#thesis progress log

[mariacallous]

In 2022 I wrote an op-ed for NBC News Think about leg hair, of all things. The piece detailed a monthlong experiment during which I stopped shaving. Aside from one paragraph about bodily autonomy and Roe v. Wade, I thought it was a mild article. Boring, even.

The internet disagreed. Within an hour of publication, I started getting angry, all-caps emails. Then it started on Twitter. I was called everything from stupid and self-absorbed to a Sasquatch. I was accused of hating men and pressuring women.

The deluge lasted nearly two weeks. By the end of it, I had dozens of nasty emails, nearly a thousand social media notifications, and zero idea how to handle what I’d experienced.

Unfortunately, these instances of online harassment are becoming more common. In 2021, the Pew Research Center reported that 41 percent of US adults had experienced online harassment; the Anti-Defamation League reported an increase to 52 percent in 2023. Public and semipublic figures are especially at risk, as noted by recent studies on American journalists, Zimbabwean journalists, and female members of parliament in Sweden.

But the truth is, on social media anyone with an account can experience harassment. Here’s what to do if it happens to you.

Document Everything

Knee-deep in hate mail, I reached out to a former thesis adviser who’d written op-eds. How had he handled the trolls?

His reply: Document everything. If you have to report the harassment to a social platform or to law enforcement, you will need a body of evidence that proves the harassment.

Save the nasty emails in a special folder, either manually or by using keywords to filter and route all of the relevant mail automatically.

On social media, screenshot what people say. Doing this gives you lasting digital proof, which is important if the trolling comments disappear later on, either because the trolls deleted them or because someone reported the comments, which led to them being removed. Save all of these screenshots in a folder that can easily be shared with anyone investigating your harassment.

Documenting harassment is common advice, featured in resources ranging from writing-specific organizations like PEN America to wider organizations like the University of Chicago and the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Don’t Respond

Another common piece of advice is “don’t feed the trolls.” In theory, if you don’t react to harassment, the trolls get bored and leave. Some have argued that this advice has failed us, as it puts the onus on the victim to stop the cyberbullying; it suggests that it’s not the trolls who need to stop but rather the victim who needs to turn the other cheek.

This is a fair critique; social media platforms should build better moderation systems and restrict users who breach standards on harassment. Ideally, events like the 2024 child safety hearing before US Congress will lead to changes that make the internet safer for everyone. In a perfect world, the onus is on Big Tech.

But internet safety is a work in progress, and in the meantime it’s on us to decide how we want to respond. Many of the accounts spamming me were obvious trolls. They had incendiary usernames and profile pictures. Looking at their comments, which were antagonistic at best, I knew I wouldn’t change their minds by responding. Nothing I could write would make them consider my point of view.

So I followed the American Psychological Association’s advice and let the storm pass. I logged off social media and routed the nasty emails into a special folder, out of sight. I spent my energy on things I enjoyed instead, no trolls involved.

Or Maybe Do Respond

Walking away isn’t the best option for everyone. If you choose to respond, there are both indirect and direct ways to address harassment. The former could include muting threads or blocking accounts. You could also report comments or users for behaviors that breach community standards, such as hate speech, threats, and bullying (which most platforms claim to prohibit). These options may prevent the same trolls from harassing you, or another user, in the future.

If you feel safe and want to respond directly, consider counterspeech, a strategy that addresses and undermines hate by redirecting the conversation in a constructive way. Some choose to reclaim hashtags, such as the K-pop stans who in 2020 flooded the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag with K-pop videos.

Others create larger discussions around hateful posts, typically focusing not on the troll but on the content of their argument (so, not “You’re sexist” but “Saying XYZ is problematic because …”). This is exactly what I did, some six months after my experience, when I wrote about hate mail for HuffPost, focusing on sexism and the importance of dismantling it. Reframing the conversation helped me feel less powerless.

Though organizations like the United Nations recommend counterspeech, some research has suggested that it may be ineffective: While a 2021 study on anti-Asian hate found that counterspeech discouraged hate, another study on racism and homophobia saw mixed results.

Do Something You Enjoy

Whether or not you respond, give yourself time to work through your feelings. Do something you enjoy, like going to the gym, meditating, or playing your favorite video game. Anything goes!

Social support, in particular, is important for processing your experiences. This is because one of the goals of online harassment is to make you feel isolated; intentionally enjoying time with loved ones can combat this. An older 2014 study noted that social support can come from anyone in your life, ranging from your peers to your family. More recently, a 2020 study listed the myriad benefits of social support for those experiencing bullying, including increased confidence and decreased anxiety.

So text your friends and coworkers. Make dinner plans with family. Rant to your partner—or ask for a distraction. Any and all of these can help you feel less alone. You can also seek professional advice via a therapist or a cyberbullying hotline.

If you decide to take an extended break from the internet, ask a friend you trust to keep an eye on your social accounts. They can continue to take screenshots of new harassment and notify you if the frequency of incidents increases.

If the Harassment Escalates

If rude comments turn into stalking, hacking, doxing, or death threats, it’s time to contact the authorities and get legal assistance. Continue to document everything; you’ll want a body of proof to ensure you’re taken seriously. If you’re in immediate danger, call emergency services.

Practicing good cyber hygiene can help you protect your information. To deter hackers, use strong passwords, which are longer than 16 characters and include numbers and special characters. Don’t reuse passwords, and set up multifactor authentication to ensure that you’re notified if someone tries to log in to your account.

To deter doxing, stalking, and further harassment, adjust your privacy settings on social media. If possible, set your accounts to private until the storm passes. Also, depending on the platform, you should be able to limit the ability to reply to your posts so that only people you follow can republish your posts or leave comments. You can also just disallow comments entirely. If you have both professional and personal accounts, keep them separate so that work-related harassment is less likely to follow you home.

You may want to limit who can see your location data on social media, since many platforms tag every post with geolocation data unless you opt out. This is usually something you can turn off in your profiles’ privacy settings. Additionally, browser extensions like Privacy Party can help you keep your privacy settings on social media up to date automatically, so you don't have to think about it.

