follow him this time, when she pointed the direction. Let the crazy guy be someone else’s problem.

The kids’ rooms were cute, the walls were shorter, and everything was colorful. Bright blue and red, purple or pink. Giant numbers, letters, and animals painted on it. Adult furniture was boring. Brown, light brown, reddish brown, chrome, white, or black.

It was no wonder people had kids; kept you from drowning in how boring being an adult could be.

And there was Clint, tucked up on one of the top bunks.

Sound asleep.

“Wake up, beautiful,” Bucky said, leaning over Clint, his mouth practically buzzing Clint’s hair. He ended it with sticking his tongue in Clint’s ear, which got him swatted and nearly knocked off the ladder, but it was worth it.

Absolutely.

“Yuck,” Clint said, finger in his ear, wiggling it around. “No call for that.”

“Sure there was,” Bucky said. “Let’s go, Sleeping Beauty.”

Clint yawned. “Yeah, we’re all done here?”

“I’ve been walkin’ around here for nearly an hour looking for you. I’m done.”

They were most of the way back to their apartment when Clint groaned. “Aw, bed, no.”

“Huh?”

“We didn’t-- we were there for hours, and we didn’t pick one!”

“Guess I’m squashin’ you in the twin again tonight,” Bucky said.

“There are worse fates.”

#buckybarnesbingo2020 #WinterHawk #so many beds trope

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tillyvis-com · 4 years

Video

EVALUATION: Final Title Sequence

What informed/motivated my design decisions?

I looked at a lot of exisitng movie title sequences in order to use for inspiration but my main source of reference was, ‘With Love From Russia’. It used a projector to cast typography over body parts - the movements of the limbs created unique distortions of the text/name credits. I really liked this idea as I really wanted to film over animating this project but had a lot of restrictions if I filmed due to the lockdown. But when I found this, it gave me reason to film and also, fit really well with my idea of wanting to make it feel like you were in/following the labyrinth with the type moving/acting as the thread in the plot. I also was influenced by ‘Se7en’s title sequence, the way it cut between the name credits made for a almost glitch-like effect, then flicking back to the original position - this made you feel rather unnerved, even though you really had no reason to be. I ended up using a similar technique in my title sequence - I zoomed in on a really clean and focused still of the names/title at one point in the moment - allowing the audience to be able to fully read I the credit as well as making them jolt a little and add to the atmosphere.

What changes/developments has my project gone through?

As this was a rather short project, I feel like I didn't really have time to have big changes - I thought about doing animation as the limitation of lockdown, but, I found a possible filming way (projector) in time before I really started to think about animating it. I also almost did the Chinese Creation Story, but again, I ended up realising while researching into the two stories which one I was more interested in/had a more developed idea! So, overall, I went through a lot of mini phases/changes - times when I had the wrong typeface or no name credits yet but I always planned on doing those things - I just hadn't done them at the time, so I didn't really make bog changes during the duration of this project.

Did I manage my time well?

For once, I actually think I managed my time well! I think this was because I was really interested in this brief as I have always wanted to try film and never really had the chance/know what to do. So, this was a really intriguing brief for me - that may be why I had 30 seconds of clip very early on! But, one thing I wish I spent less time on would be deciding which story to do - I knew form the beginning my most developed idea was for Theseus and the Minotaur but yet I wasted time researching into most of the stories and then still being torn between 2 for a couple weeks - if I had chosen it from the start I may have been able to develop my piece now even further and make it even more successful. But, overall, Im very happy with what I did and how I managed my time.

How did I respond to feedback?

I think I responded well to feedback - most o the things they said in my tutorials I knew I needed to do just hadn't had the time yet so pretty much everything they suggested got done. For example, It was suggested to hold the title for longer at the end and to make sure I got a really clear clip of it - with no real blurriness which I ended up doing for my final piece!

Are there areas of my design process that need more practice?

I think, for the most part, I had all the skills I needed to in order to create this - the premiere pro tech session really helped me as it was my first taste for using that software. But, if we were at u/on campus, I do feel like I could've created a maybe cleaner piece. But, overall, for it being my first time with this software, I think I handled it well.

But, I think I could’ve experimented more with ideas physically - I had multiple ideas for this title sequence yet only film tested the projector one then went along with it - I probably should’ve tried putting a quick animation together just so I could fully rule it out as a no - but I was pushed for time so maybe that was a reason I never got around to it?

What have I learnt from this unit?

I have learnt a lot - mainly all on premiere pro as I hadn't made anything on it before. Im glad I can finally use the basics of it - I know there's still al to more to learn. I have also learnt more about title sequences in general - you don't always notice them but after getting this brief - every time I watched something I fully noticed all sorts of things I didn't before. I’ve also learnt that I am more than capable of learning the technology of things on my own - if I was at uni I would probably just immediately ask Ben for help but in the current situation, I found myself trying to figure it out myself and just experiment a lot more with the softwares etc.

Reflect - Are there any improvements that I would make to my final outcome?

There are definitely possible improvements for my final title sequence. For some reason, even though it fits with my lo-fi aesthetic, I cant seem to export it to a decent quality of what it shows me in premier pro. Also, I would've loved to try and animate a moving title sequence (similar to Baby Driver’s) with lines (acting as the thread) to create the title and then project that onto the walls/corners etc. I think this would’ve created even more distortion and unique movements! I think I also could've spent more time planning the actual shots I wanted - like on a storyboard because as I was filming I found It got a bot overwhelming - I knew the basic shots I wanted but I think if I had gone round before in the day I could've looked for possible ares for the best shots and best distortions.

But, even though there are improvements to be made to my final piece, I am still very happy with the outcome!

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hello-language-that-is-all · 6 years

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hisokasasss

Sup guys, Tenka (Aka Ponzorz) here - I said I’d write a post about how I self studied Japanese, sooooo I guess this is it. I learnt Japanese from Zero to Fluent in about 2.5 years, and this is my method. It’s probably not the most interesting (I didn’t watch any anime… lol… I only started watching Anime these past 1, 2 years - back then I only read a few Manga, and that was in English) and it’s hard, but maybe it can shed some light on to a study regime you can set up for yourself.

Before reading, keep in mind that there is never a single best way to study Japanese, and the most important thing about studying a language is not what textbook you have or what shows you watch - it’s always that you keep yourself going and push yourself to carry on.

I had a pretty set way I studied Japanese, so I’ll talk about that here, and since I gained proficiency I have found a lot of other methods to help people who are learning Japanese - and I’ll draw on those experiences too to inform people in this post.

Ikuzooooo.

[ Learning the Writing System ] This is step one. Japanese has three sets of difference characters. Most people don’t get it at first, but I’ll just try to explain each one below.

