The Answer is 42

Thoughts on life, the universe and everything in between. •°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°• Queer | AuDHD | She/They

[diabolicallyfoggyzone]

👋Hello!

This Tumblr is more of a dumping ground for thoughts, observations and general vents both good and bad. I have many interests and passions and things I love, they are all in their own blogs. This is a place away from that, mainly as I like to have things organised, but primarily this is an exercise to help talk about things that are not just my special interests.

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About Me, or at least the attempt of summing up who I am without just listing the things I like! 😆

I'm in my 40s and I've seen and experienced some shit both extraordinarily good and horrifically bad

I work full time from home, and work in tech - this is a blessing and curse sometimes in the same day

I am geeky by nature and love to learn, and lifelong learning is something we should always do, there is no such thing as done when it comes to learning about the world

I've been on the internet since 1997, I do miss the 'before times' of the web when social media companies didn't control everything

I am autistic, only found out in my 30s, and I have ADHD along with a collection of other things that affect my health.

I'm Queer, shorthand for being part of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. I'm still figuring out which labels best apply, even if any of them do, human experience doesn't fit into tidy boxes. But I do know that I'm not cis and not heterosexual.

I have come to realise that kindness is a rare thing, but the most valuable. It seems in short supply these days. It is the thing I've come to prioritise in myself and in others.

Human rights are the most important thing, and the abuse or removal in part or in its entirety of those is the most dangerous path any person, government or organisation can take.

It is easy to be angry, it takes effort to be calm. But that doesn't mean anger is not justified and that calmness means indifference or inaction.

Fun and whimsy are an important part of life, and while a lot should be taken seriously, not everything should be taken seriously

I am lucky enough to live with a roof over my head and have time to indulge in hobbies outside of work, I am greatful to have partner who is my companion and friend and to share my home with cats

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Tags in use for post content:

#vent into the void - sometimes thoughts just need to be said to release them from the circles they run in the mind

#glances of glimmers - the little moments that bring joy or happiness that are too easy to forget

#random rambling - longer posts that may or may not have a point but contain experiences that need to be shared

#quizzical questions - more of a philosophical thought than a question that is expecting an answer

#exciting experiments - things I'm trying out from tech stuff to health management to DIY

There are probably more as I write and I will try to remember to update the list. 😅

[redd956]

"Why is there straight people at pride???"

1. Fellas is wrong to support your queer homies

2. The closet

3. Ah yes, queer people look one way and straight people look the other way, this totally isnt a damaging and nonsensical way to think by the way. Gender essentialism be damned. You did it! You defeated homophobia. Buy seriously tho you must looooove profiling people

[diabolicallyfoggyzone]

This always bemused me.

Not only are there straight people who are still part of the Queer community. But allies are important especially now. Then there are family members supporting others, there are people that haven't figured it out yet.

Or my experience as a kid as an example, at my very first Pride in 1999 it was beneficial that me and my best friend appeared to be a straight teenage couple. It was illegal for him to have any partners at the time as a man, and it was illegal for school, libraries, caregivers to tell us anything about LGBTQ+ stuff, so we relied on being "ingocnito" and learning from our Queer elders.

(He was a gay man, and knew himself to be for a very long time, I was Queer but didn't have the words for the gender & orientation I felt - it was the tail end of Section 28 - that only ended after an unelected Baroness died and she couldn't block it's repeal in the House if Lords anymore! Section 28 was devastating for my generation and it meant that "appearing straight" on the way to and at Pride was a protective measure.)

So yeah there is absolutely no need for further segregation of people based on their appearance or orientation at an event that is a protest, a celebration of love, a reminder that we are just human.

[purr-in-ink]

🐾🐾🤍

[hope-for-the-planet]

Global mangrove forests rebound, offering hopeful sign for climate and coastal resilience

A new study from Tulane University researchers has found that after decades of loss from deforestation and coastal development, mangroves ar

Mangrove forests used to be considered one of the world's most threatened ecosystems. However, recent analysis of satellite data shows that mangrove forests are no longer in decline and in fact the global coverage of mangrove forests has been increasing over the last 16 years due to restoration and natural habitat expansion.

The health of mangrove ecosystems is particularly relevant in the era of climate change, since they place a crucial role in protecting coastlines from storms and erosion in addition to storing carbon.

