fly high!!

richie // xvii // entp studygram: @studykyuu mainly resources

[kkaitstudies]

how i use google drive for university - pt 1: digital notetaking  by kkaitstudies

idk about you but i’ve tested a bunch of note taking methods. in my last few years of university, i was indeed lazy and rarely referred back to the professor’s slides in the course shell. i opted to read off the slides in lecture and take notes. while MS OneNote is great, i found myself enjoying Google Drive much more. so here is a quick overview of how i take notes using Google Docs. 

folders are your friends

make separate folders for each of your courses. google drive even gives you the option to change the colours of the folders. in these folders, add any relevant coursework such as the syllabi, readings, and your notes document.

use one doc for notes per course

once you receive the syllabi, take some time to take note of required readings, and assignment deadlines. i have created a free template you can save to your own google drive that you can access here. fill out:

- course code & name - prof’s name, office hours, and email - date(s) for each week of class - weekly readings (tip: if you have online readings, you can link them in the doc!) - & open the document outline (view > show document outline)

you also don’t have to use all these features. T B H, i didn’t do weekly readings. a lot. oops. BUT i did always pay attention in lecture. i simply deleted the “reading notes” header every week i didn’t bother to read.

make use of early access to lecture slides, headers, etc. 

some profs (bless their souls) post the slides sometime before the lecture. if you have the time, copy the lecture slides into your notes. and if they don’t…type real quick to get all the info as it’s happening (or go back to slides online after lecture to see what you missed out on). i separate lecture topics with headers, with the bullet points underneath (see above). if there is anything that the prof says during class that isn’t in the lecture slides, i will change the colour of the text to a different colour. any important concepts or testable material are highlighted.

…and that’s how i take notes! everyone is different. not all note-taking methods work for everyone. this is what worked for me in my last 2 years of uni. hopefully a similar structure works for some of y’all! also, let me know what you think and @ me if you end up using my template. have a great semester!

coming soon: [ part 2: grade tracker | part 3: gmail and gcal ]

[birdkoskincare]

what are some of ur fav ted-ed vids?

i’m gonna answer with more channels than just ted-ed bc honestly i love this sort of stuff, it’s great to watch while cooking or eating or doing household chores! hope y’all enjoy watching these

YOUTUBE MASTERPOST: educational videos

ted-ed/ted talks

the world’s most mysterious book

history vs. cleopatra

the neuroscience of imagination

rosalind franklin: dna’s unsung hero

who am i? (feat. theseus’s ship problem)

playlist of riddles

mary’s room: a thought experiment

the art of being yourself

planting seeds for happiness, the danish way

yuval noah harari on why humans run the world

crash course

perspectives on death (for someone who’s deeply terrified of dying this was super soothing)

actually watch all of the crash course philosophy playlist you’re welcome

crash course world history is cool too although i like overly sarcastic productions’ videos better on this topic

overly sarcastic productions

storytelling tropes playlist!

strong female characters

mary sues

realism

mythology playlist!

miscellaneous myths: atalanta

miscellaneous myths: fionn mac cumhaill

classics summarized playlist!

dante’s inferno + sequels

paradise lost

seriously if you’re studying any classic book ever they probably talked about it

modern classics too

world history playlist!!

alcibiades (what a legend)

historical models: double world wars

historical models: revolutions

xidnaf

are languages getting simpler?

how nazis stole the word “aryan”

proto-world and the origins of language

proto-indo-european culture

the linguistics of afro-american vernacular english

nativelang

does time work differently in different languages?

tonal languages

how long can a language last?

the hardest language to spell

taboos: the tribe that cursed too much

coffee break

how to ALWAYS win an argument

why the stories we tell ourselves matter

vsauce

mindfield: the greater good

when will we run out of names?

how people disappear

why do we kiss?

is your red the same as my red?

[thewriterslament]

How to read unnecessarily long papers by stuffy academics

As a cognitive neuroscience major, I read a lot of lengthy academic papers. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from having done so many damn readings, it’s that you don’t actually need to read every single word in the paper to understand it. A lot of times, the author will repeat themselves over and over, or offer evidence/explanations that aren’t essential to understanding their argument. Instead, I recommend using the first/last method, which is essentially a guideline to what you should read in order to understand the main gist of an academic paper. 

Any academic paper consists of three structural units: the paper as a whole, the sections/subsections that make up the paper, and the paragraphs that make up each section. The paper as a whole typically follows a certain form: intro/abstract, main argument separated into sections, conclusion. The sections cover one facet of the main argument. The paragraphs provide specific details or explanations for the topic currently under discussion.

The first/last method is exactly what it says on the tin: you only need to read the first and last bit of every structural unit. This means you will read the following as they are presented in the paper: 

abstract, intro, and conclusion

definition of terms, if provided

first and last paragraph of each middle section

first and last 1-2 sentences of each paragraph

The main argument is typically summarized in the intro/abstract, conclusion, or both. The main claim of each section is usually presented in the first paragraph, and the conclusion of the section typically expresses the implications of that claim. Finally, paragraphs will usually start with some kind of topic sentence and end with a conclusion. By reading only these things, you’ll pick up at least 70% of the meaning of the paper, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and frustration. 

If you’d like to bump that comprehension up to 95%, I recommend skimming the paper for italics, lists, and descriptions/summaries of other arguments and reading those things when you encounter them in addition to the things mentioned above. The key to this is to skim for certain cues, and not read every single word. Italics serve as a visual cue, lists are cued by indicators like “first”/”second” or “1)”/”2)”, and summaries of other arguments are typically indicated by copious citations or usage of another author’s name.