Hiragana （あいうえお - this is the Japanese vowels a-i-u-e-o in Hiragana） - This is the most basic one, you can use this to write everything you need to - but only knowing this one would be like some ponyo/sousuke level writing… aka like a five year old. As a person learning Japanese for a second/third/fourth/99th language though, Hiragana is definitely a solid start.

Katakana　（アイウエオ - this is the Japanese vowels a-i-u-e-o in Katakana） Everything that can be written in Hiragana can be written in Katakana - it’s like two different versions of the same alphabet.

However, Katakana is mostly used for ① Foreign vocabulary/Proper nouns that can’t be written in Kanji, and ② Emphasis/Nuance. ① is “Borrowed Words”, ie. Words in Japanese that originated from another language, will be written in Katakana.　For example, Camera (“Kyamera” キャメラ), and “Naruto” is ナルト <- This is Katakana. The second situation of emphasis/nuance is more difficult to explain, but just think of it this way: Writing “Baka” in Katakana, can give off a different feel to if it were written in Hiragana.

Kanji - Kanji is very, very, very, important. Most people beginning their Japanese studies won’t know very much Kanji, which is totally normal - and they will probably hate it at some point. But, writing Japanese without Kanji islikereadingenglishwithoutspacesinbetweenthewords. It kills the reader and if you are serious about studying Japanese, learn yo’ Kanji. Kanji are chinese characters that make up portions of a verb in Japanese, or a lot of nouns can be written completely in Kanji. Hiragana is used to support Kanji and used to fill particles and prepositions and subject markers etc, in a sentence, as those things do not have a designated Kanji - or it is not commonly used. It probably sounds confusing as hell right now but you’ll get it really quickly once you start learning. Every Kanji has a reading, so it may be hard to learn the different readings for each Kanji but it gets easier as you go, I swear.

Originally posted by studiotrigger

I started learning the writing system slowly and piecemeal, just writing the seperate kana on paper and getting more or less used to them and memorising the readings. I talk about how I learnt this in the next section, but in the meanwhile… I thought of another method.

This may be off topic but I learnt how to read Korean Hangul in like an hour by playing an online “drill” game, so I think from that experience it may be a lot faster to learn Katakana and Hiragana that way.

I found some drillers where you see the kana and just type in the romaji (ie. english version of Japanese lol):

http://kana.icann.se/

http://kagan.mactane.org/software/kana-drill.html

Try those!

( A bit about watching Anime - I think if Anime/dramas is what you’re interested in, definitely watch it. Just gonna put it out there, doing that alone probably won’t get you fluent. But it’s important because it keeps you interested, and it’s about immersion and keeping in contact with the language. :D Don’t spend 90% of your “Japanese study” in anime, but if it’s what you enjoy, go for it and it will help.

I recommend Slice of Life anime over Shonen - why? Because you’d use SoL anime dialogue more. FYI No one seriously uses “Dattebayo/-ttebayo” in Japanese, ever, “Bankai” is zero help if you want to make conversation, and most Shonen protagonists and villains speak in such an informal/brash way I’d only recommend if you want to get in to a fight. ;9 <3 )

[Actually studying the grammar and the vocab]

Because there is not much point in knowing the writing system without actually understanding what all those squiggly characters mean, it’s best to press on and learn some vocab and grammar.

First, I’ll talk about the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). JLPT is a benchmark exam for Japanese, it has 5 levels from 5 -1. 5 being the easiest, and 1 being the hardest. You don’t have to worry about sitting the exam or anything, but it’s just a really solid curriculum to base your Japanese studies off.

I started studying off

Tim’s Takamatsu -

this website is practically my godsend. I printed out everything, had it bound in to a book - you’ll see that most of the tutorials here are in Romaji. How I studied was I scribed in the Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji (Where applicable) under the Romaji. This helped me memorise and write Hiragana and Katakana really fast, get used to using basic Kanji, and learn all the basic grammar and vocab up till around N3 level. This took me about 3 months. Then I’d say it’s all downhill once you hit N3 level.

Even after I was through with Tim’s Takamatsu, I bought Schaums Outlines of Japanese Grammar just to help me solidify stuff. It’s not the best book nor the most interesting book, but it helped.

http://www.tanos.co.uk/ is a fantastic website to look at all the vocab/grammar you need for each JLPT standard, and strive to learn them and gradually progress from 5-1. I printed off the grammar lists from Tanos, and learnt all the ones I wasn’t sure of.

I also listened to a lot of podcasts, like Japanese 101. This helped me with listening skills, and I also learnt a lot of vocab and grammar. I find the stuff you learn from podcasts really memorable, compared to what you’d learn by reading off grammar books all the time. It’s a nice change.

Extra Materials for Basic Grammar etc - these are awesome, kudos to the people who made these - print it, stick it up in your room! I wish I had found them when I was studying. (T_T) http://cheatsheets.nihonshock.com/sheets/basic-japanese/

http://cheatsheets.nihonshock.com/digital-cheat-sheets/cool-japanese/

http://www.tofugu.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/japanese-particles-cheatsheet1.pdf

There links below are more explanatory stuff rather than “cheat sheets”. It’s like Tim’s Takamatsu - so I would use them to supplement each other.

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/grammar_guide.pdf

http://thejapanesepage.com/grammar.htm

http://www.japaneseverbconjugator.com/JVerbList.asp

This is probably one of the most important parts of my Japanese studying journey. Don’t give up if you’ve made it this far! :D You can do it!

Originally posted by toctocpiopio

[Advanced Japanese]

Okedoke, so how do you get from N3 to N1? You’ve gotten yourself this far, so just keep doing what you’ve been doing the whole time and don’t give up. Keep referring back to the JLPT standards to see what you need to still learn, in terms of grammar, and go for it.

N2, N1, levels require a lot of Kanji readings and Vocab Knowledge. How I tackled this, was by flashcards. I played a game on my phone called “Japanese Flash” (on iOS) and it was the only “game” I had on my phone for almost a year. Anki, or any other flashcard system will work the same. I find flashcards the most effective way for me to pick up vocab/kanji readings the fastest - the hardest thing about it is persevering. I’d play the flashcards on the bus, at home, in bed, in the shower jks , some days I felt like I was going to throw up from flash carding… but it’s a bump you’ve gotta get over. It gets better as you pick up more readings, and you’ll find you’re able to correctly guess heaps of Kanji combinations as you go.

I had the book “A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar”, and the beginners version of that book, to help me through all the difficult grammar. Plus google.

http://www.imabi.net/ is a fantastic website too, with basic - advanced Japanese grammar. I wish I found this earlier as well. (T_T)

[Notes about my particular circumstances] So hitting N1 took me about 2.5 years. I do realise this is probably not what most people want to do - spend so much time manically studying Japanese, I had tunnel vision for a long time and it was literally what I spent my spare time doing, so hear me out.

