I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.
Chapters
- Grammatical Women (Started December 22, 2025 12:00 EST)
Support Charity
Please support education and information access where you can in addition to these charities:
National Breast Cancer Foundation [Donate] [Hope Kit] [Women's Programs]
One of their top priorities is educating women on what they can do to be proactive with their breast health. Knowledge and early detection saves lives.
One of their top priorities is educating women on what they can do to be proactive with their breast health. Knowledge and early detection saves lives.
Help research that provides cures and support treatment for sick children.
Creating a world of possibility for kids and youth with disabilities.
The Cancer Research Institute
The Princess Margaret Foundation
Cancer Research organizations that combine the expertise of many different research firms and Universities to find innovative treatments and cures for Cancer.
The Cancer Research Institute
The Princess Margaret Foundation
Cancer Research organizations that combine the expertise of many different research firms and Universities to find innovative treatments and cures for Cancer.
David Suzuki Foundation
Through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis, we work to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada. We regularly collaborate with non-profit and community organizations, all levels of government, businesses and individuals.
Through evidence-based research, education and policy analysis, we work to conserve and protect the natural environment, and help create a sustainable Canada. We regularly collaborate with non-profit and community organizations, all levels of government, businesses and individuals.
Donate directly to FireAid today to help us start rebuilding our community. Direct donations will be distributed under the advisement of the Annenberg Foundation and will be distributed for short-term relief efforts and long-term initiatives to prevent future fire disasters throughout Southern California.
United Nations Fund
United Way Worldwide
I'd like to point out that it was the incredible Gary Sinese Foundation that brought the issue of Veteran's rights to my attention. I've always had little respect for those who'd forget the great contribution made by those who've risked life and limb to defend those values that so many of us espouse. Perhaps the true measure of one's principles are by that for which they'd risk their life.
"None can speak more eloquently for peace than those who have fought in war."
Ralph Bunche, Nobel Peace Prize 1950
The ALS Society Of BC
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed. The ALS society provides a variety of programs to combat this disease and help those with it to survive.
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s mission is to enhance the lives of those affected by neuromuscular disorders by continually working to provide ongoing support and resources while relentlessly searching for a cure through well-funded research.
Humane Society International
The Humane Society protects the health, lives and rights of animals the world over, ensuring that they too have a voice in this world. We are interdependent upon the complex web of life this entire planet over for our mutual survival. This is a world wide charity.
The Global Foodbanking Network
Ensuring that people the world over have enough food day to day in order to survive and lead healthy lives. In this challenging day and age services like this are becoming more and more essential. This is a world wide charity.
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Because Barris told me to put it here. If I didn't, he said he'd walk. Geez. Stardom really gets to some people's heads. Maybe I could kill him and bury his heart beneath the floor boards! Or I could encase him in behind a brick and mortar wall, for shaming my family name of Amantillado!
United Way Worldwide
Two organizations whose contribution of expertise, human and financial resources and volunteer efforts provide humanitarian solutions to real world problems the entire world over. These charities operate worldwide. The United Nations Fund supports the various programs part of the United Nations' global mandate, as much a foundation as it is a roof around the world.
World Veterans Federation (Under Reconstruction) [Wikipedia]
The World Veterans Federation is a humanitarian organisation, a charity and a peace activist movement. The WVF maintains its consultative status with the United Nations since 1951 and was conferred the title of “Peace Messenger” in 1987.
The World Veterans Federation is a humanitarian organisation, a charity and a peace activist movement. The WVF maintains its consultative status with the United Nations since 1951 and was conferred the title of “Peace Messenger” in 1987.
I'd like to point out that it was the incredible Gary Sinese Foundation that brought the issue of Veteran's rights to my attention. I've always had little respect for those who'd forget the great contribution made by those who've risked life and limb to defend those values that so many of us espouse. Perhaps the true measure of one's principles are by that for which they'd risk their life.
"None can speak more eloquently for peace than those who have fought in war."
Ralph Bunche, Nobel Peace Prize 1950
The Reeve Foundation provides programs for research, uniting Scientists and Specialists from many different fields to find treatments for spinal cord injury translating them into therapies and support programs.
For over 60 years, Heart & Stroke has been dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. Our work has saved thousands of lives and improved the lives of millions of others.
The ALS Society Of BC
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed. The ALS society provides a variety of programs to combat this disease and help those with it to survive.
Muscular Dystrophy Canada
Muscular Dystrophy Canada’s mission is to enhance the lives of those affected by neuromuscular disorders by continually working to provide ongoing support and resources while relentlessly searching for a cure through well-funded research.
Humane Society International
The Humane Society protects the health, lives and rights of animals the world over, ensuring that they too have a voice in this world. We are interdependent upon the complex web of life this entire planet over for our mutual survival. This is a world wide charity.
The Global Foodbanking Network
Ensuring that people the world over have enough food day to day in order to survive and lead healthy lives. In this challenging day and age services like this are becoming more and more essential. This is a world wide charity.
The Edgar Allan Poe Museum
Because Barris told me to put it here. If I didn't, he said he'd walk. Geez. Stardom really gets to some people's heads. Maybe I could kill him and bury his heart beneath the floor boards! Or I could encase him in behind a brick and mortar wall, for shaming my family name of Amantillado!
In all truth, there's a good chance that thanks to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Herbert George Wells, Jules Verne, Dr. Seuss, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Pierre Burton (for The Secret World Of Og and his ground breaking interview of Bruce Lee) that all of us are literate. Actually that goes back much farther to the Phoenecians and their first 22 character system of symbols. Literacy is important. Really it is. Literally. It allows us to approach our employer at the end of the week (with a big club) and ask: where my money?! Math important too. It help us count our thirteen fingers and toes.
Wikipedia
The model for what may become the Encyclopedia Galactica, a complete reference and record of history, events and knowledge of humanity and its journey beyond. It is the encyclopedia of all that we know, what we surmise that we've known and will learn in the future. Yes, Wikipedia is a charitable organization of great importance. If you enjoy what I am doing here then please take the time to donate to Wikipedia. Surprisingly only 1% of Wikipedia's users donate yet the site serves pages to millions every day.
Humble Bundle
A video gaming storefront benefiting a vast variety of different Charities in the United States and United Kingdom (hopefully soon to be expanded to include other areas of the world?). By software their software bundles and choose which Charity your money benefits and how much of your money benefits that Charity. See? Gamers can do their part too.
Wikipedia
The model for what may become the Encyclopedia Galactica, a complete reference and record of history, events and knowledge of humanity and its journey beyond. It is the encyclopedia of all that we know, what we surmise that we've known and will learn in the future. Yes, Wikipedia is a charitable organization of great importance. If you enjoy what I am doing here then please take the time to donate to Wikipedia. Surprisingly only 1% of Wikipedia's users donate yet the site serves pages to millions every day.
