I think my problem with reading long tests without skipping around is PROBABLY due to physical eye tracking issues. I don’t recall being diagnosed but my eyes can never sit still and I suspect the muscles are ‘jumpy’. So for texts like Wikipedia or Facebook where I can easily jump around or where the text is short, it’s ok. But when I have keep my eyes / attention fixated on long continuous text, I simply can’t. What the voice does is acts as a “buffer” while my eyes find their way BACK to the text where they belong. It gives me eyes time to “get back over here already!” where they belong. I don’t know how else to explain it; but it’s like the TTS corrals my attention. I wish I’d realized this years ago.

 I think my problem
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From 1989: An Art History paper I wrote on Greek Sculptures in my senior year in high school – Found on diskette – ACCURATELY rendered to PDF in a complicated process going from an dot-matrix printer file to PS to PDF to PNG following a weird process here. https://github.com/RWAP/PrinterToPDF/issues/15

From 1989: An Art … [read full article]

 

was forced to listen to him for two years every day 5 days a week against my will by a boss who hated his show and would yell at the AM Radio in the print shop. It was like a 3-5 hour show I think? How many made-up rhymes for Hillary could he come up with? I don’t remember anymore. I eventually tuned Rush out but my boss, who was a 78-year old Italian-American (who believed they should have ONE VOTE – women only – to settle the abortion debate once and for all — no uterus, no vote) – would groan or yell loudly when Limbaugh would say something ridiculous and I’d jump out of my seat every time.

 was forced to listen
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Regardless: a) The notice of claim is required by law for them to file if they want to sue the federal government. b) the Army has six months to respond. c) after six months, the lawyers will be poised to file a lawsuit. The Army may respond. The Army may not respond. If it goes to court, it is completely within their right to sue. Whether there are merits to the lawsuit or not, would be determined at that time *if* it makes it to court. This is far less of a frivolous lawsuit than MOST lawsuits we see in the news. In this case, people died. Were the procedures followed by the people who had SOME POTENTIAL measure of responsibility for him appropriate? Sufficient? Is there culpability? Should changes be made or have been made to procedures to catch this type of situation? Whatever the case, it is perfectly within their right to sue. They may lose. The Army may settle to avoid opening up their people to being examined in court. It may make it to court. They may win. But I wouldn’t call them fools for doing this. Even if on paper it seems as if the Army did everything right and absolutely none of it is their responsibility – it isn’t a waste of time or resources to go through things as carefully as possible TO BE CERTAIN that is the case in an environment conducive to discovery.

Regardless:
a) The notice … [read full article]

 

Meditating on the calendar date or time on the clock can be a helpful way to cultivate a greater sense of presence and awareness in the present moment. Here are a few suggestions for clock and date meditations that you might find helpful: 1. **Mindful clock watching:** Set a timer for a short period of time (e.g. 5-10 minutes) and sit quietly, focusing your attention on the clock. Notice the way the seconds, minutes, and hours tick by, and try to stay present with the experience of time passing. 2. **Reflecting on the date:** Take a few moments to reflect on the current date. Notice any thoughts, feelings, or memories that come up as you consider the day of the week, the month, and the year. Try to stay present with these experiences, and avoid getting lost in thoughts about the past or future. 3. **Gratitude for the present moment:** Take a few moments to focus on the present moment, and to cultivate a sense of gratitude for the time you have. Notice the things you can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell, and try to appreciate the simple pleasures of being alive. 4. **Body scan meditation:** Use the clock to guide a body scan meditation. Starting at the top of your head, slowly move your attention down through your body, noticing any sensations, tension, or discomfort. Take your time and try to be as present as possible with each part of your body. 5. **Breathing meditation:** Use the clock to guide a breathing meditation. Focus your attention on your breath, and try to stay present with the experience of inhaling and exhaling. Use the ticking of the clock as a gentle reminder to stay focused on your breath. Remember, the key to successful meditation is to be patient and compassionate with yourself. It’s normal for your mind to wander, and it’s okay if you get distracted. The important thing is to keep bringing your attention back to the present moment, and to try to stay present with the experience of time passing.

Meditating on the calendar … [read full article]

 

The flexibility of English is one of its most marvelous features. I love knowing it morphs and changes and have had the opportunity to watch it do so in my own lifetime. Some languages have an Language Academy and new words have to be approved by the Elite. But English? Anybody can modify it and communities do so all of the time. It’s beautiful.

The flexibility of English
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