This method helped me get through a 26-page reading in a little over an hour with around 95% comprehension of the author’s argument. Hopefully it’ll help you in your studies as well.

[koreanstudytips]

Learning Korean with YouTube

Korean Unnie 한국언니: Korean Unnie has many YouTube videos helpful for those learning Korean, including beginners. Every Monday and Friday at 8am KST she uploads videos to her Fun & Easy Korean series. Each Wednesday at 11am KST she streams a live Korean lesson. In addition to those videos, she has a series where she breaks down k-pop song lyrics. 

Talk to Me in Korean: Along with their textbooks, Talk to Me in Korean provides lessons through YouTube. Their lessons are great for everyone, especially beginners and intermediate level learners. They have Q&A videos, a series called Korean Buzzwords, a series called One-Minute Korean, ASMR style lessons,videos for pronunciation, and much more!

Learn Korean with KoreanClass101.com: Learn Korean with KoreanClass101 has many useful listening comprehension videos. These videos are categorized for absolute beginners, beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. They have a series that teaches you how to read and write the Korean alphabet. Learn Korean with KoreanClass101 also streams live lessons every Thursday at 1pm KST.

Jolly: The next few channels I share are not necessarily lessons, however, they are mainly in Korean and most offer both Korean and English subtitles. One of my favorite channels is Jolly. In one of their series, Josh is teaching Ollie Korean through the Talk to Me in Korean books. They also post other types of videos, some are related to Korea(n) and some aren’t, but they all have English and Korean subtitles. 

데이브 The World of Dave: Like Jolly, The World of Dave videos offers both Korean and English subtitles. They often compare words and other things between languages such as English, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. He also interviews many people, including Korean celebrities. In addition to those videos, there are also vlogs. 

Studio V and Solfa: I paired these two channels together since they are a bit similar. Studio V has interview style videos. Solfa also has interview style videos along with others. Both Studio V and Solfa have English and Korean subtitles on their videos. 

[boomeyer]

Do yourself a favor. Learn to code. Here's how.

I’ve said this to my non-techie friends countless times. It’s no secret that being able to code makes you a better job applicant, and a better entrepreneur. Hell, one techie taught a homeless man to code and now that man is making his first mobile application.

Learning to code elevates your professional life, and makes you more knowledgeable about the massive changes taking place in the technology sector that are poised to have an immense influence on human life.

(note: yes I realize that 3/5 of those links were Google projects)

But most folks are intimidated by coding. And it does seem intimidating at first. But peel away the obscurity and the difficulty, and you start to learn that coding, at least at its basic level, is a very manageable, learnable skill.

There are a lot of resources out there to teach you. I’ve found a couple to be particularly successful. Here’s my list of resources for learning to code, sorted by difficulty:

Novice

Never written a line of code before? No worries. Just visit one of these fine resources and follow their high-level tutorials. You won’t get into the nitty-gritty, but don’t worry about it for now:

Dash - by General Assembly

CodeAcademy

w3 Tutorials (start at HTML on the left sidebar and work your way down)

Intermediate

Now that you’ve gone through a handful of basic tutorials, it’s time to learn the fundamentals of actual, real-life coding problems. I’ve found these resources to be solid:

Khan Academy

CodeAcademy - Ruby, Python, PHP

Difficult

If you’re here, you’re capable of building things. You know the primitives. You know the logic control statements. You’re ready to start making real stuff take shape. Here are some different types of resources to turn you from someone who knows how to code, into a full-fledged programmer.

Programming problems

Sometimes, the challenges in programming aren’t how to make a language do a task, but just how to do the task in general. Like how to find an item in a very large, sorted list, without checking each element. Here are some resources for those types of problems

Talentbuddy

TopCoder

Web Applications

If you learned Python, Django is an amazing platform for creating quick-and-easy web applications. I’d highly suggest the tutorial - it’s one of the best I’ve ever used, and you have a web app up and running in less than an hour.

Django Tutorial

I’ve never used Rails, but it’s a very popular and powerful framework for creating web applications using Ruby. I’d suggest going through their guide to start getting down-and-dirty with Rails development.

Rails Guide

If you know PHP, there’s an ocean of good stuff out there for you to learn how to make a full-fledged web application. Frameworks do a lot of work for you, and provide quick and easy guides to get up and running. I’d suggest the following:

Cake PHP Book

Symfony 2 - Get Started

Yii PHP - The Comprehensive Guide

Conclusion

If there’s one point I wanted to get across, it’s that it is easier than ever to learn to code. There are resources on every corner of the internet for potential programmers, and the benefits of learning even just the basics are monumental.

If you know of any additional, great resources that aren’t listed here, please feel free to tweet them to me @boomeyer.

Best of luck!

[mementoluceat-blog]

I’d also like to add some more specialized resources!

