...But These Go To Eleven.

Eh?

[taragrimface]

if i had three wishes they would all be to make web 2.0 utterly illegal and go back to normal html

[taragrimface]

how do we explain to children that all our tech briefly worked perfectly and over time we threw it all away for sleek menus and corporate opacity

[taragrimface]

"we could give you a link to this mp3 OR we could run it in a proprietary player app that must connect to the internet every time you hit the resume button"

[taragrimface]

when i upgraded from a flip phone to an iphone and realized i could no longer record and set a custom ringtone because apple wanted me to buy radio pop ringtones, i realized, oh cool new tech isnt made for us it's made to exploit us and we are going to let it happen

[serenity-bitty]

ouch

[dreamsy990]

i saw someone say nobody needs to know what a .txt file is anymore. what the fuck is the world coming to

[dreamsy990]

unironically i think we need to bring back computer labs because APPARENTLY some people WERENT taught basic computer literacy and internet safety in school

[dreamsy990]

things about computers/the internet i think kids should be formally taught in schools because theyre important to know and the amount of soon to be grown adults i know who know NOTHING about any of these is quite frankly almost all of them (and resources to learn if you dont know these things, because its never to late to get better with computers)

how to troubleshoot by yourself when you have a technical problem

what common file types are

some very basics on how to use ""developer tools"" on your computer (because i cant think of a better way to refer to them) like task manager and command prompt (and their mac equivalents, terminal and activity monitor ofc)

how to read and understand a privacy policy and what your personal data is, as well as what it being collected actually means and steps you can take to keep it private

how to understand terms of service (hey. if you have trouble with reading legalese and worry about being able to understand these policies anyways, here's a site that gives basic summaries of privacy policies and ToS)

what a cookie actually is

internet privacy and your digital footprint!! seriously i dont know why we stopped teaching people that they shouldnt be putting their entire real identity online in a world where your online actions can ruin you irl

basic safety measures like antivirus software (and why you should use it or if the built in one on windows or mac is enough for you) and backing up your computer (also a mac guide)

common keyboard shortcuts (and on mac)

as an additional note: things i think everyone should know on computers and the internet but schools may bit hesitant to teach about for whatever moral/legal standards schools pretend to operate on

vpns and adblockers! (btw for most of these where you can pay for things im purposefully not recommending any specific software but seriously just use ublock origin for an adblocker)

how to not get a virus while pirating something

what a temporary email is and when to use one

red flags that you shouldn't trust a website (and how to quickly check the security of a site)

what javascript on a website does and how to disable it to get around paywalls

[dreamsy990]

ok one last addition! if you want to take it one level higher, i think learning the very basics of at least one programming language is good for people. it makes computers less scary and it makes you feel very cool, and a lot of people get discouraged about it because it seems overly complicated and hard to learn outside a formal classroom setting, so heres some resources for learning the very basics of python (because i consider it the easiest language to learn and knowing one language will make it easier to learn others)

an online compiler so you dont need to download anything or worry about running code directly on your computer if that makes you nervous

a basic video guide to introduce you to python and walk you through beginner steps

a guide to some syntax and commands you should know (this was literally my lifeline in my first CS class)

some performance tasks to give you things to code to practice and assess yourself

[radroller]

YES THE ICONIC KIVA SCENE

[loreleywrites]

Otoya x Yuri worsties 5evarrrr

[rottenbutrecovering]

Mayhaps this is too hot of a take for this blog, BUT I'm tired of people being like "narcissistic abuse is an important label to me because it's the only thing that describes the form of abuse I was subjected to" Then they describe their abuse and it's emotional abuse. Like we have a term for it. We have for like decades. I've yet to see any definition of "narcissist abuse" that does not also define emotional abuse and/or psychological abuse.

MY abuse fits the descriptions I've seen of "narcissist abuse", and that's because I was emotionally abused.

I do not understand why suddenly emotional abuse and psychological abuse have just seemingly dropped out of people's lexicon. (Well. I have my theory why. But that's a long post for another day).

[rottenbutrecovering]

It's another day, and time for the long post!

My perspective is there are 2 reasons why people have latched into the term "narcissist abuse" so strongly.

Firstly, short and simple, is ableism. An assumption that if someone acts in a shitty way they must be mentally ill, combined with the severe amount of misinformation and ableism targeted towards NPD specifically.

Secondly, it's because it's easier. Being able to label abusers as "narcissists" and define what happened to you by that is easier. It's simple - "they abused me because they are a narcissist". What follows on are other assumptions - "if I don't want to be abused, ill just avoid narcissists" (which leads to some very ableist lists of "ways to spot narcissists" based on pure pseudoscience). Even more dangerous is the thought "I can't abuse someone because I'm not a narcissist".

It puts people in boxes and avoids the more difficult, complex reality of abuse: anyone can be an abuser, and not every abuser is an evil mastermind. There is no single mental illness or personality trait that makes someone an abuser. Many (most?) abusers aren't purposely crafting their abuse. It's feels easier and safer to picture a mustache twisting villain with an innate urge to abuse others, than to accept the reality that many (most?) aren't thinking about their actions at all, justify it to themselves, or believe they are helping the person (see: Carrie's mother).

