Hype for the Future 48H: Fear of Judgment at Prom

novaTopFlex has just discovered potential origin stories for the fear of judgment at prom. The novaTopFlex experience at prom was one of significant pushback and fear of rumors, judgment, and gossip that would not happen any other time of the year. Of particular note was the anti-prom fear as well as the interest in a less structured environment and atmosphere, freed from the heteronormative constraints and restraint that has defined much of modern society up to the modern day. The fear of judgment at prom is an artifact of traditional prom etiquette, as well as an artifact of features from traditional family values and from traditional social values, particularly including Anglo-Norman relations since the Norman Conquest of 1066. The earliest notes of an anti-prom fear have been identified in 1066, and subsequent generations have been subjected to very similar social codes, constantly elevating coupledom over community as in the French and English social hierarchies alike. Under Anglo-Saxon rules, Germanic tradition had actually emphasized community and kinship first, coupledom second, even if the modern concept of “heteronormativity” had not been coined a term at the time.

Hype for the Future 48G: Future Videos from novaTopFlex

In the near future, expect additional novaTopFlex content to utilize the Unicode character set and different code charts and code blocks. A specific Unicode character, code block, snippet, or other piece of the character puzzle must be mentioned, and while pronunciations may not be exact, approximate pronunciations are often to be idealized in the up and coming video streams. For the first video by the novaTop Identity, the content should include, but not be limited to, the Basic Latin and Latin-1 Supplement code blocks, including the C0 and C1 controls, respectively.

Hype for the Future 48F: The Fear of Capitalism

novaTopFlex continues to express fear of capitalism, including, but not limited to, not necessarily the fear of work but the fear of work for an employer who denies the existence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Since novaTopFlex may be part of multiple non-normative communities, accommodations must be naturally incorporated into the career pathway of interest; however, novaTopFlex aspires to be a polymath, combining different types of interests into one format. Recently, novaTopFlex has been interested in a video about what national and subnational flags have emoji renders; however, additional topics must also be considered throughout the context.

Hype for the Future 48E: For the Anti-Work Cause

Throughout the Fediverse, novaTopFlex identifies, often overtly, as an anticapitalist and pro-socialist individual, often, if not always, aghast of all corporate power and of the existence of corporations. Unfortunately, society has been increasingly modeled by capitalist standards and principles, a legacy related to the Age of Imperialism, forcing lies and lying by corporations, all of which are incentivized to be as unethical as possible. The anti-work movement is, as such, absolutely vital to ensuring transparency exists to a significantly greater extent as well as to ensuring that neither winners nor losers no longer matter in the system. Cultural hegemony is, like capitalism, a crisis, and the crisis is that concepts must be monetizable to be permissible. However, by restricting based on profit, all the profitable activities are absolutely unethical and rarely, if ever, lack any ethical justifications. As such, novaTopFlex shall continue writing blog posts against corporations, capitalism, heteronormativity, and additional societal issues regarding different currencies and economic systems as well as the government policies.

Hype for the Future 48D: Flags for the Emoji System

As many as nine separate emoji flags are disconnected from national identity, though the crossed flags 🎌 are firmly Japanese. The additional flags are the white flag 🏳️, the black flag 🏴, the pirate 🏴‍☠️, the checkered flag 🏁, the red flag 🚩, the rainbow flag 🏳️‍🌈, the transgender flag 🏳️‍⚧️, and the Flag of the United Nations 🇺🇳.

The Union Jack of Great Britain is represented in very many flags around the world—even the Hawaiian flag, which represents a territory that has never been under imperialist British rule. The following emojis contain the Union Jack:

🇬🇧🇦🇮🇦🇺🇻🇬🇰🇾🇮🇴🇨🇰🇫🇰🇫🇯🇲🇸🇳🇿🇳🇺🇵🇳🇸🇭🇹🇨🇹🇻

The French variant is also represented on the upper-left corner of the flags of a few French Overseas Territories in addition to France:

🇫🇷🇹🇫🇼🇫

Hype for the Future 48C: Additional Flag Emojis

Within much of Africa, which has not been covered using emojis on the articles thus far, nearly every sovereign state continentally contains flags and flag symbols within the emoji palette. Subcultural flags also exist, including the white flag 🏳️, black flag 🏴, pirate 🏴‍☠️, and Pride flag 🏳️‍🌈, just to name a few. Another flag representative of an entity that is not a nation is, of course, the flag of the United Nations 🇺🇳.

