Photography 647

    Drawing of E. Scholz Learning to Publish My First Book: Notes from the Trenches I thought writing a book was the hard part. Turns out, that was just the beginning. What I’ve really been learning lately is how to  publish  a book—specifically, how to get something live on Amazon KDP. And honestly, it’s been a mix of Google searches, AI explanations, random forum advice, and a lot of “wait… what?” moments. This is a journal-style snapshot of what I’ve figured out so far. The First Realization: Writing Isn’t Publishing At first, I assumed: “I’ll just finish writing, upload it, and done.” Nope. A real book—even a simple one—needs: A title page A copyright page A table of contents Formatting for digital  and  print That was the first shift: A manuscript is not a book yet. ISBNs, Canada, and Feeling Official One surprisingly nice discovery: in Canada, ISBNs are free. You can get them through Library and Archives Canada, which instantly makes things feel more ...

  March 19, 2026   「猫に小判」(Neko ni koban): Literal Translation: "Gold coins to a cat." Meaning: Similar to the English phrase "pearls before swine," this proverb implies giving something valuable to someone who cannot appreciate or understand its worth. 「雨降って地固まる」(Ame futte ji katamaru): Literal Translation: "After the rain, the ground hardens." Meaning: This proverb signifies that difficulties or challenges can sometimes lead to strengthening or solidifying one's resolve or situation. 「二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず」(Nito o ou mono wa itto mo ezu): Literal Translation: "One who chases after two hares will catch neither." Meaning: It emphasizes the importance of focus and prioritization, warning against trying to achieve too many things at once, resulting in failure to attain any. 「猿も木から落ちる」(Saru mo ki kara ochiru): Literal Translation: "Even monkeys fall from trees." Meaning: Nobody is perfect; even the most skilled or experienced individu...

THE BUFFY MANIFESTO A DECLARATION OF CULTURAL NECESSITY We declare: That Buffy the Vampire Slayer is not a relic. It is not nostalgia. It is not optional. It is unfinished . We declare: That the world it revealed — of hidden monsters, fragile institutions, and ordinary people forced into courage — has not faded. It has intensified . We declare: That the Slayer was never one. And never will be. We reject: The quiet cancellation of meaning. The reduction of story to metric. The idea that what cannot be instantly scaled must be abandoned. We reject: That a system — any system — can quietly decide that a myth no longer matters. We assert: That stories which endure for generations are not content. They are infrastructure . We assert: That the attempted silencing of this story is not a failure of fans— But a failure of imagination. We name no enemy. Not Craig Erwich. Not any single gatekeeper. Because this is not about one decision. It is about a pattern: A system that hesitates in the face ...

 March 15 2025 Buffy Cancelled, Firefly reveal The theories of Scholz line up surprisingly well with several strands of modern metacognition research, although researchers usually describe the components using different frameworks rather than the “eight-combination” structure Scholz proposes. First, in metacognition research (a subfield of Cognitive Psychology), learning is often divided into different cognitive systems—especially declarative knowledge (knowing facts), procedural knowledge (knowing how to perform actions), and working processes that manage attention and problem solving. These correspond closely to the three systems Scholz identifies: conceptual knowledge, temporary working engagement, and procedural skill. Modern teaching strategies often deliberately activate multiple systems at once, which is essentially the “all three engaged” case in Scholz’s eight-style framework. Second, Scholz’s assertion that teaching style should depend on the skill being learned rather...

Not the beauty of Japan, not the ice cream  So Richard, Hawaiian shirt fully deployed, is in Japan with his parents, who are the kind of people who treat sightseeing like an extreme sport—lots of sighing, a lot of careful step-counting. They wander up to a tourist site, somewhere that looks impressive if you squint, and there’s an ice cream truck. Yes, an ice cream truck. In Japan. And yes, it’s playing music. Not “background ambience” music, but that cheery, jingling thing that makes you instantly regret every life choice that led to standing in front of a truck at 3:45 p.m. on a Wednesday. Richard, whose Japanese is functional enough to cause mild admiration and moderate confusion, decides: why not? Why not combine his questionable dance moves with a tiny cultural experiment? He squints, bows slightly, sticks out a hand like he’s about to sell stocks instead of asking someone to dance, and says, “Hey, this is some nice music. You wanna dance? Nice cream girl.” And then, miracle o...