Originally posted by opioide

I think at that point in my life, I was a stupid teen and I really hated my own situation, resented it, and I wanted to leave my city so bad and go somewhere - anywhere. In short, I was pretty desperate. For a lot of rebellious and otherwise personal reasons, I decided to go to Japan. (Eg. My family is Chinese, and I’ve been fed loads of nationalistic shit since toddlerhood about how Chinese people hate Japan blah blah don’t go there blah blah all Japanese are bad blah blah which I refused to believe and I wanted to see Japan with my own eyes since I was sure I would be able to make friends since I think there are nice people, as well as terrible people, eeeeverywhere in the world in any place.)

I needed a scholarship in Japanese, so that’s why I studied madly. Otherwise, I’d never be able to have the $$ leave and I felt like I’d have been trapped in a city I don’t belong in, forever. Yeah… >_> I had serious attitude issues, pls don’t judge me. I love my city now that I’m back, and I ought to have given the people around me more credit. .___.

Originally posted by galaxymoonbird

That aside though, I want to talk about Kanji. I realise in this guide, I never talked much about learning to familliarize with or write Kanji. I suppose the easiest way to explain this would be, well I’m Chinese in origin so that wasn’t much of an issue to me, but that would not only be misleading, but discouraging to a lot of people who don’t have a chinese background. There is no easy way learning how to write Kanji, you have to put in the legwork - that’s all there is to it. I never had an education in Chinese, English would be my first language as I passed my years from toddler onwards in Middle Earth and various other places, but I suppose one could say that I did my Kanji learning prior to learning the rest of my Japanese. Strict parents = learning at least X amount of Kanji/day before I could leave the house to go run around outside, and I distinctly remember one summer when I was around 11, my Kanji knowledge sky rocketed as a result of being forced to stay inside and learn it all summer.

I wrote a Kanji 20+ times till I memorised it, and that’s probably how I got my foundation. Once I’d started studying Japanese, I still had to get used to how Kanji was used in the Japanese language system - a lot of stuff is written differently, and my Kanji wasn’t perfect to begin with so I had to learn a heap of new ones, and since all the readings were completely different to what I was used to, I had to learn those too (hence flash carding). I think my Chinese probably got better as a result of studying Japanese, lol…. I’m serious. >_>

Originally posted by ghibli-forever

#anime #Kanji #Japanese #Japan

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frederator-studios · 6 years

Video

Elise Simard is an animation director and homemade special effects expert with a style all her own. In the tradition of the avant-garde, her films don’t tell a single linear story; rather, they evoke the feelings of many stories, happening all at once, and all around us. Soon we’ll be able to experience her vision literally all around us, as she ventures into VR filmmaking. I hope you appreciate “Opening Hours” above, and her other films—“Breakfast” is the most introspective 2 minutes you’ll have all week. Elise has a wonderful ability to see the artistry in the ordinary, a knack that we can all aspire to. And beyond her talents, she’s a great person. Enjoy!

What can you tell us about ‘Opening Hours’?

It’s inspired by Jarry Park in Montreal; all the little lives that live and visit there. The park is big enough for many different energies to co-exist. It holds one of my favorite swimming pools in Montreal—I was inspired to explore what it’d be like if the pool had an occult, mysterious power. The goal was to open these different pockets of atmospheres, bringing people from one place to another without a traditional story.

Where did you study animation?

I went to Concordia University in Montreal to get a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. I focused on design for two years, but fell in love with film animation, and began taking as many classes in it as I could. I was drawn into the animation program particularly because we were encouraged to be experimental. My first student film was even in 16mm!

Vintage! Why do you think animation was your calling?

I’ve always seen things from a cinematic angle, like viewing the world in shots and scenes. I’m excited by little things that inspire stories in me. At first, I was the atypical animation student in my class - I didn’t draw! It was only once I entered the program that I learned how to do so.

Whoa! So what'd you use to animate, before you had sweet drawing skills?

I used lots of cut-outs and raw materials - I still do! My first films, I drew on or around little pieces of tape and wood. I layered materials then photographed them, creating images just for the lens. And I played with how light draws out textures, which is still a focus in my work. With lighting, I can create a library of special effects, all self-generated.

What are some of your techniques?

There’s compositing, which lets me create my own computer graphics. And photographic compositing: exposing part of an image, covering it up, then exposing it again. Optical printing, as well. “Afloat at Dawn” demonstrates the effect of these techniques with lighting and texture. I shot on film for a long time before transitioning to digital.

What motivated that change from film to digital?

I grew curious about the potential of using new technologies to create. I actually just began a Master’s program for 3D animation a few months ago. I’m experimenting with VR especially. I’m still learning the basics, playing with the software and cameras.

That’s awesome. What do you imagine doing with VR?

I’m exploring its potential to create textures and luminous effects. I’m very excited about where it might go! I’m attracted to texture as a tool for storytelling, to evoke different emotional states. It’s difficult for me to describe exactly what I’m going for with VR… especially as I don’t yet know myself! It’s a new challenge.

Let’s talk motifs in your films, namely one: bears. What draws you to them?

Hmm, I’ve never really thought about that! They do show up quite a bit. I suppose because I prefer a subject barely moving at all, and very subtle movements. And I imagine bears as being very languid, so they inspire that kind of light motion for me. I suppose that’s why I’m drawn to them.

It’s funny, just yesterday I found the first thing that I ever animated in school: a bear walking! I’m doing tests on it in VR now, and it crackles, it’s so textured. It’s acetate, plastic, and the ink is 10 years old: chipped, yellowed, embedded with bits of dust. It’s a lovely discovery.

I love your ‘tiny musical’ “Breakfast”; what’s the story behind it?

I wrote the song in university. When I got the chance to spend two months at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre in Wales making a film, I had to choose a project very quickly. So I decided to record the song, with the lovely Clara Ortiz Marier singing. The film stemmed from the song. It was lightweight animation—everything I needed to create the film was in my suitcase.

vimeo

Where does sound usually come into your process?

Sound is very important in my work. I usually start with sound, then fine tune it to what I see in my head. Process-wise, I’m drawn to technical challenges and using formal elements, like sound, to evoke feelings and moods. I try to be as intuitive as possible in the way that I sculpt story.

Your work is avant-garde; what are your thoughts on narratives?

I’m so bored when I’m locked into a narrative! I use it as a starting point. For example, “Beautiful Like Elsewhere” is a scifi film, written with a clear narrative. But in creating the film, I backed up—I wanted to evoke a sense that you are viewing this story from another dimension. A more lyrical, visceral experience. Part of that is editing from the gut, rather than editing to a script.

How did your fascination with lighting come about?

