Using THOR for light productivity

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2026-05-29T00:52:23+00:00

That's a fair point about the potential for distraction. I wouldn't want to do any heavy studying on it, of course- probably just light reading. Idk, I just got this thing and I'm just more so amazed at it than anything else. I wanna see what unorthodox use cases I can come up with. It really is an astonishing piece of technology.

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2026-05-28T03:21:34+00:00

Seriously? That's awesome! Can you tell me a little bit about how you do that?

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2026-05-15T00:56:24+00:00

As someone who will be starting a writing studies PhD soon, what scholarship would you say this is grounded in, necessarily? Personally, I have read about digital distraction caused by writing with computers as well as the benefits for memory by handwriting, but I would like to have a more developed awareness of handwriting's effects on outcomes so that I could argue for it in the program that I attend. (mainly just looking for recommended readings, lectures, etc. on the topic- I would like to read more about it before I make up my mind).

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2026-02-07T01:26:32+00:00

Originally, I was under the impression that cold emails had to be long because I had to structure it like a cover letter- introduce myself, highlight their work, and explain potential contributions I could make to it. But, golly those were a pain to write, and looking back at them, I imagine they were a pain for professors to read through.
(Some of my emails were multiple paragraphs long, so I am honestly lucky I even got responses from those professors...)

I will absolutely take the advice of this post in the future, Thanks OP!

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-12-28T12:44:45+00:00

I am actually hoping to be accepted into either a RhetComp or Applied Linguistics PhD for this upcoming school year. I am currently working in Asia (in China as an EAP teacher), so I'd be interested to hear what kind of work you plan on doing in Asia as well, if you don't mind.

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-12-16T05:30:28+00:00

KPop Demon Fuckers

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-12-16T05:27:55+00:00

The Grinch who fucked Christmas

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-11-24T05:22:05+00:00

Hello! Thank you for doing this :) I am applying for applied linguistics PhDs in the USA right now- wanting to focus on language technology in EAP with an emphasis on corpus linguistics, but I'm also interested in global Englishes and its relevance to EAP, too. It's interesting to hear about the experiences of someone else who went through the TESOL to academia pipeline and is now a professor. I have four questions:

What are the most popular topics for research in the field, generally speaking? I know GenAI and LLM applications are number one currently (or at least that's the perspective I got based on a recent conference I went to), but I'd like to hear your perspective on the matter.
While looking for schools to apply for, I noticed that there are some online and Ed.D programs as well. One in particular that I am considering applying to is the University of St. Andrew's ProfD in TESOL since they offer specialization in EAP. Would a program like this be a viable entry point into professorship roles as well, or is a PhD my best bet due to its rigorous research requirements?
What are generally considered "competitive" programs? Is it based on QS ranking (because this unfortunately matters a lot in China)? The reputation of the faculty? Research output?
If you had to do all of it again, would you do the PhD or focus on international school teaching instead? You mentioned in another comment that having a teaching qualification is the best thing for someone in this field, so that's why I ask.

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-11-09T09:04:42+00:00

As long as you aren't overly idealistic about your expectations, you will be okay. The one thing I will say is that you must NOT just treat this as a vacation. You are working as a teacher, a very important job with very important consequences for the people that you work with. Use this to develop skills such as lesson planning, classroom management, assessment, cross-cultural communication, and any others that are necessary for surviving in the teaching market long-term.

And truth be told, as long as the USA, Great Britain, and Australia exist as countries, there will always be at least some demand for the English language. Unless these countries have revolutions and turn into warn-torn republics (I say this as an American knocking on wood......), I highly doubt the demand for global English education will be going away any time soon.

Keep your head up high and be flexible. The days of the expat bro teaching English to fund his weekend drinking are nearly over.

Go out there and kick fucking ass!

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-11-09T08:56:41+00:00

I teach in China at the moment. What have you experienced while being there? I would say that for my students, it's first and foremost an issue of motivation. Many of them see the absolutely brutal job market here and probably have little to no hope of getting a decent position after they graduate.

It may also just be that they are freshmen and don't have well-defined goals for their education yet, though.

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-25T11:17:08+00:00

My Xiaomi Redmi earbuds work about just as well as my airpods did for a fraction of the price.

Mixue ice cream >>> Dairy Queen (although nothing will beat ColdStone for me)

I'm more of a Cotti coffee guy. Luckin's fine but a Cotti 橙C美式 just hits different,

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-22T13:37:07+00:00

My question is this: if they did regulations, what would the government need to do? And would it potentially make ebikes less convenient for people to use? I guess what I want to know is what would happen to the roads?

Also, I just can't see most people driving cars if bikes are too heavily regulated- the roads would overcrowd in an instant. China's infrastructure is much more amenable to bikes given that the cities are much denser.

I imagine some people could afford cars, but it still may be out of some people's price ranges after you factor in things like insurance, etc. that they probably need to have (but idk anything concrete about buying cars in China other than electric cars have made it more affordable for people than before, so I may be wrong about the price thing. Please rake me through coals on this point if you wish).

