Author Archives: New Media Works

Unknown's avatar New Media Works 1:54 pm on May 13, 2020
Tags: essay, essays, interest, interested, interests, narrative, , skilled, , tag, tagging, tags, ,   

[tiger-pops.com] “The Awkward Intro”

I guess I am kind of hoping one random person reads this, so it doesn’t feel like shouting in an empty room; but doesn’t feel like speaking to an actual person

So I am not sure I could say exactly what this blog is about or who it is intended for.

I would say it is for people who are constantly struggling with who they are, who they want to be, how they wish to be seen etc.

I am a nearly 30 year old woman who has had a life that could be viewed in many ways. As my therapist recently said, ‘you are someone who is very skilled at controlling the narrative of how you are viewed’; what a skill right!? This is my way of just being me without knowing the audience or having any expectations of how i wish to be viewed by them (you).

My hope from this is to put my thoughts to (digital) paper, and get them out of my mind, and to help prepare myself for essay writing for when i start a degree this year (yay me).

If you have any interest in any of the following, then my blog may interest you:

  • Animals
  • Family
  • Relationships
  • Sci-fi
  • Fantasy
  • Make-up
  • Fashion
  • Mental Health
  • Walking
  • Nature
  • Drinking
  • Change
  • Science
  • Emotional confusion 

I am hoping by doing this I may connect with other humans who understand me, or at least find another good/interesting human being who wants to expand the human experience by learning from each other, with the added bonus of not actually having to meet or get out of PJs.

This will be heavily edited before posting so here goes…

I just watched the Taylor Swift documentary. Could i be anymore more of a basic white girl!? I swear I just grew a pair of ugg boots whilst watch, and a pumpkin latte materialised in my hand. But truly, I was stuck up about music for a long time, and accidentally listened to an acoustic cover of ‘mean’ and loved the lyrics so much i had to know who wrote it, my pretentious little heart dropped when i realised Taylor Swift wrote a song that i connected with on such a deep level. Was it a pop song, that was enjoyable to listen to? Yes. Did it very clearly sum up how it felt to have an abusive, controlling ex at a young age? YES! A pop beat that summed up an abusive relationship at the age of 15 (!?) wow, i didn’t have to feel sad listening to it, i could bop along the street, feeling strong, feeling understood, feeling like i wasn’t the only person in the world who had been so stupid. Love her or hate her, there is no denying that Taylor Swift is one of the most successful artists of our day (if not ever), and I felt like, ‘Hey, if she can be that stupid, as to let an idiot man, who didn’t deserve her, get the better of her; then maybe i am not a weak human, maybe i am just a human’. It has taken me a long time, and, unfortunately, another abusive relationship to realise some of my issues.

And I do feel the need (due to my own ego issues) that whilst I totally adore Tay Tay; normally my favourites are: Leonard Cohen, Prince, Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Dolly Parton. None of this is to ‘make up’ for like TS but just to give you a bigger view of me and my love of artist, that now i look at the list, are all song writers. Wow I just identified an importance whilst writing.

I would love to hear from any one, even if they just want to laugh at the pointlessness of my blog. Or the utterly terrible grammar (new chrome back, serious first world problems, it has a weird keyboard). At the same time I am going to carry on posting as shouting in the dark in this manner is making me feel a lot better than internalising everything and damaging myself.

Thank you for either reading or not, thanks for being a person. I can guarantee you are a great person; or at the very least, weird, and that is brilliant.

I’ll be your “one person” 🙂

Very random… and that’s excellent! 😀

Some taggng tips: use words, not longstringslikethis, and use stuff you actually WANT to share with other people (not sure “bad grammar” qualifies 😉 ).

