strangeandfascination-archive

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Natalie Wynn, Contrapoints- XOXO Festival (2018)

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URL changed, this is now an archived blog

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Husbands are great aren’t they?

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Hello! A lot of you have been asking me where and how I’ve learn multiple languages and well, after a few hours of digging through my browser history and bookmarks, I was able to collect all of these resources. I have personally used all of these, so I can assure you they are useful! If there is something wrong with a website or a link, please let me know. Also, if you have any questions or if you want a learning buddy, my ask box is open. (I speak English and Spanish. I’m learning Korean, German, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Italian, and Esperanto)

Note: Learning a new language requires a lot of dedication, more than you actually think! Especially if you’re learning multiple languages at the same time. It isn’t impossible, but it will take time. And by time I mean months and/or years! So please, be patient. Take your time. Don’t rush. Keep in mind that you will mess up and that’s okay. Practice as much as you can. Practice out loud. Talk to yourself if you can. It doesn’t matter if people think you’re crazy. They won’t be thinking the same when you become a polyglot, so don’t mind them. This is for you and your future.

Get started:

Everything listed below is FREE! Some sites do require you to sign up, but that’s for you to keep track of your own process.

Tips to get you started

Language Hacking tips (blog)

More language hacking tips (blog)

The Polyglot Project (Library with foreign books that lets you translate while reading)

How to Learn Any Language

Effective Language Learning

Ankidroid (flashcard maker)

Multiple languages, one website

Duolingo (Latin American Spanish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Turkish, Norwegian (Bokmål), Ukrainian, and Esperanto)

BBC Languages (40 languages)

Learn A Language (18 languages)

Conjuguemos (French, German, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Spanish)

L-lingo (21 languages)

101languages (167 languages)

Languagepod101 (31 languages)

Foreign Services Institute (44 languages)

My Languages (95 languages)

Surface Languages (43 languages)

Lingualia (Spanish)

Linguanaut (16 languages)

OmniGlot (All languages [basic info for some of them])

Memrise (Various languages) (flashcard system)

Livemocha (Various languages)

Polyglotclub

Sharedtalk

Interpals (specify in your profile you only look for language exchange because there can be some creeps in this one)

Couchsurfing

Babbel

Specific Languages

Korean:

Learn to read Korean in 15 minutes! - Really helpful as well

Learnkoreanlp - Focuses on grammar

k-is4korean

Talktomeinkorean

Learn-korean

korean-flashcards - Focuses on vocabulary

Easytolearnkorean

Korean.go.kr/ - Focuses on pronunciation

Lang-8 - Community to correct your entries

Dongsa - Conjugations for verbs

Howtostudykorean- EXTREMELY helpful when it comes to learning hangul and writing structure!

hangulpractice - This blog has some useful posts.

letstteok-korean

Talktomeinkorea (YouTube channel)

fluentkorean

sweetandtasty

seoulistic - For culture lessons

GenkiKorean

Korean Word Game

English-Korean Vocabulary Quizzes

Hangul Keyboard - This is also EXTREMELY helpful with Hangul/romanization. It also converts any romanized syllables into hangul

Korean - Reddit threat

Chinese/Mandarin:

Hackingchinese

Chinese-tools - Pretty helpful with pronunciation.

Chinese Open courseware

Chinese Language - Reddit threat

Chinese Textbook

Chineasy

Learn Mandarin

Chinese Hacks

yoyochinese

How can I learn Chinese

Why is Chinese so damn hard?

Japanese:

Learn Japanese I / II - YouTube

Guidetojapanese

Free Japanese lesson

Japaneseclass.jp

thejapanesepage

Japanesepod101

Tofugu

Erin’s Challenge!

Jplang

Yesjapan

Marugoto - Includes culture lessons

Kana Invaders - Fun game for learning Kana

Another great masterpost for Japanese - So many resources!!!

Esperanto:

Note: I did a research and supposedly Esperanto is an easy-to-learn language that helps you with other languages.

Esperantofre

Esperanto “library”

Esperanto Grammar

Esperanto (Duolingo)

German:

Learn German Online

German Language Guide

Mission Berlin - Mystery adventure game

Basic German

Deutsch Lernen

Slow German

Kids’ Games - For vocabulary

Italian:

MIT Open Courseware

Italian Language Guide

Italian Grammar

Italian For Beginners - YouTube

Latin:

Some Latin grammar

Latin Course - YouTube

Portuguese:

Oneness

Ta Falado

Portuguese (Duolingo)

French:

Learn French Guide

Coffee Break French

University of Texas: Francais interactif

Podcastfrancaisfacile

French Language Guide

Lingopolo/french

Le Journal en français facile

News in Slow French

Francolab

Cliffs Notes

Native French Speech

French Podcast

Spanish:

Spanish - About.com

@spanishskulduggery

Study Spanish

Cliffs Notes

Destinos

One Minute Spanish

One Minute Spanish (Latin America focused)

Thai:

Learn Thai Podcast

Woman Learn Thai

Let’s Talk Thai

Thai 101

Lingopolo/thai

Arabic:

Books to Learn Arabic

Mandinah Arabic

Arabic Verbs (PDF)

al3arabiya

Arabic Pronouns (PDF)

Arabic Alphabet / Also Here / And Here!

