Reference Blog

inde ref = living independently pol ref = political activism art ref = art to consume writ ref = writing tips & inspiration head ref = mental health game ref = d&d stuff body ref = tattoos and piercings hist ref = a more complete history ??? ref = things that seem important

[midwinterhunt]

Hot Writers Don't Gatekeep

the writers REALLY liked my artist resource post, so I thought i'd give y'all my dragon hoard of things i use for writing

Reverse Dictionary, you type in the meaning of a word, and it gives you a bunch of words that mean that. (MY MOST IMPORTANT OFFERING IN THIS LIST)

Slang Dictionary, what it says on the tin.

Anglish Translator, Anglish is if English evolved without borrowing from other languages and it really itches my brain (Anglish is if english grown without borrowing from other languages and it truly itches my brain)

Incorrect Quotes Generator, Put character names in, and incorrect quotes come out. Really fun way to goof around with your characters' dynamics.

Handspeak, an ASL dictionary

Library of Babel, Odds are, the finished version of your wip is in here somewhere

The best fantasy map maker i have ever used

Glitch Text Generator is one I use A Lot, does ť̷̨̢͓̤͔̤̤̝̺̯̄̔̄̌̄͗͒͋͂͋͝ḩ̵̼̜͍͚͕̏̓͊̈̉̆̄͐́͗͒̈̃̊̚͜i̵̻̐̇̎̏̀̋̌̃̇̿͘̚s̴̮̔̂̇͒͑͝͝ͅ to your text

Totally not bootleg microsoft office

Emotions Thesaurus a guide for writing emotions and their associated body language

Mythcreants, has a whole bunch of stuff you can read to learn more about the technical aspects of writing

A decent article talking about what to think about when creating a language

Trope Talks, particularly good for beginner and younger writers or people who have a hard time reading. Honestly this whole channel is a fantastic format to get information into my adhd rattled brain.

FOR MY AO3 BESTIES! Postimages will host your image forever so you can embed it into your work

Ambient Chaos, sometimes the only thing in the world that can kick your brain into writing mode is nuclear sirens and lofi beats

Radioooooo, play a station from any place and year. Particularly helpful for period pieces.

[midwinterhunt]

Food timeline, when foods were invented

[soapdispensersalesman]

I can't stress enough how much I miss StumbleUpon

[zevveli]

StumbleUpon once sent me to a supercut of Lion King, Lion King 1 1/2, and Lion King II, the main edit being that the scenes of Lion King and Lion King 1 1/2 were interspersed so that they happened in the order they actually happened.

[redpandarascal]

stumbleupon not existing anymore can be directly traced to a dramatic decline in my mental health, I could do a thesis on it.

[musashi]

bestie stumbleupon very much still exists its just called cloudhiker now. i use it all the time.

[lesbiassoon]

mini compilation of suggestions from the replies:

The Bored Button - "Press the Bored Button and be bored no more."

The Useless Web

Cloudhiker - "Discover the most interesting, weird and awesome websites of the Internet" (not really a rebrand, it's a different person running it but they have the same intention in mind)

Astronaut.io - "These videos come from YouTube. They were uploaded in the last week and have titles like DSC 1234 and IMG 4321. They have almost zero previous views. They are unnamed, unedited, and unseen (by anyone but you)."

Marginalia - "This is an independent DIY search engine that focuses on non-commercial content, and attempts to show you sites you perhaps weren't aware of in favor of the sort of sites you probably already knew existed."

[skribblegurl]

some people think writers are so eloquent and good with words, but the reality is that we can sit there with our fingers on the keyboard going, “what’s the word for non-sunlight lighting? Like, fake lighting?” and for ten minutes, all our brain will supply is “unofficial”, and we know that’s not the right word, but it’s the only word we can come up with…until finally it’s like our face got smashed into a brick wall and we remember the word we want is “artificial”.

[heywriters]

I couldn't remember the word "doorknob" ten minutes ago.

[bumblewyn]

ok but the onelook thesaurus will save your life, i literally could not live without this website

[breelandwalker]

REBLOG TO SAVE A WRITER'S LIFE

[myfairkatiecat]

LIFE SAVED

REBLOGGING TO SAVE ANOTHER WRITERS LIFE

[sirowsky]

I use this every time I sit down to write. It's the best tool in the world and I would be lost without it!

[movementnudge]

Movement nudge!

[void-flesh]

Free pdf.

