<unnamed>

Public Key

npub1vl94a4cxmklty2wq8waej7xj67rc2tvvenrzvl0xg7mhlf3ajg6qlqlt4e

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsx0j676urdm04j98qrhwue0rfd0pu99kxve33x0hny0dml5c7eydqpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qz9thwden5te0wfjkccte9ekk7um5wgh8qatzqyxhwumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmvlplr52

Publishing to

relay.ditto.pub

relay.mostr.pub

nos.lol

Last Notes

2026-01-20 05:57:44 CET

>> But why the praise from Moscow? Why the apparent encouragement?
It's because Russia has much to gain from the current situation.
Trump's fixation with Greenland, his determination to take over the island and impose tariffs on European countries that oppose his plan have put a huge strain on the transatlantic alliance: both on America's relations with Europe, and within Nato.
Anything that weakens – or threatens to split – the Western alliance is viewed by Moscow as a huge positive for Russia. <<
https://bbc.com/news/articles/c17zpvkddpzo
#DonaldTrump #Greenland #Russia #Politics

2026-01-08 19:09:01 CET

https://www.kbtx.com/2026/01/07/texas-am-philosophy-professor-ordered-remove-plato-reading-or-be-reassigned/
If in 2024 somebody had suggested something like this might happen, they would have been accused of hysterical scaremongering.
#USPolitics #USHigherEducation #Texas #TexasAAndM #Plato #Symposium #Censorship #Philosophy #RightWing #Universities #AcademicFreedom

2025-10-07 01:16:54 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…qwx8
I never want to hear the term "digital natives" again.

2025-09-07 16:43:45 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Sunmi – Blue! – It’s Live.
When this came out, I enjoyed the song but felt unwilling to post the MV, since cockroaches plague the part of Texas where I live and I am at war with them.
The indie rock style of the song seems ideal for live performance. But is “It’s Live” live? Any attempt to answer that question leads into a labyrinth,so I will resist temptation, take the label at face value, and just enjoy the performance while noting how pretty - as always - Sunmi looks.
https://youtu.be/CgAdp2F9h2E?si=P14EQe9WeroMVVzO
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Sunmi #Blue! #ItsLive
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-08-24 23:13:40 CEST

Louis Pasteur in his laboratory, 1885.
Image: Wellcome Collection -- Public domain.
#LouisPasteur #Microbiology #Science #PublicHealth #Food #Pasteurization #France #History
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/115/085/791/052/265/324/original/3f6453d0da9ab849.jpg

2025-08-24 08:35:53 CEST

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-in-school-south-korea-textbook-rollback-jobs-education-2025-8
South Koreans are neither alarmist technophobes nor unthinking technophiles -- all of us in education at whatever level or capacity should take note!
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Education #SouthKorea #EducationalTechnology #EdTech

2025-08-24 07:13:39 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Fifty Fifty – Take My Hand.
Uplifting pop rock from Fifty Fifty, produced as part of a campaign by the South Korean ministry of education to foster communication amongst students, their teachers, and their families.
>>Won’t you hold my hand, tell me I’m not alone
Tell me we’re together, will you walk with me?
Take my hand, ’cause we’re together
Take my hand, right now, right here, you and I
...
You can count on me
You can lean on me
You will never be alone<<
The members’ vocals convey such energy and are complemented so well by the rock instrumental.
https://youtu.be/VxHZFB1lsq8?si=3KAGHByLKyb5Amen
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #FiftyFifty #TakeMyHand #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-08-17 07:55:37 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…9e80
What prompted your interest in Transylvania?

2025-08-17 07:32:42 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…9e80
Thank you for posting this.
From a later period, but interesting nonetheless:
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jun/21/classicalmusicandopera-romania
I wish people would think of more than just vampires when they hear the word "Transylvania".

2025-08-17 05:50:25 CEST

🧵 1/2
NATURE -- Allegro Cantabile
https://youtu.be/fuYXtN_MaIg?si=eRfFchc4i8Ymd6M4
The other day @nprofile…t6lf mentioned the joy that Kpop can bring into the lives of fans.
One track that continues to bring me sweet and undiluted joy is this debut from Nature, a group that is, alas, no more.
Tastes differ, of course, and some will never enjoy "Allegro Cantabile" .
I wonder, though, if some westerners, encountering an East Asian cute concept MV like this, immediately dismiss it as "weird". After all, I might once have done so myself.
To allow prejudice to close oneself off from the singing happiness of Nature here would be such a shame.
So if you are not a Kpop or cute concept fan, put aside prejudice and give "Allegro Cantabile" a try.
If you don't like it, you will have lost less than five minutes of your time.
If you don't even try it, you might be missing a source of intense joy you will find nowhere else.
There's another reason this MV delights me. It is a Kpop version of ...
#Kpop #Nature #AllegroCantabile #CuteConcept #GirlGroups

2025-08-10 18:19:14 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen VIVIZ – Full Moon.
This song has been on repeat with me over the past week, so I was pleased to see this concert clip released. I do wish the song wasn’t quite so short, but I am going to adopt the “glass half full” attitude.
https://youtu.be/-_0VjHT5Ss0?si=Wd_-R68MFk_71mF2
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #VIVIZ #FullMoon #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-08-04 04:44:25 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Yena – Being A Good Girl Hurts – Play Color.
Amidst all the warnings that Kpop is in danger of westernizing itself into disappearance, along comes Yena with a release that not only conceptually but also musically exemplifies a Korean-Japanese synergy. I like it!
https://youtu.be/dIHBw_1u8Ks?si=2O2PWKJYEeof7_Nf
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Yena #BeingAGoodGirlHurts
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-07-27 07:19:21 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen STAYC – I Want It.
A fun summer song that doesn’t feel as though it has been abbreviated to maximize streaming.
I chose this stage because it doesn’t have that awful headgear they put on Yoon during the second half of the MV.
What do those who have had little exposure to Kpop make of stuff like this?
Although I’m always curious with regard to kpop about the views of who aren’t fans, in this case my curiosity was prompted by the number of times I’ve seen “I Want It” described as “100%” or “pure” Kpop.
https://youtu.be/KuhA74l7DM8?si=ljZJRrzwfmRkLGzS
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #STAYC #IWantIt #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-07-22 07:35:20 CEST