Want more tips? Just ask and / or send me an email. ❤

https://tiger-pops.com/2020/04/22/a-complicated-latte-a-basic-white-girls-story/#comment-1

[2020-04-22 07:57 UTC]

#essay, #essays, #interest, #interested, #interests, #narrative, #skill, #skilled, #skills, #tag, #tagging, #tags, #write, #writing

Unknown's avatar New Media Works 3:54 pm on May 9, 2020
Tags: God, inquire, inquiry, , loving, particular, qualification, qualifications, qualify, qualitative, quality, , scientific, scientific method   

[manifoldwisdom.com] “Why is God so particular about us loving Him? — A Scientific Inquiry”

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
— Matthew 22:36-40, NIV.

In the movie Interstellar, when Cooper entered the Tesseract, he was able to see the entirety of time from the beginning to the end, all at once. In it, he struggled to find a method of communication to communicate with his daughter, Murph. However, being trapped in a specific frame of space in Murph’s bedroom’s bookshelf, he found absolutely no way to communicate with her other than to tweak that fabric of space by shifting the second’s needle on Murph’s watch — the watch that he left with her before leaving for space.

God sees time in a way that is vastly different from us. He does not experience time in a linear manner the way we experience time. Rather, to Him, all times happen all the time. And for that matter, “all time is affecting all time, all the time”. That was what Cooper experienced in the Tesseract in the movie Interstellar. In the Tesseract, he was able to watch everything in Murph’s bedroom, from the beginning of the universe till the end of time. He was able to go back and forth and create subtle changes in the fabric of space to communicate to Murph. However, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to communicate in a way that was understandable to her. To her, he was but a ghost in the bedroom.

In the same way, God is in a dimension that is completely different from ours. In a previous post, I wrote that God appears in two forms — 1) a physical appearance (in the form of Christ) and 2) in the form of a transcendent conscious entity. Let’s not look at Christ for the moment and zoom into the transcendent conscious entity. God experiences all times all at once. Because of that, everything happens in a sort of causality loop where what happens in the future affects what happens in the past, and vice versa.

Unlike Him, we experience time in a linear manner. We call this the arrow of time. We are trapped by the very notion of time, unable to advance faster than it nor are we able to go backwards, against it. We can however, transcend it by recording snippets of memories through different means (ie: books, journals, photographs, videos, audio recording, etc). We are able to relive the past even though we have advanced through time. We call this atemporality. We transcend time to experience something that happened in another time frame. Through atemporal access to incidences in other timeframes, we also experience emotions associated with it.

Atemporality does not only apply to past memories. Atemporality may also apply to future events. Say for example, a prophecy of a future disaster can invoke fear and hence, cause us to make necessary arrangements to tide through the perceived disaster. In the Old Testament, the prophecy of a coming Messiah will invoke reverence, awe, and hope for the people of Israel. Hence, it kept the Israelites focused on God and on the hope of a coming “kingdom”. In other words, emotions is the one thing that transcends spatial dimensions of space and time. This was why Paul wrote, “for now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13, NIV). It was his faith that connected with God. It was the hope he placed in the knowledge of a future promise of God that got him to continue doing what he was doing. It was his love of God and his love for God that held his entire being together.

We wouldn’t have memories or hope of an incident or someone if we have not taken into heart what it meant to us. The sacrifice of Christ would mean nothing to us if we have not experienced the immense love that comes alongside it. This was why Murph was compelled to return to the watch that Cooper gave her. It was an artefact of Cooper’s love for her. It was something that helps her connect with Cooper.

Now, we can never be able to experience something if we do not know about it. Murph will not be able to love Cooper in such a profound way if not for her experience of his love towards her. No one can experience the magnitude of love unless they are aware of that such a love exist. Hence, it is the job of the Christian to share the love of God in a way we experienced. In Paul’s words, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15, NIV).

The question therefore, is whether or not have we experienced God in a deep way that allows us to communicate with Him regardless of situation? Have we experienced Him talking to us? Him shaping our lives? Him journeying with us? Him revealing Himself to us? Have we meditated on what the sacrifice of Christ on the cross meant to us? Have we meditated on what He did at the last supper? Do we “do these in remembrance of Me” (Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:18-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)?

No matter how much God loves us, if we do not reciprocate our love towards Him, we will not be able to receive His message, let alone communicate with Him.

