I’m back in the podcast editing saddle with two sessions parked in Audacity for the OEG Voices show and hoping I can pin Antonio Vantaggiato down (or get my own schedule in order) for an overdue Puerto Rico Connection episode. But there is ummmm, something that I have ummmm, being pondering. To me, a universal law of audio editing is, “Everyone hates the sound of their own voice.” And mine is, as I hear my own tracks, the frequency of my use of “ummm.” I can easily look at my waveform and see them. My editing is pretty much a meticulous replay where I remove my own “umms” and those of my guests. But I also end up nipping what...
Trees, hummingbirds, snails, Stoicism, storytelling, Orwell’s roses, the crucible of consciousness, the end of the universe, and more trees. I used to assemble annual reading lists of favorite books published each year — never an objective claim of bests, always a subjective inner library catalogue of my readings and rivets. But over the years, as I grew more and more interested in the river of thought and time that has carved out the island of now, I found myself spending more and more time in archives, perusing increasingly older books, reading fewer and fewer of the new — partly because such are my subjective passions (of which The Marginalian has always been a record and reflection), and partly because our...
Dubai’s ICICB Group wants to become a player in Brazil’s burgeoning digital banking space, the financial services company announced in a news release Friday (Jan. 28). “This new phase of innovation and reliability will support the nation’s top institutions and industries to promote business,” the company said. “The public will benefit from easy, fast and secure fund collection globally. The anticipated launch date is the second half of 2022.” ICICB Group says it plans to offer a “full spectrum” for customers in Brazil, beginning initially with conversion of balance from one fiat currency to another, as well as crypto exchange, and decentralized crypto wallet, and “potential investments in prosperous products.” The company’s vision includes “high levels of process automation and...
The LetterBy William Somerset MaughamOutside on the quay the sun beat fiercely. A stream of motors, lorries and buses, private cars and hirelings, sped up and down the crowded thoroughfare, and every chauffeur blew his horn; rickshaws threaded their nimble path amid the throng, and the panting coolies found breath to yell at one another; coolies, carrying heavy bales, sidled along with their quick jog-trot and shouted to the passer-by to make way; itinerant vendors proclaimed their wares. Singapore is the meeting-place of a hundred peoples; and men of all colours, black Tamils, yellow Chinks, brown Malays, Armenians, Jews and Bengalis, called to one another in raucous tones. But inside the office of Messrs. Ripley, Joyce and Naylor it was...
A while ago, Scientific American declared “…“not only is Minecraft immersive and creative, but it is an excellent platform for making almost any subject area more engaging.” A nod from a top science magazine to the game many parents wish their kids had never heard of should catch the attention of teachers. This follows Common Sense Media’s seal of approval. On the surface, it’s not so surprising. Something like 80% of five-to-eight year-olds play games and 97% of teens. Early simulations like Reader Rabbit are still used in classrooms to drill reading and math skills. But Minecraft, a blocky retro role-playing simulation that’s more Lego than svelte hi-tech wizardry, isn’t just the game du jour. Kids would skip dinner to...