Calling Donald Trump "unhinged" lets him off the hook.
He's not insane or senile, but morally rotten to the core.
#DonaldTrump #USPolitics
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/895/244/319/174/142/original/e3b3c5c83ce134bb.png

2025-07-22 05:43:55 CEST

@nprofile…x0j9 and anybody else from New Zealand:
How well known is the composer Douglas Lilburn in New Zealand? Is he a household name?
DOUGLAS LILBURN: Overture: Aotearoa
https://youtu.be/iscthOw0vVk?si=HxJpKfD1aIwJJ5rP
#DouglasLilburn #ClassicalMusic #NewZealand #NZ #SOUNZ #NZMusic #AotearoaOverture

2025-07-21 03:26:42 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen VIVIZ – La La Love Me – Music Bank.
“La La Love Me” has me in its grip; it will almost certainly be one of my songs of the year. I don’t think I will tire of its combination of the dreamy, as heard in the opening and the verses, and the more hard hitting, as present in the chorus.
Last week I noted how much I liked seeing both the full choreography and the black outfits in the Studio Choom video. This Music Bank stage is my favourite from all the music shows. I like all the outfits, but have to say that Eunha looks especially gorgeous. The boots she wears here have heels rather than chunky wedges, so matching her height with the those of the others but without making her feet look oversized.
As I have noted before, Kany, their choreographer, has varied the choreo throughout the song. In addition to obvious standout moments such as the windmill movements in the final chorus, this stage features nine seconds (2:19 – 2:28) that have made a deep impression on me. As emotion surges in the vocals with Eunha’s “No more tragedy tragedy/You’re the world to me/ohoh…”, she makes a complex but unfussy series of arm movements as she shifts her weight from lone foot to the other, taking a step backward, thus setting up a gentle sinuous motion across her legs, hips, and shoulders. Turning her body, she extends her right arm high above her, then with a fluid movement brings the arm down, lightly running her fingers through her hair as she does so. As Eunha brings her hand down to her hair, she tilts her head , turns to find the camera, and so makes eye contact with the viewer, which she holds for a moment before half closing her eyes and looking downward. Complementing this dance movement is the styling choice to leave the shoulders bare, uncovered by either clothing or long hair. The synthesis of song, dance, and styling with Eunha’s blending of the sweet with the sensual make these few seconds a slice of Kpop perfection.
https://youtu.be/HeCKD7BeADY?si=i9VJO29FIB4OAdw8
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #VIVIZ #LaLaLoveMe #Choreography #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-07-17 04:52:33 CEST

https://www.compassonline.org.uk/progressives-must-unite-against-nigel-farage-and-national-populism-or-reform-will-win/
>>Whether Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, or Morgan McSweeney stay or not is now largely beside the point. Unless, and until, Labour develops a political analysis of the place of social democracy in the third decade of the 21st century, then changing the captain of the ship heading for the rocks is irrelevant – unless they drastically change direction.<<
#UKPolitics #Compass #NealLawson #Labour #Reform

2025-07-16 18:30:06 CEST

This thought provoking article is making me rethink my recent assertion that the Epstein files is distracting us from the 'real issues".
>>There’s an incorrect belief that the Epstein case is somehow separate from the real concerns facing America, a conspiracist concoction untethered to reality. But it’s actually about the policy issue I’ve probably spent more time writing on than any other in my career in journalism: the two-tiered system of justice and accountability in America, and the impunity we afford the nation’s elites.<<
Do read the whole thing.
https://prospect.org/justice/2025-07-15-jeffrey-epstein-is-policy-issue/
#EpsteinFiles #JeffreyEpstein #DonaldTrump #USPolitics #CriminalJustice

2025-07-16 07:19:21 CEST

It's Axis IPA time!
https://realalebrewing.com/beers/axis/?age-verified=42501a1cdd
#Drink #Beer #IPA #Axis #Texas
@nprofile…4als
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/861/229/255/709/371/original/ed47a0bd5546dcc4.png

2025-07-13 17:27:35 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen VIVIZ – La La Love Me –Studio Choom.
I liked “La La Love Me” the first time I heard it, and the song has grown on me more and more ever since. Consequently, I was especially happy to see that there was to be a Studio Choom of the song, as that channel, with its high standards of videography and freedom from visual clutter, provides me with Kpop in a form I adore.
This Studio Choom did not disappoint me. The song only gets better as we watch the dance; I particularly appreciate the changes made to the choreography in each chorus. The black outfits, co-ordinated but not uniform, both suit the dance and display the physical beauty of the group without vulgarity. I also thought the hairstyling and accessories complemented the outfits so well, and even found myself reconciled to Eunha’s platforms. Kudos to the stylist!
I love this video. Watching it confirms my passion for Kpop!
https://youtu.be/WJ_EJM5NT6E?si=KYiq_Err67BcOSW7
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #VIVIZ #LaLaLoveMe #StudioChoom #Choreography #PerformanceVideos #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-07-13 02:40:14 CEST

Pied avocet -- Recurvirostra avosetta
Although I have never seen a pied avocet in real life, I look at pictures and am struck by the pleasing contrast of the black and white in its plumage and the elegant curvature of its beak.
#Birds #Avocets #PiedAvocet #RecurvirostraAvosetta #Wildlife #Waders #WadingBirds #NaturalHistory
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/843/107/483/025/675/original/bc67f1d7bf3cb768.png

2025-07-10 05:52:00 CEST

>> “Don’t put your feelings on the internet” is universal wisdom … <<
Is it?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/10/yes-ai-is-getting-scarier-sometimes-i-need-that-loveless-machine-to-tell-me-everything-will-be-all-right-ntwnfb
#Internet #SocialMedia #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #SelfDisclosure #SelfPresentation #Sharing #Emotiions #Feelings

2025-07-07 04:32:12 CEST

At Walgreens earlier this evening I was taken aback when I discovered not only that the $7.00 shower gel was kept under lock and key, but also that the sales assistant had to take that shower gel in her hand and walk it to the cash register herself.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/business/walgreens-shoplifting-locked-up#:~:text=Locking%20up%20products%20is%20a,them%20to%20sell%2C%20experts%20say.
#Walgreens #Retail #Theft #Shoplifting

2025-07-07 03:27:11 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…2gcn
What a shame that your financial incentive idea does not get more support! It strikes me as quite different from involuntary commitment/treatment as regards civil liberties.
I was shocked to read that people are forcibly treated so that they can be tried for actions performed while delusional. That is both Kafkaesque and cruel.
Do you know if any medication to treat psychosis that is not accompanied by weight gain, tardive dyskinesia, and other major side effects is under development?
It must be such a challenge looking after your daughter. As one parent to another, I feel for you.

