So I am beginning my internship at a university here shortly, and I’m very excited about it! With that said, I do have a concern I am wondering if anyone else has had to address.
The people in my program completely abuse the word “like” when they speak and I have come to struggle so much with it that sometimes I will focus so heavily on it that I don’t completely understand what they’re trying to say. I’m talking 20-30 usages of the word in a 5-6 sentence span. Being that my clients will be 19-23 years old, if it’s this bad among 28-35 year olds, I reckon the problem will be tenfold among university students of a younger age.
I know that this is a “me” problem, and while coming up in a household that used a lot of colorful vocabulary and placed an emphasis on articulation is a blessing, in this way, I feel it is a bit of a curse and distraction. Is this something other therapists struggle with? What tools do you use to fight through those moments when your brain goes fixation mode and takes you out of the moment

Hi everyone,
I've just picked up Finnish again after a really long time. I had never been really serious about it but I finally found the motivation to really give it a shot and try to reach B2 level.
I have studied quite a few foreign languages before, so I am not new to the process, but I now Finnish will be the hardest one so far.
When studying Norwegian, English or German, I usually found a book I liked and knew, and went through it like a madman. Meaning, I'd translate every sentence, make flashcards of every new word, reread the pages several times out loud once I knew the meaning of the whole text, try to make my own texts using the newly acquired vocabulary, etc.
This worked fairly well as I ended up getting a C1 certificate in Norwegian and English, and a B2 in German. So I thought I'd do the same with Finnish. And luckily for me, my favorite writer is Finnish ! I read all of Paasilinna's books in French when I was a teenager (some 15 years ago) and even bought a Finnish version of Onnellinen mies when I first went to Finland in the eventuality that I would one day want to learn the language. FYI, my favorite books are Onnellinen Mies and Maailman paras kyllä.
However, as I mentioned earlier, I know that Finnish is much harder than Germanic languages., and I am afraid that my traditional way otlf studying might be too big an undertaking here.
So I'd like to ask others who also study Finnish and who have read Paasilinna's works in their original version, how difficult to read would you say his books are? What level should one have to attempt reading one?
I know that his style translates in a very simple/direct French, almost spoken, sometimes "dumbed down". But it was this very direct way of writing that I fell on love with. Is this the same in Finnish? Is the language he uses in his books usable IRL?
Thanks in advance for your time and help.