Video games:

Easy game engines (virtually no coding): 

Game Maker Studio (2D; free and paid versions)

GameSalad (2D)

RPG Maker (2D; numerous versions ranging from free to $69.99)

Stencyl (2D; free and paid subscription versions)

Scratch (good for kids and is more general; 2D; free)

More difficult game engines: 

Unity (lots and lots of platforms; C# and JavaScript script; 2D, 3D, VR; free and paid versions)

Unreal (specializes in graphics; C++ and visual script; 2D, 3D, VR; free with a royalty on successful products)

CryEngine (Lua script; 3D; paid subscription and full license versions)

Mobile game development: 

Corona (free and paid subscription versions)

SpriteKit (2D) and SceneKit (3D) which are built into the official compiler to create iOS apps (see iOS apps for more resources)

also all of the above game engines (cross-platform)

Game console development: 

Game Maker Studio (with a paid subscription)

Unity

Unreal

CryEngine

Note that games can also be created on more general platforms like iOS and Android apps, but the resources listed above are specialized for game development.

iOS apps:

In order to develop iOS apps, you’ll need to purchase an iOS developer program membership for $99 a year, which requires an Apple account. Here are some general resources:

Xcode (the official IDE for iOS apps; can be installed on OS X)

Start Developing iOS Apps Today (Objective-C)

Ray Wenderlich iOS tutorials (Objective-C and Swift)

Code School: Try iOS (Objective-C)

Developing iOS 8 Apps (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; Swift)

TutorialsPoint: iOS Tutorial (Objective-C)

How to Make iPhone Apps With No Programming Experience (Swift)

Swift Tutorial: Building an iOS Application (2, 3)

iOS apps are developed in the 2 official languages of Apple: Objective-C and Swift, the latter of which is newer and generally much easier to learn.

Objective-C resources:

the official documentation

TutorialsPoint: Objective-C Tutorial

Ry’s Objective-C Tutorial

Swift resources:

the official documentation

The Swift Programming Language (free official e-book)

Swift: A Quick Reference Guide

Xcode also has SpriteKit, SceneKit, and Metal built in, all of which are incredibly useful for creating apps that require elaborate graphics, particularly games.

SpriteKit resources:

How to Make a Game Like Candy Crush With Swift (2)

Sprite Kit Swift Tutorial

Create Space Invaders with Swift and Sprite Kit

iOS SpriteKit Physics Tutorial in Swift

Build the Game of Life (Swift)

SceneKit resources:

Scene Kit Tutorial: Getting Started (Swift)

An Introduction to SceneKit (2; Swift)

Metal resources:

the official documentation + other resources (Obj-C)

iOS 8 Metal Tutorial with Swift (2, 3)

Getting Started With Metal (Obj-C)

An introduction to 3D graphics with Metal in Swift

Also, in order to publish iOS apps, you’ll have to juggle certificates, app ids, and provisioning profiles. This process can be convoluted at times so here are some resources:

How to Submit Your App to Apple: From No Account to App Store (2)

Beginner Tutorial: iOS Certificates & Provisioning Profiles

Android apps:

In order to develop Android apps, you’ll need to register as a developer for a one-time fee of $25. Here are some general resources:

Android Studio (the official IDE for Android app development; free; can be installed on Windows, OS X, and Linux)

the official documentation

Getting Started

Android Tutorial For Beginners (2, 3)

Learn Android SDK From Scratch

Introduction to Android Development With Android Studio

Android apps are developed in Java and the layout is coded with XML.

Java resources:

W3schools: Java Tutorial series

TutorialsPoint: Java Tutorial

Core Java Tutorial

XML resources:

W3schools: XML Tutorial series

TutorialsPoint: XML Tutorial

For publishing (which is somewhat easier than publishing iOS apps):

How to Publish to the Android Market

3D modeling/animation:

Blender (can also be used to create games; Python script; free and open-source; can be installed on Windows, OS X, and Linux)

Maya (specialized script; free trial, free 3-year student subscription, and paid subscription versions; can be installed on Windows, OS X, and Linux to an extent)

3ds Max (Python script; free trial, free 3-year student subscription, and paid subscription versions; can be installed on Windows and OS X)

RenderMan (specialized script; free for non-commercial/educational use and pay-per-license for commercial use; can be installed on Windows, OS X, and Linux)

Misc. resources:

Stack Overflow is an ask-and-answer community for programmers. It’s amazing and will save your life. Sign up and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Github offers a student pack (here) if you create an account and prove you’re a student. This gives you free access to a bunch of great programming resources for free for a certain period of time, such as Unreal Engine. Also, Github in general is a site that you can host your code on. Other users can see it, and “fork” it to make a copy of your code and modify it.

Parse is a backend service that allows you to store data in databases it hosts on its own servers. It lets you use push notifications, create users, store and retrieve data, etc. It’s compatible with iOS apps, Android apps, Windows apps, Xamarin, React, Unity, OS X, Windows, JavaScript, PHP, .net, Arduino, and Embedded C. It’s free up to a certain limit that depends on the services you use.

Cloud9, Codebox, and Squad are online IDEs that allow for real-time collaboration and support a variety of languages, so they’re useful for team projects.

And some general advice:

Your program will not work right away, 99% of the time. That’s okay. Do your best to figure out where the error is. Here is some advice on debugging (written for PHP but the methods can be generalized).

If you’re stuck, Google. Google like there’s no tomorrow.

Ask questions on a community like Stack Overflow.

For that matter, browse relevant Stack Overflow questions. You can probably find some solutions there.

Don’t be afraid to copy and paste.

Take breaks sometimes if you’re getting burned out. But don’t stay away from your projects for too long or you’ll lose track of its status.

Backup your code. On the cloud, on a USB drive, wherever. If your IDE has a backing up feature like snapshots, use it whenever you hit a milestone.

If your project is big, split it up into milestones and set goals. Don’t tackle everything at once.

Like the OP said, coding isn’t just for professionals and “geeks” anymore. Anyone can learn it if you really try, and with the rapidly expanding tech industry, learning coding can really broaden your opportunities.

If any of the links are broken, or you have a question or some information/resources to add, you can contact me through the askbox or the OP through his Twitter (as mentioned in his post).

If you’re interested, try some of these out and best of luck!

[boomeyer]

Great work expanding on my humble list to include a much fuller collection of resources for learning how to code! Cheers!