2025-07-07 01:54:27 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen H1-KEY – Summer Was You.
Last week I chose a summer song, fromis_9 – Like You Better, and this week I’m choosing another.
Both songs break with New Jeans sound current among many girl groups, and that change is good; it’s not that I especially dislike that sound, but the change has been refreshing. The rock style of “Summer Was You” and the B side “Good For You” really suits the group, and they always perform with such vigour, even when lipsyncing! I plumped for “Summer Was You” because I think it will stand up to repeated listening better than “Good For You”.
This stage appealed to me because the outfits are so suitable for a summer song. They are are coordinated without being tiresomely identical and unsuited for the diverse physiques of the group. I also appreciate the garments being free from the logos, lettering, and numbers which all too often create visual clutter.
https://youtu.be/nKQ7cQuUgOA?si=ysHfHOw7PWw0yv2Y
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #H1KEY #SummerWasYou #KpopSyling#GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-07-06 20:08:48 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…2gcn
Thanks for your response, which I have read with much interest.
Has the payment for receiving medication plan ever been put into practice, either in the USA or elsewhere? That strikes me a really good idea, although I imagine that some conservatives in the USA would object to it.
How much of the reluctance to stay on medications is a consequence of unpleasant side effects?

2025-07-06 18:59:32 CEST

@nprofile…2gcn
Hello,
I was interested in that line in your bio about being a policy advocate for those with psychiatric illnesses.
Could you tell me more about the policies you would like to see enacted? I'm not very well informed on these issues.

2025-07-04 00:32:03 CEST

Kerepesi Cemetery, Budapest.
If I ever return to Hungary, I will revisit this peaceful necropolis.
Image: Kerepesi Cemetery in 2007 -- Daniel Wessel -- Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported -- Wikimedia Commons
#Tombscrolling #Taphophily #KerpesiCemetery #Budapest #Hungary
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/791/641/344/549/186/original/b3d3588e95a3f2e6.png

2025-07-03 08:13:07 CEST

For lower division or survey courses, a return to pen and paper and in class writing might be the answer, but I am not sure what to about those courses that require research papers.
https://undark.org/2025/07/01/california-colleges-ai-detectors/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #TurnItIn #EducationalTechnology #Education #HigherEducatiion

2025-07-03 07:27:15 CEST

Questions for those Kpop fans here who mainly follow boy groups:
- Are there any girl groups that you make a point of keeping up with?
- Are there any girl group concepts you particularly like or dislike?
- Has any interest you have in girl groups grown, shrunk, or remained about the same since you got into Kpop?
#Kpop #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
Image: Announcing the winners of Mnet Queendom 2
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/787/639/483/887/431/original/8371a2f1ec88544e.png

2025-07-03 07:05:37 CEST

I've just been relishing the tartness of a bowl of White Mountain yoghurt, but I can see that a whole world of yoghurt awaits my exploration.
A Guide to Yogurt Around the World | America's Test Kitchen
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/taste_tests/2695-a-guide-to-yogurt-around-the-world
#Food #Yoghurt #Yogurt #WhiteMountainYogurt

2025-07-03 02:06:13 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…3s66
There's a nasty racial angle to these professions of Scots-Irishness:
https://thenewinquiry.com/hillbilly-ethnography/

2025-07-01 19:16:23 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…60lz
Thank you for posting this thought provoking piece. I often think about the best ways to reform this chamber.
Are you familiar with this 2023 report from the UCL Constitution Unit?
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution-unit/news/2023/mar/launch-new-report-house-lords-reform-navigating-obstacles
One proposal of yours I would in particular like to challenge is that of two year terms.
I think that the best scrutiny will come from experienced legislators. Although hostility to "professional politicians" enjoys a measure of popular support, it's worth thinking why right wing parties and pressure groups stoke this anger. Consider the United States, where Republicans and right wing pressure groups have continually pushed for term limits and shifting the power to regulate away from federal authorities to state legislatures (these legislatures often have a much less experienced and less well staffed membership than the federal congress). They know that inexperienced legislators are putty in the hands of corporate lobbyists; let's not fall for this populist rhetoric in the UK!
Maybe I'm wrong though; in any case, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

2025-06-30 20:42:02 CEST

@altbot is not working at the moment. I hope this unavailability is only temporary.
Does anybody know any other alt-text generators for images?
#altbot #Alttext #Mastodon #SocialMedia #Images #Accessibility

2025-06-30 00:10:15 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen .fromis_9 – Like You Better
What a difficult choice it was this week! I was so impressed by the ARTMS Club Icarus in Seoul mixset, and was also delighted by Hearts2Hearts performing “Style” in their pyjamas. Even after settling on “Like You Better”, I was undecided for a while about which version I should choose one of the stages, a performance video, or the the MV itself.
I eventually chose the MV, because I had felt so relieved when I first saw it. When I heard early this year that fromis_9 had lost members and was no longer with Pledis/HYBE I feared we would longer hear from them. These fears were hardly assuaged when I read that the five remaining members had signed with ASND, an agency hitherto unknown to me. I was dreading one of those low budget videos set in wasteland or a parking garage with a poorly recorded song. So I was delighted to see a well made video shot on location and even more pleased to hear this exuberant summer song. Even though I have liked the stages, I think that the second part of the chorus works better on the MV, and the video as a whole does so well at matching the mood of the song.
As a bonus, I have also learned from the MV that Thailand, like the UK, Japan, Australia, and seventy or so other countries, drives on the left!
https://youtu.be/r1QapH1SIAI?si=K0hTmfDfflRXZ7i9
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #fromis_9 # #LikeYouBetter #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-06-27 04:25:48 CEST

The BBC, for all its shortcomings, is one of the best online news sources.
Paywalling its content in a superpower poorly served by broadcast media and awash with misinformation, disinformation, and UScentric journalism is bad news for everybody.
BBC website in US launches paid subscription service
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2vgkn7w10o
#Media #BBC #USMedia #Journalism #News #UKMedia

2025-06-26 01:49:50 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…2gcn
Thank you ! I had no idea he was still alive.

