Hannah Georgas, a superb Canadian singer-songwriter, has released her new single Dreams. The song comes before Georgas’ new album All That Emotion, which has been produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner. The song itself is a majestic piece that slowly draws you in — making it a true ear-pleaser.
Talking about the featured song Dreams, Georgas states: “In my past, I have let my insecurities play into relationships and have pushed people away because I have felt like I’m not deserving of love. This song explores the idea of breaking down those barriers of insecurity and being more open.”
The article was contributed by Isabelle Foster. She works as a freelance journalist and technical writer. Concurrently she serves as an educational consultant and a senior writer at PapersOwl, one of the biggest online education platforms.
Writing a dissertation requires much time, expertise, and mental resources. Therefore, when the time comes, you may find yourself at loss to know how you can fulfill such a responsible mission as dissertation writing. Still, despite the stress, anxiety, self-doubt, and panic you may experience during the writing process, your dissertation is guaranteed to give you a lot of pleasant moments. The joy of discovery, ability to deal with challenges, and putting your expertise, resourcefulness, and knowledge to the test are only some of the bright moments you’re going to experience once you get down to writing one of the most important papers in your academic career. And though we can’t save you from making mistakes, we can offer some useful tips on how to write a dissertation more successfully and less stressfully. Check them out below.
Getting Started
With a big piece of work like a dissertation, you can save yourself a lot of time and bother by asking some questions.
Who is my dissertation supervisor? You should realize that you’ll need to spend much time communicating with your supervisor who acts as your mentor, academic consultant, and, ideally, your friend. He or she is the first person you should contact in the event of any difficulties or misunderstanding. So, you want to make sure you’re comfortable with your supervisor.
When is the final deadline?Procrastination is one of the worst enemies of students. Though there may be times when you feel like your schedule is falling apart, don’t let anything get in the way of your writing process. To submit your paper on time, always keep the final deadline in mind.
How is my dissertation structured? The structure of your dissertation may vary depending on your project, academic discipline, and even your educational institution. So, you need to familiarize yourself with the guidelines for writing a dissertation exactly in your field.
What types of sources should I use? The dissertation guide developed by your university will also provide information on what sources are considered appropriate for your project, as well as detailed instructions on how to cite them.
Choosing a Topic
It’s safe to say that choosing a dissertation topic can be as daunting as writing itself. Therefore, you need to select something that will sustain your interest and grip your imagination. Otherwise, you’ll get bored soon and won’t be able to adopt an effective approach to researching and writing.
The topic should also be manageable. So, avoid picking a problem that other researchers have spent many years trying to solve.
It’s also a good idea to start by thinking about the modules on your course. Is there an area of research that posed some interesting questions or that you really enjoyed studying? When thinking, write down some interesting ideas or tentative research questions that you would like to develop in your dissertation.
Create a Proposal
Once you decide on your topic. It is about time you got down to writing your proposal. Proposing to do a research study, we need to tell the reader what it is that we want to research. The main sections of your dissertation include:
Literature review. The idea behind academic empirical research is that no matter what topic you’re going to develop, chances are there have been plenty of people who already researched it. It’s also through reading relevant literature on a chosen topic can you know what has been done on your topic so far. And it’s only through reviewing relevant literature can you decide on a specific area to focus on.
Research study. Once you’re done with your literature review, you can define your research study.
Data collection instruments. Decide whether you need qualitative or quantitative data or both for your research and outline this on your data collection instruments section.
Planned data analysis. In planned data analysis section, you need to clearly describe what you’re going to do to convince your readers that you’re capable of handling available data properly.
Research ethics. You may want to devote a separate section to research ethics. This can be a simple formality or a real key consideration for your proposal.
Planning. Sometimes, you might need to put a planning chapter into your proposal. Here, you need to indicate a clear time planning for various steps involved in your paper.
Write and Revise
As the wise say, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Start writing immediately. Make it your rule to write at least 2000 words per week if you don’t want the writing process to last forever.
Once you’re finished with each section, go back and revise what you’ve written. Keep in mind that the sections should serve a particular purpose, but at the same time, link well with each other.
Hopefully, today’s article will help you put together a successful dissertation that, in its turn, will help you move forward in your academic career.