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91 Hours After the First Round of Interloper Interrogations. UNAFS Perseverance. Hangar Bay.
Evina
The stage was set, and my game face was on. It had to be, especially with what Vir had concocted over the course of his sleepless night.
The realization that AI didn’t exactly… sleep, was something I’d expected. But I’d at least thought the sleepless downtime would be used for something remotely related to downtime, something like maintenance, server repairs, or just anything at least remotely related to a decrease in productivity if only to relax.
I certainly wasn’t expecting that downtime to result in the creation of a literal sci-fi arsenal that now sat there, waiting for me just in front of the shuttle.
“A gift, Evina.” The AI spoke, gesturing to what could only be described as a small procession of bots, carts, and self-navigating cargo containers; all of which kept Eslan’s curiosities at a constant all-time high as he walked around the collection of bots, his eyes enamored by every little detail of each and every one of them.
But it was what was inside and within the containers that sat atop of those autonomous machines which was what I was really interested in. Moreover, it was a particular outfit currently sitting there on top of a felinor mannequin that really drew most of my attention.
Though the term outfit would definitely be underselling it. As what was being offered to me now was something that could no longer be found anywhere else on the continent, save for the odd military bunker and of course, the books and iterative memories belonging to that of the pre-war world.
To put it simply, it resembled advanced police armor, or maybe even military. Though its sleek design, metal pieces, and thinner silhouette put me in mind more of the former than the latter.
More to the point, it seemed to be capable of being fitted atop of my regular gear, instead of requiring me to swap it out entirely; consisting of three distinct pieces that resembled a pair of pants, a jacket, and a helmet.
I took a moment to stare at it intently, analyzing every last detail of it, from its space-age aesthetics of shiny plastics to matte metal chrome, to its soft interior that seemed to be gel-lined with some weird jelly-like fluid.
Moreover, I seized the moment to tease Eslan, as I turned towards him, then Vir, in rapid succession. “I’m assuming the gift isn’t for Eslan, right?” I snickered, prompting the smaller felinor to pout in a fit of resentful jealousy.
“I can arrange one for him if you’d like.” The AI responded casually, as if hinting at the fact that this wasn’t a one-off project, that this wasn’t just something pulled from storage and simply tailored down to my size.
“Let me guess, you have an entire factory deep within the ship somewhere?” I asked, half sarcastic, and half serious, knowing full well the answer could go either way given the track record of everything else on the ship I’d seen so far.
“Right on the money there, Evina.” Vir responded with an electronic chirp, prompting me to re-evaluate both the ship’s unfathomable capabilities, and the two dorks that were in charge of it all.
Nevertheless, it would seem as if Eslan was excited by the prospect, as he began pulling the armor pieces off of the mannequin, examining the finer details before handing them off for me to wear.
“I’m assuming the gel-like internal padding is a sort of passive heat regulator?” The felinor asked.
“Yes, but more than that, it acts as a layer of thermal insulation against energy-based attacks that manage to penetrate the ceramo-reflective plating lining the outside of the armor. This version’s passive since I don’t think you’ll be encountering anything like that on the surface but…” The AI shrugged ominously. “It’s lightweight, comfy, and there’s also ballistic-weave and kinetic-resistant properties embedded in the fabric. Along with some kinetic resistance that’ll help stop projectiles in their tracks if they penetrate the outer layers and somehow manage to make it through to the gel. Think non-newtonian fluid.” The AI’s platform shrugged. “Anyways, I thought it’d be a good, light-weight, adaptable, no-frills all rounder you could keep even after the mission’s end.” The AI explained, prompting me to more or less double-down on my re-evaluation of its seemingly conflicting personality matrix.
Vir was… complicated. In a good way. Seemingly practical, level-headed, tactical, and terrifyingly efficient on one hand, but also very much personable, surprisingly relatable, and most reassuring of all… self-reflective to the point of empathy and benevolence.
My first iteration was practically working overdrive trying to make heads or tails of him.
But my current mind was simply occupied with getting the armor on, which was more or less straightforward.
It was, surprisingly, lightweight. Like wearing a trimmed-down flak jacket that hugged and tightened to your form. The pants were the same story, which only left the helmet that I was hesitant to try on given its roundish shape and tight squeeze.
I examined it, looking inside as I noticed two little indents marking the recesses where my ears could actually comfortably fit.
“I’ve taken the liberty of creating a few modifications to the human baseline design in order to accommodate for your alien anatomy. I learned this the hard way when Lysara first donned a human helmet. It was… not fun, to say the very least.” The AI managed out with a nervous chuckle.
The idea of Lysara’s frills being squished inside a round helmet with no room for that sensitive looking extension of his head sent shivers up my spine. But then again, this made me even more curious as to just what these humans looked like if they lacked frills, ears, or anything else adorning their heads.
“I’m guessing the human-baseline must be really boring then.” I managed out unexpectedly, garnering a cock of the AI’s head. “You know what I mean right? What with having just a round space to shove their heads into. No frills, ears, or anything.”
“Ah, well, I can definitely see where you’re coming from with that.” Vir chuckled in response. “But honestly their appearance is not a big secret or anything. I can just pull up a-”
“Ah! Good morning, Evina!” Lysara announced brightly, cutting Vir off mid sentence as he jumped down from the shuttle and back onto the hangar bay proper. “I’ve been doing some final checks just to make sure we’re ready to go. Sorry I didn’t come out to greet you earlier.” The alien paused just before reaching me however, as he looked me up and down, then smiled. “I see Vir has been up to his usual work.”
“Seems so.” I shrugged. “In any case, I’m feeling more ready than I was just a few minutes ago, which I didn’t think was even possible, so thanks, Vir.” I gave Vir another nod of appreciation, before turning back to Lysara. “We're good to go, then?”
“As ready as ever.” Lysara responded promptly, surprising me with his register slowly shifting more towards something normal, rather than being entirely pulled from a university thesaurus.
Maybe I was starting to rub off of whatever translation software he was using.
“In any case, I don’t think I’ll be using your toys for the time being, Vir.” I gestured towards the rows upon rows of black and chrome weapons alike. Most of them resembled somewhat traditional looking firearms, whilst others were more or less pulled from the pages of science fiction, what with their tapered ‘muzzles’, and raygun-looking grips. “And it’s that I don’t trust that they could do some damage. It’s just a safer bet if I went with what I know. It’s better to use a gun you’ve trained and lived with, than a new one you’ve just messed around with the night prior.” I smiled, more or less alluding to the small escapade the AI and I went on for a short hour after the dinner. “Though I do thank you kindly for the ammo for my revolver, I’d say it’ll be helpful but… I’d rather not say anything at all until we get to our destination.”
The AI responded with a simple sharp dip of his head. “Chemically-derived combustion sluggers are always a solid choice. I wish you all the best, and I hope you don’t end up having to use that gun. I’ll make sure my boys take good care of you and Lysara.”
With a final exchange of nods, Lysara and I strode off and into the shuttle.
But just as we reached the precipice, I turned back, if only to give Eslan a reassuring hug. “I’ll be back sooner than you expect. So don’t get bored now.” I offered, prompting the smaller felinor to grin widely.
“Oh don’t you worry about getting bored.” He gestured to the space around him. “I probably won’t even be done with this room by the time you’re back.”
“Just make sure to save some mysteries for me. Oh, and Vir?” I turned to Vir for a moment, garnering a small cock of his head.
“Yes, Evina?”
“Do make sure that you tire him out some with your explanations. I’d rather come back to a quiet bedroom to pass out in, rather than one with an excitable Eslan ready to chew my ear out with his latest discoveries on the ship’s deep lore.” I jokingly ordered, prompting Eslan to give me his signature side-eye.
Following a dumb smile of my own signaling our temporary goodbyes, I soon found myself back within the bowels of the shuttle. Except this time, the backramp cargo bay seemed to be chock-full of those heavy-duty combat bots I caught glimpses of back in the forests.
In fact, every corner of the shuttle’s cargo bay seemed to be crammed to the brim with one or another form of combat drone. From flying drones, to clusters of those smaller insect-drones, to what looked to be oversized spiders ready to drop from the ceiling at a moment’s notice.
The whole space seemed to be decked out for combat.
Which gave me a lot of confidence about the outcome of this mission.
Lysara and I didn’t say much as we both made our way towards the cockpit, strapped into our respective seats, and began the nausea-inducing flight out of the ship’s hangar bay, and down towards the planet.
A whole minute passed in absolute silence as I tried to steady myself for what was to come.
“So, let’s go over a few of the key details for this mission.” Lysara suddenly broke the silence, bringing up a top-down map of the forests, with the facility in question highlighted in orange. “We’re going to be landing in a clearing made by Vir.” The map shifted, highlighting a very conspicuous open clearing of trees and a charred forest floor that made it very clear something big had happened here very recently.
If I’d seen that place from the ground? I’d have probably cited that aliens did it.
Which, ironically, would’ve been more on the money than I could’ve ever thought possible.
“From there, we march through the open clearing made by Vir, with drones taking point, up and towards the facility.” The map shifted once more, highlighting yet another clearing that more or less formed a clean path towards the entrance of the bunker. “From there, I assume you know your role?”
“Yup, if my prior iterations come through on this one, I’ll open the facility door, and from there… We head inside, and see what’s what.” I responded.
“The drones will make the first move, we’ll have two squads proceed inside and ascertain if it’s safe to enter. After confirming that all hazards are within a tolerable margin of safety, we’ll proceed.”
“Understood.” I acknowledged with a heavy sigh, my eyes trained on the continent that now took up most of our cockpit view.
“Whatever happens, I know for a fact we’ll be safe as long as we play it safe.” Lysara tried filling the silence with his own brand of reassurance.
“I know. But it’s not so much the physical dangers I’m worried about.” I managed out, before pausing, as my eyes once more strayed towards the top-down view of the mission map. “It’s what we’re going to find inside the facility that worries me.”
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(Author’s Note: Evina gets a cool new outfit for her mission, Eslan is promised an entire day of having his sci fi interests satiated, and we're now on our way with Lysara down towards the signal station! The next chapter is already out on Patreon as well if you want to check it out!)
[If you guys want to help support me and these stories, here's my ko-fi ! And my Patreon for early chapter releases (Chapter 96 of this story is already out on there!)]