No matter how much God loves us, if we do not reciprocate our love towards Him, we will not be able to receive His message, let alone communicate with Him. However, it is only through our love for God that gives God the confidence to communicate in a way that will be able reach us. Hence, on our part, we are to wait upon Him to speak to us through the actions He had done on earth, through the words He had written down for us in scriptures, and through the daily meditation of His words. When we are sensitive to what He is doing in our lives, when His promises speaks to us at our lowest point in life, when the Holy Spirit shows Himself and journey with us through our darkest times, we are to savour the moment and form a holographic memory of all that happened. Savour the moment; all the words that was said, all the things that happened, all the peace that was felt, all the people that you met, all the details that you experience.

Having stored these memories in your head, we are to return to them, just as how Christ called His disciples to return to Jerusalem after His ascension. Return to the place where the Saviour was pierced. Return to the place where it hurts the most. Return to the place where the Saviour meets you. Return to the place where you journeyed with the Saviour. There, at the lowest point of your encounter, the Saviour will overwhelm you by causing His power to descend upon you. There, at your deepest meditation, the Saviour will shake the very fabric of spatial dimension and communicate with you. There, at your lowest, the Saviour will show His love to you.

What does the word “science” mean to you? (in particular here?) What does it take for something to qualify as “scientific”?

https://manifoldwisdom.com/2020/04/21/why-is-god-so-particular-about-us-loving-him-a-scientific-inquiry/#comment-1401

[2020-04-21 10:17 UTC]

#god, #inquire, #inquiry, #love, #loving, #particular, #qualification, #qualifications, #qualify, #qualitative, #quality, #science, #scientific, #scientific-method

Unknown's avatar New Media Works 5:39 pm on May 8, 2020
Tags: brand, Facebook, GDPR, identity, image, online identity, persona, platform, platforms, privacy, , , ,   

[lavitazoe.wordpress.com/] “Online Identity”

Social media and the affects it has on the way we look at our bodies and at ourselves in general is such a discussed topic, but one that although some progress is being made towards self-love and authenticity, it is a topic with possibly no correct solution or answer.
I joined both Instagram and Twitter as a teenage girl. Twitter I joined to connect with celebrities that usually were out of reach, so this was exciting. Instagram on the other hand was to share photos of what was going on in my life and to be able to see what was going on in others. I believe that when I began using Instagram, I was naïve to the effects it was going to have on not only my mental health but also on my friends. I didn’t think there was much wrong with being flooded with photos of women with perfect bodies, endorsing weight loss products. Photos of women with airbrushed skin and perfect hair advertising skin care and vitamins. Reflecting back on my time now I can see just how damaging these sort of posts were for a teenager to take in. Growing into my adult years I was finding my voice, searching for who I was online and trying to feel comfortable in my own skin. Years of scrolling through feeds of Instagram each day with photoshopped perfection had creeped into the back of my mind and planted itself there. A statement that resonates with this feeling is “Users find online environments potent sites for constructing and trying out versions of self” (Smith & Watson 2014, p.75). I always thought of myself as a very authentic person, I always tried to find courage to speak my mind and be honest about how I felt. I found this difficult to convey on Instagram. I felt pressured for my photos to be perfect. I wanted to share things I loved but I felt judged. I wanted to be beautiful and interesting like the posts that I seen every day. I knew there was an issue with this. I could feel that the fact I would spend time not being in a moment because I was worried about how a photo being taken would look. Or I would be running late because I was taking a selfie to post onto Instagram because that would make me feel attractive. I would discuss these sort of things with my friends. Query if they ever felt that all the photoshop and advertising was detrimental on our mental health. My friends would tell me how they would feel ugly going on Instagram, that they felt their bodies needed plastic surgery to look like the women they seen online. They would tell me how sometimes it causes them to have anxiety for days. We all knew Instagram was causing these feelings, but we would continue to use it. Continue to follow the people that made us feel less of ourselves. It was an addiction. One of many studies that have been completed showed that exposure to celebrity and peer images increased negative mood and body dissatisfaction (Brown, Tiggemann 2016, p 37-43). Recently I had decided that I had enough, I hated how I felt going onto Instagram. I hated feeling lost online and not being sure of who I am, and I deleted my account. I took a break for weeks to reset the way my mind thought about social media. I began using my Twitter account again. I made a conscious effort to tweet about things I enjoyed and wanted to share. I tweeted my opinion on matters happening in the world rather than worrying about liking someone’s photo. I started to reconnect with people in a more human way. I find that tweeting about such simple moments such as the ones below can connect you with others in such an authentic way.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

