As you know, Nerdify reviews only the most interesting and helpful stuff. And this time it’s all about leisure!

Summer is the best season to visit some outdoor music events and, with the increasing amount of music festivals all around, the possibilities are endless. If you haven’t attended any yet, it’s not too late to jump on a wagon! So if you live for music, sun and enjoying both with other music lovers, then this list may set up your itinerary for this summer vacation!

Some festivals have won their reputation throughout the years while the others are just starting to gain their followers, overall, Nerdify has compiled the best of them!

Folk on the Rocks (July 20 to 22. City of Yellowknife, Spectacular Northwest Territories)

Folk on the Rocks is an adventure worth to live for! Yellowknife welcomes thousands from all over Canada to Long Lake each year since 1980. Just imagine a perfect combination of amazing landscapes, a true beer garden and more than 24-hour music program not even mentioning the children’s area. Here is all the information you need: https://bit.ly/2Mdawka

Panorama (July 27 to 29. Randall’s Island, NYC)

This festival comes from the hand and mind of Coachella’s producers. It’s just one more reason to take a closer look at this newbie. This year’s line-up includes The Weeknd, Janet Jackson, The Killers, St. Vincent, David Byrne, and many others. Panorama also brings THE LAB, which places experiential digital art that combines technology, artistry, and design, created exclusively by New York-based artists. An experience exclusively brought to this festival. More info: https://bit.ly/2iYVpPd

Osheaga (August 3 to 5. Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal)

Every year Osheaga proves to be one of the best festivals in Canada. Its line-up is amazing and full of artists well known worldwide! From Arctic Monkeys, St. Vincent, Chromeo to Florence and the Machine, Franz Ferdinand, and it goes on and on with three days of non-stop music! Just click here and be amazed too: https://bit.ly/2l8oiLz

Lollapalooza  (August 2 to 5. Grant Park, Chicago)

Truth to be said, this one is one of Nerdify’s favorite festivals, no wonder it appears in Nerdify reviews. It was created in 1991 and quickly grew into the legendary music event of US. Although it almost ended in 1997, it came back a few years later in 2003. Grant Park in the city of Chicago! Different genres of music (rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic, etc.), eight different stages, endless food stands, and the most beautiful scenery with the Chicago Skyline on one side and Lake Michigan on the other side, make Lollapalooza one of the most powerful stages in the world. The line-up for this year includes The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The National, and many more. For tickets and more info follow the link: https://bit.ly/2erRyWP

Arise Music Festival (August 3 to 5. Sunrise Ranch, Loveland, Colorado)

This festival is best described as a movement, where yoga, art installations, workshops, performances, sustainability, social responsibility merge with tons of music for 3 days in the mountain valley of Colorado. An eclectic line up with some reggae, EDM, and folk. A huge variety of organic food in food trucks. And the best part is that every ticket sold funds a tree planting and honestly, in Nerdify, we think this only reason is enough to go there! Here you can get more info: https://bit.ly/1OltGyI

Outside Lands (August 10 to 12. San Francisco, California)

Food, wine, beer and all the sights surrounding the San Francisco area, make this festival really unique. Every August the Golden Gate Park turns into one of the biggest music events of the West Coast. With artists such as Janet Jackson, Florence and the Machine and  The Weeknd, this year Outside Lands will make a lot of people very happy. Get all the info for this one here: https://bit.ly/2odMU3r

Mutek (August 22 to 26. Montreal, Canada)

Mutek is listed in Nerdify reviews for a reason. This multicultural and international festival sets place the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, unifying electronic music and audiovisual performances. The splendid female artist is the one in charge of this year’s line-up. For more information click here: https://bit.ly/2teDLfa

Burning Man (August 26 to September 3. Black Rock, Nevada)

Nerdify reviews Burning Man as well, though many people will not consider it as the one dedicated to music. We needed to include it in the coolest festivals because it is indeed one of the coolest! It sets up in an inhabited part of the Nevada desert that transforms into the Black Rock City for the next 7 days. A place where people are the part of an artistic community, surrounded by futuristic sculptures and surreal art, everything in the festival comes alive when the last minute surprised DJ starts to play. It ends with burning THE man. More info: https://bit.ly/2ppRVJe

Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival  (September 22 and 23. Franklin, Tennessee)

With a 3-year history, this festival has already gained a fame of the place to find all the best bands in every genre on its 6 stages: rock’n’roll, country, bluegrass, jazz, indie, gospel, pop, and blues. Its creators have thought every single aspect through to make this festival the best experience ever – everything is kept on the highest level of performance.  This year’s line-up includes Lionel Richie, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Jack White, and many more. Check all artists here: https://bit.ly/2ywqsM5

We admit, there’s a great number of music festivals all the year round, so probably these Nerdify reviews are just a start. We will definitely have to post similar entries for the other season’s music fests. But for now, summer is the sunny season that’s just too perfect to enjoy music outdoors all day and all night long! So go ahead and start filling the agenda!