[redstonedust]

its actually easy to de-enshittify your digital experience all you need to do is install this browser extension and this browser extension and this browser extension and input this custom script into the advanced box and go into your system settings and reconfigure all these options you didnt know existed and change your entire workflow and switch to this alternative operating system and this alternative web browser and this alternative chat client and this alternative word processor and this alternative- sorry that one turned out to be malware delete that one okay now double check your task manager for unwanted background processes and element block these ads and invest in a good VPN and append all your searches with AI blocking keywords and wait a few years until everything you just did becomes shitty too so you can do it all over again okay kitten. its literally that easy.

[reasonableromance]

The thing about dyscalculia is how it progressively creeps up on you as you age.

You don't really notice or don't really care much at first. You're a very small child, and you're learning addition and subtraction. You struggle, but you don't know anything else and there's not much to compare.

But then you grow up. You learn anything a little more complex and it hits you. Your classmates are struggling with the new content, which is a given because it's new, but you're struggling with everything up until this point.

The simplest things; addition, substraction, multiplication, division. Things that your peers now do like breathing are still tripping you up. You still need to use your hands to count, but your teacher calls you out for it because that's for little children and you're not a little child anymore. So you come up with ways to use your body — anything at your disposal — to count without raising suspicions because you need it.

Then you finally get to the new content that everyone was struggling with and, of course, you struggle too, but now you're late. You're late because you were too caught up trying to work with the simplest calculations just to make your way here, and everyone understands it already. It's your turn to teach yourself because nobody wants to wait for a dumbass who can't do simple math.

You keep growing up and now you're a teenager. Now it's getting uncomfortable. You're so grown up and you still can't do anything without using your hands, aren't you ashamed? So many years and you still haven't learned? Are you even trying? Things keep getting more and more complex and you feel like you're trying to run in quicksand. Nobody even stops to think about that stupid addition that's driving you crazy, how come it's just you?

And then you get to other subjects. In history? Dates keep tripping you up, you just can't seem to make automatic timelines in your head like others do when given multiple of them. Literature? The same thing, really. Chemistry? Physics? A lost cause.

You leave the classroom; nothing really changes. It's time to pay for something and you have to apologize because you're too slow to figure out the change. Everyone's done, they're all looking at you, and yet you can't make out how much you're supposed to give back. You can't remember anyone's birthday, you can't remember appointments, you can't even calculate someone's age without using a calculator.

You're an adult who still uses their hands to count, amazing. You spend every interaction hoping that you won't have to use numbers for anything or else you're going to have to confront just how pathetic you are. If you're lucky, you already know about your dyscalculia, but does that really change much at the end of the day? It's not like you can tell people you struggle with numbers at your big age, after all.

Others tell you to practice, they tell you that there's definitely a way. But you know. You know the hours, days, months that you've spent moving numbers around in your head. All the paper, all the worksheets. Yes, there's probably a way, but after how much? How much work will I have to put in? Do I need to sacrifice this much time and effort; possibly years? Is it that crazy to wish people were a little kinder, understanding, patient?

But yes. "Haha, sorry, I'm just a little stupid when it comes to math."

[hope-for-the-planet]

Sussex waters win protection as trawling ban takes effect

A new bylaw shielding Sussex coast from bottom trawling means nearly a third of Sussex's inshore waters are now protected

Bottom trawling has been banned in an area off the Sussex Coast supporting rare chalk reef and sandstone reef ecosystems. With this new law, nearly 30% of inshore waters around Sussex are protected from trawling.

Trawling bans spark recovery for Scotland’s seabeds - Oceanographic

Scientists recorded more than 1,500 species critical to the marine ecosystem, which they say emphasises the need for marine protections

In other positive UK ocean news, a recent study found Scottish seabed ecosystems can see a dramatic rebound after receiving trawling protections. After a decade of protection, these areas had three times as much marine live and twice as many species present. Intact and undisturbed seabed ecosystems can also function as carbon sinks.

This new evidence that protections do work, and potentially faster than expected, can hopefully pave the way for further trawling bans.

[theartofmadeline]

happy pride! this dragon is gay <3

[jackdawwhat]

how I love Boston

[robotslenderman]

The recent hot VS cold polls have made me realise that a lot of people have no idea how to cool down.