African flags represented using emojis exist for Morocco 🇲🇦, Western Sahara 🇪🇭 (disputed), Algeria 🇩🇿, Tunisia 🇹🇳, Libya 🇱🇾, Egypt 🇪🇬, Sudan 🇸🇩, Mauritania 🇲🇷, and Eritrea 🇪🇷 within the context of the Arab world; as well as the more Francophone contexts of the southern Sahara including Mali 🇲🇱, Niger 🇳🇪, and Chad 🇹🇩. Within the Sahel region, a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert to the north and the conventional phrase “Sub-Saharan Africa” to the south, are the nations of Burkina Faso 🇧🇫, Senegal 🇸🇳, the Gambia 🇬🇲, Nigeria 🇳🇬, and Ethiopia 🇪🇹. Somalia 🇸🇴 is located yet further to the east, and appears on the map is somewhat drier though not necessarily at the level of the Sahara. Even within nations in the realm of the Sahel, many of the civilizations that extend into the Sahara to the north or into the more forested regions to the south are often based in the Sahel, as is the case with Bamako in Mali, N’Djamena in Chad, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. While Kano is not the largest community in all of Nigeria, the city is the principal settlement of the Nigerian Sahel.

Toward the Wolof region of West Africa and surrounding regions often associated with the historic slave trade are modern nations such as Guinea-Bissau 🇬🇼 (Portuguese Guinea), Guinea 🇬🇳 (French Guinea), Sierra Leone 🇸🇱, Liberia 🇱🇷, Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮, Ghana 🇬🇭, Togo 🇹🇬, Benin 🇧🇯, and the aforementioned Nigeria 🇳🇬.

Central Africa, perhaps the most stereotypical and quintessential portion of the African continent, is largely iconic through nations including Cameroon 🇨🇲, the Central African Republic 🇨🇫, and South Sudan 🇸🇸 (which had only been separated from Sudan since 2011). Also at this section of the African continent is the modern-day prevalence of Christianity ✝️, a significant contrast from the predominant Islam ☪️ of the Sahara and portions of the Sahel.

Also centrally located within the African continent, albeit further south, is the only Hispanic nation on the continent, Equatorial Guinea 🇬🇶, though portions of the nation are also identified for Lusophone (Portuguese) heritage, including around Malabo. Otherwise, much of the region is often identified as Francophone with a direct prevalence of French history in Gabon 🇬🇦 and the Republic of the Congo 🇨🇬 and of Belgian history in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩. Five countries located further east are often considered part of the Swahili Belt: Uganda 🇺🇬, Kenya 🇰🇪, Rwanda 🇷🇼, Burundi 🇧🇮, and Tanzania 🇹🇿. Madagascar 🇲🇬 is located fairly nearby to the east, though not necessarily with the Swahili influence as much as with the Oceanian influence of the Malagasy people.

At the southern end of the African continent is the region known as Southern Africa, South Africa 🇿🇦 of which is at the very end of the African continent. Immediately to the north of South Africa is the desert nation of Namibia 🇳🇦 and Botswana 🇧🇼 and the significantly lusher nations of Zimbabwe 🇿🇼, Mozambique 🇲🇿, Eswatini 🇸🇿, and the semi-arid enclave of Lesotho 🇱🇸. Only three other nations exist within the African mainland: Angola 🇦🇴, Zambia 🇿🇲, and Malawi 🇲🇼.

Insular Africa also includes the French Overseas Territory of Réunion 🇷🇪 to the east and the sovereign Portuguese state of Cabo Verde 🇨🇻. The Hispanic dependencies of the Spanish Canary Islands 🇮🇨 and the Portuguese Azores Islands are also considered African, along with Spanish Ceuta and Melilla. On the other hand, British Gibraltar 🇬🇮 is located around the closest European point to the African continent. Mayotte 🇾🇹 serves as yet another insular dependency of Africa, fairly nearby to Madagascar and Réunion and also of France. Madeira Island of Portugal and the sovereign Portuguese state of São Tomé and Principe 🇸🇹 are also associated with insular Africa, albeit on the Atlantic side of the continent.

Hype for the Future 47H: Berwick-upon-Tweed

Even though the Anglo-Scottish border had been long established, even if not since antiquity, the border continues to be relatively fuzzy, serving more as a frontier for England than for Scotland. As such, places such as Berwick-upon-Tweed may have Scottish names but be physically located in England, as is the case in the aforementioned town located approximately two and a half miles south of the Anglo-Scottish border, which runs generally diagonally heading northeastward from the southwest, though not quite touching Wales at the southwest edge.

Hype for the Future 48B: Additional Emojis of Interest

Society has also provided additional symbols associated with select geographical place names and nationalities, including the Irish ☘️ symbol, the Canadian 🍁 symbol, and the Easter Island 🗿 symbol. Interestingly enough, neither Alaska nor Hawaii have unique nor clearly distinct symbols, nor do the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador.

