SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
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Member Expertise Sharing - Zoom Event
Love it! Can teach (text based) swearing in Finnish. Not really, but I'll participate as a student! :)
Sounds fun. I don’t know if I have anything useful to expound upon but I’ll attend if I can.
Wait (I got the notification for this thread before the posts in another thread that prompted it)! You think that *I* am a Zoom expert? Haha! I know some good tricks for teaching music on zoom, but I don’t know if that makes me an expert! Happy to share audio stuff anyway.
Sounds like a great idea!Likewise would most likely join as a student, since I can't think of any useful skills. Only obscure things like... rural Japanese folk dancing. Haha, or if Anna does Finnish swearing, I can prepare my TED talk: "Mel's Guide to Japanese Conversation using only "yoroshiku" and 5 non-committal sounds."
Great idea 😊Would love to join as a student.
Btw, I am a software engineer, so if you guys want to learn and know more details about something in that field, do suggest me. I’ll check if I have the knowledge about it or might learn it quickly if possible 😊
Good idea! You gotta learn some new skill during lock down.As for myself, maybe online scuba diving course? the only fun thing I'm certified for.
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Allison wrote: "that is fun Silvana! I should clarify, this is very TED like, the "lesson" world be like 5-10 minutes. no one would be expected to do hour presentations lol"Haha there's no way I'd do an hour presentation. The best thing I'd do would be to show you some pictures from my trips or youtube videos haha.
This is a really cool idea, Allison 😀Looking forward to seeing what other ideas people come up with to present
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Mel, I think that sounds like a LOT of fun! You an definitely do a sort of silly presentation about a conversational joke/trope, that's entirely on brand with this sort of sharing!
Silvana's got her 10 minute scuba presentation already figured out :D
Upanshu, is there an element of software design or programming that you think is fun, interesting, or easily taught? I think that could be a great addition!
I want three volunteers: you, you and you!
If there’s anything I would have expertise with that would be of general interest, I can give you a definite maybe. :) Something related to Excel maybe, since you mentioned that. That would be up my alley unless we’re talking about graphs, in which case somebody else would do way better with it. I can stumble through creating them when I need to, but my skills lie more in the logical/formulaic/algorithmic side of things and I suck at visual stuff. But I could do a tutorial on something of general usefulness like vlookups, or whatever people would find interesting and relevant.My work life is about to get crazy for the next couple of months though. I’m expecting unpredictable working hours and a lot of weekend work, so I wouldn’t be able to commit to anything until September or later. Which would be good, because knowing me, I would need at least 5 days to prepare for a 5 minute presentation with scary kind-of-strangers. It already took me over 23 hours to decide on the definite maybe!
So this question maybe is thinking too far ahead, but... I’m weird about sharing personal info, but it would also be weird to be called “YouKneeK" in verbal conversations! How have other people handled that, or am I unique in this matter? ;) I guess there aren't that many other people on GR who use a handle rather than an actual name. My first name isn't very common, so combining that with information I’ve already shared quite a bit such as my profession and my general location makes me uncomfortable. You have to understand, I once witnessed a cat going on a knick-knack breaking spree, so I’m in the witness purrtection program.
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I think September would be great! maybe we'll do a first run with the line up mentioned so you can see it and hear voices of those more comfortable with the speaking part, and then you'll have more time for choosing a name and making your presentation!
on the subject of schedules, it looks like evening eastern time might be best, as it seems our current interest is US and east of Europe. probably something like 9 pm eastern. who does that work for? are any days of the week better or worse at that time?
Youkneek, as I am a hardcore introvert, I feel your pain!
This is awesome! I’m an elementary school social worker, so unless anyone wants to make calming jars, virtual calming room, or participate in a social emotional learning activity, I’ll need some time to think on this.
Thanks Allison, Kay is a cool idea, that might work. I’ll give it some thought. I don’t have any nicknames, at least not that I’m aware of! Maybe I’ll loosen up about the real name if I have time to get used to the idea. When I’m on a normal schedule, 9pm Eastern would definitely work for me for whatever day of the week.Thanks Michelle! I’m a lot better at speaking in front of a group than I was in my younger years, but I have to feel well-prepared or I’m likely to spout incomprehensible nonsense. And things one can’t prepare for, like small talk and general chit chat with people you don’t know well, are of course terrifying.
