Monthly Archives: June 2017

It's natural to want to take a picture of blossom...but does that get in the way of a fuller experience?

As I got myself and my children ready for Shavuot, I was struck by the fact that with our phones switched off for the duration of the chag, there would be no way of recording anything that happened during those 49 hours. We would all look our best, many of us with new outfits to show off. But more than that, there would be some very precious moments over the course of those days, moments that would go unrecorded, the sort of moments that, on non-festive and non-Shabbat days, we would leap at the chance of uploading onto the most appropriate social-media platform.

And I thought about how we have quickly become so accustomed to whipping out our phones the instant we see anything remotely photogenic, and what it means not to do that, to be forced to enjoy the moment without any concrete means of consigning it to posterity.

Just a few weeks ago, I was driving down a road on a beautiful spring afternoon. Everywhere I had driven that day there seemed to be an explosion of cherry blossom, and as I drove down that particular road, I noticed a woman standing beneath a spectacular tree, head thrown back, phone in hand, taking a photo of the pink froth above her. It was exactly the sort of thing that I find myself doing I love nothing more than being able to capture that fleeting moment of beauty of an especially lovely tree or flower. I like to feel that instant will never be lost, the glory of those petals or branches will never fade and I will be able to carry them with me forever if I really want to.

But as I watched that woman I wondered if she, and I, and all the others who do the same, miss out on something quite crucial when we do this. We unhesitatingly, unthinkingly place a lens between our eye and the object we are looking at, thinking that we are preserving the moment forever. But perhaps we are changing that moment, removing ourselves from experiencing it properly by seeking to freeze it in time.

What struck me was the contrast between that moment, and the realisation that observant Jews have no choice once a week on Shabbat, more if there is a festival other than to burn those instances, not onto our devices, but into our memories. And I wondered if moments captured in this way are preserved more faithfully. Perhaps it forces us to notice other things more carefully a smell, the things that happened before and after that moment occurred, the timbre of a persons voice, a perfume, the feel of someones clothing or a childs embrace. We live in very visual times but perhaps, on these digital-detox days, we experience the world with more of our senses.

One particular memory springs to mind. We were staying with my husbands brother and his family for Pesach this year. They live up North, and our children relish the time spent with their Manchester cousins. On the afternoon of the first day of yomtov an unexpectedly warm and beautiful day the adults watched from the house as the children bounced on the trampoline in the garden. They were out there for a long time. As they bounced, the sun began to set behind them, casting a golden glow that even the filters on Instagram would struggle to replicate. Big children bounced with smaller ones, teaching them new tricks, inspiring them with a confidence that we adults would never know how to give them. I remember the sound of their laughter, their hair flying wildly as they soared and plunged, the brightness in their eyes, the raucousness of their laughter. Even now I can feel the air becoming chill as the sun set lower, wondering that the children were still not feeling the cold, insulated from it by the activity, and perhaps, also, by the joy of a day free from structure no school, no set bedtime, meals at none of the usual hours.

And I wonder, would I have remembered all of this so vividly had I simply taken a photograph of it? Did I watch them more closely, committing as many details to memory as possible, because without a camera, this was the only way to immortalise the moment? And so, as a result, did I enjoy the moment more?

I will never know, and I am quite content not knowing. As vivid as it is to me now, I am aware that the memory may, in time, slip away from me. But then, so might a photograph, lost among all the hundreds and thousands that we keep on our devices but forget about anyway.

Read more:

Taking photos in my mind - Jewish Chronicle

The supposed last day of registrations to Delhi University's undergraduate saw students running helter-skelter to help desks and online centres to get assistance on completing the form and other formalities.

There are students whose Class XII results are yet to be declared, which includes students of the International Baccaulaureate (IB) Board and a few other boards.

Keeping the concerns of students in mind, the University decided to extend the deadline till Tuesday 5pm.