As a child I played with mirrors a lot. I loved seeing how light reflected off of them, and how it changed when I altered the angle or amount. I would sit with mirrors in dark closets, experimenting. My Grandma had crystals - a whole basket of them - and I’d shine light through them to reflect on the walls. I suppose it makes sense that I’ve become an artist now! Although for the longest time, I was considering paths deemed more ‘practical’.

Was your family skeptical when you chose to study art?

My mother actually told me to do it. I didn’t care for what I was pursuing, and one day she said to me, “You know, art is what you love to do. Not everything needs to be hard. Why don’t you study it?” I’m lucky; my family was always encouraging.

Do you have a favorite among your films?

My latest film is always my favorite. So right now, it’s “Beautiful Like Elsewhere”.

As part of the NFB, you collaborate with other filmmakers often. How is that experience?

Yes, I’ve worked for other artists a lot, and I’ve been very fortunate—everyone that I’ve worked with has been open to my ideas and creations. And they’ve opened up their processes to me. I’ve learned from everyone with whom I’ve collaborated.

Who are your biggest inspirations?

Lately, I’ve been inspired by the book Thought-Forms by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater; it was created at the turn of the 20th century, and inspired the making of this magical bum. I’m very interested in transforming sex into lyrical and immersive forms right now, and this is part of a 3D experiment I’m currently undertaking.

I deeply admire Agnes Varda; her warmth, presence, and audacity are so inspiring. Even more so now that I am entering this new and wide open field of VR and emerging tech. There are qualities of her work that I’d love to see translated into VR. I’m not sure how it all relates yet, but I’m keeping an open mind.

Thank you for sharing your work with me Elise! Best of luck on all of your projects. I can’t wait to see where your VR ventures take you, and the medium as a whole. It’s good to know there are artists ensuring that it won’t just be “a toy” after all!

- Cooper

#The Frederator Interview #Elise Simard #NFB #Canadian animation #independent animation #Agnes Varda #Opening Hours #Breakfast #Afloat at Dawn #Frederator Studios #VR #Interview #artists #artists on tumblr #animation #avantgarde #experimental #Concordia University #fine arts

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binnedrubbish · 4 years

Text

5/12/19 Notes

Lab Meeting Prep Pipeline:

(May 2nd, 2019 at 2:38 p.m.)

[ ] Read the Results & Discussion cover to cover

[ ] Complete slides for all figures

[ ] Give a practice presentation

[ ] Read methods

[ ] Complete fluorescence slides

[ ] Decide how to deal with ‘relationship between calcium activity and movement’ section

[ ] Give a practice presentation

[ ] Read supplementary material cover to cover

[ ] Give a practice presentation

Note to self: Relax. Be meticulous. Be disciplined. Keep calm, do your best, trust your team.

——

Advanced Optimization

8 20 905

Live Action Poem, February 2nd, 6:41

Went to Brazil out of spite and saw

stone Jesus, arms open for a hug,

bought street weed, twice, from the same vendor

out of a reckless love for reckless love.

Hoped for a tropical muse and found

a strong handshake from a dangerous man.

Holed up in Rio de Janeiro with piles

of paper money and paced all alone

angry at nothing if only for the moment.

Rain dampened slick stone walkaways,

waiters were too nice and I tipped too much.

One offered to be a bodyguard , violence

hinted in every smirking human moment.

God, I loved being a target, smug,

dumb, flitting away American Dollars.

Jesus Christ looming in stone on a hill top.

Titties and marijuana, iconic primadonna

extravagant flora, dying fauna, fawning

over the climate. I went to Brazil

on an off month. To hole up

safe from my sprawling little lovely life.

To Do 26.1.19

[x] Cristina - Search for Hippocampus Models

[x] Ana G. - Draft e-mail call for interest in “Live Action Science”

[ ]

Data science Club Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

Astavakrasana

laser-scanning photostimulation (LSPS) by UV glutamate uncaging.

12.1.19 Goals

[x] Some Portuguese

[x] Mouse Academy - first read

[ / ] Dynamic mesolithic dopamine

[x] Water rats * SMH

Acorn - tracks impact | BetaWorks | 2 years of money | PitchBook | Social Impact Start Up

Mission Aligned Investors | Metrics | Costumer Acquistion Cost | Clint Corver -> Chain of Contacts -> Who To Talk to (Scope: ~100)

Money Committed || Sparrow || Decision Analysis —> Ulu Ventures [500k] [Budget x ]

Ivan - > IoS Engineering { Bulgarian DevShop }

[market mapping] Metrics -> Shrug

Peter Singer - Academic Advisory Board …

[1 million ]

Product market testing

Foundation Directory Online - Targeted , Do Your Homework

https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2018/11/19/why-neuroscience-needs-data-scientists/

Head-fixed —>

~INHIBITION EXPERIMENT TRAINING PLAN~

STOP MICE: 20th. GIVE WATER: 20th (afternoon) - 30th. DEPRIVE: 31st... (Morning) RESUME: Jan 2nd.

21st - BLEACH/DEEP CLEAN BOXES 1-14 (Diluted bleach; Flush (with needles out) - Open Arduino Sketch with Continuously open Valves - PERFUSE System) *[NOT BOX 11 or 5]*; Run 15 mL of Bleach per syringe; Copious water through valves; Leave dry.

———

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/preparing-manuscript#journalclub

Friday - Dec. 14th, 2018

[x] - Complete 2019 ‘Goals and Blueprint’

[x] - 2-minute Summary ‘Properties of Neuron in External Globus Pallidus Can Support Optimal Action Selection

[ ] MatLab for Neuroscientists :: Basic Bayesian Bearded Terrorist probability plots

[x] Statistics 101: Linear Regression

“Golden Girls” - Devendra Banhart

“King” by Moor - FIREBEAT

Reread - Section 3.3 to

Monday - Apply for DGAV License (MAKE SHORT CV)

SAMPLE: ‘Sal’ From Khan Academy

Make short CV

Tiago - Certificate

MATH:

“We explicitly focus on a gentle introduction here, as it serves our purposes. If you are in

need of a more rigorous or comprehensive treatment, we refer you to Mathematics for Neuroscientists by Gabbiani and Cox. If you want to see what math education could be like, centered on great explanations that build intuition, we recommend Math, Better Explained by Kalid Azad.”

Jacksonian March seizure (somatosensory)

—

Tara LeGates > D1/D2 Synapses

Scott Thompson

Fabrizio Gabbiani - Biophysics - Sophisticated and reasonable approach

Quote For Neuroscience Paper:

“Every moment happens twice: inside and outside, and they are two different histories.”

— Zadie Smith, White Teeth

Model Animal: Dragonfly? Cats. Alligators.

Ali Farke Toure

Entre as 9 hora e o meio-dia ele trabalha no computador.

Ele volta para o trabalha à uma e meia.

Ele vai as compras depois do trabalho.

A noite, depois do jantar, ele e a mulher veem televisão.

