#e4e4e4 — Public Fediverse posts

Podcast Episode #17

​​​​​​Episode 17 – Where you been? – Portland Startup Kickoff 2025 – What is the state of K8 in 2024 and 2025?

Where have you been, Sascha?
Portland startup kickoff 2025
What is the state of Kubernetes in 2024 and how is 2025 going to look?
A podcast recommendation
Nathan C Bowser’s Glow up podcast

Where have you been, Sascha?

Well, 2024 was the first year I’ve been sick to a degree I’ve never been before. It started right in January and by the time June rolled around, I had Legionnaires Disease, HMPV, RSV and COVID-19, spaced out by about two months each. It wasn’t fun, but finally I was back in shape in October to run Portland Marathon, but didn’t get to do that either due to a family emergency. But now everythings back to order!

Portland startup kickoff 2025

So in the spirit of kicking things off I went to the 2025 Portland startup community kickoff event, and I found a who is who of the startup scene in the Pacific Northwest and Portland. The full list of organizations can be found in the show notes and include the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, North Bank Innovations, Built Oregon and Silicon Florist

What is the state of Kubernetes in 2024 and how is 2025 going to look?

Kubernetes turned 10 years old as a technology platform and has matured to a point where we don’t have to argue about the need for an orchestration platform anymore. The container orchestration wars are over, were over a while ago and there’s nothing on the horizon that I can see that will replace Kubernetes in the foreseeable future. 

A podcast recommendation

There are so many great podcasts out there and I listen to a lot of them, so why not call them out when there’s great stuff to listen to. This time, I want to recommend something not related to the industry, the No Such Podcast

#podcast #k8 #kubernetes #Portland #startup

Szkoła i Rok Akademicki coraz bliżej. Apple przygotowało krótki poradnik dedykowany tym, którzy tej jesieni powrócą do szkół i na uczelnie.

Ten temat poruszałem u siebie w podcaście, całkiem niedawno, więc zapraszam też tam. Dodatkowo w odcinku znajdziecie porady dotyczące aplikacji, które ułatwiają naukę.

Oczywiście przypominam, że Apple Intelligence, które w poradniku Apple występuje dość często – nie będzie dostępne w Unii Europejskiej oraz w Chinach.

Informacja prasowa

Studenci na całym świecie udają się w tym miesiącu na uczelnie, gotowi rozpocząć kolejny rozdział swojej akademickiej kariery i nie tylko.

Wielu z nich zgłębia tajniki tak różnych dziedzin jak chemia organiczna, sztuki wizualne czy medycyna, mając przy tym pełne zaufanie, że ekosystem produktów Apple pomoże im sprostać wszelkim wyzwaniom. Długi okres eksploatacji, przenośność i niezawodność Maca i iPada sprawiają, że studenci chętnie korzystają z nich podczas tworzenia aplikacji, sporządzania notatek, projektowania prezentacji i edytowania filmów.

Do tego dzięki wprowadzeniu Apple Intelligence, czyli osobistego systemu sztucznej inteligencji, który pozwala potężnym modelom generatywnym działać bezpośrednio na Macu, iPadzie i iPhonie, a przy tym wyznacza nowe standardy prywatności, studenci będą mieli do dyspozycji jeszcze więcej narzędzi przydatnych w coraz bardziej wymagających dziedzinach. Rozwiązanie ma zostać udostępnione jeszcze tej jesieni.

MacBook Air towarzyszy mi wszędzie i znakomicie radzi sobie ze wszystkimi zadaniami, które na nim wykonuję – od projektowania nowych maszyn w programie AutoCAD przez robienie notatek na zajęciach z chemii organicznej po tworzenie aplikacji w Xcode. MacBook Air otwiera przede mną zupełnie nowe możliwości.

– tłumaczy Brayden Gogis, który wkrótce zacznie trzeci rok inżynierii mechanicznej i biochemii na uczelni Taylor University w Indianie i jest trzykrotnym zwycięzcą konkursu Swift Student Challenge.

Tim Cook spotkał się z Witem Owczarkiem – polskim uczniem i laureatem Apple Swift Student Challenge

Badania pokazują, że w przypadku studentów kierunek lub program studiów odgrywa zasadniczą rolę przy podejmowaniu decyzji o wyborze podstawowego urządzenia do pracy. Według danych Futuresource Consulting jest to czynnik ważny dla 65 procent studentów. Poniżej troje studentów kierunków z dziedzin STEM zdradza, dlaczego na uczelnię zabrali ze sobą właśnie Maca i iPada.

Yoora Jung ukończyła studia I stopnia na uczelni University of Notre Dame w stanie Indiana, a obecnie jest na drugim roku studiów medycznych na uczelni Touro University California w rejonie zatoki San Fransisco.

Studentka od dawna korzysta z produktów Apple. iPada Air używa do nauki, a na MacBooku Pro tworzy treści do mediów społecznościowych, w których przed licznymi obserwatorami odsłania kulisy studiów medycznych.

„Za pomocą iPada Air i Apple Pencil robię odręczne notatki w aplikacji Notability i porządkuję materiały z wykładów, żeby efektywnie się uczyć”, opowiada Jung.
Jung wyczekuje również wprowadzenia funkcji opartych na systemie Apple Intelligence, takich jak Narzędzia do pisania, które pomogą studentom przepisywać, poprawiać i podsumowywać teksty podczas porządkowania notatek z zajęć lub pisania ważnych maili.

„Apple Intelligence będzie przełomem”, stwierdza Jung. „Możliwość automatycznego generowania podsumowań nagrań i transkrypcji wykładów ułatwi mi efektywniejszą naukę oraz pomoże szybko poprawiać błędy gramatyczne i ortograficzne, a nawet dostosowywać styl moich tekstów w notatkach i mailach”.

Anuj Pachhel zdecydował się na MacBooka Pro ze względu na trudność zadań realizowanych w ramach zajęć na uczelni medycznej Government Medical College w Nagpur w środkowych Indiach. „Jedną z największych zalet tego urządzenia była dla mnie wydajność baterii”, opowiada Pachhel, który od jesieni będzie kontynuował naukę na studiach doktoranckich. „Intensywnie uczyłem się z e‑booków pobranych na Maca i byłem pod wrażeniem jego szybkości”.

Na pierwszych latach studiów Pachhel dokumentował swoje uczelniane perypetie za pomocą iPhone’a i Maca. Ponad milion obserwatorów śledziło jego relacje z przygotowań do egzaminów, nauki w trakcie lockdownów spowodowanych pandemią COVID‑19 i rzadkich chwil wolnych.

Brayden Gogis, student III roku uczelni Taylor University w Upland (Indiana).

„Mac niesamowicie sprawnie radzi sobie z wymagającymi zadaniami”, wyjaśnia Pachhel. „Szczególnie chętnie używam programu DaVinci Resolve Studio, ponieważ działa w nim wiele funkcji sztucznej inteligencji, które wykorzystują szybki system Neural Engine mojego MacBooka Pro, dzięki czemu montaż zajmuje mi mniej czasu”.
W całym ekosystemie Apple działają funkcje Continuity, na przykład Handoff i Uniwersalny schowek, które pomagają studentom takim jak Brayden Gogis wykonywać kolejne zadania nawet w najbardziej intensywne dni na uczelni.

Im więcej używam Maca, tym bardziej go doceniam. […] Jeśli chcę szybko coś powtórzyć, wszystkie notatki z zajęć zapisane na MacBooku Air mogę przejrzeć na iPhonie. Wszystkie moje dokumenty, wydarzenia z kalendarza i przypomnienia synchronizują się na obu urządzeniach. Dzięki temu jestem dobrze zorganizowany i pamiętam o wszystkim, nawet jeśli moją głowę zaprząta milion różnych spraw.

– dodaje Gogis.

Do programów używanych przez Gogisa na uczelni najczęściej należą Bear, czyli aplikacja do notowania, aplikacje Przypomnienia i Kalendarz ułatwiające pamiętanie o zadaniach, a także aplikacja Keynote do przygotowywania znakomitych prezentacji. „Keynote ma mnóstwo narzędzi, które pozwalają robić niesamowite prezentacje w najprostszy możliwy sposób”, stwierdza Gogis. „Zasady chemii organicznej wydają się trudne, gdy przedstawia się je na statycznych slajdach, ale na animacjach wszystko staje się dużo prostsze”.

Gogis i inni studenci, którzy jesienią wrócą na uczelnie z urządzeniami Mac i iPad, będą przygotowani na nadchodzący semestr, a także na wszystkie wyzwania, jakie czekają na nich na studiach i później.

Powrót na uczelnię z Apple

Zarówno w wypadku Maca, jak i iPada dla studentów kluczowa jest cena. Apple wspiera studentów i ma dla nich specjalną ofertę dostępną przez ograniczony czas w sklepach Apple Store i na stronie Sklepu dla sektora edukacji.

#BackToSchool 2024 u Apple słabsze niż w 2023 roku

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/27/idac-na-uczelnie-studenci-zabieraja-ze-soba-maca-i-ipada/

#BackToSchool2024 #e4e4e4 #edukcja #iPad #iPhone #Mac

Aplikacja Find My od Apple może stać się modnym narzędziem społecznościowym, zwłaszcza wśród młodszych pokoleń.

Pamiętacie meldowanie się na Facebooku…? Tak, to już brzmi bardzo źle, ale pokazuje się, że zaprojektowana początkowo do lokalizowania zagubionych urządzeń aplikacja Find My jest teraz wykorzystywana przez wielu użytkowników do dzielenia się rzeczywistymi lokalizacjami z bliskimi przyjaciółmi i rodziną. Ta zmiana sprawiła, że stała się de facto aplikacją społecznościową, pozwalając użytkownikom na wygodne śledzenie lokalizacji znajomych i spontaniczne spotkania.

Trend ten zyskuje na popularności, szczególnie po tym, jak Apple uprościł funkcje dzielenia się lokalizacją w ostatnich aktualizacjach, integrując je bezpośrednio w aplikacji Wiadomości. Pomimo potencjalnych obaw dotyczących prywatności, ten nowy sposób na utrzymywanie kontaktu staje się coraz bardziej popularny, podkreślając, że Find My to nie tylko narzędzie użytkowe, ale również platforma do interakcji społecznych.

Ellen Huet pisze na łamach Bloomberga:

Uwielbiam udostępniać znajomym lokalizacje w czasie rzeczywistym. W ciągu ostatnich kilku lat stopniowo przekonałam około 20 znajomych, by pozwolili mi śledzić ich miejsce pobytu 24/7. A ja z kolei udostępniam im swoje.

Korzystamy głównie z aplikacji Znajdź mnie na iOS, a kilku znajomych użytkowników Androida z funkcji udostępniania lokalizacji w Mapach Google. Kiedy tylko chcę, mogę otworzyć aplikację i czule spojrzeć na moją kolekcję małych kropek przyjaciół na mapie, dryfujących po mieście, kraju, a czasem po całym świecie.

Cyfrowy nawyk stał się również bardziej popularny wśród młodszych pokoleń. Niektórzy z pokolenia Z postrzegają to jako rytuał przyjaźni lub kamień milowy wskazujący na bliskość.

Powiem tak – ze wszystkich „cyfrowych nawyków” ten akurat powinien być ostatnim, którym się moim zdaniem warto zainteresować. Mam nadzieję, że Apple nie podejmie decyzji zrobienia pełnoprawnego serwisu społecznościowego na bazie Find My. Swoją drogą, pamiętacie iTunes Ping?

Oczywiście działanie Find My jest w pełni bezpieczne, o czym więcej mówiłem w jednym z ostatnich odcinków podcastu, ale warto pamiętać, że na koniec dnia decyzję o tym, jak zostanie ono wykorzystanie podejmuje człowiek – czyli Ty.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/26/find-my-nowym-serwisem-spolecznosciowym/

#Bezpieczeństwo #e4e4e4 #FindMy #lokalizacja #lokalizator #mediaSpołecznościowe #prywatność #socialMedia

Apple udostępniło nowe reklamy skupiające się na Final Cut Pro 10.8, najnowszej wersji zaprojektowanej przez Apple aplikacji do profesjonalnej edycji wideo.

Pierwsza reklama przedstawia Final Cut Pro dla komputerów Mac, a druga Final Cut Pro dla iPada.

Reklamy przedstawiają całą mnogość funkcji dostępnych w Final Cut Pro na Maca i iPada.

Apple zaprezentowało również Final Cut Camera, aplikację, która może przechwytywać wideo z wielu urządzeń iOS i przesyłać je do Final Cut Pro w celu uzyskania efektu multicam.

Więcej na temat tego, jak wykorzystać iPada w pracy filmowca usłyszysz w rozmowie z Igorem Podgórskim, którą przeprowadziłem jakiś czas temu w moim podcaście.

Wraz z Final Cut Pro 10.8, który ukazał się w czerwcu, Apple dodało Enhance Light and Color, funkcję, która poprawia kolory, balans kolorów, kontrast i jasność w jednym kroku. Slo-Mo, kolejna funkcja sztucznej inteligencji, inteligentnie łączy klatki wideo, aby zapewnić wyższą jakość ruchu.

Nowe wersje aplikacji Final Cut Pro na iPada i Maca oraz Final Cut Camera

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/23/nowa-reklama-final-cut-pro-na-maca-i-ipada/

#Aplikacje #e4e4e4 #finalCut #FinalCutCamera #iPadOS #macOS #marketing #reklama

Apple udostępniło nowe reklamy skupiające się na Final Cut Pro 10.8, najnowszej wersji zaprojektowanej przez Apple aplikacji do profesjonalnej edycji wideo.

Pierwsza reklama przedstawia Final Cut Pro dla komputerów Mac, a druga Final Cut Pro dla iPada.

Reklamy przedstawiają całą mnogość funkcji dostępnych w Final Cut Pro na Maca i iPada.

Apple zaprezentowało również Final Cut Camera, aplikację, która może przechwytywać wideo z wielu urządzeń iOS i przesyłać je do Final Cut Pro w celu uzyskania efektu multicam.

Więcej na temat tego, jak wykorzystać iPada w pracy filmowca usłyszysz w rozmowie z Igorem Podgórskim, którą przeprowadziłem jakiś czas temu w moim podcaście.