Though the term “virtual reality” still sounds like something that we all will have one day, this future is just around the corner. In very deed, virtual reality technology is applied to app development, and in this insightful review, we’ll demonstrate in what industries VR technology has already been adopted and share some tips on how to properly build content for VR mobile apps.
Let’s start with the basics. VR means a simulated environment that imitates physical presence in the reality. To immerse oneself in a VR world, a user should obtain a stereoscopic Head Mounted Display and a smartphone. You can find more information on how to build VR apps in this article. It’s a comprehensive guide with lots of superb tips to follow. Now, we are going to discuss what particular industries have already started using VR technology.
Overview of The Main Industries That Are Already Using VR Technology
You know that the modern world is constantly evolving and technology is also not bogged down. Very soon, VR will be everywhere. The below-listed industries have already started using VR benefits.
Traveling
The Ascape VR app is the best example that demonstrates the use of VR in this industry. The app enables users to go on VR tours to absolutely any world city. You can see monuments, visit cafes, museums, entertainment options virtually! Apps like this allow you to properly plan your future trips. But if you can’t travel at the moment, such apps are a superb solution to entertain yourself when you are made to stay at home in a post-pandemic world.
Real estate
VR is widely used in this niche. Moreover, it helps push up sales. It is used to organize 3D tours to demonstrate real estate properties to customers. This technology allows the representatives of this industry to sell apartments or houses faster because it provides a fully immersive experience. Simply put, when seeing the object that is offered for sale, customers feel as if they are inside the building.
Automotive industry
Ford has already started using VR technology to create 3D tours for their clients. This is a superb chance to test vehicles before you see them in real life. Overall, it’s a worthy solution for testing vehicles online and choosing the right car that will suit your needs best of all.
Education
It goes without saying that students of various higher educational establishments remember the material faster if they experience it instead of just reading. In such a scenario, the use of VR apps might be the best solution! Educational VR mobile apps enable academicians to immerse themselves in the culture of other countries, study the body, organize virtual trips, and much more!
Though VR technology gradually becomes more and more popular, it is still in the early stages of development. Very soon, VR mobile apps will grow into something incredible!
Tips on Building Content for Mobile Apps Based on VR
In fact, there are only two ways of developing content for VR apps. So let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Making a 360-degree video
This is probably the easiest way to create VR content. In this case, only a camera is needed to create top-notch content. To make a 360-degree video, you only need to have a 360-degree spherical camera. When choosing the tool, you should make sure it can capture videos of the highest quality. When shooting, you should keep the camera in a still position. A lot depends on the type of video that you want to shoot. In this case, there are a few solutions for you:
You can place a camera on a tripod;
You can mount the camera on a cameraman;
You can use drones to create footage.
However, you should bear in mind that the equipment will be visible in the footage. So you should hide it at the editing stage.
3D Animation
It is safe to say that 3D animation allows users to show something that is impossible to capture in the real world. 3D animation enables users to click on certain buttons and move around in a virtual world. Moreover, 3D animation allows users to take a closer look at some things as if they do in real life.
For creating 3D models, you need to buy a camera that can be affixed to your tablet. It works like a 3D scanner that can capture everything that happens in the real world and if necessary, it can transform content in 3D models. The Structure Sensor is the most effective tool to use in this case. Unreal Design or Unity are used for creating interior design or game development. But in such a scenario, you also need to have an Android-based device, a headset and Google VR SDK.
Moreover, if you want to build simple 3D environments, you can also use such tools as Maya, Blender, 3DMax, LightWave, Houdini or Cinema 4D.
Here are the main forms of 3D graphics:
3D modelling;
Stereoscopic 3D effects;
Computer animation;
Product design;
Graphic and motion design;
Visual effects.
Though this technology is at the pinnacle of success today, it is still not perfect. There are new challenges ahead. Nevertheless, the growing interest in VR opportunities means that all tech issues that may occur while developing apps or building content for them may very soon be solved.
Mikhail Vyrtsev, a Russian illustrator and artist, has over the years has created some superb, comedic-like illustrations that showcase not just his technical talent but also his thoughts and witty side.
Little under two decades ago, video gaming was often still regarded as something of a niche activity. It was typically viewed as the realm of PC and console gamers, and not particularly as a social activity. Then the mobile technology boom came, connecting people in ways that were never previously imagined, instantly turning video games into a hobby that everyone could enjoy, especially with platforms like Dailygame.