I did return to Instagram recently after my short break. Going back onto this social media site I thought deeply about the way it had affected me and how I knew it affected others. I ensure that I make an effort to be, as I have in bio, fearlessly authentic.

Screenshot from my personal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zoetscott/
Screenshot from my personal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zoetscott/

I now ensure I unfollow any accounts that may have any effect on my mental health or that I believe are conveying a message that can be harmful to others as well. I try to consciously share real moments and images that make me happy and disregard the need to have likes to validate these images or myself. I feel better within myself doing this and I hope that I, along with others that believe in this message, social media can become more authentic, supportive and enjoyable for all people young and old to enjoy without feeling less of themselves. Lets use social media to build each other up!

References List
Smith, S & Watson, J 2014, ‘Virtually Me: A Toolbox about Online Self Presentation,’ in Poletti, A and Rak, J (eds.) Identity Technologies: Constructing the Self Online, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, pp.75.

Brown, Z & Tiggemann M, ‘Attractive celebrity and peer images on Instagram: Effect on women’s mood and body image’, Body Image, Vol.19, pp 37-43, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.08.007

Excellent — I think we pretty much agree. 🙂 The way I see it, pretty much the entire online universe = “social media” (even the way you define it)… you see, when we use a browser (or similar app), we navigate to online destinations (URLs — like lavitazoe.wordpress.com 😉 ) and the site “recognizes” that we have asked for information (and normally the site also delivers it — many newspapers in the USA now actually deliver responses that say “sorry, we’re not going to show people in Europe anything because due to GDPR, we won’t show you the news [what they’re actually saying thru the flowers is: we can’t spy on you in order to deliver tailored ads / news / whatever] ). LOL, I guess you weren’t expecting to have such a discussion, right? Well, in any case: most of the examples you mention are brand names (twitter was originally a word, IDK if they were able to turn it into a protected trademark or not; facebook used to be a slang term [for student directory] on college campuses, but that is almost definitely trademarked now). I refer to such sites as “retard media”, becuse they’re based on outdated media / technology. You might be able to find my definition of it if you search for it in conjunction with define or definition — you might have even more luck if you visit remediary.com and search there! Or, I could add a link here, if you want 😉

https://lavitazoe.wordpress.com/2020/04/21/online-identity/comment-page-1/#comment-17

[2020-04-21 14:29 UTC]

#brand, #facebook, #gdpr, #identity, #image, #online-identity, #persona, #platform, #platforms, #privacy, #retard-media, #self, #social-media, #twitter

Unknown's avatar New Media Works 1:08 pm on May 7, 2020
Tags: 99designs, Amazon, Fiverr, get publish, Instagram, , publish, published, publisher, publishers, , UpWork, WikiHow,   

[blog.mycaptain.in] “How to get published”

Getting published is like a dream come true for almost every aspiring writer. It is one of the biggest achievements to put under your belt and the joy of getting the good news that your book is about to turn into a reality is simply overwhelming.

But as you may know that getting your book published or getting the title of being a published author isn’t exactly an easy task.

It requires one to constantly keep on knocking on the doors of various publishers in the hopes of one of them agreeing.

Maybe you’ve already done this or maybe you haven’t but one thing is for certain that you crave to know about what it takes to become a published author.

There are two ways to go at it:

  • Self-publish your own book
  • Contact publishers and convince one of them to give your manuscript a shot (traditional way)

In this article, we will go through the tips and recommended steps you can take to get published through the traditional way – getting published through a publisher.