As oito vou de bicicleta para o trabalho. (go)

As oito venho de bicicleta para o trabalho. (come)

A que horas começa a trabalhar?

Eu começo a trabalhar os oito e meia.

Normalmente…

Eu caminho cerca de Lisbon.

É muito triste! Eu faço nada! Talvez, eu caminho cerca de Lisbon. Talvez eu leio um livro. Talvez eu dormi. Eu vai Lx Factory.

Depois de/do (after)

antes de/do (before)

—

Monday -> Mice

MATLAB!

“New ways of thinking about familiar problems.”

~*NOVEMBER GOALS*~

> Permanent MatLab Access [x] -> Tiago has license

> Order Mouse Lines [ ] -> Health report requested… Reach out to Vivarium about FoxP2

-> Mash1 line -> FoxP2 expression?

> Finish ‘First Read Through’ [ ]

> Figure 40 [ ]

SAMPLE : ‘Afraid of Us’ Jonwayne, Zeroh

Monday Nov 5th Goals:

> Attentively watch:

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba_l8IKoMvU (Distributed RL)

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsuvM1jO-4w (Distributed RL | The Algorithm)

MatLab License

Practical Sessions at the CCU for the Unknown between 19 - 22 Nov 2018 (provisional programme attached)

Week of November 5th - Handle Bruno’s Animals

Lab Goals -

“Deep Networks - Influence Politics Around the World”

Paton Lab Meeting Archives

Strategy: Read titles/abstracts follow gut on interesting and relevant papers

Goals: Get a general sense of the intellectual history of the lab, thought/project trajectories, researchers and work done in the field and neighboring fields.

Look through a GPe/Arkypallidal lens… what can be revisited with new understanding?

First Read Through

[x] 2011 - (22 meetings || 10/12 - SLAM camera tracking techniques)

[ x] 2012a (18 meetings)

[x] 2012b (15 meetings - sloppy summary sentences)

[ x] 2013a (19 meetings - less sloppy summaries jotted down)

[x] 2013b (17 meetings)

[x] 2014a (21 meetings) (summaries in progress)

[x] 2014b

[x] 2015 (23 meetings)

[ ] 2016 (23 meetings)

Current

—

“I like, I wish, I wonder”

“Only Yesterday” Pretty Lights

retrosplenial dysgranular cx (?)

retrosplenial granular cx, c (?)

fornix (?)

Stringer 2018 arVix

Lowe and Glimpsher

November Goals:

[ ] GPe literature -

[ x ] Dodson & Magill

[ x] Mastro & Gittis

[ ] Chu & Bevan

[x] Modeling (extra credit -Bogacz)

[ ] Principles of Neural Science: Part IV

[ x ] MatLab license… Website program…

Extra credit:

Side projects [/ ] Neuroanatomy 40

[ -> ] ExperiMentor - Riberio, Mainen scripts… Paton! -> LiveAction Science

MACHINE LEARNING

Week of Oct 29th -

Symposium Week!

Wyatt -> John Hopkins -> He got into American University!

Belly Full Beat (MadLib album Drive In)

“The human brain produces in 30 seconds as much data as the Hubble Space Telescope has produced in its lifetime.”

Sequence of voltage sensors -> ArcLite -> Quasar -> Asap -> Voltron -> ???

Muscarine -> Glutamate

Ph Sensitive

cAMP

Zinc sensitive

5 ways to calculate delta f

2 main ways

SNR Voltage —

Dimensionality reduction of a data set: When is it spiking?

5 to 10 2-photon microscope open crystal

…Open window to a million neuron…

Week of 10/15/18

Monday: Travel

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Begin rat training. Reorient.

Thursday:

Friday:

|| Software synergistically ||

—————

Beam splitter, Lambda, diacritic

1.6021766208×10−19

‘sparse coding’

Benny Boy get your programming shit together.

Week of Oct. 8th, 2018

10/9/18

[ ] Rat shadowing (9:30 a.m.) -> Pushed to next week

10/8/18

[x] Begin Chapter 13 of Kandel, Schwartz, Jessell

[x] Outline of figure 36

[ ] Read Abdi & Mallet (2015)

DOPE BEAT MATERIAL - Etude 1 (Nico Muhly, Nadia Sirota)

Saturday - Chill [x]

Friday - ExperiMentor … mehhhhh scripts?

Photometry -> Photodiode collects light in form of voltage (GCaMP) (TtdTomate as Baseline… how much fluorescence is based on TdTomatoe, controlling factor always luminesce - GCaMP calcium dependent) :: Collecting from a ‘cone’ or geometric region in the brain. Data stored and plotted over time… Signals must be corrected…

Cell populations are firing or releasing calcium. (GCaMP encoded by virus injection, mice express CRE in a particular cell type).

———————————————

Brain on an Occam’s Razor,

bird on a wire,

synaptic fatalism integrating

consistent spiking;

strange looping: is this me?

Thursday

“We don’t make decisions, so much as our decisions make us.”

“Blind flies don’t like to fly”

[x] 9:00 a.m. Lab Meeting

[x] 12:00 p.m. - Colloquium

“It was demeaning, to borrow a line from the poet A. R. Ammons, to allow one’s Weltanschauung to be noticeably wobbled.”

“You must not fear, hold back, count or be a miser with your thoughts and feelings. It is also true that creation comes from an overflow, so you have to learn to intake, to imbibe, to nourish yourself and not be afraid of fullness. The fullness is like a tidal wave which then carries you, sweeps you into experience and into writing. Permit yourself to flow and overflow, allow for the rise in temperature, all the expansions and intensifications. Something is always born of excess: great art was born of great terrors, great loneliness, great inhibitions, instabilities, and it always balances them. If it seems to you that I move in a world of certitudes, you, par contre, must benefit from the great privilege of youth, which is that you move in a world of mysteries. But both must be ruled by faith.”

Anaïs Nin

[ ] MatLab trial expires in 1 day *

[ ] 3:00 p.m. pictures

“We do not yet know whether Arkys relay Stop decisions from elsewhere, or are actively involved in forming those decisions. This is in part because the input pathways to Arkys remain to be determined.”

These studies prompt an interesting reflection about the benefits and conflicts of labeling and classifying neurons at a relatively grainy level of understanding.

“The authors hypothesize that under normal conditions, hLTP serves an adaptive, homeostatic role to maintain a healthy balance between the hyperdirect and indirect pathway in the STN. However, after dopamine depletion, pathologically elevated cortical input to the STN triggers excessive induction of hLTP at GPe synapses, which becomes maladaptive to circuit function and contributes to or even exacerbates pathological oscillations.”

To Do Week of Oct. 1st - Focus: Big Picture Goals

[ x ] GPe Literature - Hernandez 2015 & Mallet 2016 (Focus on techniques and details)

[ ] MatLab! Lectures 6-7 (Get your hands dirty!)