With more than 2.5 billion people worldwide playing mobile games in 2019 and almost $70 billion in revenue generated, gaming is no longer a niche industry aimed at a specific group of people. The target audience for games developers is now quite literally everyone, everywhere around the world. If you’re playing one of the latest top games from Toronto or Tallahassee, there’s a good chance someone else in Tibet or Timbuktu might be too.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular mobile games around today, after which we’ll conclude with some brief thoughts about how to choose a genre of gaming that suits your preferences.
The Sims
This game is already considered classic in the life simulation category, as it has a very long history of development. The game imitates nearly every aspect of life engaging a vast number of players. Sims statistics show that players are mostly women and that this game has the power to simulate human interactions and help in everyday life as well. The Sims has many versions, among which, The Sims 3 and The Sims 4, which let the players choose from and play how they want.
Fortnite
Arguably one of the biggest reasons for the success of Fortnite, aside from the addictive battle royale styled gameplay, comes with the fact you can play this game on quite literally anything. Even more impressive, you can jump from playing Fortnite on PC or console, and still have all the same assets available when playing from your mobile device. Access to so much cross-platform, cross-play action for such a sophisticated multi-player game; that’s just cool.
Poker
As one of the fastest growing online poker sites in the industry, 888 Poker boasts one of the most innovative and cutting edge mobile gaming platforms around. Designed entirely around the appeal of playing poker anytime and from any location, gamers can choose from a wide selection of instant cash games, sit and go tournaments, and even lay down their virtual chips in competitive scheduled tournaments, all from their preferred mobile device. Note: When the fun stops, stop.
Minecraft
Sometimes it’s hard to imagine that Minecraft was first released late in 2011, and that it’s kicking around still with such blocky graphical popularity. However, it’s fair to say the secret is in the sandbox gameplay that never gets old, leaving all the creativity and fun entirely in the hands of the players themselves. Even playing from a mobile device, the only limits to what can be built and crafted based around your own imagination.
Hades Star
Insofar as niches in gaming go, few have enjoyed quite the longevity as those based around conquering galaxies. There have been grand strategies themed around space exploration and empire building since the early 1980’s, therefore it’s no surprise to find Hades Star having become so popular on mobile heading into the 2020’s. Build your fleet, battle alien races and forge your own stellar empire; either on your own or in collaboration with other players.
Pokémon GO
Instantly becoming a worldwide smash when it launched in 2016, Pokémon GO became one of the most successful mobile games of all time, surpassing the one billion downloads mark in 2019. Based around augmented reality (AR) technology and gameplay interaction with real world locations, players can hunt for their favourite Pokémon characters, not to mention try a variety of other side-games and activities, thanks to regular updates from the developers.
Stardew Valley
If your first glance at Stardew Valley leads to thinking this is just a cute looking farming RPG, you’d be ever so wrong. Sure, the heart of the game is based around rural activities like growing crops and raising livestock, yet there’s a profound amount of depth to the game that includes all manner of crafting, interaction with NPC players, budding romances and even starting your own virtual family. Relax, kick back and play this endless game at your own pace.
Choosing your genre
For the most part, choosing which kind of game to play is entirely down to personal preference. Mostly we’re influenced by other forms of entertainment, such as music, movies, and literature, when delving into the genres of gaming we’ll tend to enjoy the most. That said, we can sometimes be drawn into gaming genres we might not have previously considered, simply because they offer more appealing levels of social engagement and interaction.
The best way to narrow things down first and foremost is to decide whether you prefer playing alone or with others. This will help choose whether your gaming experience is single-player and focused entirely on your own in-game activity, or alternatively, the shared multi-player experience in which you either compete against or collaborate with other players. Both have their own pros and cons, depending on what you’re looking for.
Many games are labelled by genre, which will give you some indication of what to expect. FPS will instantly tell you the game is a “First-Person Shooter” and violent action is the core activity. If you’re looking for something a little more thoughtful and mentally challenging, perhaps look for the puzzle or adventure genres, where exploration and solving problems give you something to think about.
Finally, and given that many games these days feature an overlapping mixture of genres, you could just dive straight into something you might never have considered playing before. They say that variety is the spice of life, which is certainly true given the huge variety of gaming options available to mobile users these days. You never know, you might just find yourself enjoying a genre of gaming you’d never considered before.