As someone from a hot country that's regularly on fire, here's some tips:

WATER IS YOUR FRIEND! WATER! IS! YOUR! FRIEND! You can transfer SO much heat into this bad boy! You cannot cool down without water!

Wrists under the cold tap. Splash your face and the back of your neck. Fan yourself.

In some countries you can buy a little handeld fan with a water sprayer.

Damp tea towel around the neck. Stick an ice pack in there on hotter days.

Half fill a water bottle with water, stick in freezer. If you use a bottle with a straw, make sure it's lying on its side with the straw side up and out of the water. When frozen top up the rest of the way with tap water and off you go.

Desperate to cool off? Wet T-shirt. Sit in front of a fan. This will nuke it, just don't get hypothermia and don't fall asleep like this.

Cold showers are also your friend in summer. Some people get psyched up by these. Personally, I sleep like a baby, so I'm good to have them before bed. Just keep in mind that it takes a bit of time for the cool to circulate, so your body will tell you that you're colder than you actually are. I find that when I have cold showers I need to step out of the spray when I think I'm cold... I'll just wait, and thirty seconds later the temperature has evened out and I actually need to step under again. Rinse and repeat until you maintain coolness even after stepping out for a bit.

If you can't do cold showers, turn the cold shower on anyway and just stick your arms under. When they're cold, lift your arms up above your head. The sensation of cool blood draining into your body is fucking weird and kinda unpleasant but less unpleasant than being hot.

Feet in a tub of water with ice. Blood naturally flows to your extremities when hot, so take advantage of this. If you don't have a tub of ice water, sticking a wet rag on your feet in front of the fan works too, it's the less powerful version of the wet T-shirt.

Drinks lots of water but make sure that water has electrolytes as well. Stay in the shade.

Keep air circulating. Fans don't actually cool rooms down, they just help transfer heat from your body to the moisture on your skin or the air via evaporative cooling.

Block north facing windows early in the morning so the sun doesn't get in. If you're in the northern hemisphere, this is opposite for you. Keep in mind that if your home is brick, the bricks will still heat up and slowly release heat into your home even after the sun goes down so this will only do so much.

If it's hotter inside than outside, close all your windows but two, making sure they're on opposite sides of the house/unit you're in. Point a fan out of one window, making sure that the doors between the rooms with the open windows are all open. This will help create a mini pressure system in your home, pulling cooler air in and pushing the hotter air out via the fan. Bonus points if you can get that fan high up where the hot air rises; even within a single room the top is much hotter than the air by the floor. Adjust the amount of open windows based on how many fans you have, but generally you want more windows with fans open than windows without fans to keep the pressure correct.

Obviously, use your common sense for these. Not everything WILL work for you, just use the stuff that does and adjust what needs to be adjusted. Some of these will be impossible to use in the workplace but others you can still use. Others are best used at home. If humidity impacts your ability to use any of these, get a dehumidifier if that's an option, or use more ice instead of evaporation.

Also keep in mind that the skinnier you are, the faster these will work. More fat means more insulation, means more heat, so you may need to be more patient with some of these or use them in combination.

[robotslenderman]

Bringing this back for my dying mutuals

[foxes-in-love]

[softwaring]

made a pride flag using landscape photos ive taken <3

[starsinoursystem]

this pride month I'm gonna need everyone to be radically pro transgender and also pro intersex and also pro ace and aro spec peoples thanks

[inkskinned]

i know ai won't win because i broke my favorite mug.

the lines on the bottom say do not microwave but i have been microwaving it for 7 years now. i put it away wet and it must have slid off the counter. it broke into 6 pieces. my girlfriend says this is proof a ghost that lives in my house; particularly because it is a black mug with a ouija board design. i think it is proof that i should dry things before i put them away.

i had superglue from an abandoned art project. it took me four days. inspired by kintsugi, i painted the seams golden. it is my first time doing anything like this, and it was more error than trial. i do not have any fancy materials. there is a thick band of gold across the no, so it reads like a diphthong now, N\O. a part of it broke in an almost-perfect peace sign, oddly round.

it will not be watertight anymore, it cannot be a mug. i'll reuse it as a flower pot. it will go on my back porch. it is kind of ugly, really. i didn't do an excellent job.