Wraz z Final Cut Pro 10.8, który ukazał się w czerwcu, Apple dodało Enhance Light and Color, funkcję, która poprawia kolory, balans kolorów, kontrast i jasność w jednym kroku. Slo-Mo, kolejna funkcja sztucznej inteligencji, inteligentnie łączy klatki wideo, aby zapewnić wyższą jakość ruchu.

Nowe wersje aplikacji Final Cut Pro na iPada i Maca oraz Final Cut Camera

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/23/nowa-reklama-final-cut-pro-na-maca-i-ipada/

#Aplikacje #e4e4e4 #finalCut #FinalCutCamera #iPadOS #macOS #marketing #reklama

Apple udostępniło nowe reklamy skupiające się na Final Cut Pro 10.8, najnowszej wersji zaprojektowanej przez Apple aplikacji do profesjonalnej edycji wideo.

Pierwsza reklama przedstawia Final Cut Pro dla komputerów Mac, a druga Final Cut Pro dla iPada.

Reklamy przedstawiają całą mnogość funkcji dostępnych w Final Cut Pro na Maca i iPada.

Apple zaprezentowało również Final Cut Camera, aplikację, która może przechwytywać wideo z wielu urządzeń iOS i przesyłać je do Final Cut Pro w celu uzyskania efektu multicam.

Więcej na temat tego, jak wykorzystać iPada w pracy filmowca usłyszysz w rozmowie z Igorem Podgórskim, którą przeprowadziłem jakiś czas temu w moim podcaście.

Wraz z Final Cut Pro 10.8, który ukazał się w czerwcu, Apple dodało Enhance Light and Color, funkcję, która poprawia kolory, balans kolorów, kontrast i jasność w jednym kroku. Slo-Mo, kolejna funkcja sztucznej inteligencji, inteligentnie łączy klatki wideo, aby zapewnić wyższą jakość ruchu.

Nowe wersje aplikacji Final Cut Pro na iPada i Maca oraz Final Cut Camera

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/23/nowa-reklama-final-cut-pro-na-maca-i-ipada/

#Aplikacje #e4e4e4 #finalCut #FinalCutCamera #iPadOS #macOS #marketing #reklama

Apple dzisiaj uruchomiło webową wersję Apple Podcasts, więc możecie teraz słuchać swoje ulubione programy na komputerach, gdzie nie macie swoich aplikacji, np. na służbowych z Windows.

Apple Podcasts dostępne jest pod adresem podcasts.apple.com. Po zalogowaniu się, otrzymamy dostęp do naszego konta, a co za tym idzie, do naszych subskrypcji, czyli podcastów, które śledzimy.

Design strony będzie Wam oczywiście znajomy – przypomina style software Apple’a, więc i rozmieszczenie przycisków oraz elementów powinno być intuicyjne.

Przy pierwszej próbie logowania na macOS rozpoznaje nasz system i proponuje logowanie za pomocą Touch ID dla Maców w niego wyposażone. Co ciekawe, u mnie za drugim razem zapytało czy nie chcę otworzyć aplikacji Podcasts / Podcasty. W przypadku iOS-a i iPadOS przeniosło mnie do natywnej aplikacji.

Odsłuch podcastów przez WWW oczywiście je synchronizuje, więc możemy kontynuować odtwarzanie w miejscu gdzie skończyliśmy na naszych innych urządzeniach, np. na iPhone przez aplikację.

Osobiście zdecydowanie polecam, razem z Thomasem Volandem, aplikację Overcast FM, do odsłuchiwania podcastów, której funkcje Smart Speed i Voice Boost zdecydowanie odmieniają nasze doświadczenie. Ta pierwsza funkcja automatycznie wycisza ciszę oraz przyspiesza audio tak, że głosy nadal brzmią naturalnie, a druga podbija i normalizuje głośność, co poprawia odsłuch przy źle zbalansowanych nagraniach. Więcej na temat Overcast wysłuchacie w odcinku 374 naszego podcastu (Retro Rocket Network | Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Spotify).

Podcasty Apple przez przeglądarkę dołączają m.in. do już wcześniej udostępnionych Apple Music (music.apple.com) oraz Apple TV+ (tv.apple.com).

Nadgryzieni 374: Nasze apps na iPhone

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/19/apple-podcasts-od-dzisiaj-dostepne-w-przegladarce/

#App #ApplePodcasts #e4e4e4 #iOS #iPadOS #macOS #Oprogramowanie #Software

Apple może wkrótce zintegrować swoją aplikację Journal z Apple Intelligence.

Apple wprowadziło aplikację Journal w iOS 17.2, ale jest ona dość podstawowa w porównaniu z innymi na rynku.

Nowy patent sugeruje jednak, że Apple pracuje nad integracją Journal z Apple Intelligence, aby oferować inteligentne sugestie.

Patent zgłoszony w Biurze Patentów i Znaków Towarowych Stanów Zjednoczonych (USPTO), który ujawnia wiele ulepszeń, nad którymi firma pracuje dla swojej aplikacji Journal. Pokazuje, że aplikacja może w przyszłości proponować użytkownikom zapisywanie wspomnień po określonych aktywnościach, takich jak treningi czy robienie zdjęć.

Planowana jest także integracja z Kalendarzem i Przypomnieniami oraz nowy interfejs chronologiczny.

Na razie Apple nie ogłosiło oficjalnie tych zmian ani ich nie zapowiedziało. Prawdopodobnie zrobi to dopiero podczas WWDC 2025.

Dlaczego warto pisać dziennik?

O tym dlaczego w dzisiejszych czasach regularne pisanie dziennika jest dosłownie na wagę złota mówiłem (bardzo szeroko) w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu. Była to rozmowa z dr Piotrem Stankiewiczem, a ja sam dziennik prowadzę regularnie (codziennie) od 8 lat. Polecam!

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/12/apple-journal-moze-wkrotce-dostac-wsparcie-apple-intelligence/

#AppleJournal #dziennik #e4e4e4 #patent #patentyApple #plotka #Plotki

Usługa Apple Arcade wprowadzi we wrześniu trzy nowe gry: NFL Retro Bowl ’25, Monster Train+ i Puzzle Sculpt.

NFL Retro Bowl ’25

NFL Retro Bowl ’25 to licencjonowana przez NFL i NFLPA wersja popularnej gry Retro Bowl z 2020 roku. Gracze mogą tworzyć własne dynastie futbolowe, wybierając ulubione zespoły i graczy NFL. Gra skupia się na zarządzaniu składami i strategiach meczowych.

Monster Train+

Monster Train+ to odświeżona wersja popularnej gry roguelike typu deck builder. Zawiera ponad 250 kart do odblokowania i sześć klanów potworów do odkrycia. Wersja na Apple Arcade ma nową warstwę strategiczną z trzema pionowymi polami gry oraz wsparcie dla DLC The Last Divinity.

Puzzle Sculpt

Dla Apple Vision Pro pojawi się Puzzle Sculpt, gra, w której gracze rozwiązują zagadki, usuwając zbędne kostki, aby odkryć obiekty Deco.

Dodatkowo kilka gier Apple Arcade otrzyma nowe aktualizacje, w tym kosze tematyczne Shrek dla Stitch, obszar inspirowany Smithsonian w Crayola Create and Play oraz Tianę z Księżniczki i Żaby w Disney Dreamlight Valley.

O zaletach i możliwościach platformy Apple Arcade mówiłem w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu, który znajdziesz tutaj.

Ceny i dostępność

Usługa Apple Arcade jest dostępna za 34,99 zł miesięcznie. Usługę można testować bezpłatnie przez miesiąc. Klienci, którzy kupią i aktywują nowego iPhone’a, iPada, Maca lub Apple TV, mogą korzystać z usługi Apple Arcade przez trzy miesiące bezpłatnie1.Usługa Apple Arcade wchodzi w skład miesięcznych pakietów Apple One – Dla Ciebie (39,99 zł) i Dla rodziny (49,99 zł). Pakiet można testować bezpłatnie przez miesiąc2.W produkcje Arcade Original można grać na urządzeniach iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV i Apple Vision Pro.

Gwiazdy App Store są dostępne na urządzeniach iPhone, iPad i Apple Vision Pro.Subskrypcja Apple Arcade zapewnia nieograniczony dostęp do całego katalogu gier dla nawet sześciu członków rodziny.Dostęp do ponad 200 gier na różnych urządzeniach zależy od zgodności ze sprzętem i oprogramowaniem. Niektóre treści mogą nie być dostępne we wszystkich regionach.Oferta dostępna tylko dla nowych subskrybentów. Jedna subskrypcja przeznaczona jest na jedną Chmurę rodzinną. Oferta jest ważna przez trzy miesiące po aktywacji kwalifikującego się urządzenia. Plan odnawia się automatycznie do czasu rezygnacji. Obowiązują ograniczenia i inne warunki.

Bezpłatny okres próbny Apple One obejmuje tylko te usługi, które nie są używane obecnie w ramach bezpłatnego okresu próbnego lub subskrypcji. Po upływie okresu próbnego plan odnawia się automatycznie do czasu rezygnacji. Obowiązują ograniczenia i inne warunki.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/08/08/apple-arcade-dostanie-kolejne-trzy-nowe-gry/

#AppleArcade #e4e4e4 #Gry #nowości

Potencjalna nowa funkcja Emergency SOS dla Apple Watch została opisana w nowym zgłoszeniu patentowym. Może pomóc uratować niektórych pływaków przed utonięciem.

Patent opisuje, w jaki sposób zegarek może wykrywać „nieregularne zachowanie” w wodzie i automatycznie przesyłać wezwanie o pomoc.

Apple zaczyna od wskazania, że utonięcie jest główną przyczyną przypadkowej śmierci, zwłaszcza jeśli chodzi o dzieci. Każdego roku ponad 3500 osób w Stanach Zjednoczonych umiera z powodu utonięcia. Utonięcie jest również piątą najczęstszą przyczyną przypadkowej śmierci w kraju, a większość osób, które umierają w wyniku utonięcia, to dzieci.

Firma zwraca uwagę na potrzebę szybkiej reakcji, gdy ktoś wpadnie w kłopoty w wodzie.

Jeśli osoba jest zanurzona w wodzie przez 4-6 minut bez reanimacji, może dojść do uszkodzenia mózgu i ostatecznie śmierci w wyniku utonięcia.

Apple zauważa, że niektóre baseny są wyposażone w podwodne systemy kamer zaprojektowane do wykrywania pływaka w trudnej sytuacji i ostrzegania ratowników, ale są one drogie w instalacji i zawodne.

W związku z tym potrzebne jest prostsze i bardziej opłacalne rozwiązanie dla systemów zapobiegania utonięciom, które można wdrożyć w każdym rodzaju basenu słodkowodnego, w tym w basenach publicznych i prywatnych, a także w basenach naturalnych (np. jeziorach, stawach itp.), w których instalacja kamer podwodnych byłaby niepraktyczna.

We wniosku patentowym stwierdzono, że urządzenie do noszenia, takie jak zegarek Apple Watch, może działać w większej liczbie środowisk, być bardziej niezawodne i wykrywać więcej rodzajów problemów.

Na przykład, jeśli zegarek jest skonfigurowany tak, aby odnotować, że użytkownik nie pływa, może automatycznie wysłać alert, jeśli wejdzie do głębszej części basenu, zamiast czekać na oznaki niepokoju.

Alerty mogą być wysyłane do innych urządzeń (na przykład przyjaciół i członków rodziny obecnych na basenie), a także mogą współpracować z istniejącymi systemami wykrywania utonięć i alarmami, dzięki czemu ratownicy są również automatycznie powiadamiani.

Nie wiadomo, czy Apple będzie w stanie włączyć tę funkcję w przyszłości za pomocą odpowiedniej aktualizacji sytemu watchOS, czy zadebiutuje ona wraz z kolejną generacją zegarka.

Apple Watch Ultra już teraz pomaga chronić zdrowie i życie osób nurkujących w wodzie, o czym szeroko rozmawiałem w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/04/03/apple-watch-uratuje-plywakow-przed-utonieciem/

#AppleWatch #e4e4e4 #EmergencySOS #patent #patentApple #plotka #Plotki #pomoc #utonięcie

Canva przejmuje aplikacje Affinity w ramach wielomilionowej transakcji, aby konkurować z Adobe. To dobra wiadomość dla Affinity i moim zdaniem, tragiczna dla fanów ich aplikacji.

Pakiet aplikacji Affinity, który obejmuje Affinity Photo, Designer i Publisher, stał się znany jako doskonała alternatywa dla pakietu Adobe Creative Cloud. Wszystkie aplikacje, które tworzy studio Serif są natywne i uznawane przez wielu jako wzór dla programistów Apple. Sam w jednym z ostatnich odcinków mojego podcastu wymieniałem Affinity jako przykład tzw. „State of the art” platformy macOS. Używam ich aplikacji odkąd istnieją.

Wiadomość o przejęciu Serif przez Canvę mnie, jako ich klienta, napawa wieloma obawami. Po pierwsze dlatego, że Serif może chcieć przenieść te aplikacje do przeglądarki. Po drugie, istnieje ryzyko, że przestaną one być pisane w sposób natywny na platformy systemowe Apple (a to będzie początek ich końca). I w końcu po trzecie – Canva może chcieć je maksymalnie uprościć, co sprawi, że zrezygnują oni z części funkcji.

Według Canva natomiast, przejęcie „przyspieszy ambicje korporacyjne Canva, odblokowując przyszłość, w której profesjonalni projektanci mogą tworzyć projekty i szablony za pomocą Affinity, aby skalować je w różnych organizacjach za pomocą Canva” – to też nie brzmi dala mnie dobrze.

Pakiet Affinity ma obecnie ponad 3 miliony użytkowników na całym świecie. Aplikacje są dostępne na wiele platform, w tym macOS i iPadOS, i zdobyły wiele nagród branżowych, takich jak Apple Design Award i Apple App of the Year dla komputerów Mac i iPad. A dla użytkowników Affinity, Canva mówi, że będzie nadal inwestować w pakiet kreatywny. Ale nie mówi w jakim zakresie.