Word of the Day:
kabuki
Kabuki is a traditional Japanese art form involving music, dance, drama, and mime. Kabuki performers in elaborate costumes and makeup act out ancient history and legends.
Learn more about kabuki...
Start mastering kabuki with VocabTrainer:
And more recently, kabuki has been performed for audiences around the world, including the United States. Source: World History: Patterns of Interaction
In this sentence, kabuki means:
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I'm a native English speaker and I've been learning Spanish for two years and I'm currently intermediate. About a week ago I decided to try learning another language so for a few days each I tried out Zulu, then Russian, and finally Mandarin (which is the one I've decided on learning) and I've really only studied the phonetics of each and a tiny bit of grammar and vocabulary but not enough to expect it to make Spanish harder to speak.
I noticed after I started Russian I wasn't able to think in Spanish as easily. For at least a year I would usually think of a word or phrase in only Spanish and never have to think of it in English first unless it was a word or phrase that isn't used often. I've noticed; however, that I've been thinking of the word in English first.
Today I also noticed that it is harder to speak at the pace that I was speaking before. I used to be able to speak at a pace that wasn't super fast compared to natives but I also didn't have to resort to filler words every other word. Today I was talking to some friends that I only talk to in Spanish and I felt dumb and like I was wasting their time because there was one sentence where it took me so long to think of the proper words and I had to use so many filler words.
I haven't had a word for another language come to mind except e (Italian word for and) came to mind before y (Spanish word for and) today. I did have a short conversation with my friend in Italian yesterday although I haven't studied it for two years.
I haven't used Spanish any less than I usually do. I've just been using some free time I normally spend in English to study the other languages so I don't know why this is happening.
Should I be worried about this? If I stick to Mandarin and stop speaking and studying all these other languages will it go away? Would the best choice be to wait until I get to C1 in Spanish to study a new language?

It's really not going to look like anything special tbh. The Vocab cards would just be the Spanish word on the front then, answer on the back with an example sentence and a contextualizing image or clip on the back... if relevant.
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But I wasted alot of time curating a personalized example sentence for (almost) every single vocab word I discover. Key word is discover imo.
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Right now my example sentences contain a simple concept I already comprehend, atleast within the context of that sentence, for the word that I am learning to be applied to. Like my lunes card is ´´lunes es antes martes´´. As I create the vocab cards I try to keep main vocab word part as the primary focus in usage and less that of the sentence itself for the sake of simplicity which means that the vocab card usually ends up as the first word of the sentence unless I personally see no reason actually care. Like another card I have that was luckily easy to make for desde is ´´el imperio de mongol duró desde a 1206 a 1368''. Every example I create is with words I already know or do not feel a remote need to understand - to understand the sentence. but IDK. Also I'm more concerned with audio than I am with imagery though. But If I could make the back into a really simple clip and very quickly that would be nice, but I dont care about imagery too much as most of it is going to end up in immersion anyways. Sound matters for me though. Sound is really so i can read something out loud before I hear what it sounds like, which helps me make comparisons and judge myself while I flag cards to make filtered decks out of later. And of course, for words that I already knew before starting studying I do not even consider making vocab cards out of as it will be fluff. completely random words like mañana or lanzar are weirdly glued to my head specifically because I have a specific memory with them. like for lanzar I watched a little game trailer and a text prompt showed up saying ''lanzar roca'' for this fucking kid to just launch a whole ass rock at a dude across a bridge. which is goofy as fuck. the game was called pedros adventures btw.
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Also on the back of one of my vocab cards for the word 4th... I literally just put ''cuarto y cuarto'' fucking 10 times. because if you say cuarto 10x fast, it sounds like Squidward in Japanese which is fucking HILARIOUS.
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But if I could imagine imagery in a specific way it would really just be for nouns and numbers... and anything that has a very concrete meaning with just an image. like for example, you could have a game where an image flashes on the screen and you need to translate that image in your head or if you want by typing it or speaking it out loud. And you get feedback for elements of the image relayed... but I haven't spent much time thinking about that kind of thing cos its not on any to do list, but it would be pretty cool.
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its quite easy to curate examples as I'm watching these dreaming Spanish videos which is why id like to make some kind of sentence cards out of the clips. this is really because there is like a mix in my head between a sentence card and an example sentence on the back of a vocab card. Vocab cards are really the gateway for sentence cards imo. For any vocab card that has multiple definitions I need only create 1 vocab card for its primary use, and create sentence cards for its primary use and its different usages as I discover them through immersion. I can work out the nuance as I watch, read and write. and then as i immerse and gain enough vocabulary i will eventually bury more and more vocab cards and instead replace them with sentence cards. But of course, still using both in a balance.
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And ideally, all of this comes from something I highly associate with in my head. As in English; for any single word and phrase and etc., I have in my subconscious a lil smth-smth associated with that word in so many ways that I do not even realize. But I do not care to understand the little neural networks, just as I do not care to actually develop some stupid ass grammatical understanding before I even begin speaking or listening. but only to just create a 24 7 immersive study environment conducive to an almost gamified consumption that gradually improves my abilities over time. Right now it feels like i'm just trying to make a build, and I cant even start grinding the way I want to. I have tidbits here and there but I haven't worked it out entirely.
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And I do apologize if I seemed like there was friction between me and watching the dreaming Spanish videos when you had brought it up. it was just that as of now; everything I've been doing is just thinking of how to make this situation fairly seamless without needing any weird in-between steps just to do a single repetitive task. Like tagging and flagging cards is something you dont want to do manually, you want to do it with a key stroke or command. Books are easy to get, and I will be consuming the dreaming spanish videos now that I'm feeling how helpful they are compared to what I was doing before... Spanish dubs... alot of scrolling in tiktok... ALSO that one Spanish youtuber for chess called rey engima. He's like gotham chess but for Spanish which i absolutely love because I love chess and I needed a spanish way to consume it. Ive made alot of Spanish accounts for things and translated alot of UI into spanish. and I also downloaded urban VPN but i think that part was unnecessary asf.
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But really the annoying thing was how to approach anki. also, that 4 hour video I linked is really just an oversimplified text book to just get a general idea of a concept. Which is all I care about. Things like grammar are terribly taught in classrooms and that video just goes about it in a way I really like, atleast compared to every other explanation ive seen. I planned to just do just 30 minutes per day on that video as I focused on other things. but I got caught up with other random shit and then I kind of just set that video to the side... which is why i only watched 20 minutes of it.
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I am a really slow thinker, and things get to expedited when I get a foundation.
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In regards to what I mean when I said 'gamified element'. I don't mean to say things like grind and such like this is some MMORPG. I mean gamified in the sense that I get some kind of gamified feedback or feeling in a dopamine inducing form that encourages me to do really weird things to lock in that I dont anyone actually does. Like if im at the microwave and the numbers are going down, im literally saying those numbers in Spanish as they go down because in the end the main goal is to entirely quit using English as a crutch for the language and reach a point where you need only convert your conceptualizations into language and vice versa i.e., other Spanish speakers. But gamified elements provide for me an extremely significant way for me to engage with the language that I also really enjoy... cos im a weirdo. Being able to see how long I've spent on each card and other visual inputs about the outputs of my efforts are also cool, especially if displayed in a consumable manner to increase my receptivity.
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Anyways, hopefully I could at least give you an idea of what's going on in my head and what my goals are. This process has been poopoo stinky, and my brain is very poo poo stinky.

