“fernweh [feyrn-vey]”

people should view reading as a developed skill in the same vein of artistic ability. i think most people on this website understand that artistic ability is cultivated - it’s largely a skill. a trait that is the consequence of effort and practice. not some mystical gift of innate talent bestowed by the gods upon certain gifted individuals, rigid and unmalleable.

attention span and reading comprehension are the same!! they are malleable. and you just have to consider, which way are you molding them? and are you doing so purposefully or inadvertently?

you are not unique in having an attention span destroyed by social media. you are not unique in having adhd. or many other extenuating circumstances. and this is good news! this means that you too can improve and develop your attention span, via deliberate practice. successive approximation and clear contingencies work for people, too.

try reading just one page a day. or just one article a day. or listening to an audiobook for ten minutes a day. or whatever! ANYTHING that helps strain the muscle of your attention span, anything that gets you consuming heftier chunks of information than a tweet or tumblr post. set a small and achievable goal, and create a strategy to get yourself to do it. and then incrementally increase the goal.

consider how you can arrange your environment and antecedents for success. you can have a specific spot where you sit solely to read. or you can relegate a delicious drink to when you read, or you can have a special scented candle you only burn when you read. read a page or an article while you are waiting for the kettle to heat up or the microwave to ding. schedule it for the same time each day. whatever specific iteration works for you - whatever encourages you and creates a clear contingency.

you know how dogs can learn, “this is my walking harness,” and “this is my pulling harness,” and so on? so that they know what to expect and will easily fall into the practiced ritual? WE ARE THE SAME… you just have to choose and condition yourself to a contingency (and the options are beautifully customizable), and over time it gets much much easier.

personally, i focus better when both my hands are occupied. specifically, when they are both grasping the book, or i’m clutching a pen for underlining. i don’t know why, i just know that this is so. it helps me when i am reading a book to have my phone in a completely different area. it helps me to sit outside (though Happy is not always helpful when she interrupts my concentration for a ball throw).

when i read ebooks, it helps me to sit in a hard chair and have my phone propped up in front of me (and thus create a dissimilar situation from when i scroll social media). or to pace as i read. i read an article on my phone when i am brushing my teeth and it is hard to scroll. i rotate among books. coffee drinking is relegated to reading for me. i like to save and share quotes from what i’m reading, and discuss it with friends. the social aspect creates a further layer of motivation for me.

those are just my specific contingencies! while my attention span isn’t where i wish it was, yet, i’ve gotten much better than i used to be. i used to struggle to stay focused for a page, and now, time permitting, i read a couple hours every day. it is WORK to develop your attention span - it is a muscle like any other. but by straining it regularly, your endurance and ability WILL increase.

if you are not consuming in-depth information, you can’t have in-depth understanding. when you get most of your information from bite sized chunks, it creates a real danger you are being told what to think! vs actually understanding and agreeing with concepts yourself - developing your own takes and opinions. not to mention, you are missing out on SO MUCH. the world is just BETTER when you are engaging with in-depth information.

i truly believe it is damaging to accept “oh i just have a shitty attention span” and use that to justify forgoing any deeper interaction with material. it is a disservice to yourself! you may have to set goals so small they seem silly. you may have to brainstorm and testrun concentration mechanisms that are odd. but the average person on tumblr and twitter can ABSOLUTELY raise their focus. i have faith in you.

Chibi doodle in my German notebook~

The definition of drawing

ｄｒａｗ，(ｖｅｒｂ)

ｔｏ ｐｒｏｄｕｃｅ （ａ ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅ ｏｒ ｄｉａｇｒａｍ） ｂｙ ｍａｋｉｎｇ ｌｉｎｅｓ ａｎｄ ｍａｒｋｓ， ｅｓｐｅｃｉａｌｌｙ ｗｉｔｈ ａ ｐｅｎ ｏｒ ｐｅｎｃｉｌ， ｏｎ ｐａｐｅｒ．

Drew this today in the bakery to waste time ... ._. i came a bit TOO early for class ... 😂

يا أبناء الآخرة؛ ثقوا بالآخرة..