Within the South American realm, the flags in question are of Colombia 🇨🇴, Venezuela 🇻🇪, Guyana 🇬🇾, Suriname 🇸🇷, French Guiana 🇬🇫, Brazil 🇧🇷, Uruguay 🇺🇾, Argentina 🇦🇷, Chile 🇨🇱, Paraguay 🇵🇾, Bolivia 🇧🇴, Peru 🇵🇪, and Ecuador 🇪🇨. For Central America, flags of interest include Mexico 🇲🇽, Belize 🇧🇿, Guatemala 🇬🇹, Honduras 🇭🇳, El Salvador 🇸🇻, Nicaragua 🇳🇮, Costa Rica 🇨🇷, and Panama 🇵🇦 on the mainland, though additional nations and dependencies also exist within the Caribbean region. Bermuda 🇧🇲 is not associated with the Antilles and thus not with the Caribbean region, but Caribbean territories start with the Bahamas 🇧🇸 and end with Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹. Just past the southern end of the Bahamas 🇧🇸 is the Turks and Caicos Islands 🇹🇨, though on the opposite side of Cuba 🇨🇺 is the larger Cayman Islands 🇰🇾. Also within the general area is Jamaica 🇯🇲, with the next notable locations further east being Haiti 🇭🇹, the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴, Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, the United States Virgin Islands 🇻🇮, and the British Virgin Islands 🇻🇬.

For the Lesser Antilles, nations and dependencies also exist, with most dependencies associated with the colonizers from Europe and the Old World. The entire archipelago is clearly identified as part of the New World, along with much of the rest of the Western Hemisphere. From north to south, the island-nations include Anguilla 🇦🇮, Saint Barthélemy 🇧🇱, Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬, Montserrat 🇲🇸, Guadeloupe 🇬🇵, Dominica 🇩🇲, Martinique 🇲🇶, Saint Lucia 🇱🇨, Barbados 🇧🇧, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 🇻🇨, Grenada 🇬🇩, and Trinidad and Tobago 🇹🇹. At the southern end of the Lesser Antilles is the South American mainland, nearing the Guyanese portion of Venezuela 🇻🇪.

Hype for the Future 48A: International Flags of Interest

World History

Since the vast majority of the modern world is dictated by the European continent, the vast majority of nations to be featured shall be focused on the Global North, including Europe as well as the former colonies perceived as more prestigious in the modern context. Unfortunately, the exploitation in modern capitalism is often associated with such Global Northern countries, while the Global Southern countries are often the recipients of the exploitation, unfortunately. Within the Global Northern context, beginning with what society perceives as the “origin” and what the Western world perceives as “safe” countries, based on heritage families:

Celtic

• Scotland (United Kingdom) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
• Wales (United Kingdom) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿
• Ireland (Republic of Ireland) 🇮🇪
• Northern Ireland (United Kingdom)
• Isle of Man (United Kingdom) 🇮🇲

Norman

• Jersey
• Guernsey 🇬🇬

Latin

• Portugal 🇵🇹
• Spain 🇪🇸
• Andorra 🇦🇩
• France 🇫🇷
• Italy 🇮🇹
• Vatican City 🇻🇦
• San Marino 🇸🇲
• Romania 🇷🇴
• Moldova 🇲🇩 (not typically identified as “safe” in the Western definition)

Germanic

• Luxembourg 🇱🇺
• Belgium 🇧🇪
• Netherlands 🇳🇱
• Germany 🇩🇪
• Switzerland 🇨🇭
• Austria 🇦🇹
• Liechtenstein 🇱🇮

Nordic

• Denmark 🇩🇰
• Faroe Islands 🇫🇴
• Greenland 🇬🇱 (not typically identified as Nordic traditionally, but effectively considered in the modern context)
• Norway 🇳🇴
• Sweden 🇸🇪
• Åland Islands 🇦🇽
• Iceland 🇮🇸

Finnic

• Finland 🇫🇮
• Estonia 🇪🇪

Baltic

• Latvia 🇱🇻
• Lithuania 🇱🇹

Slavic

• Slovenia 🇸🇮
• Croatia 🇭🇷
• Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦
• Serbia 🇷🇸
• Kosovo 🇽🇰
• Montenegro 🇲🇪
• North Macedonia 🇲🇰
• Bulgaria 🇧🇬
• Poland 🇵🇱
• Czechia 🇨🇿
• Slovakia 🇸🇰
• Belarus 🇧🇾 (not typically identified as safe in the Western context)
• Ukraine 🇺🇦 (in tensions as of the time of writing)
• Russia 🇷🇺 (in tensions as of the time of writing)

Unique

• Greece 🇬🇷
• Cyprus 🇨🇾
• Türkiye 🇹🇷
• Albania 🇦🇱
• Armenia 🇦🇲 (sometimes considered European)
• Hungary 🇭🇺 (not Indo-European)