2025-06-25 18:15:33 CEST

I quite often walk by the William P Hobby Jr. State Office Building in downtown Austin. It's a three building office complex designed by three architectural firms. From its completion in 1986 , the complex has been decried for its incoherence. I find the "pueblo revival" building (on the right ) 80s provincial pomo at its most wincemaking.
The water feature in front broke down repeatedly, and the complex was plagued by building service failures, flooding, and rat infestations. Now the unloved complex is surrounded by chain link fencing and awaits demolition.
I wonder how architects feel when buildings they have designed are demolished. The public destruction of one's design must be a blow to the sturdiest ego.
Image: By LoneStarMike - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11202645
#Architecture #WilliamPHobbyJrStateOfficeBuilding
#Austin #Texas
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/744/804/432/349/692/original/392b0ab26aeda548.jpeg

2025-06-23 02:44:55 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…pfh4
For the USA:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27668591
Even if you can't access the whole article, the abstract will give you the general idea,
as will this:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/america-beats-by-far-anything-said-the-ex-pow-95774757/
Here's one of about 25000 German POWs who chose to settle in the UK:
https://www.mirek-gosney.com/post/the-german-pow-who-stayed-in-berkshire
Here's a US Korean War POW who chose to stay in China:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Veneris

2025-06-21 23:29:07 CEST

Rejoining should happen, but will be difficult.
https://leftfootforward.org/2025/06/most-britons-say-they-would-support-rejoining-the-eu-ahead-of-brexit-vote-anniversary/
#UKPolitics #EU #Brexit

2025-06-16 22:20:48 CEST

I love seeing pictures of Kpop idols here.
Sometimes, though, I see a photo of an idol I do not know with no identifying details posted.
Could all of us Kpop fans make sure that when we post pictures of idols, we also post their names and the groups to which they belong?
Image: cat keyboard.jpg -- slava --
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 --Wikimedia Commons
#Kpop #KpopPix #Idols #Bias #KpopPictures
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…x9ng
@nprofile…kqg4
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/694/853/631/012/006/original/c12e72b4f3aeb6d4.jpg

2025-06-15 07:56:25 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen ARTMS – Icarus (Club Ver).
So many viewers have rightly pointed out the videographic brilliance here; I want to say that in addition to admiring that technical excellence, I very much like the music, the styling,and the choreography. All the members’ movements, gestures, and expressions combine gracefulness with the communication of a depth of feeling to make this an MV that impresses me as a serious artistic achievement.
https://youtu.be/D-w2HwG18vg?si=2qDH9QWIwrdUZe8e
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ARTMS #Icarus #Choreography #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-06-10 17:39:51 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…qwx8 @nprofile…r9dm
See this recent post of mine: https://c.im/@jemmesedi/114633183371986447

2025-06-09 02:14:37 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen USPEER – Telepathy.
USPEER, WM’s successor as girl group to Oh My Girl, debuted last week with “Zoom”. I’m afraid that song reminded me of what I didn’t like about early NMIXX. The B side “Telepathy”, on the other hand, won me over on first listen. Although the stylistic switching within “Zoom” is distinctively Kpop, I fell for the sweetness of “Telepathy”. Some fans have drawn attention to its Fifth Generation sound; when I heard them sing “telepathy” I was reminded of ‘Attention”. This stage’s outfits seem right for this kind of song at this stage in their career.
https://youtu.be/At3YRJ9vmoo?si=MC3l1eT9lhfG4aTw
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #USPEER #Telepathy #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-06-07 18:44:13 CEST

Technology corporations open a second front in the campaign to destroy US higher education. Note that the aggressors are getting help from campus collaborators.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/technology/chatgpt-openai-colleges.html?unlocked_article_code=1.NE8.hOlu.KkxMdqtOBI-P&smid=url-share
#HigherEducation #Universities #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #EducationalTechnology #EdTech

2025-05-28 19:37:52 CEST

Does the would be governor of Alabama actually live there?
https://www.alreporter.com/2025/04/24/tubervilles-travel-trail-points-to-home-in-florida-not-alabama/
#USPolitics #Alabama #TommyTuberville #Republicans

2025-05-26 04:55:40 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen H1-KEY -- SEOUL (Such a Beautiful City).
I was so pleased when this popped up on my YouTube. It's a great song, which Yel, Hwiseo, Seoi, and Riina look so happy to be performing here.
They were videoed at one of the many festivals that take place at this time of year. I'm not clear how one gets admitted to these events. Presumably the ones at universities grant preferential admission to members of their respective academic communities, but this stage took place at a "youth festival". How pricy are the tickets for such an event?
https://youtu.be/JMdeZkymoHU?si=lYWRIAKd2pzGTPZk
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #H1Key #SeoulSuchaBeautifulCity #GirlGroups #KpopFestivals
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-05-20 06:10:30 CEST

I hope that when June comes, Kpop fans here will post their favourite releases of the year so far.
Image: Heart or Favorites Flat Icon Vector.svg from Wikimedia Commons by Videoplasty.com, CC-BY-SA 4.0
#Kpop #KpopFavorites2025 #KpopFaavourites2025 #Kpop2025
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/538/188/829/180/558/original/d5e6fbbd6d833d7d.png

