Creative Writing Exercises -- Creative Writing Exercises for Craft No matter what stage you're at with your writing, it's always beneficial to work on craft and technique. These creative writing exercises target common problems and weaknesses. Switch Point of View Both first person and third person have their strengths and weaknesses; what works for one story may not work for another. This creative writing exercise will help you observe the effect of writing in the point of view that's less familiar to you. A Day Without Modifiers While modifiers -- adjectives and adverbs -- can add to a story, too many, or the wrong ones, can bog down your prose and lead to weaker nouns and verbs. Avoid Back Story Unlike the other creative writing exercises on this list, this one asks you to work in another genre. Listening for Dialogue Not everyone starts out with an ear for dialogue, but fortunately it can be developed, like any other skill. Description Creative Writing Exercise Who's the most memorable person you've ever met?
6 Ways to Hook Your Readers Although I consider myself an avid reader, I must admit I have a short attention span when it comes to getting into books. If you fail to grab my attention in the first few lines, I start spacing out. Most readers are like me. Most people don’t want to spend the first 50 pages trying to get into a book. Here are a few things I find annoying in the first lines of a story: Dialogue. The last thing you want to do as a writer is annoy or bore people. (N.B. 1. Put a question in your readers’ minds. “Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” 2. By starting at an important moment in the story, your reader is more likely to want to continue so he or she can discover what will happen next. “It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” 3. Description is good when it encourages people to paint a picture in their minds. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 4. 5. “They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet.” 6.
30 Useful iPad Apps for Business & Presentation Apple sold more than 1 million copies of iPads in the first 3 months. This gadget is definitely more than just a larger version of iPhone or iPod touch. With 4x the screen of an iPhone, the iPad’s display is ideal for reading and for presentations. In today’s post, we’d like to highlight some really useful iPad applications that might replace the things you do daily with your laptop or netbook. Full list after jump. Presentations KeynoteKeynote is the most powerful presentation app ever designed for a mobile device. CorkulousCorkulous is incredible idea board for iPad to collect, organize, and share your ideas that feel completely natural. Power Presenter This application is used for Presentation. Sadun’s WhiteboardTransform your iPad into a presentation screen with Whiteboard. Graph, Charts, Diagram & Statistic Analytics HDThe premier app for Google Analytics, Analytics App, now debuts on the iPad as Analytics HD! Idea BoardsA simple easy way to put your ideas somewhere. Planning Meetings
Apps in Education Methadone Methadone (also known as Symoron, Dolophine, Amidone, Methadose, Physeptone, Heptadon and many other names) is a synthetic opioid. It is used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive and reductive preparation for use by patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937, mainly because Germany required a reliable internal source of opiates. Because it is an acyclic analog of morphine or heroin, methadone acts on the same opioid receptors as these drugs, and thus has many of the same effects. Methadone is mainly used in the treatment of opioid dependence. A number of pharmaceutical companies produce and distribute methadone. Medical uses[edit] Methadone maintenance[edit] The treatment of opiate addicted persons with Methadone will follow one of two routes. In Russia, methadone treatment is illegal. Analgesic[edit] As of 1. Adverse effects[edit] At dosage levels[edit] Adverse effects of methadone include:[citation needed] Withdrawal symptoms[edit]
Cocaine Cocaine (INN) (benzoylmethylecgonine, an ecgonine derivative) is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant.[5] The name comes from "coca" and the alkaloid suffix "-ine", forming "cocaine". It is a stimulant, an appetite suppressant, and a nonspecific voltage gated sodium channel blocker, which in turn causes it to produce anaesthesia at low doses. Biologically, cocaine acts as a serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor, also known as a triple reuptake inhibitor (TRI). It is addictive due to its effect on the mesolimbic reward pathway.[6] It is markedly more dangerous than other CNS stimulants, including the entire amphetamine drug class,[7] at high doses due to its effect on sodium channels, as blockade of Nav1.5 can cause sudden cardiac death. Unlike most molecules, cocaine has pockets[clarification needed] with both high hydrophilic and lipophilic efficiency, violating the rule of hydrophilic-lipophilic balance. Medical effects Acute
Crack - Crack cocaine Crack cocaine ‘rocks’. Appearance and characteristics In purer forms, crack rocks appear as off-white nuggets with jagged edges,[3] with a slightly higher density than candle wax. Purer forms of crack resemble a hard brittle plastic, in crystalline form[3] (snaps when broken). Crack cocaine as sold on the streets may be adulterated or "cut" with other substances mimicking the appearance of crack cocaine to increase bulk. Chemistry In order for cocaine (in plastic bag at bottom) to be converted to crack, several supplies are needed. A close up of the "cooking" process that creates crack. Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3, common baking soda) is a base used in preparation of crack, although other weak bases may substitute for it. Coc-H+Cl− + NaHCO3 → Coc + H2O + CO2 + NaCl With Ammonium bicarbonate: Coc-H+Cl− + NH4HCO3 → Coc + NH4Cl + CO2 + H2O With Ammonium carbonate: 2(Coc-H+Cl−) + (NH4)2CO3 → 2 Coc + 2 NH4Cl + CO2 + H2O Psychological effects Physiological effects Addiction Health issues Crack lung Canada
Ecstasy - MDMA MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine) is an empathogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine classes of drugs. MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" (shortened to "E", "X", or "XTC"), usually referring to its street form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants. The UK term "Mandy" and the US term "Molly" colloquially refer to MDMA that is relatively free of adulterants.[3] MDMA can induce euphoria, a sense of intimacy with others, diminished anxiety, and mild psychedelia. Regulatory authorities in several locations around the world have approved scientific studies administering MDMA to humans to examine its therapeutic potential and its effects.[9] Medical use[edit] In the year 2000, Doctor Jose Carlos Bouso performed the first clinical trial of MDMA for use in treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.[16] Since 2009, two randomized, controlled trials of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder were published.