Humble Bundle
A video gaming storefront benefiting a vast variety of different Charities in the United States and United Kingdom (hopefully soon to be expanded to include other areas of the world?). By software their software bundles and choose which Charity your money benefits and how much of your money benefits that Charity. See? Gamers can do their part too.
Multiple Sclerosis is a degenerative disease currently affecting an estimated 2.3 million world wide. By donating you are contributing to effective research in finding a cure and tipping the scales of MS research to change lives forever.
If you're a resident of Ontario then please consider supporting Building Better Schools.
Other Ways To Help Using Your Computer
Join World Community Grid
https://www.worldcommunitygrid.org
Join BOINC
https://boinc.berkeley.edu
Shhhh! Digital Media Presents:
The Butterfly Dragon - Heroes of our Own: Reimagined
by Brian Joseph Johns
Episode 6: Doctor Westin
Grammatical Women
11 Years ago
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Canada
Alicia sat in the third row of the medical sciences lecture theatre, her fingers perched on the keyboard of the laptop in front of her, as she listened to the delivery of a renowned and respected scientist in the medical field.
"...just like language, the genome has is own structure. In language, we call this grammar, which the more we study naturally evolved information systems, the more we're finding that grammar, especially in highly evolved and dynamic systems like those of biological origin, have a structure that protects data integrity during the transmission and decoding and comprehension phase in the receiving party. In this case, we're talking about the actual structure of the genome that is propagated via RNA messengers during cellular mitosis. The genome is the message, encoded in a language that has syntax and grammar as part of its core structure. RNA is the messenger, carrying the genome from the origin to copy at the destination, and its this grammatical structure that contributes as much as ninety percent towards the sum data integrity. A hidden highly compressed structure of duplicity and redundancy that acts as a form of error correction as much in the genome, as it does in human language," Professor Wellman explained, pointing several times to the LED blackboard behind him.
Alicia raised her hand.
"Miss Westin?" Professor Wellman pointed to Alicia.
"I'm sorry Professor, but isn't the RNA less concerned with context and more with accuracy? Kind of like a software program that creates an intermediary memory buffer to make a copy of a file, paying no attention to the context of the data, but rather ensuring its local accuracy?" Alicia of Professor Wellman.
"Alright Alicia. I know you like to show respect and I hope that you're all listening because this applies to all of you. In academics, you don't have to sugar coat your questions and I appreciate the respect, but I'll never be right because I'm a Professor and you're not. Your question and observation is completely valid and an important point to what science is about, and what I'm saying. RNA doesn't operate like a software memory buffer, because RNA actually pays significant attention to context. Now you should first consider that in the memory buffer model you described, all genome would be exactly the same, and create an exact copy, meaning that there would be no natural change in the genome. We'd all be exact merged copies of our parents rather than the happy accidents that create individuality and uniqueness. Secondly, the genome contains context specific aspects that require the copying agent to be aware of context. To be aware of this grammar, not to mention epigenetics, which are like bookmarks, or function calls, referring to another branch of the genome, if that particular branch achieves expression. So the RNA is very aware of context, more like a librarian than a simple software program and memory buffer, and grammar plays a significant part in this aspect of data integrity. Great question Alicia. It would have been a great loss for everyone if you or someone else didn't ask it," Professor Wellman smiled at Alicia and then to the other students.
"Thank you Professor, but I'd really like to avoid repeating the Butt Kisser of the Year award I got last year from the student council. Some stigmas take quite a while to dissipate..." Alicia responded, drawing the laughter of the lecture hall.
Professor Wellman grinned and then laughed with the rest of the lecture hall, though not at Alicia, but rather with her.
"In keeping with the curriculum for your Information Theory III course, the main point to focus upon during examination time is the information aspects, such as the concept of syntax, and the concept of grammar and its structure in the genome and in language and how this applies to the paradigm under which RNA operates, before, perhaps in anticipation of, and during mitosis. As Marshall McLuhan said, the medium, in this case, the genome, is the message, and that defines the role of RNA," Professor Wellman looked to each of the faces in the lecture hall, and in seeing the most were actively engaged, suddenly and without warning, closed his laptop.
"That's it ladies and gentlemen. Have a great holiday. A reminder that exams are quickly approaching and that we'll be exploring the fascinating mystery of grammar and information in context within the genome in the next lecture. Happy whatever tickles your fancy during holiday season," Professor Wellman cleared the LED blackboard and began packing up as the students in the lecture hall finished with their notes and then did much the same.
Alicia watched as the Professor went around to some of the other students, speaking with them at length, hoping that he'd come over to her space and share some of his insights with her observations, but that didn't happen. Instead, he just left with his laptop bag and a file folder containing all of his printed notes in his hand. He looked around the lecture hall one last time, ignoring her as if she simply didn't exist.
"Alicia Westin's future in science... Its an omen..." Alicia said to herself, more joking than manifesting however for even she knew the power and influence of being unable to distinguish between attitude and what she called fantatude: the ability of one to fantasize their own future, most often for bemusement or jest.
Once she'd finished her lecture notes, she folded her laptop closed and began gathering her things and packing them into her carrying case and purse. She then left the lecture hall and ventured out to the student parking, and got into her compact budget car just as her cellular phone rang.
She looked at the screen, examining the caller ID information and when she saw the name, she switched off her car and answered.
"Hi Mom!" she said happily, reclining her seat a bit to relax.
"Hi Alicia! So glad I was able to get a hold of you..." Theresa replied to Alicia.
"Are you alright? How's Dad?" Alicia confirmed first before anything.
"Your Dad? Oh, he's just... fine. In fact, he's so fine that he just came back to the hotel room from a paragliding adventure with two other couples, one in their thirties, and another in their forties like us," Theresa explained to Alicia.
"Are you still in Thailand?" asked Alicia.
"No, we're in Bali. Indonesia, at an awesome resort, though your father and I are still bickering over what we liked better. I loved the Octagon Bar on the Mercury Ville in Thailand, while your father has gone complete midlife crisis and is reliving his twenties in Indonesia, scuba diving and parasailing and dragging me along for the ride," Theresa's laughter could be heard through the line.
"I take that Dad has stuck to the diet you designed for him?" asked Alicia of her mother.
"It took a while, but once we were out and about together, he really became motivated by his progress, while I just loved the movement and the scenery and that vigorous feeling of being. Speaking of, remember when we had that talk?" Theresa asked Alicia.