[ x ] Kandel Chapters 12 - 13

Tuesday Surgery Induction 10:00 with Andreia

6:00 - 7:30

Portuguese

Digitally reconstructed Neurons: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5106405/

To Do Week of, September 24th, 2018

To Do Week of Monday, September 17th, 2018

PRIORITY:

DATA ANALYSIS PROJECT ITI

———— PAUSE. ———————

Talks

[x ] Mainen Lab - Evidence or Value based encoding of World State/Probability - ‘Consecutive failures’ - easy/medium/hard estimate of where the reward will be.

Reading for the Week

[x] Chapter 9 - Propagating Signal | The Action Potential

[/ ] Ligaya et. al (2018) (CCU S.I.?)

[x] Katz & Castillo (1952) Experiment where they describe measurement techniques

[ ] Raiser Chapter 4 - Stimulus Outlasting Calcium Dynamics in Drosophila Kenyon Cells Encode Odor Identity

Video Lectures

[— ] Linear Algebra (Trudge steadily through)

[ — ] Khan Academy Logarithms (Trudge steadily through)

MatLab

[ ] Trudge steadily through www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/learn_matlab

*FIND PROBLEM SET/TEXT BOOK/WORK SHEETS*

Concepts to Grasp

[ / ] Master logarithms!

[ ] Review Kandel Et. Al Part II *Chapters 5-9*

Neuroanatomy

[ x ] Ink Figure 28

Project Planning? Too soon! Too soon! Read some literature on the subject.

17/9/18

1:00 p.m. Meet with Catarina to discuss “CCU Science Illustrated” (WIP) Project

2:30 p.m. Vivarium Induction

_______________________________________________________

| SPCAL Credentials |

| |

| login: |

| PW: |

-————————————————————————

——

NPR:: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/11/644992109/can-a-barn-owl-s-brain-explain-why-kids-with-adhd-can-t-stay-focused

9.13.18

[ x ] Pauses in cholinergic interneuron firing exert an inhibitory control on stratal output in vivo (Zucca et. al 2018)

[ x ] Chapter 8 - Local Signaling: Passive Properties of

-> Sub and supra threshold membrane potential (Conceptual)

Monday, Sept. 10th 2018

“Eat the Frog First”

[ N/A ] Review SPCAL Lessons 1-5 (In Library?) CRAM THURSDAY?

-> [/] wait for confirmation from Delores for theoretical test

-> (Out of Office reply from person in charge)

To Do:

[/] Comment Out %PRE_PROCESS_vBeta.m

[x] Change path name and run program in MatLab

[ ] Solve trial.blahblahblah error spkCount? labels?

[ ] Change Epochs and run?

[x] Chapter 7 - Membrane Potential :: Return to Pg. 136-137 Box 7-2 when sharp. ::

[x] Castillo and B. Katz (1954)

[x] 12:00 - Neural Circuits for Vision in Action CCU

[x] 2:30 - THESIS DEFENSE: Mechanisms of Visual Perceptions in the Mouse Visual Cortex

————

Extra-credit

[x] Ink Figure 24

[~ ] Finish “First & Last 2017” (100/127 = 78.74%)

——

Jax Laboratory Tools: https://www.jax.org/jax-mice-and-services/model-generation-services/crispr-cas9

Recommendation for Design and Analysis of In Vivo Electrophysiology Studies

http://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/26/5837

On the Horizon:

Schultz (1997) (Classic, classic, classic)

*[x] 9/7/18 - 6:00 p.m. Flip water for Bruno’s mice *

ITI Data Analysis -> Next step ->….

[ ] (find the sigmoid call) / Poke around preprocessing_beta

Reading

[x] Chapter 6 - Ion Channels

[ / ] Finish Krietzer 2016 —> [ ] write an experiment-by-experiment summary paper

Resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPsCVKhNvlA Helpful explanation of ChR2-YFP, NpHR, and general ontogenetic principles.

[ / ] Reiser Chapter 3.3.38 - 3.4 (Need to finish 3.4.5, Look up Photoionization detectors, Coherence)

Neuroanatomy

[/] Finish Figure 24 (need to ink)

“Drawing Scientists “

[/] Storyboard for GCAMP6s targeted paper

-> Show Filipe for feedback ->

-> Ask Leopold permission ? Talk to Catarina

[ x] 16:9

[x] Write script and record [ 1:00 ]

Intellectual Roaming

[ / ] Return to Review of Reviews and Review Zoom-In | First & Last |

[/] Explore Digital Mouse Brain Atlas

9/6/18 - Thursday

To Do:

ITI Data Analysis :

[x] Draw data structure on mm paper -> Reach out for help understanding

[ / ] What fields did Asma call? What fields are necessary for a psychometric curve

Reading

[x] Kandel - Chapter 5 | Synthesis and Trafficking of Neuronal Proteins

[ / ] Reiser - Chapter 3 | A High-Bandwidth Dual-Channel Olfactory Stimulator for Studying Temporal Sensitivity of Olfactory Processing (Results complicated)

[/ ] Krietzer 2016 - Cell-Type-Specific Controls of Brainstem Locomotor Circuits by Basal Ganglia

Talks:

[x] 12:00 p.m. - Colloquium - Development of Drosophila Motor Circuit

Tutorials:

~ [x ] MatLab plotting psychometric curves

Neuroanatomy

[ x ] Outline brain for figure 24

———

MatLab

Laser stuff HZ noise, thresholds,

// PCA -> Co-variance ->

// Linear regression | Geometric intuition -> “What is known to the animal during inter-trial? What features can be described by animals history” ===> Construct a history space (axis represent different animals history ex. x-axis previous stimulus, reward, etc.?) Predictive (?)

Plot psychometric functions || PSTH (post stimulation of histogram ) of example neurons -> skills: bin spiking, plot rasters, smoothing (if necessary)

Data:: Access to Dropbox -> /data/TAFC/Combined02/ [3 animals :: Elife]

/data/TAFC/video

Tiago and Flipe know the video data

File Format -> Parser/Transformation (guideline) ||

> MatLab

Access to MatLab -> [/] 28 days!

How can I begin to analysis?

History dependent | Omitted

——

To Do Week of September 3rd

Monday

Administrative

[ x] Check-in with HR (Don’t bombard!): Badge. (Library access?)

[ ] Reach out to SEF?

[x] 2:00 p.m. Meet with Asma - discuss data analysis. Where is it? How do I access it (Tiago?) What has been done and why?

