+Apple Dapple redux
Well, that was years ago. The app went into hibernation, ..and some other stuff. Now, I've learned a few things here and there about educational marketing (education is the biggest market in the world, especially when it's free), network advertising (ie. renting ad space), and streaming. I'm giving Apple Dapple another go (this time sans coach/teacher April Appleberry, for now, and with a new name - 'ed'*). It's been re-branded from a pure origami platform (the lessons involved using paper-folding to understand trigonometric principles), to a standardized certifications preparation (including training) platform that will sit under my 'edUUe ("ed")' banner. Video🎞 content will be hyperlinked back-and-forth from a YouTube playlist (@LinkStarbureiy [subscribe now]). A student helpdesk utilizes Google Classroom (get a Google Account if you don't already have one). Typically, in today's over-zealous world of timely product launches, people always emphasize how "excited" they are. As any teacher can attest, curriculum planning is hard work, pupils can be rambunctious, and the pay could be better; hardly anything to get too "excited" about. But, I like to win.'ed' is the short form of 'edu'. Since the
jukebox is named 'UUe', I thought about branding it 'UUedu', but there is a domain (uu.edu) that points to a real university, so that was out. I then tried 'edUUe' (and it sounded cool voicing the spelling) before truncating it to just 'ed'.Note (+): I do not proctor exams. |
Realizing that there is lots of competition out there in K-12, college, and vocational training spaces, I'm "curious" to see what kind of a dent I can make this time around. Nothing will be sold. I promised myself that I wouldn't overtax anybody trying to be super-innovative here.
-- That's not to say that you can't count on machine learning being a huge factor in threading submitted queries. -- I simply want to see how far libre test preparation - mainly for STEM development / bug bounty programs / mathletics - can go if people know where to look (free or not, an education should pay off). That said, if you want to help out, donate some of your time and/or money. Thanks. 🐷tip |
+#Easteropera mixtape #1 - Eden's Cobby
Easter's overture is told in a series of stories |
Background
'Socks' is the streetname given to an understudy gangster serving in the illegitimate business of 'Theo/Roscoe' throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a Black male in his early-twenties in age. His chosen nickname comes from the irony that he (proudly) does not wear socks with his everyday attire.
These days, he has just gotten news from his girlfriend that they are to be expecting their second child, another daughter, in the coming months. Although he is usually a reliable companyman, he always resorts to / relies on his instinct and selfish ways in his business dealings, which makes him an untrustworthy person to a large degree.
He has been under the employ of Roscoe for approximately two (2) years, and has risen to the rank of lieutenant within the kingpin's organization. Keeping in mind that he only got into the drug game to make money and not friends, he prioritizes his life in such a way that his lifestyle comes first, then family, and maybe other extracurriculars down the line. In that order. Now with an expanding family, Socks wants out of the game completely; his plan is to do a few more jobs, collect his money, gather his family and then vanish.
A careless individual, he makes his living being 'that guy' who gets the dirty stuff done. He is not a nice person, having probably murdered 12-15 people in cold blood since being employed by the organization. We're learning now that he is also a thief. If he is to be successful in executing his escape plan, he’ll have to control his impulses, and also watch is back.
- Scene 1 {Eden's Cobby} -
[characters: Socks, Foot Soldier, d0x]-- Socks is alone, seated in a quiet place outside somewhere in the innercity. It is around mid-morning and he appears to be waiting for someone. It looks as if he is smoking a narcotic, but this could just as likely be tobacco cigarette. Someone approaches him from a short distance and they begin to converse. --
Foot Soldier: Uh.. Socks?
Socks: (looking up but not making direct eye contact) …Yeah.
Foot Soldier: I'm supposed to meet you -- (cut off)
Socks: -- What's your password?
Foot Soldier: 'zakee'.
Socks: Alright.
Foot Soldier: (reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bulky packaged envelope) Well, here it is. (he then starts to toss it before stepping closer to Socks and handing it to him instead) It's all there.
Socks: (nods)
Foot Soldier: I thought there were two (2) of you here?
Socks: That's right.
Foot Soldier: Where's the other -- (cut off)
Socks: The way this works is you deliver your bulk, and then pick up mine. (still puffing, he then points to a car at a distance) .. the black car over there.
Foot Soldier: Sario wants triple the manpower next time we have to make another move like this.