"How could I forget? That has been my alma mater ever since. I mean, since the graduation and Helayne's dress," Alicia smiled as she recalled a memory that had been part of her life for nearly five years.
"Well your father. It somehow clicked through that thick-headed skull of his and he's now living like a buff, balding, midlife crisis husband of my dreams. I've never been healthier, and we're really enjoying life, but mostly because we know that our only daughter, one who struggled through some of the most difficult life issues has somehow blossomed into this wonderful flower of inspiration. We just called to let you know that we're both very proud of you. Your life could have turned out so different, and yet you somehow got yourself onto a course that fit, and one that is quite inspiring. Our lives are enriched because of you, though make no mistake my wonderful daughter. If you were somehow destitute and struggling, we'd still be proud of you and living life to our fullest. Do you get the lesson that we're trying to impress upon you?" asked Theresa, very obviously and humourously a few deep into drink.
"Yes Mom. Its eleven o'clock in the morning here, and midnight in Bali, and you're both lovingly drunk and wanting to share your good feelings with your daughter. Mom, I hope to be in that very situation some day, speaking to my daughter from some part of the Pacific, while they struggle their way through school. By then, I suspect that we'll be talking to each other via holograms or telepresence that is indistinguishable from reality. I'm thankful that we're still just at the audio stage of our communications renaissance, because I don't think I could handle seeing a buff you and dad. But knowing you are both healthy and happy is the best news a Doctorate candidate could readily receive. Keep on having the time of your life. You deserve it," Alicia smiled as she responded through the phone.
"Keep studying and keep that attitude Alicia. We'll see you when we get back. I think its our turn to visit you?" Theresa responded.
"No Mom. Let me come home again during the spring equinox and I'll cook dinner for you. And the bring the drinks too. My place is way too small for a family gathering, and honestly, I so miss visiting you on Lisburnalie Crescent. Is the raspberry patch still there?" asked Alicia.
"And the rhubarb too. We'll be looking forward to it. You say hi to Zheng and Neil for us," Theresa suddenly giggled as Jack sat beside her and began tickling her, grabbing the phone from her when at the most opportune moment.
"Hi honey! We'll see you soon. I've got to commandeer your mother and get her out onto the dance floor. Love you!" Jack's voice blared through her phone.
"I love you daddy! See you when you get back!" Alicia smiled and hung up.
When she did, she laughed for a few minutes, knowing her parents were so enjoying themselves. In fact, it was just like Professor Wellman had said. The RNA wasn't merely a copier of data between the two ends of a facsimile, but rather a contextual messenger, and the message in this case was one of family joy and fulfillment, and the assurance that even at a later a age in life and with adventurous creativity, a loving couple could write a new chapter in their lives together.
...
Paul Wellman left the university and headed out into the parking lot to his hatchback, his laptop and projector bag slung over his back as he watched his breath solidify into voluminous clouds in the cold of December. When he was comfortably seated in the driver's seat with the car warming up, he retrieved his phone from his jacket and dialed a number.
"Hi Lisa, its Paul Wellman. How are you today?" he asked the receptionist on the other end of the phone who'd answered his call.
"I'm doing fine, though not looking forward to getting out there and cleaning the snow off my car in about forty minutes. How are you?" she asked him in a friendly voice.
"So we did get some snow? I'm in Waterloo right now, which didn't get any, but its colder than a penguin's tuxedo out here. I'm just on my way back to the city, trying to beat the traffic if I can. Listen, Doctor Peterson would happen to be there would he?" Professor Wellman asked her.
"He is and I think he's in a lecture right now if I'm not mistaken. Let me check... Yes, he's busy in the lecture hall, though he should be finished in about half an hour. Would you like me to have him call you?" Lisa confirmed with Professor Wellman.
"No, that's alright, but could you give him a message?" Professor Wellman asked.
"Certainly. Go ahead," Lisa responded, readying her typing hands on the keyboard after having opened the calendar scheduler module of the University of Toronto's School Management System.
"Tell him that I'll be at the restaurant, but that I'm probably going to be between ten minutes to half an hour late," Professor Wellman explained to her.
"Alright. I'll pass that along to him when he's done. Anything else Paul?" asked Lisa of him.
"No, that's it, but you be sure to keep warm, alright?" Professor Wellman said in a friendly and familiar tone as a smile crossed his face.
"I will Paul. We'll see you soon. Bye for now," Lisa responded and hung up.
"Bye," Professor Wellman withdrew the phone from his face and looked up another number in his contact list and once again used it to dial.
"Bryce speaking," an energetic and friendly voice answered his call.
"Bryce, how are you? Its Paul Wellman," Professor Wellman responded.
"Oh. Paul? How are you? Haven't seen you for quite some time. I think since the lecture series we did in Vancouver?" Bryce responded.
"Yes, that's right. That was about a year ago. Anyway, the reason that I'm calling you is that I've been doing lectures in University of Waterloo for their Information Theory course, and there are a number of remarkably bright and ambitious students here that are tailoring their education to coincide with Physics, coming at it from the information and entropy aspect. Its really encouraging to see and they're a great lot," Professor Wellman explained to Bryce.
"I see. That really sounds quite interesting. I'm guessing that this is leading somewhere other than you blowing sunshine on your students during the winter season?" Bryce asked Professor Wellman.
"It absolutely is. There's a remarkably bright student who is pairing her education with both Biology and Quantum Physics, and I was wondering if you'd be available to prepare and deliver a lecture on the subject of how these two fields tie in with information theory? It would certainly help this young lady who is part of the course, but also the other students, many of whom as I said are focusing on a Quantum Physics pairing with the information sciences," Professor Wellman asked Bryce.
"I'm free from other commitments in about two weeks. Would that be possible to do it then?" asked Bryce.
"I'd be very grateful if you could. I think that the students would benefit from it immensely," Professor Wellman said as his car's high rate of idle slowly descended as the heat from the engine had finally warmed the oil in the car's circulatory system.
"Alright. I'll begin putting together a lecture, focusing as you stated upon physics and biology where its cross section intersects information theory. I'll need you to share a transcript of your lecture work thus far so we can maintain consistency," Bryce said to Professor Wellman.
"I'll send them to you as soon as I get back to Toronto. I just finished the second last lecture in my commitment for the course, so you'll be coming in right on the tail end of my last lecture, which should do wonders for the class. I hope you don't mind, but I already made arrangements for you with the faculty and alumni. So how would December 18 sound to you?" asked Professor Wellman as he leaned forward and switched the heater fan to low.
"That's a Thursday. That would be fine. It was great hearing from you. You should stop by for dinner some time. I'm sure that Wendy would like to see you and Angela," Bryce smiled on the other end of the phone.