Cały zespół Serif, który liczy około 90 osób, dołączy do korporacji (bo tak należy ją nazywać) Canva. Chociaż dokładna wartość transakcji nie jest jasna, ponieważ negocjacje obejmują połączenie gotówki i akcji, Bloomberg donosi, że jest ona wyceniana na „kilkaset milionów funtów”. To mnie zupełnie nie dziwi.

Przynajmniej na razie aplikacje Affinity nie zostaną przemianowane ani znacząco zmienione, ale prawdopodobne jest, że w przyszłości zostanie wprowadzony jakiś rodzaj integracji z platformą Canva.

I w końcu – jest prawie pewne, że Affinity przejdzie na model subskrypcyjny.

Na szczęście mamy jeszcze Pixelmator Pro, choć chcę wierzyć, że Serif nie zatraci swojej tożsamości po przejęciu przez Canvę.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/03/29/canva-przejmuje-affinity-apps-w-ramach-wielomilionowej-transakcji/

#Affinity #e4e4e4 #przejęcie #Serif

W najbliższych dniach u polskich dystrybutorów Apple ustawią się zapewne kolejki, ponieważ wraz z dzisiejszą premierą MacBooków Air z procesorami Apple M3, firma wycofała ze sprzedaży modele Aira w starej obudowie, czyli pierwsze komputery z procesorami Apple M1.

Do dziś jest to jeden z najlepszych wyborów na start swojej przygody z ekosystemem Apple, ale jak słusznie zauważył Wojtek – zanim ruszycie kupować je na wyprzedażach, warto pamiętać o tym, że:

Ważną informacją dla wielu będzie fakt, że modelu 13-calowy z układami M2 jest nadal dostępny, teraz w obniżonych cenach, wynoszących odpowiednio 4999 PLN i 6199 PLN za model z M2 8-core/8-core, 8 GB RAM i 256 GB SSD oraz za M2 8-core/10-core, 8 GB RAM i 512 GB SSD. Muszę powiedzieć, że ten komputer, w konfiguracji z 16 GB RAM i 512 GB SSD, w cenie 7399 PLN, czyli o 1000 zł niższej od modelu z M3, może być interesującą propozycją.

M2 może być dla wielu świetną propozycją na lata, aczkolwiek podejrzewam, że w najbliższych tygodniach będzie można w sieci kupić nowego MacBooka Air z procesorami Apple M1, dyskiem 256GB i 16GB RAM za mniej niż 3500 zł.

O tym dlaczego to nadal świetny komputer na lata opowiadałem w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu.

Udanych łowów!

MacBook Air 13- i 15-calowy (early 2024) z Apple M3 – co nowego, polskie ceny i pełna specyfikacja techniczna

https://imagazine.pl/2024/03/05/apple-wycofalo-ze-sprzedazy-macbooki-air-z-m1/

#AppleM1 #e4e4e4 #MacBookAir

W najbliższych dniach u polskich dystrybutorów Apple ustawią się zapewne kolejki, ponieważ wraz z dzisiejszą premierą MacBooków Air z procesorami Apple M3, firma wycofała ze sprzedaży modele Aira w starej obudowie, czyli pierwsze komputery z procesorami Apple M1.

Do dziś jest to jeden z najlepszych wyborów na start swojej przygody z ekosystemem Apple, ale jak słusznie zauważył Wojtek – zanim ruszycie kupować je na wyprzedażach, warto pamiętać o tym, że:

Ważną informacją dla wielu będzie fakt, że modelu 13-calowy z układami M2 jest nadal dostępny, teraz w obniżonych cenach, wynoszących odpowiednio 4999 PLN i 6199 PLN za model z M2 8-core/8-core, 8 GB RAM i 256 GB SSD oraz za M2 8-core/10-core, 8 GB RAM i 512 GB SSD. Muszę powiedzieć, że ten komputer, w konfiguracji z 16 GB RAM i 512 GB SSD, w cenie 7399 PLN, czyli o 1000 zł niższej od modelu z M3, może być interesującą propozycją.

M2 może być dla wielu świetną propozycją na lata, aczkolwiek podejrzewam, że w najbliższych tygodniach będzie można w sieci kupić nowego MacBooka Air z procesorami Apple M1, dyskiem 256GB i 16GB RAM za mniej niż 3500 zł.

O tym dlaczego to nadal świetny komputer na lata opowiadałem w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu.

Udanych łowów!

MacBook Air 13- i 15-calowy (early 2024) z Apple M3 – co nowego, polskie ceny i pełna specyfikacja techniczna

https://imagazine.pl/2024/03/05/apple-wycofalo-ze-sprzedazy-macbooki-air-z-m1/

#AppleM1 #e4e4e4 #MacBookAir

YouTuber Ryan Hudson pokazał w najnowszym filmie na swoim kanale zaawansowane funkcje ułatwień dostępu komputera Vision Pro i systemu visionOS, umożliwiające „nawigację bez użycia rąk”.
Podobnie jak wszystkie platformy systemowe Apple, visionOS zawiera solidny zestaw funkcji ułatwień dostępu dla komputera Apple Vision Pro.

Vision Pro jest wyjątkowym urządzeniem dla osób niepełnosprawnych. Posiada funkcję Sound Actions, która pozwala sterować urządzeniem za pomocą dźwięków wydawanych przez usta, eliminując potrzebę powtarzania poleceń głosowych czy posiadania rąk.

Apple wyjaśnia, że Sound Actions umożliwia wydawanie dźwięków w celu wykonywania takich czynności, jak stukanie, centrowanie aplikacji, otwieranie przechwytywanie obrazu, uzyskiwanie dostępu do Centrum sterowania, dostosowywanie głośności, robienie zrzutów ekranu, przewijanie w górę lub w dół oraz aktywowanie Siri w Vision Pro.

W swoim filmie widzimy, jak funkcja Sound Actions pomaga mu kontrolować Vision Pro bez użycia rąk.

Kiedy po raz pierwszy zacząłem korzystać z Apple Vision Pro, włączyłem sterowanie głosowe i mówiłem: dotknij, dotknij, dotknij, dotknij. To było dość robotyczne. Potem znalazłem Sound Actions i to jest niesamowite!

Od premiery tego urządzenia jestem przekonany, że pierwszą gałęzią rynku, którą może ono zrewolucjonizować jest właśnie medycyna i rynek urządzeń skupionych na dostępności. Apple od lat jest niekwestionowanym liderem tego drugiego, o czym wielokrotnie rozmawiałem z gośćmi w moim podcaście. Np w tym odcinku.

Polecam także zapoznać się z historią Shelly Brisbin na temat dostępności Vision Pro na łamach Six Colors.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/02/20/apple-vision-pro-pozwala-na-nawigacje-bez-uzycia-rak/

#Accessibility #Apple #dostępność #e4e4e4 #SoundActions #VisionPro #visionOS

Serwis 9to5Mac podjął ciekawy wątek dotyczący tego, że w związku z ogłoszeniem przez Apple zmian w iOS i App Store tylko dla klientów z UE (co wyszło średnio…), firma zlikwidowała całkowite zakaz streamowania gier w App Store.

Zmiana ta jest natychmiastowa, globalna i najwyraźniej nie wynika bezpośrednio z DMA. Skąd ta nagła zmiana zdania?

Oczekiwanym powodem wydaje się być to, że Apple może uzyskać dodatkowe przychody z subskrypcji, jeśli uda mu się przekonać twórców gier do oferowania zakupów w aplikacji. Przypominam, że Apple wielokrotnie, publicznie wypowiadało się, że jest temu przeciwne.

Apple gra Unii Europejskiej na nosie, interpretując przepisy po swojemu

Inną możliwością jest to, że Apple chce wyprzedzić zakończenie toczącego się sporu sądowego z ramienia Departamentu Sprawiedliwości USA. Zarówno New York Times, jak i Bloomberg donoszą, że Departament Sprawiedliwości prawdopodobnie złoży pozew przeciwko Apple w pierwszej połowie tego roku, a konkretnie już w marcu.

Blokowanie lub zezwalanie przez Apple na usługi strumieniowania gier od Microsoftu czy Netflixa w App Store miało się znaleźć w pozwie. To, że nie ma już obecnie ku temu podstaw, nie wstrzymuje długiej listy zarzutów dotyczących Apple Music, AirTagów, iMessage i ogólnej polityki App Store (zwłaszcza po jej zmianach).

Apple Arcade+

Apple niedawno podniosło cenę Apple Arcade, argumentując to znacznym zwiększeniem katalogu gier niż wtedy, gdy został wprowadzony w 2019 roku. Apple Arcade+ może być subskrypcją wyższego poziomu, jeśli Apple chce pobierać więcej opłat za cloud gaming.

Czy na Apple można grać?

Na koniec zostawiam Was z ostatnim odcinkiem mojego podcastu, gdzie wspólnie z ekspertem omawiamy gamingowe możliwości platform sprzętowych Apple oraz właśnie Apple Arcade.

Odcinek znajdziecie wszędzie tam, gdzie są podcasty.

A więcej na temat grania na Macu posłuchacie w podcaście mojego gościa, Kuby Kornatowskiego.

https://imagazine.pl/2024/01/30/dma-i-cicha-furtka-apple-arcade-do-swiata-gamingu-w-chmurze/

#AppleArcade #cloud #e4e4e4 #gaming #Gry #plotka #Plotki

Apple wprowadziło w tym roku dwie, niesamowite, nowe funkcje ułatwień dostępu: Personal Voice i Live Speech. Pozwalają one użytkownikom nie tylko tworzyć i bezpiecznie przechowywać replikę swojego głosu, ale także pozwalają iPhone’owi mówić w ich imieniu. Apple wykorzystało to w nowej reklamie.

Szerszy komentarz do klipu „The Lost Voice” jest zbędny.

W tle, w ramach centrum prasowego Apple, firma podzieliła się przeżyciami Nowozelandczyka Tristrama Inghama.

Ingham jest lekarzem, badaczem akademickim i przywódcą społeczności osób niepełnosprawnych. I tak się składa, że cierpi na dystrofię twarzowo-łopatkowo-ramienną (FSHD) – „która powoduje postępującą degenerację mięśni zaczynającą się na twarzy, ramionach, a ostatecznie może prowadzić do niemożności mówienia, samodzielnego jedzenia, a w niektórych przypadkach mrugania oczami”.

Ingham zaczął poruszać się na wózku inwalidzkim w 2013 roku, a niedawno zauważył „zmiany w głosie”.

Odkryłem, że pod koniec długiego dnia samo wydobywanie głosu staje się nieco trudniejsze. W zeszłym miesiącu musiałem wygłosić prezentację na konferencji i okazało się, że tego dnia nie byłam w stanie go dostarczyć z powodu oddychania. Musiałem więc poprosić kogoś innego, aby przedstawił mi prezentację, mimo że to ja to napisałem.

Na poziomie zawodowym zdaję sobie sprawę, że używanie mojego głosu staje się coraz trudniejsze. Mam świadomość, że gdy jestem bardziej zmęczony, staję się cichszy, trudniejszy do zrozumienia.

Z okazji Międzynarodowego Dnia Osób Niepełnosprawnych Tristram użył własnego głosu za pomocą iPhone’a, aby opowiedzieć o nowej książce dla dzieci, której tytuł jest taki sam, jak nowej reklamy Apple „The Lost Voice”. To właśnie Tristrama możecie w niej zobaczyć.

Więcej o nowych funkcjach dostępności, które wprowadził iOS 17 możecie posłuchać w jednym z odcinków mojego podcastu.

https://imagazine.pl/2023/12/01/nowa-reklama-promujaca-mozliwosci-personal-voice-w-kontekscie-dostepnosci/

#dostępność #e4e4e4 #PersonalVoice #reklama

Mark Gurman donosi, że Apple może nie wprowadzić na rynek w tym tygodniu oczekiwanej liczby odświeżonych akcesoriów z USB-C. Na nowe iPady także jeszcze poczekamy.

W najnowszym odcinku podcastu „The MacRumors Show” Gurman powiedział, że Apple nie zaprezentuje żadnych nowych modeli iPadów podczas jutrzejszego Apple Event, ale ma skupiać się wyłącznie na zegarkach Apple nowej generacji i iPhone’ach.

Gurman powiedział, że trwają prace nad nowym iPadem Air z ulepszoną specyfikacją i być może zadebiutuje on podczas październikowego Apple Event.

Gurman uważa, że w październiku odbędzie się kolejna premiera produktów Apple, podczas której zobaczymy:

• nowego iPada Air,
• nowego iPad mini,
• nowego iMaca z procesorem Apple M3.

Nowe akcesoria z USB-C

Jutro Gurman spodziewa się premiery kilku nowych akcesoriów z portem USB-C. Od dawna spekuluje się, że Apple może zaprezentować jutro nowe etui ładujące dla słuchawek AirPods, nową wersję AirPods Max oraz – nowy MagSafe Duo z USB-C. Okazuje się, że z tej listy tylko ostatni produkt mamy szansę jutro zobaczyć.

Bloomberg donosi, że firma nie zdąży odświeżyć w tym roku linii słuchawek AirPods. Jeżeli tak się stanie, w co wątpię, to słuchawki AirPods Max, które nie były aktualizowane od czasu ich debiutu w 2019 r., będą najdroższym produktem w portfolio słuchawek firmy i jednocześnie takim, który nie obsługuje nowych funkcji, które zadebiutują wraz z iOS 17.

#air #airpods #e4e4e4 #ipad #m3 #magsafe-duo #max #mini #plotka #plotki #usb-c-2

https://imagazine.pl/2023/09/11/jeszcze-poczekamy-na-ipada-air-airpods-i-akcesoria-z-usb-c/

For the past 60 days, I have been intensively studying the Italian language. I want to learn Italian in order to better serve our ASL Opera project since 50% of the most popular operas were written in Italian (25% were written in German, and 15% were written in French). I understand modern Italian isn’t the same as “original opera Italian” — but learning something new only helps deepen the appreciation of the comprehension of the context of the original aesthetic. In this article, I will share with you some of the treasures, and techniques, I have been using to apply a greater understanding to my Italian learning.