If things get so bad that you feel it's safest to minimize or erase your digital footprint, paid services like Delete Me can remove identifying information like your address, phone number, and social media activity from hundreds of online databases and data brokers. This makes it much harder for people to uncover this information in web searches. Services like Tweet Delete can automatically delete years worth of social media posts, replies, and likes—either wholesale or within a specific range—from your accounts.

Online harassment can be isolating and terrifying, but with a plan, you’ll be prepared to respond—and to mitigate its impacts on your life.

[jahnavisurenda-21]

Haikiyu!||Wakatoshi Ushijima X Reader||Movie Date||Part 1.

A movie date with Ushijima, turns out to be a more beautiful memory than you could've imagined.

Formal dates with him were rare. Almost nonexistent.

It was easy to see why at least Tendo saw it, like it was a clear blue sky, you had a very shy outlook on dating Ushijima, and sometimes, even though you know behind Ushijima's stoic and indifferent expressions he was a total sweetheart, but, despite this, Tendo could understand your hesitance and how easily you would get flustered when talking to your boyfriend.

His stare would be intimidating, like he was seeing all the inner turmoil going behind that smile of yours, or how awkward it felt. Sometimes, you felt like you were interviewing him, and he was the least interested, Tendo knocked your forehead that day with his fingers,

"You know Wakatoshi is just clueless about the relationship, he is genuine, so he just says everything to your face, I mean the man reads all the advertisements in magazines, so you can tell he needs some help with this." Tendo told you when you came to visit the team during their big match, "But. He really is trying, even if it means just looking at you blankly or staring you to death."

You chuckled, "I want to go to the theaters with him, but, I don't exactly have a thesis of what movies he likes, he doesn't watch Sadako also." You exclaimed, "And this movie I want to go is just like Sadako."

"If you give him minor hints he'll be figuring out what they mean for the rest of his life, so just tell him, he'll go out with you anywhere." Tendo assured, maybe it was how confident he sounded, that you clutched your backpack harder where the tickets were,

Everyone was getting ready to play, while you went out to Ushijima, "All the best." You said surprised you didn't stutter, before trying to reach his cheek, with much effort you kissed his cheek, still feeling a swarm of warm butterflies' dance in your gut. How nerve-wracking.

Ushijima nodded, before he went to join his team Tendo rushed to him bumping his shoulder at his heavy ones, "Can't you at least smile at her? You're going to make her think you don't even care."

"I care for Y/n." Ushijima said curtly, "This is the reason she even has to contemplate asking you to the movies!" Tendo said in a hushed whisper,

"She wanted to ask me to the movie?"

The game progressed and of course in the qualifiers, Shiratorizawa had heavy attacks, which overwhelmed the other team, your boyfriend played his A-game as usual, and you could sometimes see his iris light up with a new feeling which was different from his usual indifference.

When the game finally ended, and Shiratorizawa emerged victorious the more hyper members cheered, before exiting the room you decided to meet them in the locker room, your phone chimed three times before you logged and checked the texts,

"I told Ushijima you wanted to go out to the movies with him. It was in the heat." Your heart raced when you read the first text, and now you were scared to read the other two, clam down. You tried to tell yourself it was not uncommon to ask your boyfriend for a movie date!

"Come to the locker room, chill nothing will happen." "What did he say?" You typed with shaky fingers, "We'll find out"

It was what it was, the situation where Tendo impulsively told Ushijima that you wanted to go to the movies instead of you, was so... unromantic.

You sighed when you knocked the door, maybe to hide your own heavy breathing and extremely cold fingers, and your heart skipped another beat when Ushijima opened the door, you met his blank face with yours slightly twisted in concern, before Tendo could come and prep you with some pep talk he created, Ushijima blocked the entrance with his broad shoulders, and frame before he stepped outside and closed the door behind him, he took your nervous hand in his before walking towards the vending machine.

He didn't say anything until he got you, your favorite Litchi mocktail before you both seated down, you sipped on savoring the sweetness with just the right amount of salty tinge,

18. "Thank you Ushi this is my favorite!" You said smiling, already feeling a wave of relief washing over you,

19. Why didn't you tell me?" Ushijima started, "Are you afraid of me?" He asked, Your mouth parted, he was really direct which you love you really do but sometimes you would get more flustered, "No... you don't scare me." You assured, 20. Ushijima stared at you again, but this time your eyes locked on to his, you couldn't always keep shying away from his gaze, but only this time you realized how his gaze was a lot more softer, or had it always been this way and only this time did you realize because you decided to stare so you could capture his olive colored irises and how when the light hit him it turned a lot more lighter, and his eyelashes which were longer than you thought so,

21. "Then why does Tendo need to ask me that you wanted to go to a movie with me?" His question was right in a certain way, your initial hesitance or the erratic heartbeats seemed to simply fade away, to a feeling of adoring him even more, simply because he was asking you this, he was really trying, "What if you don't want to? What if I plan a date and you don't like anything? the movie? the food? or even the place? what if you feel like I don't know you at all? What if you simply don't like it and it's a waste of time?" You asked all in a single breath all these lingering doubts which you wanted an answer,

22. "But I like you. I will like the dates we go on because it's with you. You shouldn't feel so much when wanting to go out with me, I don't mind where you want to go, I'll like it, I know I will, don't worry."

23. "So how'd it go?" Tendo immediately caught you just after you returned to the room, Ushijima had gone to get changed, while the others were in the waiting room, you explained everything to him,

24. "See I told you he's hopeless, who'd ever know all of that if he hadn't told it to your face? and why is your face so red? I do understand He might have that effect on you--" "He kissed my forehead!" You squealed making the team turn to you, Goshiki came to you, "Ushijima kissed your forehead?" He repeated, in shock.

