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inevitably-johnlocked · 5 months

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What is something you wish more people understood about you or if you prefer about your job or hobbies?

Hey Lovely!!

Ahhh, oh gosh SO much, honestly.

So I'm a graphic designer by trade, and an illustrator and freelance designer as my side gig, and my hobbies are art-related as well.

FOR SURE, I have to say that I wish people respected designers as the creatives we are. I've GENUINELY had clients who think all I do is hit a "design ad" button and BOOM it's done, and don't think they should have to pay me because – and this is ONLY because I've been doing this for 20 years – I can finish a print ad in under an hour, and booklets under 5, not taking into account the AMOUNT OF CHANGES and STUPID things I have to talk people out of to not make them look bad.

Some other things:

Microsoft Word is not a design program. I HATED this when I worked at the Paper. Good fucking LORD the amount of times I've had to rebuild an ad because the client couldn't resize it themselves and couldn't understand why if they moved something everything fucked up is astounding.

Canva is good for mocking up design, but I'm sorry, you're NOT a designer if you learned design in Canva. I know it sounds gatekeepy and pretentious, and I am sorry about that, but even with Canva you need to know SOME principles of design to get something appealing out of it. A designer, after-all, MADE your templates you're working from. We're everywhere. We're a silent bunch that's under-appreciated. You're never going to get the precision and nuance and a proper eye that you'll get from a designer. Sure you'll get quick and dirty designs, work fine for socials, but I LOATHE when people send me shit they made in Canva that I have to, once again, rebuild because they can't figure out how to resize in Canva and complained to me that Canva isn't making it look nice when they export it (to be fair, that's a them problem, the tools ARE there for you to do that stuff)

When your designer tells you one thing and you're trying to push for another, your designer is trying to save you the embarrassment of your "vision". We know what we're doing. We spend most of our days knowing market trends and what will make eyes go to your advertisements and products.

Strokes don't fix everything.

I can't read your mind. PLEASE, if you wanted an element there from the start, you need to tell me, and not tell me I'm a fucking moron who should have guessed by the blobs you drew on a napkin as your layout.

Fuck AI; I see the benefits of it for smaller things like content aware fill to add a bit more height to a stock photo I'm using, or the smart-select to route a photo faster, but literally that's all I see useful for it.

I know there's loads more I'm missing, but I've seen SO much that I'm numb to a lot of things and tend to just "autocorrect" stuff without even thinking anymore.

I love my job though, I really do. The joke in my industry is that "I get paid to play in Photoshop all day long" and there is some truth to it after doing this for nearly 20 years. But I wish people would understand that we are trained professionals who want to make them look good, and to do that I need time and money. We are literally background characters for the main protagonists, and the pay isn't great unless you're really lucky (which I am, but it took me 12 years to finally get in where I am), and I wish people would stop saying my job is easy.

It literally is not. Think of it as retail, but you deal with the same people every single day nitpicking the tiniest things over and over again despite you telling them countless times that 6pt font is probably the smallest you should go, but no 3 pt must be on this ad.

Anyway. 🙃

My favourite though is Layout Design. I love designing the booklets and mailers we do at my job, because I get to be super creative. My boss is pretty lenient with me, since "you've been here longer than all of us, you know better than me how this works", so I get to have fun.

Thank you for this question :) And gonna promo myself here, if anyone ever needs design or layout services, I'm your gal :)

#steph replies #about me #graphic design #ask me anything #i love answering questions about my profession #because it's literally the only thing i'm good at #i pride myself on my skills

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hopevalley · 3 years

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Season 8, Episode 10: Old Love, New Love, Is This True Love

All right, so...like I said, work has picked up and my eyes feel like old marbles from staring at numbers (the woes of working in accounting I guess) so I want to get this written up and tossed into the nether before I lose steam and motivation to do it. The interesting thing about these little write-ups is that as the week goes on they just get harder and harder to write...

I do apologize in advance to those who like the long-winded write-ups. I’m just not up to it at the moment. Still feeling kind of bleh from the episode.

Let’s go back to an old format, shall we?

The Good

We might as well start out with the things about this episode that I enjoyed!

Gossip Hour with the Men was one of the best openers they’ve had on the show in a while. It was genuinely funny without being meanspirited. Nobody looked like the bad guy. Everyone just calmly talked about it alike it was a normal thing to maybe call off the wedding. Bill calling out Carson for giving marriage advice was pretty funny, Mike was a delight. I don’t know what to say. I’d watch a whole episode of The Boys just hanging around spending time together.

Florence’s worry that she’s ugly was...not a terrible idea for a storyline, but the actress is too good-looking to pretend to be ugly (I saw her in this pretty yellow dress on Instagram a couple years ago and she was smashing)? Also, it’s not like Ned is a handsomely aged gentleman (like Henry lol) so it makes even less sense for the characters. I think they should have gone with Florence feeling she’s “plain” and that dressing up Super Nice makes her feel uncomfortable because she just doesn’t feel like Herself and worries maybe it’s projecting a false sense of Who She Is or something? I guess overall I still liked that an attempt was made to add some depth to Florence and her difficulties in choosing a dress/hairstyle, so...it goes here.

Ned asking Henry to be his best man was nice, too. I can forgive the shoddy pacing and weird placement of this request (like I do with almost everything in the show) but only because the scene was just...so incredibly wholesome.

I like how Henry just casually is like, “Well maybe today’s just not the day.” I think it eased Ned’s mind just a little that he CAN back out if he really wants to.

I think it’s worth thinking about the fact that Ned and Henry would have always worked very closely, since the mercantile would have been a company store before the mine closed down... I like Henry and Ned as pals.

I’m glad the “investment” thing with Jesse and Clara’s savings was brought up in a way that...makes sense. And also, glad it wasn’t forgotten.

I really liked Molly and Florence in this episode. I’m a little sad Florence married Ned because I AM SORRY BUT I WANTED TO KEEP SHIPPING MOLLY AND FLORENCE TOGETHER UGHGHGHH

But their relationship is so good and maYBE Elizabeth will learn something from them.

Hey Elizabeth...you see that?

YOU SEE THAT?

Just saying.

And then later...

“You are the sister I never had, the mother I forever wanted, the friend I have always needed. From the depths of those dark and terrifying coal mines you’ve walked beside me, picking me up whenever I’ve stumbled along the way.”

AAAAAAAAA IT GOT ME.

I’m...really liking Fiona and Mike’s relationship, whatever it is. I kind of think they’re not headed toward anything romantic. Everyone thinks Mike is really into Fiona but at the end of the episode we realize he likes talking to her about business; it’s almost like they have this shared passion for numbers/ideas and he likes infodumping to her (and vice-versa).