[thyfleshc0nsumed]

Free audiobook

[thoughtportal]

Open Printer

Finally, an open hardware printer you can actually understand, repair, and upgrade

Open Printer is an open-source, repairable inkjet printer designed for makers, artists, and anyone tired of throwaway hardware. Built with standard mechanical components and modular parts, it’s easy to assemble, modify, and repair. You can print on standard sheets or paper rolls and choose between black or color cartridges, refillable at your convenience.

This project aims to reclaim our everyday tools. As such, it features no proprietary drivers, no cartridge DRM that locks you to a single vendor and is designed to never become obsolete. The Open Printer is built for longevity and customizability, ensuring that it remains fully under your control.

[hil-arrr-y]

Two job-hunting resources that changed my life:

This cover letter post on askamanger.com. A job interview guide written by Alison Green, who runs askamanager.

[curliestofcrowns]

useful

[blownfromthesunintothesurf-blog]

Alison Green’s advice works. 

[sw-or-gtfo-deactivated20211219]

Alison Green got me all my interviews from 2012 onward, I am reasonably sure.

[vanitycats-deactivated20170527]

Alison Green is basically my life guide.

[intentandinvention]

Mine too - she was my most visited website for the first few years of my working career, and I cannot emphasise enough how much her advice helped me navigate how to behave in a work environment. You name it, she has an answer for it. Definitely a life hack.

[rogue-ai-cat]

The thing is, even if you were lucky and your parents taught you how to clean, they probably didn't teach you how to clean the stuff you clean stuff with, like brushes, mops, sponges, rags, and so on. Or how to clean your cleaning appliances, like a dish washer, clothes washing machine, and clothes dryer and its ducts (if you have a ducted dryer), or a carpet cleaner, vacuum, Or how to clean up clean messes, like spilled bleach or detergent.

My parents threw away all of these things (even the vacuum cleaners and the dryer) when they got too dirty to function, because no one even told them THAT they could be cleaned. Cost them thousands of dollars over the years.

All I'm saying is that cleaning is not intuitive, and not knowing how to clean is not a moral failing, but it is something you can learn.

I'm going to reblog this post with resources for learning how to clean things and how to clean cleaning things (I'm not at my desk at the moment). If you have any favorites, please feel free to add them in too!

[rogue-ai-cat]

I like this video because it does a great job of introducing the basic foundations of house cleaning (and because he doesn't use bleach, which is a common allergy in addition to being awful to inhale). He also talks a little about how to clean a vacuum. And why you shouldn't put grease from your pots and pans down the sink drain. I also love that he mentions that different houses and different people have different needs and different versions of what clean and cleaning looks like.

He doesn't mention though that the toilet seat comes off. I take my toilet seat off to clean under the hinges and clean the seat more thoroughly once a quarter.

[rogue-ai-cat]

This is another video from the same guy about cleaning and depression. This advice, especially at the beginning, can feel really really difficult and oppressive to hear. However, I find that it's generally pretty solid. But I'm autistic and so is he, so that gets a massive Your Mileage May Vary stamp on it.

I have a favorite part of this video. It's from 10:52 to 12:36. I think we could all use to hear that. There's a HEFTY pause after that one. I promise the narration does come back.

I'm also going to recommend KC Davis' book "How To Keep House While Drowning"

[rogue-ai-cat]

This is a pair of videos about how to correctly load and use a dish washer.

The first one is a quick 1 minute 30 second overview on loading. I can't find the exact video I'm looking for, so consider this a substitute for that. If I can find the one I'm looking for, I'll swap it in.

The second is a half hour deep dive on dishwashers and detergents. The short form of that is you shouldn't need to pre-rinse anything, detergent pods are overpriced and can cause problems, some dishwashers have a filter in the bottom that needs to be cleaned (but most don't), run your sink until the water is HOT before starting your dish washer, and put a little detergent in the pre-rinse dispenser when you're washing extra dirty dishes (or on the inside of the door if your dishwasher doesn't have a pre-rinse dispenser).

[rogue-ai-cat]

Favorite Scrub Brushes + How to Clean Them - Clean Mama

Favorite Scrub Brushes + How to Clean Them. The right tools for cleaning tasks make all the difference! Scrub brushes are great tools and it

Here's a blog post about scrubbing brushes and how to clean them.

And a video for all cleaning tools, including scrub brushes. This video does use bleach. I'll try to find some alternatives to that.