Learning a new language can be a challenge. When I first met my beloved Janna more than 35 years ago, one condition of our dating was that I learn her language — American Sign Language. Since that time, Janna — who happens to be Deaf — and I have written ASL books, performed together, and taught ASL together many times!

As ASL teachers, Janna and I believe in total immersion, and we also believe that in our real lives and in our classrooms. No English! No PSE! Just use pure ASL. You’ll learn, and sustain, a language better and faster that way.

I have done my best to apply that immersion thinking to my Italian learning. Complete and total immersion whenever possible. Some believe adults have a harder time learning a new language than a child, but I disagree. Adults know how to make associations with existing grammar, and syntax, and that gives adults the power of leveling up faster than our infant contemporary language learners!

Here is my Italian learning plan. When I’m not directly studying in my Apps, I am using the following methods to provide immersion as often as possible.

1. 1. TV. Comcast offers two Italian channels for an extra monthly fee. They also offer other foreign language channels like German and French!
   2. Radio App — talk and music. The iPhone store is filled with Italian streaming Apps. You can also stream directly from the internet.
   3. iPhone Language. I changed the language on my iPhone and iPad from English to Italian. Sure, it’s a little scary, but I have Janna’s English iPhone to help me out if I get stuck. I also changed the time to a 24-hour clock.
   4. Keyboard language on phones and computers. I use an Italian keyboard whenever I can. That’s my new default. Force it to learn it!
   5. Apple Watch. I changed the language on my Apple Watch to Italian. Force it to learn it!
   6. Podcasts. Listening to podcasts can also really help you learn Italian fast.
   7. Music. Singing along is a great, modern, way to learn a musical language to a beat. Melody sharing makes the learning less traditional, and more exciting!
   8. TV shows. YouTube has a lot of Italian learning shows. They are helpful! Episodic television is also a wonderful way to add familiar context to the Italian overdubbing.
   9. Movies. Netflix has Italian content with English captions.
   10. CiborTV. This is a box you buy, like an Apple TV, that provides subscription content for Italian television channels. CiborTV is my greatest secret weapon for ongoing daily passive immersion.

One of the biggest blockades to learning Italian is the four years I spent learning Spanish 45 years ago. When I “think” in my target language of Italian, the dark memory of the Spanish word first creeps to mind. I never became fluent in Spanish! I regret not studying harder all those years ago. Senorita Byrd: “I apologize for not being a more apt student!”

For my Italian study, I subscribe to several Italian language newspapers, but my main weapon in learning is my Apps. Here is a review — on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best — of the Italian language learning Apps I use every day. I study a minimum of 90 minutes a day using these Apps. I have, probably 25 Apps in total, but these particular Apps provide a lifetime subscription: Buy once, learn forever! That, to me, is important in learning a new language, because you will always, for your lifetime, be working on learning the language. Apps that charge only a monthly, or a yearly fee, are not included in this review.

Babbel (3/10)
Babbel does a lot of television advertising. Their learning quit on me when a lesson I was studying stopped working. The problem was repeatable. I reported to Babbel the trouble I was having, along with steps to reproduce the bug, and screenshots — you can’t move on until you finish a lesson, and I was forever stuck on a blank screen for Lesson 7 — and Babbel support brushed me off! They told me to restart my browser. I stopped right there and gave up on Babbel. That is the danger of paying once with access forever. If you can’t access the lessons, there is no forever — and the company, after being paid, has zero incentive to keep you actively learning! There are also no study guides you can print out for each lesson to help you memorize the work. The problem was 100% confirmed on the Babbel side, and they did not care. 

LingoDeer (5/10)
LingoDeer sells itself as an Asian language learning App, but they do offer a few other languages, like Italian. So far, their strict learning style is often effective. Their printable notes are comprehensive and helpful. The teaching style is raw, though. I call LingoDeer the “meaner sister of Duolingo.” The early lessons were super difficult and unforgiving, now the later lessons are a little more relaxed and fun to “play.”

Rosetta Stone (4/10)
Rosetta Stone is the old dude in the room and uses a visual learning approach. There are no printable lessons. You look at images and divine vocabulary and grammar all on your own. Alone, Rosetta Stone would not be a great way to learn a language, but adding it to the ganglia of other learning tools I have employed, it’s a definite winner in making one “think different” in real time. Their spoken language recognition engine is pitiful. It does not work. I have, unfortunately, turned off its voice feature after week 6.

Lingopie (8/10)
Lingopie is super interesting and immersive. They provide videos with both English and Italian captions. You can turn off the captions if you don’t want to see them. If you don’t know a word, you click on it, and that word gets defined for you and added to your Pop Quiz queue. There’s also a Netflix browser plugin that will “Lingopie” Italian content on Netflix that will help you learn even faster. Lingopie will only get better with time!

Clozemaster (10/10)
Clozemaster is my favorite learning tool — it thinks, and processes information, just as I do — and that’s a rare thing to find in the real world! Designed like a retro-style 80s video game, Clozemaster helps you quickly close in on your target language goals. ChatGPT-4 explains the idea behind “cloze” learning:

A “cloze” test is used in language learning and pedagogy to assess an individual’s comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills. It is a valuable tool for both educators and students in various language learning contexts.

In a cloze test, certain words or phrases within a text are systematically removed and replaced with blanks. The learner is then asked to fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases to complete the sentences. The omitted words are usually chosen based on specific criteria, such as every nth word or specific grammatical structures.

Here’s how the cloze method is applied in language learning:

1. **Assessment of Vocabulary and Grammar**: By strategically removing certain words or phrases, teachers can assess a student’s grasp of vocabulary and grammatical structures. For example, removing verbs can test understanding of verb tenses.

2. **Reading Comprehension**: Cloze tests can be tailored to evaluate a student’s ability to understand context and meaning within a text. By choosing which words to omit, a teacher can measure specific reading comprehension skills.

3. **Promoting Contextual Learning**: Unlike isolated word lists, cloze tests promote learning words and structures in context, allowing students to understand how they are used in real communication.

4. **Differentiated Instruction**: Teachers can modify the difficulty of a cloze test based on the needs and abilities of individual students, making it a flexible tool for different learning levels.

5. **Integration into Various Language Skills**: Cloze tests can be integrated into reading, listening, writing, and speaking exercises, making them a multifaceted tool for comprehensive language learning.

6. **Feedback and Reflection**: The immediate feedback provided by cloze tests helps students recognize their mistakes and reflect on their understanding, thus fostering continuous improvement.

In summary, cloze tests provide a practical, adaptable, and effective way to evaluate and enhance various aspects of language learning. They promote contextual learning and provide a multi-dimensional approach that can be tailored to individual student needs.

For a scholarly insight into the subject, you may refer to the book “Cloze Procedure: An Alternative Approach to Reading in Foreign Language Training” by J.H. Robinson (1980), which provides an in-depth analysis of the application of cloze in foreign language training.

Drops (9/10)
Drops was a magnificent surprise. Drops focuses on helping you learn Italian vocabulary in just 5 minutes a day. You can study for a longer period of time if you pay. Drops is fun to use, beautiful to look at, and a wonder at teaching. It’s just fun! I start my day with Drops to give myself a boost of confidence, and joy, before the harder work of learning begins.

Memrise (6/10)
Memrise is a strange beast. I’m not completely certain I understand what it is or what the goals are of the App. You sometimes get video clips of phrases — some are just silly, and I skip them — which you then get tested on in multiple choice boxes. They also provide a strange “video” conversation with people talking to themselves — like a TikTok story — that I find more annoying than engaging. Memrise does have a ChatGPT-3 dialogue interaction that can be fun, but even that feels just a little old and limited.

edX (1/10)
I was super excited to take the Italian lessons on edX, but the teaching is really old — the expert Italian language folks on Reddit told me many of the words being taught on edX were no longer colloquial, and they urged me to dump the lessons, and I did. The learning interface feels like a 1990s website project gone wrong. There was so much unlimited promise here that just failed to deliver.

Anki (3/10)
People either seem to love Anki flashcards or they hate them. I’m sort of in the middle. I get how Anki can be helpful for repetition in learning, but the interface is super ugly, and many of the “study decks” for download don’t appear to be well-formatted. The idea is right, but the execution feels stilted and raw.

That’s my review of my “lifelong learning Italian Apps” with a lifetime subscription. I look forward to learning Italian. My goal is to be at least B2 certified and I’m currently a rising A1. Yes, I have a long way to go, but that’s okay. Good things take time, and fluency demands dedication. I know I have at least one of both right now.

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#anki #asl #asl-opera #babbel #chatgpt #cloze #clozemaster #drops #e4e4e4 #edx #fluency #immersion #italian #lingodeer #lingopie #memrise #opera #opera-project #rosetta-stone

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/08/14/learning-italian-lifetime-immersion-style/

For the past 60 days, I have been intensively studying the Italian language. I want to learn Italian in order to better serve our ASL Opera project since 50% of the most popular operas were written in Italian (25% were written in German, and 15% were written in French). I understand modern Italian isn’t the same as “original opera Italian” — but learning something new only helps deepen the appreciation of the comprehension of the context of the original aesthetic. In this article, I will share with you some of the treasures, and techniques, I have been using to apply a greater understanding to my Italian learning.

Learning a new language can be a challenge. When I first met my beloved Janna more than 35 years ago, one condition of our dating was that I learn her language — American Sign Language. Since that time, Janna — who happens to be Deaf — and I have written ASL books, performed together, and taught ASL together many times!

As ASL teachers, Janna and I believe in total immersion, and we also believe that in our real lives and in our classrooms. No English! No PSE! Just use pure ASL. You’ll learn, and sustain, a language better and faster that way.

I have done my best to apply that immersion thinking to my Italian learning. Complete and total immersion whenever possible. Some believe adults have a harder time learning a new language than a child, but I disagree. Adults know how to make associations with existing grammar, and syntax, and that gives adults the power of leveling up faster than our infant contemporary language learners!

Here is my Italian learning plan. When I’m not directly studying in my Apps, I am using the following methods to provide immersion as often as possible.

1. 1. TV. Comcast offers two Italian channels for an extra monthly fee. They also offer other foreign language channels like German and French!
   2. Radio App — talk and music. The iPhone store is filled with Italian streaming Apps. You can also stream directly from the internet.
   3. iPhone Language. I changed the language on my iPhone and iPad from English to Italian. Sure, it’s a little scary, but I have Janna’s English iPhone to help me out if I get stuck. I also changed the time to a 24-hour clock.
   4. Keyboard language on phones and computers. I use an Italian keyboard whenever I can. That’s my new default. Force it to learn it!
   5. Apple Watch. I changed the language on my Apple Watch to Italian. Force it to learn it!
   6. Podcasts. Listening to podcasts can also really help you learn Italian fast.
   7. Music. Singing along is a great, modern, way to learn a musical language to a beat. Melody sharing makes the learning less traditional, and more exciting!
   8. TV shows. YouTube has a lot of Italian learning shows. They are helpful! Episodic television is also a wonderful way to add familiar context to the Italian overdubbing.
   9. Movies. Netflix has Italian content with English captions.
   10. CiborTV. This is a box you buy, like an Apple TV, that provides subscription content for Italian television channels. CiborTV is my greatest secret weapon for ongoing daily passive immersion.

One of the biggest blockades to learning Italian is the four years I spent learning Spanish 45 years ago. When I “think” in my target language of Italian, the dark memory of the Spanish word first creeps to mind. I never became fluent in Spanish! I regret not studying harder all those years ago. Senorita Byrd: “I apologize for not being a more apt student!”

For my Italian study, I subscribe to several Italian language newspapers, but my main weapon in learning is my Apps. Here is a review — on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best — of the Italian language learning Apps I use every day. I study a minimum of 90 minutes a day using these Apps. I have, probably 25 Apps in total, but these particular Apps provide a lifetime subscription: Buy once, learn forever! That, to me, is important in learning a new language, because you will always, for your lifetime, be working on learning the language. Apps that charge only a monthly, or a yearly fee, are not included in this review.

Babbel (3/10)
Babbel does a lot of television advertising. Their learning quit on me when a lesson I was studying stopped working. The problem was repeatable. I reported to Babbel the trouble I was having, along with steps to reproduce the bug, and screenshots — you can’t move on until you finish a lesson, and I was forever stuck on a blank screen for Lesson 7 — and Babbel support brushed me off! They told me to restart my browser. I stopped right there and gave up on Babbel. That is the danger of paying once with access forever. If you can’t access the lessons, there is no forever — and the company, after being paid, has zero incentive to keep you actively learning! There are also no study guides you can print out for each lesson to help you memorize the work. The problem was 100% confirmed on the Babbel side, and they did not care. 

LingoDeer (5/10)
LingoDeer sells itself as an Asian language learning App, but they do offer a few other languages, like Italian. So far, their strict learning style is often effective. Their printable notes are comprehensive and helpful. The teaching style is raw, though. I call LingoDeer the “meaner sister of Duolingo.” The early lessons were super difficult and unforgiving, now the later lessons are a little more relaxed and fun to “play.”

Rosetta Stone (4/10)
Rosetta Stone is the old dude in the room and uses a visual learning approach. There are no printable lessons. You look at images and divine vocabulary and grammar all on your own. Alone, Rosetta Stone would not be a great way to learn a language, but adding it to the ganglia of other learning tools I have employed, it’s a definite winner in making one “think different” in real time. Their spoken language recognition engine is pitiful. It does not work. I have, unfortunately, turned off its voice feature after week 6.

Lingopie (8/10)
Lingopie is super interesting and immersive. They provide videos with both English and Italian captions. You can turn off the captions if you don’t want to see them. If you don’t know a word, you click on it, and that word gets defined for you and added to your Pop Quiz queue. There’s also a Netflix browser plugin that will “Lingopie” Italian content on Netflix that will help you learn even faster. Lingopie will only get better with time!

Clozemaster (10/10)
Clozemaster is my favorite learning tool — it thinks, and processes information, just as I do — and that’s a rare thing to find in the real world! Designed like a retro-style 80s video game, Clozemaster helps you quickly close in on your target language goals. ChatGPT-4 explains the idea behind “cloze” learning:

A “cloze” test is used in language learning and pedagogy to assess an individual’s comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills. It is a valuable tool for both educators and students in various language learning contexts.