Central Asia and the Oriental

The Global North may often include numerous Asian countries and regions, though many of the countries listed below are often considered either culturally distinct or entirely hostile to the Western world:

Central Asia

Within the Central Asian region, sometimes including the Middle East, the Arab world and the numerous Arab realms are often debated between the Middle East being considered the Global North and North Africa considered part of the Global South. The Arab nations typically associated with the Middle East and sometimes with the Global North begin near the Suez Canal and continue throughout the Arabian Peninsula. The nations typically associated with the “Global North” in the Arab world are listed below, often notable for sharing economic “success” stories with the Global North at large:

• Egypt 🇪🇬 (mostly in North Africa, though prior to the Age of Imperialism, the modern nation-state, along with much of North Africa, had been identified as culturally “successful” in Arab colonization and the spread of Islam ☪️)
• Palestine 🇵🇸 (disputed; this is the Muslim state while Israel 🇮🇱 is the Jewish ✡️ homeland)
• Jordan 🇯🇴
• Lebanon 🇱🇧
• Syria 🇸🇾
• Iraq 🇮🇶 (Mesopotamian culture and history)
• Iran 🇮🇷
• Kuwait 🇰🇼
• Bahrain 🇧🇭
• Qatar 🇶🇦
• Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 (covering most of the Arabian Peninsula)
• Yemen 🇾🇪
• Oman 🇴🇲
• United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪

Each of the aforementioned nations is at least partly identified as included within the “Middle East,” assuming a Eurocentric world model. However, culturally related nations in South Asia and the Indian subcontinent include:

• Afghanistan 🇦🇫
• Pakistan 🇵🇰
• India 🇮🇳
• Bangladesh 🇧🇩
• Nepal 🇳🇵
• Bhutan 🇧🇹
• Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
• Maldives 🇲🇻 (sometimes classified as Global South with Comoros 🇰🇲, Mauritius 🇲🇺, and Seychelles 🇸🇨)

The quintessential nations of Central Asia, many of which are deemed hostile to the Western world yet also of which include the Caucasian Mountains, include:

• Georgia 🇬🇪
• Armenia 🇦🇲 (previously mentioned as Indo-European)
• Türkiye 🇹🇷 (already mentioned as transcontinental with Europe)
• Azerbaijan 🇦🇿
• Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
• Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬
• Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
• Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
• Tajikistan 🇹🇯
• Mongolia 🇲🇳 (partially included within Central Asia)
• Russia 🇷🇺 (partially included within Central Asia, particularly along the Caspian Sea and the Kazakh border)
• China 🇨🇳 (typically associated with Xinjiang and Tibet)

The true Oriental countries of East Asia often refer to the following nations:

• People’s Republic of China 🇨🇳
• Republic of China (Taiwan) 🇹🇼
• Japan 🇯🇵
• North Korea 🇰🇵
• South Korea 🇰🇷
• Macao 🇲🇴
• Hong Kong 🇭🇰

Southeast Asia often refers to most of the nations located to the south of the People’s Republic of China east of Bhutan:

• Myanmar 🇲🇲
• Thailand 🇹🇭
• Laos 🇱🇦
• Vietnam 🇻🇳
• Cambodia 🇰🇭
• Malaysia 🇲🇾
• Singapore 🇸🇬
• Indonesia 🇮🇩 (partially considered Oceania)

While the Philippines 🇵🇭 may not typically be included within the definition of Southeast Asia nor Oceania, the nation is often associated with a mix of cultural traits associated with both continental clusters. Firmly within Oceania is where the cultural traits are often significantly more difficult to decipher:

• Australia 🇦🇺
• New Zealand 🇳🇿
• Fiji 🇫🇯
• Tonga 🇹🇴
• Tuvalu 🇹🇻
• Samoa 🇼🇸
• Vanuatu 🇻🇺
• Kiribati 🇰🇮
• Nauru 🇳🇷
• Micronesia 🇫🇲
• Marshall Islands 🇲🇭
• Palau 🇵🇼
• Northern Mariana Islands 🇲🇵 (part of the United States)
• Guam 🇬🇺 (part of the United States)
• American Samoa 🇦🇸 (part of the United States)
• Cook Islands 🇨🇰 (freely associated with New Zealand)
• New Caledonia 🇳🇨 (France)
• Wallis and Futuna 🇼🇫 (France)
• Tokelau 🇹🇰 (New Zealand)
• Niue 🇳🇺 (freely associated with New Zealand)
• French Polynesia 🇵🇫 (France)
• Pitcairn 🇵🇳
• United States Minor Outlying Islands (part)