I think they’re going to end up being “just friends” and Fiona will end up paired off with the man Elizabeth doesn’t choose. They hinted at Nathan briefly in this episode (with Allie’s hair), but who knows? I’m over trying to speculate on where the triangle is going at this point, but I actually like Fiona’s relationship with Mike so much that I’ll be disappointed if she fades into the background with Nathan or Lucas. Mike deserves more screentime.

Ned and Florence sharing their fIRST KISS. My husband got emotional over this. And I admit, it was starting to get to me, too. I can’t NOT root for them.

I said it before and I’ll say it again: I WOULD DIE FOR THE CANFIELDS.

The wedding was nice. I liked that Bill and Joseph officiated it together; it gives Joseph a li’l trial run of pastoring and finally Bill gets to use some of that power of his to officiate a wedding.

“Please, if you’d like” is such a Bill way to say that they may kiss LOL.

Also, I have to admit that I did enjoy Lucas calling Nathan out about Allie. She wouldn’t be caught in the middle if he’d leave Elizabeth alone AND HE IS RIGHT LMAO.

The last good thing: Elizabeth telling Nathan she doesn’t blame him for Jack’s death. Nice. Good. Thank you. He probably needed to hear that.

...THE BAD

Carson and Faith. UGH. UGHHHHHHHHHH. BREAK UP ALREADY I HATE YOU BOTH.

I appreciated that Carson had the ring ages ago, and I did like his conversation with Minnie—or more accurately, her advice to him. I felt like she was nudging him toward, “Remember why you became a surgeon in the first place.” If he became a surgeon to help people, then there’s no reason he can’t help people where he is. Sure, he might not be doing state of the art procedures but with Faith working alongside him, he can afford time to learn new things and go to doctor conventions or even take a specialized class now and then. No other doctor could get away for very long but he has that chance!

And he’ll arguably be doing more good in the middle of nowhere than in the city. All the doctors want to live in the city. Nobody wants to barely get paid for their time in the countryside.

We had a whole episode that made it clear that Faith and Carson don’t make a lot of money and do a lot of charity work. They also work for trade goods (mostly food). So it’s like...a pretty big difference in lifestyle?

Half the reason I can’t get invested in these characters is because I really can’t stand Paul Greene. He just...annoys me on every single level imaginable. But he’s a decent actor and I can’t help but feel that his character was a massive waste of space for the past few seasons through no fault of the man himself. Imagine introducing a character like Carson and then leaving him to rot before you try to make him interesting with a romance plot that nobody asked for.

Yes, some people really like Faith and Carson, but as a whole I think the fandom didn’t buy into them as a ship due to the lack of chemistry.

It really is a shame. This episode didn’t do a thing to endear me to either character. Please, Carson. I am begging you to leave town.

This one particular line of dialogue almost enraged me.

WE KNOW WE KNOW WE KNOW WE KNOW WE CAN SEE THAT FOR OURSELVES. WHY DID THEY HAVE ROSEMARY SAY THIS LIKE IT’S AN EPISODE OF A CHILD’S TV SHOW?

Elizabeth.........

How could Katie have...looked up to her? She was never in her class? That was? Never part of anything? It was just something they threw in here to force Elizabeth to make 1% more sense in the role she’s in but IT STILL DOESN’T WORK.

I felt like I was back in Season 5 again with Lori and Elizabeth putting their nose in everyone’s business except it’s just Elizabeth!! The whole plot, which was boring and contrived anyway, should have gone to Molly, since she’s Florence’s best friend and another woman from town that Katie would have known as a child.

AND ALSO, MOLLY WOULD HAVE KNOWN KATIE’S MOTHER AND WOULD REMEMBER THE GRIEF THAT NED STRUGGLED WITH.

I know they wanted to make Elizabeth give advice so that she’d Realize that she needs to, I don’t know, make better choices or something, but it was too on the nose for me and I hated it.

GinithePooh on Reddit made a good comparison to Elizabeth in this episode by saying she reminded them of Clippy from Microsoft Word, always popping up and offering to help when nobody really needs or wants advice.

To honor their incredible idea, I opened Photoshop and created this gem, which I will also be posting separately so that people can reblog it if they wish to.

I also don’t think I need to say also filed under The Bad is the fact that Elizabeth didn’t even apologize for being awful to Rosemary and then gave her unsolicited advice to other people for two days straight. I can’t believe they wrote that?

All I can say is that her apology to Rosemary, when it comes, better be good.

And I didn’t like this either:

I wish it had been followed up by literally anything: Nathan saying he’s sorry he didn’t tell her sooner or something to make the hand-holding actually be a little more innocent.

As it is, it just seems so deliberate?

Maybe the next episode starts off right in this scene and we’ll get that? If so, this might actually end up being fine. I just don’t think it is if it doesn’t get a little more direct attention.

& THE UGLY

I debated on putting anything in here, because I��m not ready to talk about my feelings on this matter, at least not fully. But I’ve been pretty quiet all season so far, and...eh, why not just mention things in advance? What will it hurt?

Let me preface this section by saying I’m biased and I doubt hardly anyone on this site will agree with me, so feel free to just ignore this part if that’s the case.

There are two things that I really didn’t like in this episode.

I hate the slanting toward Bill/Molly.

I like Molly just fine but I don’t like her with Bill. I’m biased as all getout and also worried about the future/potential Season 9 with regards to this. I don’t want to see it. Like at all. Why, you ask? You should know why if you follow me. I’m super transparent.

It’s because I like AJ AND I WANT HER BACK LOL.

John Tinker rewatched the series so we know he wouldn’t have missed that hanging plot thread—especially since he didn’t forget any of the other things that were brought up this season! So why didn’t she appear this season? The love triangle absolutely needed to be a focus or it would have never ended, so that’s part of it, but I’m also pretty sure Josie Bissett wasn’t interested in doing any filming last year during Covid. My only “proof” is that Wedding March 6 wasn’t filmed last year even though it was scheduled to be filmed, but it makes sense. Last year was chaos.

THAT SAID, Jack Wagner posted on his Instagram the other day that they are actually filming Wedding March 6 now, so... I guess AJ’s re-appearance in Season 9 wouldn’t come as too much of a surprise if they wanted to write it.

You’d think I’d be hyped about that, and I kind of am? But it doesn’t come without its share of worries, too. We just had the worst love triangle in the history of love triangles and I really don’t want another one, especially if it makes any of the characters in question look stupid or mean.

I fully admit a well-written love triangle could be a LOT of fun for them* (low stakes because they’re not front and center characters), but I saw how Nathan was written so far this season and I really, REALLY do not want to see that happen to Molly, Bill, or AJ.

Anyway, not a fan of the Molly/Bill stuff. No chemistry. I don’t want it.

*I would totally write a fanfic like this lmao.

And finally...the part that everyone will hate me for:

I DO NOT WANT TO SEE ABIGAIL COME BACK. And I specifically do not want her to come back ‘cause I do not wanna see Henry/Abigail happen.