"We could do that. I'll check with her and call you back about that. Listen Bryce, thanks so much for this. I think it'll really propel this course, and there's the likelihood that you might be doing a lot more lectures here as well," Professor Wellman responded.
"As long as they're during the spring, I'm entirely in for that. A bit nicer weather for the drive from here in Toronto. Nice talking with you Paul. We'll talk soon," Bryce said to Professor Wellman before he hung up.
"Bye. We'll see you soon," Professor Wellman hung up and pocketed his phone.
He then pulled out of the parking lot and began his hour and a half long drive to Toronto.
...
The electronic chimes sounded as Monique stepped in the door of the auto shop, stopping to wipe her feet on the door mat with two full bags, one in each hand.
Caroona poked his head in from the back and when he saw Monique, he waved.
"How goes it little lady," Caroona greeted her.
"Whew! Its brisk out there, not to mention its snowing quite a bit. How are you?" Monique asked him.
"Good. Winter is always a good time for automotive repair. I didn't see you leave," Caroona said to her with a hint of suspicion.
"I left early. Like eight o'clock early. Had to seeing as I had an hour and a half long walk to the store," Monique said to him, stepping off of the welcome mat and advancing towards the doorway occupied by Caroona.
"Oh. If you see Samias up there, tell him I'd like to speak with him if you could," Caroona requested of Monique, making her slightly nervous if not suspicious.
"Alright. I've got to put these away. See you," she smiled uneasily and squeezed past him and then turned into the stairwell and proceeded up the stairs to her apartment.
She stepped in the front door after unlocking it, and retrieving her groceries, she headed into the apartment and to the kitchen.
"Samias?" she raised her voice.
"What?" his monotone voice, which came from the direction of the living room sounded gruff and irritated.
"I thought you were going to work today?" she asked him from the kitchen as she began unloading the groceries into the fridge and cupboards.
"And who the f#ck are you? My mother?" he snapped back to her.
She remained quiet, knowing all too well what she'd risk by responding to him.
"Caroona wants to see you. He said now. Its urgent," she told him, slightly exaggerating the truth of the matter.
"You stay out of my f#ckin' business. You hear dat girl?" Samias sat up on the sofa, and wiping his eyes, he stood up and walked over to the apartment door and stepped out.
When he was gone, she walked over to a nearby mirror. She then grabbed the neck of her blouse and stretched if down low enough to examine the large bruise on her chest, just above her left breast near her collar bone.
She looked long and hard in the mirror at herself taking it all in. Her eyes were swollen, with dark bags beneath them. Her once healthy hair, was now tangled and matted while her face was gaunt. Seeing herself like this was like looking into a time machine. She was seeing herself thirty years on, though she'd only just turned nineteen.
"This is not the future I wanted..." she said to herself.
"Same here," her imaginary reflection responded to her as a tear slowly pathed its way down her cheek until it pooled on her chin and fell to the linoleum floor.
...
Samias stepped into the automotive bay, where Caroona stood with the hood open as he worked on a SUV.
"Hey Samias. How's it hangin'?" Caroona him as he stepped away from the car to give the man his full attention.
"Listen Caroona. I don't got your money yet..." Samias wasted no time facing, Caroona, confronting him with the bad news. For that matter, the only news.
"What happened yesterday? I thought you had that place scoped? Where's the wheels you promised me?" asked Caroona.
"The cops showed up. I barely got out of there on time. They must have installed a camera by the car, but I got a plan. I'll get it by next week..." Samias barely finished his sentence when Caroona interrupted him.
"You've been telling me that for a month. Now where's my f#cking money? I've loaned you more than twenty grand, and you've come back to me with nothing. Not a f#cking thing. Now either you get that car next week, or you're outta here," Caroona said to him, wielding his wrench like a club, grasped in the strong fingers of a man who worked with his hands.
"You'd really do that? We ain't got nowhere to go!" Samias responded, it becoming increasingly apparent in his voice just how intimidated he really was.
"Oh she can stay, but you're gone. Get the picture?" Caroona made sure that Samias understood him.
"Yeah. I get the picture. You'll have the car, and your money, both by next week," Samias looked back at Caroona, the murder in his eyes almost apparent.
"Good. You get that done, and we're cool. Get outta here, I gotta work," Caroona directed him out of the garage as he stepped back over to the open hood and began manually removing the digital module that operated the fuel air mixture for the car.
Samias ran up the stairs and into the kitchen to face Monique, who'd just finished putting the groceries away.
"What the f#ck is going on between you and Caroona?!!!" Samias yelled at her.
"Nothing! I swear!" she sobbed, the fright in her voice apparent as she backed away from him.
"If he so much as lays a finger on you, I'll f#cking kill him!" he screamed at her, raising his hand as if he were ready to hit her. Again.
Monique's tears now flowed readily as she raised her hands to defend herself, but the blow never came. Instead, just the menacing stare of a man on the brink.
"I want you to start workin' for me," he said her.
"I already work," she responded meekly.
"What was that?!!!" his voice became intense and angry again.
"I said I already work..." she cried, still holding her hands around her head, anticipating the blow that could come at any moment.
"Part-time. You only work part-time. You're going to work full-time. For me," he demanded of her.
"Doing what...?" she cried, shrinking until she was nearly on the floor.
"You're going to be in customer service. Serving my customers," Samias said to her, enjoying the feeling of power he had over her at that moment.
"What does that mean?" she continued to cry.
"It means that you'll be giving them everything that you won't give to me. Now every day, you're going to exercise, and get all dolled up, and I'm going to tell you where to go and who to see, and when you get there, you'll do everything they ask of you, and if you don't, I'll find out and I'll come get you and show you what happens when you don't follow instructions," Samias said to her, becoming more the calm as her own anxiety rose.
"But I... what about my... I wanted to be..." she spoke through lips so contorted by her emotional pain that her words were nearly unrecognizable.
"The week after next, that's your new job. You're going to quick working for the restaurant, and work for me, and I want to see you looking the part. Ya know what I'm sayin'?" Samias said to her as she curled up in a ball on the kitchen floor and quietly sobbed to herself.
...
Neil lay on the bed, mostly naked, except for his shiny polyester briefs. His hair was a stylish mess, while his chiseled face and features were now free of adolescent acne. His gangly, skinny body was now muscular and toned, including the washboard stomach he'd crafted through his exercise regimen.
"Ok. Are you ready?" Zheng's voice came from the ensuite bathroom as she peeked her face out through the door.
"...and then some! If you don't get in here soon, Elvis might leave the building prematurely, I'm so hot for you right now," he said to her.
"Ready?" she confirmed again.
"Wait! Just kidding. I'm readier than a squirrel on espresso!" he responded.
