Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev.

A couple of photos from the “American kindergarten” series, taken by me over the last few days.

Reading about William Glackens, he’s an artist. He and his wife Edith Dimock (also an artist) had two children — Lenna and Ira. How surprised I was to learn that Ira is a son. And the name Lenna, it turns out, is a feminine version of Leonard.

Who is this advertisement aimed at?

Watching the movie “Elvis.” And here’s a thought that came to me this morning over breakfast. We haven’t finished watching Elvis yet, yes, it’s three hours long, but some expectations from the movie have already formed — to learn more about Elvis Presley. Is it worth watching the movie for this purpose? Here are some biopics that come to mind: “Blonde” about Marilyn Monroe, “Bohemian Rhapsody” about Freddie Mercury, “The Theory of Everything” about Stephen Hawking, “I, Tonya” about Tonya Harding, “Amadeus” about Mozart. Some of them stick closer to the real biography (like Hawking), while others are full of fabrications (for example, Blonde).

What happens is: they often create an alternative history, having an unknown intersection with real events and facts. It’s very hard to correct this initial impression by later reading a biography, as it already forms a mental image, and all subsequent information is viewed through the prism of what was already received earlier. For example, the movie “Blonde” starts with a scene where Marilyn’s insane mother tries to drown her little daughter in the bathtub. Or Marilyn’s polyamorous relationships with Chaplin and Robinson. This is what millions of viewers will remember after watching.

Then, a portion of the audience might become interested and start reading about what from the movie is true and what is embellished. But here enters the confirmation bias – the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses. Precisely those shaped by these biopics. And then try to believe that Salieri actually didn’t kill Mozart, and that most of the stories about Marilyn Monroe’s affair with Robert Kennedy are made up since no one was there to actually witness, and there are no facts.

Interestingly, propaganda works in a similar way. It’s very important what introduces us to a subject because everything that follows is perceived in a certain context. That’s why propaganda aggressively targets schools and kindergartens.

The little fox definitely knows how to keep himself busy. Suddenly remembered he has an imaginary friend in the corner (Watch with sound)

Started reading Brave New World. Well, reading as in what’s called close reading. Darn, it’s more complex than any 20th-century English books I’ve seen in the original before. Of course, the meaning is clear even without delving into bookish words, but I’m not only reading the book, but also trying to learn from it.

Take, for example, the first two pages with my comments. About a dozen unfamiliar words per page. So far, this is a record among the fiction books I’ve read in English.

Here is a list of words that seemed complex to me in the first chapters. Clearly, you wouldn’t hear these in everyday spoken language, and not even in work correspondence, but for broadening horizons, expanding vocabulary, and getting a feel for the language — why not.

soliloquize

callow

burgeon

prodigious

viviparous

largesse

solemn

predestined

caustic

posthumous

spasmodic

inculcate

aperture

maudlin

immoral

effusive

inscrutable

incongruous

axiomatic

renounce

simian

ruminate

incandescence

corporeal

mockery

asceticism

caste

cremate

imminent

satiety

abject

deplorable

repulsive

fulminate

What they mean — see the third picture in the post

Dog owners, share your experience, what to do when you need to work, but your dog brings a toy, places it nearby, sits down and waits. Waits. Looks at the toy. Looks at you. Back at the toy. Waits. Waits some more. And is very happy if you stand up and throw it to a far corner. But then he brings it back and it all starts again;) I could tell him I’m busy, but it seems that does not work. He still waits.

Educational

Unexpected windfall. 3 million taxpayers in Virginia received $250 each (or $500 per family) simply because the state had a good year and there were surplus funds from a program to support those affected by COVID. COVID is gone, but the money remained and they ended up earning better than expected

“Largely what has occurred is that the state over the last year was relatively swimming in money because of the combination of the fact that the economy did not suffer as much as some people thought during COVID and the state received very substantial dollars from the federal government as well,” said CBS 6 Political Analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth.

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/virginia-tax-rebate-2022?_amp=true

I’m thinking about upgrading my chair. When I was searching, I focused on two brands – Herman Miller Aeron Chair and Humanscale. But when I started checking the prices, I cooled off a bit. 1300-1600. Used ones in good condition are from $300 (offices often have clearance sales, almost new). But what surprised me — these chairs are literally everywhere. In our EPAM office, all chairs are by Herman Miller. Right now, I’m sitting in a hotel chair by Humanscale, and in the client’s office, all chairs are the same (no brand on them, but they are identical). It’s hard to believe that thousands of chairs for offices and hotels are bought at such prices, even with some reasonable volume discount.

Two questions — is it worth it? Are there better alternatives for three-digit prices? The idea is specifically to buy a comfortable chair for home, but one that wouldn’t have foam, padding, leather, but would have high-tech plastic and lots of adjustments. I really like the Herman Miller Aeron, but it feels a bit extravagant