I fully recognize that a lot of you like it and ship the heck out of it, and that’s...good. I’m glad you enjoy it. I loathe it, though, and I worry that all these hints (more like...mentions) are leaning toward...something. Like, either they’re:

1) Sending Abigail off/tying up that loose end with Henry (since nothing was ever clarified either way), or

2) Warming up the audience to receive Abigail back on the show.

I’m pretty into the idea of one-sided Henry/Abigail. Hindsight is 20/20, regrets, that’s all some juicy stuff to give a character like Henry. Some things can’t ever be made right again. He had too direct of a connection to the death of her husband and son for me to ever want to see them together. Forgiveness? Yes. A careful but meaningful friendship? Yes. Romantic relationship? Uh...no thanks.

I liked the Abigail mentions at first because I felt like...the character still mattered (as she should) but I’m at a point where I feel like they’re trying really hard to steer the fandom’s view a certain way and not knowing where it’s going is extremely unsettling to me.

I’ll probably talk more about the things that bother me when the season ends, because I’m hoping to have a better idea of where things are going to be headed, but for now just...know that I feel very apprehensive.

And keep in mind that I primarily watch this show for Bill these days, since all my previous faves (AJ, Frank, the old Abigail, Dottie) have exited, stage left. I also always really liked seeing Henry. So as you can imagine, seeing plotlines I hate for the only two characters I’m invested in? Is making me consider dropping the series next year.

My husband told me I should hate-watch it, but I don’t know if my heart can take it. I’ve been following this series for so long...it just...kind of hurts to feel let down like this?

But sometimes an ongoing series ends up going where you...didn’t want it to, and it becomes something that’s no longer right for you. I hope that doesn’t happen, but last night’s episode makes me feel like...it might be happening for real this time.

I guess if that holds true it’ll be back to fanfiction for me. Will that novelization I planned ages ago end up getting written? Will I write the best love triangle fanfic known to man? WHO KNOWS.

For now, we’ll all have to wait and see! Two more episodes left. I’m really curious to see how they resolve some of the open plots right now. :>

#when calls the heart #long post #character studies and information #analysis and meta discussion

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rennyforpresident · 4 years

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Renny’s BBSim: First Boots Week 12

Welcome back to Biiiiiiiiig Brother!

@ashleaevans @bathroom-sand @kaysarswhore @kayysarridha @kelleekim @lahallucinations @maxdoesbb @misshoh @music-obsessednerd @nerdphobic @nomwastaken @pawn2393 @phylisisley @remember-caltoru @rennyforpresident @shaolinbynature

Previously, the house target (and the house target since like week 3) @kaysarswhore finally got the boot. Now that the obvious target is out, how will the final 4 cope?

Now that the glue for all the alliances, @kaysarswhore, is gone, there are no alliances left. There are still two former Block Destroyers in the house, and @shaolinbynature has managed to slip to the final 4 after her showmance partner was voted out.

The HOH competition has never been more critical.

@lahallucinations: “The worst move I made was…

A. Throwing competitions the first week

B. Sending @rennyforpresident home on my HOH”

The correct answer is B, and everyone gets a point! (no I’m not bitter why do u ask)

@remember-caltoru: “My biggest regret in the game is…

A. Not winning an HOH

B. Not turning on my alliance”

The correct answer is B again, and @shaolinbynature is the only one to get it correct

@nomwastaken: “My favorite moment in the house was…

A. Seeing @misshoh throw the pizza rolls

B. Watching @kaysarswhore burn down the kitchen”

The correct answer was A, and @pawn2393 was the only one to get it wrong, meaning the other two each got one point. The score is currently 3-2-1 in favor of @shaolinbynature.

@nerdphobic: “The worst moment for me in the BB house was…

A. Breaking the hammock and being mocked for it

B. Getting evicted”

The correct answer was B, and @misshoh was the only one to get it right. The @shaolinbynature and @misshoh are now tied for first, with @pawn2393 in last with one point.

@phylisisley: “If I could change one thing about my game, it would be…

A. not using the veto on @kaysarswhore

B. winning an HOH for myself”

The correct answer is A, and everyone gets it right.

@kelleekim: “One thing I’ll never forget about the BB house is…

A. All of the fighting!

B. @nerdphobic breaking the hammock!”

The correct answer is B, and everyone gets it right again.

With only one question left, @pawn2393, it is impossible for you to catch up.

Final question. @kaysarswhore: “The best move I made in the house was…

A. convincing @phylisisley to use the veto on me

B. Winning 3 HOHs and 2 Veto competitions to secure my safety”

@shaolinbynature answers A. @misshoh answers B. The winner of this weeks HOH competition is…

@shaolinbynature! You have secured your safety for the week, and earned the right to nominate two of your fellow houseguests for eviction! And I’m pretty sure 5 HOHs in the same season is definitely a BB record!

@shaolinbynature in the DR: “I just need to win one more HOH next week, and the money is mine. I’m confident I can sweep a jury vote, I just need to make it there! The question is, who do I have the best shot of winning against?”

At the nomination ceremony, @shaolinbynature stands and makes her decision.

@shaolinbynature: “I have decided to nominate you, @misshoh and you @ashleaevans. My logic is simple here. @misshoh, we’ve never been on the same side of this house, and you’ve consistently gunned to get me out. I don’t want to go to the end with someone like that. @ashleaevans, we have been on the same side of the house, but you’re the bigger threat out of you and @pawn2393. It’s clear y’all will take each other, so it doesn’t make sense for me to risk my spot in final 2 with you. This nomination ceremony is adjourned.”

@misshoh in the DR: “I need to win this veto. Period. @pawn2393 will NOT have my back, and @ashleaevans will stay if noms stay the same. This is not the end of the road for me, mark my words.

@ashleaevans in the DR: “Noms don’t really matter, because everything is decided by the veto. As long as myself or @pawn2393 wins it, I’m good! I have my eyes on the prize, and that prize is half a million dollars baby.

@pawn2393 in the DR: “I have a big decision to make. If noms stay the same, do I stay loyal, or vote out the bigger threat? I don’t know what the right move is…”

This one is for all the marbles! The final veto of the summer gives the winner the chance to decide the final nominees, and decide who will cast the sole vote to evict. Everyone out here wants it, but only one person will walk away with the necklace.

The competition lasts for 25 minutes, and after a tense battle, one houseguest emerges victorious.

@pawn2393! You have won the FINAL Power of Veto of the summer!

@pawn2393: “My first comp win could NOT have come at a better time! I secured this guy, now I just need to make sure I make the right choice going forward.”

@pawn2393 has no choice but to not use the veto, and the nominees automatically stay the same.

Before eviction though, the houseguests are left to their own devices.

@ashleaevans and @pawn2393 are talking in the bedroom about the decision this week

@ashleaevans: “When we’re in final 3, we just have to take each other! This is best case scenario!”