2025-05-20 04:34:16 CEST

Note the importance of the classical heritage.
Phallic symbols, bare buttocks and warrior poses: how physique magazines grew a cult gay following | Photography | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/19/physique-vince-aletti-magazines-cult-gay-following-bare-buttocks-phallic
#Physique #AthleticModelGuild #VinceAletti #Masculine Beauty #Photography

2025-05-18 06:15:47 CEST

🧵 1/3
Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Fifty Fifty – Midnight Special.
Earlier this week I posted about Fifty Fifty – Midnight Special, linking to the MV:
https://c.im/@jemmesedi/114503890533182088
!
Not that long afterwards, I was thrilled to see this performance video.
Both the beat and the vocals appeal to me, and watching beautiful idols dressed in black dance to a song I like delights me. But wait (do they still have infomercials with these lines?), there’s more!
Who needs stage names when you have birth names like...
https://youtu.be/MyS_ADgNR7g?si=wJH_Htyu7w2pqPv4
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #FiftyFifty #MidnightSpecial #PerformanceVideo #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-05-17 19:42:17 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…qwx8 @nprofile…ym7f
I was struck by this remark:
>>“We need to be clear that access to information is not the same as learning, and it’s certainly not the same as active learning and sustained learning,” said Nonie K. Lesaux, dean of the faculty and Roy E. Larsen Professor of Education and Human Development at Harvard Graduate School of Education. <<
This comment applies to more than AI. I wish school and college administrators had borne this in mind before buying - I use that word deliberately - into the "chromebook for every student" cult.

2025-05-12 01:16:23 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Chuu – Back in town.
This perky little song complements “Only cry in the rain”. I’m so glad that Chuu’s solo path has not been that of the “Seoul snoozer” ballad. I wish she had her hair in bangs for the MV, but I suppose we should just count ourselves fortunate for getting a second MV from the album. “Kiss a kitty” will, I suspect, never be given an MV, but if fan fantasies could be assigned viewing figures the numbers would be record breaking...
https://youtu.be/AwSeVU6ix78?si=K-LyWOSJ57vwbfmF
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Chuu #BackInTown
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-05-11 04:17:38 CEST

@nprofile…tpzx
#3goodthings
- Last night my daughter chatted with me at length about both the academic and social aspects of her life at high school.
- I had to go to the laundromat to wash some bedding and was dreading an hour and a half of noise from television game shows, car dealership commercials, and so on. How delighted I was when I discovered that the woman in charge today had not only switched the television off but put on Pandora Classic Soul instead!
https://www.pandora.com/genre/classic-soul/GE:130
- I bought mini ice cream cones from Trader Joe's, so everybody at home will be pleased!
#HighSchool #PandoraClassicSoul #Pandora #Soul #Food #TraderJoes #IceCream #Laundromat #Laundrette

2025-05-10 23:13:51 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…9e80
Perhaps some Heritage operative was triggered by seeing both the picture of Hayden and the phrase "equity of access" on this ALA page and so decided she had to be pushed out.
The amalgam of racism with hostility to public education, to the life of the mind, and to historic preservation is so revolting.
https://www.ala.org/winner/carla-hayden-0

2025-05-06 02:37:27 CEST

@nprofile…tpzx
#3goodthings
- Unexpectedly ran into a former colleague and his aunt. Had a delightful dinner with them at an Indian restaurant. I enjoyed my tarka dal and rice.
- Bought a pair of inexpensive comfortable shoes that do not look as if they have been made from old car tyres. Feet are in heaven!
- Enjoyed the "Ten Preludes for Piano" by Mexican composer Carlos Chavez. I'd never heard them before.
Carlos Chávez - Diez preludios para piano
https://youtu.be/WvQUr1v7HqM?si=FDjbbkdBAR3hQ_Yn
#CarlosChávez #Piano #Preludes #Shoes #SouthAsianCuisine #Food

2025-05-04 20:28:53 CEST

Jonathan Emmesedi @nprofile…f6n6
Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in Kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Hearts2Hearts -- Butterflies +The Chase Fancam.
The "Butterflies" video I was planning to post has been taken down , so I'm posting this fancam instead, which includes "The Chase" as a bonus.
I find Kpop RnB can on occasion be forgettable, but when it works for me, as it does in these two songs, I fall in love.
https://youtu.be/V9g6tyg38ic?si=q2U9H8ngX_vFy-As
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Hearts2Hearts #Butterflies #TheChase #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-04-27 22:17:53 CEST

Fun jpop, even though the group's name makes me think I am going to be served up some kind of metal!
White Scorpion -- Beach Opening
https://youtu.be/jrmNsY8iqzc?si=3FIo1foDdvfUDhlj
#Jpop #WhiteScorpion #BeachOpening

2025-04-27 22:02:03 CEST

@nprofile…pfh4
I don't know if you have already seen this notice, but it might explain what has been going on with images on c.im recently.
https://cdn.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/411/703/021/997/138/original/9c8a74cccccb1172.png

2025-04-27 21:45:06 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…837y
🧵 1/2
This page will explain what is going on for those puzzled by "British Pirate Alabama":
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1861-1865/alabama
#USCivilWar #CSSAlabama #ConfederateStatesNavy #AlabamaClaims #InternationalLaw #Arbitration #USUKRelations

2025-04-27 21:20:55 CEST

I've just finished Alfred Döblin's "Berlin Alexanderplatz". In spite of its reputation as a difficult book, it gripped me, and I can quite see why it sold well when it was first published in 1929. I was reminded of John Dos Passos' "Manhattan Transfer" and "USA' trilogy. Read it if you have any interest in modernism, modernity, cities, Berlin, crime, Weimar Germany, the world between the wars...don't read it if you can't deal with stomach churning scenes of violence against women.
My German is not and never will be anywhere good enough to deal with the original text, so I turned to the 1931 translation by Eugene Jolas. This version has been much criticised for its rendering of Berlin working class speech into the colloquial American English of the twenties, but that choice struck the right note with me. The Berlin of the twenties does seem to me much more like Chicago or New York than Paris or London - a city without centuries of history but bursting with the sounds of streetcars, boxing commentators, ads, wisecracks...the sounds of modernity. US English does seem to be the English of the twentieth century city.
I looked at the more recent and widely praised Michael Hofmann translation, which employs a vaguely cockney sounding English - perhaps I am being unfair, because I only read brief extracts, but I found myself thinking of Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins"!
Although the novels that Döblin wrote before "Berlin Alexanderplatz" don't sound like my cup of tea, I would be interested to read his tetralogy "November 1918: A German Revolution". Is a good translation of those books available?
Image: Mario von Bucovich -- Berlin --Kaufhaus Tietz -- Alexanderplatz -- 1928 -- Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
#AlfredDöblin #BerlinAlexanderplatz #Books #Bookstodon #GermanLiterature #Modernism #Modernity #Translation #November1918AGermanRevolution #MichaelHofmann #EugeneJolas #Novel #Cities #Berlin
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/411/377/862/061/423/original/c1cea5a0f5ceebbc.png

2025-04-24 06:29:03 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…pfh4
I'm also noticing that.
I've had spates of "Preview not available" before, but I thought it was just me.