Abuse, and abusers, are complex. None of that complexity excuses or justifies any abuse, but it exists. Abusers are human beings. They can be mentally ill or neurotypical. They can be abuse survivors or not. They can be any gender.

Any of us can act in abusive ways. It is our responsibility to observe and be aware of our own behaviours to make sure we don't. Falling into the trap of "this box is where abusers fit." Is harmful to victims/survivors of abuse.

Saying "they abused me because they are a narcissist" also leans dangerously into removing accountability for the abuser. If they abuse because of something innate, can they be held accountable? The reality is they are human beings. And because they are human beings, they can and should be held accountable.

(This is written from the perspective of a neurodivergent woman, who has been at the end of emotional abuse for her whole life from both her mother and from a past partner. For many years I found comfort in the idea of dismissing my abusers as just being Abusive People and that's why they abused me - but with time I've realized that is not the reality of the situation, and they are complex human beings).

[lost-boy-into-the-upper-heavenl]

[zillanovikov]

every year I post this meme and every year people get more mad at me than they did the previous year

[rideretremando]

Il film di Sorrentino su Berlusconi non si può vedere in Italia https://www.ilpost.it/2024/09/04/loro-sorrentino-mediaset-vedere-italia/

Il film di Sorrentino su Berlusconi non si può vedere in Italia - Il Post

"Loro", con Toni Servillo, è uscito sei anni fa e poi fu comprato da Mediaset, che non lo distribuisce in tv, in DVD o sulle piattaforme

[jramseyi]

Happy New Year!!

Starting off 2024 with a dragon and some bunnies.

[spaceexp]

Visual representation of how the Solar System travels through the Milky Way

via reddit

[mckitterick]

…and to further complicate motion, if you were watching from another solar system you’d see the Sun wiggling from gravitational effects, too, and changing course while passing other stars and also spiraling around the Milky Way Galaxy at 828,000 km/hour in its 230 million year orbit

[zindagi-se-darte-ho]

Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

Franz Kafka, The Diaries of Franz Kafka

Anne Sexton, Imitations of Drowning

Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

[brothertedd-deactivated20240822]

[brightbluedot]

to succeed in adult friendship you must remember the key tenets of child friendship:

Play Toys

Play Pretend

Snack Time

[brightbluedot]

successful examples from my travels:

my SO and i have a projector. our cool neighbors have a vast dvd collection. fundamentally these are toys. we have those neighbors over for movie nights. Play Toys. more broadly shared hobbies fall into this category but it's extra fun if there's Equipment to admire and share.

ttrpgs are obvious but invaluable examples of Play Pretend. HOWEVER your options are not limited to this. i started a local writing group and this is also Play Pretend bc we all talk about our stories together. there are many such creative endeavors in this world.

having someone over for a meal is Snack Time. if you make a lil thing of it and eat at the table and make it nice with dessert and a fancy beverage to share it feels very grown up. and you will feel impressed with yourself for it. but it scratches the same itch as trading fruit snacks and suchlike.

of course these can be mixed and matched. most activities are enhanced by Snack Time if your friend targets enjoy breaking bread together.

and one begets the other. if you Play Pretend with someone for long enough they may eventually tell you about Toys they have and if you want to play too they'll probably let you. if they're nice.

life can be lonely when we live in separate boxes and worry about money all the time. this is what makes friendships hard, not growing older. but the antidote to isolation is connection, and the oldest wisdom we ever learn: share your toys. share your games. share your snacks.

[lifeafterpsychiatry]

It's a lot healthier to go for a daily walk than to sign up for a gym membership you won't be using because you hate that kind of exercise. It's a lot healthier to eat a frozen meal than to skip a meal because you were too tired to cook something healthy. It's a lot healthier to take a quick shower than to procrastinate an elaborate routine for days. Don't aim so high that you won't be hitting anything!

[creamypancakebatter]

this is actually really helpful and affirming thanks

[breelandwalker]

[commandtower-solring-go]

I've gained and lost a lot of weight over the years, and 200% the most effective thing is an endless collection of little decisions made to move your body. Dance as you clean. Meet up with friends. Walk around your house aimlessly. Park down the road.

It can be hard when you're heavier. You have to move a lot more mass. I know i struggle way more at my higher weights. But little bits add up much faster than massive dedicated efforts.

[sixappleseeds]

poem, “there’s laundry to do and a genocide to stop,” by vinay krishnan (x). transcription in alt text

[pdlcomics]

do it

[thecollectibles]

Pet Walkers - Character Design Challenge by selected artists: Valeria Sitnik, Bahry Vadim, Nyarlah Othep, Miranda Ellens, Xenia Berezovsky

[amokslime]

Sometimes the smallest thing can rewrite the trajectory of your life. For example: the reason I could only think about Dragon Ball Z for five years of my mortal life is I attended a local theater one-act play based on Waiting for Godot where Vegeta and Frieza were fighting on namek and waiting for Goku. It was so good it rewrote my brain chemistry permanently

[amokslime]

Vegeta's growing despair contrasted with Frieza's dispassionate apathy. Desperately trying to ignore the growing realization that Goku might never arrive, might not even exist. The spirit Halloween costumes blending seamlessly with the truly sensitive emotional acting. I would give anything to attend again but there will never be another run

[amokslime]

I forgot a really important element of this, which is that the actors for Vegeta and Freeza had heelies on the whole time to suggest flying