Let’s begin…

 

Write a book worth publishing

The first step is the most obvious and the most important one – write a manuscript that is worth publishing.

It is easy for you to say that your story is the best and the most perfect story ever written. Say that there’s no better book than yours but you’d be surprised by seeing how many writers think the same way.

Still don’t believe us?

Try convincing a stranger to pay you a small amount for reading your manuscript. You can even play a bet where if he/she doesn’t like it, you return the money.

It is very important to think from the perspective of a publisher. By agreeing to publish your manuscript, they’ll not only be putting their money on the line but also their reputation.

Ask yourself: Would you take that risk if you were in their shoes?

If after answering with complete honesty your answer is positive then go ahead. If not, edit your story more rigorously and make sure that your story structure, plot, as well as characters, are on-point.

Its always better to go back and build a bigger, better boat than sailing into the ocean with a weak one!

Grow your personal brand

You might question the importance of building your own brand before you’ve gotten published. Won’t fame come to you after you are published?

Yes, there’s no doubt that fame does come to the authors that deserve it but as mentioned before, publishers gamble on you and your manuscript.

As a writer who is trying to get published, your job is to take away as much of their risk as possible. One of the best ways to do it is by building your own brand before you approach any publisher.

Already having an audience that will read anything you write will make the publishers become confident in you and accept your manuscript.

There are many writers that have an audience on Instagram which contributed towards them becoming bestsellers with their first book. Arch Hades is one of them and her book “High Tide: Poetry and Postcards” quickly became a bestseller

There are various ways to grow your personal brand but here are two of the most popular ones:

  1. Opening an Instagram account and posting literary work like poetries, flash fiction, short stories, and more.
  2. Starting a writing website and posting all your literary work their.

 

Hire a professional editor

There’s a saying amongst professional authors and editor,

“A writer can never be his/her own editor”

We don’t know to what degree this is true but we do know that hiring a professional editor can really help make your manuscript much stronger.

Simply put, they know what a publisher or an agent is looking for and they can see the mistakes which you can’t.

Your mind as a writer is too invested in your own story. As a result, many of the mistakes become justifiable to you due to the context which only you know.

An editor has an eye for details. They will not only help you eliminate unnecessary parts but also help your story bring out all the intended details.

You can overlook this step if you have the ability to edit rigorously and with an open mind but hiring a professional editor is indeed an advisable step.

You can use platforms like Fiverr and Upwork to find these professionals – these can also help you save a ton of money 😉

Find an agent

Before you jump your guns and come to the conclusion that you don’t want anyone to take a portion of your earnings, hear us out.

Agents aren’t exactly the same money-hungry corporate people that most people typically know them to be. They are an important stepping stone in every author’s journey.

Jk rowling had an agent that helped her publish The Harry Potter series, Chuck Verrill is Stephen King’s long time editor and agent.

If agents were these monstrous personalities than why do the top authors of the world still have them. Technically, they shouldn’t need them anymore.

The fact is that agents help authors, both upcoming and already established ones, in many ways like landing better publishing deals, paperwork, etc.

Finding a literary agent can really help you get published too. Not only will they help you create a better manuscript but also land better deals.

Moreover, many of the renowned publishing houses wouldn’t even give your manuscript a chance if it didn’t come through a literary agent.

So research some agents that are in your genre and just shoot them mails.

Start contacting publishers and expect to wait

The final way of getting published is a no-brainer. Contact publishing houses but also be ready to wait anywhere from 6 months to a year for their reply.

However, there are a few aspects that you need to pay attention to before contacting any publishers. These will improve your chances of getting your manuscript accepted and landing a good deal for it.