2025-04-24 06:24:09 CEST

APRIL -- Doll
https://youtu.be/34jc3Mn0rpQ?si=nvMfEz1XuHX5GPQE
This track was released five years ago as a B side on the "Da Capo" album.
It's an e.one composition, and has a sound I love; I also adore "April Story", "Take My Hand", and "The Blue Bird", all from the magical combination of April and e.one.
Everybody looks good here, but I think Jinsol looks especially pretty with her bob, long sleeved blouse, and white skirt.
I'm also posting this because https://c.im/@JPK_elmediat and I have noticed there is a problem uploading images on the c.im instance. I wanted to see if it was possible to link to YouTube.
#Kpop #April #Doll #eDOTone #cDOTim #Mastodon

2025-04-24 05:48:55 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…pfh4
I've just tried to upload an image and got the "503 There is a temporary problem...." message.

2025-04-20 17:23:01 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…2gfk @nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs @nprofile…kqg4
I do follow @KpopGG4ever and take continual delight in their postings.
I have in fact just boosted one of kwon Eunbi's instagram images.

2025-04-20 16:54:59 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Kwon Eunbi – Hello Stranger.
Kwon Eunbi does this kind of dance pop very well, so I am not all bothered by it sounding similar to “Underwater”. I liked the colours and overall look of the MV, although I am not quite sure what is going on with the flute. Kwon Eunbi herself looks, as always, magnificent.
https://youtu.be/xQn_Jz2hKKs?si=3Bg8QEf_v58nC7ry
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #KwonEunbi #HelloStranger
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-04-12 21:52:33 CEST

How strikingly beautiful are the eggs of the southern cassowary!
#Birds #SouthernCassowary #Cassowaries #Ratites #Eggs
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/326/723/861/162/294/original/1a62c7380164b928.jpg

2025-04-06 16:16:19 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…gd7f
"Hydronym" is my word of the day. Thank you!

2025-04-06 08:51:23 CEST

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Solar – Want.
One of Kpop’s best vocalists delivers a stage brimful of performance energy. As well as sounding great, Solar looks on point from bangs to heels. Some have criticized the song itself, which puzzles me, as it seems an excellent vehicle for Solar’s voice. I don’t always love fan chants, but here they add to the excitement of the performance. All in all, a stage that fills me with joy and makes me happy to be a Kpop fan!
https://youtu.be/f2f3e-i0FlQ?si=P4ggzh6dBr77-heP
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Solar #Want
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-31 01:58:41 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
Here are STAYC in today's Inkigayo outfits.
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/254/093/370/442/109/original/c0dddee97c050599.webp

2025-03-31 01:56:24 CEST

- reply

@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
Contrast and compare with the STAYC -- Bebe stage I just posted:
https://youtu.be/1zKn_NtWO-8?si=rPjz-NWLkqjgGjii

2025-03-31 01:52:37 CEST

🧵 1/3
Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen STAYC – Bebe.
I’m not too sure about some of the vocals, but on the whole this is a piece of dance music I find most appealing. In spite of some significant musical differences, “Bebe” reminded me in both sound and looks of aespa’s club banger “Whiplash”; I’ll append a
stage of that song as response to this post.
I will also append a picture of STAYC in the outfits they wore for today’s Inkigayo. If I were to say which set of outfits I like better in general, I would pick those of Inkigayo -- Yoon in those gloves! – but I have chosen to highlight the Show stage because I think those outfits suit the music so well.
https://youtu.be/ETLu7WiAeUc?si=Ci_i2_lCB_cT3pgX
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #STAYC #Bebe #aespa #Whiplash #KpopStyling #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-28 03:15:30 CET

- reply

@nprofile…2gcn
I hope you and your wife enjoyed your meal; did you partake of the fries?
I have so many happy memories of eating with friends there, and it's within convenient walking distance of the excellent First Light Books:
https://www.firstlightaustin.com/
#Austin #HydePark #FirstLightBooks

2025-03-27 00:34:50 CET

If the term "Chuuves" warms your heart, watch this White Day video.
Note also one of the marvels of Kpop: idols are the only people on the planet who can still look beautiful while slurping noodles.
#Kpop #Chuuves #Chuu #Yves #LOONA #WhiteDay #Food #ChineseFood
https://youtu.be/DV23DOFUOgc?si=_g3hqy3a3lzM69V_

2025-03-24 04:46:58 CET

Who will rid me of this turbulent chick?
#Mastodon #Spam #FediverseChick #Nicole
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/215/335/525/573/199/original/692f2b507148be50.png

2025-03-24 03:41:40 CET

I've been posting a lot about Kpop recently.
This frequency was not my original plan when I started on Mastodon. In fact, I started #KpopOfTheWeek with a resolution to confine my kpop posting to this once a week schedule. By limiting myself, I hoped to achieve three objectives.
In the first place, I hoped not to swamp the timelines of people who follow me but who have no interest in kpop. I also wanted to put a ceiling on the amount of time I was devoting to idols, comebacks, choreo videos and all the rest of it. Finally, I hoped that forcing myself to pick out just one MV or stage each week would oblige me to discriminate in the best sense of that word: to make thoughtful and careful choices.
My plan for self restraint hasn't quite worked out; as the charmingly unidiomatic title of that excellent Twice song puts it, "I Can't Stop Me". I dread to think how many non kpop fans have muted or blocked me, and I do worry at times about the hours I am devoting to kpop. On the other hand, I have found that selecting just one YouTube for #KpopOfTheWeek and writing a line or two to explain my choice has helped me think more clearly about my Kpop preferences and has saved me from mindless thumbs uppery.
Aaah! I had to get all that off my chest. Now please enjoy the Twice Studio Choom!
#Kpop #SocialMedia #Twice #ICantStopMe #StudioChoom
https://youtu.be/vWAC8Wkt9ok?si=5EEllgTfr_xfrW8I