[x] 3:00 p.m. Lab Meeting “Maurico’s Data” - Pay special attention

[x] Finish first read through of Theoretical Laboratory Animal Science PDF Lectures

[ ] Rat Surgery Techniques…

Mouse neuroanatomy project

[/ ] Figure 24

[ ] Figure 28

Math

[x ] L.A. Lecture 2

[ x] L.A. Lecture 3

Read:

[ ] Georg Raiser’s Thesis (Page 22 of 213)

Find time to do at least an hour of quiet focused reading a day. (Place?).

Continue to explore whims, papers, databases, ideas, protocols, that seem interesting.

Develop ‘literature scour’ protocol - (Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, Journal of Neuroscience)

Dates to Remember: September 14th - Laboratory Animal Sciences Theoretical Test!

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180827180803.htm:Can these be used for techniques?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180823141038.htm ‘Unexpected’ - Unexpected physical event and unexpected reward or lack of reward (neuronal modeling of external environment)

—

In my first ten minutes at work I’m exposed to a weeks (month/year/decade) worth of interesting information. Going from an intellectual tundra to an intellectual rain forest.

1460 proteins with increased expression in the brain: Human Protein Atlas https://www.proteinatlas.org

Non-profit plasmid repository: https://www.addgene.org

Protein database: https://www.rcsb.org/3d-view/3WLC/1

Started to think at the molecular level.

“MGSHHHHHHGMASMTGGQQMGRDLYDDDDKDLATMVDSSRRKWNKTGHAVRAIGRLSSLENVYIKADKQKNGIKANFKIR

HNIEDGGVQLAYHYQQNTPIGDGPVLLPDNHYLSVQSKLSKDPNEKRDHMVLLEFVTAAGITLGMDELYKGGTGGSMVSK

GEELFTGVVPILVELDGDVNGHKFSVSGEGEGDATYGKLTLKFICTTGKLPVPWPTLVTTLTYGVQCFSRYPDHMKQHDF

FKSAMPEGYIQERTIFFKDDGNYKTRAEVKFEGDTLVNRIELKGIDFKEDGNILGHKLEYNLPDQLTEEQIAEFKEAFSL

FDKDGDGTITTKELGTVMRSLGQNPTEAELQDMINEVDADGDGTIDFPEFLTMMARKGSYRDTEEEIREAFGVFDKDGNG

YISAAELRHVMTNLGEKLTDEEVDEMIREADIDGDGQVNYEEFVQMMTAK” - CCaMP6m amino acid code.

8/31/18 - (Friday) @12:00 in Meeting Room 25.08

GET USB ! !

[Lisboa Cultura na ru, Lisbon on the streets Com’Out Lisbon - Katie Gurrerirra ]

MatLab -> Chronux Neural Analysis

SEPTEMBER 14th!

Week of August 27th, 2018

“Conserved computational circuitry, perhaps taking different arguments on different locations of Basil Ganglia” - Tuesday

Andrew Barto: http://www-all.cs.umass.edu/~barto/

Basil Ganglia Labs

Okihide Hikosaka Lab: https://irp.nih.gov/pi/okihide-hikosaka

Wilbrecht Lab

Uchida N. (ubiquitous dopamine motivation and reward)

Peter J. Magill

Schultz (Pioneer in the field)

C. Savio Chan

Doya, K. (theory)

Calabresi, P. (muscarinic)

Ana Graybiel (McGovern)

James C. Houk (1994 - Book on Models of Computation in the basal Ganglia)

Evolutionary Conservation of Basil Ganglia type action-selection mechanisms:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211005288

Dopamine D1 - Retinal Signaling https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jn.00855.2017 [Note to self: Too Off Track]

[ ~ ] Flurorphore Library

Official Badge? [ ] Printer Access [ ]?

—

Online Course on Laboratory Animal Science

Monday : 11 [x] 12 [x]

Tuesday : 13 [x] 14 [x]

Wednesday: 15 [x] 16 [/]

Thursday: 17 [x] 18 [x]

Friday: 19 [x] 20 [/]

Lesson 11 - Behavior and Environment, animals must be housed in an environment enriched to maximize their welfare.

Lesson 12 - Rodent and Lagomorph Accommodation and Housing - A more comprehensive guide from the macro environment, facilities i.e. establishments, to the micro environments. Covers health and safety procedures for personnel as well as geometry of housing units (rounded edges to prevent water accumulation). Absolutely essential.

Lesson 13 - Collecting Samples and Administrating Procedures - covers the most common collection techniques and materials collected and stressed the importance of doing as little harm as possible to the animal.

Lesson 14 - Transporting the Animal : Shipper holds most of the responsibility. Major goals are making sure the journey is as stress free as possible, contingency plans are in place, and that all of the logistics have been carefully planned, communicated, and coordinated between various parties responsible in the shipping. Also, animals should be prepared mentally and physically for the journey and should have a period of post-transportation to adjust to the new surroundings and environment. A number of practical issues must be considered such as temperature, availability of food, and access to animals during the journey. Boxes should be properly labelled in whatever languages are necessary.

Lesson 15 - The purpose of feeding and nutrition is to meet the energy needs of the animals, which vary by species, physiological state of animal (growth, maintenance, gestation, and lactation). A number of category of diets exist as well as a variety of specific diets to best fits the needs of the experiment. This chapter covers particulars of nutrition requirements and stresses the importance of avoiding obesity and malnutrition.

Lesson 16 - Anatomy and Physiology of Teleosts (Skip for now: Focus on Rodents and Lagomorphs)

Lesson 17 - Anatomy and Physiology of Rodents and Lagomorphs - General characteristics of the anatomy and physiology of six species, 5 rodents and 1 lagomorph. Mice, rats, guinea pigs, gerbils, and hamsters. Rabbits. It covers particularities of each species and has a quiz asking specific facts, mostly centered on commonalities and distinguishing factors. Worth a close read.

Lesson 18 - Anaesthesia and Analgesia in Rodents and Lagomorphs . Pre anaesthesia techniques, drug combinations, and repeated warning of the importance of choosing the right drugs and technique for the species. Use of a chamber. Methods of anesthesia (IP, IV, Volatile). Endotracheal Intubation for rabbits; the proper use and administration of analgesics; monitoring during the operation (for example - the paw pain reflex disappears in medium to deep anesthesia

Lesson 19 - Animal Welfare and Signs of Disturbance - This chapter repeatedly stresses the importance of the relationship between the caretaker and the animal. It repeats the ideal social, environmental, and nutritional environments for rodents and rabbits and highlights peculiarities of each species. After reading this one should be better suited to detecting stress, disease, or other ailments in a laboratory animal.

Lesson 20 - Fish Psychology and Welfare (Skip for now: Focus on Rodents and Lagomorphs)

Lessons 5, 17, and 20 pertain to fish

TEST SEPTEMBER 14th

—

MIT Open Course Ware:

Linear Algebra

Lecture 2 [/ ] -> Elimination by Matrices, production of elementary matrices, basic computations, and a review of row and column approaches to systems of equations. Introduction to the basic application of the rule of association in linear algebra.