25. You just finished showering, before drying out your hair, your nightly ritual was simple sit down on the bed with your tea, while you enjoy your latest romance novel, but today was nothing short of a romantic scenario with a big, intimidating man, you removed the tickets from your bag in silent anticipation and tingles, this worked out.

26. Day after tomorrow you would get to see the movie, with your boyfriend, in the theater.

"Hey, how do you plan on watching the horror movie? You refused to even see Sadako alone?" Your phone chimed with the message,

"I'll manage, I'm not alone." You replied,

"Whatever, you couldn't ask Him out on your own." Tendo reminded,

"Hush, I'll ask him next time."

27. Setting your phone down you stared at the ceiling, in awe and giddiness, another chime on your phone, you reached to check it out,

28. Under the label 'Ushi' you read the simply two words, "Good night, I'll see you Tomorow."

"Good night, Ushi."

#lovestories #romance #haikiyuwaktoshiushijima #haikiyuromance #haikiyuxy/n #ushijima x you #ushijima x reader #ushijima fluff #ushijima wakatoshi #hq ushijima #ushijima x y/n

[pennyellee]

Hiii sweetie

I've always wondered where do you take your inspiration from? As an example, what helps when you don't know how to get to a certain point in the plot? I'm sure it's not always easy to write everything down. Just wanted to know more about you and your writing technique. ❤️❤️

| 02182024 log |

I've been gatekeeping this ask since the end of november so I could put out chamapagne confetti and more of lacrimosa, but tonight i felt like talking about it ♡🫧𖦹⋆｡˚⋆ฺ

Art creates art and I'm no different. Sometimes it is a song, piece of media that is tucked in the back of my mind or my own experience that I cypher to my writing. But sometimes the original idea I have does not remain the same till the very end of the writing, e.g. champagne confetti is defo a way different than what I initially planned but I would not change it.

Another thing that I love to employ is a certain degree of obliqueness in the narration. There are certain gaps or details I leave in the story that give space for interpretation (please do not mistake this with reader writing the story). I'm leaving them be because I know they will slowly solve or unfold themselves as the plot progresses. So if you're confused, yes and? Just kidding ♡🫧𖦹⋆｡˚⋆ฺ Just trust the process please and be patient. And even tho you think what i'm on, pls don't spoil it for others by voicing it, my dm's are open if you really want to, but think of others too please ♡🫧𖦹⋆｡˚⋆ฺ

I love doing the story's graphic and sometimes I do it before it's even finished. It helps me to give a final touch to the mood/vibe of the story. E.g. the colouring of the collages in champagne confetti is either very vibrant or black or white to indicate darker atmosphere.

Something I don't share (just yet, ig) are the playlists! I make playlist for each story and I listen it while I write. Champagne confetti's playlist was full of 90s hits that helped me to dive in the era. Lacrimosa's playlist is full of classical orchestral songs and songs from that time period. To write historical au, I love to listen to the music of that time ♡🫧𖦹⋆｡˚⋆ฺ I also make pinterest boards to visualise the fic inside of my mind.

I'm big on symbolism (wrote a whole thesis on it), hence, e.g. the letter opener in Lacrimosa symbolises the freedom Y/N yearns for. Firstly it freed her from her father and now she used the very same letter opener in an attempt to free herself from Yoongi. She knew he won't let her go and the only thing that could show him what he has had done to her is if she hurts herself as that will bring him the greatest pain.

I don't choose the member beforehand, I write a bit and then think about which one of them is the best male lead for the wip. Apart from Lacrimosa, I always knew that it's going to be with Yoongi. It was actually in drafts for almost two years before I got the courage to put it out.

I can't think of anything else as of now, but be sure there's more I could disclose but I'm still trying to find my style fully, so it will take some time till my writing will have more significant characteristics.

I used to write in my native language when I was younger, but that was fundamentally different. I think I was about 17 when I first wrote a fic in english that I'm actually rebooting now as it has a special place in my heart, but tbh, it needs corrections and fillings as it was a video story. Can't wait to put more stuff out ♡🫧𖦹⋆｡˚⋆ฺ

lots of love, p.

#bts #bts fanfic #bts fic #fic:lacrimosa #fic: champagne confetti #yoongi #jungkook #writing #chummerstalk #springieeee chummer

[thefestival]

The Festival - Developer Log 01, 11/9/2023

Hello!

I am Christian Romero, lead developer on The Festival: Eastoria, and I will be posting updates and devlogs here periodically as development is underway. For my first post, I will share what exactly The Festival is.

The Game

The Festival: Eastoria is a narrative game about putting on a food festival in a country that just existed a civil war. It is set in the fictional country of Eastoria, in a world much like our own but in many ways different. Eastoria has been re-united by a revolutionary movement - the Citizens Militia - which is now trying to rebuild and pick up the pieces after 30+ years of conflict.

The Protagonist

You play Nishma Mauranyan, an aspiring revolutionary with an eye for logistics and a winning smile. She wants to bring the country together, and believes a food festival is the way to go. You and Nishma will be tasked with completing various quests in preparation for the festival, but you will also be helping people working through a litany of issues in this post-conflict society. Success is dependent on careful planning, clever choices, emotional intelligence, and a little bit of compromise.

The Project

This is being developed as my thesis project for my MFA studies at the University of Connecticut. I am currently in my second year, and nearing completion of the Fall 2023 semester.

For this term, I have two major milestones currently underway. The first is a script for the game's pilot quest, Hemmingward. I will explain the story of this quest in a later post, but it will serve as an introduction to the morally complicated and tragic nature of post-war Eastoria. I have been hard at work on a draft script the past few months, but I am hoping to finally have the first full draft done by the beginning of December.

The second milestone is creating an early version of the festival fairgrounds, which will serve as both the final level and as a visual for a promotional poster (akin to the concept art you see further up this post). As of this past week, I drafted a greyboxed mockup, and now I will be starting on the actual modeling for this scene. As with the Hemmingward quest mentioned above, I will be posting updates on how this project goes in the coming weeks, as it is due at the beginning of December.

