Idioteex

Posts Tagged ‘About’

Why take time for projects on “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”? Why teach the poem at all, except, perhaps, in a British literature survey or a study of the Romantics or an AP course?

One of my students offered an answer last year in her project proposal: “This ballad is an old sailor’s tale that travels to lands all over the map, a tale that takes any listener from any time and place through a journey of enlightenment about self.” For this reason, Mariel gathered the class around her in a circle and unpacked from a battered suitcase the vintage album she’d made with stained pages on which she’d written, in faded ink, passages from all seven sections of the poem.

But she had replaced certain “key words” with equivalents in various foreign languages “to convey my sense of the poem’s mystery and universality.” For each page she made a visual representation of “the symbolism that lingers in the verbal images”—a different medium for each mood, including collage, cutouts, charcoal, and fabrics. “I want to show that this ballad is a universal story that can liberate all who read or hear it.”

Mariel had been struck by the penance required of the Mariner—the agonizing “wrench” that compels him to recount, over and over, his experience of sin, guilt, isolation, and grace.

I pass, like night, from land to land; I have strange power of speech; that moment that his face I see, I know the man that must hear me: To him my tale I teach. (Coleridge 23)  Read more...

This article answers four common questions that people ask regarding computer animation. What is computer animation?, What is the difference between computer animation and traditional animation?, Why are there so many computer animation programs?, and What is the right computer animation software for me? Answers are written in a concise non-technical style.

1 – What is computer animation?

For several years animation has been exclusively within the realm of the entertainment industry. It used to be a process that demanded lots of time, people and equipment. Nevertheless, thanks to the ubiquity of computers, the animation process has turned much simpler. In the past, tens of animators with celluloid, paint and pencils were needed to carry through what today a single person is able to accomplish with just a computer and a piece of software.

Computer animation can be basically divided into two categories: 2D and 3D animation. 2D is the abbreviation of “two-dimensional” and as its name implies it is rendered in a two-dimensional space. Its most popular expressions can be found on television in the form of classical cartoons, or while you are surfing the web in the form of online ads or e-cards, to name but a few. 2D animation is also called “vector animation” and it is generally produced with software like Adobe Flash, among many others.

3D is short for “three-dimensional”. 3D animations are rendered in a virtual three-dimensional space, utilizing polygons captured by several virtual cameras to film the animation. 3D animation can be seen in a wide array of environments that go from animated films, special effects in live-action films, and video games to architectural and medical presentations.

2 – What is the difference between computer animation and traditional animation?  Read more...

Copyright (c) 2009 Rebecca Kimes

More and more people are becoming aware of the ability to telepathically communicate with animals. In fact, animal communicators are sought after for a variety of reasons such as illness diagnosis, behavior problems, curiosity, acknowledgement of the animals’ life purpose and as a way too deepen and strengthen the human/animal bond.

As more and more people embrace the notion that animals are more than dumb beasts a new, richer world is made available to all of us.

Have you ever wondered what your faithful companion is thinking?

Do you have an animal with a chronic problem that you can’t get to the bottom of?

Have you introduced a new pet to the family that just isn’t fitting in?

These problems and many others can be solved through the delightful art of animal communication.

Because animal communication isn’t mainstream yet, it is surrounded by many myths that keep people from communicating with their companion animas. Here are 2 common myths that might be keeping you from fully understanding and benefiting from animal communication.

Myth 1: Animal Communication is a Gift Only a Select Few Have

Many people believe that animal communication if a gift reserved for only a select number of people. Not only is this an inaccurate belief but it stops many people from even trying to communicating with their animal companions.

Every person on Earth has the natural ability to communicate with all life, including animals and even plants. You may need a little coaching and practice but you definitely have the ability. Professional animal communicators aren’t any more talented than you. They’ve just decided to focus and hone their abilities to make animal communication their chosen profession.

Myth 2: I Don’t See Anything So I’m Not Psychic  Read more...

