She sat in front of the blinking cursor and felt the familiar sense of **[[dread->Next]]** as her ideas and thoughts drained away.
[after 3 seconds]
If she was feeling particularly dramatic this evening, she might even tell anyone interested in listening, that she could hear her heart beating in her chest. No one else was around though, so she remained alone with her empty thoughts, the blinking cursor, and the rising panic she felt.
[after 6 seconds]
"Perhaps I should take a break?", she mused briefly (dismissing the thought immediately). Deadlines were looming, tomorrow was arriving at an alarming rate, and she was still staring at her blinking cursor.
A rooster?
[after 1 seconds]
She doesn't know the first thing about roosters! Why a rooster?
[after 2 seconds]
Why **not** a rooster?
[after 4 seconds]
Indeed.
[after 6 seconds]
A rooster.
**It was always going to be the rooster, wasn't it?**
{embed image: 'rooster.jpg', alt: 'rooster'}
[after 7 seconds]
Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/Capri23auto-1767157/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3607868">Capri23auto</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=3607868">Pixabay</a>
Back to **[[thought-provoking]]**; **[[humorous]]**; **[[surprise->surprise her]]**
What an intriguing topic choice.
[after 2 seconds]
Truly, the reason you selected this this topic is because, at some point while developing this Twine activity, you've realized that Twine embodies many aspects of Bush's "memex". Isn't that correct?
[after 4 seconds]
I suppose she could write about the fact that any item in Twine, "may be caused at will to select immediately and automatically another. This is the essential feature of the memex. The process of tying two items together is the important thing....When the user is building a trail, he names it, inserts the name in his code book, and taps it out on his keyboard." (Bush, 1945)
[after 7 seconds]
Not to mention the fact that Twine has *trails*! Twine uses 'trails' as a way of describing the hyperlinks created between each passage (or *Topic*).
[after 9 seconds]
Hmmmm! The memex: not such a dry topic after all!
Still not sure? There's always the **[[rooster]]**!You may have read earlier posts this term about the author's dog, Doug. (That's correct: Doug the Dog).
[after 2 seconds]
Writing a first-person narrative about Doug would be a great idea for our author. Trapped with her huggable, squishable, yet anxious dog, Doug, has been an eye-opening experience for the author. Who knows? Writing about the experience of being 'trapped' with Doug might be cathartic! (Doug is lovely, but it's clear he was mistreated earlier in life...).
[after 4 seconds]
Not convinced?
Perhaps **[[another surprise]]** is a better idea?
(He *is* pretty darn cute though, isn't he?)
{embed image: 'Doug wants to play.jpeg', alt: 'Doug the dog, waiting for his ball'}Memes, eh? What sorts of memes? Memes as teaching aids? Along the lines of "To meme or not to meme"? This phrase was most recently used on the KQED website discussing the use of memes as a possible method for teaching media literacy skills.
[after 3 seconds]
You can read the article yourself here: <a href="https://www.kqed.org/education/531438/to-meme-or-not-to-meme-using-memes-to-teach-media-literacy-skills" target="_blank">To Meme or Not to Meme? Using Memes to Teach Media Literacy Skills</a>
[after 4 seconds]
I'm not sure writing about memes is our author's cup of tea.
{embed image: 'Not my cup of tea.jpg', alt: 'a dog looking at a cat in a kettle'}
Perhaps **[[another humorous]]** topic instead?It's been a long few months since we've all been locked away in our homes. What we need right now is some humour.
[after 1 seconds]
Well?
[after 2 seconds]
Any ideas?
[after 3 seconds]
Perhaps our author can write about heart-warming and humorous websites, such as Bored Panda, that lighten the mood when things feel rather dull, grey and downright depressing?
Click <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/funny/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic\" target="_blank">here</a> to read some of Bored Panda's uplifting articles.
[after 4 seconds]
When you return, I suspect you'll be suggesting a different topic for our (highly) stressed, author who is now *very* behind schedule: Shall we **[[surprise her]]**?
She wanted to create a piece that was thought-provoking, but she also wanted to create something humorous.
[after 2 seconds]
Right now, she'd settle for ANYTHING other than the Nothing staring back at her.
[after 4 seconds]
"If I can just decide on a theme or *feeling* I'd like to elicit in my readers, that would be a start!"