Next Steps

I am hoping to update this blog at least once a week. Even with how busy I will be, I am gearing up to make a lot of progress in the near future. Barring any catastrophic life events (and frankly there's definitely some waiting in the wings), I will do my best to share progress going forward. I was putting off writing this introductory post for weeks now, so I am glad I was finally able to write one up tonight.

Thank you for reading, and I look forward to sharing future updates!

#the festival #the festival: Eastoria #game design #devlog #game development #3D art

[cosmonott]

Work Log no.13

The semester's beginning to wrap up now, so I wanted to use this final worklog to overview the full project and reflect.

For starters, I did complete my goal of 6 animations! If we count the stuff that wasn't for this class or left unfinished, that tally goes up to around 12! (which makes me very happy). I even added some of the pieces I'm especially proud of for my portfolio!

(this is gona be the reflection part)

However, the project went by no means perfectly or smoothly, and while this was disappointing, I did learn about some of my working habits, and I'm excited to try different techniques for future projects.

My main method of spacing out my work for this project was using soft and flexible deadlines instead of intentionally rationing out my work. I divided each project into broad sections that allowed me to change the workload to fit my needs with other classes.

While this did help with my workload for the semester, I don't think this workflow was very productive for me when my goal was to make as many animations as i could. Once my motivation was spent, working on my thesis work became much harder, which eventually led to abandoning using Adobe Animate all together for the later sessions of the project.

I did initially dedicate time to studying in my project plan, but in practice I hardly had the motivation to do so. In the grand scheme of things it was fine, since this project was mostly about producing alot of work, but I still wanted to learn and apply new skills.

I found the time to just sit down and read my resources only once or twice, where I found a very helpful explanation of Animation workflow that I immediately implemented into projects that followed

After this I realized that studying was infact helpful!>!??!? Though i didnt find much more time to read after this point. Moving forward I want to really sit down with my materials and read, likely over the summer!!!

Worklogging became increasingly difficult throughout the semester :(. I feel like having an extra task to complete (setting up a workspace and starting a timer) before being able to start actually working made it feel like more work and made me want to do it less.. However, i see the value that making a worklog has!! and i want to keep trying!!!! dunno if i will continue to use tumblr tho haha :3

this longer writing format felt good for reflecting on progress, but also was easier to lose track of if I fell behind :( but discord was too quick and easy, and i would often forget to stop/start logging or even what I was working on!! Im hoping soon ill find a happy medium, but in terms of new time management strats moving forward im looking into using more analog methods like sticky notes instead of digital.

overall junior thesis was a great learning experience!! (even if i didnt do much studying >w>; )

thank you for reading! :^D

#my cool worklog #2d animation #adobe animate #THE END ;D

[knight-otu]

Toady's Devlog for 09/26/2022

Toady One, from the Dwarf Fortress Development Log:

Ah shoot, sorry for being silent the last few weeks.  I feel like I've entered the same frame of mind I was in when I was finishing my thesis. There can be up days and down days, some with a ton of progress and some with very little tangible to show, but the mind has completely disappeared into the work.           Yesterday went great.  I reworked the object load system so we can now alter text definitions all the way up to the end - it used to process them as they were loaded.  The primary benefit of this change is allowing mods to snip out and replace individual entries without having to drop entire files, or to append a few lines to an existing entry, etc.  I also fixed some layout issues with the building sheet, got custom building nicknames working again, fixed a sizing issue with sprites on sheets, put in some missing graphics, added a few new helpful messages, etc.           Some day not long before that, I got the keyboard up and running, the basic stuff we said we'd do in Future of the Fortress, which is a designation/building cursor, hotkeys for the main screen/designations/all buildings, and macros up again.  There's a lot more to do there, menu by menu, but this is a good start.           I don't recall if we mentioned adding an option to use the closest material for buildings (rather than having to select it), and an option to continue building after placement, so if you have, say, a nearby stockpile filled with blocks, you can just splat down multiple constructions now (or anything else) like ding ding ding.  And constructions can be built vertically now, as long as one of the levels has access to building materials - we haven't yet set up the system where you don't even need specific items available at all, and that'll be too risky to set up before the release, but building things generally is way way easier now, and the initial selection menu is much nicer as well.           Finally - and this accounts for more than half of the time - lots of art has come in.  We'll show some with the news post in a few days.  We've been in Autumn for a few days now, and everything is still going well.

#Dwarf Fortress #Development log

[daintyrusset]

mon / 06.06.22 (13/100 days of productivity)

Every time I want to keep my progress here, I’m already too tired to function lol. About today:

Attended the Social Work Research class early in the morning—I finally threw away my cowardice skipping classes as I was stuck with my own research (came up with a new topic!) 🫶🏻

Accumulated new research log and literature review for my upcoming thesis <3

Attended the first day of certified mini course about Product Management. Wow… new knowledge just stimulates my brain 🧠

Had a supervision for my internship! My lecturer, although postponed the meeting many times, was really helpful. Gained new insights and I’m pretty excited to work on the research and report tee-hee

Talked to some friends today. It was a lovely but indeed tiring day, I can really use a whole night worth of sleep 💤

currently obsessed with my new ‘mad for makeup spotless second skin serum concealer’!

#100 days of productivity #studyspo #study motivation #study aesthetic #study challenge #studyblr #studygram #studying #study session #studytwt #study space #study notes #college student #student #college life #college #academia #dark academia #self reflection

[assortedbirds]

08/01/24: Log 1- Static Pulse

To try and motivate myself, and also because I love archiving things, I am gonna experiment with writing diaries/logs for projects in order to update and reflect on my progress. Let's see how long I keep up with this!

While flitting between VN projects and other OCs for years I am finally in a place where I think I can feasibly start putting together Morgan and Wren's story. It's been a long journey with them so far, having first conceptualised them/crafted the story outline in 2017, but I can finally see myself putting the entire thing together. My original plan was to "warm up" so to speak by finishing/publishing another, shorter, work, Voice of A Living Fate. However: VN software is intimidating so I have been sitting on the completed script for Fate since the end of 2022 (whoops...). Truly, my brain's tendency to short circuit is my arch-nemisis.