I've noticed that some of the stories in other eerie cast podcasts are definitely at the very least ai assisted as far as the stories go. They've become just very "plain"
But in the nearest RB episode the voice of Ethan Novak was just awful. The majority of the sentences were weirdly ended, kind of like a computer glitching and making the ending syllables stretch.
I'm not even sure if the creators see this but can you try a little harder? I have no idea how that made it to release

GPT-4o is an omni model. It accepts any combination of text, audio, and image as input and generates any combination of text, audio, and image as outputs.
There's 100s of applications it will enable. I'll cover a few of them below.

1. Language Learning

Duolingo Stock fell by $65 in the last 5 days. That should tell you the entire story.
Duolingo Stock
For context, Duolingo is a language-learning app. Now GPT-4o can easily translate terms in other languages by just pointing it to the ChatGPT's Camera.
This is massive if you want to travel globally as a nomad. You don't have to know a language now. You can just translate on the fly in any random country.
The accuracy won't be 100% but it would be close enough. And the AI keeps improving.

2. Solving School Problems For Students

I wish I had this in school. Learning could've been more efficient and faster.
Most students fear asking questions because they feel it might be dumb. Now you can ask ChatGPT any dumb question.
It even solves math problems for the Salman Khan's (founder of Khan Academy, not the actor) Kid.

3. Bed Time Stories For Kids

Since ChatGPT can talk now with a humourous and sultry voice, you can use it to tell stories to kids. It can be used in the voice of their parents or grandparents.
You can even use a Soft Toy that does the talking to the kid. Earlier, there used to be toys that did that but it only spoke the same sentence. Now it can do back and forth.
You can make special toys that teach kids letters and alphabets. Target it to 2-3 year olds.
Hat tip to Whyme-__- for the Bed Time idea.

4. Be My Eyes For The Blind

Best damn use-case for the blind. Now using a Phone is a bit too much for this but when smart glasses come, every blind person will have a walking companion.
The future is great for the blind.

5. Be My Friend

Too many people are lonely nowadays thanks to technology. It can be a boon for some but a con for others.
You can build a specialized app that gets you an AI Friend since you can talk to it now and it can talk back, it will be great.
I am 100% sure Therapy AI will be much better now with Audio/Video integration. In future, we will have fully featured Robots like Tesla's Optimus and Figure that will have such functionalities built-in.
I bet this comes in <2 years judging by the pace at which AI and Robotics are accelerating.

6. Comic Books

Now that text can be easily created with ChatGPT, why not create Comic Books easily.
Its a huge creative exercise for comic creators. Webtoons have exploded in popularity and many KDramas are made out of them like Death's Game and Marry My Husband.
This will increase the creativity exponentially.

7. Font Creations

Fonts are expensive. Like really expensive.
Funnily enough ChatGPT can create fonts easily now. Take the most popular fonts, tweak them a bit, and create entire new sets of fonts.
Look at the creations explode on Creative Market. Font directories like Typewolf can now create their own fonts easily as they already have distribution.
Open AI GPT-4o Text to Font

8. Brand Placements

It solved for Brand Placements too.
You can put your brand in places you never imagined without using too much effort.
Open AI GPT-4o Brand Placement

9. Poster Creation for Movies or TV Series

Posters are hard to get right but as you know there are only finite variations.
Open AI GPT-4o Movie Posters
You can fine-tune it on popular movie posters and solve Poster Creation once and for all.
Open AI GPT-4o Poster Creation
What use-cases can you come up with? Give me your best ones.
PS: If you'd like to read the full post with images, you can do so here.
PPS: You can find more AI-related posts here covering AI Girlfriends, AI Photo apps, Startups from 1st-wave of AI that made it big and more.

With the way Duolingo is set up (being all about repetition and recognizing patterns in sentence structures), I feel like it'd be super easy exchange some of the nouns or verbs with something more personalized to the user. I.e. with "I'm from ...", why shouldn't we be able to specify the country that we're actually from? For "I like to ...", why shouldn't we be able to specify some actions that we personally like to do?
I think that some neat personalized sentences would make some of the units and sections feel more meaningful.

Reading is often touted as one of the most fundamental skills a child can develop. But why is it so important, especially in the early years? Let's take a look at the importance of reading for children in the nursery and explore ten reasons why it should be a cornerstone of early childhood education.
1. Language development: Through reading, children learn new words, phrases and sentence structures, which helps them build a rich vocabulary and understand the nuances of language. This early exposure lays a strong foundation for effective communication skills later in life.
Haebix Preschool, a pioneer in language development, stands among best pre schools in india. With innovative methods, it nurtures linguistic skills in young learners, fostering communication and cognitive growth. Renowned for its holistic approach to education, Haebix is a beacon of excellence in early childhood development across the nation.
2. Cognitive development: Engaging with books stimulates various cognitive functions, including memory, attention and problem solving. As children interpret stories, make connections and predict outcomes, their cognitive skills are sharpened and critical thinking and analytical skills are enhanced.
3. Imagination and creativity: Books are portals to countless worlds, adventures and ideas. When children immerse themselves in stories, they exercise their imagination by imagining characters, settings and scenarios, which in turn boosts their creativity and innovation.
4. Emotional intelligence: Stories often deal with complex emotions and interpersonal relationships, which helps children to understand and manage their feelings. Through the characters' experiences, children learn empathy, resilience and how to deal with life's ups and downs.
5. Bonding and socialization: Reading together fosters a strong bond between children and caregivers. It is a special time of bonding, conversation and shared experiences and reinforces the importance of relationships and social interactions.
6. Cultural awareness: Books offer insights into different cultures, traditions and perspectives. Exposure to literature from around the world expands children's understanding of the human experience and promotes tolerance, acceptance and global awareness.
Haebix preschool in greater noida is renowned for its focus on cultural awareness. Through diverse activities and celebrations, it fosters a rich understanding of traditions and values from around the world. At Haebix, children not only learn academics but also develop respect and appreciation for different cultures, promoting global citizenship from an early age.
7. Preparing for school: Reading readiness is a critical aspect of preparing children for formal education. By introducing letters, sounds, and basic reading and writing concepts early, children in kindergarten develop the foundational skills they need to succeed in school.
8. Lifelong learning: Instilling a love of reading from an early age sets the stage for lifelong learning and personal growth. Children who love to read are more likely to acquire knowledge, explore new interests and continue their education beyond the classroom.
9. Better focus: In a world full of distractions, the ability to focus is invaluable. Reading requires sustained attention and helps children improve their ability to concentrate, which can benefit them in various areas of life, from academics to everyday tasks.
10. Academic success: Numerous studies have established a link between early reading skills and academic achievement later in life. Children who start reading early tend to do better in school, excel in language arts and develop a solid foundation for learning in all subjects.
At Haebix Preschool, we prioritize reading as a fundamental aspect of early childhood education. Our curriculum includes a rich selection of age-appropriate books and literacy activities designed to instill a lifelong love for reading in every child. Through storytelling, group reading sessions, and interactive learning experiences, we aim to nurture confident, curious, and engaged young readers who are ready to embark on a journey of discovery and exploration.
So reading is not just a pastime, but a fundamental skill that shapes children's development in many ways. From language and cognitive skills to social-emotional growth and academic success, the benefits of reading in kindergarten are profound and far-reaching. By fostering a culture of reading from the earliest years, we empower children to explore, learn and thrive in a rapidly changing world. So let's open the doors to the enchanting world of books and send our little ones on a lifelong journey of discovery and imagination.