In a cloze test, certain words or phrases within a text are systematically removed and replaced with blanks. The learner is then asked to fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases to complete the sentences. The omitted words are usually chosen based on specific criteria, such as every nth word or specific grammatical structures.

Here’s how the cloze method is applied in language learning:

1. **Assessment of Vocabulary and Grammar**: By strategically removing certain words or phrases, teachers can assess a student’s grasp of vocabulary and grammatical structures. For example, removing verbs can test understanding of verb tenses.

2. **Reading Comprehension**: Cloze tests can be tailored to evaluate a student’s ability to understand context and meaning within a text. By choosing which words to omit, a teacher can measure specific reading comprehension skills.

3. **Promoting Contextual Learning**: Unlike isolated word lists, cloze tests promote learning words and structures in context, allowing students to understand how they are used in real communication.

4. **Differentiated Instruction**: Teachers can modify the difficulty of a cloze test based on the needs and abilities of individual students, making it a flexible tool for different learning levels.

5. **Integration into Various Language Skills**: Cloze tests can be integrated into reading, listening, writing, and speaking exercises, making them a multifaceted tool for comprehensive language learning.

6. **Feedback and Reflection**: The immediate feedback provided by cloze tests helps students recognize their mistakes and reflect on their understanding, thus fostering continuous improvement.

In summary, cloze tests provide a practical, adaptable, and effective way to evaluate and enhance various aspects of language learning. They promote contextual learning and provide a multi-dimensional approach that can be tailored to individual student needs.

For a scholarly insight into the subject, you may refer to the book “Cloze Procedure: An Alternative Approach to Reading in Foreign Language Training” by J.H. Robinson (1980), which provides an in-depth analysis of the application of cloze in foreign language training.

Drops (9/10)
Drops was a magnificent surprise. Drops focuses on helping you learn Italian vocabulary in just 5 minutes a day. You can study for a longer period of time if you pay. Drops is fun to use, beautiful to look at, and a wonder at teaching. It’s just fun! I start my day with Drops to give myself a boost of confidence, and joy, before the harder work of learning begins.

Memrise (6/10)
Memrise is a strange beast. I’m not completely certain I understand what it is or what the goals are of the App. You sometimes get video clips of phrases — some are just silly, and I skip them — which you then get tested on in multiple choice boxes. They also provide a strange “video” conversation with people talking to themselves — like a TikTok story — that I find more annoying than engaging. Memrise does have a ChatGPT-3 dialogue interaction that can be fun, but even that feels just a little old and limited.

edX (1/10)
I was super excited to take the Italian lessons on edX, but the teaching is really old — the expert Italian language folks on Reddit told me many of the words being taught on edX were no longer colloquial, and they urged me to dump the lessons, and I did. The learning interface feels like a 1990s website project gone wrong. There was so much unlimited promise here that just failed to deliver.

Anki (3/10)
People either seem to love Anki flashcards or they hate them. I’m sort of in the middle. I get how Anki can be helpful for repetition in learning, but the interface is super ugly, and many of the “study decks” for download don’t appear to be well-formatted. The idea is right, but the execution feels stilted and raw.

That’s my review of my “lifelong learning Italian Apps” with a lifetime subscription. I look forward to learning Italian. My goal is to be at least B2 certified and I’m currently a rising A1. Yes, I have a long way to go, but that’s okay. Good things take time, and fluency demands dedication. I know I have at least one of both right now.

• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window)

#anki #asl #asl-opera #babbel #chatgpt #cloze #clozemaster #drops #e4e4e4 #edx #fluency #immersion #italian #lingodeer #lingopie #memrise #opera #opera-project #rosetta-stone

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/08/14/learning-italian-lifetime-immersion-style/

For the past 60 days, I have been intensively studying the Italian language. I want to learn Italian in order to better serve our ASL Opera project since 50% of the most popular operas were written in Italian (25% were written in German, and 15% were written in French). I understand modern Italian isn’t the same as “original opera Italian” — but learning something new only helps deepen the appreciation of the comprehension of the context of the original aesthetic. In this article, I will share with you some of the treasures, and techniques, I have been using to apply a greater understanding to my Italian learning.

Learning a new language can be a challenge. When I first met my beloved Janna more than 35 years ago, one condition of our dating was that I learn her language — American Sign Language. Since that time, Janna — who happens to be Deaf — and I have written ASL books, performed together, and taught ASL together many times!

As ASL teachers, Janna and I believe in total immersion, and we also believe that in our real lives and in our classrooms. No English! No PSE! Just use pure ASL. You’ll learn, and sustain, a language better and faster that way.

I have done my best to apply that immersion thinking to my Italian learning. Complete and total immersion whenever possible. Some believe adults have a harder time learning a new language than a child, but I disagree. Adults know how to make associations with existing grammar, and syntax, and that gives adults the power of leveling up faster than our infant contemporary language learners!

Here is my Italian learning plan. When I’m not directly studying in my Apps, I am using the following methods to provide immersion as often as possible.

1. 1. TV. Comcast offers two Italian channels for an extra monthly fee. They also offer other foreign language channels like German and French!
   2. Radio App — talk and music. The iPhone store is filled with Italian streaming Apps. You can also stream directly from the internet.
   3. iPhone Language. I changed the language on my iPhone and iPad from English to Italian. Sure, it’s a little scary, but I have Janna’s English iPhone to help me out if I get stuck. I also changed the time to a 24-hour clock.
   4. Keyboard language on phones and computers. I use an Italian keyboard whenever I can. That’s my new default. Force it to learn it!
   5. Apple Watch. I changed the language on my Apple Watch to Italian. Force it to learn it!
   6. Podcasts. Listening to podcasts can also really help you learn Italian fast.
   7. Music. Singing along is a great, modern, way to learn a musical language to a beat. Melody sharing makes the learning less traditional, and more exciting!
   8. TV shows. YouTube has a lot of Italian learning shows. They are helpful! Episodic television is also a wonderful way to add familiar context to the Italian overdubbing.
   9. Movies. Netflix has Italian content with English captions.
   10. CiborTV. This is a box you buy, like an Apple TV, that provides subscription content for Italian television channels. CiborTV is my greatest secret weapon for ongoing daily passive immersion.

One of the biggest blockades to learning Italian is the four years I spent learning Spanish 45 years ago. When I “think” in my target language of Italian, the dark memory of the Spanish word first creeps to mind. I never became fluent in Spanish! I regret not studying harder all those years ago. Senorita Byrd: “I apologize for not being a more apt student!”

For my Italian study, I subscribe to several Italian language newspapers, but my main weapon in learning is my Apps. Here is a review — on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best — of the Italian language learning Apps I use every day. I study a minimum of 90 minutes a day using these Apps. I have, probably 25 Apps in total, but these particular Apps provide a lifetime subscription: Buy once, learn forever! That, to me, is important in learning a new language, because you will always, for your lifetime, be working on learning the language. Apps that charge only a monthly, or a yearly fee, are not included in this review.

Babbel (3/10)
Babbel does a lot of television advertising. Their learning quit on me when a lesson I was studying stopped working. The problem was repeatable. I reported to Babbel the trouble I was having, along with steps to reproduce the bug, and screenshots — you can’t move on until you finish a lesson, and I was forever stuck on a blank screen for Lesson 7 — and Babbel support brushed me off! They told me to restart my browser. I stopped right there and gave up on Babbel. That is the danger of paying once with access forever. If you can’t access the lessons, there is no forever — and the company, after being paid, has zero incentive to keep you actively learning! There are also no study guides you can print out for each lesson to help you memorize the work. The problem was 100% confirmed on the Babbel side, and they did not care. 

LingoDeer (5/10)
LingoDeer sells itself as an Asian language learning App, but they do offer a few other languages, like Italian. So far, their strict learning style is often effective. Their printable notes are comprehensive and helpful. The teaching style is raw, though. I call LingoDeer the “meaner sister of Duolingo.” The early lessons were super difficult and unforgiving, now the later lessons are a little more relaxed and fun to “play.”

Rosetta Stone (4/10)
Rosetta Stone is the old dude in the room and uses a visual learning approach. There are no printable lessons. You look at images and divine vocabulary and grammar all on your own. Alone, Rosetta Stone would not be a great way to learn a language, but adding it to the ganglia of other learning tools I have employed, it’s a definite winner in making one “think different” in real time. Their spoken language recognition engine is pitiful. It does not work. I have, unfortunately, turned off its voice feature after week 6.

Lingopie (8/10)
Lingopie is super interesting and immersive. They provide videos with both English and Italian captions. You can turn off the captions if you don’t want to see them. If you don’t know a word, you click on it, and that word gets defined for you and added to your Pop Quiz queue. There’s also a Netflix browser plugin that will “Lingopie” Italian content on Netflix that will help you learn even faster. Lingopie will only get better with time!

Clozemaster (10/10)
Clozemaster is my favorite learning tool — it thinks, and processes information, just as I do — and that’s a rare thing to find in the real world! Designed like a retro-style 80s video game, Clozemaster helps you quickly close in on your target language goals. ChatGPT-4 explains the idea behind “cloze” learning:

A “cloze” test is used in language learning and pedagogy to assess an individual’s comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills. It is a valuable tool for both educators and students in various language learning contexts.

In a cloze test, certain words or phrases within a text are systematically removed and replaced with blanks. The learner is then asked to fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases to complete the sentences. The omitted words are usually chosen based on specific criteria, such as every nth word or specific grammatical structures.

Here’s how the cloze method is applied in language learning:

1. **Assessment of Vocabulary and Grammar**: By strategically removing certain words or phrases, teachers can assess a student’s grasp of vocabulary and grammatical structures. For example, removing verbs can test understanding of verb tenses.

2. **Reading Comprehension**: Cloze tests can be tailored to evaluate a student’s ability to understand context and meaning within a text. By choosing which words to omit, a teacher can measure specific reading comprehension skills.

3. **Promoting Contextual Learning**: Unlike isolated word lists, cloze tests promote learning words and structures in context, allowing students to understand how they are used in real communication.

4. **Differentiated Instruction**: Teachers can modify the difficulty of a cloze test based on the needs and abilities of individual students, making it a flexible tool for different learning levels.

5. **Integration into Various Language Skills**: Cloze tests can be integrated into reading, listening, writing, and speaking exercises, making them a multifaceted tool for comprehensive language learning.

6. **Feedback and Reflection**: The immediate feedback provided by cloze tests helps students recognize their mistakes and reflect on their understanding, thus fostering continuous improvement.

In summary, cloze tests provide a practical, adaptable, and effective way to evaluate and enhance various aspects of language learning. They promote contextual learning and provide a multi-dimensional approach that can be tailored to individual student needs.

For a scholarly insight into the subject, you may refer to the book “Cloze Procedure: An Alternative Approach to Reading in Foreign Language Training” by J.H. Robinson (1980), which provides an in-depth analysis of the application of cloze in foreign language training.

Drops (9/10)
Drops was a magnificent surprise. Drops focuses on helping you learn Italian vocabulary in just 5 minutes a day. You can study for a longer period of time if you pay. Drops is fun to use, beautiful to look at, and a wonder at teaching. It’s just fun! I start my day with Drops to give myself a boost of confidence, and joy, before the harder work of learning begins.

Memrise (6/10)
Memrise is a strange beast. I’m not completely certain I understand what it is or what the goals are of the App. You sometimes get video clips of phrases — some are just silly, and I skip them — which you then get tested on in multiple choice boxes. They also provide a strange “video” conversation with people talking to themselves — like a TikTok story — that I find more annoying than engaging. Memrise does have a ChatGPT-3 dialogue interaction that can be fun, but even that feels just a little old and limited.

edX (1/10)
I was super excited to take the Italian lessons on edX, but the teaching is really old — the expert Italian language folks on Reddit told me many of the words being taught on edX were no longer colloquial, and they urged me to dump the lessons, and I did. The learning interface feels like a 1990s website project gone wrong. There was so much unlimited promise here that just failed to deliver.

Anki (3/10)
People either seem to love Anki flashcards or they hate them. I’m sort of in the middle. I get how Anki can be helpful for repetition in learning, but the interface is super ugly, and many of the “study decks” for download don’t appear to be well-formatted. The idea is right, but the execution feels stilted and raw.

That’s my review of my “lifelong learning Italian Apps” with a lifetime subscription. I look forward to learning Italian. My goal is to be at least B2 certified and I’m currently a rising A1. Yes, I have a long way to go, but that’s okay. Good things take time, and fluency demands dedication. I know I have at least one of both right now.

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/08/14/learning-italian-lifetime-immersion-style/

#anki #asl #aslOpera #babbel #chatgpt #cloze #clozemaster #drops #e4e4e4 #edx #fluency #immersion #italian #lingodeer #lingopie #memrise #opera #operaProject #rosettaStone

For the past 60 days, I have been intensively studying the Italian language. I want to learn Italian in order to better serve our ASL Opera project since 50% of the most popular operas were written in Italian (25% were written in German, and 15% were written in French). I understand modern Italian isn’t the same as “original opera Italian” — but learning something new only helps deepen the appreciation of the comprehension of the context of the original aesthetic. In this article, I will share with you some of the treasures, and techniques, I have been using to apply a greater understanding to my Italian learning.

Learning a new language can be a challenge. When I first met my beloved Janna more than 35 years ago, one condition of our dating was that I learn her language — American Sign Language. Since that time, Janna — who happens to be Deaf — and I have written ASL books, performed together, and taught ASL together many times!

As ASL teachers, Janna and I believe in total immersion, and we also believe that in our real lives and in our classrooms. No English! No PSE! Just use pure ASL. You’ll learn, and sustain, a language better and faster that way.

I have done my best to apply that immersion thinking to my Italian learning. Complete and total immersion whenever possible. Some believe adults have a harder time learning a new language than a child, but I disagree. Adults know how to make associations with existing grammar, and syntax, and that gives adults the power of leveling up faster than our infant contemporary language learners!