Hype for the Future 48/284: USVI and BVI Compared

The Virgin Islands 🇻🇬 and the Virgin Islands of the United States 🇻🇮 are related yet clearly distinct entities. Though the Spanish Virgin Islands of Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 are also of interest, referring to islands of Puerto Rican control east of the Puerto Rican mainland, the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands alike are generally associated with the name “Virgin Islands.” Though originally a name attributed to Christopher Columbus, the United States Virgin Islands specifically refer to the portion of the archipelago containing Saint Thomas, Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island, while the British Virgin Islands is the portion containing Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Jost Van Dyke. Overall, however, the United States Virgin Islands is comprised of around fifty islands whereas the British Virgin Islands is comprised of around sixty islands. In either case, the USVI contains the larger land area, as well as the majority of the population associated with the archipelago. In comparison, the BVI contains relatively fewer people, definitely smaller than the Turks and Caicos Islands and Bermuda and possibly also smaller than the Cayman Islands.

Hype for the Future 47G: Irish Names?

Not all Irish place names, toponyms, or related feature names are inherently Irish, a vestige from English and British colonization of the island of Ireland. Though not all of Ireland is part of the Republic of Ireland 🇮🇪, Irish place names are often fairly similar throughout the island. Historically, the United Kingdom had colonized the entire island of Ireland; however, most of Ireland has since become a sovereign state with the capital city at Dublin. Northern Ireland, with capital city Belfast, is often associated with the region known as Ulster, though the Ulster territory has since been divided into further counties centuries ago. While Donegal is today associated with the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland is associated with counties including Armagh, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim, and Down. Even within Northern Ireland, Londonderry has traditionally been identified by the name “Derry,” thus signaling the English and overall British colonization of the region.

Hype for the Future 47F: Welsh Features

Welsh names are often associated with the Celtic roots of Wales, with pronunciations largely attached to the Welsh orthographic system, which often results in names apparently lacking vowels or having a lack of vowels, as in Bryn Mawr, Gwynedd, Bala Cynwyd, Merion (from Merioneth), Carmarthen, Caernarfon, Gwent (formerly known by the English name of Monmouth), and Glamorgan. While Cardiff is the English 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 spelling of the capital city of Wales, the Welsh 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 spelling is “Caerdydd.”

Hype for the Future 47E: Names Commonly Associated with Scotland

Numerous names are commonly associated with Scotland, sometimes Scots, other times Gaelic, but in any case, related chiefly to Celtic with partial Germanic influences in select areas. Within the Scottish realm, such names may include Aberdeen, Ross, Cromarty, Orkney, Shetland, Falkland, Kirkcaldy, Kirkcudbright, Ayr, Strathclyde, Clyde, Lanark, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Hamilton, Ogletree (related to Ochiltree), Oglesby (from Ogilvie), and Shetland.

Hype for the Future 47D: Common English Names

Common English names, including toponyms, surnames, and county names, among other types of place names, include Norfolk, Suffolk, Middlesex, Exeter, Devon, Cornwall, Truro, Plymouth, Cambridge, Chester, Lancaster, Northumberland, Bicester, Chichester, Lancaster, Doncaster, Cirencester, Blackburn, Ribchester, Manchester, Boston, London, Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, Bideford (known as Biddeford in Maine), Portsmouth, Exmouth, and Newcastle.

Hype for the Future 47C: Head of State in the Commonwealth of Nations

Even though the Commonwealth of Nations is comprised of around 56 independent member states, only 15 of the sovereign states have the Head of the Commonwealth as the Head of State. The nations in question are known as Commonwealth realms and include Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬, Australia 🇦🇺, the Bahamas 🇧🇸, Belize 🇧🇿, Canada 🇨🇦, Grenada 🇬🇩, Jamaica 🇯🇲, New Zealand 🇳🇿, Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬, Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇰🇳, Saint Lucia 🇱🇨, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 🇻🇨, the Solomon Islands 🇸🇧, Tuvalu 🇹🇻, and, of course, the United Kingdom 🇬🇧.

Even within the sovereignty of the United Kingdom, fourteen overseas territories continue to be claimed, including Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Anguilla 🇦🇮, Bermuda 🇧🇲, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory 🇮🇴, the British Virgin Islands 🇻🇬, the Cayman Islands 🇰🇾, the Falkland Islands 🇫🇰, Gibraltar 🇬🇮, Montserrat 🇲🇸, the Pitcairn Islands 🇵🇳, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 🇬🇸, the Turks and Caicos Islands 🇹🇨, and the combined overseas territory of Saint Helena 🇸🇭, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha.