@pawn2393: “I know! I just have to tip toe around @misshoh all week, I hope she takes the vote well.”

@pawn2393 in the DR: “I know that I’m telling him that I’m keeping him, but I’m not sure yet. @misshoh might be easier to beat in the end, and everybody knows I need someone that’s easy to beat.”

While these two are talking, @misshoh and @shaolinbynature are in the HOH room talking.

@misshoh: “Those two are downstairs hamming it up, and you’re gonna get screwed in this final HOH. I hope you know that.”

@shaolinbynature: “I cannot beLIEVE that @pawn2393 won that. I should have taken it home, I can’t believe I fucked up at this point. If I lose this final HOH, what was even the point of all of this. Why did I even come back again?”

@shaolinbynature makes a lot of threats, but @misshoh convinces her that she’s not finished yet. Both of them need to campaign to keep @misshoh here, so @pawn2393 is their next target of conversation.

The morning of the eviction, @misshoh pulls @pawn2393 into the storage room.

@misshoh: “Listen, you know that if you keep him he’s winning this whole thing. You’re screwed unless you keep me, you know that, right?”

@pawn2393: “I just need to reason out if that’s true. The only jury vote I’d get would be from @ashleaevans if I’m up against you, and I don’t want to screw that up by betraying him.”

@misshoh: “You need to play with balls! This is the move that will let you gain the jury’s respect! Make it now!”

The time to evict has come!

(sorry for the shitty microsoft paint photoshop i am artistically talentless adsfkjh)

Arisa: “Hello houseguests! Let me introduce you to Julie Chen! We’ve made up, settled our differences, and now we’re doing this eviction together!”

Julie: “Yes! I’ve learned the error of my ways, and I’m excited to be back! Now, let’s hear those last minute pleas from our nominees!”

@misshoh: “My argument is this. @ashleaevans is not only the bigger competitive threat here, but the bigger social threat. If you are sitting next to him in the final 2, you will lose. The jury will vote for him. I’m not saying they won’t vote for me, but you have a better shot against me than him. Please, make this move, and let’s start playing Big Brother.”

@ashleaevans: “ @pawn2393, you know I have had your back since the beginning. You’re my best friend in here, and there’s no way I’d ever betray you. I know you have my back, and I have full faith in you. That’s all.”

Arisa: “Whenever you’re ready, @pawn2393, please stand and cast your vote to evict.”

@pawn2393: “This decision was one that I did not take lightly, and I want both of you to know that I respect the hell out of you. But, I have to do what’s right in the game and in my heart. That being said…

Julie: “Come on out @misshoh!”

Julie: “It’s good to see you, but I’m sure you didn’t want to see us! How was your time in the BB house?”

@misshoh: “Honestly, this time was 10 times crazier than last time, but I still loved it that much more. I had a great time playing, even if I was a comp flop and a robbed 4th place queen!”

Arisa: “That you are! Why do you think @pawn2393 chose to evict you over @ashleaevans?”

@misshoh: “My bet is just because they’re so close. There’s no reason for @pawn2393 to sit in the end with @ashleaevans other than the fact that they’re BFFs. It’s personal and not BB, and I don’t think he made the right move.”

Julie: “Well we’ll see what the right move was when we see you tomorrow, where we crown the winner of Renny’s BBSim: First Boots.”

Arisa: “The finale is next! Who will be our supreme? Find out tomorrow. For now, from outside the Big Brother house, I’m Arisa Cox.”

Julie: “And I’m Julie Chen.”

Together: “And remember, someone is aaaaaaaaalways watching!”

@misshoh! Fills the role of the 4th place robbed queen and we will MISS YOU!

But finale night is tomorrow!!! I haven’t looked at the results so idk who wins this but goddamn if this wasn’t a season for the books

#bb22 #bbsim #bbsim first boots

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iampikachuhearmeroar · 4 years

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y’know i love memes as much as anyone else on this hellsite and the internet in general. but one meme i can’t stand now, as well as a joke used by older comedians about ~kids today!!!! am i right???~ that i can’t stand now, is the one that’s like “all 10 year olds want today is an iphone or an ipad or a macbook for their birthday or christmas! all i got for my 10th birthday/christmas as a kid was a tennis racquet and a tether ball that hit me in the face! kids are so spoilt today! you better get an i-job to i-pay for your spoilt mac-ass!”

because like.... do you not understand that in today’s increasingly over-connected world, ipads and macbooks or other tablets/laptops are pretty much required school equipment now, if your 10yo kid’s primary/elementary etc school has a ~bring your own device~ policy for kids in years 4-6??? like obviously yes, some schools will provide students with laptop/tablet trolleys and stuff.... or also the government might have a program to roll out laptops/tablets to schools (like australia did under rudd and gillard).... that some schools will literally put “parents must get a reliable tablet computer or laptop computer for their child to use for assignments”. when it comes to high school, i imagine that they’ll need their own laptop/tablet the whole way through their time there, if there is no longer any school provided or limited school provided laptops/desktop computers/tablets.

that’s besides the point that laptops etc are even more so required now than ever before, after everyone was forced to do homeschooling because of covid??? so. practically. a kid asking for a macbook/ipad or other tablets/laptops for their birthday or christmas, isn’t such a bad idea for a present??? even if yeah. apple is overrated and overpriced to the max. but suck it up and pay for your child’s future education??? even it means getting a cheaper laptop or tablet for your kid.

all i can say on the above point is that yes. the idea of ~bring your own device~ policies does set many families back- especially those in/from lower income areas/backgrounds or single parent families... considering that a decent tablet will set you back at least $500 and a decent mini laptop is around the same.... but bigger and better laptops are around $1000 on sale (windows) or idek like $1,200 on an apple education pricing deal. like yeah. it’s a demarcation thing and also setting some people up to fail. and again, this has been made increasingly obvious during covid due to different families acces to buying laptops/tablets or other internet connection means. i also understand that these big ticket item purchases of tablets/laptops hits the hip pockets of everyone harder during the pandemic, especially if you’re struggling with debt like mortgage repayments or whatever while being made redundant or are being paid less while working from home.

okay. not to sound like a spoilt brat of a kid, but i got my first laptop, an i-book G4 for my 10th birthday in 2005. then almost 10 years later, i got a macbook for my 18th birthday (and for my HSC/end of high school exams) in 2013. yes, this is the macbook that i promptly fucked up two years later in 2015, by trying to encrypt the hard drive, since i was taking it to uni and it had all my internet passwords remembered on it along with my banking details. the same goes for my other windows laptop... where the hard drive just decided to fry itself like 4 months into me using it, along with the trackpad. and that was a $1,200 ASUS laptop (bought on sale) that i was using for uni. and then finally my little HP stream laptop’s keyboard shorted out halfway through a creative writing class (that was $500 and it only has a 28gb hard drive so it’s very light and good for transport).