[rogue-ai-cat]

How to clean a front load washer (with bleach). This should be done monthly or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

The Dirty Truth About How Often You Should Clean Your Washing Machine

With expert tips and tricks for all types of washers.

How to clean a top loader (without the removable agitator thing). This should be done every 1-3 months depending on you unit, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

Clean Your Washer and You'll Have Cleaner Laundry

Regular cleaning of a top-load washing machine will prolong the life of the appliance and leave your laundry cleaner and brighter.

How to clean a top loader (with the removable agitator thing). This should be done every month, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.

[rogue-ai-cat]

This video is for pet owners.

These carpet brushes are a LIFE SAVER if you have dogs. This thing allows me to go from vacuuming about 4 square feet before my vacuum is full to vacuuming half the living room (I don't vacuum often enough. You should vacuum weekly, and I just can't.). I have to unclog the vacuum less often. It fluffs up some of the flat spots in the carpet. And I also use the brush to shampoo my rugs in the spring.

A spot cleaner (or a carpet cleaner with a spot cleaner attachment) is another life saver, ESPECIALLY if you can afford to splurge on a heated one. I see them at Goodwill or at yard sales occasionally, and they're worth picking up. The shark one in the video is great too.

This channel is gold. There's tutorials for cleaning EVERYTHING on there. Just go subscribe!

[fivekoboldsinacoat]

Gonna throw another potential resource at the end of this very long list, which may be potentially helpful for others like me who loathe videos. It's... the weirdest thing that has genuinely been helpful to me in housekeeping. Absolutely full of useful advice, and bizarrely still relevant in large part. (Though, caveat, research ANYTHING to do with chemicals or cleaning products more complicated than vinegar + lemon + water for modern information.)

It's America's Housekeeping Book (1941). Available for free download on the Internet Archive. (Large PDF file at the link here).

The LISTS y'all. The step by step lists. The emphasis on efficiency and arranging spaces for the least resistance possible. The basic concept of "take a tray or basket into a room when you are tidying up so you can put things that belong elsewhere on it and take them out LATER in ONE GO".

My ADHD-having ass could cry.

[boobieteriat]

[shamebats]

From the OP: "If you sit at a desk or stare at your phone all day, this is for you. Here's how to undo the damage: - Banded Chin Tucks - Strengthen your neck flexors and fight forward head posture - Banded Pull-Aparts - Target your rotator cuff and improve shoulder stability - Banded Abduction - Activate the midline of your scapula for better posture - Lateral Deltoid Raises - Build shoulder stability and control - Banded Up-and-Overs – Boost scapular mobility and range of motion These simple banded drills will help you stand taller, move better, and feel stronger - even after hours at a desk."

Some of these are the same or similar to the exercises my physical therapist taught me.

[shadeslayer]

fsr people love to bring up land back but never actually in context of the canadian indigenous people that started the phrase and movement. also ill see people talking about it and using it basically "im being progressive and antiracist" but also like explicitly using it in a super vague tokenizing way where they dont actually seem to be invested in or care about what land back actually means ..?

[wiigiwaamcore]

time to drop the epic landback reading list by mike gouldhawke

I could have sworn he had an essay at one time titled something like "the matriarchal roots of landback" that talked more specifically about the origins of the phrase but I can't find it now

[soapdispensersalesman]

I can't stress enough how much I miss StumbleUpon

[zevveli]

StumbleUpon once sent me to a supercut of Lion King, Lion King 1 1/2, and Lion King II, the main edit being that the scenes of Lion King and Lion King 1 1/2 were interspersed so that they happened in the order they actually happened.

[redpandarascal]

stumbleupon not existing anymore can be directly traced to a dramatic decline in my mental health, I could do a thesis on it.

[musashi]

bestie stumbleupon very much still exists its just called cloudhiker now. i use it all the time.

[lesbiassoon]

mini compilation of suggestions from the replies:

The Bored Button - "Press the Bored Button and be bored no more."

The Useless Web

Cloudhiker - "Discover the most interesting, weird and awesome websites of the Internet" (not really a rebrand, it's a different person running it but they have the same intention in mind)

Astronaut.io - "These videos come from YouTube. They were uploaded in the last week and have titles like DSC 1234 and IMG 4321. They have almost zero previous views. They are unnamed, unedited, and unseen (by anyone but you)."