Bonjour tout le monde,
I'm working with a vocabulary app (reword) that is great but sometimes the example sentences throw me.. and I'm wondering if the infinitif « estimer » and the participe passé « estimé » are pronounced exactly the same, or if there's a subtle difference I should be aware of?
Merci d'avance
ps. thank you u/tonypconway for the guillamets.

I'm relocating to Italy and will be attending an Italian school next year. I've been searching for comprehensible input for A0 supeabsolute beginners to help me learn more efficiently. Unfortunately, Duolingo, Busuu, and Babbel haven't been very helpful. I only learned a few words and a couple of sentences with decent pronunciation, but they don't come to me naturally.
Now, I'm using a beginner grammar and vocabulary book instead of those apps. However, I'm also looking for content that will help me acquire the language more naturally and a bit faster.
Note: I used duolingo, Busuu and Babbel about 7 months now for daily 2-3 hours but still no real improvement, and it’s hard to find someone who can speak italian in my area or any italian teacher.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer limited to science fiction movies. It's woven into the fabric of our daily lives, quietly working behind the scenes to enhance our smartphone experience. From streamlining communication to fueling creative expression, AI-powered apps determine the mannerisms through which we interact with our mobile devices.
In this article, we will look at the ten best apps for iPhone and Android. Alongside this, we will weigh their pros and cons for optimal transparency. Make better data-driven decisions with AI and big data by the end of this article. Here are our top ten picks.

1. Otter.ai

Drowning in sticky notes and illegible handwriting? Otter.ai is your AI-powered solution for effortless note-taking. This app uses real-time speech recognition to transcribe conversations and lectures as they happen.
Focus on the present moment during meetings, interviews, or classes, knowing Otter.ai captures every word. Search through the transcribed text later to pinpoint key points, revisit specific moments, and ensure you never miss a crucial detail again.
Pros: Ditch notes, capture every word, easy search later
Cons: Less clarity, limited free storage, freemium account

2. Grammarly

Grammarly is one of the top ten Android apps for users. Its AI-powered app analyzes your text, identifying grammatical errors, typos, and awkward phrasing. It doesn't just point out mistakes but also suggests corrections and improvements.
Whether crafting an email, composing a social media post, or tackling a report, Grammarly ensures your message shines.
It can even suggest synonyms to enhance your vocabulary and recommend different sentence structures for smoother flow. With Grammarly by your side, you can confidently write, knowing your communication is clear, concise, and polished.
Pros: Flawless writing, improves clarity, boosts vocabulary
Cons: Limited free features, over-reliance, lack of human editorship

3. Moises App

Moises uses AI to separate audio tracks, allowing you to remove vocals from a song to create karaoke tracks or isolate specific instruments for musical experimentation. This app is a treasure trove for musicians, music lovers, and anyone who wants to get creative with audio manipulation.
Pros: Create Karaoke tracks, isolate instruments for remixes, a treasure trove for music lovers
Cons: Mandatory subscription, may require high-quality audio, limited editing features

4. Lensa

Lensa takes your selfies and transforms them into captivating works of art. Explore a library of artistic styles, from classic oil paintings and Renaissance portraits to whimsical cartoon filters and edgy pop art.
Lensa.ai utilizes AI to blend your features with these artistic styles, thereby creating unique and personalized digital masterpieces.
What’s more? You can even experiment with various filters, find your perfect artistic doppelganger, and share your creations on social media to impress your followers. Whether you crave a touch of artistic grandeur or a playful cartoon makeover, Lensa.ai offers a fun and creative way to see yourself in a whole new light.
Pros: AI art makeover, explore art styles, fun social media fodder
Cons: In-app purchases, subjective taste in art, privacy concerns

5. ELSA Speak

Regarded as one of the top ten apps for iPhone, Elsa is a pioneer in language development. Struggling with English pronunciation? Look no further than ELSA Speak, your AI-powered English coach. This app utilizes AI to analyze your spoken English, identifying areas for improvement. It provides personalized feedback on your pronunciation, highlighting sounds and words that need work.
ELSA Speak goes beyond simple corrections. It offers interactive lessons and exercises to help you master specific sounds and improve your fluency.
With regular practice and ELSA Speak's guidance, you can gain the confidence to speak English clearly and effectively in any situation.
Pros: Personalized feedback, improves pronunciation, gains speaking fluency
Cons: Limited languages, requires commitment, subscription format

6. WOMBO Dream

Ever feel creatively blocked or simply yearn for your inner artist? Look no further than WOMBO Dream. This art generator takes the reins, transforming your simple text prompts into unique and captivating paintings.
Describe a "mystical underwater city" or a "portrait of a courageous astronaut" to the app. WOMBO Dream uses its artistic intelligence to translate your words into stunning visuals. Explore a variety of artistic styles, from dreamlike landscapes to classic oil paintings.
With this app, anyone can become an art director, generating conversation-starting masterpieces in seconds.
Pros: AI art generator, explore creative prompts, instant artwork
Cons: Limited control, subscription for extensive styles, lack of artistic interpretation
Overwhelmed with AI? Here’s a step-by-step guide to AI basics and platforms.