but my point is, me having my own laptop (as opposed to using the family computer only) helped me immensely in my studies..... and they were literally fucking essential to me both in business college and uni. but they were also helpful in late high school, considering that 90% of my assignment work was expected to be typed out in microsoft word or powerpoint or excel (for maths and science). or for more creative projects, i was expected to use adobe photoshop and video editing software like imovie or adobe premiere pro (art/computer tech/drama/that weird year 7 subject i did called INTEL) and garageband/sibelius (for music). how on earth was i supposed to keep doing work on adobe photoshop or word etc at home if i didn’t have my own laptop to continue the work???

because as a final point, for me, literally by year 10 in 2011, NOT ONE of my assignments was expected to be handwritten (bar my actual exams or in class tests; also state tests/exams etc; or if it was a poster or visual art). if you dared to turn in something handwritten, the teacher and student interaction would be like the following example:

teacher to a kid whose handed in a handwritten assignment: did you not read the assessment outline? it said WORD PROCESSED WITH WORD! what is this handwritten thing? okay fine. i’ll take it this time. but read the outline next time, timothy!

timothy: *stammers out* s-sorry miss/s-sorry sir *stalks away from the teacher’s desk in embarrassment and shame*

the teacher, probs thinking to themself: weird that a kid thinks they can hand in something handwritten. silly, really.

the above scenario was the same for me in years 11 & 12. also, by year 9/2010, we were using the education management system moodle (and maybe early stage presi for online presentations) for both of our HSIE subjects (history and geography) and i think a couple of other subjects, during most lessons and especially for class work that involved group work/class discussions, via online discussion boards function. my year group was actually was actually one of the test year groups for the early models of moodle. so by the time i was in uni, i was a native to using moodle; so i could skip the “moodle help tutorial” subject portions on it in every class.

hell, for today, i wouldn’t be surprised if foreign language subject faculties in high schools are now using school subscription class accounts or something for duolingo or babbel. and today, kids are learning coding from like year 4 onwards, i think, on apps at school as part of their science & tech studies lesson portion of the day. how on fucking earth are kids meant to keep up with their class work progression on coding apps or whatever, at home, if they don’t have their own laptop/tablet??? ridiculous. how would kids fare today without their own laptop/tablet, if all of their classwork for homeschooling is on like google drive/cloud or whatever other open source drive/open source cloud software their school uses?? or any other apps that their school might use??? obviously we are seeing this play out in real time during the pandemic, world over, where if a child is in a single parent family or if their two parents don’t have adequate enough resources/have been fired or let go from their jobs/juggling working from home and homeschooling; then it’s hurting these kids likelihood of doing well with distance learning.

but yeah. my point is that if your kid is asking you for a laptop or a tablet (regardless of brand) for their birthday or christmas, maybe buy them one?? because you never know. it may be the very thing at the top of their student resource list for the following school year. and also. do you know what stops kids fighting over their access to the family computer/tablet to do their assessments etc??? buying them their own personal laptops or tablets. even if they do cost an arm and a fucking leg. get your heads out of your asses and help your own goddamned kids (or relatives if it’s a nephew/niece etc asking for one) like you’re supposed to.

okay. for phones. i’ll admit i wouldn’t like a 10 year old having their own phone, because of social media being so easy to access on them. but if you don’t allow them to use the app store and don’t allow them to download instagram/facebook et al..... and give them the phone solely for safety reasons, i think that’s fine?

i’ve had a phone since i was 10 years old. also not to sound awfully clichè, but i turned out okay??? i had to have a phone back in year 4/2005 due to safety and also family issues. do you know what my teachers did with it? locked it away in their desk til the end of the day. obvs they had to remind me to take it home sometimes (bc i did leave it behind at school in the desk a few times lmao) but yeah. i was alright. if a kid wants a phone..... maybe make a compromise and get the classic nokia 3310 or something?? like i obvs agree that kids as young as 10 defs don’t need a smartphone like an iphone or a samsung galaxy. but a rock solid and basic nokia 3310 or whatever with no wifi access??? that’s good enough imo.

#life #about me #shut up ilona

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mrpotatobrown · 6 years

Text

73. DREAMS come true

3... 2... 1... Blast Off! And the drawing’s Done. I’m most of all happy with how fast I doodled it out using Microsoft’s free ‘Notebook’ drawing/writing software on my Tablet, and that’s truly down to the app’s accessibility. Could I have used more powerful sketching software? Yes. Would it have resulted in a better drawing? Probably. But trying to juggle layers in Sketchbook or fight with the insufferable clunkiness of Photoshop is just something I don’t enjoy facing, and so I’ll stick to my quick simple doodles. And I’m happy with that.

Because making it all result oriented can sometimes destroy the enjoyment of the process, (not that I’m saying a result isn’t important, rather the journey is equally crucial) and I openly admit that I sketch away on Notebook because I enjoy it for many of the same reasons I adore writing: It’s the fastest way to get my ideas down.

Throughout my entire childhood, my imagination was fast and fickle, Ideas rushing in faster than I could output them, which resulted in a short attention span on any projects that took longer than, well, a sit-down. And so when a tool pops up that allows me to get ideas down faster, which potentially cuts out that “Photoshop” middleman, it ALWAYS draws my attention, especially if it yields the same high-end results.

But, as a filmmaker who wants to dabble in music, Game design and anything and everything, these tools seldom pop up. Sure, everything’s most certainly become more user-friendly, especially with such game engines like ‘Unity’ and ‘Unreal 4′ now becoming freely accessible, cutting out a lot of Dev. time/hurdles. But these advancements have never articulated in the form of tools that make animating, game design, music and everything in-between feel as intuitive as the sketch I did above on my Tablet or the essay I’m plonking out on my keyboard as we speak (or read).

Until recently, most notably announcements of an upcoming Tool made at the last Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

But let us jump back a moment for there’s an origin to this great new tool; an earlier iteration that’s celebrating it’s Ten-year anniversary right now, a birthday I’m personally celebrating with the way it changed games/creativity forever. I know that sounds hyperbole, but trust me when I say this comes from the most Sincere place in my heart, a heart that yearned throughout my entire childhood as I stuck together simple stick men levels in Alien Hominid (Ps2, 2004) or laid out cookie cutter racetracks in RC Revenge Pro (Ps2, 2000) for the game I speak of next brought that childlike wonder back into my heart. I’m speaking of the warm, fuzzy, ambitious and very successful:

Released Ten years ago by Media Molecule (also known as Mm), a small team compiled of such visionaries like Alex Evans and Mark Healy which was founded in 2006*, their first outing on Ps3 from a distance looks like a simple fabric styled platformer. But sown (excuse the pun) deep into the fabric (sorry) of its very roots were creative ideas that grew larger than life.

* 2006 also being the year they released ‘Rag Doll Kung Fu’ which was the first third-party game to be distributed on Steam. Their progressive thinking was there from the start.