PC gaming is something that a lot of serious gamers do. You hear about it all the time. There is always some debate going on about whether gaming on a PC or console is better, and the answer is whatever suits you best. Whatever you prefer gaming on is going to be the best option for you, but in this article, we’re going to be specifically looking at PC, and how you can take this to a whole new level. If you want to find out more, keep reading down below.
Invest In Comfort
We highly recommend that you invest in comfort. You are not going to be able to sit and play for hours on end if you’re not comfortable, and if you can’t go for extended periods of time, then you’re not the right fit for a gamer. It’s important that you invest in comfort and to do this, you need a high quality, comfortable chair, a mechanical keyboard, a mouse mat so that your wrist doesn’t get sore, and a number of other things. When you start to get sore, your game is going to be impacted, but if you’re looking to take gaming to the next level, then you’ve got to do something about this. You can’t afford to have a sore wrist or neck while you’re in the middle of a game because it could be the difference between winning and losing.
You might think that it’s a lot of money to spend at one time, but you don’t have to do it all at once. You can purchase these items gradually and build up your collection, making it easier on your financial situation.
Get Rid Of The Lag
The next thing that you need to do is search for cheap windows vps so that you don’t run the danger of lagging. You basically own your own little part of the internet here, and it’s pretty cool to have, not to mention useful. As well as this, if you want to get rid of the lag then consider upgrading your internet. If you’re playing an online game, you don’t need your internet cutting out on you or dropping down every couple of seconds, and this is going to be no good. You’ve instead got to find the fastest internet available in your area and at the best price. There are a number of sites that will help you compare the best deals for your area, so make use of them.
Dedicate More Time To It
Finally, if you want to take your PC gaming to a whole new level, you’ve got to dedicate more time to it. Being the best doesn’t come easy, and you’ve got to be willing to work for it. If you’re not, then you’re not going to achieve what you want to. Whatever free time you have that isn’t spent with friends or family should go to gaming. If you think you’re good enough, you could even train to become a professional gamer rather than going to your regular job. This all depends on your skill level and the game that you are into though. Keep this in mind before you make a choice.
We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see how you can take your PC gaming to a whole new level.
On her latest album, Failures, Katie Malco lays her soul bare. But there’s also no denying that the singer-songwriter has expanded her sound since releasing Tearing Ventricles seven years ago,moving away from the stark, piano-led compositions of that EP to embrace grander arrangements, 90s-inspired guitars, and big choruses. Malco’s confessional lyrics are still at the center of her songwriting, but this time around the songs radiate a newfound sense of confidence following a long period of self-reflection that’s nicely accompanied by a more diverse musical palette. Where Julien Baker’s music was previously an obvious comparison point, Failures exhibits a more dynamic approach that evokes contemporary artists like Lucy Dacus and Mitski as much as it harkens back to a different musical era. Look no further than ‘September’, in which she revisits a song from Tearing Ventricles and transforms it into a soaring, transcendent mid-album highlight that tears right into your soul. From the harmonious folk of ‘Fractures’ to the driving pop-punk of ‘Creatures’, Failures is a riveting coming-of-age album that delves into themes of addiction, identity, and death with a searing combination of vulnerability and self-determination. “We’ll celebrate your life/ And I’ll celebrate mine,” Malco sings on the quietly hopeful ‘TW’. “While I’m still alive/ I’m still alive.”
We caught up with Katie Malco for this edition of our Artist Spotlight series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and give them a chance to talk a bit about their music.
When did you first start making music, and what was it that inspired you?
I first started playing when I was 4 years old, but I didn’t write my first song until I was around 13. It was a piano piece for Music GCSE and to be honest it was inspired by Enya. I picked up the guitar shortly after and started making music inspired by Alanis Morrisette, and then I started a Christian rock band. Really, it doesn’t get good until I was in my late teens and I started writing music for me, Katie Malco, on an old four track. That’s when I did my first EP, Four Goodbyes – four tracks, recorded on a four track, with only four instruments. Acoustic, glock, a snare drum, and a melodica. I listened to those songs the other day and thought it sounded like a child.
Who are some of your influences at the moment?