7. Color by Number

This app takes the classic coloring-by-number concept and injects a dose of AI. It utilizes AI to generate unique pixel art coloring pages based on various themes and styles. While coloring is a relaxing and therapeutic activity, the AI-generated aspect adds a touch of novelty and keeps things interesting for creative minds.
Pros: Short video clips, caption comprehension, target language learning
Cons: Lacks broader understanding of the topic, requires internet connectivity, does not emphasize speaking or writing

8. Socratic by Google

Stuck on a homework problem and traditional methods aren't cutting it? Look no further than Socratic by Google! This learning app is your virtual study buddy. Simply snap a picture of your math problem, science question, or even a historical passage you're struggling with.
Socratic uses its AI smarts to analyze the content and provide you with step-by-step explanations, relevant videos, and alternative solution methods.
It even tackles multiple subjects, making it a versatile tool for various academic challenges. While Socratic can't solve every problem for you, it acts as a powerful guide, helping you understand concepts and develop problem-solving skills for future success.
Pros: Step-by-step solutions, multiple subjects supported, explanatory videos
Cons: Limited problem-solving types, limited solving capabilities, best for understanding concepts

9. Adobe Premiere Rush

This is a great option for anyone who wants to create and edit professional-looking videos on their phone. It has a simple and intuitive interface, but it also offers a wide range of features, including the ability to add multiple video clips, music, and titles.
You can also use Premiere Rush to adjust the color and lighting of your videos and to add special effects.
Pros: Easy to use, mobile-friendly editing, rich asset library
Cons: Limited features, cloud dependence, export restrictions

10. PlayPhrase

This app combines AI and language learning to create a fun and interactive experience. PlayPhrase uses AI to analyze short videos and generate captions in multiple languages. You can choose a video clip, and select the target language you're learning, and the app will transcribe the audio with captions.
Pros: Engaging video clips, interactive learning experience, multilingual options
Cons: Limited context, Excessive comprehension, needs web connectivity
Read more: Take Your First Step With an AI Basics Course For Beginners

Out of curiosity...since there are 'content creators' making money off of the exploitation of their child/s on social media...
...what are the typical penalties and punishment for persons caught out as having been deceptive and acting fraudulently when it comes to Government benefits? For example, including but not limited to:

• not declaring all income for both parties in a relationship as defined and required by law? (a couple does not always need to be married for the requirement that both parties declare their income to apply)
  
• when one person in a couple (as defined by relevant law) falsely claims their Government benefits as a 'single'
  

Over here, people caught committing these [and other related] atrocities are typically prosecuted with one or more of the following outcomes applying:

• their Government benefits are stopped
  
• they are required to repay the monies obtained fraudulently, often in addition to separate fine/s
  
• depending on the severity of their actions, a criminal sentence is occasionally imposed
  

More often than not [seeing as alot of these content creators expose themselves via their social platforms] it's not a case of 'if' but 'when' these ppl get caught, so it'd be interesting seeing how penalties and punishments differ between various regions for such acts of deception and fraud

The show in question is Ramy, a comedy/drama on Hulu. For some context, the show is mostly about a Muslim family, and the character in question is Uncle Naseem, an outwardly hyper-masculine, racist, misogynist man who is clearly overcompensating for something.

Full Comments

Original post for posterity:

Like what was the point?? He was funny as hell, and I wish we could get deeper into his character, but why make him gay??? I wonder if the season where he made the uncle gay was the season the show got a Golden Globe.
Update: it’s been so fun going back and forth with you queens, please keep going, I love how butt hurt you guys are 😭 but then again I’m sure everything’s numb down there by now 😂
Update #2: I see I hurt some feelings here, let me just say, I hope you have nightmares about what I said, I hope the PreP in your stomach makes you throw up tonight, I hope you cry yourselves to sleep. Thank you for being so entertaining during my workday. Byeee queers 🥹

.

Why does it bother you if he is gay? And what do you mean by “absolutely no reason”? The fact that he was gay is exactly what made us get a deeper perspective on the character, which is what you say you wanted. He otherwise was just portrayed as a backward, racist, misogynist. So it was important to show another side to him, not just that he’s the “old crazy uncle.” It shows why he is the way he is, the frustration he has felt his entire life, of being gay and having to hide it, and probably being hyper masculine to compensate . Also, I could be wrong, so feel free to clarify, but if you think Uncle Naseem was “funny as hell” because you actually agree with the comments he was making, I have news for you. The show creators definitely do not want us to agree with Uncle Naseem’s viewpoints. We are supposed to be laughing AT him for the things he is saying, not with him. If you find yourself agreeing with Uncle Naseem’s viewpoints and it bothers you that he’s gay, this show might not be for you .

Because its forced nowadays. If it wasn’t mandated by Hollwood, id have more respect for the writers.

Nah, it’s not forced. It made perfect sense. It’s like when you hear about anti-gay pastors and politicians getting caught on Grindr or with prostitutes. There’s no gay mafia telling Ramy what to do, but that’d be funny though lol

It really is forced, but you can pretend to ignore it.

How is it forced? Everyone disagrees with you. To us, it made perfect sense. I think you don’t like it because you’re a conservative who doesn’t like gay acts depicted

Lmfaoo so since everyone disagrees I should just agree with you all? Those echo chambers really smoothed out your brain.

Then articulate a non-smooth brained reason why you think you can’t have gay characters on TV or why this show in particular shouldn’t have one of the cast members be gay Nah there was no point. But thanks for the essay. why did you even ask the question if you didn’t want a real answer? Lmfaoooooo just cause you agree doesn’t make it a “real answer”. well the only answers you agree with are ones that reinforce the opinion you already hold. if you just wanted people to agree with you then why did you ask a question in the first place? That’s not what I said at all but go off sis

[...]

Actually gays are dying out. Everyone is trams these days.. lesbians are unicorns now

.

I couldn’t disagree more with you. It makes him a more interesting character and puts a new spin on all his past statements and interactions. It makes Naseem more sympathetic because his homophobia is overcompensation and denial. Like they didn’t have to make him a diamond dealer either, but it also makes his antisemitism more interesting being that he has to work with Jews all the time.

Yeah, but he didn’t need to be gay

He didn’t need to be, it just was better for his character. Often times the most homophobic guy is gay. Why does it offend you so much? Do you think being gay is bad?

LMFAOOO such a high school response “oh he doesn’t like gays so he must be gay”. That talking point tracks with your other smooth brained buddies in here

Can you answer the question? Is being gay bad because it’s haram?

.

People just be gay.

Duh

Are you 13?

Ouch that one really hurt 😞

lol ok kid

thanks man🙂‍↕️

.

Dude….this is so mistaken. This isn’t just a DEI move or some shit. You have this really racist and emotionally wrecked uncle in denial and unable to accept his “flaws”. He knows he is for example attracted to men but he cannot accept that that is okay. He finds himself in the sauna getting sucked off because he couldn’t do it anywhere else. And the moment he thinks his niece finds out he goes crazy about it. Curb your homophobia/queerphobia. A show isn’t “infected” by the LGBTQ movement or part of the gay agenda just because it features gay characters. I’m sorry you’re too afraid to live in a world where media isn’t strictly heteronormative.