Arabic For Language Exchange

Peace Corps

Hindi:

A Door Into Hindi

Learning Hindi

NYU Hindi Course

Quillpad - Great for typing

Namaste Dosti

SU Hindi Course

ispeakhindi

Hindi Script

Vietnamese:

VietnamesePod101

Survival Phrases

seasite.niu.edu

Learn Vietnamese Online

Greek:

Some Greek Grammar (New Testament)

Romanian:

Rolang

One Minute Romanian

Welsh:

Say Something in Welsh

Welsh Vocab

Dutch:

Lingopolo/dutch

Learn Dutch

Russian:

Speak Russian

Russian Alphabet

Taste of Russian

Master Russian

Russian Open Courseware

Russian Handwriting

Swedish:

Klartext

SwedishLingQ

Survival Phrases

That’s it. That’s all I have right now. I’ll try to search for more and will keep updating this list! If you have a request for a specific language, just send me an ask. Have fun and good luck! 

#language

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 I don’t understand Why people AREN’T talking about: If you urinate in your pants: People think that’s gross If you defecate in your pants: People think that’s gross If you ejaculate in your pants: People think that’s gross If you sneeze without covering your nose: People think that’s gross If you cough without covering your mouth: People think that’s gross If you hock a loogie: People think that’s gross If you’re on your period and bleed through your pants: People think that’s gross, but it’s THE PATRIARCHY’S FAULT!

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When a teacher tells you to cover up your bra strap, remember something. Its underwear. Guys are told to pull up their pants if they are sagging, and girls are told to hide their bras. It’s supposed to be a professional environment, and you are not allowed to have your underwear showing in a professional environment.

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What sorcery is this? Once again, it’s not magic; it’s science! These beads are white until they are exposed to ultraviolet light. Then they all turn different colors of the spectrum. Great for knowing whether the shade you’re in is shady enough, or the clouds are cloudy enough, to keep you from getting a sunburn. Nivea even used them to make an awesome billboard in Brazil to advertize sun safety.

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Heller I am pernk

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One of New York Central’s “Mercury” engines in Chicago, 1936.

#this may not be real #but it's still interesting

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Study: Humans Feel Empathy for Robots Experiencing “Pain”

In September, a Japanese man was arrested for kicking an emotion-detecting robot named Pepper in a fit of drunken rage. The $1,600 humanoid robot survived the assault but was left with some damaged, slow-moving parts.

If thinking about this situation makes you feel bad for Pepper, you’re not alone. In a study published Tuesday in Scientific Reports, a team of researchers from Japan showed the first neurophysiological evidence that humans feel empathy for robots in pain. The team performed EEG (electroencephalography) brain scans on 15 adults who looked at pictures of human and robot hands in painful or nonpainful situations. Photos showed the hands being cut by a knife or a pair of scissors:

(via Study: Humans Feel Empathy for Robots Experiencing “Pain” in Cognitive Science curated by Steven Swimmer)

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Superhero patrolling Beaverton streets goes by the name The Guardian Shield

It’s not a movie, it’s not a joke and it’s not pretend. A Beaverton man has decided to live out his dream in a most unusual way.  

By day, he works a normal job, but at night, he puts on red spandex tights, grabs a ballistic shield and patrols local neighborhoods looking to stop trouble and help those in need.

He goes by the name The Guardian Shield.

“I make sure no one is breaking into cars, no one’s fighting, everyone is getting home to their families after a hard day of work,” he said.

Read more

Weboofgoodnews.com  -  Facebook

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”#アドベンチャーワールド　#エンペラーペンギン　#コウテイペンギン もふもふが足りないあなたへ♡ http://t.co/js3yms7gIV”

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All The Times President Obama Lost His Chill Around Kids

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Welcome to Showside animated pilot, 2015 (x)

Read more about the project here and support the comic book too!

Here’s the project I worked on over the summer with my talented animator pals! Please check it out and support Showside if you enjoy it, we’re hoping this gets picked up for a series in the future!

You can also find the following fine folks on tumblr and the internet at large: IAN MCGINTY website // Brian Kaufman @briankproductions // Mallory Coronado @heyleelooface // Natasha Fishman @evilduckie227 // Giorgio Renna twitter // Servan Castillo @servansketch // Tristram Waples website // Svetlana Kandkhorova website // Kai Akira @kaiakira // Alyx Jolivet @alyxart // Rachel Gitlevich @racheldoodles // James Sugrue @jimgrue // Jacob Ospa @jacobospa // Adriel Garcia vimeo // Aaron Brewer website // Corinne Sudberg website

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Since it’s men’s health awareness month...

Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men. However I, and many other men, are unaware of the symptoms of prostate cancer as well as testicular cancer. So here they are! 

The symptoms of prostate cancer include:

Problems urinating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night.

Blood in the urine

Trouble getting an erection (erectile dysfunction)

Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer spread to bones

Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord

For prostate cancer it is difficult to do a self examination, so it is important to go to the doctor and get screened every now and then, especially if you’re between the ages of 40 and 70.  

The symptoms of Testicular cancer include: 

Any enlargement of a testicle

A significant loss of size in one of the testicles

A feeling of heaviness in the scrotum

A dull ache in the lower abdomen, back or in the groin

A sudden collection of fluid in the scrotum

Pain or discomfort in a testicle or in the scrotum

Enlargement or tenderness of the breasts

For testicular cancer, self examinations are fairly simple. You can find a diagram of that here. It is important to carry out this examination every month, regardless of age. 

If you think you have either one of these cancers, seek medical help immediately! waiting for the symptoms to go away will not help you.

Please continue to spread awareness for men’s health issues this November! 

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