لا تنتظروا من الحياة الدنيا استيفاءً للجزاء؛ على خيرٍ أصبتموه أو شرٍّ أُصبتم به، هذه دار نقصٍ كما عرَّفكموها ربُّكم؛ لا يوفَّى فيها مؤمنٌ مثوبته، ولا كافرٌ عقوبته، ما دون الجنة لا يكفي لأهلها ثوابًا "وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ"، وما دون النار لا يشفي في أهلها عقابًا "وَكَفَى بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا".

- حمزة أبو زهرة.

wi-fi translation in different countries

english = wi-fi

spanish = wi-fi

italian = wi-fi

french = wi-fi

polish = wi-fi

turkish = wi-fi

irish = wi-fi

danish = wi-fi

finnish = wi-fi

swedish = wi-fi

norwegian = wi-fi

czech = wi-fi

albanian = wi-fi

portuguese = wi-fi

azerbaijani = wi-fi

every place on earth = wi-fi

germany = wlan

just fyi, man kann sich online für 10€/jahr einen bibliotheksausweis beim voebb (bibliothek berlin) ausstellen lassen (egal wo in deutschland man lebt!) und das online-angebot nutzen.

some highlights:

libby (hörbücher, bücher, zeitschriften / sehr aktuell + auch viele englischsprachige titel)

ava streaming services (arthouse filme / lots of queer gems!)

filmfriend (noch mehr filme & serien!)

vollzugriff auf duden, brockhaus, munzinger, etc.

uvm

für meine stadtbib sind digitale Inhalte immer noch #neuland, vielleicht geht es ja noch jemandem so

I love his crazy free personality.. it makes me happy.. lol

Waah they look so comfy and cute!!

as requested by quite a few people - a masterpost of educational podcasts. links go to either the site or the itunes podcast store. an excerpt of the description is included with each.

* indicates a podcast that i listen to regularly

entertainment

*welcome to night vale - twice-monthly updates for the small desert town of night vale

*muggle cast - everything harry potter

general information 

radiolab - investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea

*stuff you should know - about everything from genes to the galapagos

*stuff mom never told you - the business of being women 

tedtalks

good job, brain - part pub quiz show, part offbeat news

news

no one knows anything - the politics podcast from buzzfeed news

wait wait…don’t tell me - weekly current events quiz

college

*college info geek - the strategies and tactics the best students use

*getting in - your college admissions companion

math

math for primates - a couple of monkeys who decided that arguing about mathematics was a better use of their time than throwing poo at one another

math mutation - fun, interesting, or just plain weird corners of mathematics

science

60 second health - latest health and medical news

the naked scientists - interviews with top scientists, hands-on science experiments

60 second science - the most interesting developments in the world of science

startalk - astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe

nasa science cast - science behind discoveries on earth, the solar system, and beyond

history

*myths and legends - myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures

stuff you missed in history class - the greatest and strangest stuff you missed

the podcast history of our world - from the big bang to the modern age! …eventually

witness - the story of our times told by the people who were there

the history chicks - two women. half the population. several thousands years of history.

entrepreneurship & finances

practical money matters - better managing their finances

the internet business mastery - learn how to create an internet based business

social triggers insider - the fields of psychology and human behavior

listen money matters - honest and uncensored, this is not your father’s boring finance show

writing & literature

professional book nerds - it’s our job to discuss books all day long

a way with words - words, language, and how we use them

grammar girl - short, friendly tips to improve your writing

classic poetry aloud - recordings of the greats poems of the past

language

esl (english) - improve english speaking and listening skills

language pod

coffee break

search in your podcast app for specific languages!

art

99% invisible - exploration of the process and power of design

tips and tricks photography 

the arts roundtable

hobbies & other

stash & burn (knitting)

practical defense - staying safe in our increasingly dangerous urban environments

zen and the art of triathlon - a triathlete’s view on living the multisport life

the art of charm - make you a better networker, connecter, and thinker

the indoor kids - isn’t just about video games, isn’t not about video games

rationally speaking - explore the borderlands between reason and nonsense

the dice tower - board games, card games, and the people who design and play them

motivational & inspirational

back to work - productivity, communication, work, barriers, constraints, tools, and more

personal growth podcast - classic and contemporary self development audio

what it takes - conversations with towering figures in almost every field

here be monsters - exploring the dark corners of the human mind

on being - the big questions of meaning with scientists, theologians, artists, teachers