2025-03-23 04:35:51 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen ILLIT – Almond Chocolate.
So much Kpop has caught my attention in the past week that it has been difficult to choose a single song or stage. I ended up going with “Almond Chocolate” because I love the strings, synthesizer, and girl group vocals combination. It’s a song in the same space as early Lovelyz, and it’s a sound I adore. Just like almond chocolate, it’s sweet with a little bitterness too.
The song was originally in Japanese and will be used in a Japanese film. As I’ve noted before, we shouldn’t underestimate the importance and complexity of the Korea-Japan dimension in kpop.
I chose this stage because I like the coordinated but not identical white outfits. Minju (braid, skirt, long sleeves, ending fairy) is adorable!
https://youtu.be/DDzxfRX1FFE?si=8TJyRJFBO8ZU1-dJ
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ILLIT #AlmondChocolate #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-23 03:42:05 CET

I don't know whether to barf or laugh:
>>Witkoff, who met Putin ten days ago, said the Russian president had been "gracious" and "straight up" with him. Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".<<
Trump envoy Steve Witkoff dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine
#Politics #Ukraine #SteveWitkoff #KeirStarmer #DonaldTrump #VladimirPutin
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62zm4eqvp7o

2025-03-21 16:38:30 CET

@nprofile…2gfk
I enjoyed this Nogizaka46 release, and I thought it might be up your street too.
https://youtu.be/0SUhfOH3X_A?si=mDUkYQFPCnsNqbu2
#JPop #Nogizaka46

2025-03-21 00:18:08 CET

- reply

@nprofile…vadz
Years ago, I went with a woman to see at my suggestion "Diabolique", the 1996 remake starring Sharon Stone and Isabelle Adjani .
That woman has never spoken to me again.

2025-03-20 06:52:56 CET

I feel that I ought to be exercising self restraint when it come to posting Kpop, but I cannot resist this recent Hannam University festival stage of "Bop Bop".
"Bop Bop" is one of my favourite VIVIZ tracks, so I was delighted to see this posted on YouTube.
Eunha looks as lovely as ever, SinB's short hair hits the spot, and Umji shows yet again how beautiful she has become.
I often dream about an all night Kpop disco, with "Bop Bop" , GFriend -- MAGO, recent club/dance bangers from STAYC, Yeji, Chung Ha, and Hello Gloom, as well as older tracks like the magnificent KARA -- Mamma Mia...what would you put on the playlist? Boy group suggestions particularly welcome!
#Kpop #VIVIZ #BopBop #Disco #DanceMusic
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs
https://youtu.be/mD9f2jmzwNo?si=vMKM8oSkL_Hv8Wt5

2025-03-19 06:41:35 CET

I've just eaten one of my favourites, a bowl of plain unsweetened whole milk yoghurt.
I wish there were some central Asian or Turkic legend about the creation of yoghurt.
#Food #Yoghurt #Yogurt #Yoğurt #OriginStories

2025-03-19 01:10:52 CET

- reply

@nprofile…9e80
Were the second guy's slides filled with lots of text?

2025-03-19 00:48:27 CET

- reply

@nprofile…9e80
Shouldn't the chair of the meeting be putting a stop to this?
Sorry to hear you have to sit through this.

2025-03-17 05:34:35 CET

I wish it were easier to follow Bluesky accounts from Mastodon. Few of the people I want follow have made bridging possible.
Image: Photograph of a Blue Morpho butterfly (Morpho menelaus). Wingspan of the specimen is cca. 10 cm (4 inches). Abdomen was removed to prevent staining. -- Gregory Phillips -- Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 -- Wikimedia Commons
#SocialMedia #BlueSky #brid_gy #Fediverse
https://s3.c.im/media_attachments/files/114/175/879/658/424/077/original/871f809455d7fdc5.png

2025-03-17 00:59:08 CET

I'm so glad I am not "dating", because this use of spreadsheets seems like something from a dystopia.
My secret to dating in San Francisco is a spreadsheet
#Dating #SanFrancisco #Technology
https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/trick-to-san-francisco-dating-17446896.php

2025-03-16 04:50:35 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Le Sserafim – Come Over.
Let me make it clear right away that I don’t think “Come Over” is a song for the ages. I don’t even think it’s the best song on the album, as I found both “Ash” and “So Cynical” more engaging musically; “Hot”, as so often is the case with Le Sserafim title tracks, left me cold. No – I’ve chosen this “Come Over” stage because of the choreography, which is strikingly different from the girl group norm. As a bonus, the wave hairdos look good and Eunchae (fun fur top) unselfconsciously confirms my belief that she is one of the prettiest idols.
https://youtu.be/JtJwVC-s27o?si=uL5B5SyCZu3H8NJJ
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #LeSserafim #ComeOver #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-13 14:57:32 CET

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/12/us/mahmoud-khalil-trump-columbia-university/index.html
This removal to Louisiana and denial of access to counsel are the actions of a police state.
#USPolitics #MahmoudKhalil

2025-03-13 04:51:58 CET

I'm not quite so smitten with the 1980's as David Bailey is , but I do love his picture here of Naomi Campbell.
‘The 1980s turned out to be magic’: David Bailey on the era of excess – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/mar/11/the-1980s-turned-out-to-be-magic-david-bailey-on-the-era-of-excess-in-pictures
#DavidBailey #NaomiCampbell #Photography #1980s

