Ethan Walker

If you have ever watched a German movie, overheard a conversation on the Berlin U-Bahn, or spent time with native German speakers, you have probably heard words that were not in your textbook. German swear words are everywhere in everyday speech, and understanding them is a big part of truly learning the language. Whether you … Read more

If you have ever watched a German movie, listened to a Rammstein song, or spent time with German-speaking friends, you have probably heard the word Scheiße. It is one of the most recognizable German words worldwide, right up there with “danke” and “gesundheit.” But what does scheisse mean, exactly? Is it as offensive as English … Read more

Quebec French swear words are religious because the Catholic Church dominated every aspect of Quebecois life for over 300 years, making Catholic liturgical terms the most powerful and taboo words available. When Quebecers needed language strong enough to express anger, frustration, or shock, they reached for the vocabulary of the institution that held ultimate authority … Read more

Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or inconvenient by an authority or institution. It can be carried out by governments, corporations, religious groups, communities, or by individuals themselves, and it shows up in everything from banned books to removed … Read more

TV networks bleep out swear words because federal law prohibits obscene, indecent, and profane content from airing on broadcast television, especially during hours when children are likely to be watching. The FCC enforces these rules because broadcast airwaves are considered public property, freely accessible to anyone with a tuner. If you’ve ever wondered why a … Read more

The seven dirty words are seven English language profanities that American comedian George Carlin first listed in his 1972 comedy routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.” The words, in Carlin’s original order, are shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. I researched this topic in after rewatching the original performance, and … Read more

Instagram feed posts support three aspect ratios: 4:5 portrait at 1080×1350 pixels, 1:1 square at 1080×1080 pixels, and 1.91:1 landscape at 1080×566 pixels. Stories and Reels use a vertical 9:16 ratio at 1080×1920. Pick the right one and your photos fill more screen, get cropped less, and look sharper after Instagram’s compression. I’ve been posting … Read more

Instagram Reel dimensions are 1080 pixels wide by 1920 pixels tall, using a 9:16 aspect ratio designed for full-screen vertical viewing on mobile. If you upload a video in those exact dimensions, your Reel will play edge-to-edge in the Reels tab, fit the feed’s 4:5 crop cleanly, and look sharp on the profile grid. I … Read more

If you have ever asked “what size is an Instagram profile picture,” you are not alone. I get this question from friends, clients, and small business owners almost every week. The short answer is 320 by 320 pixels for upload, with a 1:1 aspect ratio, but there is a lot more to it if you … Read more

If you’ve ever uploaded an Instagram carousel and watched your carefully placed text get sliced in half, you already know why the right Instagram carousel size matters. I have spent the last two years creating carousels for clients, and I can tell you the dimensions decision you make in the first five minutes of design … Read more