Hype for the Future 47B: A Foray into the UK 🇬🇧

novaTopFlex is expressing significant interest expanding into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. From England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 and Northern Ireland to the Isle of Man 🇮🇲, Jersey, Guernsey 🇬🇬, and beyond, the United Kingdom often fails to disappoint. Even the overseas territories and Commonwealth countries, many of which are independent as in Canada 🇨🇦, Australia 🇦🇺, and New Zealand 🇳🇿, contribute to the overall cultural significance of the United Kingdom as a unitary system. Though the sovereign states elsewhere, also including India 🇮🇳, South Africa 🇿🇦, and Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬, just to name a few, are not immediately subject to the British Parliament as is the case with the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, the overarching influence of the British Crown from the global Age of Imperialism remains quite intact overall.

The British Overseas Territories also play a large role in the global political situation and outcomes, though not nearly as much as England does within the United Kingdom. While many territories can boast surprisingly powerful characteristics at the world stage, often thanks to oceanic isolation, perhaps the most notable of the British Overseas Territories are the British Virgin Islands 🇻🇬, the Cayman Islands 🇰🇾, the Turks and Caicos Islands 🇹🇨, and Bermuda 🇧🇲. Though Barbados 🇧🇧 is today a sovereign entity, the culture of the modern nation is effectively synonymous with the typical cultural traits of the British Overseas Territories, possibly due to similar Caribbean influences, though the Dutch possessions of Aruba 🇦🇼, Bonaire 🇧🇶, and Curaçao 🇨🇼 may also play a role within the Caribbean Islands, both the Lesser Antilles (where most of the aforementioned islands are located) and the Greater Antilles.

Also of interest regarding the Commonwealth of Nations is the Bahamas 🇧🇸, home to places such as the notable Island of Eleuthera and the capital city, Nassau, on the Island of New Providence.

Hype for the Future 47A: New York State Route 22

Though not the longest state route in the entire State of New York, since Route 17 is at least somewhat longer, Route 22 is the longest north-south state highway and is often parallel to the eastern border of the State of New York from the Bronx to around Mooers in Clinton County nearing Québec and the Canadian border. Beyond the community of Mooers is United States Highway 11, bound for Rouses Point and access to Routes 2 and 9 northbound and the Watertown area southbound.

The counties covered by State Route 22 effectively cover the exact counties along the eastern border with Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. While New York State Route 22 covers the west side of the area, United States Route 7 covers the east side at the western edge of the New England region. From north to south, Route 22 covers the counties of Clinton, Essex, Washington, Rensselaer, Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester, and Bronx. Of the aforementioned counties, only the county seats of Clinton, Westchester, and Bronx are covered. Plattsburgh is essentially the American city south of Montréal, at a crossroads only with Interstate 87 and United States Route 9. Further south, however, Route 22 becomes more paralleled by United States Route 4, particularly in Washington County where Route 4 services Hudson Falls and Fort Edward along the Hudson River while Route 22 services Cambridge, Salem, Granville, and Whitehall along the Vermont state line. Interestingly, Route 22 also spawns an auxiliary route into Vermont, covering Fair Haven and communities toward Vergennes as Route 22A. Though Vermont does not have a native Route 22, Route 22A is specifically designated to service the communities approaching Vergennes to the north as well as to provide a more direct link between Vergennes and communities in Washington County as the Poultney River and other tributaries of Lake Champlain may not be easily passable using modern infrastructure.

Hype for the Future 47/284: Contra Dance in Western Massachusetts

Within the western part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including locations such as Lenox (Berkshire County) and Amherst (Hampshire County), contra dance is part of the identity of either community. With influences from French-Canadian and other cultural traits, the contra dance has a name effectively derived from the French language. Although dance has traditionally enforced signals of heteronormativity, the contra dance classes and locations of interest are outstanding in terms of LGBTQIA+ acceptance.

Hype for the Future 46G: About Amherst

Although the City of Amherst is not the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, the City is associated with the center of culture in the county. Amherst is home to as many as three (3) distinct colleges within city limits, with Amherst in the central core, UMass Amherst toward the northwest, and Hampshire on the extreme southern edge of the city. Outside the college and university areas, all of which are associated with the Five Colleges Consortium, the City of Amherst also contains the Inn at Boltwood and the Amherst Inn, both hotel sites within the downtown area of the city. Boltwood is further west, nearer the Amherst and UMass Amherst campuses, while the Amherst Inn is the signature hotel associated with the City and the general population. Both are at fairly similar distances to the Emily Dickinson Museum, also located on the eastern side of the downtown area.

Hype for the Future 46F: About Northampton

Northampton is a city in and the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, located on the west side of the Connecticut River opposite the Town of Hadley. Although the city serves as the county seat and is home to Smith College, an all-female private institution of higher education within the Five Colleges Consortium, the city is actually not the largest in the county since the City of Amherst is located nearby to the east, although the population of that city is often biased because of Amherst College, Hampshire College, and UMass Amherst, the latter of which is the flagship university of the public system.