[eintsein]

Redefining My Bullet Journal System

The bullet journal is probably something you’re no stranger to. It’s been circulating around the internet for a while, and it’s one of the main subjects of studyblr posts. However, when I started college last semester, I found that I no longer relied on my bullet journal to organize my tasks and structure my responsibilities anymore. Instead, I tried out a bunch of productivity/task-organization apps: Taskade, Actions by Moleskine, Any.do, Todoist, Wunderlist. None of them seemed to have what I needed, so I decided to give the bullet journal method another try.

The first thing I reflected on was why I stopped in the first place. At first I thought it was because the method itself allowed for a lot of freedom and I’d get confused as to what things to include and how to structure everything. But then I realized that it was in fact because I had previously been bullet journaling for other people instead of myself. Since I had what one could call an ‘artsy bullet journal’, I tended to focus more on the artistic aspect so that it would get more likes and reblogs after I posted it, when I should have been focusing on how it can organize my life. I realized that the bullet journal is a tool; the focus should be on life itself, not the bullet journal, but you can use the bullet journal to add value to your life.

At the beginning of the year, I deconstructed my organizational needs and attempted to apply that to my bullet journal method. I stopped looking at other people’s bullet journals and started thinking about my own needs and preferences. I thought about how I would best organize my time so that I could accomplish all of the things I want to accomplish in the different aspects of my life.

Supplies

The fact that I only have 2 main supplies allows me to bullet journal anywhere, anytime.

The Structure

The Practice

Simply having the tool to organize your life isn’t enough - you should also have a practice, a habit, for using it.

Going Forward

One thing I’d like to work on is future logging. As of now, I think in terms of months, since the my main commitment at the moment is my education, and monthly planning has worked out for me. But I think if I’d like to tackle on larger projects - e.g. my YouTube channel that I just started - I’d need to do a lot more future logging.

Another useful thing I want to try out is to summarize my journal entries in the form of notes. Recently I’ve been audio journaling (15-20 minutes of me talking to myself), and it’s been pretty effective. However, I have no way of ‘skimming’ the entries like I would a written journal entry. Summarizing them would help me retain main ideas of each entry and remember the things I said that are or could potentially be important and useful.

Final Thoughts

If you don’t think your bullet journal is adding value to or improving productivity and organization in your life, I think you should reconsider the way you’re approaching the system. I found a method that works for me; yours might be different. While it can be beneficial to draw inspiration from other people, do whatever helps you the most, not what other people tell you you should be doing. After coming up with an appropriate structure, make sure you maintain the practice.  

[thearialligraphyproject]

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[allydsgn]

how do you NOT reblog free textbook sites????

[mickybyrd]

How I Learn Languages

As an aspiring polyglot, it’s important that I have a bunch of resources at my disposal for language learning. I use a variety of resources for my learning, such as books, websites, apps, T.V. shows, movies, etc. Almost all of these resources are free too! These are some of my resources!

-Websites-

1. Omniglot

This website is more for finding information about languages and finding languages to learn. It has a very comprehensive list of languages and you can find plenty of secondary resources for learning the language. You can find tutors for that language, and even songs in your target language. I can just about guarantee you that no matter what language you’re looking for, it will be documented here. It is absolutely amazing, and it is a FANTASTIC resource for the dedicated linguist. Price- Free

http://www.omniglot.com/

2. Duolingo

This is both a website AND an app, however, I tend to use the website more frequently, mainly because I’m always on my laptop anyway. The learning system that this website uses makes out very easy to stay motivated, and the lessons are organized amazingly. Currently, the website offers about 27 different language courses for English speakers, and various language courses for speakers of languages other than English. You can set goals for yourself, take multiple courses, be involved in discussions, and even do translating activities. Beware though, it gets VERY addicting. Price- Free

https://www.duolingo.com

3. Memrise

Also a website AND an app, this is my all time favorite resource for learning languages. It has SO many languages to choose from, and it even offers subjects other than languages, although foreign language learning is its primary appeal factor. Price- Free

http://www.memrise.com/home/

4. BBC Languages

Although this sector of BBC has been archived and is no longer updated, it still contains some valuable information. It includes some useful phrases, alphabet guides, and jokes in many languages. You’re bound to learn something new there, so check it out! Price- Free

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/

5. Foreign Service Institute (FSI)

This website offers language courses constructed by the U.S. government, and relies heavily on audio-based learning. However, many of the language courses include lessons in the form of pdf. There is a very large selection of languages to choose from, so this resource is very good for getting an excellent introduction to your target language. Price- Free

https://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/

6. Live Lingua Project

Claiming to be the internet’s largest collection of free public domain language learning materials, this website is a MUST for language learners. It contains the FSI courses, Peace Corps language learning materials, and the DLI (military) language courses. It also offers Skype sessions for language learners in several different languages! The main appeal of this website, however, is the Peace Corps language material archive. There are SO many different languages to choose from, and there are many ebooks and audio files to take advantage of here. Price- Free

https://www.livelingua.com/#project

7. Languages On the Web

This website offers texts that translate English texts into 55 other languages. It is not a translator, it merely provides reading material in foreign languages to learners. It is a very useful website, especially for analyzing how sentences are formed in other languages. Price- Free

http://www.lonweb.org/

8. Learn 101

This website is really helpful for explaining grammatical concepts and for learning general stuff about languages, such as verbs, vocabulary, nouns, adjectives, basic phrases, foods, etc. There are quite alot of languages offered on this website, so it’s a great resource! Price- Free (for certain features)