Marginalia - "This is an independent DIY search engine that focuses on non-commercial content, and attempts to show you sites you perhaps weren't aware of in favor of the sort of sites you probably already knew existed."

[syn4k]

burning text gif maker

heart locket gif maker

minecraft advancement maker

minecraft logo font text generator w/assorted textures and pride flags

windows error message maker (win1.0-win11)

FromSoftware image macro generator (elden ring Noun Verbed text)

image to 3d effect gif

vaporwave image generator

microsoft wordart maker (REALLY annoying to use on mobile)

you're welcome

[mmelete]

[post-leffert]

For An Anarchist Radio Relay League

A free zine about amateur radio for anarchists.

For an Anarchist Radio Relay League (0.24.1.1)

For an Anarchist Radio Relay League (0.24.1.1) -booklet

However, in a time when the United States government is fighting tooth and nail for the preservation of its own legitimacy while simultaneously eviscerating community services by way of privatization (Health Care, Postal Service, Public Land, Public schools, you name it), it is as important for the anti-authoritarian Working Class to learn about the science and art of radio communication as it is to learn how to grow food and shoot straight. (read "Factories, Fields, and the Firearms to Defend Them" by Hybachi LeMar )

In fact, in October of 2020, Ajit Pai's* FCC** ordered amateur access to the 3.5GHz band to be "sunset" (http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-orders-amateur-access-to-3-5-ghz-band-to-sunset ) so that the frequency space can be sold to private companies to expand the new 5G mobile network. While this isn't exactly disastrous for anyone other than a specific sub-set of Hams***, it is par for the course for this early half of the 21st Century that the government would sell off public property to the highest bidder so that private companies can sell it back to "Consumers" and lock poor people out of access to something as ubiquitous as air or water. Sound familiar? (https://iaffaiorg.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/skills-for-revolutionary-survival-5-communications-equipment-for-rebels/)

[leothetabby]

Good, concise info. Moreso than in "The Guerrilla's Guide to Baofeng Radio" this also has some up-to-date info on software for using a radio with a computer.

[callmebliss]

Y’ever read something and have understanding that has eluded you interminably suddenly stop, curl up, and snuggle neatly into a fold in your brain because a new way way opened to it?

[macleod]

I've seen this passed around a few times, and I have one thing to say:

It's online. The book was carefully and wonderfully recreated online by hand. You can find it here. The entire book is this easy.

calculusmadeeasy.org

[tlatollotl]

Could you point me in a good direction to learn more about the (preferably pre-columbian) american use of "cross knit looping"? I keep finding references to it in articles about nalbinding, but I'm having difficulty finding sources that talk about it specifically or in depth.

Despite all the textile posts for months, I actually know very little about textile production in the Americas. It's partially the result of preservation not being great for organics in Jalisco. So there really has been no need for me to learn about it. Instead, I will tag my friend @girlinthebrightbluejeans who studied textiles and might be able to answer your question.

[blatantescapism]

I've got some resources for Anonymous! Worth noting: the technique has a variety of other names, including "needle knitting", "anillado cruzado", and many others.

First, here's a tutorial for the very very most basic concept. It produces a plain, one-color band that is rooted in the edge of a fabric. The author (Laverne Waddington) learned it from one of her native textile teachers in Potosí, Bolivia.

Tutorial-cross knit looping

CROSS KNIT LOOPING Cross knit looping is one of many decorative finishes used on weavings here in South America.  Here in Bolivia, it is use

(Check out the rest of the website, it’s a great resource for all kinds of practical textile techniques. The main focus is South American, but she has also traveled to study under native textile artists from around the globe.)

It's way simpler than naalbinding. It's literally just sewing into the previous row. It's like a cross between buttonhole stitch and Van Dyke stitch.

Buttonhole needle lace: the stitch is taken in the loose swag between loops. It is repeated back and forth in horizontal rows, creating a staggered brickwork effect.

Van Dyke Stitch: the stitch is taken around the neck of the previous loop. It immediately repeats below, creating a straight stacked effect.

Cross knit looping: the stitch is taken around the neck of the previous loop. It is repeated back and forth in horizontal rows, creating an overall visual effect that looks like stockinette knitting.

Congrats, that's it. That's the only stitch.

That one stitch is so incredibly versatile, however, that it's all the Nasca needed to create breathtakingly glorious art.

Everything you see here is cross knit looping. All made just with that one stitch.