  • Understand the types of genres a particular publishing house plays under. Most of them stick to two to three genres at a time. As a result, it allows them to create better marketing plans and strategies. Knowing these genres will help you avoid wasting time on publishers that don’t publish your genre.
  • Read the publishing guidelines and follow them closely. Many writers don’t do this and as a result, they waste a lot of their time and effort. For example, if a publishing house doesn’t accept first-time authors than the chances of your convincing them are very thin.
  • Contact their editors and try to establish a relationship with them first. You can find them through LinkedIn or through personal contacts. Once you do, you can directly ask them to give your manuscript a read. Convincing an individual is much easier than convincing an entire team.
  • Write a really good cover letter and attach it along with your manuscript or the synopsis of your manuscript. Having a good cover letter can truly improve your chances of getting published.
  • Read the books published by the publishing house. This will help you understand the type of language the publishing house prefers. Some publishing houses even give a sample story on their website. Go through it and see whether they’re a good fit for your manuscript.
  1. Install WordPress 2. Write a bunch of stuff 3. Press publish

no comment link available

[2020-04-20 15:45 UTC]

#99designs, #amazon, #fiverr, #get-publish, #instagram, #linkedin, #publish, #published, #publisher, #publishers, #publishing, #upwork, #wikihow, #wordpress

Unknown's avatar New Media Works 6:57 pm on May 4, 2020
Tags: college, , , , missing, quarantine, school, sports, team, team mate, team mates, teammate, teammates, university   

[wluvb.wordpress.com] “What day is it again?”

Quarantine has been, well y’know, quarantine. The days feel slow and I have trouble remembering which day it is, but somehow the weeks are going by quickly…? My daily schedule is a little odd because I have class from 1:30-5:15 on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 1:30-2:30 on Fridays, but that’s it. So, my sleep schedule is a little janky right now, but I’m trying to get back to normal.

Last week was my most productive week in quarantine thus far and that’s all thanks to my dad! He let me go into his office to get work done (don’t worry, no one else was there), and we have been doing all the volleyball workouts together (see pictures below). Although it’s been pretty hard for me to motivate, my dad has certainly been keeping me accountable, which I am so thankful for.

I tried my hand at cooking this week and made chicken bruschetta! It actually turned out pretty well, but I still mainly stick to baking my famous chocolate chip cookies. Although they’re slightly less healthy, they are totally worth it. See pictures of my mad cooking skills below! OH! and our neighbor made us homemade face masks for all our outings, so check out our stylish fabrics in the pic below too!

Staying connected with friends and teammates has been interesting during this time. I have been on 27 FaceTime calls just this week LOL. That sounds ridiculous, but I am really missing all my peeps from W&L. We’ve gotten to have Zoom calls with the team and a bunch of calls with a lot of recruits—it’s been super fun!!

This time apart has made me realize how lucky I am to get to go to a school that I so deeply and genuinely care about. The people are what make W&L what it is, so I am seriously missing them: our team, my other friends, and even my professors. One of my professors actually lives in Charlottesville, so paid him a socially distant visit (see picture below). It was seriously so fun to just talk to him for a short time and see someone, even from a distance. At W&L, we get to form special relationships with our professors because our class sizes are small, and I think that is something that I take for granted, but it is for sure one of my favorite parts of the academic side of W&L.

Though this time is hard, it’s pretty cool to see the ways people are continuing to connect and the ways people are stepping up to help those around them who are less fortunate. Amidst the darkness, there is light and hope and that is something to smile about! Best wishes to everyone out there—stay happy and healthy to the best of your abilities ◡̈

Lots of love, Courtney Berry #20

https://wluvb.wordpress.com/2020/04/20/what-day-is-it-again/#comment-1071

Hi Courtney 🙂

It seems like this is a group blog (?) — maybe the Washington & Lee volleyball team??

I liked reading your post, and / but for a random surfer that more-or-less randomly find an individual post like this, putting 1 or 2 sentences onto the “about” page would be a big help (IMHO context is actually more important than content 😉 ).

If you guys (gals?) want any more tips, don’t hesitate to reply and / or drop me an email!

😀 Norbert

[2020-04-20 12:56 UTC]

#college, #connect, #fun, #miss, #missing, #quarantine, #school, #sports, #team, #team-mate, #team-mates, #teammate, #teammates, #university