However, I am nothing if not determined and I was looking into Ren'py, VN Maker and other such software to try and get started on learning the ins and outs of it, and out of left field my brain fell on Twine. It did not think of Twine as a potential software in which to make Fate, as it definitely would not suit the vision I have for that game, but I came to the realisation that the specific layout of text and visuals Twine is capable of would perfectly suit Wren and Morgan's story. And because of how approachable Twine is (so far, I am, fully anticipating that I will get caught up on trying to do something specific later) the story finally felt achievable to create.

I would have to adjust my process for this one, however. Instead of writing the entire script in my OC book (I vastly prefer handwriting my notes) then transferring that script to Google Docs, as I had with Fate and smaller personal projects like my twst OCs, I think that the best way to go will be to just use the assorted scene notes I have written over the past 7 years and write everything directly intro Twine. I just need to think about what device I want to start developing the game on, as I would ideally like to be able to work on it on my laptop, however I am far more productive when I work away from home and the inconveniences of my ipad might be outweighed by its portability...

As any rate, the first step, I quickly realised, was to simplify my artyle because if I use my regular style for this I will never get it done. I need to cut more corners!! I need to make it simpler!!!! While I am still agonising over Morgan's eye shape, I have more or less settled on this approach (having simple lines and minimal, flat, foreground and background colours):

(why does simplified Morgan look like he's smizing far more??? Argh!!!)

After that, upon opening a blank Twine Canvas, I came to the next stopping point...after seven years I still did not have a name for this story. So, on one of my "going to a café to force myself to be productive" outings, I sat down and spent a few hours agonising over names. My first idea (after looking at some "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" quotes, not because I reference that story in any way in their story but because I am a Literature Nerd who loves cheeky references) was for the title to go against the thesis of the work somewhat. I enjoyed the idea of androids supposedly living "paltry lives" and the story being about proving that wrong. This idea could apply to Wren somewhat as well, so I started experimenting with phrases and soon realised that static is the perfect word to use in the title.

(If you notice the difference in pen, it it because mine had ran out and the café staff were kind enough to lend me another one...thankyou staff.)

Once I had that sorted, now came the arduous task of narrowing down what specific combination of words I wanted to use.....this is where I start to become unhinged over the span of a few days and 24 titles:

After discussing this with one of the two people who know the full details of this story (love you Evie, thankyou as always💖), we settled on Static Pulse as the title!

Now that this is decided, my goal is to start working on the early story CGs and chip away at the first draft of the game 💪 I will update with more information later...probably.

-Billie

#assorted bird noises #static pulse log

[palletize]

Study Log November 4th, 2023

I've decided I want to make a habit of tracking my work & study progress throughout the year. Here's what I've got for today!

Japanese

Did my kanji reviews on WaniKani, I'm one day away from leveling up to level 14. Once I get to level 16 I'll have the vast majority of N4 kanji memorized :D

Did my grammar reviews on Bunpro, I've put a stop on learning new grammar for the moment to focus on some vocab studies

Vocab... I put a ton of vocab into my SRS system recently to rip the bandaid off and equalize my vocab ability with my grammar and kanji, but that means I've been reviewing over 200 cards a day the past week ;_;

Read a chapter of Chi's Sweet Home (in Japanese) - felt goodddd

Thesis

Translating two pages today, if I keep up this pace I'll have my first draft done by the end of the year :D

Masters

Have to read half of Les Laïs de Marie de France today... not really looking forward to it

Work

Have to grade at least one of my classes midterms today ;_;

[o3xeyeso]

3 eyes to see. Better that then being with me.

In a free fall. No where to go but I see it all.

Not with me. Losing yourself as the leaves fall.

Nothing left. Keeping them open is my downfall.

Chasing a dream. There's nothing and I see it all.

Here to now. Change one thing, change it all.

Built a wall. To stop the free fall. Didnt stop at all

Eyes that see. See one thing, I've seen it all

Can't stop now. See it one time go watch it all.

Seen it play out. Nothing can stop where we are

In a free fall. Close my eyes. I'm still in free fall.

The air is heavy. I run, I make no progress at all.

Nowhere to go. Air is heavy now. I'm heavier.

Can't breathe. Lungs in a stall. No air at all.

Can't catch up. Up is down, still in a free fall.

I hit a wall. Try flying up, endless free fall.

Somebody so small. Where you came from.

Nobody not even you. I can't see it at all.

Something different. Something to recall.

Who I was. Somebody so tall, I had it all.

Brain like candy. Sweetness like aphrodisiac.

Taste it all. Living for experience. You will fall.

Mouse trap. In front of you. Go get it all.

Wind like a knife. Gone fast. Nothing to hold.

Wind like a whip. Gone fast, nothing to recall.

Take it back. Too much to recall. I'd rather fall.

VHS tapes. Saw it before. Replayed it all .

Recorded. Watch it again. Cuts deeper each fall.

Should've known. Saw it coming. Still in free fall

No change. Tried to avoid it. Didn't at all.

Nowhere land. Try to grab air. Too heavy to stall.

Nothing in sight. Nothing to grab. Mind blank.

Loss of oxygen. Mind is empty. Your face I recall

Blind rats. What I'd rather be. Someone you call.

Gone where. Change in the view. Still seen it all.

Go forward. Still floating. Past the free fall.

Eyes that see. Looking back. I'd skip it all.

Needed it. Bigger picture. Skip it then a free fall.

Ride it out. Seeing repetitions. Another free fall.

Change yourself. Something different ends it all.

Tomorrow is. Where I'll be. You won't recall.

The future. Where I'll be. Your 2 eyes are small.

Eagles & falcons. Fly with your people. Be tall.

Fly together. With you people. Fly highest of all.