However, several students such as those of Uttar Pradesh board, especially in places where results have been declared late are helpless due to the deadline and the late result may cause them to lose their chance to register. Many students have faced issues in the past on the admissions portals, and the University has regularly assured and resolved such problems within two-three days.

There are, however, students who continue to have troubles with payment of fees. Some have even paid the fee twice just to make sure the registration is complete and a receipt is generated.

Mukul Sehrawat, a Statistics Honours aspirant, said: "I have given an application to the help desk to check whether or not my fee has been paid. I am really worried."

Neha Sharma, another applicant, said: "Fee receipt has been a major issue and I wish the University can give us a guarantee that it will be generated soon, given that portal is going to be closed soon and cut-offs are just a week away."

Nishika Khanna, who has applied for English Honours, said: "I have paid the fees twice and wonder whether the receipt has been generated."

Some have faced logistical problems, due to internet connectivity problems or lack of computing knowledge in uploading documents and paying fees online.

Satvik Kumar, a BCom aspirant, said: "Last date of admission registration is about to end and I am unable to upload my marksheet. I am going to Hansraj College where an online centre is helping students."

Dia Shekhawat, another aspirant, said: "I am from Uttar Pradesh board and my marksheet has not come yet. Therefore, DU must extend the deadline."

Gunjan Kaur, a History aspirant, said: "I don't know how to do credit or debit card payment and will ask someone to help me. DU can extend the deadline for other state boards I think."

Meanwhile, reacting to the report by Millennium Post on June 6 which talked about 'Gurukul-style' training lessons to be introduced in Ramjas College for freshers for the current admission process, the College authorities have said that the report is not official college policy as of now, and the views expressed are solely of Professor Dhani Ram, who was quoted in the story.

Read the original:

Late Class XII result, online payment issues stifling UG registrations - Millennium Post

Where were you in 2007? Maybe you were rendered grief-stricken by the end of The OC. Maybe you lived in a velour tracksuit and Uggs, because Paris Hilton taught you. You may well have been skipping through the good primary school years. Or maybe, like a load of people (and me), you split your time between lying on the sofa at your mate's house, watching System of a Down videos and going on MySpace on your family's desktop, posting passive aggressive bulletins to get your crush's attention when signing out and back into MSN didn't work.

If your life revolved around the latter, you may have identified somewhat as "Emo Under the Cork Tree, while 2006 belonged to My Chemical Romance's Welcome to the Black Parade. And then, in 2007, came Riot! by Paramore.

From its scrawled cover art which could well have passed as a page of a high school art sketchbook, to the power chord-heavy breakdowns over which powerhouse frontwoman Hayley Williams wailed fatalistic lyrics, Riot! captured that mainstream emo zeitgeist perfectly. For many of us, listening to it now is like an exercise in going back in timeit was so intrinsic to UK emo culture at the time that it's hard to separate the songs from the experiences you had to them (probably while wearing a studded belt). To celebrate Riot! turning 10, we asked some of our friends to tell us about their memories of the tracks on the record. There is nail polish, there are tears, there is rain and, of course, there is a lot of being underage and cheap cider-drunk in public parks. Thank you, Paramore.

Is there a more fire emoji album opener than this in the whole of emo? To this day, when it all kicks in I feel like I could mosh through a brick wall, and those fills throughout are air-drum gold. Even the title is perfect MSN screen name foddera sort of deep, meaningful statement on emotions and, like, stuff, which in reality means sweet fuck-all. Glorious. TOM CONNICK

Remember when a Saturday afternoon used to involve little more than loitering outside a prominent high street shop, playing with your fringe and sneering at adults? That's the entirety of the "That What You Get" video. It's literally just a bunch of people stood around awkwardly for an entire day, poking their Nokias and sending 'XD' faces to each other, and yet I still want to be in their gang. TOM CONNICK