Outside Smith College, not much is notable about the City of Northampton that is out of the ordinary for cities in the New England region in general. Though the City of Northampton is home to a historic and charming downtown area, the city cannot compare to a major city such as Boston nor even to the artistic cities in the Berkshires further west.

In the City of Northampton, the signature hotel of historic charm is known as the Hotel Northampton. The Hotel Northampton is located within the central City of Northampton and is located east of the Smith College campus and west of the Tri-County Fair, the oldest and longest-operating fair in the nation. The Tri-County Fair is located on the eastern side of the City of Northampton approaching the Connecticut River and is slated to celebrate the 209th annual event in the 2026 season spanning the first seven days of the month of September.

Hype for the Future 46E: Why are Amherst, Northampton, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and UMass Amherst on the Travel Itinerary?

The Five Colleges of the Five Colleges Consortium are each individually listed on the novaTop Travel Itinerary because each college and university provides a unique perspective on the cultural diversity of the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. Each of these colleges is located within Hampshire County, with Amherst located centrally within the City of Amherst, Hampshire on the extreme southern side of Amherst, Mount Holyoke within South Hadley, Smith centrally within the City of Northampton, and UMass Amherst (the system flagship campus) on the northwest side of the City of Amherst. Amherst and Northampton are both along Massachusetts Route 9, an east-west highway route, though Amherst is east of the Connecticut River while Northampton is on the west side.

Outside the Five Colleges, not much exists within the limits of Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Most of the ski areas in the Commonwealth are located in neighboring Berkshire County to the west, while Franklin County to the north is notable for cultural traits more akin to Vermont even further to the north, Hampden County for volleyball, basketball, the Big E, and numerous other attractions to the south, and Worcester County for Central Massachusetts attractions including Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg as well as Worcester and Fitchburg.

Hype for the Future 46D: Beyond the Travel Itinerary

novaTopFlex is effectively finished with the current focus on the Travel Itinerary. However, the next steps for success as an Identity now include networking and social opportunities with constraints regarding safety and moral and ethical codes. Morals and ethics are of the utmost importance, though safety should be assumed an equal priority to morals and ethics. Unfortunately, true safety is almost never prioritized, and the safety that is prioritized actually refers to safety of profits, not of people. All profit is bad and inherently unethical, and capitalism is also the cause of deadlines, procrastination, “laziness,” work, hustle, personal responsibility, hyper-individualism, climate change, lies, denial, sabotage, violence, and more societal issues.

Hype for the Future 46C: The novaTop Lecture Topics for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art

Directive

novaTopFlex shall create a directory of different interests and fears to be reported to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, within the Berkshire Mountains near the New York and Vermont state lines. For the novaTop speech, topics shall include neurodivergence, prom experiences, intersectional feminism, and additional information as necessary, yet while following all ethically coded directives and guidelines for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art

For MASS MoCA

Hello! My name is Andrew Kay, but I would prefer if the exhibit name could be “Andrew Kay (novaTopFlex)” instead, as that is the name I often use across my services and collections online. I would like to tell a story about the burdens of modern life, akin to previous exhibits on student debt, and would like to know what media are available and permissible to be incorporated into your campus may include. I understand that you are not a music campus as many of your walls are not soundproof, so I would like to know if you have any suggestions or recommendations on what type of media I should use. I am unable to spend much at this time, in case it impacts the media you would recommend, yet I have very many intersecting thoughts I would wish to lecture on at your campus, if that is at all permissible (with possible questions and a live stream to YouTube). The following bullet points refer to topics and questions I can expect to answer from my intersecting life stories:

• How did I manage to get to where I am in life now?
• What is my biggest struggle with modern life?
• Why did my prom experience make me feel temporarily insecure?
• How did I become interested in the arts, dance, and other forms of exercise?

Hype for the Future 46B: Gateway to the Berkshires

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, located in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts in the City of North Adams, is more than just a museum—it is also a gateway to a cultural script largely associated with the Berkshire Mountains (i.e. the Berkshires). Though not a traditional private college or university, the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art provides functions to support artists in young adult years and across age groups, as well as provisions for multigenerational support, a feature not typically associated with higher educational institutions nor associated opportunities.

Within the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art campus, the Porches Inn serves as a place of lodging as well as a partially communal gathering space that also contains the associated Studio 9 concert venue. Additional sites associated with the museum include the Lickety Split café, the Casita restaurant, and a surprising plethora of related restaurants, cafés, and even bar areas all in one. While the buildings may initially seem separated on the map, every building within the museum is actually connected not at the first floor but at the second floor. The museum also contains a third floor area, though not nearly as significant as the first or second floor areas.

