Category Archives: Blogging

There Might Be Something Good About Siri Afterall

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I know I have been writing lately about the risk to our creativity caused by an addiction to technology like Smartphones. And I have written about how this addiction can prevent authentic face to face communication with other people. I still feel these are some of the big down sides of being so hooked on our technology.

But today I found an article about a very positive use for Smartphones. This was a New York Times post by Judith Newman about her son 13 year old son Gus who happens to have Autism and his relationship with Siri, the Apple Intelligent Personal Assistant.

I already was aware of the ability of technology to engage kids with special needs. Technology is one of the tools used in modern schools to teach kids the curriculum. The computer lessons are often designed like games to help kids learn phonics, spelling and math. The kids enjoy interacting with the games and the games reinforce what is being taught in the classroom.

Ms. Newman’s post described how the features of Siri are beneficial to her son’s special needs. Kids with autism can have major difficulty engaging with other people socially in conversation. They can have special interests or obsessions about certain topics that they want to talk about to the exclusion of all else. They do not pick up on cues from other people that they are not interested and they find it hard to be able to take turns in conversation. Siri is able to talk with Ms. Newman’s son Gus on all his favorite topics without losing patience with him. Even though the voice recognition feature has some problems this is actually a plus for Gus because he is made to enunciate. This helps him practice speaking clearly. Siri also models being polite. When Gus got a bit sharp with Siri over some music suggestions she had made, Siri told him he had a right to his opinions. This helped him realize that he did not need to get angry if he did not agree with someone and then he thanked Siri for the music.

This sounds like a great use for this type of program for kids that need to learn and practice the art of conversation. It is a help to parents who need a respite from the long discussions with their kids about their child’s special interests. I would not want to see the kids getting attached to these devices to the exclusion of everything else but I do see how they can be beneficial in certain ways.

Definitely something worth further investigation, don’t you agree?

If the Weather is Nice You Should See What is Going On Outside

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“What people call serendipity sometimes is just having your eyes open.”

–Jose Manuel Barroso

I realize I have been spending way too much time indoors and sitting at my computer over the past few months. I do venture out to walk to the car and drive places but I haven’t been walking around outside. I think I have been avoiding my front yard because it embarrasses me. It is currently a big weed patch. We need to get the landscaping done.

Today I did venture out to the car to load up some supplies I use for tutoring. I was busy deciding where to put my new rolling carry all when I noticed a teenager making his way across my front yard near my front walkway. At first I thought he was about to leave one of those random advertisements on my door. Like the ones for yard work. I was a bit suspicious of his intentions I must say. He saw me looking at him quizzically and said, ” Is this your property?” I said yes and then he told me not to worry because he was participating in a “water gun tournament” and that he was trying to hide and surprise one of his fellow tournamenters. I watched as he finished crossing my yard and told him it was ok as long as he didn’t squirt me. He laughed at that.

I thought this was the end of my interaction with the local teenagers when I spied another one squatting down, with a water gun, between my neighbor’s house and mine. This was getting to be really fun. I said to him that I had no idea this was going on around here. He said they had to catch other kids coming from their houses to their cars. I asked if they did windows. He said, ” Do you mean they need to be washed?” I said yes and that got a little laugh from him as well.

It was a happy encounter and I realized I need to get outside in the front of my house more often.  Just look at all the interesting things I am missing out on.

5469567063_99171e4060_z Seredipity by Frank Kovalcheck on Flickr

The Messenger

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“Man is a messenger who forgot the message.” –Abraham Joshua Heschel  (1907-1972)

In my dream an angel spoke to me, “Remember the message. It is for mankind alone to bring to the world. You have forgotten because of all the suffering you have experienced and witnessed. All your earthly experiences have distracted you. You have forgotten the message you were brought into this world to deliver. This was your message, Man must care about the earth and all its creatures, all life. Turn back from the shadow before it is too late.”

SOCS Saturday-Attach or Attachment with a few Synonyms

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Another word that means attach is connect. I have been having some issues with joints and muscles in the past few weeks and this old song came to mind.