Heroin Heroin /ˈhɛroʊɪn/ (diacetylmorphine or morphine diacetate, also known as diamorphine (BAN, INN[4]) and commonly known by its street names of H, smack, boy, horse, brown, black, tar, and others[5] is an opioid analgesic originally synthesized by C.R. Alder Wright in 1874 by adding two acetyl groups to the molecule morphine, which is found naturally in the opium poppy. It is the 3,6-diacetyl ester of morphine. Administered intravenously by injection, heroin is two to four times more potent than morphine and is faster in its onset of action.[6] Illicit heroin is sometimes available in freebase form, dulling the sheen and consistency to a matte-white powder.[7] Because of its lower boiling point, the freebase form of heroin is also smokable. As with other opioids, diacetylmorphine is used as both a legal, medically prescribed drug (e.g., as an analgesic, cough suppressant and as an anti-diarrhea drug) and a recreational drug, in which case the user is seeking euphoria. Usage Medical use Oral
Sativa - Cannabis sativa Common uses[edit] A sack made from hemp fiber Its seeds are chiefly used to make hempseed oil which can be used for cooking, lamps, lacquers, or paints. Plant physiology[edit] The flowers of the female plant are arranged in racemes and can produce hundreds of seeds. A Cannabis plant in the vegetative growth phase of its life requires more than 12–13 hours of light per day to stay vegetative. In soil, the optimum pH for the plant is 6.3 to 6.8. Cultivars[edit] Broadly, there are three main Cultivar Groups of cannabis that are cultivated today: Cultivars primarily cultivated for their fiber, characterized by long stems and little branching.Cultivars grown for seed which can be eaten entirely raw or from which hemp oil is extracted.Cultivars grown for medicinal or recreational purposes. Pharmacology[edit] The flower of a hybrid Cannabis indica plant Cannabis sativa, scientific drawing from c1900 Chemical constituents[edit] Difference between C. indica and C. sativa[edit] References[edit]
Alcohol Ball-and-stick model of the hydroxyl (-OH) functional group in an alcohol molecule (R3COH). The three "R's" stand for carbon substituents or hydrogen atoms.[1] The hydroxyl (-OH) functional group with bond angle. An important class of alcohols are the simple acyclic alcohols, the general formula for which is CnH2n+1OH. Other alcohols are usually described with a clarifying adjective, as in isopropyl alcohol (propan-2-ol) or wood alcohol (methyl alcohol, or methanol). In everyday life "alcohol" without qualification usually refers to ethanol, or a beverage based on ethanol (as in the term "alcohol abuse"). Toxicity Ball-and-stick model of tert-Amyl alcohol, which is 20 times more intoxicating than ethanol and like all tertiary alcohols, cannot be metabolised to toxic aldehydes.[3][4][5] Alcoholic beverages have been consumed by humans since prehistoric times for a variety of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. Treatment Nomenclature Systematic names Common names
Indica - Cannabis drug strains Types of varieties[edit] Major variety types[edit] Relative size of cannabis types The two species of the Cannabis genus that are most commonly grown are Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa.[1] A third species, Cannabis ruderalis is very short and produces only trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and thus is not commonly grown for industrial, recreational or medicinal use. Varieties[edit] Ruderalis Lowryder Indica Sativa Variety naming[edit] In legal markets, such as in Amsterdam, competition puts pressure on breeders to create increasingly attractive varieties to maintain market share. Black-market Cannabis dealers sometimes falsely advertise their products as being of a certain strain to capitalise on that strains success or reputation. Testing[edit] Between 1967 and 1971, professors at UC Berkeley conducted tests on infants ranging 1 to 2 years of age.[6] The tests were predominantly inconclusive, yet yielded some positive results. Breeding new varieties[edit] Strains[edit] Indica[8]
GHB - gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid GHB has been used in a medical setting as a general anesthetic, to treat conditions such as insomnia, clinical depression, narcolepsy, and alcoholism, and to improve athletic performance.[5] It is also used as an intoxicant (illegally in many jurisdictions) or as a date rape drug.[6] GHB is naturally produced in the human body's cells and is structurally related to the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate. As a supplement or drug, it is used most commonly in the form of a salt, such as sodium gamma-hydroxybutyrate (Na.GHB, sodium oxybate, or Xyrem) or potassium gamma-hydroxybutyrate (K.GHB, potassium oxybate). GHB is also produced as a result of fermentation, and so is found in small quantities in some beers and wines. Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency is a disease that causes GHB to accumulate in the blood. Medical use[edit] The only common medical applications for GHB today are in the treatment of narcolepsy and more rarely alcoholism.[7] Recreational use[edit] In the US[edit]