http://learn101.org/

9. Clozemaster

This website is great for learning languages through a sentence based, contextual experience. It’s a bit like Duolingo in that sense, and it requires you to fill in missing words from sentences. In my opinion, it’s better for people with a background in their target language, and they offer many different options for languages. It’s also good for speakers of a native language other than English! Price- Free

https://www.clozemaster.com/

10. Lexicity

This is a great website for ancient language learners, and it provides resources for Egyptian, Mayan, Hittite, Latin, Old English, Etruscan, Gaulish, and several others. I have found the majority of resources that I have looked through helpful to my learning efforts. They have dictionaries, grammars, charts, and texts, and it is a very comprehensive resource. Price- Free

http://lexicity.com/

11. Book2

This is a good resource for learners looking for audio files to help them practice their listening. I haven’t used it all too much, but there are many language options, so you’re bound to find a language that you find interesting on here. Price- Free

http://www.goethe-verlag.com/book2/

12. Lang-8

This is a great resource for getting feedback on your writing in your target language. You can post things in your target language, and native speakers of that language will correct it, and you can do the same for other people! It’s very helpful, and is a great resource if you have to write in your target language often. Price- Free

http://lang-8.com/

13. Bilinguis

This website offers a few books to read in different languages and is good for comparing different languages of the same book. This makes for good practice for reading in your target language. Price- Free

http://bilinguis.com/

14. Udemy

There are quite a few languages courses on this website, although several of them cost money. However, there are quite a few courses that are free, and are good for introducing you to your language of choice. Price- Varies depending on the course, however, there are some free ones

https://www.udemy.com/courses/

-Apps- [For this, I can only give the price for iPhones, however, I am relatively sure that these should be the same price in the Android store]

1. Memrise

As mentioned above in the websites section, this app is so amazing for on-the-go language learning, as well as for subjects other than languages! It helps users memorize concepts with “meme” which are pictures that will remind you of what the word or concept means, and it’s such a unique and fun learning experience! It has the feel of using flashcards, but I just love using this app so much. Price- Free

2. Duolingo

Also mentioned in the websites section, this app is great for both learning new words and reviewing words that you have either memorized or have just been exposed to. There are grammar lessons available, translation activities, groups that you can join, and Duolingo makes it fun to learn a language with it’s reward system. Price- Free

3. HelloTalk

This is my absolute FAVORITE app to talk to native speakers of my target language(s). You can become language partners with people, help others with translations, video/voice call, send voice messages, and have as many partners as you want! It’s an absolutely amazing app, and I highly recommend it to everyone! Warning- If you’re a native English speaker looking for a native Chinese speaker, you will get HUNDREDS of requests. It might overwhelm you for a second. Price- Free

4. TuneIn Radio

This is really great for finding stations in your target language, and it helps with practicing both comprehension of spoken language as well as introduces you to awesome music in your target language! Price- Free

5. Tigercards

This app presents words in the form of lists, and gives you vocab so that you can review it. Not the best presentation of words and it doesn’t really offer a memorization technique like Memrise, but it’s still helpful! Price- Free

6. Busuu

This app is a bit like Duolingo, and it offers German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Italian, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, and Chinese! Price- Free

7. uTalk

This app offers so many different languages, it’s pretty incredible. There are games that you can play, phrasebooks, and several other features. The interface is also really awesome and simple, so it makes learning easier than usual. Definitely a must have. Price- Free

8. Innovative Language

I haven’t used this app much, but I have heard that the lessons on this app are very good, and you can download the lessons so that you can view them offline. Price- Free

9. FlashSticks

This has been super helpful to me, in addition to the games and flashcards that it offers, it also provides an object scanner, which uses your camera to scan objects and then tells you what it’s called in your target language! Price- Free

10. Mondly

This has been an awesome resource for me since it’s a bit like Duolingo, only with more unique language options. I’m currently using it to learn Hindi, however, there are tons of other language options. The interface is awesome, and I love using it. Price- Free

11. MindSnacks

This company makes several different language apps, and currently I’m using the Mandarin, Japanese, and French ones. So far, I’ve really enjoyed these apps! Price- Free

12. Spotify

Through Spotify’s “Word” category, there are many different playlists dedicated to language learning, such as for Arabic, Mandarin, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, and Swedish! Price- Free

13. Quizlet

This is more of a diy language learning resource. It is not an inherent language learning resource, however, if you learn best through lists and/or flashcards, then this app allows you to make cards and review vocab that way! I use it all the time for exams! Price- Free

14. FluentU

This is an awesome app for watching videos in your target language, and is really good for learning new words. Price- the app is free, but the service is $15 per month or $120 per year

-Books-

1. Teach Yourself

This series offers an astounding number of languages, and I have found them to be pretty effective in helping me learn languages. I have used the Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, and Irish ones.

2. Barron’s Grammar and Verb books

I really like the way Barron’s does language books, so far I have used their Japanese grammar book and their Russian verbs book, and I really like the layout of them, especially the grammar book!

3. Dk Visual Bilingual Dictionaries

These are so helpful for me, I’ve been using the Mandarin and Japanese dictionaries for a long time, and they are so comprehensive and awesome!

4. Ethnologue

These aren’t language “learning” materials, but rather they help me find new languages to learn. These are more for the linguistic lovers, since they catalog almost every living language in the world in every country, and provide language maps and statistics. There’s really fascinating stuff in those books, so I highly recommend purchasing them. 

5. The “Dirty” books

So far, I have only used the Japanese version, however, I really like what the book includes, and it’s great for learning slang in your target language, and things that traditional textbooks wouldn’t teach you.