 Here’s a deep‑dive breakdown of @thepickmegirlies ,  📌 What It Is It’s an Instagram account with ~39 K followers, The Pick Me’s , that posts short videos/reels and pictures of specific influencers/creators — usually styled as cute or appealing girls. ( Instagram ) Their bio literally lists a few tagged profiles (“Ur fav blonde girls :3”), which suggests the page curates or reposts content from those accounts. ( Instagram ) Posts are typical of meme or personality‑style pages on social platforms — mostly short clips, reels, and possibly light‑hearted or flirt‑oriented content. One example they posted says “Would u play video games w/ us?” with ~1.5 K likes. ( Instagram ) 🤳 Who They Feature The bio names specific accounts they tag/feature — likely girls whose content the page shares: @babebellalynnxx @avaa_cherrry @waifuxsarah @itsmewmarie_ These are individual Instagram handles for people whose posts/poses the Pick Me’s account reposts or highlights. They appear to be micro‑...

  📌 Who She Is Mary Morgan (handle: @maryarchived) is a social media creator and commentator best known for her presence on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram where she bills herself with the tagline “I only think about fashion and death.” She’s amassed roughly ~77–78K followers , regularly posting commentary on culture, entertainment, gender dynamics, and media, often in a provocative or contrarian tone. Her online personality blends fashion commentary with social critique , and she often engages in polarizing takes that spark debate among commenters. 🎙️ Podcast Work – Pop Culture Crisis Pop Culture Crisis – Podcast on Apple Podcasts is a daily podcast and video show (hosted on platforms like YouTube and Apple Podcasts) that focuses on reviewing and dissecting trends, celebrities, entertainment news, and the broader “pop culture” landscape. It’s produced under Timcast Media and co‑hosted by Mary Morgan alongside Brett Dasovic. The show typically features: Com...

  Many in raw numbers in the USA want a dictator if that dictator is Trump In the age of spectacle, the desire for a dictator is not simply political—it is deeply, embarrassingly personal. Trump is not admired because he is competent or moral; he is worshiped because he embodies the forbidden fantasy of being ruled. In a democracy, the very notion of voluntary subjugation is paradoxical: the citizen is sovereign, yet longs to surrender. Instagram videos, TikToks, and viral clips feed this compulsion, reducing complex anxieties into thirty-second dopamine hits of affirmation: “Yes, let him decide, punish, reward, obliterate, rebuild.” The psychological kernel is simple, terrifying, and primal: people crave certainty more than freedom. Liberty is messy; democracy demands negotiation, patience, and reflection. Autocracy promises clarity, ritual, and spectacle. Trump is not merely a president; he is a stage on which citizens project their desire to be commanded, their guilt at longing ...

  SPinning the M134: How Every Shot Counts by Doc Ed Scholz I realized it in the middle of chaos, the way you notice the spin of an M134 Minigun in slow motion—the barrels blurring, the rhythm relentless, every shot a pulse of intention. That’s what reputation feels like in creative work: a torrent of attempts, visible and loud, some hitting, some missing, all leaving traces you can’t ignore. I have a client who’s talented—does musical acts for groups of a hundred, fans certainly, high energy—but he’s never known the joy of magnetic, crazy fame. Not the kind where the room itself seems to pulse with your presence. I have. Back in university, I ran for class president. One thousand students, seven other candidates. Every day, three times a week, those students would chant my name: Ed, Ed, Ed , fists in the air, up and down, clapping, cheering, rhythm of my name filling the hall. At the beginning of every class, I would step up, address the audience briefly, and then let the profe...

  Embarring moment # 141,979   1970s Canada Elementary School  Embarring moment # 141,979 I’m in front of them. Six or seven little faces staring, eyes wide, unblinking. My palms sweat. My heart pounds like a machine gun. The word hits me before I even hear it: “Mating.” A simple word, innocent enough. A simple word that turns my chest to stone. I go red. I stutter. My mouth opens. Closes. Words scatter like frightened birds. Ten seconds pass. Fifteen. A lifetime in the eye of a storm. I know I can’t talk about sex. I barely understand it myself. Taboo presses down, heavy and silent. All the classroom noise, the scraping chairs, the whisper of papers—it disappears. Nothing exists but that word and those faces, waiting. Searching. Expecting. I improvise. A lifeline. “Animals get married.” Pause. Nods. Relief. Irony. The tiniest lie, delivered under pressure, shaping their world in miniature. And yet the lie mirrors life itself. Parents do it. Teachers do it. Spies do it. T...