i spent every minute of this repair thinking about how often i had used it. how many little rituals it has been a part of. it is a big mug, but not a soup mug, which i loathe. it is perfect for two hands to hold. i have used it almost daily, so often that many of the details have worn off. my own skin did that - almost a decade of shared warmth.

none of the times i have told this story has a single person said what do you mean you have a favorite mug. not a single person who has seen the resulting half-maimed piece has said why would you put that back together? not a single person has said this is a waste of time. not a single person has told me what's the point of this? if you want to find a new mug, just use AI.

somewhere someone is probably using AI to draw an image or write a poem, i know that is true. but i think it is also probably true that most of us are going to write and read and draw and dance just because. that the process of doing so is not for a goal or a specific benefit, but because for thousands of years now - when a piece of pottery breaks, we try to fix it. for thousands of years - long before capitalism had any say in it - humans have been doing things just for the experience of it. for the fuck of it. for the love of the game.

ai is not going to win because i cut my thumb while i did it. ai is not going to win because i kept thinking about my all friends who do ceramics, how they're always asking me if i want to join them for a lesson. i was thinking about every person i've ever shared a coffee with. i was thinking about who i was when i bought this mug (graduate student. could barely afford the off-season thing on clearance). i was thinking about how many hands have held this, how many people i've been since.

ai is not going to win because i didn't do a perfect job of it.

my sister-in-law and i recently had a conversation about how one of her coworkers uses Chat instead of reading self-help books. and we both looked at each other about that, the stunned silence of rabbits. "can you imagine?" we said. what's even the point to it.

did i tell you? i had this dream once. we as the earth decided that for one moment, we'd all go outside and sing. any note we wanted, any way. it could be a howl or a scream or a high c. the noise we made together - it was the most beautiful harmony. this, i thought. this is the natural state of things.

[crookedtines]

Finally bought some dye and have been having so much fun with optical color mixing. I decided to start with cmyk primaries to get some vibrant color options.

So far I've only mixed up the main batch of colors, but I'll split them up and create a palatte of tints and shades once I have access to a scale again.

I don't have any fancy tools and have been blending the fiber by hand, so it's probably best I have a forced break for the sake of my fingers. Once I'm done I should have a very useful set of 57 2g swatches to play with! (Plus 5 more for a set of grayscale swatches)

If I'm still up for it, I might repeat the whole thing with my classic red, yellow, blue primary dye set. For a truly massive set of heather swatches.

[spicyvampire]

The way all the 2020s have done so far have been making me categorically against every new generation of tech that comes out is insane. Like I'm from a technological boom generation, saw the first portable phones, nokias & blackberries & flipphones etc, and the first smartphones, and the first ipods & ipads & tablets in general while still having cassettes & DVD & MP3 players around so I know how all of it work, I had computer classes in high school, I did the transition between home desktop computers to laptops and back to gaming computers. But then they started to put internet in your printer & microwave, everything has ads & AI now and every update is worst than the last. I literally loved technology and they ruined it

[diabolicallyfoggyzone]

This, exactly this.

I was online in 1997, at home and finding out Star Trek mailing lists existed. I made my own Star Trek fan site in 1998 by hand typing out HTML in a text editor.

I spent ages ripping all my CDs into my MP3 player, and made playlists that matched my old cassette tape mixes.

Tech was exciting and interesting and I spent the time and the little money I did have on the latest tech.

Now I'm actively avoiding "smart devices", making sure none of my kitchen appliances are internet enabled and spend more time with my laptop/phone turning off the damn AI crap than using it sometimes. (The switch with Linux has been delayed for now.)

Tech went from this cool exciting thing that would be closer to the tech of sci-fi and I was once sad that I wouldn't get to see Star Trek like tech in my lifetime.

The urge to move into an off grid cottage in the wilds of Wales or Scotland is getting stronger day by day.

[afemalesebastian]

"Sewing is a gateway drug to thinking through complex problems. It seems really simple; culturally, we make it women's work. Let me tell you: real sewing at any kind of level of proficiency is a bloody magic trick. Sewing, like mold making, involves mental frames that require one to think inside out and backwards. It requires one to work on an order of operations that is often taking into account the reverse. It's a really, really important skill, and if you learn how to sew, you're mostly on your way to carpentry and welding and sheet metal work. I'm not kidding: these are planar forms meeting under rules and conditions. And if you can make a sleeve work, I swear to God, you could build a house."

--Adam Savage