The articulation of these ideologies can be best expressed through Mark Healy’s early foray into game development when he programmed titles for the Commodore 64 (Console, 1982, also known as C64). The C64 was the Guinness Record champion for most units sold at 10-17 million units, a record laid to rest with future consoles such as PS2 hitting over 155 Million. Yet, in recent interviews, Mark has spoken of those open source tools that allowed him to create with relative ease, and how as future consoles rolled out into people's homes which ended up selling more and more with each passing generation, that accessibility to create was lost. I mention the word ‘accessibility’ like a broken record because that’s the very word Media Molecule seem to have as their unofficial modus operandi. It’s their very soul!

And it was this very soul that was poured into their 2008 juggernaut, Little Big Planet (Also known as LBP), which was teased far earlier than it’s release (to my impatient frustration); I saw the announcement perhaps a year before, the game post-phoned, but I had a taste of the potential and it was the only thing my heart called out for every day leading up to its release*. Finally, a game that gave me the tools to make my very own games.

* This part was actually true. Extreme? Sure, but I was stuck on an Farm growing up so it was the light in my tunnel.

The Puzzle Platformer’s official slogan was “Play, Create, Share”, basically boiling down to a Gaming Youtube with the tools ready built in. Here’s a cute 10-year-old trailer that best expressed this warm fun collaborative charm and it’s progressive stance on creativity (as well as one of the funkiest Game soundtracks from recent memory). You could make levels with ease, publish, get “views” (in this case, plays) and “likes” (expressed through Hearts) and then surf Mm’s servers to play other's creations. The first worry expressed by Critic’s was that no one would want to make levels, but Youtube as a creative platform was already the monolith of proof that this was not the case; people wanted creative output, and once the game was released with Metacritic scores averaging around 95% the Game sold well and the coMmunity was born.

The creative tools were easy to grasp but hard to master, the layers of ways to utilise them for more complicated contraptions and professionally polished levels took time to learn; fumbling around to mediocre results might draw you to the conclusion that quality couldn’t be obtained, but Mm cleverly put those anxieties to rest by including a campaign that was built exclusively with those very same tools. You had no excuse apart from “lack of practice”, and this pushed the coMmunity to make all kinds of contraptions from Mm’s physics-based engine, including someone building a fully functioning Calculator (the Creator even allowing you to fly around Jet-pack style to see how complicated the mechanisms were; turns out, very).

LBP 2 built on that success, implementing a new refined tool called ‘Logic’ (among other improvements) which was an array of different microchips with simple functions that could be wired together to essentially ‘code’ objects to do your bidding. It was deceptively simple and never bogged down the ease that was at the heart of LBP’s Creative tool-set. The step up between games showed up past ‘peak’ coMmunity created inventions (namely the previously mentioned calculator) as bare-bones in what you could achieve with this new instalment.

I poured hours into these games, playing every LBP sequel; the future iterations were handled well by Sumo Digital (LBP 3) and Tarsier Studios, Double Eleven and XDev (LBP Vita). Mm also produced the Bafta-winning Vita/Ps4 Tearaway which I’m part way through now, enjoying endlessly in an attempt to fill the void till their next highly anticipated game.

For once again they’ve teased a pipeline title which the public await with bated breath; their next instalment in their Creative franchise (and the very reason I’m writing this article) doesn’t just build on their previous efforts of community-based tools but fully realises them. They finally made what I and many others have always wanted, a Gaming engine with the ease of drawing; a level creator that’s as simple as me typing on this keyboard; the true Youtube of gaming:

I love the LBP franchise a whole lot (still play it now), but whatever I built always felt a construct of ‘LBP’; the most approachable expressive tools I’ve ever used still restricted by the 2.5D realm of Sackboy’s recognisably cloth based world, and while you could creatively open up the borders to reveal new perspectives and ways to make games there was always the nagging feeling that you weren’t truly making YOUR game, you were making a game for Mm. This wasn’t their fault, and it’s not like you could point at any other accessible tool to exemplify these faults, because Mm was leading the charge, and still are. But this upcoming release of their new title aptly named Dreams (Beta 2018, full release TBA) shows with ease that Mm doesn’t just continue to lead this push forward, but are doing so with such an extent as to potentially shake up the gaming industry; for you truly are now making YOUR game.

Strong words are easily backed up with results I’ll show further down, but the final hurdle on their next instalment’s success isn’t just the quality or function of the final output (which Mm shows with confidence on their near-weekly streams and collaborations with other gaming developers via Twitch/Youtube) but with how the market will react to it, or if they even will react at all considering a relatively quiet reception in the wake of AAA games like Red Dead 2 and other heavyweights.

But before we discuss that further, speaking of a game like this with mere words doesn’t really do Dreams justice. I’ve watched nearly every video they’ve released across this last year so here are, in my opinion, the videos that best exemplify what their upcoming game/tool has to offer:

Trailer (TGA 2017 Trailer), which is the shortest of the bunch, quickly highlighting the general feel and look of Dreams.

Game Informer’s playthrough of campaign levels, which is fantastically demoed by Veteran Mm founder and C64 programmer Mark Healey.

A run through of fun bite-sized levels made by their team, showing off the astounding variety and how each level flows into the next like a Youtube playlist.

And should you choose to watch only one of these videos, choose this next one; Game Informer’s Rapid-Fire Q sesh (with other Mm Founder Alex Evans), which isn’t just informative but should also be commended as creative and engaging journalism at it’s finest, running at the speed of a scripted TomSka Sketch* (It should be noted that Game Informer has been hitting it out of the park over the last month with their fun and insightful cover of Dreams).

* ’TomSka’: a popular Youtuber, famous for the ASDF Cartoon sketches and his fast and frentic comedic sketches. He’s done much, and with such a consistently recognisable style and tone across all projects it could be argued he’s an auteur, which excites me greatly that Youtube can own such a phrase and that ‘auteur’ could also translate to the users on Dreams (the platform I indulgently want to be referenced coining the term ‘Youtube of Gaming’. I’ll stop saying it when everyone else starts.)

TL;DR to sum up those clips: Dream’s works. Not just in regards to it building on LBP in every conceivable way (especially in being fully 3 dimensional) but also being easier to use, with motion controls utilised to essentially free-mould the level around you, and the jump between creative and playing being even more seamless; I was previously going to link three individual videos, title-ing them ‘PLAY’, ‘CREATE’ and ‘SHARE’ respectively, knowing there are such videos that focus on each aspect out there (shown at this year’s E3), but the Videos linked above demonstrate far clearer how the boundaries between those three different worlds are getting harder and harder to define; less “Play, create, share” and more “placrehare”... which isn’t as catchy but you get the idea.

Above: Picture of the Mm Team taken by Game Informer during their visit.