Oh save the “phobia” garbage lol, they didn’t need to make him gay period

So why did they have to make him straight?

They don’t, but making him gay shouldn’t be his whole storyline, they barely dove into his character and they just make him gay for what?? It just feels lazy.

We’re explaining to you why the reveal that he is secretly gay is essential to his character development yet you completely ignore it and assert that “they didn’t need to make him gay”. It only appears lazy because you do not understand the logic behind it. They constantly show he’s a lonely bitter old man but we just assume it’s cuz he can’t court any women cuz he’s racist. It’s a massive reveal to us that the real reason he can’t court women is because he’s not attracted to them, and he comes from a place where homosexuality is essentially a weakness and so he cannot accept that he’s weak. We see that he was dating a guy for some time but ends up punching him in the face, because for Uncle Naseem the thing he loves is also the thing he hates most about himself. He loves his family but he also hates them. He loves Ramy but he also hates him. He loves men but he also hates being attracted to them. This is what causes the dissonance in his life, because he can’t accept his flaws. The fact that such a hard ass bought a cake for his boyfriend shows how inside he’s still soft and vulnerable like everybody else. You’re gonna keep asking the question. WHY DID THEY HAVE TO MAKE HIM GAY? The truth is that Ramy Youssef didn’t have to tell us Uncle Naseem is gay, but if we didn’t know then we would know even less about Uncle Naseem.

Yeah you’re on crack or poppers if you think I’m reading all this LMFAOOO! I’ll respond with just a simple, No you’re wrong. Thank you😇

[...]

I would disagree. Him being secretly gay explains a lot about Naseem’s character flaws, especially concerning his overtly homophobic behavior. He’s very clearly compensating in multiple areas. He’s trying to put on this persona that doesn’t match who he actually is. I think him being gay is actually pretty crucial to the character and story line. I like that you don’t have any issues with the other characters? Others are not perfect either, yet you only seem to care about this.

Nah

You don’t even have any counter arguments, what’s the point of your post other than showing how incoherent you can be.

Awhhh I’m sorry I’m not engaging with you like you desperately want 🥺. Tell me how your day was buddy

You’re the one who posted this and can’t even hold your own lmao, you must not be that bright

You feel better? I’ve responded 2 times now okay🥺 hope you can sleep now

The butt hurt guy (ironically) who creates a post like this not having any self awareness to realize they are more like Naseem than their brain cells can handle, I almost feel bad

Ouch!!! You hit me with such an original response!!! It’s not like this take wasn’t said a million times 😭. And awhhh you feel bad for me??? Thanks man. I’m arguing with queers from around the globe, it does get tiring. Thanks bestie 🫶🏽

My bad, I had to repeat it because I thought you had some reading comprehension issues. You mentioned on another comment that you didn’t read it because 2 paragraphs was too long for your dumbass.

Nah it’s just, you queers all say the same things in your responses. Why waste my time ya know?

I’m sure Allah is very happy with you right now

.

Sounds like a bit of casual homophobia, eh?

My homophobia is anything but casual

Then no answer will make sense to you. People be gay, and so is his uncle. Get over it cause everybody else loved the twist.

Lmfaoooo exactly it’s called an OPINION, you don’t have to agree bud. Btw I bet when you typed up That last sentence you crossed your arms like you did something LMAOOOOOOOOO

Bro did you see your post? You asked the question and here's the answer, you're a homophobe. Funny part is that YOU answered it hahaha

LMFAOOO you did it again!! Pressed 😭

The thought of you seething about gay folk enough to come complain here is hilarious to me lol🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Oh no not the rainbows!!!! Please!!! I just ate! Your “pride” gives me bubble guts!

.

care to explain why you have such a problem with the uncle being gay?

Because

because what?

Because yuck

yeah I saw that you admitted to being a homophobe already. you’re a trash person with trash beliefs and a shit moral system. not much we can do about that.

LMFAOOO pat yourself on the back please, or get whoever back doors you to do it.

.

I think you just don’t like that he’s gay. Get over it.

Omg I really needed to hear that, thx sis! 😂

Cool, did you get over it? And not your sis, thx! 😁

Just trying to relate to you queers, I assume your a they/that. How do you guys say sis? ?”This”?

So I have a horrible English teacher, and we do the Vocabulary Workshop Level F book. The problem is, the entire department got rid of the books last year because they weren’t benefiting students. She decided to bring them back and change the curriculum in a lot of different areas (whole other mess) and I’m now super behind in English even though I have a 100 in her class. She doesn’t teach us, and the quizzes we’d get on each unit were stupidly easy. It was matching the definitions to the word. When we did the tests in previous years it was all made by the company that made the books, not the teacher. They focused on grammar, actual word usage, definition, synonyms, and antonyms. She decided today that we are having a test from every vocabulary word we have studied which is 300 words. We need to know definitions, grammar, how to use it in a sentence, synonyms, and antonyms. The test is next week and I’m starting to freak out since it’s worth 100 points and she said it’s over 10 pages long. Our FINALS aren’t that long. She didn’t even say this to our class. I found out from the other section. We haven’t done the company’s version of the tests the whole year and now I’m terrified about it. I made a Quizlet and I have plus so I’m using that, but do you have any suggestions on what I should do? I’m also thinking about emailing the head of the English department about her since this is insane.

Job Ad: Seeking English Teacher to start work July 29 at Daegu English Village in Chilgok.

Reason for Posting: We have a very busy two weeks this summer at the English Village and so we are hiring five (5) teachers to work for two weeks on a temporary basis. I’m the academic director here at DGEV. I have been here for two years and really enjoy working here.
Visa Requirements: Ideally we are looking for F-visas - but I believe some E-visas can qualify if they get permission from their current employer.
Position Covered by Labor Standards Act (LSA): are there more than 5 full time employees? yes.
Salary: ₩29,000 per class with a minimum of ₩1,566,000 for two weeks.
Training: ₩29,000 per class (12 hours provided the week of July 22 to July 26.
Grade level: elementary and middle school
Class length: 45 minute classes for elementary/50 minutes for middle school.
Class hours: how many total classes per week/month: minimum 27 classes per week.
Working Hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm.
Break Time: 12pm to 1pm is lunch. There are also 10-15 minute breaks between classes depending on the level of student.
Prep Time: yes. If the teacher is available, teachers can come for paid prep/training the week before. 12 hours of training/prep time available. We provide teaching materials (powerpoints and workbooks and supplies).
Weekend Work: no
Overtime Pay: in accordance with LSA
Vacation Time: There is no vacation time allotted for this two week period.
Red Days: do you get them off? Yes - but it is not applicable in this scenario.
Sick Leave: no. This is a temporary position (but we are hiring full time as well)
Flight Allowance: in country applicants only for temporary (but full time can be out of country)
Pension/Insurance Coverage: for full time - yes, for temporary - no
Severance: for full time - yes, for temporary - no
Housing: Yes. We provide a dorm and three meals a day if the teacher wants it.
Other: open section for extra benefits: As mentioned above, we offer a dorm, meals are provided free of charge in the cafeteria (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) - and there is a shuttle bus service into town.
About the Workplace: English camp. We offer primarily situational based learning where students practice sentences and vocabulary words in fake environments - ie grocery store, bank, department store, post office, etc.
Opinion of Workplace: I have been working here for two years. I started out as a teacher and now I am the Academic Director. It is fun because we see new kids all the time and can practice teaching the same subjects over and over again.