“Toe bone connected to the foot bone

Foot bone connected to the heal bone

Heel bone connected to the ankle bone

Ankle bone connected to the shin bone

Shin bone connected to the knee bone

Knee bone connected to the thigh bone

Thigh bone connected to the hip bone

Hip bone connected to the back bone

Back bone connected to the shoulder bone

Shoulder bone connected to the neck bone

Neck bone connected to the head bone…

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around

Now hear the word of the Lord.”

from “Dem Bones” by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)

I can personally attest to the fact that I have felt the connections of some of these bones lately.

Via Weirdo Video on You Tube:

I have felt a hitch in my step

and have tended to hobble a bit

This has tied me up somewhat

but I intend to hang on until I

get through this.

“Carry on,

Love is coming,

Love is coming to us all.”

“Carry On” via Joseph E. Pettry Gregory on You Tube:

My husband surprised me this morning with a Valentine’s gift. He is one attachment I want to keep.  ❤ ❤ ❤

|Lindaghill|

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Writer’s Quote Wednesday-A Valentine of Beautiful Words and Music

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” I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”

–Pablo Neruda

Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was a beloved Chilean poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He wrote in green ink which was his symbol for desire and hope.

The Beautiful and Romantic Music of Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975) was a composer who wrote the scores for many famous films. He wrote the scores for the Orson Welles films Citizen Kane,The Magnificent Ambersons and  the score for Jane Eyre (1944) that starred Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles. I like this version of Jane Eyre the best.

Hermann wrote the scores for 7 Alfred Hitchcock films including Vertigo. The Love Scene music from Vertigo was used in the more recent film The Artist. I thought it was very wrong that Bernard Herrmann was not mentioned in the credits of this film. When I heard the music I recognized it right away as being originally part of the score for Vertigo.

Here via Roberto Mastrosimone on You Tube is Esa-Pekka Salonen and the LA Philharmonic performing  Bernard Hermann’s Scene D’Amour from Vertigo:

Vertigo_1958_trailer_embrace Kim Novak and James Stewart in Vertigo

|SilverThreading|

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Silver Threading Writer’s Quote Wednesday

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“Think before you speak is criticism’s motto; speak before you think, creation’s.”

–E. M. Forster

E. M. Forster (1879-1970) a well known and acclaimed English author who wrote A Room With a View, A Passage to India, and Howard’s End. All were made into films. I have seen all these films but not read the books. His books dealt with the class system in England, their values, and the shifting of power that was occurring in the early 20th century.

|SilverThreading|

Writer's Quote Wed 2015

Stream of Consciousness Saturday-Opposite Emotions

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Battery Low, Need to Plug into Energy Source to Recharge

When things get to me

It is a kind of draining

Like when you see the battery indicator on your cell phone

Showing the charge is getting low

My energy level goes down along with my spirits

Feeling low

Have to allow time to recover and get recharged.

The Opposite of Low is Elation or Passion

I wrote this on a prior post:

Too Passionate

I think there is a passionate temperament. A person that can feel so strongly. There have been many times when I have been standing upon my soapbox and declaring my opinion about something I found wrong in the world.

During those times of strong emotion I have noted others looking on calmly, almost disinterested. I have thought to myself how can they not feel anything about this? How can anyone not feel strongly about this ? How can people feel so dispassionately about things? It is like they are already dead.

I realized that I was different.

It is not just passionate indignation that I feel. When you have the capacity for strong feelings you can feel great joy and elation as well. Like when you see something you find beautiful or hear music that you love.

I am glad I am different if it means to feel deeply and be more aware in the world. Maybe this is why I always wanted to stand up for people’s right to be different. To be who they truly are.

Have you ever felt different or been told you are different?

Some people are sensitive.

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this:

A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive.

To him…a touch is a blow,

a sound is a noise,

a misfortune is a tragedy,

a joy is an ecstasy,

a friend is a lover,

a lover is a god,

and failure is death.”–Pearl S. Buck

Beautiful Voice: Renee Fleming sings Song to the Moon by Dvorak via Mr.Frais on You Tube:

|Lindaghill|

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|Loveisindablog|

Love Is In Da Blog

 

Sequel of To Kill A Mockingbird

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I read on Salon.com this morning that a sequel to the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee will be released this summer. The title of the new book is, “Go Set a Watchman.” Harper Lee, who is now 88 years old, is quoted in the Salon article. This is her first novel in 50 years. Ms. Lee won the Pulitzer Prize for “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

One of my favorite films of all time, based on the book,  is “To Kill A Mockingbird,” starring Gregory Peck. It has a whole cast of wonderful actors including Brock Peters, Robert Duvall, Alice Ghostley and many more. Mary Badham and Phillip Alford play the children Scout and Jem.  The screenplay is by Horton Foote and music by Elmer Bernstein.