The complexity is created by using color changes, increases and decreases, starting new branches, taking the stitch in free-form angles, and working in three dimensions over a central core of padding.

(also, each one of these figures is TINY, and the entire thing is perfectly double-sided!) Here's an article about the specific textile, written by one of its main researchers:

This nearly 2000-year-old old textile survives thanks to the arid environment of southern Peru where it was buried.

Here are links about the revival of the technique by the indigenous people of the Andes. Sadly short on details, but they do contain some images of new artworks.

The Road to Reclaiming an Ancient Paracas Textile Technique | Andean Textile Arts

Project Detail - The Revival of Ancient Techniques

Many of the most useful and/or authentic resources are in Spanish; search for "anillado cruzado".

I intend to (eventually) work out the pattern of this Killer Whale Holding a Severed Head design, held in the American Museum of Natural History:

[aly-semi-archived-deactivated20]

Hey!! I know you’ve answered this before, but what philosophers/people in general do you think is essential reading? I’ve followed you for a while and I really admire you and your ideas, so I wanna get more of a solid basis for philosophy to understand your writing. Thank you and have a wonderful day!!! 🙏🏼 😊

This is very eurocentric but try this order for some bare bones crash course shit that reflects how I came to where I am. Includes theology cuz thats just the philosophy of the time. 

Plato > Aristotle > Pseudo-Dionysus > Various Dessert Fathers > Abelard > Aquinas > Luther > Calvin > Descartes > Bacon > Spinoza > Leibniz > Hobbes > Locke > Hume > Kant > Hegel > Schopenhauer >  Nietzsche > Marx > Lenin > Luckacs > Adorno > Derrida > Foucault > Butler

If you do all that, you will have a foundation to build off of to read most things in the western canon. I’m gonna be honest, this is about as bare bones as I can make this, but this is a curriculum I would teach as a like 2 year crash course in western philosophy 

[aly-semi-archived-deactivated20]

Like if you read this its not that you will be done, its that you will know most the important thinkers and shifts in ideas which most people are replying to, and certainly will be able to dabble in contemporary philosophical literature

[aly-semi-archived-deactivated20]

I can’t attest to these translations but try this out, added a few figures:

Plato: Symposium, Phaedo, Phaedrus, Republic

Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, Physics

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology

Dessert Fathers: Selections From The Sayings of The Dessert Fathers

Augustine: City of God, Confessions

Abelard: Letters of Abelard and Heloise, The Story of My Misfortunes

Aquinas:  Summa Theologica 

More to come…

[aly-semi-archived-deactivated20]

Luther: 95 Theses

Calvin: The Institutes of Christian Religion 

Descartes: Meditations

Bacon: The Essays of Francis Bacon

Spinoza: The Ethics

Leibniz: Philosophical Essays, The Monadology

Again, more to come…

[aly-semi-archived-deactivated20]

Hobbes: Leviathan 

Locke: Second Treatise on Government , Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Hume: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Kant: Critique of Pure Reason

Hegel: Philosophy of Right, Phenomenology of Spirit

Schopenhauer: World As Will and Idea, Essays

Nietzsche: The Gay Science, On The Genealogy of Morality

Marx: basically everything

Lenin: State and Revolution 

Luckacs: History and Class Consciousness, What Is Orthodox Marxism

Adorno: Negative Dialectics 

Derrida: Of Grammatology, Limited Inc

Foucualt: History of Sexuality, Discipline and Punish

Butler: Gender Trouble, Undoing Gender, Precarious Life

There you go: give it a go. If this was at all helpful and you want more stuff like this consider supporting me at patreon

[onecornerface]

For a beginner, reading secondary sources is often better than reading primary sources, because a good secondary source (1) summarizes long and hard material, (2) explains easy-to-misunderstand concepts, and (3) places the author’s work in context of material and ideological history. Many primary sources are otherwise unintelligible.

The best history of western philosophy I know: The Great Conversation by Norman Melchert. Link. It’s the 6th edition, way cheaper than the 7th.

A very easy introduction to many ethical theories as they relate to current politics: Justice by Michael Sandel. Link.

A great & easy anthology of many contemporary philosophical issues by current authors (with many references to, and explanations of, classic works): The Stone Reader. Link.

The Very Short Introduction series is also frequently good as an introduction to many topics, though some of them aren’t so good.

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is entirely online and contains very helpful and very up-to-date articles on a great many topics. Link to its table of contents.