I've been working on a new vocabulary self-learning app and could really use your help to test it out! Here’s what it’s all about:

Features:

• Word Bank: Manage words with properties like translation, transliteration (auto-romanization supported for Asian languages), audio, word class, gender, tone, and more.
• Sentence Bank: Add sentences with translations, get cross-linked words, sentence analysis and auto-translation based on the words in word bank.
• Learning Games: Flashcard reviews, typing trainer, cloze deletion tests, and language-specific games (for select languages).
• Stats: Track your vocab growth, review progress, and typing speed.
• Mastery System: Tiered progress for long-term learning.

Currently, the app is mainly tailored to Asian languages, with extensive support for Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai. Western languages with extensive support are English and Estonian (Eesti).
Depending on feedback and how much time I have that's not purely spent on bug-fixing and improving existing features, I'll add support for more popular languages very soon.
And just as not to mislead anyone: This is not an app with curated courses like Memrise or Duolingo, nor is it a purely flashcard-based app such as Anki.
With Voqab, I'm trying a novel and unique approach: You add your own words as you're learning them using other sources such as books, YouTube videos or other apps, but the app uses the best spaced-repetition algorithm available (FSRS 4.5) based on the latest research and will help you memorize these words much more effectively.
Additionally, the app knows a lot about the language you're learning, and it will be able to give you automatic links to relevant online dictionaries, suggest an automatic romanization for Asian languages, understand particles for select languages and show them in sentence analysis, provide language-specific learning resources and help you getting a good feel for the language using the typing trainer, cloze deletion test, word quiz and tiered mastery system.
Join the beta and help me make it awesome! https://testflight.apple.com/join/b0f8LlYm
Thanks!

Word of the Day:
connoisseurship
Connoisseurship is a kind of expertise in a particular subject, especially an area of art. After years of listening to rockabilly music, your dad's connoisseurship of early rock-and-roll is unmatched.
Learn more about connoisseurship...
Start mastering connoisseurship with VocabTrainer:
“I’m not a particularly scholarly person,” Mr. Maschler told the Independent in 2005, but he took offense whenever he was dismissed as a mere seller of books, someone whose abilities were limited to commerce rather than connoisseurship.
Source: Washington Post
In this sentence, connoisseurship means:
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Okay, so this is the first instance I’ve seen of this thus far but I wouldn’t be surprised if this became a larger problem in upcoming years.
But I recently stumbled upon a tiktok (which I will now state I won’t be sharing so the creator gets no hate).
Where the tiktoker is stating this “idea” or headcanon about Fandom X. And I realized it was almost an exact plot of a fanfic I’ve read before. And I’ll admit the plot was a very big trend in Fandom X some number of years ago but she used this specific word when talking that isn’t in everyday vocabulary but IS in the fanfics’ title which made me suspicious.
So I comment: “this is literally the plot of {fanfic title}”
Ya know, to help the people in the comments who clearly like this idea find something they’d enjoy reading and give this fic more exposure or maybecredit. And weirdly enough, I seemed to be the only one who knew of this fic in the comments or connected the dots (maybe because it is one of my all time favorite fics in the fandom).
And lo and behold out of the literal hundreds of comments on that tiktok, the creator only likes mine (despite the tiktok also being days old). This leads me to think that this “idea” of hers is a clear rendition of the fic since she seems to know of it — but I don’t know, maybe it’s a case of lightning striking in the same place twice.
Overall, I don’t mind this behavior but I know creators on tiktok can monetize their platform and to use a whole fic and propose it as your “organic” idea for views and give no credit, puts a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve seen a similar format before in TikTok’s but the creators have ALWAYS credited fics and used it as a way to recommend them rather than claiming it as their own.
It’s kind of like the opposite tumblr effect where before fanfic authors would use tumblr headcanons and base a fic around that. And now it seems that tiktok creators are starting to use fics and “creating” headcanons from them.
But the biggest issue I have with that is before it felt like a sharing/building of ideas and love for the original material/idea within a fandom. Now it feels like a hollow bastardization of it with possible profit in mind. If a creator finds that this is something profitable (it was one of the only tiktoks that recently blew up on her page) they might continue to do the same without credit and it might spur on others to do the same.
I’m not exactly asking what to do rather than sharing my experience. I’m not going to message that creator because I don’t think it’s a big deal for now and she did make a follow up video to that expanding on the idea and making it more her own (like an alternate fic ending). But I just thought it would be good for us to be aware of such behaviors as they may be on the horizon.

In reading over 300 people’s PSs (most multiple times), watching numerous sessions on PSs, reviewing postings, and reading numerous documents, it’s important that the PS gives the reader a sense of the person behind the transcripts, STEP scores, and ERAS application. Think of it as a brief (one-page; 575-625 words) tool to let the program know about you and the type of colleague you’ll be. When I blind read a PS, I try to in the 1^st or 2^nd sentence to determine two things: 1) would I want to spend the next 3 or 4 years with this person and 2) do I get a sense of the person and whether the specialty seems to match.
Last July I read a PS that was technically correct. Sentences were concise. Content was detailed and well-organized. I guessed the person was applying to surgery. (Nowhere in the PS was there reference to the specialty—not good). When I conferenced with the person, they said, “family medicine.” Hmmm. I didn’t get that sense. The vocabulary was what I refer to as big words when regular words would do. When I read the essay, I thought this person is a bit arrogant for a 4^th year medical student and also a bit stuck on themselves. The person and I worked through multiple drafts and by the end, the reader knew they wanted FM and that this person would be a good work mate. Changes were made in the vocabulary, in the sentence style, and focusing more on telling the person’s story on the path to FM.
So ask yourself when you read your PS or the PS of colleagues: Would I want to spend 40+ hours a week with this person? Do I get a sense of who the writer is? If not, consider some revision! Your PS is one component of the application that can assist in gaining interviews or can at worst, put you in the “no interview” pile.