When I lived in halls (or what all of you outside the UK know as on-campus housing/where all your teen posters hopefully go to die), all the sad boy stoners boys had just discovered Jeff Buckley, despite him being dead a decade. There were so many "just listen to this bit" 4AM moments in hazy rooms I lost count. No, put that guitar down and just listen to Hayley Williams belt everything into how hard she's going to try to make her teen love last forever, go away. I still remain that this is the superior Hallelujah, FIGHT ME. KIRBY PARTINGTON

In 2007 I worked at the local ~alt club~. Fridays were both indie night and hell for all of us moshers who worked there. When this song blew up, it managed to penetrate even the indie nights and singing along to that iconic middle 8 was a welcome reprieve from The Pigeon Detectives or whatever crepey, dry-as-woodchips-in-your-mouth act was big, while pouring WKD into plastic cups. On reflection, wow, how gross is this song lyrically? In fairness though, 17-year-old Hayley's internalised misogyny is on a level with 30-year-old Drake's now so I guess I'll allow her. KIRBY PARTINGTON

As a teen I had a propensity to take things fairly literally, and as a specifically emo-leaning teen I had a moral responsibility towards feeling #misunderstood. So of course I have a very distinct memory of walking around my local area, alone, in the rain, listening to "When It Rains," my dodgy side-fringe stuck to my face by the wet. I usually reserved Bright Eyes, the sad girl's premium choice, as my music for feeling sorry for myself when it was pissing it down, but this more downbeat Riot! cut also did the job nicely. I learned about being a drama queen early thank you Paramore. LAUREN O'NEILL

Some people would suggest that "Let the Flames Begin" is filler, coming as it does during Riot!'s admittedly slightly saggy middle. Thirteen-year-old me, however, would have had to respectfully and loudly disagree. "Let the Flames Begin" has some of the most emo lyrics on the whole of this gloriously extra record, and that's what real #heads care about. It begins, "What a shame we all became such fragile broken things / a memory remains, just a tiny spark," and I'm fairly sure I had a school exercise book with those very words scrawled across the front, bookended by 'LAUREN O'NEILL.'

This, lads, is what you call a flawlessly constructed emo/pop punk crossover belter. This is having your heart broken in the middle of the summer, thrashing around with a hairbrush in your bedroom and then writing a really good poem about it with a pen and paper and then taking a picture of it next to some sentimental items and then uploading it to emopoetsociety.livejournal.com. It's exactly the sort of tune that would cause me to smash a half-full can on the floor and flip a table over before the vocals even kick in.

At the time, Paramore were usually compared to lighter mall punk bands like All Time Low, You Me At Six or, such was the state of rock criticism, Avril Lavigne, but when you break the arrangements down, Riot!and "Miracle" in particularbelongs more toward the darker, fuller side of the spectrum alongside Taking Back Sunday's Where You Want To Be or Bayside circa Bayside. There. I said it. Fight me, purists. Tenuous connections aside though, the greatest thing about Paramore is the fact that they simply don't sound like anybody else (at least they didn't before they released an album that is extremely *listens to Carly Rae Jepsen's EMOTION once*). Have the emotions of longing, frustration, hope and determination ever culminated in a more satisfying song (that you can fully pit to) than "Miracle"? The answer is, passionately, no. EMMA GARLAND

"Crushcrushcrush" may be about the dark side to having a crush but emo lyrics are essentially formulated to be applicable to anything utterly miserable tbh. I remember the power in angrily singing the mantra crushcrushcrush; to destroy boys I fancied, parents who only had bile in their throats for each other, the sexual power I suddenly had over older men who I was both enamored with and disgusted by, enemies real and imagined, my body running on next to no sustenance, and my mind, already regulated by antidepressants. Listening to that song, I could crush it all. Especially for someone who spent all their time alone as a teenager, the lines "we're all alone now, give me something to sing about" and "nothing compares to a quiet evening alone" soared. This was one last defiant monologue on the album, before the catharsis of admitting that we're all broken. "Crushcrushcrush" doesn't mean all that now but it's still the best Paramore to do pissed karaoke to. HANNAH EWENS