"Good. How are your arms and legs holding out?" she asked him.
"Fine. No problems with my circulation if that's what you're asking. Especially my... ahem," he looked to soft cloth ropes that kept him pinned to the headboard and footboard of the bed.
Her laughter could be heard from inside of the bathroom, and she waited until she'd finished before stepping out.
Her body and figure were shapely and compact, with elegant curves that could barely be described even by the mathematics that had become her field of expertise. Her proportions were perfection in Neil's eyes, though only because of her wonderful personality and mind.
She blushed as she stepped into the light, her cheeks already flushed with excitement when she saw him. Helpless and waiting for her there, unable to escape even if he'd wanted to.
She wore a pink transparent negligée, with matching stockings, that only ascended to her upper thighs, where they stopped just beneath the bottom of her top, her privates only slightly concealed, filling him with excitement and anticipation.
"I can't... Look, we've got to do this..." Neil struggled against the ropes, which only served to turn her on that much more.
"Shhhh. Wait. We agreed that this is my fantasy night, and I'm going to enjoy it," she said as she leaned in and kissed his chest, slowly working her way up his body to his neck and then finally to his lips, letting no other part of her body touch his.
When she arrived at his lips, she withdrew slowly, watching him with a mockingly innocent smile.
"I don't get it. When a guy has a control fantasy, they usually are very clear about what they want and get right down to it. When a girl like you has a control fantasy, they just tie their guy up, and from there, its hurry up and wait," he said to her, once again making her laugh and filling her with even more excitement.
"Not quite. A man's control fantasy usually involves his instructions in having her serve his every need upon request, whereas a woman's control fantasy usually involves having him do all the housework while she watches her favourite soaps on the sofa curled up under her favourite flannel blanket," she smiled, running her finger nails over his washboard stomach, as she in amazement as it twitched to her touch.
"That's disgusting! How could you even think such a thing? A man being forced to do all the housework!" he said to her with a smile and scathing sarcasm.
"So now you're telling me what I can and can't think? Isn't that a form of control you hypocrite," she smiled once again, moving her nails up to his left nipple.
"So when can we get this going?" he asked her pleadingly.
"We already are," she said to him with a brazen smile on her face as her fingers worked their way down the center of his chest, lower and lower until it arrived in his erogenous zone.
"Are we? I'm laying her completely immobilized and you're just watching me? How is it that you can show so much restraint, while when I see you like this, and I simply cannot hold myself back," Neil said to her.
"Patience..." she played with him some more, her fragrant scent adding to his pressure.
"Patients are for Doctors, and you've only just received your bachelor's degree. You've got a few years before you're a Doctor..." Neil said to her.
"Oh. I see. I think I forgot some things at the store. I'll be back in a bit," Zheng stood and went to the closet and found her long winter coat, and threw it on over her negligée, and then slipped her boots on over her stockings.
"Wait! You can't leave me here! I'm coming with you!" Neil pleaded with her.
She didn't respond at all. Instead, she opened the door to their home and stepped the door locking it behind her. A few moments later, Neil heard the sound of the car starting. She let it warm up for a bit before pulling off into the night.
She'd been raised very conservatively, despite the fact that her parents weren't entirely traditional, but a well balanced combination of a structured and withdrawn approach to courtship, and a liberal but thrifty financial sense.
It was unheard of for her to bring up the topic of dating or of having a boyfriend, and it wasn't until she nineteen years old that her and Neil had seriously begun dating. He'd courted her slowly, with only peripheral understanding of the traditions involved in her Chinese culture, while she reached across from her perspective to be accommodating of this fact. She neither expected nor resented the fact that he'd spent effort learning different aspects of her history, for she knew that he was solely interested in her, in a holistic sense more so than by compartmentalizing every aspect of her life.
As she grew from adolescence and into the sensuous and slightly curved body of a woman, she ever the more became curious about intimacy while keeping this fact a well hidden secret from both of her parents, though the more he'd been present in their life, the more that they suspected that their daughter had become fond of him.
Their first kiss had been akin to a dynamo, igniting in them both a growing inability to resist the urges that seemed to be compelling them forth and into the grounds of exploratory touch. By that time they were both considered adults by way of age of majority, and yet neither of them had ever experienced their sensual nature.
They continued to date heavily into their post secondary education, with Zheng moving her studies to the early morning just to accommodate their ever the more intimate evenings together, never fully realizing how they'd changed, for their first kiss had been the spark for their fires of passion for each other. A feeling that was more akin to liberation than it was to the bondage of any contrived and zealous notion of sin. As a result they had not experienced guilt, but rather, wonder with each other.
Neil, having been marked as a nerd from early on in life, had never explored or endeavored to understand the sensual, though it had shadowed him for much of his early life. A hidden curiousity rather than a front line pursuit. Much the same, as his body began to change through the stages of puberty, he felt invigorated by the new powers his new body had yielded him in terms of coordination and endurance. Qualities he'd never known as a youth.
The two of them, at nineteen, then became each other's senses, Zheng exploring his body carefully. Deliberately and full of mischievous curiousity. Neil as much so was fascinated by every aspect of her body and what an instrument of perfection and pleasure it was, always reminded that it was subject to the will of one of the most intelligent and astute women he'd ever known.
When he was younger and in his late teens, and struggling to learn about the opposite sex, he'd explored pornography online, having overcome his propensity to hide such an curiousity, when it had been overpowered by that curousity itself. Carefully keeping it concealed from his own parents, despite the fact that they already suspected that his natural inclination had taken him in that direction.
He had very quickly understood the difference between pornography and reality, for it was a sort of fast food depiction of sensuality. It however, was enticing and had spurred his creative understanding of sensuality, but he saw that despite its enticing nature, it lacked an important piece that could never be included within its context entirely. The emotional commitment and experiencing of love. It was love in the sense of the physically sensual, but it could never delve into the actual emotion itself. It was love of a one-sided kind.
For one, the performers had lives of their own and likely, their own real life romantic partners. It was much the same for their co-stars. Given the nature of their performance, they often had to rely on special means to keep themselves at an arm's length emotionally from their co-stars, out of the risk of forming a bond through which the emotion of love might actually grow and emerge through personal familiarity rather than touch alone. It was a performance. A presentation of the idealization of fantasy.
Once Neil had grasped this concept, he knew, frustratingly so, that he'd have to wait until his first such real experience with a romantic partner to understand it further and hopefully through the emotion of love.