Air so light. Wind beneath. Look up, sky and all.

Anywhere but here. No where to go. I'll see it all.

Open road. Go where I please. I used to do it All.

Again again. Get it back. The you that is all.

Shining crown. Be who you are. The best of all.

More. Meditate don't procrastinate. Find it all .

Cherish it. Envelop knowledge. Become it all.

3rd eye squall. Eyes closed. Open to it all.

Hurt baby. Squint at the sun. Fresh eyes to ball.

Tear through. Pain comes goes like falll

Victory speech. Don't stop ever. Best it all.

Fly higher. To the sun I fall. No fire burns at all.

Reality is. Illusions of perception . I see it all.

Reality isn't. Here before. But now I am tall.

Translucent log. Pay attention. See through it all

Stone houses. Solid ground. Foundations to call.

Butterfly suplex. Graceful nosedive. Hit with all.

Pushing through. Firmament shater. Reality fall.

Become more. Always was. Nothing you recall.

Eyes to see. Something bigger. Bigger then tall.

Given gifts. Always saw before I fall. Saw it all.

Gifts received. Eyes to see. Even to see the fall.

Opportunities given. Become something of all.

Opportunities received. Open eyed. 3 as 1 in all.

Ravens laugh. Nothing to stop. Not even the fall.

Flying through. It was all here. I see you in all.

Minds gift. Creating a vision. One I can recall.

Stealing yourself. Stopping time just to fall.

Past lives. Changing back. Losing it all.

Future is. Receiving vision. How to see it all.

Time to go. Fall colors. Nothing for me in fall.

Future is. Become the thing. Deepest of all.

Brightest lights. Fire fears you. Scariest of all.

Metamorphosis thesis. Change mostly. Not all.

Eagle eye. Understand sight. See more than all.

See through. Don't see it all. Future free fall.

Past ghosts. Future forward. Not back at to wall.

See past. Future done. Creation doesn't wait.

Future reflections. Be there. See them above all.

Something more. Future achieved. Got it in all.

#poetrycommunity #moving on #existence #theartofbeingalone #writers on tumblr #meaning #mindfulness #loa #loa success #manifesting #law of manifestation #how to manifest #future diary #my poem #self made #restart #become more #spirituality #spiritual growth #third eye #pineal gland #6th chakra #eyes to see

[educarecentre]

How to Improve Your Dissertation Writing: 10 Expert Tips

Writing a dissertation is a challenging but rewarding experience. It is a chance to showcase your research skills and academic knowledge. However, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to improve your writing skills.

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Start early. 

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Choose a topic that you are passionate about. 

Writing about something you are interested in will make the process more enjoyable and easier to stay motivated. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

Do your research thoroughly. 

Make sure you have a strong understanding of the literature on your topic. This will help you to develop your own unique perspective and arguments. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice, how to write a dissertation)

Create an outline. 

An outline will help you to organize your thoughts and ideas and ensure that your dissertation flows logically. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice, how to write a dissertation, dissertation writing process)

Write regularly. 

Set aside some time each day to write, even if it is just for a few minutes. This will help you to make progress and avoid procrastination. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice, how to write a dissertation)

Get feedback. Ask a friend, family member, professor, or writing tutor to read your work and give you feedback. This can help you to identify areas where you can improve. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

Proofread carefully. Before you submit your dissertation, proofread it carefully for any errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

Use a style guide. A style guide will help you to ensure that your writing is consistent and follows the conventions of your discipline. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

Don't be afraid to ask for help. If you are struggling with any aspect of your dissertation writing, don't be afraid to ask for help from your professor, advisor, or a writing tutor. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

Believe in yourself. Writing a dissertation is a challenge, but it is also an accomplishment. Believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. (dissertation writing tips, dissertation writing advice)

By following these tips, you can improve your dissertation writing and produce a high-quality piece of work that you can be proud of.

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Use active voice instead of passive voice.

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#how to improve on dissertation writing #thesis writing #academic research #dissertation writing

[hydralisk98]

Imagination-driven manifestation Workflow#1?

Noting down a FreeCiv+Civ5 to SC4 to TS2 content pipeline

I was simply brainstorming ideas alone and I could not help myself but tell you all for feedback and longevity. Did some quick testing for the SimCity 4 -> The Sims 2 workflow here and succeeded in some ways. (Had yet to fully figure the TS2 quality importation part but yk, much progress still!)

So I am looking to convert a handful of hexagonal grid maps (upsized to 288x144 for FreeCiv, with Sid Meier's Civilization 5 CE generation processes and community map scripts for the tilemaps chosen for my very own reasons...) and I devise that each of these regional grand strategy-scaled tiles cover ~10 small red tiles of both width and height. That way I can interconnect the games' height & biomes calculation some more... (The exact "region sectors" may depend from each tile with mid-sized green and large blue tiles for a few larger bitmap exports or something, I haven't chosen yet...)

After using Azgaar Map Gen's tools (submap & export previews will come very handy), QGIS (full model) & OSM (tileserver and geofiction additions), I will then smooth out some SC4 Mapper rough edges towards importing the relevant data as maps into SimCity 4 proper. Ideally I would then go onto towards construction of the TS2 neighbourhoods for my conworlds and get some such custom campaigns going.

Custom content packagings & libre documentation all across!

Control freak-ing my way with LibreOffice Calc (pages of filtered spreadsheets and Monte Carlo utilities) / Writer (stories, logs & playthrough fictions) / Draw (vector family diagrams & neighbourhood relationships + mental local maps) / Impress (short demos and video slideshows) / Base (Historical log timestamping, SimPE, CustomContent mod tracking & parallel play lore connections) with LibreOffice BASIC scripts & macros for fullest manifestation toybox shenanigans. With raw file archives and prints hopefully...