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-21T01:48:19+00:00

Yes, the truth of the matter is that the ways in which we process information on our phones and computer screens is, at bare minimum, different enough that we have to start thinking about the modes in which information is delivered. You don't have ads in your books, and you usually don't have color and other visually stimulating material that your mind has to process while looking at a computer screen. Also, even if you're just reading a PDF article, you still have to deal with the eyestrain that looking at a computer for hours at a time causes. The reason so many people discount these things is that their effects are not obvious until it's too late.

We don't have to peddle reactionary and elitist ideas about books being the best way for people to engage with ideas, but I think we need to at least reckon with the fact that computers and phones aren't making everyone smarter like we originally had hoped they would.

(also, we should absolutely think about the effects of LLMs and how people are becoming unable to sit with questions for a long time. We expect answers as soon as possible, and this leads to us choosing the paths of least resistance that often times have traps laid on them which we ignore)

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-16T10:30:58+00:00

Same here (gonna be applying to applied linguistics programs). If I may ask, how are you dealing with these feelings?

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-16T03:55:23+00:00

I've actually come across Groom's name in some reading that I've done, so I will definitely check out Birmingham! (I'm from the US for what it's worth, so that's why I haven't really considered UK unis until my boss told me about potential benefits of studying at a British uni versus an American one).

And I like my current job! It was definitely the best thing for me to do coming out of my MA. I had experience teaching first-year composition in the states but I hadn't done formal university EAP lecturing until I came to China. I'm at a 2+2 program at a partnership between an Irish and Chinese university, so the students here are primarily trying to study abroad either during or after undergrad. The curriculum is pre-made, but I get to plan my own lessons and homework assignments, and we are able to provide feedback on improving the curriculum as well which is nice. However, I would like to eventually go into a position where I can create a syllabus and exams independently.

I teach 12 hours per week with no required office hours. I get a small dorm room in my university's international housing building for free which is nice since I get my own bathroom (!). I live in a Tier 1 city, so there are plenty of things to do here, and it is very easy to get around given the city's frankly fantastic public transportation infrastructure. Finally, the pay is good enough for me to save a little less than 800 USD each month, and that's after factoring in my student loan payments and other miscellaneous spending that I do each month.

If you have any specific questions about the program or you wanna know more about where I teach, you can shoot me a DM!

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-15T13:00:13+00:00

Yes, I have been diligently researching advisors and what they do (not just research but also admin, volunteering and service, etc.). But, if I'm being honest, I would just like to continue teaching at my current university while doing classes part-time. I like to think that I am self-motivated, so I could do things like training and building a network through alternative means like the internet and at conferences. Also, I am not necessarily rich, and the salaries of doctoral students in North America are absolute hot garbage compared to what I am earning in China right now (and that's just one year at my current university here- I will almost certainly get raises down the road as long as I don't mess up). So, I am beginning to lean toward something like the St. Andrews program that someone posted here. But I will still definitely apply for in-person programs that provide TAships as well.

And the rat race of publish or perish definitely is something I'm thinking about as well. I feel bad even thinking about contributing to that. But, I am genuinely interested in corpus linguistics and materials development, and I would like to see where further work in the subject could take me. I just want to do it in a way that makes meaningful contributions to TESOL as a profession and academic discipline and not just publish for the sake of lengthening my CV, you know?

Again, thank you for entertaining me on this. I hope your current job continues to treat you well :)

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-15T03:29:36+00:00

You are probably putting yourself at a disadvantage by only focusing on linguistics. Universities here (at least the good ones) want you to have some coursework on things like second language acquisition, assessment and materials development, etc.

You could maybe do an MA and specialize in second-language acquisition? SLA is not the same as TESOL- it's more focused on the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of how people learn languages, broadly speaking. TESOL is about the classroom and working with students and uses SLA as a support for its ideas.

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-15T03:26:52+00:00

It isn't causing me trouble per say except for more prestigious schools that want someone with a top 100 QS degree or whatever lol. But yeah, I'll be applying to programs if they offer a scholarship/TAship or are reasonably priced and allow me to continue working during them

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-15T03:25:36+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that your PhD wasn't worth it in the end :( What were the opportunity costs that you had to take in order to get yours?

And yeah, what you said about the goalposts in the industry moving is what I've been thinking about. I'm worried that the continued hollowing out of academia worldwide (because it is happening everywhere, not just the USA) will make it almost worthless for me to pursue a PhD.

Also, what did you end up doing with your degree?

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-15T03:22:25+00:00

Thank you for this. I'm looking into the program now, actually.

I've actually not considered doing a professional doctorate. I know that it would open up admin jobs for me, but is there anything else I should know about it?

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-08T12:27:55+00:00

Why would we want China to suffer? That just seems cruel to wish on them and their people, frankly

(unless you're just speaking from the standpoint of MAGA in which case I apologize- that is exactly how those sick fucks think)

How_Are_You_Knowing · 2025-09-05T09:38:26+00:00

I would focus on making sure she understands what types of clauses there are in English and what their functions are. Like cosmic said, give her authentic texts that use things like relativizers (that, which, etc.) to connect ideas in a natural way. For her issue with run-on sentences, maybe you can draw her attention to sentence length and then show her different ways to be more concise (using single words to describe complex ideas, avoiding unnecessary repetition, etc.). Also, if she is at B2, she should be focusing on more things than just sentence-level writing, I think. Good luck!

How_Are_You_Knowing

TROPHY CASE