So Ann, I’m not entirely sure what a calming jar is, but it sounds like I might need to learn how to make one this year! ;)
YouKneeK wrote: "Thanks Allison, Kay is a cool idea, that might work. I’ll give it some thought. I don’t have any nicknames, at least not that I’m aware of! Maybe I’ll loosen up about the real name if I have time t..."It’s kind of like a snow globe. When my students are having strong emotions (which are all ok to have) and want to slow down their breathing, increased heart rate, negative thoughts, etc… it gives them a visual focal point to focus on to help calm and relax the strong physical uncomfortable feelings.
Fyi- I use my middle name on here:-)
Well, if you don't mind a very tongue-in-cheek language presentation, I suppose I can offer up something of the sort. Sounds fun. :) I have a flexible schedule and keep odd hours these days, so I can work with most times.YouKeek, you go by whatever you want, darlin'! If you're feeling a bit apprehensive about public speaking, I agree with Allison that you can wait to see some others first. If you're doing an Excel demonstration, you wouldn't even necessarily have to be on camera, and can simply present by sharing your screen.
Ann, those oil-and-water toys are also nice and meditative. I'm definitely a fan.
It also sounds like if we're keeping the presentations short, we could potentially fit a couple people in at a go, so the pressure isn't entirely on a single person.
We haven't mentioned it in a while, but one reason I decided to participate in Virtual Book Club was so that if anyone else doesn't want to have their camera/mic on, they wouldn't feel alone. I only participate in the chat, and those who are willing/able to both follow the discussion and chat sometimes respond to my babble. Whatever level of anonymity everyone feels comfortable with, that'll be good enough! Of course we'd like to be able to recognize everyone from group, but we don't need to see faces or know real names! I don't remember if anyone has used their online (non-first) name only, but we do sometimes have people who only have a phone number as their "name" :D For me using my real first name everywhere is easy, because it's such a common name internationally, there is no way anyone could identify me by that alone. And of course on the internet, who even knows if it *is* my real name. Also, for *me* it's way easier if people do have their GR name as their Zoom name, because then I'll know who they are. So far I don't think we've had anyone I couldn't recognize, except for that one time with the phone number, but even using the same avatar as in group helps for those who don't have their camera on.That said, I am deeply uncomfortable with anyone knowing who I really am, so I definitely get it, and don't want anyone to force themselves into doing anything they're not comfortable with! I don't even use the camera when Zooming with my family, so absolutely no pressure on anyone to do that with a bunch of internet
(BTW I always see YouKneeK as Younique in my head, like Sonique, and logically it follows that your real name must be Yunia, since hers is Sonia.)
Whatever topics people decide to do, I think it'd be a good idea to give participants the opportunity to ask questions in advance. If there is a particular thing they'd like to know about. Like with spreadsheets, itll be so much easier to show how something is done if you can prepare it in advance, and not have to do it on the fly. Even if the question is "Please show step by step how to do [Thing]." Depends a lot on the topic though, but I'm thinking mainly about the original idea of using GR. Also for spreadsheets, I think it's important to ask what spreadsheet everyone will be using, because Excel and Google spreadsheets (the two most common ones) don't work the same way. If anyone is using something else, like an OpenOffice based solution, they'll just have to figure out the differences themselves I think.
And same for any GR help we do, either show how to do one thing on all platforms/versions, or show how to do all things on one platform/version, whichever makes more/most sense to whoever is participating. I think that'll depend on who attends, and that's why I think some questions need to be asked before planning the presentation. (I think all app users should sit through a desktop version presentation to see what they're missing!)
* The iOS app doesn't show strikethrough, so that'll just have to be confusing for those of you on the app :)
Anna wrote: "...(BTW I always see YouKneeK as Younique in my head, like Sonique, and logically it follows that your real name must be Yunia, since hers is Sonia.)..."Completely unrelated to the topic: that was an unexpected throwback <3
Also, delightful train of thought, Anna <:D
Sonique <3(Someone can do a 90's/00's music related presentation, that'll make this entirely on topic. And call it Y2K music so it ties into YKK.)