Nerdify is hearing bells ringing around the country again as students go back to schools and colleges.

This can be an exciting time of year, but sometimes a stressful and overwhelming one too. That’s why our Personal Nerds have compiled some awesome tips for heading back to your studies stress-free!

And don’t forget, if you need extra support, Nerdify is always standing by and only a message away!

1. Have your timetable and agenda ready!

Nothing will put a downer on your first day back at a college like turning up and having no idea where you’re supposed to go and at what time a certain class starts. Homework, lessons, extra activities and different events can be quite overwhelming so make sure you have a timetable that’s regularly updated and properly plans your activities. Managing your time is critical to your happiness and academic success! By the way, you can ask Nerdify folks to remind you about important stuff like homework, exams, workshops.

2. Be prepared with the right supplies and books.

If your school or college doesn’t supply enough of the right materials (let’s face it, do they ever?) then make sure you’re well-equipped for your first day back. Having the right supplies can not only help you to be more prepared and organized but stationary is also fun! Well, we think so at least. Also, nobody likes the person in their class who is always asking to borrow a pen!

3. Focus on the academic tasks first!

Everyone can slip into procrastination mode and sometimes prioritize their social activities and hobbies over their studies. But this can have stressful repercussions if we allow it to happen too often, especially in the first few weeks of term when getting ahead and staying ahead is important. Remember, if you need extra help so you can spend more time on fun activities then Nerdify is standing by to help you out with any of your tasks and assignments!

4. Write down your academic goals for the term or year.

As with everything in life, it’s so important to set yourself tangible goals and milestones. We all need something to strive towards, otherwise, it can often feel like our endless work has no real destination or result. Writing down your goals will allow you to properly manage your time and plan your strategy for reaching them. To do lists have been proven to be a powerful driving, motivating force!

5. Learn what type of learner you are!

If you have high expectations for yourself during this academic term (and why shouldn’t you!) it could be really important for you to work out what kind of learner you are. And we don’t mean whether you’re a slow learner or a fast one, or anything like that. But how do you better learn? What’s your process? Maybe you’re more auditory and need music and speeches. Perhaps you’re more of a visual learner that needs pictures and writing or maybe you’re vocal and need to talk about subjects and write notes to better retain the information.

And there we have it: 5 top tips from our Personal Nerds on how to get the most out of your first days and weeks back at school. Don’t forget to drop us a message if you need extra advice or support!

We are proud to showcase the essay that won the Nerdy Bot Scholarship Competition.

Essay by Dora M. Donnelly

Artificial intelligence is everywhere in our new millennia. The way we live and work has changed because of the ease of access that is at our fingertips for advanced AI systems. The work in my studies has been no exception to this. I find that typing information into a search engine that rifles through decades of posted material is much easier than having to search a library that is limited.

The most relevant description of Artificial Intelligence is that it makes everything easier. When I am working on an assignment for a class, I have the ability to search the world’s largest database by typing it into my phone, which also implements Artificial Intelligence. It then enters into a search engine that processes my search and then brings the information to me. From that point, I study and apply what I have learned, but not without citing my research through a citation website that uses Artificial Intelligence to automate a well-written citation or bibliography based upon the keywords I entered. Finally, through submitting my assignment, my teacher or professor is able to run it through another programmed service, powered by Artificial Intelligence, that checks for plagiarism so that he or she may know that my work was done without compromise.

I have seen the use of Artificial Intelligence over the last few years advance and I am impressed by the work that can be done through it. We already use it every day for so many things that we do not realize we use it for. Computers and laptops that we use for our work are full of Artificial Intelligence. Whether it is the colors and image displayed on the screen or the input of the keyboard that works just as well as if we labored over those words with ink, any computerized system services its user through Artificial Intelligence.

Also, there is software that students, including myself, have used over the years to contribute to their learning experience. Even elementary schools are using programs that children study and practice skills through Artificial Intelligence. It provides a new way for students to exercise their mind through an updated practice.

An additional way I have benefited from Artificial Intelligence has been online tutoring. There is a database of classes, some of which don’t have a human teacher, that can tutor certain subjects online. I have used this before to grow in my writing skills. It functions by giving the student subjects and when they are done writing them it evaluates automatically the writing skill and level of performance by the student.

In summary, there are many uses of AI in the classroom and to assist with studies. Education in the future will likely rely much more on Artificial Intelligence to promote learning. Through my experience, they all seem to be improving the way we live and learn. Undoubtedly, we will see the use of Artificial Intelligence grow to be even more comprehensive and functional.