Socks: (making direct eye contact) I don't give a fuck about what Sario wants!
Foot Soldier: Tell that shit to Roscoe.
Socks: (chuckles)
Foot Soldier: Sario's concerned about Roz's call to axe that family last week without notice.
Socks: It wasn't Roscoe's call. He knew a little too much, .. our names, faces. (litters by flicking the butt of what he was puffing on)
Foot Soldier: Execution-style? Man, if that was you, somebody's got to let us know because Sario's the connect for that side of Olney.
Socks: Somebody did just let you know.
Foot Soldier: You work alone?
Socks: (pulls gun from under jacket and places it on bench next to him) Nope. Like I said, there are two of us.
Foot Soldier: Okay. (short pause) Looks like we're finished here. (begins to walk from where he came) Behind the back tire, right?
Socks: Yeah.
The Foot Soldier makes it to the car parked about seventy (70) yards away. Just as he searches for the suspected package in question, he is shot from behind. Minutes later, Socks makes a call to d0x, the organization’s technician and business intelligence, presumably to inform him of the ongoings. The actual meeting took place at 9:00am local time, but Socks told his superiors that it was scheduled for 9:30am.
Socks: (leaning on the side of his car after putting the wounded body of the Foot Soldier in the trunk) Hey, they never showed.
d0x: What?!
Socks: I've been here for like five (5) minutes. This was only supposed to be a one-minute deal. These people are making me nervous, man. I don't even know if we can trust this Mario motherfucker!
d0x: Hm. This is twice this month.
Socks: Did you give him the right place?
d0x: Yes! Coordinates back in Cobbs Creek, like we said.
Socks: Well, the motherfucker ain't here! This could be some sort of an ambush or something. I'm moving out.
d0x: Meet at the barbershop on 38th & Lansdowne.
Socks: Bet. I'm going to grab something to eat. I'll be there in twenty (20).
d0x: Make it ten (10).
Socks closes the call, opens his driver-side door, gets in the car, and drives off. We are to believe that he killed the Foot Soldier, placed his dead body in the trunk, and has stolen the loot.- End Scene 1 {Eden's Cobby} -
(see also #Easteropera mixtape #2)
+Goodbye to a hero, Stan Lee (dedication)
It's not everyday that you get to live-witness the career of someone who truly enriched the world, but that's exactly what I got to see with Stan Lee and his work.
I usually don't pick favorites, but I have, on more than one occasion, found myself asking who would've won in certain hypothetical battles (Hulk vs. Superman is a good one that comes to mind, btw, X-Men would totally mop the floor with The Avengers😉). The truth is, I really don't have to; just being able to be have that conversation should be an honor in itself. Letting yourself get lost in such ludicrous discussions just because is a great thing. We have the folks at Marvel Comics/Entertainment to thank for that, and Mr. Stan Lee, in particular.
One thing I'm really happy about is that he got to see his ideas brought to life on the big screen. It's one thing to flesh something out on paper with ink and lead. It's another thing to have talented animators, cinematographers, and a cast of professional actors portray your characters pretty much as you imagined -- decades prior. In my opinion, that's the equivalent of winning the Nobel Prize in your later years (something that I never agreed with. If you deserve it, the Committee should just give it. Why wait, you know?). I'm also really happy that he was honored with cameo slots in pretty much all of those movies. It goes without saying that Mr. Lee and his iconic creations have been - and likely will remain - a respected exponent in what it means to pursue your dreams and live up to your potential.
Thank you, sir,
I usually don't pick favorites, but I have, on more than one occasion, found myself asking who would've won in certain hypothetical battles (Hulk vs. Superman is a good one that comes to mind, btw, X-Men would totally mop the floor with The Avengers😉). The truth is, I really don't have to; just being able to be have that conversation should be an honor in itself. Letting yourself get lost in such ludicrous discussions just because is a great thing. We have the folks at Marvel Comics/Entertainment to thank for that, and Mr. Stan Lee, in particular.
One thing I'm really happy about is that he got to see his ideas brought to life on the big screen. It's one thing to flesh something out on paper with ink and lead. It's another thing to have talented animators, cinematographers, and a cast of professional actors portray your characters pretty much as you imagined -- decades prior. In my opinion, that's the equivalent of winning the Nobel Prize in your later years (something that I never agreed with. If you deserve it, the Committee should just give it. Why wait, you know?). I'm also really happy that he was honored with cameo slots in pretty much all of those movies. It goes without saying that Mr. Lee and his iconic creations have been - and likely will remain - a respected exponent in what it means to pursue your dreams and live up to your potential.