Ideally migrating those too towards nerdier software too like Vim, Emacs and overall customizing the full content generation workflow my very own way. But I can wait some for such. But yeah, I do desire to to tinker alot with everything in TS2, or at least the supernatural and the alien segments as far as integrating those nuanced divine agents into the neighbourhood more with my lore and custom content fluff. (Think 'Helluva Boss', 'Stellaris' and 'Star Trek' and you are in the right bull park thematically speaking)

A few more dedicated realms like some hellscapes, some heavens, some other foreign plane realms (including alien colonial worlds) would be great! Amongst much gameplay tweaks / fixes, customization (especially for my massive array of cultures/ancestries I add in like Shoshones, Inuits, Mayans, Samoans... you get it indigenous peoples) additions and other Quality-of-Life lore improvements.

This planetary scoped realm (world, named Angora, part of my wider 16^12 continuum) is pretty much the testing ground for that manifestation thesis.

By the way, any suggestions are welcome for this constructed world addventure-ing on-video... thing. Especially mod-making tutorials and existing CC mods to enrich the shared playthroughs.

#maskoch #actually autistic #youtube #gaming #FLOSS playthrough workflow real fast

[cosmonott]

Oops! (Work Log no.8)

Work Period: April 4th

estimated work Time: 5hrs Real Work Time: 5hrs

only now. a few weeks before the semester ends. do i realize that work for game projects could have counted towards thesis. womp womp. This is an attack animation for one of the ghosts from my team's game :D

Real Talk Break :,D

Spring break unfortunately really set off any rhythm i had previously going, and I fell behind on logs and keeping track of time. The times for my next two pieces are estimates.

Session 3 was free choice, so I decided to work on something fun and interesting that was not on my list. Because I was working on this during spring break, I didnt remember to track my worktime D:

I have 3 progress shots, going from storyboard, to a rough pass to a second cleaner pass. Unfortunately its unfinished, but Id like to finish this in the future!

(estimated) Work Time: ~6 Hours?

Session 4:

This one did come off of the prompt list, and Im quite proud! i had fun pushing the expressions and i think that the balloon's weight reads well even without the presence of a string.

I also applied some of the things I read in the Animators Survival Kit to this project, and I feel like it went much smoother and efficient than my normal workflow! I want to keep applying these methods to my next projects :)

I did record my working time, but I can't recall how accurate it is and whether or not I did do work without logging.

(estimated D:) Work Time: ~4hrs

#my cool worklog #i am bad at time #2d animation #adobe animate #devlog?

[cassiopeia-lost]

This whole time I was super content having my one biostats class that I completely forgot I was on a staggered schedule this term (different start dates) so imagine my surprise when I logged in to realize the third class to complete my thesis along with health disparities in the US started today. Which is far less than what I would take for my undergrad but I am BURNT OUT. I’ve been in school three year straight now. No summers off. I cannot wait to graduate in August.

Also, I only touch that paper once in a blue moon. I don’t know how many more scholarly articles or research abstracts I can read about tobacco usage, tobacco cessation or deaths resulting from the various methods of tobacco usage. And it’s my fault for choosing the subject but we had to find something that we could measure progress over time in a public health setting. And while I wanted to go with insulin resitance/PCOS correlation and treatment, there was no basis or exact measurement that matched the requirements. Which feels so lame because delving into the correlation of insulin resistance and PCOS and how fucked the current course of treatment is seems much less touched on but equally important.

#I rant #🥴

[thetoxicgamer]

Forget Starfield – the Most Important Space Game Leaves Game Pass Soon

As eager as I am for the Starfield release date, those of you who have Microsoft's PC Game Pass subscription have a more pressing deadline approaching. On January 1, Outer Wilds, one of the greatest space games ever created (and unquestionably one of the most significant, in my humble opinion), will no longer be available through the subscription service. Don't worry if you haven't played it yet; you still have plenty of time to see the wonder for yourself. Outer Wilds is a tough game to talk about because at its core it’s a game all about discovery, and the more you know ahead of time the less impactful that sense of wonder becomes. Nevertheless, I’m going to try, because I feel fairly comfortable saying that anyone with a penchant for space exploration owes it to themselves to discover this clockwork galaxy first-hand. To set things up, you step into the shoes of a Hearthian. This four-eyed creature is one of the inquisitive inhabitants of Timber Hearth, a planet somewhat akin to our own – albeit one that exists at Outer Wilds’ smaller scale, which feels perhaps comparable to the larger worlds of Super Mario Galaxy. From there, you’re tasked with making your first trip to the stars in a rickety ship and meeting up with your fellow explorers on the planets that inhabit your solar system. The hook – I even feel a little bad giving this away, but I’ve gotta give you something to tantalise your tastebuds and even developer Mobius Digital has been relatively candid about this by now – is that Outer Wilds traps you in a time loop. For reasons I definitely won’t tell you, you’ll set off on that initial flight over and over again, your only consistent progression coming from the knowledge you gain along the way. If that sounds off-putting, let me reassure you: Outer Wilds isn’t really a roguelike game. The reset feels more like a boon than a restriction – think of it like performing scientific experiments and making adjustments as you go. Wondering what will happen if you wander into that cave network slowly filling with sand, or jump headfirst into a black hole? There’s no need to worry about consequences, as anything that does go wrong simply brings you right back to tweak your plans and try again. Another critical part of your journey is the ship’s log, an ever-growing spider web of discoveries that keeps track of everything you’ve found, and even hints at what your current knowledge might point to. This means you rarely feel lost or overwhelmed, as your every revelation is kept safely organized, and provides you with plenty of possibilities for each subsequent launch. Outer Wilds - view from the cockpit of a spaceship looking out at the sun and several planets orbiting itThis frees you up from potential paranoia and lets your curiosity run wild. The galaxy is your toy box, and you’d struggle to find a more glorious chest of wonders. Every planet is a unique, hand-crafted puzzle box to unlock – quite literally so. Director Alex Beachum began the project in 2012 as a master’s thesis, building it out into the final project that was released in May 2019 to wide critical acclaim. Each of the locations you can visit – planets, moons, asteroids, and space stations alike – makes use of the progression of time in its own distinct way. Uncovering and unwinding the pieces comprising each of them gave me feelings almost no other game has managed, and that’s without delving into the existential contemplation that brought me to tears in its climactic finale. I couldn’t tell you exactly whether they were tears of joy, sadness, or perhaps everything in between – but Outer Wilds has stuck with me more profoundly than almost anything else out there. Bethesda’s space RPG promises the wonder of discovering over 1,000 Starfield planets. Elite: Dangerous lets you ferry cargo across huge distances, while No Man’s Sky generates you an unlimited array of unique locations to uncover. Yet Outer Wilds, one of the smaller-scale space games I’ve played, manages to capture the wonder of space exploration better than perhaps anything else out there. Among all the beauty of its design and the personal stories it tells along the journey, something that perhaps doesn’t get talked about enough with Outer Wilds is just how much fun it is to get around. The best advice I can offer to a new player is, “Just go for it!” While your initial steps will no doubt be tentative ones, as you get to grips with the game’s physics you’ll be able to use your jetpack to slingshot yourself across planets, just barely teasing on the limits of gravity as you soar right on the fringe of flinging yourself out into space. Outer Wilds achieves this because it isn’t afraid to eschew reality. This is a game that clearly draws from a deep love of science, yet it opts for the physics of fun over accuracy to the laws that govern our universe. Even at quick observation, it’s clear that a lot of the ways the physics operate aren’t realistic, but they’re just close enough to feel right on a surface level while giving you a level of control that nails the balance between challenge and frustration. Outer Wilds - Riebeck, an astronaut in a rudimentary space suit, plays the banjo by a roaring fireThis isn’t the first time Outer Wilds has left Microsoft’s Game Pass service – it was actually dropped in June 2021, only to return in January 2022. So we’ll hold out hope that it comes back again in the future, because it’s the sort of game everyone should have the chance to play. The Outer Wilds DLC, Echoes of the Eye, isn’t included as part of the Game Pass offering either – but don’t worry about that. For a first playthrough, I’d recommend just sticking to the base game anyway, as Echoes of the Eye feels more like a supplemental adventure designed to be experienced after you’ve explored everything the original release has to offer. If you do still want more once you’re done, though, it’s well worth considering. So, while we wait on the dynamic Starfield quests of next year, take some time this holiday season to visit Outer Wilds. I promise it’s worth your while. If you fancy some more irreverent space action, High on Life sales and Game Pass charts show that the new FPS game from Justin Roiland’s Squanch Games is already off to a rip-roaring start. Read the full article