I was lostlike, alone in a crowd, quirky-teen lostwhen I heard this. I was searching for myself. Or God? Either way it was clich. This song snagged on customary teen snark. Lyrics that usually rolled over me locked into me when it played. I cried when I first heard it, like I was in an angsty CW show. It's a hymn. It's praise, it's faith. It's anger and it's a reminder, comfort and catharsis. I wasn't alone, clearly. BOLU BABALOLA

This brings it all back tbh: flailing braids, remote as a mic, a mirrorbeing a teen who didn't relate to what she was meant to. Essentially, a precocious art hoe. WIth my attitude flagrant, this song was assurance. I didn't need people to get me. I got me. You don't need to let them in if you don't want them in, or to be seen as someone you're not to fit in if you see yourself. Art hoe vindication. I was insufferable and empowered. BOLU BABALOLA

One of the best things about Paramore and this album both being so objectively great is that Hayley Williams is a woman. Emo as it existed back in 2007 was dominated by men, and as a young girl who loved it, it meant a lot to me to hear Hayley smashing seven shades of shit out of a song better than any guy I could (and can) think of. "Born For This" is an excellent example of how important she was, not least because even when I hear it now, I think the exact same thought as I did when I first got hold of it ten years ago. When the chorus hits, I have this fantasy where I am Hayley, on stage head-banging my orange hair, one foot on an amp, mic cord round my neck, singing to a crowd. On Riot!, which saw Paramore arguably at the height of their powers, Hayley made emo girls realise that they could be rock stars toothat they could be "Born For This" tooand that alone is an enviable legacy. LAUREN O'NEILL

You can tell Lauren, Emma, Bolu, Kirby, Hannah, and Tom about your 2007 memories on Twitter.

Read more:

Track-by-Track of Paramore's 'Riot!' Read Through Emo Teen Memories - Noisey

Today is Monday. The digest is short, but the reads in the clicks might be long and winding rabbit holes. Youve been warned. Grab your coffee.

1. While you were weekending, Nigeria got a Twitter handle. Anofficial Twitter handle that tweets stuff.Like Sweden, Israel, Canada and a bunch of other countries that use already the social network to promote their culture and positive developments. Check it out.

+ Apparently its called Twiplomacy. Hian

+ First it was a newsletter. Then a podcast. Then they started uploading stuff to Dropbox, blogging, announcing site outages, and even tweeting senate proceedings (far better than watching the stuff on NTA). These are not things Nigerian government bureaucrats usually do.Im pretty sure uncle Tolu(hes the head of Nigerias digital comms) had a lot to do with that.Im here for it, I must say.

2. This is what a typical electronic payment in Nigeria looks like, as told by Paystacks transaction logs. And it doesnt even begin to capture the pain. And dont even ask how bad it was in the pre-Paystack and Flutterwave era, thats not how you want your week to begin.

If you agree with overwhelming your love interestinto saying yes with the power of the internet, you wont mind this ad from Plaqad.com.Link

3.Ire,the god is sponsoring five Nigerian women to complete any Udacity nanodegree they set their sights on. Dont dull.Link

4. The Co-Creation Hubs annual Social Change Summit agenda and speaker lineup is looking very good. Date is the 22nd of June, in Lagos. Link

5. If you are an African startup, and you happen to be sitting on consumer data, the future looks good. The article is lacking the standard dont be evil line that is required where sharing data with third parties is concerned, but otherwise link

6. Ade Olabode is a London-based Nigerian startup entrepreneur that likes to interview other Nigerian startup entrepreneurs. His latest interview is of Lola Ekugo. Enjoy. Link

7. South Africas Telkoms is restructuring. CEO, Sipho Maseko describes the intended outcome as Remgro-style. If you know what a Remgro is, you probably care. Link

Devcenter is a verified community of African software developers. Our developers are tested with the same methods as Google and Facebook. Build your next technology product with us.Link

World Banks XL Africa application.Link

Read the rest here:

Nigeria just got a verified Twitter handle - TechCabal