Ann wrote: "This is awesome! I’m an elementary school social worker, so unless anyone wants to make calming jars, virtual calming room, or participate in a social emotional learning activity, I’ll need some ti..."I want all of these.
Ann, that sounds very cool!Thanks Melissa. :)
Anna, that is a great way to do it. I’ve thought it might be fun to join in the Virtual Book Club on the rare occasions when I’ve read the book, but wasn’t sure I’d have anything to say or be comfortable saying it, so I was afraid people would think it was weird/creepy if I joined and then said absolutely nothing. :) I’d be more comfortable knowing I wasn’t the only one.
And there would definitely be no video camera turned on in his vicinity! I didn’t even think of that, actually. We do a lot of Teams meetings at work, but on my team we never use our video cameras even though we all know each other well. Just voice and/or screen sharing. And I would share my real name before I would share my phone #, yikes! The last think I need is all you crazy people prank calling me. ;)
Haha, I like the chain of thought that led you to Yunia as a name! I rather like that name.
And that’s a great point about knowing in advance what people want to see, and keeping in mind they may be using different platforms/software. It wouldn’t do a lot of good to explain how to do something and then nobody even has access to the software used for the tutorial!
Huh. Well, since no one else seems to be offering Zoom tech, I suppose I could do a quick presentation on how to set up for a musical zoom and then give everyone a mini-voice lesson (with mics turned off naturally!). Or maybe a demo voice lesson? 5 minutes zoom tech, 5 minutes singing. Do I have a volunteer? 😱
DivaDiane wrote: "Huh. Well, since no one else seems to be offering Zoom tech, I suppose I could do a quick presentation on how to set up for a musical zoom and then give everyone a mini-voice lesson (with mics turn..."volunteer for what exactly? singing?
YouKneeK wrote: "I was afraid people would think it was weird/creepy"Don't worry, by now they're used to (my brand of) weird and creepy! :P
YouKneeK wrote: "And there would definitely be no video camera turned on in his vicinity!"
Is this referring to Ernest? Because lots of cats and dogs join VBC, so I was already imagining an Ernest livefeed while you voice over about spreadsheets! :D
I would *definitely* join to watch someone take singing lessons from Diane!
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ETA: With the understanding, as always, that everyone's participation is completely up to them. you don't need to have voice or video on. If you're a presenter, I hope you'll have some amount of sound in your presentation, whether that's speaking or music on in the background while you go through a powerpoint or whatever, just for interest and to help in case anyone is visually challenged or we have bad signal or something.
I was fishing for a volunteer/guinea pig for a voice lesson. Everyone can sing along (with mics off), but you don’t get the full effect of what it’s like to teach music on zoom if it’s just me singing with myself a la Robin Williams playing both parts!
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January 2022 mod polls will be videos of interpretative dance (and song) with 30 books in each poll.
Haha! And Anna, you’re on! It’s more about the tech as it relates to teaching music/singing and not really about the singing anyway!
What?! No! I did *NOT* sign up for signing lessons! I already bought my ticket as a member of the audience! 😅
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Ooh now that I would be up for! Too bad ASL and well all the other national SLs aren’t the same :( I know some signs in ASL and some in Finnish sign language, but not enough of either to be of any use.And wow I managed a typical keyboard typo on the phone 😆
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Anna wrote: "January 2022 mod polls will be videos of interpretative dance (and song) with 30 books in each poll."Hahaha! Can't wait!
Diane, totally here for the singing/tech lesson! Hm, off the top of my head... I'm guessing not using a laptop microphone might help. 😅Sign languages would be fun! I've picked up a fair bit of ASL for my Hard of Hearing EFL students, but it's more PSE (Pidgin Signed English) without all the nuances of grammar. While it's a nice idea to have a universal signed language, there is a lot of cultural significance in the differences. It is fun though to discover signs 手話 and ASL have in common.
Are you volunteering to be the singing guinea pig, Melissa? I’m sure Allison would be relieved! I fully expect everyone to sing, by the way, but I can only listen to one person at a time, hence one guinea pig! I’m so here for an interpretive dance and song poll in January!