Hype for the Future 46A: Topics for MASS MoCA

The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is located in the City of North Adams, Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Located along Massachusetts Routes 2 (East/West) and 8 (North/South), the community is highly integrated with the City of North Adams throughout the community. Although not the only amenity of North Adams, even the Berkshire Art Museum is often associated with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Within the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, cultural integration with the related Clark Art Institute and Williams College Museum of Art campuses is of particular significance. Interestingly, however, only the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art has ever hosted a roller coaster. The roller coaster was named “Brava” and had operated from mid-2022 until early 2024, with the entire operation being restricted to a capacity of one person per hour. Therefore, fewer than five thousand opportunities were available for the roller coaster to be actively showcased on display, especially based on the fact that the operating hours had only maximized at seven in any given day.

Though the roller coaster may have been decommissioned at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the rolling exhibition model of the museum continues to influence the cultural environment of the museum, which had been repurposed from a former factory area as of 1999. When the 25th anniversary of MASS MoCA was celebrated in the summer of 2024, access was free and open to the entirety of the general public in celebration of twenty-five years. While the building had existed substantially prior to 1999, the original purpose of the historic building has been easily repurposed into an art museum campus, which today spans an area as large as around 250,000 square feet, making MASS MoCA the largest contemporary art museum in the entire United States.

Whether visiting the Massachusetts Museum of Cultural Art for the day, week, month, year, or longer, the cultural environment of North Adams is largely associated with the fine arts and liberal arts environments. The nearest public college to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is none other than the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, which is located further to the south.

Even though the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art is not a college or university, MASS MoCA effectively creates the atmosphere of a college town in the City of North Adams, though the community is also culturally continuous with the Town of Williamstown, home to Williams College and the Clark Art Institute, further to the west. When searching the map of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of North Adams appears to resemble numerous other New England cities and towns simply because of shared layout characteristics such as public squares, common areas, town libraries, human-scale village-style community traits, and more.

Hype for the Future 46: The Final Networking Plan for 2026

novaTopFlex has decided on a final networking plan for 2026, prioritizing the community at festivals and events over the general everyday and more frequent encounters, especially given the circumstances regarding culture.

Hype for the Future 45J: University of Vermont (UVM)

Located within the City of Burlington, the smallest largest city of any state in the nation, the University of Vermont provides a surprisingly clear distinction between university and general population lifestyles, while also upholding the moral and ethical values of academic honesty and merit, as represented by the abbreviation reading “UVM” instead of “UVT,” a tribute to the Latin version of the university name.

Hype for the Future 45I: Vermont State University Campuses

The State University System of Vermont consists of five campuses, but no flagship campus. While the VTSU system has only been around in the current arrangement since around 2023, the five (5) campuses each offer unique perspectives and opportunities regarding life and lifestyle choices. The locations are in five distinct regions of the State, and no two locations exist within the same county. The counties with locations of VTSU are Chittenden, Rutland, Orange, Caledonia, and Lamoille. The Williston Campus is in Chittenden County, while the Castleton Campus is in Rutland County, the Randolph Campus is in Orange County, the Lyndon Campus is in Caledonia County, and the Johnson Campus is in Lamoille County. Relative to the county seats for each county, Williston is directly east of Burlington, Castleton west of Rutland, Randolph west of Chelsea, Lyndon north of St. Johnsbury, and Johnson north of Hyde Park.

Hype for the Future 45H: Ski Resorts and Trails Return

On Google Maps, ski resorts, trails, lifts, and other featured amenities have returned to the official map site. Notable ski resorts, some of which also operate off-season with season-appropriate activities such as live music over the summer in Killington and mere mountain viewing over the summer in Stowe, are perhaps the most obvious of such comebacks from the hiatus by Google.

Hype for the Future 45G: CWM → Moving Windows

Using the cwm window manager from video 45F, novaTopFlex shall attempt to open the xclock application for demonstration 45G. 45G is supposed to refer to the window movement as well as management, with the following keyboard shortcuts to be demonstrated:

• Meta-h, Meta-j, Meta-k, and Meta-l to move the xclock window by small amounts
• Meta-H, Meta-J, Meta-K, and Meta-L to move the xclock window by large amounts

Hype for the Future 45F: CWM → The Basics

Prior to beginning the video, novaTopFlex shall launch a 540×960 VNC server session on port 5901, using TigerVNC and the cwm startup file. The window manager shall be tested as follows:

• Press Control-Meta-Return to spawn a new terminal.
• Press Meta-Return to hide the terminal window.
• Press Meta-Slash to search for windows.
• Press Meta-Down to lower the current window.
• Press Meta-Up to raise the current window.
• Press Control-Meta-x to close the terminal window.

To locate the video stream, please visit https://www.youtube.com/@novaTopFlex upon video release and search for “CWM: The Basics” within the appropriate search feature.