My constant influences are David Bazan, Death Cab, Joanna Newsom, Bruce Springsteen, Sufjan Stevens and Elliot Smith. But stuff I’ve been enjoying listening to lately includes Soccer Mommy, Kelela, Angie McMahon, Solange, Andy Shauf, Great Grandpa.
What are some of the ideas that went into the writing of Failures?
It wasn’t a conscious thing but once it was finished, I realised there was a very vivid theme running through the whole record – one of failure, and of picking yourself up and trying again. That’s all that life is, a series of failures and growth.
What was the recording process like?
It was very diffused to be honest, we started again a few times because we first tried to just record in a practice room, then in my flat, then in our first studio space, and then we moved to a different studio space a couple months later! So it took a long time to get it completed and a lot of headaches. To be honest it was a massive learning curve for us in that regard.
There’s a notable shift in sound from your previous releases. Was that intentional?
Yes it was intentional – I wanted the album to be different from what people might have expected from me, and I wanted to make the songs as big as they needed to be. I didn’t want to hold back, I wanted the emotional content of the lyrics to be expressed to their fullest in the music.
Do you have a favourite track from the album?
It honestly changes almost every day, I’m currently only really listening to Let’s Go To War, but I’m sure I’ll get sick of that soon.
What are your future plans?
We had a lot of touring planned which understandably has all had to be moved back, so currently, I’m recording an alternative version of the album and I hope that will be the next thing we release. And hopefully next year we’ll be back on track with touring.
Alison Mosshart of The Kills and the Dead Weather has announced a new solo spoken word album titled Sound Wheel, to be released on August 7 via Third Man. Mosshart has also shared a new song from the album called ‘Returning the Screw’. Listen to it below.
The album will be accompanied by a printed collection of paintings, photographs, short stories, and poetry titled CAR MA.
According to a press release, the album is about “America, performance, and life on the road. They’re about fender bender portraiture, story tellin’ tire tracks, and the never-ending search for the spirit under the hood.”
Mosshart explained about the making of the album: “There were some passages I struggled to get right, and I got in the practice of reading them out loud and recording them, to hear and feel where words or sentences were rubbing together wrong.”
She continued: “I’d listen back to these recordings and they’d be real informative to me in that way. This tool I was using to help me, started feeling like this whole other angle or art form. And I started thinking it would be interesting to perform/record the whole book, not in a straight up spoken word way, but more like a sound sculpture of characters and voices and miscellaneous cut ups, no rules.”
Mosshart’s first solo release under her own name was ‘Rise’, which dropped back in April.
The Killers have shared a new song from their upcoming album Imploding the Mirage called ‘My Own Soul’s Warning’. Co-produced by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado, the track follows the previously released singles ‘Caution’ and ‘Fire in Bone’. Check it out below.
Imploding the Mirage was originally set to be released back in May, but has since been delayed due to “delays in finalizing the album.” The follow-up to 2017’s Wonderful Wonderful will feature guest contributions from the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, k.d. lang, Weyes Blood, Blake Mills, and the War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. No new release date has yet been confirmed.
Last week (June 8), the alternative group performed a new version of ‘Land Of The Free’, changing the lyrics in response to the killing of George Floyd. “How many killings must one man watch in his home?” Flowers sang, “Eight measured minutes and 46 seconds, another boy in the bag / Another stain on the flag.”
J. Cole has dropped a surprise new single called ‘Snow On Tha Bluff’, his first new song in 2020 as lead artist. Listen to it below.
The track is in direct response to ongoing protests against systemic racism and police brutality, with Cole confronting his own role as a celebrity. “There’s a young lady out there she way smarter than me/I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times and I started to read/She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police,” he raps.
Fans have speculated that the lyrics are in reference to Noname, who has been speaking out against top-selling rappers and their silence following the killing of George Floyd. Following the release of the song, Noname tweeted “QUEEN TONE!!!!!!” in response to the lyric “But, shit, it’s something about the queen tone that’s bothering me.” The tweet has since been deleted.
Ever since releasing KOD in 2018, J. Cole has been teasing a new album titled The Fall Off, which has yet to be officially announced. Last year, he spearheaded the compilation album Revenge of the Dreamers III under his Dreamville label. He was planning to throw a Dreamville Festival this year, which was cancelled due to COVID-19. His last single was 2019’s ‘MIDDLE CHILD’.
