Update 2024-03-27: Greatly expanded the "Samples" page and renamed it to "Glossary".
Update 2024-04-04: Added 5 million mid-2011 posts from the k47 post dump. Browse (mostly) them here.
Update 2024-04-07: Added ~400 October 2003 posts from 4chan.net. Browse them here.
Welcome to Oldfriend Archive, the official 4chan archive of the NSA. Hosting ~170M text-only 2003-2014 4chan posts (mostly 2006-2008).
I'd really love it if you all could find out some possible candidates for Phuture Doom members. A lot of the /r/deadmau5 users on Reddit really think that deadmau5 may be one of them, but there are many possibilities. What is really suspicious is how they got signed to OWSLA with less than 10 concerts and not even an entire album. They only had 2-4 songs released, and suddenly they're on a major label. Due to the fact that Skrillex and Porter Robinson own OWSLA, this suggests an inside connection. I'd really love it if you guys could find some information about who might be a member!
"We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once."
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), German philosopher
When Hollywood actor Johnny Depp appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on American television, he confessed to being terrified of dancing.
"I fear it more than anything in the world," he said, adding that he would rather "swallow a bag of hair" than dance.
He is not alone.
Many people feel anxious about dancing in public.
Often, this is because they feel that they do not know how to dance and are worried that others will look on with a critical, or even a mocking, eye at their efforts.
For many years, I felt the same way.
When I was a little boy, my primary school headmaster once stopped me, mid-boogie, at a school disco and informed me that I was dancing out of time.
He then gave me a public lesson in keeping to the beat that kept me off the dance floor until well into adulthood.
DANCING IS ABOUT HAVING FUN
That incident caused me some unnecessary stress in later life.
I came to dread social occasions where I might be called upon to dance.
But even worse, it meant that I missed out on a lot of fun.
Dancing is not primarily about keeping the beat or showing good technique - it is about having fun.
The great American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham once said: "Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion."
She was right.
Apart from my misguided but possibly well-meaning headmaster, nobody cares much whether you can dance well or not.
They just want to see you having a good time.
There are two kinds of dancers that I personally admire.
First, there are those who, through diligent practice or natural ability, can dance.
They arouse my admiration because they are skilful and look great.
Second, there are those who cannot dance, in a technical sense, but who put their heart and soul into their moves.
They arouse my admiration because they know how to live.
GRANDMASTER OF DANCE
About 30 years ago, I watched a television documentary that followed the British chess team as they competed in an overseas tournament.
I recall that the tournament organisers hosted a party to welcome the teams on the evening before they were scheduled to play.
The entertainment included a disco session, but this seemed to hold little interest for the players.
Most of them sat at the tables, huddled over pocket chess sets. All of them kept clear of the dance floor.
Except for one.
The player (I think it was the English chess grandmaster, Jon Speelman) stood alone on the dance floor performing a strange dance that involved holding his arms wide apart and swaying from side to side.
I was deeply impressed.
Not with his technique. Certainly not with his technique.
But with his willingness to stand there alone and simply "go for it".
I often think about him now when I am called upon to dance in public.
For me, he epitomises the true spirit of social dancing, which is neatly summed up by lyrics from the 1979 hit song by The Sugarhill Gang. Rapper's Delight: "Just throw your hands up in the air and party hardy like you just don't don't care."
Do you look up all the songs by an artists you like and download the one's you like. Meaning if I like a few songs by Tamar Braxton I look up all her other songs and download the songs I like by her. Or do you just download the songs you come across, or another way?The issue is if I do the first option I will not have enough storage space on my iPod. Which method do you use? Or do you use a different method?
That's almost a fairy tale plot how he found two obscure classically trained students from Russia who make gorgeous music and brought them to London to record an album, amazingly beautiful. Be sure to check it out if you like chamber music with strings and piano and female vocals. http://iamthemorningband.bandcamp.com/album/miscellany
Give your complete attention to the person you are listening to and make eye contact.
EFFECTIVE listening is active rather than passive. In passive listening, you are much like a tape recorder, but not nearly as accurate.
You try to absorb as much of the information presented as possible. Even if the speaker provides you with a clear message and makes his or her delivery interesting enough to keep your attention, your memory of what was said will soon fade.
Active listening requires you to empathise with the speaker so that you can understand the communication from his and her point of view. Active listening is hard work. You have to concentrate and you have to want to fully understand what a speaker is saying.
This active listening model forms the foundation for making you an effective listener:
Be motivated
If a listener is unwilling to exert the effort to bear and understand, no amount of additional advice is likely to improve listening effectiveness. So your first step towards becoming an effective listener is a willingness to make the effort.
Make eye contact
It is ironic that while "you listen with your ears, people judge whether you are listening by looking at your eyes". Making eye contact with the speaker focuses your attention, reduces the likelihood that you will become distracted, and encourages the speaker.
Show interest
The effective listener shows interest in what is being said through non-verbal signals. Affirmative head nods and appropriate facial expressions, when added to good eye contact, convey to the speaker that you're listening.
Avoid distracting actions
The other side of showing interest is avoiding action that suggest your mind is somewhere else. When listening, don't look at your watch, shuffle papers, play with your smartphone, or engage in similar distractions. They make the speaker feel that you're bored or uninterested.
Express empathy
The active listener tries to understand what the speaker sees and feels by putting him or herself in the speaker's shoes. Don't project your own needs and intentions onto the speaker. When you do so, you are likely to hear what you want to hear.
See the whole picture
The effective listener interprets feelings and emotions as well as factual content. If you listen to words alone and ignore other vocal cues and non-verbal signals, you will miss a wealth of subtle messages.
Ask questions
The critical listener analyses what he or she hears and asks questions. This behaviour provides clarification, ensures understanding, and assures the speaker that you're listening.
Paraphrase
Paraphrasing means restating what the speaker has said in your own words. The effective listener uses phrases such as: "What I think you are saying is ...". By rephrasing what the speaker has said in your, own words, and feeding it back to the speaker, you verify the accuracy of your understanding.
Don't interrupt
Let the speaker complete his or her thought before you try to respond. Don't try to second-guess where the speaker's thoughts are going.
Integrate what's being said
Instead of treating each new piece of information as an independent entity, put the pieces together. Treat each part of the message as if it were an additional piece of a puzzle.
Don't overtalk
While talking may be more fun and silence may be uncomfortable, you can't talk and listen at the same time. The good listener recognises this fact and doesn't over talk.
Confront your biases
There are "redflag" words that draw our attention or cause us to draw premature conclusions. Examples might include terms like racist, feminist or environmentalist. Use information about the speaker to improve your understanding of what he has to say, but don't let your biases distort the message.
Make smooth transitions
In most work situations, you're continually shifting back and forth between the roles of speaker and listener. From a listening perspective, this means concentrating on what a speaker has to say and practising, not thinking about what you are going to say as soon as you get your chance.
Be natural
An effective listener develops a style that is natural and authentic. If you exaggerate eye contact, facial expressions, the asking of questions, showing of interest, and the like, you will lose credibility. A good listener is not a manipulator.