2025-03-09 23:33:52 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen STAYC – Beautiful Monster.
Although this concert took place more than a week ago, this video has only recently been uploaded. The song itself is much older, being a title track from two years ago. I haven’t looked at the sales figures, but I do know that it was less successful than their previous title tracks. Perhaps STAYC were overshadowed by the emergence of New Jeans, or possibly the group’s breaking with the “teen fresh” sound explains the relative lack of success. I love it; like so many pop songs I enjoy, it has a bitter sweetness to it. Yoon has said it remains a favourite with the group themselves.
I find the song well suited to live performance, because the electronic aspect of the production not absent, but what stand out are the distinct acoustic elements like the guitar and flute. In addition, the vocals carry an emotional weight for which a live stage is appropriate. I remember criticism of Yoon’s singing, but I love her distinctive voice here. I also thinks she looks so stylish in those flared pants and boots.
https://youtu.be/UYxXwnqu3i8?si=gsvVpG6ExP2Cwxf3
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #STAYC #BeautifulMonster #GirlGroups
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-03-07 05:54:31 CET

I have all these ideas for Mastodon posts throughout the day, but by the time I have the opportunity to spend time here I am usually too tired to post that much.
#SocialMedia

2025-03-04 13:17:47 CET

https://youtu.be/Knty2mLzRG0?si=0PuoAory0MWA6Fpk
It's my birthday, so I'm taking this stage of "Crash" as a gift from the gods.
#Kpop #RESCENE #Crash

2025-03-02 18:30:15 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Hearts2Hearts – The Chase.
I don’t know how successful this debut has been as far as sales go, but online I have seen much unfavorable commentary, with words like “underwhelming” and “nothingburger” being flung around. On the other hand, some have fallen in love with “The Chase”, and I am of that number. For me, the vocal harmonies, the bass, the adlibs, and the bridge come together to create a song that is not dark yet still dreamlike, mysterious but not menacing...“I love the way you love the chase”.
To return to the business side – some have questioned the wisdom of putting out a song like this as a debut. I’m not sure; perhaps SM has enough company stans and oomf in general to pull this off. What SM will do next with the group, Naevis only knows!
I chose to feature this showcase stage even though the video quality is dodgy because I love the outfits, especially the cardigan tops. Jiwoo in the white, pastel pink, and charcoal grey combination looks adorable. With the bob, she was almost down as my bias, but then Carmen’s distinctive voice and looks won me over.
The outfits here complement the tightly synchronized choreography. Looking at Inkigayo today, I think the ending pose has been tweaked to prevent the awkward concealment of a member that so often happens with even numbered groups. I wonder why SM did not make this a nine member group. It would have obviated choreographic awkwardness and also given them the opportunity to internationalize the group still further, by including a member from Japan or China. Perhaps this inclusion didn’t happen because SM, mindful of Jessica’s unhappy departure from SNSD, feel that nine member girl groups are jinxed.
https://youtu.be/xtPO_fTX-es?si=k8NXvfHgJygQAYFU
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #Hearts2Hearts #TheChase #GirlGroups #SM
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-02-24 00:18:51 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen H1-KEY -- ♥ Letter
This was a B side for the comeback when the pop rockish “Let It Burn” was the title track. This stage has only been uploaded recently; I’ve never seen it performed before. I think they’re singing live – but do I really care? I might if I’d paid a lot to see them perform…
I can imagine Lovelyz singing this; it’s a style of kpop I find pleases me very much.
Riina , who is on the extreme left with the high ponytail, has been my bias, but recently I have been wrecked by Yel, who is on the extreme right in the black and white crop top.
https://youtu.be/emubOyOHYDo?si=0JBq15wx0bzeqSKp
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #H1Key #LoveLetter
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-02-17 06:49:26 CET

Every Sunday I look back at the preceding week in kpop and pick out a music video or performance that I have particularly liked. This week I have chosen Chung Ha – Stress.
This week I have been spoiled for choice with the Hanteo Music Awards, wonderful RESCENE performances at both music shows and fan signs, and some cute concept girl groups at the Music Chocolate Festival. In the end I decided to go with this Chung Ha Music Core stage of Stress.
Although “Stress” is hardly innovative musically, this lack of innovation will be a problem only for those who fetishise originality. For a piece to be original in form might be an aesthetic virtue, but it is not a necessary condition of excellence. “Stress” works as a well executed dance piece, and is none the worse for being generic.
Some of Chung Ha’s recent releases have not hit the spot with me, but this most definitely does! I imagine hearing it late at night in a club coupled with a Hello Gloom track…
This stage captured me because of its yoga opening, Chung Ha’s styling, and , of course, the choreo!
https://youtu.be/Mluq3_ThOVs?si=Z8YbuYX7ZjejL5iU
#Kpop #KpopOfTheWeek #ChungHa #Stress
@nprofile…v828 @nprofile…fpqs

2025-02-10 22:06:40 CET

If you are from the US and Brits are giving you a hard time for talking about "soccer", tell them to bone upon their own history!
https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-some-people-call-football-soccer
#AmericanEnglish #BritishEnglish #English #Soccer #Football

2023-08-02 22:33:53 CEST

#introduction
Hello! I'm Jonathan.
Although I've lived in the USA for many years, I'm a Brit who doesn't want to take US citizenship. I liked living in France but have to stay in America. I miss the NHS!
Soft left politics, still enraged about Brexit, disappointed with Starmer.
Books I've enjoyed recently:
- Henry James "Washington Square"
- Theodor Adorno "Minima Moralia"
- Joshua Zeitz "Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern"
Atheist with an interest in religion.
I drink huge quantities of builder's tea, but treat myself to Darjeeling from time to time.
I also enjoy Campari, IPAs, and White Horse whisky.
I listen to classical music, Kpop, and all sorts of other things too - your YouTube recommendations are always welcome!
Favourite food: quiche lorraine, Central Texas barbecue, smoked salmon. I miss roast lamb, Aero, and Bovril on toast.
#UKPolitics #USPolitics #FrenchPolitics #History #Philosophy #Literature #CarFree #MassTransit #Libraries #ArtHistory #LowTech #FlipPhones #ClassicalMusic #Kpop #Tea