For Zheng, this exploratory aspect of sensuality had arrived much differently and as a woman, her experiencing of it was less based upon imagery, and more so upon fantasy and hypothetical situations she'd imagine herself stumbling upon. The man who was so dumbfounded by his love of her mind, and her poise as a woman. The sureness of a confident grip on her waist as they closed for a kiss. The realization of commitment, symbolized through ceremony and an oath, such as that of marriage. The unity of the two coming together to realize procreation. The balance of trying not to succumb to lust, and yet finding oneself beyond their own control to stop themselves.
All of these ideas, without imagery fueled her sense of sensuality and fantasy, very differently than had Neil come to be curious and comfortable in pursuit of the same thing. The imagery based fantasy of sensuality for men, was just as important as the situational fantasy free of imagery that drove women to sensory pursuits. Most who sought to suppress these aspects in the lives of other consenting adults, were in one way or another oppressing humanity and most often as a result of their resent at having been swindled out of that time of their existential experience by ideology or zeal.
Sensuality aside, their relationship also needed to be founded on stability and a future, though both of them had that aspect of their lives and education well established or were on their way to building a solid foundation.
Zheng had achieved her Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics, while Neil had graduated from College with a certification in Network Engineering. Zheng was already employed part-time for a start-up developing early Large Language Models, tasked with reducing the parameter and memory footprint for such models, which were at that time only used by big data analytics firms.
Neil had been hired into a company specializing in Corporate Network Infrastructure, as a network designer. The two of them had achieved by their early twenties, a combined income of one hundred and forty-three thousand a year. When this fact had become known to Zheng's parents, they accepted Neil into their family for the first time and within three months of that point, during the Spring Festival, Neil proposed to Zheng.
Their wedding was held the following year, on the exact same date that Neil had proposed to her, and both of their families came together in what initially was a slightly awkward first meeting of two large clans. Once the dinner had been served and the music started playing, that tension eased as the two sides began to mingle, and it became apparent that they weren't as different as they pretended to be. Where there might have been playing cards in the homes of Neil's family, there would be Mahjong in the homes of Zheng's family.
Neil's family originated from Belgium, though were of Frankish Germanic descent, while Zheng's ancestry hailed from China, with roots going back to the dynasty of Huáng Di, though her modern Romanized name was spelled Ni Wong, which roughly translated to "before you stands Huáng".
Their honeymoon saw them spending a week in China (to visit Zheng's family there), after which they spent the rest of their time in Hangzhou, followed by a two day visit to the beaches of Sanya.
Over the course of their first year together, they bought a home, which after two months of hard work customizing it to their liking, became their love nest. Zheng had maintained the professional grace of a sought after Mathematician, despite her employ in the field of AI, while Neil had joined the Corporate team of his company, selling big networks to companies topping the Financial Post 500 list.
Despite their work commitments, they always found time for each other in the evenings, and at that moment, with Neil still tied to the bed, it was only different in the fact that Zheng had begun exploring her sense of that which was adventurous. To step out into the night with nothing more than a coat and boots, keeping hidden her sensual wear, and the man tied to her bed. While she walked through the store in search of the right thing to add to their evening, that very thought excited her. Even the fact that he might be a bit upset, for it would be her task then to guide him back to their previously erotic state of being.
After searching the grocery store for ten minutes, she returned to her car with a can of whipping cream, and drove home wondering what might be going through his mind.
They spent the rest of the evening together, enjoying each other (and a bit of the whipping cream) thoroughly and woke up on Saturday morning curled up together. Zheng had become different in the sense that she had, and without scorn or oppression, managed to explore an aspect of her curiousities and being that she'd otherwise never have been able to.
That's when she understood the real trust of love for the first time, and in that realization, her courage both socially and within in her field of Mathematics, had grown immensely.
...
11 Years Ago
Centerra Business College
City of Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Valerie sported her business suit and heels like a champion, her attaché case in hand as she strode down the hall and past the atrium, the eyes of several male students seated along the hall's length admiring her discretely yet not covertly.
Discretely in the sense that they'd ensured that it wasn't overtly obvious, and yet no covertly in the sense that they didn't want it hidden entirely, for how would she ever know they were interested otherwise?
However, the fact remained that their interest was simply not reflected, and her mind wasn't even there. She was at that moment going over a hundred details in her head, most of which were related to her upcoming graduation. At twenty-six, she was one of the older students but that fact was far from wasted on her, for she had demonstrated a focus and determination that few had been able to match.
While her fellow students were still distracted with their idealized dreams and fantasies, leftovers from their adolescence, she was possessed of the three D's. A determinate direction and the discipline to get there.
When she arrived at the auditorium, she found that the the floor had been cleared of all but a few rows of chairs, while a series of tables were lined up before them, the logos of several Financial Post 500 companies stood proudly there before, a mixture of female and male clerks seated behind said tables, accepting resumés and handing out numbers to those in attendance.
Behind the tables were sound baffling partitions, each setup into cubicles, several for each of the companies present.
Valerie opened her attaché case and pulled forth a stack of introduction letters, each of which containing a short paragraph highlighting her goals and focus, and what she was looking for in a potential employer. Each of her introduction letters contained the minimal contact information of a professional email and her phone number. She watched as other potentials handed in stacks of resumés, each of which appeared like eight and a half by eleven inch novels, most of them so full of cluttered text that they'd likely find the trash before an interested reader.
She chose six out of the nine companies present and handed their representatives a copy of her introduction letter. When she got to the last table (the one without any logo or company branding), the male clerk handed her a number.
"How are you today Miss Aspen?" he asked her.
"Very well thank you. How about yourself?" she asked him professionally.
"Fortunate to have a few days out of the office doing this. Its nice getting a chance to meet so many hopefuls and to get an idea of the job market saturation, especially in the management sector..." he responded to her.
"You look to be managing very well," she smiled at him.
"Let me just say that I don't envy you and what you're up against today," he responded in a friendly manner, looking around to the room which was filled with nearly two hundred other hopeful candidates.
"Well, I'm of the attitude that I want to be the envy of my competition. I'm looking forward to this today," she smiled back at him.
"That's the attitude that'll get you noticed. Break a leg," he nodded to her as she found a seat in the front row that had just been abandoned by one whose number had been called.
As she sat down, she noticed a handsome man peering at her from within one of the sound baffled cubicles. Upon their eyes meeting, she blushed but yet she didn't look away before he did. Once having done so, he rolled the chair behind his desk out of her view and she didn't think anything of it beyond that point.
She sat with her phone in her hand, occasionally checking messages and making a concerted effort not to maintain focus on the device, but rather a devoted interest to the goings on around her. She paid attention to the people and in the process, caught the many eyes which had landed upon her.
"Serving number 349 at Torman Financial Holdings," a voice emerged from the loudspeaker and Valerie stood, her heels clicking confidently on the floor as she walked over to very same cubicle where her eyes had met with that of the handsome man.