Here is my Italian learning plan. When I’m not directly studying in my Apps, I am using the following methods to provide immersion as often as possible.

1. 1. TV. Comcast offers two Italian channels for an extra monthly fee. They also offer other foreign language channels like German and French!
   2. Radio App — talk and music. The iPhone store is filled with Italian streaming Apps. You can also stream directly from the internet.
   3. iPhone Language. I changed the language on my iPhone and iPad from English to Italian. Sure, it’s a little scary, but I have Janna’s English iPhone to help me out if I get stuck. I also changed the time to a 24-hour clock.
   4. Keyboard language on phones and computers. I use an Italian keyboard whenever I can. That’s my new default. Force it to learn it!
   5. Apple Watch. I changed the language on my Apple Watch to Italian. Force it to learn it!
   6. Podcasts. Listening to podcasts can also really help you learn Italian fast.
   7. Music. Singing along is a great, modern, way to learn a musical language to a beat. Melody sharing makes the learning less traditional, and more exciting!
   8. TV shows. YouTube has a lot of Italian learning shows. They are helpful! Episodic television is also a wonderful way to add familiar context to the Italian overdubbing.
   9. Movies. Netflix has Italian content with English captions.
   10. CiborTV. This is a box you buy, like an Apple TV, that provides subscription content for Italian television channels. CiborTV is my greatest secret weapon for ongoing daily passive immersion.

One of the biggest blockades to learning Italian is the four years I spent learning Spanish 45 years ago. When I “think” in my target language of Italian, the dark memory of the Spanish word first creeps to mind. I never became fluent in Spanish! I regret not studying harder all those years ago. Senorita Byrd: “I apologize for not being a more apt student!”

For my Italian study, I subscribe to several Italian language newspapers, but my main weapon in learning is my Apps. Here is a review — on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best — of the Italian language learning Apps I use every day. I study a minimum of 90 minutes a day using these Apps. I have, probably 25 Apps in total, but these particular Apps provide a lifetime subscription: Buy once, learn forever! That, to me, is important in learning a new language, because you will always, for your lifetime, be working on learning the language. Apps that charge only a monthly, or a yearly fee, are not included in this review.

Babbel (3/10)
Babbel does a lot of television advertising. Their learning quit on me when a lesson I was studying stopped working. The problem was repeatable. I reported to Babbel the trouble I was having, along with steps to reproduce the bug, and screenshots — you can’t move on until you finish a lesson, and I was forever stuck on a blank screen for Lesson 7 — and Babbel support brushed me off! They told me to restart my browser. I stopped right there and gave up on Babbel. That is the danger of paying once with access forever. If you can’t access the lessons, there is no forever — and the company, after being paid, has zero incentive to keep you actively learning! There are also no study guides you can print out for each lesson to help you memorize the work. The problem was 100% confirmed on the Babbel side, and they did not care. 

LingoDeer (5/10)
LingoDeer sells itself as an Asian language learning App, but they do offer a few other languages, like Italian. So far, their strict learning style is often effective. Their printable notes are comprehensive and helpful. The teaching style is raw, though. I call LingoDeer the “meaner sister of Duolingo.” The early lessons were super difficult and unforgiving, now the later lessons are a little more relaxed and fun to “play.”

Rosetta Stone (4/10)
Rosetta Stone is the old dude in the room and uses a visual learning approach. There are no printable lessons. You look at images and divine vocabulary and grammar all on your own. Alone, Rosetta Stone would not be a great way to learn a language, but adding it to the ganglia of other learning tools I have employed, it’s a definite winner in making one “think different” in real time. Their spoken language recognition engine is pitiful. It does not work. I have, unfortunately, turned off its voice feature after week 6.

Lingopie (8/10)
Lingopie is super interesting and immersive. They provide videos with both English and Italian captions. You can turn off the captions if you don’t want to see them. If you don’t know a word, you click on it, and that word gets defined for you and added to your Pop Quiz queue. There’s also a Netflix browser plugin that will “Lingopie” Italian content on Netflix that will help you learn even faster. Lingopie will only get better with time!

Clozemaster (10/10)
Clozemaster is my favorite learning tool — it thinks, and processes information, just as I do — and that’s a rare thing to find in the real world! Designed like a retro-style 80s video game, Clozemaster helps you quickly close in on your target language goals. ChatGPT-4 explains the idea behind “cloze” learning:

A “cloze” test is used in language learning and pedagogy to assess an individual’s comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar skills. It is a valuable tool for both educators and students in various language learning contexts.

In a cloze test, certain words or phrases within a text are systematically removed and replaced with blanks. The learner is then asked to fill in the blanks with appropriate words or phrases to complete the sentences. The omitted words are usually chosen based on specific criteria, such as every nth word or specific grammatical structures.

Here’s how the cloze method is applied in language learning:

1. **Assessment of Vocabulary and Grammar**: By strategically removing certain words or phrases, teachers can assess a student’s grasp of vocabulary and grammatical structures. For example, removing verbs can test understanding of verb tenses.

2. **Reading Comprehension**: Cloze tests can be tailored to evaluate a student’s ability to understand context and meaning within a text. By choosing which words to omit, a teacher can measure specific reading comprehension skills.

3. **Promoting Contextual Learning**: Unlike isolated word lists, cloze tests promote learning words and structures in context, allowing students to understand how they are used in real communication.

4. **Differentiated Instruction**: Teachers can modify the difficulty of a cloze test based on the needs and abilities of individual students, making it a flexible tool for different learning levels.

5. **Integration into Various Language Skills**: Cloze tests can be integrated into reading, listening, writing, and speaking exercises, making them a multifaceted tool for comprehensive language learning.

6. **Feedback and Reflection**: The immediate feedback provided by cloze tests helps students recognize their mistakes and reflect on their understanding, thus fostering continuous improvement.

In summary, cloze tests provide a practical, adaptable, and effective way to evaluate and enhance various aspects of language learning. They promote contextual learning and provide a multi-dimensional approach that can be tailored to individual student needs.

For a scholarly insight into the subject, you may refer to the book “Cloze Procedure: An Alternative Approach to Reading in Foreign Language Training” by J.H. Robinson (1980), which provides an in-depth analysis of the application of cloze in foreign language training.

Drops (9/10)
Drops was a magnificent surprise. Drops focuses on helping you learn Italian vocabulary in just 5 minutes a day. You can study for a longer period of time if you pay. Drops is fun to use, beautiful to look at, and a wonder at teaching. It’s just fun! I start my day with Drops to give myself a boost of confidence, and joy, before the harder work of learning begins.

Memrise (6/10)
Memrise is a strange beast. I’m not completely certain I understand what it is or what the goals are of the App. You sometimes get video clips of phrases — some are just silly, and I skip them — which you then get tested on in multiple choice boxes. They also provide a strange “video” conversation with people talking to themselves — like a TikTok story — that I find more annoying than engaging. Memrise does have a ChatGPT-3 dialogue interaction that can be fun, but even that feels just a little old and limited.

edX (1/10)
I was super excited to take the Italian lessons on edX, but the teaching is really old — the expert Italian language folks on Reddit told me many of the words being taught on edX were no longer colloquial, and they urged me to dump the lessons, and I did. The learning interface feels like a 1990s website project gone wrong. There was so much unlimited promise here that just failed to deliver.

Anki (3/10)
People either seem to love Anki flashcards or they hate them. I’m sort of in the middle. I get how Anki can be helpful for repetition in learning, but the interface is super ugly, and many of the “study decks” for download don’t appear to be well-formatted. The idea is right, but the execution feels stilted and raw.

That’s my review of my “lifelong learning Italian Apps” with a lifetime subscription. I look forward to learning Italian. My goal is to be at least B2 certified and I’m currently a rising A1. Yes, I have a long way to go, but that’s okay. Good things take time, and fluency demands dedication. I know I have at least one of both right now.

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/08/14/learning-italian-lifetime-immersion-style/

#anki #asl #aslOpera #babbel #chatgpt #cloze #clozemaster #drops #e4e4e4 #edx #fluency #immersion #italian #lingodeer #lingopie #memrise #opera #operaProject #rosettaStone

[UPDATE: September 12, 2023; our ASL Opera Project website is now live! Join us there for new videos, translation updates, and for consultation concerning the right interpretation of Opera in American Sign Language!]

On July 11, 2023 — the anniversary of our being married for 35 years — Janna and I had the complete delight, and the absolute honor, to meet with The Metropolitan Opera to discuss our ASL Opera project intended to bring live and “High Art” American Sign Language interpretation to MetOpera productions! The meeting was positive, forward-thinking and inclusive! If you are interested in working with our High Art ASL Opera Project, or if you want more information, please Contact Us and we’ll be happy to meet you! Our ASL-Opera.com and ASLopera.com domains currently point to this article!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W8xGnw_sjI?start=1785]

One of our friends has a memory of attending a Metropolitan Opera performance in the 1980s that was ASL interpreted. When we mentioned that to The MetOpera, they were not aware of that history, and planned to ask The Met archivist if there was anything recorded in the record about the performance.

[UPDATE: July 14, 2023: Our friend just shared with us that he has a memory of the New York City Opera — NOT the MetOpera — having some interpreted ASL performances in the 1980s when Beverly Sills was performing and director of the NYC Opera Company.]

Our “ASL Opera Project” pitch was simple, and three-pronged.

First, immediately provide ASL interpreted performances for all Metropolitan Opera performances. There is no excuse to delay the justice of Deaf inclusion. Live interpreters, using our invented “High Art” style of interpreting performances, will match the definition of “Work of Art” in Opera translation! This cannot wait. ASL interpreted performances cannot be sidebarred or downsized. We have moved too far beyond the idea of “separate, but equal” to accept separation now. The Deaf have the right to experience the fullness of a Metropolitan Opera performance — staging, singing, orchestration, lighting, costumes, sets — IN THE SAME MOMENT, IN THE SAME WAY, AND IN THE SAME TIME as a Hearing person. There is no replacement for equality in accessibility — except equal accessibility in situ.

Second, we proposed an outreach educational program that would help expose, and inform, new audiences to High Art ASL interpreted MetOpera performances. Small meetings before the performance would help explain the story, create context, and define expectation of a brand new operatic experience.

Finally, we believe a “High Art” Opera interpreter training program is needed to train new interpreters how to uniquely interpret live Opera performances. Interested interpreters, both Hearing and Deaf, from around the country, and, perhaps even the world, should be invited to spend a couple of weeks at The Met to work with new-opera-stars-in-training, understand operatic staging and experience, and to then sign a performance on the main stage as the high conclusion of their training. There is no replacement for direct exposure and direct experience.

We were also thrilled to learn that all Met Opera On Demand performances are in the process of becoming entirely closed captioned! Right now, only the “operatic translation” part of the Opera stream is captioned. Moving forward (and backward in the existing catalogue of shows) all MetOpera recorded performances will have the introductions, and the interstitial interviews, and anything else, closed captioned. There are more than 150 recorded performances in The Met library, and all of them will eventually be closed captioned. That project will take time, but closed captions are vital for an accessibility accommodation that has been required, by law, for all broadcast television programs since 2006. New Met Opera performances from now on will always be closed captioned!

The MetOpera had a few questions. One was why would ASL interpreters be needed if the Operas are open captioned in English. As we detailed in our earlier article on this topic — ASL is not English-based grammar, it is French-based grammar — and many of the “new” foreign-born Deaf (the new audience) do not arrive in the USA literate from their home countries, and so they try to learn ASL here as their first, real, fluent language, and ASL is not English. There’s then a triple layer of interpretation/complication happening in an Opera. First level is the language of origin, second layer is the English captions, then the target visual language of ASL is applied on top of both of those vocalized and written languages. Plus, ASL is not a word-for-word interpretation of a performance. You have to “sing” for the entire Opera in ASL, and you do that by creating images for the eyes with your face, torso, and hands. Singing, in ASL, is different from just “speaking” dialogue — same as in the Hearing world. A whole new set of special talents are required to sing in ASL for three hours!

The other concern the MetOpera had was that having interpreters would be distracting to the performers, and the audience and, we agreed, that was a possibility — but Broadway musicals have been ASL interpreted since 1980 without issue — but there’s really no way around that concern in an Opera performance because the Deaf deserve to be in the same room with the Hearing people to experience the Opera with all senses and feelings of participation. The interpreters would not be on stage. They’d be House left, and the first several rows of that section would be reserved for Deaf audience members. The Interpreters would need to see the live captioning, and be lighted in some way so the Deaf could see the ASL being signed. Yes, inclusion can be complicated and distracting. Yes, accommodating the disabled can inconvenience the non-disabled. Janna and I like to say, when it comes to education and experience, “You have to do what’s best for the Deaf person, not what’s easiest for the Hearing.” Some people get that, and some do not, and will not; but aesthetic should never be used as an excuse to exclude certain people from the mainstream experience. Taste and vision change over time. Sometimes doing the right thing is tough, and imperfect, but that’s okay. Dealing with difficult things is how the moral world learns to behave in a right way; because it is cruel to separate those who do not have from those who have, based solely upon the ability to comprehend.

The final concern the MetOpera expressed was how to replicate 50 people singing on stage with only two interpreters. Plus, they added, in a scene with five people singing, how could two interpreters possibly interpret all those singers? Janna told them the answer is simple: Role Shifting. The interpreter sets the character in space, and the Deaf person understands who is speaking and why. Role shifting is a common method of communicating in ASL. As well, male interpreters can interpret female characters on stage and vice versa. Gender, cultural identification, and skin color do not matter in interpreting. The only thing that matters is if what is being signed is being understood. “One interpreter,” I said in the meeting, “can interpret a thousand voices.”

We were also asked how Janna is able to interpret for the Opera if she is Deaf. Janna explained she was born Deaf and grew up in the gospel Church signing songs in ASL, she has performed ASL hymns in Israel, and has been a Broadway musical Juilliard advisor, and an interpreter performer. Opera is her most astonishing, and amazing, challenge for her to meet as an interpreted performance. Janna went on to share that she still has some residual hearing, and that she had to practice her Maria Callas ASL performance song “about a hundred times” to get down the meaning, intention, and correct vibrato. Memorization is a big part of live stage interpreting, and you must not only know the story, and the lyrics, but you need to understand the original intention of the author and composer in order to do a right, proper, job in the interpretation. Opera interpreting is not for every Deaf interpreter, that’s for sure!