[after 6 seconds]
Heaving a great sigh, (at my convincing), she's decided to let **[[you]]** decide.
Ah, the thought-provoking option. Excellent choice. (It probably wouldn't be **my** choice, but perhaps you're feeling more philosophical today than I am).
[after 2 seconds]
Actually, that's not true. There is nothing quite like a thought-provoking article or story to get your mind working **[[first thing in the morning]]** (or at any time of the day, let's be honest).
[after 5 seconds]
And hey, sometimes we spend way too much time reading or watching frivolous things anyway, right? So yeah, let's go for **[[thought provoking ->Thought-Provoking]]**; well done!
The choice is yours: what will *you* decide?
[after 2 second]
Should she write something **[[thought-provoking]]** to encourage readers to reflect and dig deep within themselves?
[after 5 seconds]
Should she create something **[[humorous]]**? Something **so** funny her readers will be on the floor laughing?
[after 7 seconds]
Or.....perhaps she should write....something else. We can't seem to come up with a third option so we both agreed you could **[[surprise her]]**! That's always **fun** right?You've decided to surprise her with something cool, something AH-MAZING! How exciting! (And frankly, she's relieved. She's been the one steering this ship the whole time and she could really use a break! Thanks for making the **[[decision]]** for her).
The idea of a **[[thought provoking->Thought-Provoking]]** story first thing in the morning reminds me of looking out the window at my in-laws' farm. They have pygmy goats, an attack goose, chickens and one **[[rooster]]**.
[after 3 seconds]
Slightly related: there *is* a farm close to where I grew up (in Burlington, ON), where they breed and raise "fainting" goats. If you've never seen a **[["fainting" goat ->fainting goat]]** in action, you're in for a treat!
Oh! You're still considering a thought-provoking story?
[after 1 second]
There's just **one** *tiny* issue with this choice: *she* is fresh out of thought-provoking story ideas!
[after 2 seconds]
Perhaps I (your narrator, of course), might suggest a topic or two?
With your help of course, our author could write about Bush's **[[Memex]]** thought experiment.
[after 4 seconds]
Too dry? What about something more **[[humorous]]** then? I remember learning about "fainting" goats from my high school Calculus teacher. You could drive by the farm and watch them "faint" if the traffic noise was too loud.
[after 3 seconds]
The National Geographic video below gives you a quick glimpse of what life is like for "fainting" goats.
[after 5 seconds]
What a fantastic idea for a story! Our author can write about the genetic significance of the mutation causing "fainting" goats' muscles to seize when they are frightened.
[after 6 seconds]
That *might* require more research than she has time for though. Perhaps another **[[suggestion->Thought-Provoking]]** might help?
[after 7 seconds]
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f_3Utmj4RPU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>What are your thoughts? Where should we start?
[after 1 second]
Bush's imagined **[["memex"->Memex]]**? Really?
[after 2 seconds]
Or, a first-person narrative describing what it's like to be in quarantine with a **[[dog]]** for a shadow? Might be cool.
[after 4 seconds]
But.....a **[[rooster]]**? I'm not sure she knows **ANYTHING** about roosters. Other than the fact that they can be quite aggressive and scary. (They're also quite loud and obnoxious first thing in the morning, I hear).
[after 6 seconds]
This should be interesting. Shall it be: The**[["memex"->Memex]]**? A **[[dog]]** for a shadow? Or, a **[[rooster]]**?Not convinced that writing about Doug is the best option?
[after 1 second]
Well, there's Bush's **[["memex"->Memex]]** thought experiment that's paved the way for activities like this Twine *adventure* we're on.
[after 3 seconds]
Or...may I interest you in...the **[[rooster]]**?So, we've left memes behind, have we? Well, **[[humour]]** is still an option, or perhaps a story about the **[[dog]]** will do?Alright! Something humorous! This will be great!
Only, she's not really the 'funny' type. She has a great sense of humour, but, she's never written something intentionally funny before.
[after 2 seconds]
Where would she start? Perhaps a good **[[meme]]** to get things started? Maybe an anecdotal story about her **[[dog]]** might do the trick?
[after 4 seconds]
I've got it! What if she's not writing something humorous, rather, she's writing *about* **[[humour]]**. Thoughts?
[after 6 seconds]
.....There's something about a **[[rooster]]** as well, but I have no idea what that's about.
Your choice though, so on you go!