We have our own copy of the DVD and have watched it over and over. I think the story is still pertinent today. It is about racial prejudice and prejudice against people who are mentally ill. It about standing up for what is right even when many people around you are against you. It is told through the eyes of the little girl Scout. I love her relationship with her brother Jem and all their adventures with their visiting summer friend Dill. There is some mystery in the story surrounding their neighbor Boo Radley who is shut away in his house except for his nighttime forays where he leaves little gifts in the hollow of a tree for the children.

I am very interested in reading this new book. It is about Scout as an adult. You can read more about it in the Salon article. It states that Harper Lee wrote this book before she wrote “To Kill A Mockingbird” and the novel was just discovered last Fall.  I suspect it will be made into a film sometime in the future.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday on Monday-Grammar Pedant Disorder The Warning Signs as Seen on Some Blogs

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Some fun and hopefully humorous writing as part of my Making Blogging More Enjoyable for Me Project. My posts may not follow a regular schedule. Just when I feel inspired to do so.

I have seen some evidence in the comment section of my blog and from accounts given by fellow bloggers of a certain condition called Grammar Pedant Disorder (GPD). I will attempt to give a description of this disorder. Or at least traits I have identified so far and how I imagine that they develop. This is not a scientific study but based on anecdotal evidence and accounts. I do not claim to be an expert.

Signs of Beginning Grammar Pedant Disorder (GPD) or Stage I:

  • You find yourself feeling a certain smugness and slight superiority when spotting small errors in others writing. Things like word omissions, typos, and accidentally using the wrong word like their for there.
  • You would never think of pointing this out to the person in public.
  • The errors will not stop you from continuing to read the person’s writing.

Signs of Moderate GPD or Stage II:

  • You are noticing more grammar errors in others writing.
  • You can easily understand the errors, and know what the author meant to say, but you find yourself tsk tsk-ing to yourself.
  • You are starting to feel a bit edgy when you detect the errors.
  • You may find yourself tempted to point out the error. It is getting harder not to point it out. Your fingers quiver over your computer keyboard as you stare at the writer’s comment section.
  • You start to question if the caliber of writing is worth your time to read.

Signs of Full Blown GPD or Stage III:

  • You notice every error, no matter how minor, in others writing and it really irritates you. You are personally affronted by having to be exposed to such noxious things.
  • There is a whole long list of things that offend your sensibilities. And you find yourself carefully scrutinizing the writing of others to make sure none of these things are found.
  • You may have your special pet peeves that really get your goat.
  • You find you must actively avoid reading any samples of writing that contain any of the faults on your list.
  • There is a real danger at this point that you will develop a more severe form of this condition. This is where you actively point out the errors of other writers in their comment sections in a passive-aggressive way or with full blown nastiness.

This disorder has been in evidence for quite some time and now the medical community is taking note of it. There have been discussions of listing it as a category of mental illness in the DSM. If you feel you may be experiencing some of the signs and symptoms of this condition you should contact your doctor. There are support groups available in some communities for those wanting to recover from GPD.

This post is provided as a public service to new writers who may unknowingly come under the scrutiny of a person suffering with GPD. Having someone with this disorder as your mentor or Imaginary Reader is not recommended. It is also provided as a self-awareness exercise to guard against these traits developing in you.

Additional reading on this topic: I found an essay on Medium.com by a young lady, Mary Rolf, who identifies herself as a former Grammar Snob. She writes very eloquently about all the reasons she decided not be a snob. I have recently had thoughts similar to hers so her writing really resonated with me. If you think you suffer from GPD or think you could be described as a Grammar Snob I recommend you consider some of her arguments against it. https://medium.com/i-m-h-o/why-i-stopped-being-a-grammar-snob-aac6634d79af

I also recommend the book, ” Bad English, A History of Linguistic Aggravation,” by Ammon Shea