6. Living Language

I LOVE these books so much, I’ve used the Russian, Mandarin, and French ones and I’ve found them very helpful! The layout of these are very nice, and they’re pretty comprehensive.

7. Tuttle books

Tuttle offers several different language books, and they all are very good in my opinion. I have used their books for Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Japanese, and Hindi.

That’s all that I have right now, but if you all would like more resources than I will definitely make a second one!

[cockablock]

the education system wont really be teaching you important shit like this..

so let me be the one to do it…

places that give student discounts

discounts your student id can get you

how to survive college on a budget

how to save money

earn money by simply doing polls

scholarships masterpost

really helpful student loan debt article

college investor website

7 money tips for college students

student loan calculator

what to buy each month of the year

coupon tips

can’t pay your bills?

is your cell phone bill too high?

dont know how to do taxes?

pay off student loans efficiently

budget monitoring website

save your money on cords

how to balance a checkbook

the ultimate guide to saving for retirement

[secretlifeofateenblogger-blog]

I keep forgetting what the differences are in the over the counter pain relievers, so I made a handy chart.

[dynastylnoire]

THANK YOU OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tiny-with-a-bang]

As someone who suffers from migraines too often, this is perfect. Please share this helpful chart!!

[engrprof]

Also, tylenol is good for nerve pain, like fibromyalgia.

[gayberdnird]

Excedrin is also great for migraines because it contains caffeine, they have a line called Excedrin Migraine, but the original is just as effective

[breelandwalker]

For my peeps who get those awful evening migraines and want relief, but also don’t want to be up all freakin’ night, there’s a line called Excedrin PM that’s basically regular Excedrin sans caffeine with a very mild sleep aid. It’s GLORIOUS.

Also I can tell you that Aleve (naproxen) is my #1 go-to for period cramps. Take it first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, and it works much faster, and keeps things manageable for most of the day, if you suffer from mild to more-than-moderate pain.

(Always keep your own physical needs and other medications in mind before choosing a pain reliever. When in doubt, ask your physician.)

[systlin]

A Good Post.

[opisaterf]

nsaids are notorious for causing ulcers and gi bleeds so if you have problems with that already stay away, & if you take them daily for chronic pain talk to your doctor about safer options. aspirin and nsaids should also be avoided by asthmatics because they can cause an asthma attack. and stay under 3000mg of Tylenol per 24 hour period.

[intellectys]

Just in case you need a fresh look for your new tabs page! 

Leoh Momentum Lanes Tabby Cat Tabbie Earth View

Reply with your favourite or other great options I didn’t include :D

[boomeyer]

Do yourself a favor. Learn to code. Here's how.

I’ve said this to my non-techie friends countless times. It’s no secret that being able to code makes you a better job applicant, and a better entrepreneur. Hell, one techie taught a homeless man to code and now that man is making his first mobile application.

Learning to code elevates your professional life, and makes you more knowledgeable about the massive changes taking place in the technology sector that are poised to have an immense influence on human life.

(note: yes I realize that 3/5 of those links were Google projects)

But most folks are intimidated by coding. And it does seem intimidating at first. But peel away the obscurity and the difficulty, and you start to learn that coding, at least at its basic level, is a very manageable, learnable skill.

There are a lot of resources out there to teach you. I’ve found a couple to be particularly successful. Here’s my list of resources for learning to code, sorted by difficulty:

Novice

Never written a line of code before? No worries. Just visit one of these fine resources and follow their high-level tutorials. You won’t get into the nitty-gritty, but don’t worry about it for now:

Dash - by General Assembly

CodeAcademy

w3 Tutorials (start at HTML on the left sidebar and work your way down)

Intermediate

Now that you’ve gone through a handful of basic tutorials, it’s time to learn the fundamentals of actual, real-life coding problems. I’ve found these resources to be solid:

Khan Academy

CodeAcademy - Ruby, Python, PHP

Difficult

If you’re here, you’re capable of building things. You know the primitives. You know the logic control statements. You’re ready to start making real stuff take shape. Here are some different types of resources to turn you from someone who knows how to code, into a full-fledged programmer.

Programming problems

Sometimes, the challenges in programming aren’t how to make a language do a task, but just how to do the task in general. Like how to find an item in a very large, sorted list, without checking each element. Here are some resources for those types of problems

Talentbuddy

TopCoder

Web Applications

If you learned Python, Django is an amazing platform for creating quick-and-easy web applications. I’d highly suggest the tutorial - it’s one of the best I’ve ever used, and you have a web app up and running in less than an hour.

Django Tutorial

I’ve never used Rails, but it’s a very popular and powerful framework for creating web applications using Ruby. I’d suggest going through their guide to start getting down-and-dirty with Rails development.

Rails Guide

If you know PHP, there’s an ocean of good stuff out there for you to learn how to make a full-fledged web application. Frameworks do a lot of work for you, and provide quick and easy guides to get up and running. I’d suggest the following:

Cake PHP Book

Symfony 2 - Get Started

Yii PHP - The Comprehensive Guide

Conclusion

If there’s one point I wanted to get across, it’s that it is easier than ever to learn to code. There are resources on every corner of the internet for potential programmers, and the benefits of learning even just the basics are monumental.

If you know of any additional, great resources that aren’t listed here, please feel free to tweet them to me @boomeyer.

Best of luck!

[boomeyer]

Great work expanding on my humble list to include a much fuller collection of resources for learning how to code! Cheers!