Lecture 3 [ ]

Mouse Neuroanatomy

Ink Figure 16 [x]

Figure 20 [x]

Figure 24 [ ]

Introduction to MatLab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ekAD7U-wU [ ]

Math Big Picture: Review Single Variable Calculus! Find reasonable Statistics and Probability Course (Statistical Thinking and Data Analysis? Introduction to Probability and Statistics?) Mine as well review algebra well I’m at it eh.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

—

Data analysis :: Behavioral Analysis

—

Ana Margarida - Lecture 6 - Handling Mice techniques

EuroCircuit can make a piece. Commercial v. DYI version of products.

Dario is the soldering, hardware expert. I.E. skilled technician.

www.dgv.min-agricultura.pt; it is recommended that the entry on Animal Protection and the section on Animals used for experimental purposes be consulted first.

—

Sir Ronald Fisher, stated in 1938 in regards to this matter that “To consult the statistician after an experiment is finished is often merely to ask him to conduct a post mortem examination. He can perhaps say what the experiment died of”.

——

Finally, it is time to publish and reveal the results. According to Santiago Ramón y Cajal, scientific writers should govern themselves by the following rules:

Make sure you have something to say; Find a suitable title and sequence to present your ideas; Say it; Stop once it is said.

8/21 Goals

Access ->

:: Champalimaud Private Internet [HR] Printer [HR]

:: Web of Science (?)

:: PubMed (Nature, Journals, etc.?)

———

PRIORITY: Online Course -> Animal Laboratory Sciences PDF’s

20 total -> 4 a day || I can finish by Friday

Monday : 1 [x] 2 [x]

Tuesday : 3 [x] 4 [x ]

Wednesday: 5 [x*] 6 [x]

Thursday: 7 [x* ] 8 [x]es

Friday: 9 [x ] 10 [x ]

Notes:

Lesson 1 - Philosophical and ethical background and the 3 R’s

Lesson 2 - Euthanasia. Recommended, adequate, unacceptable. Physical or chemical. Chemical - inhalable or injectable. Paton Lab uses CO2 and cervical dislocation.

Lecture 3 - Experimental Design. Return to as a starting point for basic design (randomized samples and blocks) Integrate with “Statistical Thinking and Data Analysis”

Lecture 4 - Legislation. Memorize specific laws and acts.

Lecture 5 is highly specific for the care and maintenance of Zebrafish

Lecture 6 - Handling of rodents and mice. A theoretical overview, this material is essentially kinesthetic.

Lecture 7 - Provides a technically detailed account of how genetic manipulations are done and propagated. Deserves a ‘printed’ review and vocabulary cross reference.

Lecture 8 - Health and Safety. Predominantly common sense.

Lecture 9 - Microbiology - contains an appendix with list of common infections that will be eventually be good to know.

Lesson 10 - Anaesthesia pre and post operation techniques, risks of infections etc.

// http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/member_states_stats_reports_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/news_en.htm -> General European News regarding

http://www.ahwla.org.uk/site/tutorials/RP/RP01-Title.html -> Recognizing pain in animals

Week of 8/20/18 To Do:

Tiago/Team -> Whats the most important priority?

Get Arduino Machine working again [?]

Jupiter/Python Notebook Up [ ]

Bruno MatLab Access [… ]

- Get documents to HR

- Animal Lab certified?

- Logistical/Certificate/Etc.

- Start discussing personal project:

> (Rat colony) Wet Lab

> (Machine Learning) Electric Lab

> Statistics project

- Reacquaint with Lab Technology/Protocols

- Review papers - Engage back with the science

Project Print: Screen shots

[ ] collect

“Do the job. Do it engaged. Engage -> Not just execute the best you can, understand the experiment.

Why? Alternative designs? Control experiments needed to interpret the data? Positive controls and negative controls? What do you need to do to get crisp. Totally engage.

How it fits into other experiments?

“Engage with the science as if it were your baby.”

Execute beautifully… Ask --- et. al. What does ideal execution look like

Extra time: allocate time. Technicians : Freedom to do other things, work with other things, other technical things, giving people independent project to carry out. Project --- has in mind? Design. Hands on education of how science works then reading. Spend time focused on a problem and in the ideal become the world’s foremost expert on whatever ‘mundane’ aspect of what ever problem you are working on.

Computational in the context of a problem. Learn to use. Defining “problems I want to solve.” As an operating scientist, the technology can change very quickly. Capable of learning, understanding, and applying.

Answer questions in a robust way. Thinking of technology in context of problem. Deep domain knowledge; focus on experimental more than book reading.

Realistic path -> Research fellow to PhD. program. Industry… Strong head’s up to do research. First-rate OHSU? Excellent. IF: Remember that it is narrow, broader with neuroscience as a component. Biology < > Neurology. Real neuroscience computational ->

Juxtasuposed: Engineering, CS, A.I., and all that…

Label in broad ways: Molecular, cellular, systems, cognitive, psychology. Borders are so fuzzy — as to be

Domain bias. In general -> other than P.I. protected from funding. Publication, the life of the business. Metric of success is the science they publish. Work that contributes to being an author = more engaged, more independent. Evolved to an independent project.

So incredibly broad -> CRISPR, GFP, Optogenetics, with higher level systems problems. 100 years = absurd. Look back -> Could we have conceived whats going on today.

Foremost expert on something how-ever limited. Grow from there. Grown from a particular expertise.

Molecular biologist || Do what a 3 year old is taught to do. How? How? How? How does that work. Quantum physics. Ask questions. Be open.

Go to seminars -> Go to every talk. Take every note. Primary literature fundamentally different. Always learn in context. Don’t dilute too much (ignore title, abstract, discussion). Look at figures and tables and derive for yourself what they say. Look for THE FIGURE or THE TABLE that is the crux and look for the control experiment. Understand the critical assessment, are the facts valid and warranted? Infinite amount to learn, don’t spread yourself infinitely thin. “

To Do: Develop Independent Machine Learning Project

Gain Access to Web of Science

————

Paton Learning Lab

Personal Learning Goals

September 1st - December 1st

Major Goals

[ ] Read Principles of Neuroscience 5th Edition

[ ] Complete CSS 229

[ ] Deep read 12 papers (Write summary || Practice peer review)

Administrative

[ ] Reactivate

[ / ] Figure out Residence Permit/Visa

Lifestyle

[ x ] Purchase commuter bicycle

[ / ] Purchase waterproof computer/messenger bag

Language

[x] …. Focused practice minimum 20 minutes daily …?

[ ] Find language partner

[ ] Portuguese film/television/music

UPCOMING

Phone conversation with --------

Tuesday, August 7th 9:00 a.m. EST (10:00 a.m.

0 notes