Thank you, sir,
+Brock Vickers as🎭 'Gunyo Gruber' in Easter
Gruber.
Yes, that Gruber. The infamous villain from The Detective series (especially, Nothing Lasts Forever, where he is better known as 'Hans Gruber'), who became a household name in the movie, Die Hard (1988), after being played impeccably by Alan Rickman.
Fast-forward. New time. New interpretation. New actor.
Brock Vickers[a] will bring his acting chops and athletic background (he was a former collegiate baseball player) to the role of Gunyo 'Little Gun' Gruber in my opera, Easter. Let's keep our fingers crossed in hoping that we make Roderick Thorp proud.
We know that (according to the literature), despite his gruesome exterior, Gruber did what he did (perhaps not in the manner that he did it) because he was a freedom fighter. Ironically, he attacked the Klaxon corporation because he thought - thanks to his independent leftist leanings - that the company wasn't doing enough to help the less fortunate in the South American country from which it was exploiting. In that sense, he (as the leader of a terrorist group) was a self-proclaimed Robin Hood.
Our first encounter with Gruber comes in Die, Detective!, where he is a Pinkerton contractor working for shipping magnate, Maundy Lindros, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Normally, Maundy wouldn't need the services of someone like a Gruber, who is a versatile mercenary employed by her business to head general counsel as she battles legal difficulties put forth by the incoming competitor, Canaan Dusk and his company, Nile, LLC, because she's made due just fine these past forty years with smart management to her credit. But the days are no longer quotidian. This is the first time in her career that Maundy has had to operate from a position of apparent weakness - a challenge she does not relish by any means - as she engages with her longtime political rival, Ember Libitina, in the civic sphere.
Some call him "Little Gun", even though he stands 6'3''. He's nice when he has to be, the jobs call for it. Just know that Gruber is a dangerous thirty (30) year-old German-born double agent for the IDF. He was hired to do a job - and he'll do it well - but can he really outmaneuver Ms. Lindros at her own game? We have five (5) chords to do a character study and learn his fate, as Gruber starts out as a lightweight, but becomes a major player by ChordH of the opera.
Yes, that Gruber. The infamous villain from The Detective series (especially, Nothing Lasts Forever, where he is better known as 'Hans Gruber'), who became a household name in the movie, Die Hard (1988), after being played impeccably by Alan Rickman.
Fast-forward. New time. New interpretation. New actor.
Brock Vickers[a] will bring his acting chops and athletic background (he was a former collegiate baseball player) to the role of Gunyo 'Little Gun' Gruber in my opera, Easter. Let's keep our fingers crossed in hoping that we make Roderick Thorp proud.We know that (according to the literature), despite his gruesome exterior, Gruber did what he did (perhaps not in the manner that he did it) because he was a freedom fighter. Ironically, he attacked the Klaxon corporation because he thought - thanks to his independent leftist leanings - that the company wasn't doing enough to help the less fortunate in the South American country from which it was exploiting. In that sense, he (as the leader of a terrorist group) was a self-proclaimed Robin Hood.
Our first encounter with Gruber comes in Die, Detective!, where he is a Pinkerton contractor working for shipping magnate, Maundy Lindros, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Normally, Maundy wouldn't need the services of someone like a Gruber, who is a versatile mercenary employed by her business to head general counsel as she battles legal difficulties put forth by the incoming competitor, Canaan Dusk and his company, Nile, LLC, because she's made due just fine these past forty years with smart management to her credit. But the days are no longer quotidian. This is the first time in her career that Maundy has had to operate from a position of apparent weakness - a challenge she does not relish by any means - as she engages with her longtime political rival, Ember Libitina, in the civic sphere.
Some call him "Little Gun", even though he stands 6'3''. He's nice when he has to be, the jobs call for it. Just know that Gruber is a dangerous thirty (30) year-old German-born double agent for the IDF. He was hired to do a job - and he'll do it well - but can he really outmaneuver Ms. Lindros at her own game? We have five (5) chords to do a character study and learn his fate, as Gruber starts out as a lightweight, but becomes a major player by ChordH of the opera.