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If only I could teach how to insert inane comments into otherwise productive conversations.
Ryan wrote: "Barely interesting factoid: when asked to come up with the most radical manifesto I could think of, I included having sign language taught in schools as standard for all student ..."Ooh! If only this was the norm!
Anna wrote: "Ooh now that I would be up for! Too bad ASL and well all the other national SLs aren’t the same :( I know some signs in ASL and some in Finnish sign language, but not enough of either to be of any ..."Before you know it, Youkneek will give you instructions featuring Ernest signing!
Anna wrote: "Is this referring to Ernest? Because lots of cats and dogs join VBC, so I was already imagining an Ernest livefeed while you voice over about spreadsheets! :D"Haha, no, it was a typo. I meant “this vicinity” and not “his vicinity”. And I can’t even blame a mobile keyboard. :) Ernest isn’t always very cooperative around video cameras, although he does have his moments!
Michelle wrote: "Before you know it, Youkneek will give you instructions featuring Ernest signing!
He doesn’t bother with such things when he can glare so expressively with his eyes. ;)
I now really hope I’m able to attend so I can watch/listen to the singing lessons! (Nope, not volunteering!) I could undoubtedly benefit from the Zoom tech part too, as my primary experience is with Teams.
I thought I’d throw a couple tips out there for anybody whose presentations will involve sharing their computer screens, who might have privacy concerns.1. On Microsoft Office programs, at least with Office 365, your account name shows in the top-right corner of all the application windows. In my case, this was my first and last name.
Apparently there’s no simple setting to turn this off, but it can still be done pretty easily. I Googled and read instructions on several sites that all basically said the same thing, and ended up following them at the following link. It worked well for me. The instructions note that it doesn’t remove the profile picture, but if your picture is just defaulting the initials from your name, then those will automatically be replaced with a nice, anonymous, generic profile pic. I just want to emphasize that, after you make the change, you have to close ALL the open windows for the application and reopen it before you’ll see the change. If you have 5 Excel spreadsheets open, you have to close all 5 of them before you'll see the change in Excel.
https://www.addictivetips.com/microso...
2. On your Windows desktop, you might have icons with your name or other personal info you don’t want displayed. You could just remove or rename them, but if you want to keep all your stuff the way it is, you can temporarily hide them instead.
Right-click on your desktop, select “View”, then toggle off “Show desktop icons”. They’ll all still be there, right where you left them, but they’ll be invisible until you toggle them on again.
I'm on Windows 10, so I don't know if that option will be there for older versions.
This sounds amazing...I have no idea what, if anything, I could do, but I'd love to participate as an audience member. Especially stuff about Excel and Zoom, those would be soo helpful! I agree too, sign language would be really fun. I remember learning the ASL alphabet as a kid in school, but who knows how much I've retained over the years.
This sounds like great fun! I actually have singing lessons via Zoom, as my teacher is over two hours away, and they're great. (When the settings are right!)In terms of things I could offer: Um...Australian stuff. I'm a physiotherapist, so physio type things.
Leonie wrote: "This sounds like great fun! I actually have singing lessons via Zoom, as my teacher is over two hours away, and they're great. (When the settings are right!)In terms of things I could offer: Um....."
Physiotherapy is great, especially for us working at home too much and have to sit all day and look at computer screen. Count me in!
I had an idea. I think, given the age we live in, we ought to do a skill-share with our member-friends. First class would be:
-Basic Zoom
-Goodreads Group tools
But we can do so much more! One of my favorite things is a rotating knowledge share where folks with something useful and fairly simple share that knowledge. It can be technical knowledge like a cool thing about science or Microsoft Excel, or it can be something from your personal interests--I've had people show us how to make brigadieros (Brazilian fudge), the beginning of canning/pickling, and a reminder on how to merge into traffic, which was hilarious.
PLEASE NOTE. This is NOT an author workshop. We're not doing how to write a book/characters etc. This has to be something that has no self-promotional value because we are a social club, not a network/professional club.
What do you all think? Any interest? If so, any volunteers?