Our meeting finished with Janna interpreting, in our ASL High Art Style, the Maria Callas performance of O Mio Bambino Caro — and the response to Janna’s performance was marvelous! What an honor!

After our meeting with the grand Metropolitan Opera people, Janna and I “swam” outside into the 93 degree, and 90% humidity heat, and landed smack in the heart of the Lincoln Center plaza to record, and memorialize, her ASL interpretation of O Mio Bambino Caro — and here are the original Italian lyrics followed by the English interpretation for that aria.

O mio babbino caro
Mi piace, è bello, bello
Vo’ andare in Porta Rossa
A comperar l’anello!
Sì, sì, ci voglio andare!
E se l’amassi indarno,
Andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
Ma per buttarmi in Arno!
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!
Babbo, pietà, pietà!

Oh my dear papa
I like him, he is so handsome.
I want to go to Porta Rossa
To buy the ring!
Yes, yes, I want to go there!
And if my love were in vain,
I would go to the Ponte Vecchio
And throw myself in the Arno!
I am pining, I am tormented!
Oh God, I would want to die!
Father, have pity, have pity!
Father, have pity, have pity!

This is Janna’s recorded ASL High Art interpretation of O Mio Bambino Caro — with the Callas performance she’s interpreting right underneath. If you have fast fingers, you can click on Janna’s video, and then quickly click on the Callas video, and they’ll play pretty much in sync so you can get a rough idea of how an ASL interpreted High Art performance of an Opera Aria works!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1C8NFDdFYg?start=10]

We shot Janna’s performance in 4K on an iPhone 14 Max Pro using Filmic Pro software with no recorded audio. That raw, two-minute, 4K video was 17 GB! I remember when we first started HardcoreASL.com in 1996 — the best possible video recordings were no more than 100K — and those videos all look low resolution today, because they are, but back then, they were not! Always, always record in the best possible resolution available because, even in a few years, your effort will not look as good as you remember. This is my technical advance mantra: “Best today, better tomorrow, okay yesterday.”

There was also some sort of musical event being set up at Lincoln Center, and I couldn’t resist taking a quick video of the famous Lincoln Center fountain being topped by a bouncing, giant, mirror Disco Ball! The rushing sound of the fountain will cool you down at least a few degrees. Enjoy!

Our 35th wedding anniversary was a day to never forget. We appreciate The Metropolitan Opera giving us a chance to pitch our ideas for an interpreted “work of Art” solution; and we certainly felt heard.

We hope to move forward with The MetOpera to complete the accessibility vision of our “ASL Opera” project — and we will continue to produce, and share, our “High Art” ASL Opera interpreted arias until the day is won!

In the end, we must all continue to lift our gaze to find the sun, and sing — sing in a way we understand how we wish to be understood!

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#accessibility #accommodation #costumes #davidBoles #deaf #e4e4e4 #interpreting #jannaSweenie #lights #mariaCallas #metopera #mirrorBall #orchestra #performance #sets #vibrato #vocal

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/07/13/yes-the-deaf-just-may-sing-at-the-metropolitan-opera/

Apple udostępniło, wyjątkowo udany moim zdaniem, nowy klip promujący baterię w iPhonie 14 Plus.
Zresztą, zobaczcie sami!

Więcej na temat podstawowych modeli iPhone’ów 14 opowiadałem w jednym z odcinków „Bo czemu nie?”.

#apple #bateria #e4e4e4 #film #iphone-14 #klip #pinata #plus #reklama

https://imagazine.pl/2023/07/10/nowy-klip-reklamowy-iphonea-14-plus/

open cloud infrastructure Episode 11 – K8sGPT — SRE superpowers through AI – KubeVirt – running VMs on Kubernetes – Microsoft releases its own Linux distribution for Azure

K8sGPT -- SRE superpowers through AI

I am not sure if you heard, but AI is definitely the current thing. I think it was just today that I read that 92% of developers love the assistance that AI can give them.

KubeVirt - running VMs on Kubernetes

Containers, containers, containers!!! I am trying to speak this in Steve Ballmer's voice, but nothing quite compares to the sweat-drenched level of enthusiasm when Ballmer fired up the crows. I was thinking of cloning his voice and having him say containers instead, but the thought of it creeped even me out.

Microsoft releases its own Linux distribution for Azure

You might have heard of CBL Mariner, the Linux distribution from Microsoft. It's been the test balloon from Microsoft to hone in on the requirements of MSFT and build up a practice of building a Linux distribution that’s optimized for the cloud.

A podcast recommendation

Give a listen to “The art of manliness”, The Art of Manliness is a one-stop resource for actionable advice that covers every aspect of a man’s life: character, career, relationships, fitness, style, skills, and much more. Through weekly podcasts and articles, AoM tackles subjects from the philosophical and serious to the practical and fun.

https://docs.k8sgpt.ai/getting-started/getting-started/
https://anaisurl.com/k8sgpt-full-tutorial/
https://killercoda.com/matthisholleville/scenario/k8sgpt-cli
Fabian Deutsch, and Andrew Burden | KubeCon CloudNativeCon EU 2023
https://charlesarea.medium.com/how-to-integrate-legacy-vms-into-container-pipelines-on-kubernetes-with-kubevirt-555137fb3f4a
https://build.microsoft.com/en-US/sessions/e84dd80a-f3bb-4d3d-978e-ffd811e3bfe1?source=sessions
https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/knowledge-of-men/podcast-904-how-emerson-can-help-you-become-a-stoic-nonconformist/

 #podcast #kubernetes #k8sgpt #kubevirt #azure #cblmariner #azurelinux

[UPDATE: September 12, 2023; our ASL Opera Project website is now live! Join us there for new videos, translation updates, and for consultation concerning the right interpretation of Opera in American Sign Language!]

[UPDATE: July 11, 2023.  Janna and I met with the Metropolitan Opera to discuss heightened ASL interpreting for their performances. The meeting was positive, forward-thinking, and hopeful! We will soon update with more information! Here’s the July 11 update!]

My delightful wife Janna Sweenie and I are big lovers of opera. Opera is the pinnacle of all the Performing Arts — Painting, Acting, Voice, Costumes, Lights and Sets — and when put together, in unison, in an exaggerated and elevated performance, the entire world glows and resonates! We have always been dismayed that opera is not often, if ever, interpreted in American Sign Language for the Deaf like all Broadway shows are interpreted. Janna and I are currently working on our “Opera Project” where she will present ASL renderings of famous opera arias. We will place those performances online as proof-of-concept. This is a challenging, but rewarding, and complex academic process of interpretation and adaptation, and implementation.

Here’s my Boles.tv live stream discussion of the Deaf singing at The Met:

Here are some of the dramatic, visual, description-rich arias we plan to present in ASL. We will begin with:

O mio babbino caro

Una Furtiva Lacrima

Here are other arias we plan to perform — these recommendations are thanks to our friends in the Reddit /opera group — many who who believe in us and who are helping us:

Der Holle Rache

L’amour est un oiseau rebelle

Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre

Madre diletta abbracciami

Che gelida manina

Ariadne auf Naxos

Pif, Paf, Pouf

I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General

Non, Pagliaccio Non Son

Tu qui, Santuzza

In Questa Reggia

If you have a favorite opera aria you think would make a good, dramatic, visual, ASL performance, please leave a comment here, or send us a note!

In the spirit of this dramatic ASL aria project, we sent a letter to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City asking if we might help them set up select American Sign Language interpreted performances. We were not able to find a single point of contact for that request at The Met, so if you happen to know someone there who might be amenable to our request, please get in touch with us!

What follows is the letter Janna and I submitted to The Met asking them to let us work with them to create select, accessible, ASL interpreted opera performances for the Deaf.

American Sign Language Interpreted Performances at The Met

Hi There!

Will you allow the Deaf to sing at The Met?

We apologize for including more than one point of contact for this inquiry, but we didn’t know who is responsible for accessibility for performances at The Met, and we didn’t want this message to get blackholed, and finding specific email addresses has proven a challenge. If we don’t have the right person, might you please forward this email to the correct point?

My wife and I are interested in providing American Sign Language interpreted performances for The Met.

My wife, Janna Sweenie, originally from Iowa, is Deaf and has been teaching ASL for 50 years. For the last 35 years, she has been teaching ASL at NYU and at other major universities in the Tri-State area. She is a language pioneer, and served as a Julliard/TDF instructor for interpreting Broadway musicals for interpreters from around the world. Janna also finds jobs for the disabled as a rehabilitation counselor for the State of New York.

I am Hearing, and I have written several ASL books with Janna. I created the ASL program at CUNY-SPS, and I operate the HardcoreASL.com and sosASL.com websites. I also teach American Sign Language, Theatre, Dramatic Literature, and Public Health. Fresh from Nebraska, I started in New York City as a graduate student at Columbia. I was Peter Stone’s associate. I was Al Carmine’s librettist and lyricist. Milos Foreman and I worked together on film theory in performance. Liviu Ciulei and I collaborated on my Wozzeck adaptation. I was an editor and consultant for Helen Merrill. I fixed dramaturgical structure for Marty Richards and Sam Crothers at The Producer Circle. Since then, I’ve written several books on a variety of topics, done a lot of teaching, and I am now embedded in AI Art, Voice, and Performance research, and revolution.

Janna and I both admire and appreciate opera, and we would really like to provide live ASL interpretation – stage right in the audience near the stage – for select Met performances. We are not seeking payment, we are just hoping to open a dialogue, and perhaps even begin a relationship with – The Met – to see if you are at least willing to try out this idea in some meaningful way for the Deaf Community.

Here are a couple of common concerns you may have:

1. You already provide text captions. Text captions are not ASL and text captions are for Hearing people who don’t understand the language being presented on stage. ASL is a visual language, and many Deaf people do not have good English comprehension, and so providing interpreted performances in ASL, in their language, honors their Culture, and facilitates inclusion in the experience. ASL grammar and syntax are more French than English. ASL was invented by Laurent Clerc, a French speaker. ASL does not equal English text.

2. You stream HD Video and Open Captions. Interview portions of the shows are not captioned. Text translation captions during the performance are not a substitute for experiencing a live performance. The Deaf have the right to be provided the same in-person opera experience that the Hearing audience is able to enjoy in real time, in the same building, with the orchestra and on stage performers. Few realize how much the Deaf enjoy the sounds of music and the vibrations of live music. The Deaf see with their eyes; the Deaf sing with their hands. The Deaf Community appreciates a full, immersive, experience that can easily be provided if you give us a chance to make this happen.

3. The Deaf Community isn’t interested in opera. Sometimes, as Steve Jobs famously said, “People don’t know what they want until they have it.” Opera is the same way for the Deaf. There has been no exposure to the music, no teaching of the ideal, no attendance of the aesthetic. Many Deaf have no clue what they’re missing in an interpreted opera experience at The Met. We can solve that with you. We can demonstrate the beauty of the Art and bring in a whole new audience of appreciation.

For many years, all Broadway shows have been live interpreted via the TDF. We understand The Met has been kind, and wonderful, in providing disabled wheelchair access for performances. Why doesn’t The Met offer the same, disabled, groundbreaking inclusion of the Deaf? You can if you decide in favor of a reasonable accessibility.

If you have any questions or concerns for us, we are delighted to answer them in email or in person.

Janna and I would love to have a meeting with you to discuss the viability of this idea. Janna will even do a live, ASL interpreted, presentation of “O mio babbino caro” for you if you are interested.

We realize ASL interpreted Met performances will require many hours of preparation on our side – the translation from the original language to English to ASL will be important to get right, and we will work with you to get there – as well as also involving several accommodations on your side; but we know this should be important to The Met, and for the Deaf community, to finally be brought together to unite in unison of purpose and performance.

Yes, together, we can help the Deaf sing at The Met!

Best Wishes,

David Boles
Janna Sweenie

We have yet to receive a response from The Metropolitan Opera. If, and when, we receive a reply to our inquiry, we will update this article as necessary.

In the meantime, be sure to get in touch with The Met and let them know you support American Sign Language interpreted performances for the Deaf!

(NOTE: All images in this article were created with AI. These people, places, and dreams, do not exist — even though, perhaps, they should find life.)

UPDATE: June 2, 2003
Via Medici.tv, we discovered a 2019 performance — Don Pasquale de Donizetti — at Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée that included French Sign Language interpretation on stage! Here is the PR blurp:

This highly theatrical staging by Valentin Schwarz at the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, starring Bruno Taddia in the title-role, Julia Muzychenko in her role debut as Norina, as well as Edoardo Miletti as Ernesto, is also the first time an opera is adapted and staged in the French Sign Language (LSF), with LSF actors Katia Abbou and Vincent Bexiga playing a full role in the action.

Here is a screenshot — (not AI!) — from the HD performance:

Now, it’s The Metropolitan Opera’s turn to stand up for accessibility and the disabled!

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https://bolesblogs.com/2023/06/01/will-the-metropolitan-opera-allow-the-deaf-to-sing/

#ada #americanSignLanguage #aria #asl #culture #davidBoles #deaf #e4e4e4 #equalAccess #jannaSweenie #language #meaning #met #metopera #metropolitanOpera #opera #performance #reddit #sing #singing #theMet #visual

[UPDATE: September 12, 2023; our ASL Opera Project website is now live! Join us there for new videos, translation updates, and for consultation concerning the right interpretation of Opera in American Sign Language!]

[UPDATE: July 11, 2023.  Janna and I met with the Metropolitan Opera to discuss heightened ASL interpreting for their performances. The meeting was positive, forward-thinking, and hopeful! We will soon update with more information! Here’s the July 11 update!]

My delightful wife Janna Sweenie and I are big lovers of opera. Opera is the pinnacle of all the Performing Arts — Painting, Acting, Voice, Costumes, Lights and Sets — and when put together, in unison, in an exaggerated and elevated performance, the entire world glows and resonates! We have always been dismayed that opera is not often, if ever, interpreted in American Sign Language for the Deaf like all Broadway shows are interpreted. Janna and I are currently working on our “Opera Project” where she will present ASL renderings of famous opera arias. We will place those performances online as proof-of-concept. This is a challenging, but rewarding, and complex academic process of interpretation and adaptation, and implementation.