Everything about this game covers all aspects of game creation, even in terms of building a CV the defines your best skills (Animator, Modeler, Musician etc.) and then allowing you to allocate different roles to different creators (if you so wish). Objects/characters/music/levels etc. can be shared and remixed, creating a library of never-ending stock objects which either help fill in your weaknesses or set up a foundation to build on. Everything is built around a coMmunity which is so heartwarming considering an industry which, much like the film industry, is very clicky and “who you know”.

To prove how Mm appose this, and help highlight their deep-set sincerity, online creators from some of the finest levels on LBP were later hired by Mm to work in their company on future projects based on how well they grasped the tools. Mm recognised them for their talents and allowed these artists to flourish, artists who may have never broken into their dream profession without that much-needed step up.

This harks back to that phrase I’m trying to coin: “A Youtube of Gaming”. Film-making has gotten far more approachable over the last 10 years with equipment becoming progressively more affordable and every PC/MAC coming pre-loaded with editing software. The ability to share with ease online has helped many Video creators land roles in the industry or even create their own*.

* Youtube channels FreddieW (now named Rocketjump) and Corridor Digital (founded by Niko and Sam) springing to mind; their effects driven action/comedic shorts is what made many even consider film-making as an option (they even put out free tutorials/BTS) and their channels frequently collaborate with each other, other channels and even known names (Smosh, Key and Peele, and Jimmy Kimmel to name a few).

And so this is what makes Dreams so special; a chance to lower down the industries’ impenetrable defences and highlight player’s hidden talents with a tool that’s grown beyond ‘making levels for Mm’s games’ and matured (while retaining its essential charm) into a fully fledged game engine*.

* Many of you might think I’m counting eggs before they’ve hatched; understandable, but even if the game came out as a mere shadow of it’s intentions (which at this lately developed stage I doubt considering their showcases), the idea is already there. With VR and motion controls improving across all platforms there will doubtlessly be an imitator who can pick up where they left, improving from their failures. Failures I believe unlikely due to Mm’s track record of achievement and future support (they’re very involved with their CoMmunity, hence why I’ve placed a Mm in every use of the word CoMmunity (not my idea btw, Mm do this themselves)).

But more importantly than this future engine’s apparent depth is it’s accessibility, which cleans the slate of any straight up coding (LBP’s ’Logic’ is still there in spirit), rubs away clunky creation and puts all the tools under one roof with a platform to share and collaborate on. An infinite world of infinite creations that you can join your friends to play, Sofa sharing or online, streaming through playlists or creating, new content or remixed, in infinite combinations with infinite flexibility with an accessibility that has been unheard of until this game/engine.

Above: Front Cover Mm did for Game Informer’s November issue, which was created entirely within Dreams.

Which brings me to why I’m writing this article. I’m not writing extensively of the tools you can use, I’m linking other journalists’ work and mostly speaking of Mm’s past and what their new game could mean; so what’s the function of this? Well, as mentioned earlier, their success on something so CoMmunity led will be based on how the CoMmunity utilise it, which first and foremost means they need a CoMmunity to start with. And as also mentioned earlier, I think the reception for this game is relatively quiet compared to larger AAA games; this feels wrong to me in so many ways, as Dreams with the right support could literally shake up the gaming industry and influx a new wave of creative talent, showcasing an entourage of new ideas; a French New Wave of Games but, well, British (at least in origin). And I want this to be heard. I’m writing this article because I want to support them, in an attempt to build awareness. Because I want them to succeed. For their success will change so much in so many innovative ways.

When I saw all this beautiful creative potential oozing from their E3 trailers earlier this year something inside me changed. It wasn’t a new feeling, not at all, rather a familiar one; one I missed. It was that childlike wonder I had so long ago; that awe and glee when I watched the announcement trailer for LBP; the many days I sat scribbling and doodling on the floor as a child in those long stretched out Summer holidays; those 3 hour long GCSE English Language exams where I would write out whatever story popped into my head (honestly, only exam I ever enjoyed). Those are some of the happiest days of my life: pure unchained creativity with seamless tools.

Finally, those days are returning. Finally, I can be a child once more. And hopefully, so can you <3

#blog #blogger #news #writer #writing #gaming #gamer #game #2018 #Dreams #media molecule #playstation #ps4 #LittleBigPlanet #little big planet #Mm #Future #Potato #writerblr #writers on tumblr #E3