She stood at the entry way and he stood from his chair behind a compact desk and greeted her.
"Valerie? I'm Grier, how are you today?" he asked her politely.
"Can I let you know when we finish?" he asked her, causing him to grin.
"Certainly. I saw you out there, and I have to say that you seem to be very..." Grier paused.
"Aware," she finished his sentence for him.
"...and intuitive I might add. Would you like to have a seat and we can get this started," Grier gestured to a chair and she pulled it closer to his desk and sat with a firm posture, leaning slightly forward to face him.
He sat in his chair and picked up her introduction letter, reading it once again and raising an eyebrow as he did.
"You're in a meeting with the CEO of a firm that could be a potential investment opportunity. You've been giving negotiating rights by the our firm to procure the majority of shares of that technology startup..." Grier began laying a hypothetical situation to Valerie, when she interrupted his delivery.
"What's their projected net worth compared to ours?" she asked him.
"They're tiny. Less than one percent, but their return on investment per share is well over three hundred percent the first year, but this projection has led to the sale price of their shares growing speculatively rather than based upon their actual net worth. They rely on another company mandatory for their supply chain, whose shares have actually declined in value. What would you do?" Grier asked her, leaning back in his chair as he listened to her carefully.
"I'd postpone the negotiations, procure their supplier as a bargaining chip in the event another party took interest in their company, and then request their books before negotiating a feasible purchasing price," Valerie responded with little time to reflect her answer.
Grier raised his eyebrows, impressed with her answer.
"You go to make the purchase, only to find that they've been bought by one of our competitors, yet you still retain the controlling shares of their supplier. What would you do?" Grier asked her.
"I'd hire an investigator to look into their value versus their stock price, to determine their margin, and then attempt to shore up the difference by increasing the price of their mandatory supply," Valerie navigated the question with ease.
"You're in an interview, applying for a job that might net you a six figure income if you play your cards right. The interviewer, a confident man that you've given signals that you find him attractive then asks you out for dinner and drinks. How would you respond?" Grier asked her, keeping his eyes fixated on her with the hint of an overconfident smile on his face.
"Yes, once I've signed on the dotted line and negotiated my contract with the company, reminding him that insofar as my night with him, I'm only committed to dinner and drinks," Valerie replied with a subtle smile.
Grier shifted in his chair, suddenly leaning forward and opening his desk and withdrawing a contract, which he placed in front of Valerie, then quietly leaned back.
The tips of his fingers met as he leaned back, tapping them together several times before gesturing with his right hand towards the contract.
Valerie picked it up, and began reading it carefully.
"So?" he asked her after having waited for several minutes.
"My business related utilities should be paid by the company. My phone. My internet, and one third of my rent, not to mention my car insurance," she responded to him.
"We'll help you buy a condo, or a house if you prefer. No sense losing your equity on rent," he replied to her.
"I want another five," she added.
"Four," he quickly responded.
"Three and I'll sign. You'll pick me up at seven tonight," she readied her favourite signing pen.
"Deal," he smiled at her.
She quickly wrote in pen on the contract the inclusions they'd agreed upon, and after he'd initialed everything, she signed.
"So, should I call you Grier?" she asked him.
"I'm Mr. Torman, but Grier will be fine," Torman responded to her, getting to his feet and extending his hand after she'd signed.
"I prefer seafood and light cuisine, and something with a nice view of the skyline," Valerie said to him as they shook.
"I know the perfect place. We'll be at your place at six forty-five. We'll wait if we're too early," he assured her.
"I'll wear something special," she smiled ever so modestly at him, and for the first time since he was a child, he blushed.
Lecturing Legend
To be continued soon... December 27, 2025
The next episode: The Butterfly Dragon Reimagined: Heroes of our Own Reimagined: Episode 7 - Fashion and Accessory
I am Brian Joseph Johns and this is Shhhh! Digital Media at https://www.shhhhdigital.com or https://www.shhhhdigital.ca in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701.
Credits and attribution:
Special Thanks to the other VLC on Lucy Avenue, and the Lightwave3D community, who put up with my at my worst. To Bruce R., Phil T., Dylan M., Lillian F., Frank A., Janice L. and to Helen Yi C. Few people could have such an incredible impact upon a person's life, and this storyline might not have come into its current existence without them.
Special Thanks to my friend Stephen S., who recommended the book Grammatical Man by Jeremy Campbell forty one years ago, when I was seventeen years old. I read it front to back several times, and like James Gleick's Chaos: Making a New Science and Carl Sagan's Cosmos, it shaped the very fabric of my life and understanding of the cosmos.
Thank you to University of Waterloo, who in my life have had an enormous impact through the graduates I've met and whose lives have become a part of my own, one of them even inspiring the character of Alicia Westin.
Thank you to the Perimeter Institute since their emergence, who have since the 1990s had an enormous inspiration on my writing through their initial connection with the Murray-Gellman Institute/Santa Fe Institute and other avenues in the sciences whose lectures were among the first shared publicly from an archive which would allow internet users to listen to them for free. That kind of access has likely furthered human knowledge and potential in ways that are beyond measurement.
Artwork: Amy Wong, Wendy Pusey, Ghastly, Birdman, Brian Joseph Johns, Daz3D, Unreal Engine...
Tools: Daz3D, Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Lightwave 3D, Blender, Stable Diffusion (Easy Diffusion distribution), InstantID, Sadtalker, Google Colaboratory, Microsoft Copilot (Windows 11), Hitfilm, PhotoPea (a great web based Photoshop stand-in if you're on a low budget or in a pinch), Borderline Obsession...
DeepSeek AI for suggestions on exercises to improve aspects of describing scene and settings with a more sensory focused grammar. In this particular episode, both DeepSeek and Google Gemini contributed significant insights to some of the theoretical scientific aspects I was trying to distinguish in the sciences.
InstantID by: Wang, Qixun and Bai, Xu and Wang, Haofan and Qin, Zekui and Chen, Anthony. Research Paper Title: InstantID - Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds.
Sadtalker by: Zhang, Wenxuan and Cun, Xiaodong and Wang, Xuan and Zhang, Yong and Shen, Xi and Guo, Yu and Shan, Ying and Wang, Fei.
Research Paper Title: SadTalker: Learning Realistic 3D Motion Coefficients for Stylized Audio-Driven Single Image Talking Face Animation.
Gratitude: Our Mentors, Senseis, Sifus, Sebomnims, lifetime inspirations, family, friends, the Nomads (ask Stanton about that one), the Music, the Movies, the Theatre, the Arts, ASMR, (both YouTube and Bilibili and the many other creators on those platforms), the Gaming and Developer communities and of course, the audience.