Here’s my Boles.tv live stream discussion of the Deaf singing at The Met:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hFtnSpx06U?start=1098]

Here are some of the dramatic, visual, description-rich arias we plan to present in ASL. We will begin with:

O mio babbino caro

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1C8NFDdFYg]

Una Furtiva Lacrima

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abFvqievYXo]

Here are other arias we plan to perform — these recommendations are thanks to our friends in the Reddit /opera group — many who who believe in us and who are helping us:

Der Holle Rache

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuBeBjqKSGQ]

L’amour est un oiseau rebelle

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2snTkaD64U]

Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh6RS-abaMg]

Madre diletta abbracciami

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXuxkrcW62E]

Che gelida manina

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHGUaB1Bs8]

Ariadne auf Naxos

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtL8eVTnNyA]

Pif, Paf, Pouf

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umFPxL52QoE]

I Am The Very Model of a Modern Major-General

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs3dPaz9nAo]

Non, Pagliaccio Non Son

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgarAHMAVHc?si=JNnVuF1FRHA9zkbt]

Tu qui, Santuzza

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tACTn-reWJM]

In Questa Reggia

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ou5L_BsYOM]

If you have a favorite opera aria you think would make a good, dramatic, visual, ASL performance, please leave a comment here, or send us a note!

In the spirit of this dramatic ASL aria project, we sent a letter to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City asking if we might help them set up select American Sign Language interpreted performances. We were not able to find a single point of contact for that request at The Met, so if you happen to know someone there who might be amenable to our request, please get in touch with us!

What follows is the letter Janna and I submitted to The Met asking them to let us work with them to create select, accessible, ASL interpreted opera performances for the Deaf.

American Sign Language Interpreted Performances at The Met

Hi There!

Will you allow the Deaf to sing at The Met?

We apologize for including more than one point of contact for this inquiry, but we didn’t know who is responsible for accessibility for performances at The Met, and we didn’t want this message to get blackholed, and finding specific email addresses has proven a challenge. If we don’t have the right person, might you please forward this email to the correct point?

My wife and I are interested in providing American Sign Language interpreted performances for The Met.

My wife, Janna Sweenie, originally from Iowa, is Deaf and has been teaching ASL for 50 years. For the last 35 years, she has been teaching ASL at NYU and at other major universities in the Tri-State area. She is a language pioneer, and served as a Julliard/TDF instructor for interpreting Broadway musicals for interpreters from around the world. Janna also finds jobs for the disabled as a rehabilitation counselor for the State of New York.

I am Hearing, and I have written several ASL books with Janna. I created the ASL program at CUNY-SPS, and I operate the HardcoreASL.com and sosASL.com websites. I also teach American Sign Language, Theatre, Dramatic Literature, and Public Health. Fresh from Nebraska, I started in New York City as a graduate student at Columbia. I was Peter Stone’s associate. I was Al Carmine’s librettist and lyricist. Milos Foreman and I worked together on film theory in performance. Liviu Ciulei and I collaborated on my Wozzeck adaptation. I was an editor and consultant for Helen Merrill. I fixed dramaturgical structure for Marty Richards and Sam Crothers at The Producer Circle. Since then, I’ve written several books on a variety of topics, done a lot of teaching, and I am now embedded in AI Art, Voice, and Performance research, and revolution.

Janna and I both admire and appreciate opera, and we would really like to provide live ASL interpretation – stage right in the audience near the stage – for select Met performances. We are not seeking payment, we are just hoping to open a dialogue, and perhaps even begin a relationship with – The Met – to see if you are at least willing to try out this idea in some meaningful way for the Deaf Community.

Here are a couple of common concerns you may have:

1. You already provide text captions. Text captions are not ASL and text captions are for Hearing people who don’t understand the language being presented on stage. ASL is a visual language, and many Deaf people do not have good English comprehension, and so providing interpreted performances in ASL, in their language, honors their Culture, and facilitates inclusion in the experience. ASL grammar and syntax are more French than English. ASL was invented by Laurent Clerc, a French speaker. ASL does not equal English text.

2. You stream HD Video and Open Captions. Interview portions of the shows are not captioned. Text translation captions during the performance are not a substitute for experiencing a live performance. The Deaf have the right to be provided the same in-person opera experience that the Hearing audience is able to enjoy in real time, in the same building, with the orchestra and on stage performers. Few realize how much the Deaf enjoy the sounds of music and the vibrations of live music. The Deaf see with their eyes; the Deaf sing with their hands. The Deaf Community appreciates a full, immersive, experience that can easily be provided if you give us a chance to make this happen.

3. The Deaf Community isn’t interested in opera. Sometimes, as Steve Jobs famously said, “People don’t know what they want until they have it.” Opera is the same way for the Deaf. There has been no exposure to the music, no teaching of the ideal, no attendance of the aesthetic. Many Deaf have no clue what they’re missing in an interpreted opera experience at The Met. We can solve that with you. We can demonstrate the beauty of the Art and bring in a whole new audience of appreciation.

For many years, all Broadway shows have been live interpreted via the TDF. We understand The Met has been kind, and wonderful, in providing disabled wheelchair access for performances. Why doesn’t The Met offer the same, disabled, groundbreaking inclusion of the Deaf? You can if you decide in favor of a reasonable accessibility.

If you have any questions or concerns for us, we are delighted to answer them in email or in person.

Janna and I would love to have a meeting with you to discuss the viability of this idea. Janna will even do a live, ASL interpreted, presentation of “O mio babbino caro” for you if you are interested.

We realize ASL interpreted Met performances will require many hours of preparation on our side – the translation from the original language to English to ASL will be important to get right, and we will work with you to get there – as well as also involving several accommodations on your side; but we know this should be important to The Met, and for the Deaf community, to finally be brought together to unite in unison of purpose and performance.

Yes, together, we can help the Deaf sing at The Met!

Best Wishes,

David Boles
Janna Sweenie

We have yet to receive a response from The Metropolitan Opera. If, and when, we receive a reply to our inquiry, we will update this article as necessary.

In the meantime, be sure to get in touch with The Met and let them know you support American Sign Language interpreted performances for the Deaf!

(NOTE: All images in this article were created with AI. These people, places, and dreams, do not exist — even though, perhaps, they should find life.)

UPDATE: June 2, 2003
Via Medici.tv, we discovered a 2019 performance — Don Pasquale de Donizetti — at Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée that included French Sign Language interpretation on stage! Here is the PR blurp:

This highly theatrical staging by Valentin Schwarz at the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier, starring Bruno Taddia in the title-role, Julia Muzychenko in her role debut as Norina, as well as Edoardo Miletti as Ernesto, is also the first time an opera is adapted and staged in the French Sign Language (LSF), with LSF actors Katia Abbou and Vincent Bexiga playing a full role in the action.

Here is a screenshot — (not AI!) — from the HD performance:

Now, it’s The Metropolitan Opera’s turn to stand up for accessibility and the disabled!

UPDATE: June 3, 2023.
We have acquired several domains for use with our “ASL Aria” videos and “ASL Opera” performances — among them are AriaASL.com and OperaASL.com — which will point to our future projects. Right now, those domains forward to this article. 

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#ada #americanSignLanguage #aria #asl #culture #davidBoles #deaf #e4e4e4 #equalAccess #jannaSweenie #language #meaning #met #metopera #metropolitanOpera #opera #performance #reddit #sing #singing #theMet #visual

https://bolesblogs.com/2023/06/01/will-the-metropolitan-opera-allow-the-deaf-to-sing/

Decided to let a script do the color merging in the stylesheet and…

LOOK AT THIS SHIT I WANT TO CUT SOMEONE’S THROAT OPEN

Color #4a4c58 found 2 times.
Color #668cb1 found 1 times.
Color #dbdbdb found 29 times.
Color #f1d273 found 1 times.
Color #3f424d found 1 times.
Color #bfcc70 found 1 times.
Color #c2c193 found 2 times.
Color #505667 found 3 times.
Color #bababa found 1 times.
Color #9ebcc5 found 1 times.
Color #333640 found 3 times.
Color #434444 found 1 times.
Color #ff5656 found 1 times.
Color #cc8a61 found 1 times.
Color #2a2e39 found 2 times.
Color #dedede found 1 times.
Color #8e9ab3 found 1 times.
Color #4b5162 found 2 times.
Color #c2a893 found 2 times.
Color #353944 found 2 times.
Color #696969 found 1 times.
Color #353945 found 9 times.
Color #9daccc found 8 times.
Color #7d3434 found 1 times.
Color #5f8700 found 2 times.
Color #ef5e77 found 1 times.
Color #6a737d found 3 times.
Color #9a9a9a found 1 times.
Color #728e5e found 1 times.
Color #4c505c found 10 times.
Color #5b6e52 found 1 times.
Color #f9cbcb found 2 times.
Color #4b505f found 6 times.
Color #e4e4e4 found 1 times.
Color #5f3737 found 2 times.
Color #2c303a found 3 times.
Color #2d303b found 1 times.
Color #dbdbeb found 1 times.
Color #9d9d9d found 1 times.
Color #626773 found 1 times.
Color #313131 found 1 times.
Color #404552 found 13 times.
Color #5a5a5a found 2 times.
Color #383c4a found 7 times.
Color #9e9e9e found 27 times.
Color #7c9b5e found 1 times.
Color #87ab63 found 18 times.
Color #393d4a found 1 times.
Color #2e323e found 3 times.
Color #565454 found 1 times.
Color #3a3a3a found 1 times.
Color #984646 found 1 times.
Color #d07d7d found 1 times.
Color #af8700 found 1 times.
Color #7f7f7f found 1 times.
Color #475767 found 1 times.
Color #d8c792 found 1 times.
Color #c5cfd0 found 1 times.
Color #89ad69 found 1 times.
Color #2a2e3a found 7 times.
Color #d7d7da found 2 times.
Color #b7c951 found 1 times.
Color #a04141 found 3 times.
Color #3f4451 found 1 times.
Color #808084 found 1 times.
Color #313c47 found 2 times.
Color #a9a9a9 found 1 times.
Color #a77272 found 1 times.
Color #7058e6 found 1 times.
Color #3b4954 found 2 times.
Color #a0cc75 found 13 times.
Color #5543b1 found 1 times.
Color #ffb176 found 1 times.
Color #c79575 found 1 times.
Color #383b44 found 1 times.
Color #444f47 found 1 times.
Color #129c92 found 1 times.
Color #8a8a8a found 1 times.
Color #3a523a found 2 times.
Color #a27558 found 2 times.
Color #454b5a found 1 times.
Color #00bdbf found 1 times.
Color #636363 found 1 times.
Color #304251 found 2 times.

Decided to let a script do the color merging in the stylesheet and…

LOOK AT THIS SHIT I WANT TO CUT SOMEONE’S THROAT OPEN

Color #4a4c58 found 2 times.
Color #668cb1 found 1 times.
Color #dbdbdb found 29 times.
Color #f1d273 found 1 times.
Color #3f424d found 1 times.
Color #bfcc70 found 1 times.
Color #c2c193 found 2 times.
Color #505667 found 3 times.
Color #bababa found 1 times.
Color #9ebcc5 found 1 times.
Color #333640 found 3 times.
Color #434444 found 1 times.
Color #ff5656 found 1 times.
Color #cc8a61 found 1 times.
Color #2a2e39 found 2 times.
Color #dedede found 1 times.
Color #8e9ab3 found 1 times.
Color #4b5162 found 2 times.
Color #c2a893 found 2 times.
Color #353944 found 2 times.
Color #696969 found 1 times.
Color #353945 found 9 times.
Color #9daccc found 8 times.
Color #7d3434 found 1 times.
Color #5f8700 found 2 times.
Color #ef5e77 found 1 times.
Color #6a737d found 3 times.
Color #9a9a9a found 1 times.
Color #728e5e found 1 times.
Color #4c505c found 10 times.
Color #5b6e52 found 1 times.
Color #f9cbcb found 2 times.
Color #4b505f found 6 times.
Color #e4e4e4 found 1 times.
Color #5f3737 found 2 times.
Color #2c303a found 3 times.
Color #2d303b found 1 times.
Color #dbdbeb found 1 times.
Color #9d9d9d found 1 times.
Color #626773 found 1 times.
Color #313131 found 1 times.
Color #404552 found 13 times.
Color #5a5a5a found 2 times.
Color #383c4a found 7 times.
Color #9e9e9e found 27 times.
Color #7c9b5e found 1 times.
Color #87ab63 found 18 times.
Color #393d4a found 1 times.
Color #2e323e found 3 times.
Color #565454 found 1 times.
Color #3a3a3a found 1 times.
Color #984646 found 1 times.
Color #d07d7d found 1 times.
Color #af8700 found 1 times.
Color #7f7f7f found 1 times.
Color #475767 found 1 times.
Color #d8c792 found 1 times.
Color #c5cfd0 found 1 times.
Color #89ad69 found 1 times.
Color #2a2e3a found 7 times.
Color #d7d7da found 2 times.
Color #b7c951 found 1 times.
Color #a04141 found 3 times.
Color #3f4451 found 1 times.
Color #808084 found 1 times.
Color #313c47 found 2 times.
Color #a9a9a9 found 1 times.
Color #a77272 found 1 times.
Color #7058e6 found 1 times.
Color #3b4954 found 2 times.
Color #a0cc75 found 13 times.
Color #5543b1 found 1 times.
Color #ffb176 found 1 times.
Color #c79575 found 1 times.
Color #383b44 found 1 times.
Color #444f47 found 1 times.
Color #129c92 found 1 times.
Color #8a8a8a found 1 times.
Color #3a523a found 2 times.
Color #a27558 found 2 times.
Color #454b5a found 1 times.
Color #00bdbf found 1 times.
Color #636363 found 1 times.
Color #304251 found 2 times.

My go-to shades at the time were #202020 and #f8f8f8. Now it's #030303 and #e4e4e4.