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On various sounds and their significance

Noise can mean so many things. By definition, it means a sound, especially one that is loud or unpleasant or that causes disturbance. But not all noise is as bad as the aggressive definition makes it out to be. Alex Ross, a music critic who writes for the New Yorker, wrote an article about noise, saying, “Sometimes we embrace it, sometimes we hate it — and everything depends on who is making it.” Noise is an interpretation. It’s how we decipher sounds, categorizing them as positive or negative, overwhelming or soothing, messy or peaceful, alarming or exquisite. Music is ...

Algospeak changes conversations’ meaning

If you frequent any social media site, you’ve probably seen plenty of words that are referred to as “algospeak.” Algospeak, according to an article from the Washington Post, is code words or turns of phrases social media users have adopted to create a brand-safe lexicon that will avoid getting their posts removed or down-ranked by content moderation systems. To simplify, it’s words used in place of others to avoid breaking social media guidelines or having videos removed. For example, users might say “unalive” instead of “dead” or “kill.” Another example would be ...

Fashion makes no sense to me anymore

Fashion. What is it, and why? If you look at me in my pink plaid flannel basic button-down shirt that’s half-casual, half-professional (at least in Alpena), I obviously do not know what I’m talking about when it comes to fashion. I just have to wonder what I’m “supposed” to be ...

Here are 23 lessons I’ve learned in 23 years

By the time you’re reading this, my birthday will have come and gone and I will officially be 23 years old. There’s a lot that I’ve learned these past 23 years, even more in the last year since graduating college, getting a job, moving away, and overall working toward finding myself. So here are 23 meaningful life lessons I’ll continue to keep in mind this year: 1. You don’t have to have everything figured out, especially in your 20s. Growing up, it often feels like you have to have the next years of your life planned out to a T, but there is no specific age when ...

Alpena High School graduate Cooper Black signs NHL contract

ALPENA — From Alpena High School’s Most Valuable Player to signing a National Hockey League contract, Cooper Black will take the next step in his hockey career by joining the Florida Panthers organization for the 2024-25 season. Starting next season, Black will play with the Charlotte ...