[studypride]

hello my friends! in a moment of inspiration (aka me not wanting to write another paragraph for my essay), i have decided to make a post of tips! and hopefully it’s helpful to some of you :0 some of these are common and worth repeating, whereas others i haven’t seen? and are hopefully useful

disclaimer: i’ve only been in uni for one semester and everyone is different so if some of these don’t work for you then that is a-okay! also i don’t know much myself so feel free to comment/add as you please

YOUR LIVING SPACE

there will be a day where you need a Very Small Thing (socks, necklace, That One Homework Assignment, a paperclip, an earring) and you won’t be able to find it

how do you avoid this? easy. stay organized

have pillows/blankets if you can. they’re nice to sit on if your desk chair is hard and wooden. also you can be cozy and turn yourself into a burrito if it’s cold, 10/10 would recommend

be nice to your roommates and/or suitemates if you have any

on that note, set rules right away

possible things to consider when making room rules:

whether or not you’re okay w having alcohol/substances in the room

if you wanna know when your roommate’s friends are hanging out in the room (i personally have to mentally prepare myself to walk into my room and see 8 people hanging out)

if visitors are allowed to sleep over, and if so, how many days in advance do you wanna know

snack policy. shared? individual? ask before you eat?

what time is “quiet time”

if you’re gonna sleep and i have hw, is it okay if i stay in the room or is that distracting?

who takes out the trash/cleans the bathroom/vacuums (switch off every week? one person does each thing? do it if you see it needs to be done?)

sometimes you will have to compromise and that’s okay

FOOD

eat. eat 3 meals. eat 4 if you want. just please please eat

don’t skip meals. it’s not healthy and you should treat your body nicely bc it’s the only one you have

get a water bottle and bring it with you to class

have snacks. have ones that come in little containers or smaller packets. put them in your backpack. pull those bad boys out when it’s 3pm and you still have 2 more classes and you need a little pick-me-up

fruit is good. apples, oranges, bananas, plums, etc.

my food tag has lots of easy things to make

or just google “easy college food” and you’ll find stuff too

freshman fifteen doesn’t have to be a thing if you are mindful of what you’re eating and how much you’re exercising and all of that

also a little weight never hurt anybody so calm down and be nice to yourself and know that it’s okay

CLASSES

i don’t ever skip class. maybe you will have an easy class and you will want to skip it. it’s up to you.

however, you will not be able to skip class all semester and teach yourself everything about an unfamiliar subject

make friends in your classes. text them. eat lunch with them once in a while so they know who you are when it’s halfway through the semester and you’re sick and miss two lectures and need their notes

know when the tests are. study for them. even if it’s a subject you know well, study anyway and get a 100%

sometimes professors change exam dates. or they assign extra homework.

 they might post it online or email you or something

or they might announce it in class. and if you’re not in class then you won’t know. so maybe go to class

stay on the cautious side your first semester. don’t overwhelm yourself with 5 difficult courses. after that, tailor your schedule times and difficulty to suit you

HOMEWORK

do it, and do it asap

i’m not kidding, it will save you so much trouble later on

start studying for tests at least a week in advance

prioritize things. yeah that discussion post is really interesting but if your professor just checks it for participation, then maybe spend less time on that and instead prioritize the project that’s 20% of your grade

if a prof’s office hours don’t work then email them, usually they’re nice and will find a time that works for both of you

i’m not kidding you should really do your hw asap

EXTRACURRICULARS

stick with what you like. stop what you don’t like.

go to club meetings, they’re usually not longer than like an hour (mine are only 30mins) and the club heads will notice you and appreciate you

it’s a nice way to meet people who are interested in similar things 

SOCIAL LIFE

ask people to eat lunch with you. 90% of the time they will say yes.

the other 10%, they either already ate or are in class, but they would if they could. don’t take it personally if they’re busy

seriously ask people to eat with you. it’s a nice way to get to know people

do things off-campus once in a while. go to museums, the beach, shopping, laser tag, escape rooms, etc

do things on-campus too. there are usually cool events and sometimes they end up being a lot of fun

 don’t go to parties if you don’t want to. it’s okay.

don’t drink if you don’t want to. seriously. it’s okay. people will understand. and if they don’t, then they’re not a good friend

OTHER TIDBITS

if you live close to home, visit your family, but also spend time with people/friends. they want to get to know you

if you live far from home, hang out with your friends, but also take time to call your family (+ pets) and update them on your life. they miss you

have some cash on you if you can. i keep ~$20 on me

things get stolen on campus. don’t leave your stuff lying around. bring your backpack into the bathroom if you need to

get a stapler. professors like it when you staple things

headphones/earbuds. you will use them at some point

find time to read for fun, it’s a nice way to get away from screens and think about something else

AND THAT’S A WRAP!! Good luck, all! My ask is always open c: ~Aisa

[heyrosiebee]

🌻 little habits/things to do more of 🌻

dailies

make your bed. (no, really.)

set your top 3 to-dos for the day.

do your top 3 to-dos for the day. (heh)

stretch.

unpack your bag when you get home.

prepare your things for the next day before sleeping.

skincare. (your basic cleanse and moisturize)

sweep the floor of your bedroom.

talk to your plants. (if you have plants)

update your financial report/expense tracker.

take a good photo.

meditate.

hug at least three people. (seriously.)

weeklies

polish your school shoes.

mop your bedroom floor.

dare i say, laundry. (don’t put it off!)

exfoliate.

take a leisure walk.

review your past week and plan your next week accordingly. (a part of your routine may not be working–try something new)

make a piece of art. (a sketch, a collage, a quote in pretty lettering, a god-awful poem..)

sanitize your gadgets. (whip out the wet tissue and wipe away at your phone, your laptop, your mouse, your earphones–just don’t forget to IMMEDIATELY follow that up with a dry cloth to prevent fogging and short circuits)

watch a TED Talk.

make a new playlist.

monthlies

wash your bag.

wash your shoes.

change the sheets of your bed and your pillows.

clip your nails. (honestly)

wax/shave. (if you want. i just really like how fresh my skin feels after i torture it with razors and wax strips)

wipe your shelves/the tops of your furniture clean. (try to avoid dusting. it just scatters the dirt everywhere. use a damp cloth instead)

see if there’s anything in your storage that you don’t need/want anymore and give stuff away or sell them.

review your month and plan the next one accordingly. (just like your weeks. remember to refer to your Life Goal/Year’s Goals page)

finish reading at least one book. (and review it!)

discover new songs.