1201 6,342,665 Music game system, staging instructions synchronizing control method for same, and readable recording medium recorded with staging instructions synchronizing control program for same 1202 6,342,664 Data reproducing apparatus 1203 6,342,662 Tune changeable panpipe without harming the lips of a player 1204 6,339,304 Swing control for altering power to drive motor after each swing cycle 1205 6,337,434 Music teaching instrument 1206 6,334,104 Sound effects affixing system and sound effects affixing method 1207 6,332,824 Convertible child’s toy 1208 6,331,669 Broadband communication karaoke 1209 6,331,668 Method and device for musical reference 1210 6,330,490 Data vending machine system and method thereof 1211 6,329,580 Two-tiered music box with revolving figurines 1212 6,326,538 Random tie rhythm pattern method and apparatus 1213 6,324,537 Device, system and method for data access control 1214 6,323,411 Apparatus and method for practicing a musical instrument using categorized practice pieces of music 1215 6,323,410 Slide rule musical scale teaching device 1216 6,323,408 Music creation 1217 6,323,404 Music box device 1218 6,320,111 Musical playback apparatus and method which stores music and performance property data and utilizes the data to generate tones with timed pitches and defined properties 1219 6,320,110 Music game device with automatic setting, method for controlling the same, and storage medium therefor 1220 6,316,712 Method and apparatus for tempo and downbeat detection and alteration of rhythm in a musical segment 1221 6,316,706 Multi-purpose entertainer stand 1222 6,315,698 Guitar player’s finger exerciser and method 1223 6,315,571 Slipper with musical and rhythmic stimulation 1224 6,313,387 Apparatus and method for editing a music score based on an intermediate data set including note data and sign data 1225 6,313,386 Music box with memory stick or other removable media to change content 1226 6,313,385 Music teaching system and method 1227 RE37,422 Electronic musical instrument 1228 6,307,141 Method and apparatus for real-time beat modification of audio and music signals 1229 6,307,140 Music apparatus with pitch shift of input voice dependently on timbre change 1230 6,307,139 Search index for a music file 1231 6,304,846 Singing voice synthesis 1232 6,304,523 Playback device having text display and communication with remote database of titles 1233 6,301,603 Scalable audio processing on a heterogeneous processor array 1234 6,300,548 Music timer 1235 6,297,439 System and method for automatic music generation using a neural network architecture 1236 6,295,555 System and method for music downloads over a network 1237 6,293,511 Sheet music stand 1238 6,291,757 Apparatus and method for processing music data 1239 6,291,756 Method and apparatus for encoding music into seven-bit characters that can be communicated in an electronic message 1240 6,291,749 Mechanical musical movement with electronic light control 1241 6,289,538 Variable contour head support 1242 6,288,317 Real time transmission of keyboard musical performance 1243 6,287,239 Method of exercise using a spinning cycle 1244 6,287,124 Musical performance practicing device and method 1245 6,283,760 Learning and entertainment device, method and system and storage media therefor 1246 6,281,424 Information processing apparatus and method for reproducing an output audio signal from midi music playing information and audio information 1247 6,281,422 Music performance assisting system for teaching sequential use of fingers, method used therein and information storage medium for computer program representative of the method 1248 6,277,085 Solenoidal skin vibrator energized by complex electric waveforms 1249 6,276,612 Synchronized fountain and method 1250 6,275,452 Reproduction method and reproduction apparatus

Imagine that you are asleep one night and begin to have a dream. In this dream you are visited by two of the animals listed below. One of these animals brings you good news that predicts a future life of happiness and prosperity, while the other animal brings you news that forecasts a future of poverty and misery.

Dog
Lion
Monkey
Cat
Snake

Which of the animals listed above brings you the message of happiness and prosperity?

Which of the other animals listed brings you the message of poverty and misery?

Which of these messages do you open first?

Please take a moment and answer all three of these questions before proceeding. . .

Since ancient times, animals have often been seen as messengers of the gods. In many traditional shamanic cultures, animals were sent to an individual in dreams or visions to deliver messages of encouragement or warning. Even today, many people see these animals as symbolic messengers of our subconscious mind. Regardless of how we receive these messages, we are often wise to heed their advice and warnings.

These animals and their unique symbolism is a subject that I discuss throughout my Mind Doodles course. As a result of our cultural conditioning and individual preferences, each of the animals listed above (as well as many more not found here) have been found to have direct psychological associations. This means that we automatically associate certain animals with certain personality traits. In other words, we all tend to see snakes as sneaky, monkeys as playful, dogs as loyal, etc…

In this particular exercise, you were asked to pick one animal from the list that brought you promises of “good news”, and one animal that brought you “bad news”. You were then asked to describe which animal brought you which message, and which of these two messages you opened first.  Read more...