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nidurali · 7 years

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by Shahjahan R

It was 1996. It was two years since I resigned my job in a publishing concern, undertook various works for a living, and lastly started a desktop publishing unit (DTP – typing and layout desining of books). I purchased a computer, but, to be frank, I have never touched a computer earlier! In the company where I worked earlier as a manager, there were a few systems. Computer operators used to operate them, but I have never touched one. I have seen the backside of the monitor through the small windows in railway booking / bank counters. Those were the days when people used to believe that computers must be kept in AC room, otherwise they will heat up… If you press any wrong key by mistake everything will be lost… The computer which I purchased for my DTP unit was a 386 model, i.e. IBM 386. IBM means not a branded one, but an assembled one, with an Intel i386 microprocessor. One of my friend’s friend’s friend was running a computer assembling company in Munirka, and he brought the system and fixed it in our office. People who read this story today may not be aware what is a 386. Before 386, there was another version called 286. Even before that, there were systems without hard disks. Anyway, let me come to my system. The system had 260 MB hard disk, Windows 3.0 version, Page Mager 4. UPS were not common then, and so I had opted for a power stabiliser which weighed about 8 Kg, and costed 6500 rupees. A 14″ monochrome monitor. I had already purchased a Laser Printer – HP Laserjet 4Plus – with the help of Nakkeeran Gopal. That was the best printer HP ever produced. My Computer had 4 MB RAM (YES, not 4 GB, just 4 MB)! If you are surprised about 4 MB RAM, I will narrate another story. After a few months, I wanted to increase the RAM, as my system was slow. Through one of my friends I got another 4 MB RAM – i.e. 4 chips of 1 MB each – for 800 rupees. So, all the 8 slots of RAM in the motherboard were full ! Those were the days when we used to type in MS-DOS. Even formatting of typed text could be done in DOS – i.e. Disk Operating System. For copying, deleting of files, we used DOS commands. Completed works were saved in floppy disks. There were two kinds of floppys – one was 5.25″ and another 3.5″. Microsoft Word was yet to come. The office space I selected for my unit was in Indrapuri, a congested area populated by working class Tamil people. I got a computer, but not an operator. Then came a lady for interview. She was about 5 feet tall, slim, and her fingers were thin and lengthy – just like my fingers. Her husband too accompanied her. Already I have installed a Tamil software – fonts as well as typing tool. I gave her a few pages to type in Tamil. Her fingers moved over the keyboard as if a dancer’s feet moving on the stage. She did not look at the keyboard at all. The Tamil software which I had installed could not cope up with her typing speed, and letters appeared on the screen only after about 15-20 seconds after she typed. Her name was Mythili. No need to say that Mythili Sankaran was appointed. In the last twenty years or so, I have purchased a few more computers / laptops. A few more operators came and went. But, she was the only one who became a member of our family, my trustworthy right hand in my works. Even if I had to go to south on holidays, she will manage alone. During my young age, after finishing high school education, it was a norm in those days that one has to learn typewriting – if an institute was available. And, typing institutes were there in almost all towns. It was a place for young lovers too. I too joined in one of the institutes and went there daily carrying a few white sheets, rolled in my hand. I too learnt English typing, typewriter mechanism, etc., but forget everything in the next 30 years. Now I have to start to learn typing a…s…d…f…g…f… from Mythili again. She also taught me how to operate the system. She was my First Teacher. Then came Windows 3.1…, 3.1.1, … 95, 98, … to XP. Page Maker 5.0, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0. We both learnt a lot as the systems and the softwares were improving. We both learnt to type in Inscript keyboard. Her typing speed was amazing. She was an expert in creating shortcuts using autocorrect to type lengthy words in MS Word, thus she can just type three / four alphabets for a 15-20 letter words. As there was a need for working in other designing softwares, I learnt Corel Draw, Photoshop etc., in which she could not excel, yet she also worked on them. She used to say, “Sir, you have excelled your guru – guruvukku minjiya shishyan!” Even now her words reverberate in my years. Her typing method was different. She would sit on the chair with her legs folded – as if sitting in floor. A copyholder will be kept on the left side of the monitor where manuscript will be kept. Her eyes will move only on the script, she won’t look at the monitor. She will type one para / page, then press Control+S, then go through the typed matter, correct any spelling mistake visible, then press Control+S again. Even today I have a few books which she has typed, but still pending for my layout designing. Whenever I see or open those files, I can visulalise her sitting and typing. * * * Phone will ring. It may be a call from her brother Raghavan. Their dialogue will go on in a typical Tamil Brahminical language. Phone will ring again, and it may be a client. Her language will be purely official – either in Hindi or in Tamil. She knew almost all my clients and almost all of them were happy with her behaviour. * * * Occasionally we had some interesting conversations. — Sir, why almost all the poets behave like fools? — What, fools? Whom you are talking about? — I am talking about Bharathi. Chellamma borrows rice from here and there for making food and this Bharathi throw the rice to crows and birds! Was he nuts? What was there in his head – brain or something else? This happened when she was typing Bharathi’s biography. — What would be the age of Thiruvalluvar when he died? About 300? — Why are you asking like this? — See, If I start to write a letter to my dad, it takes about a week to complete. This man, Thiruvalluvar, has written almost all matters that too in a crisp manner. That means he should be having a lot of experience. That experience could not be gained in a single life time like us. This conversation happened when she was typing Thirukkural. — Wah … wah… Got a manuscript written by …………………… Ha!, for a few days it wont be difficult for typing. She said this when a new manuscript arrived, and the translator’s handwriting was so good that it would look like printed matter. — Oh my….! I have got this ………………………… manuscript!!! If he comes here, we should teach him how to write – like a teacher beat his hand with a stick. She will say this when a manuscript with a poor handwriting comes to her. (Whom she referred here is also here in Facebook. He has also read this.) — I am surprised how this man was able to understand what is in a woman’s mind! This comment was about Aadhavan, a short story writer. * * * How she could make everyone as her friend was a mystery for me. People known to me, my clients, my friends, relatives – she could talk with everyone with ease. Every year, on my birthday, first b’day wish will come from her. (Normally I don’t remember my birthday.) Once she came with a bag. I asked her what was that. “Yesterday I went to the market. Purchased a t-shirt.” “T-shirt?! For whom?” “For our Jaya.” “Jaya? Who Jaya?” “Our Jayakuamar Sir! Today is his birthday.” Jayakumar was a young man from Tirunelveli, who came to Delhi in search of a job, and was with me for a few years. He became one of my family members. Mythili had a great memory power. She never failed to wish people known to me on their birthdays or marriage days. … Do you remember this day? This is the day when I joined. … Today is Jai Shankar’s birthday. Have to wish him. … Ten years back you shifted to this place on the same day. … Have you wished your sister’s daughter? Today is her marriage day. … Last year, on this day, we all went to India Gate, do you remember? * * * Her first child was a daughter, Dharini. Second one was a son, Manikandan. After the second delivery, she was diagnosed with diabetes. Subsequently, both the kidneys were affected. Yet, both were functioning on 50% of their capacity and she could manage with a little medication and a strict diet. After a few years, health problems came up. By that time, modem has come into use, and typed files could be sent by e-mail. So, I gave her a computer to work from her home. Manuscript will be given to her, and she will type and send mails. Her husband Sankaran will take / bring manuscripts. Occasionally I will also visit her home to service the computer. By 2010, complications increased. She had to go for dialysis. Because of her health, she had to opt for peritoneal dialysis – done at home. As a chain reaction, problems also came up – getting medicine in time, infection, getting service of a nurse occasinally for changing the tubes fitted with her body. Yet, she was working until August 2010. By the end of the month of October 2010, I had to go to Tamil Nadu on some personal work. Before leaving for south I called her and informed about my trip. “Please visit me before you leave Sir,” she requested. “I am sorry, I have heavy load of works to finish before I leave. If I come there, whole day will be gone. Don’t worry, I will visit immediately on my return,” I said. One 1st November, I was sitting in a browsing centre in Tiruppur, to write an article for All India Radio, which was to be broadcast next day. For about 20 years, I used present a programme on sports for AIR. I had to send it by mail. As I was browsing and taking notes about sports events, my cellphone rang, and it was a call from Sankaran. Mythili was unwell and she had to be admitted in a nearby hospital, he said. This was not new, because earlier too she had been admitted into the same hospital and she will go back home with a smile after a two-days stay. This time too she will be alright, I convinced him. I thought it was an infection problem, and she will be back home. But she betrayed me. I could not see her again. Seven years have gone. Mythili who had stored in her memory a lot of dates has become a date. My First Teacher lives in my memory as a date – 2 November. * I wrote this piece in 2012 in Tamil. Mythili’s daughter Dharini asked me to write this in English for her friends. I am sorry that it took almost five years for me to fulfill her request. * P.S.: November 14 is observed as World Diabetes Day and the Theme for this year is “Women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future”. Why importance on women? According to International Diabetes Federation : 1 in 10 women live with diabetes. 1 in 7 births is affected by gestational diabetes (GDM). Approximately half of women with a history of GDM go on to develop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years after delivery. But, Up to 70% of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Many do not have access to educatin, treatment and care. Protect the health of mother and child by improving access to screening, care and education.

Shahjahan R

My First Teacher by Shahjahan R It was 1996. It was two years since I resigned my job in a publishing concern, undertook various works for a living, and lastly started a desktop publishing unit (DTP - typing and layout desining of books).

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