- 🍂

[areistotle]

so, across these few months i’ve been around here i came across some really great apps and decided to share some with you. these range from everything between hobbies + health, i do hope you enjoy them!!

for your screen

fliqlo

momentum

lanes

tabstract

currently

photography

vscocam [fav!!! i use it on my instagram here B-)]

darkroom

circles w/ colours on ur photos!!!

add doodles to ur photos!!!!

focusing apps + sounds

forest

focusnow

coffitivity

infinitestorm

stayfocusd

timewarp

self control

music

8 tracks [mine // classical music // chill // studying]

spotify

pandora

identify music w/ shazam

health

sleep better [fav!!]

bedtime calculator

plant nanny ~ water tracker [fav!!!]

waterlogged

a period calendar

safetrek

productivity apps

mystudylife [fav!!!!]

evernote

timeful

30/30

habitica

glass planner

storage + back ups

dropbox

google drive

staying calm

donothingfor2minutes

pacifica

headspace [fav!!!]

14 apps for anxiety

hobbies + learning

duolingo

photoshop

loads of fonts!!

instagram

snapchat

nasa app

skyview [fav!!! this is rly calming + nice]

itunesu

google scholar

ibooks

kindle

hope all of these help you guys to have a less stressful life!! if you need any more help or wish to request a masterpost, just send me a message!! take care of yourselves, ily <3

[lblis-remade-deactivated2019111]

white gays pipe the fuck down challenge! 

the lack of qpoc movies is astounding. this is a small list but i have searched for these movies from everywhere i could possibly, and watching them is a bigger dilemma. please add onto this list, especially the mlm section. 

[ note that i only exclusively watch wlw movies being a brown nb lesbian so im a bit lacking in the mlm movie recs ]

wlw movies

Rafiki | kenyen wlw

The Watermelon Woman | black lesbian

The Journey  | tamil wlw

Fire | indian wlw

Circumstance |  iranian wlw

 Caramel | lebanese wlw

Pariah | black lesbian

Yes or No & Yes or no 2 : Come Back | thai wlw

Saving face | chinese lesbians

Mosquita Y Mari | mexican wlw

The World Unseen | indian wlw

Margarita With A Straw | indian wlw

Appropriate Behavior | iranian wlw [ in relationship w a white wlw ]

The Secrets | israeli wlw

Spider Lilies | taiwanese wlw

I Can’t Think Straight | brown wlw

The Handmaiden | korean wlw

honorary mentions cause white women :shruggos: : 

thelma [ brown wlw is the love interest ]-itty bitty titty committee [ brown wlw ] - mystère à la tour eiffel [ black wlw ] - a perfect ending [ brown wlw ]

mlm movies

[ note that i haven't seen half of these movies ]

Mondial 2010 | lebanese mlm

Jumping The Broom | black mlm 

Blackbird | black gay

Mixed Kabab | turkish gay

The Last Match | spanish mlm  [ VERY TRIGGERING CONTENT ]

La Mission | latino gay

The Blue Hour | thai mlm

Fifi Howls From Happiness | iranian gay

Philadelphia | black gay

Moonlight | black mlm

[jewfrogs]

here are a few more movies!

The Way He Looks | portuguese mlm

Esteros | latino mlm

Hidden Away | spanish and moroccan mlm

Naz & Maalik | black muslim gay

Lilting | chinese-cambodian mlm

Eat With Me | chinese mlm

Love’s Coming | thai mlm

Spa Night | korean gay

Drifting Flowers | taiwanese lesbians

Schoolgirl Complex | japanese wlw

Miao Miao | chinese wlw

Baka Bukas | filipino wlw

A Girl at My Door | korean wlw [trigger warning for abuse]

The Chinese Botanist’s Daughters | chinese wlw

Being 17 | black mlm [in a relationship with a white mlm]

Akron | latino gay [in a relationship with a white mlm]

Drool | mexican and black wlw [trigger warning for abuse and murder]

The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love | black wlw [in a relationship with a white lesbian]

[medievalwitch1431-deactivated20]

Academia Book Recomendations

And, like, maybe a few movies too 

 The Secret History By Donna Tartt (Obviously!)

Dead Poets Society (Movie and Book)

If We Were Villians by M.L. Rio (Very similiar to TSH, also a personal favorite)

The History Boys by Alan Bennett (A play)

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (I think more superhero oriented? Ive never read it)

A Separate Peace by John Knowles 

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates

The Lessons by Naomi Alderman 

The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

Kill your Darlings (Movie, I hated it)

More Female oriented Academia books 

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

The Basic Eight by Daniel Handler 

The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton 

Sleepwalking by Meg Wolizter 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (okay, only vaguely academic but still a good book)

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

I heard the movie Mona Lisa Smile is good too

A list of some other academic school books 

Feel free to add on to this post.