[soletuscreate]

thesis progress log #13

you will not believe what we have to run again (or alternatively, 4 times laura ran regressions incorrectly and one time they did it correctly..maybe)

first of all: i don’t know what the difference between what i’ve been doing for regressions (a simple regression??) and whatever a ‘multiple regression’ is but apparently a simple regression is the same as a correlation (like. a regression doesn’t say anything different??? a regression inherently means that they’re correlated or else there would be no reason to test for a regression?? i’m over it) so now. i have been told to replace the ‘regression’ results and put the ‘correlation’ results back where they came from or so help me and run multiple regressions (as in run a multiple regression on whatever had a significant correlation not multiple. regressions. multiple multiple regressions.) i’m over it

anyway i met with my advisor on monday (it’s wednesday morning as we speak) and she’s been in a very good mood with me (maybe she’s happy that we’re almost done with being forced to interact with each other) and i also came clean about previously deleting the...what was it...offense severity (literally. ‘on a scale from 1 to 7 how badly hurt were you by this transgression whatever’) and she said that we have enough time to include it because it’s one number and i can test for correlations and find the mean whatever. she keeps saying that we’re so close to finishing but it feels like i have even more to do than i had to do for this meeting!!! whatever!!! (also she wants me to include apology??? we will figure that out too) and also like. figure out whether studies were using state or trait forgiveness since we’re making such a Big Fuckin Deal out of it and some rewriting stuff and also she asked me to talk about what The Point of this was and i completely missed it like. ‘positive traits were related to forgiveness in this population in this relationship meaning it’s not exclusive to other relationships or other populations’ and she was like. or??? maybe it’s like. it’s easier to forgive someone if it’s your personality not depending on the situation....and went off and i was like. i’ve been pretending to know what i’m talking about this whole time. also i’m going to go make a sandwich and get coffee i’ll be right back 

okay so it’s now 11:09 am the next day (friday)...allegedly a multiple correlation is when you put more than one variable as a predictor...so do i put everything in as a predictor (resilience affect empathy)...then predictor as the dependent variable???? is that right???? it’s all i can think of to do this....so i guess that’s what i’ll try and if they get mad at me i will just say i don’t know any of these numbers!!! i’ve been pretending the whole time!!!!

anyway i’m not doing that right now...i’ve been replacing the ‘simple’ regressions with the correlations...then maybe i’ll try working on all of the statistics stuff..i also have some rewriting to do...we will see. i should schedule this out more but. whatever

okay my dudes.. i’ll be honest with you and say that it’s 6 am on thursday.. and i haven’t done that much so i haven’t been writing this post..(i may have to update this series and how i run it because it’s not like. as helpful ((or maybe because who knows when this will be done i’m not as motivated to do anything)) who knows!!!) so i added stuff to the methods. and added some citations. and did all the edits my advisor suggested (they were minor and not that many but i did them.) and i ran regressions. maybe correctly. but i still (!!) don’t know how to control for gender so i’ll have to run them again (again again again again) later. but whatever. i usually send a new draft on mondays but it’s thursday now and i don’t want her to be mad at me for not giving her enough time to read it so. i guess i’ll just cut our losses and send it now. and ‘work on it’ until monday. when i have to get up at 7 to drive to campus by 9:30. unbelievable.  

i had 2. maybe 3. coffees today

#thesis progress log #i know i asked you to guess and immediately gave you the answer. it's about the drama