Martial Arts (in the words of real experts and at least one comedian): https://brucelee.com (home of the real Dragon and an entire family of inspirations), http://iwco.online International Wing Chun Organization (International presence of a very scalable intensity martial art, protected and developed by Shaolin Nun Ng Mui) and the alma mater of Jinn Hua's own specialized variation thereof, https://iogkf.com International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karatedo Federation (even Hanshi had his teachers), https://itftkd.sport International Taekwondo Federation (Here there be Taegers), https://tangsoodoworld.com Tang Soo Do World (the path of Grandmaster Chuck Norris), https://www.aikido-international.org International Aikido Federation (how else would Navy Chef Steven Seagal liberate a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier from a team of hijackers?), https://www.stqitoronto.com Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (The City Of Toronto's own Shaolin Temple), https://www.enterthedojoshow.com Master Ken's Ameri-Te-Do presence (If we can't laugh at ourselves, then we can at least laugh the loudest at others, and other Zen)
Magic (performance, illusion and perhaps the real thing): Magic Week Archive (I'm currently growing this section so stay tuned)
Special thanks to Aitrepreneur, Mickmumpitz, Hugging Face and the YouTube educational content producers, including those catering to the AI content production pipeline and of course AlphaSignal.
Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
Jesse Enkamp: Karate Nerd
Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts
Sensei Rokas: Martial Arts Journey
A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history
Iaido: Train For Katana Mastery Like Samurai
The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art
Extensive courses for calisthenics and body strength, stamina and flexibility
Special thanks to Captain Crunch and his wonderful sister!
Special thanks to Bandcamp for giving indie music artists a home under one roof
Something to give you perspective: The very first teacher had no formal education, didn't graduate and was self taught, but only because they had no other choice. We do.
Tools: Daz3D, Corel Painter, Adobe Photoshop, Lightwave 3D, Blender, Stable Diffusion (Easy Diffusion distribution), InstantID, Sadtalker, Google Colaboratory, Microsoft Copilot (Windows 11), Hitfilm, PhotoPea (a great web based Photoshop stand-in if you're on a low budget or in a pinch), Borderline Obsession...
DeepSeek AI for suggestions on exercises to improve aspects of describing scene and settings with a more sensory focused grammar. In this particular episode, both DeepSeek and Google Gemini contributed significant insights to some of the theoretical scientific aspects I was trying to distinguish in the sciences.
InstantID by: Wang, Qixun and Bai, Xu and Wang, Haofan and Qin, Zekui and Chen, Anthony. Research Paper Title: InstantID - Zero-shot Identity-Preserving Generation in Seconds.
Sadtalker by: Zhang, Wenxuan and Cun, Xiaodong and Wang, Xuan and Zhang, Yong and Shen, Xi and Guo, Yu and Shan, Ying and Wang, Fei.
Research Paper Title: SadTalker: Learning Realistic 3D Motion Coefficients for Stylized Audio-Driven Single Image Talking Face Animation.
Gratitude: Our Mentors, Senseis, Sifus, Sebomnims, lifetime inspirations, family, friends, the Nomads (ask Stanton about that one), the Music, the Movies, the Theatre, the Arts, ASMR, (both YouTube and Bilibili and the many other creators on those platforms), the Gaming and Developer communities and of course, the audience.
Martial Arts (in the words of real experts and at least one comedian): https://brucelee.com (home of the real Dragon and an entire family of inspirations), http://iwco.online International Wing Chun Organization (International presence of a very scalable intensity martial art, protected and developed by Shaolin Nun Ng Mui) and the alma mater of Jinn Hua's own specialized variation thereof, https://iogkf.com International Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karatedo Federation (even Hanshi had his teachers), https://itftkd.sport International Taekwondo Federation (Here there be Taegers), https://tangsoodoworld.com Tang Soo Do World (the path of Grandmaster Chuck Norris), https://www.aikido-international.org International Aikido Federation (how else would Navy Chef Steven Seagal liberate a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier from a team of hijackers?), https://www.stqitoronto.com Shaolin Temple Quanfa Institute (The City Of Toronto's own Shaolin Temple), https://www.enterthedojoshow.com Master Ken's Ameri-Te-Do presence (If we can't laugh at ourselves, then we can at least laugh the loudest at others, and other Zen)
Magic (performance, illusion and perhaps the real thing): Magic Week Archive (I'm currently growing this section so stay tuned)
Special thanks to Aitrepreneur, Mickmumpitz, Hugging Face and the YouTube educational content producers, including those catering to the AI content production pipeline and of course AlphaSignal.
Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
Shi Heng Yi Shaolin Training For Self Mastery
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
A reknowned Sifu under whose tutelage you can study the theory and practical applications of the Shaolin Arts for health, physical and mental wellbeing in every day life
Jesse Enkamp: Karate Nerd
Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts
Jesse, a reknowned Sensei who runs his own dojo, explores the world of Martial Arts, traveling to many exotic locations to meet practitioners of a variety of different arts
Sensei Rokas: Martial Arts Journey
A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history
A reknowned Sensei of Aikido who in seeking to understand the roots of Aikido and its applications, seeks to stress test its effectiveness in a number of real world situations while studying its history
Iaido: Train For Katana Mastery Like Samurai
The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art
The original weapons focused curriculum under which Samurai became masters of their art
Extensive courses for calisthenics and body strength, stamina and flexibility
Special thanks to Captain Crunch and his wonderful sister!
Special thanks to Bandcamp for giving indie music artists a home under one roof
Something to give you perspective: The very first teacher had no formal education, didn't graduate and was self taught, but only because they had no other choice. We do.
This content is entirely produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701 under the Shhhh! Digital Media banner.
This content is entirely produced in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at 200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701 under the Shhhh! Digital Media banner.
Brian Joseph Johns
https://www.shhhhdigital.comhttps://www.facebook.com/shhhhdigitalhttps://www.youtube.com/@ShhhhDigitalAudio
Produced at Shhhh! Digital Media
200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Inquiries: brian.joseph.johns@shhhhdigital.com, info@shhhhdigital.com
Brian Joseph Johns
https://www.shhhhdigital.com
https://www.facebook.com/shhhhdigitalhttps://www.shhhhdigital.com
https://www.youtube.com/@ShhhhDigitalAudio
Produced at Shhhh! Digital Media
200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Inquiries: brian.joseph.johns@shhhhdigital.com, info@shhhhdigital.com
Produced at Shhhh! Digital Media
200 Sherbourne Street Suite 701
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Inquiries: brian.joseph.johns@shhhhdigital.com, info@shhhhdigital.com
Copyright © 2025 Brian Joseph Johns