you were born in 2006? what are you? a Honda Civic?
can i fucking help you?

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
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roma★
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trying on a metaphor

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blake kathryn
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me

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@laminae
you were born in 2006? what are you? a Honda Civic?
can i fucking help you?
I hope you get your favorite food this week and your favorite drink and your favorite 2k dollars
I'm sorry there's no magic in this post I'm just talking. I hope good stuff happens to people online I hope good things happen to all of us
What are the odds?
The Shibari Game
At a conference/festival last year, there was a Shibari workshop on the schedule for some reason, although the topic of the event was prediction markets. This led to the following exchange (all names changed):
Adam (who at the time was basically a stranger to me): Hmm, "Shibari"... What is that, some kind of Jewish ritual?
Me: No, it's-
Barbara: EVERYONE SHUT UP! Ok. Nobody tell this man what shibari is.
Everyone: ...?
Barbara: We’re playing 20 questions.
Thus began what was by far the best game of 20 questions I have ever witnessed. There were... appreciably more than 20 questions.
[literally ten minutes of questions later]
Adam: Ok, so! Shibari... is a Japanese social export, it's an activity somebody does, it's in some way artistic, it does not involve drawing, it does not involve writing, it involves an inorganic object and an organic object, and... the organic object is a human, right?
Everyone: Right
Adam: And the inorganic object...
Barbara: Well...
Chris: The inanimate object
Adam: The inanimate object, which, oh, which is organic, which suggests that it's clothes... Is the inanimate object clothing?
Everyone: No
Me: To clarify, the inanimate object is always organic in terms of 'organic chemistry', but might or might not be, like, made from biological material
Adam: Ok. And so, you have an inanimate object, and you have a person... The person does not have to do anything during the... shibari activity. You are doing a manipulation to the inanimate object, with the person, for purposes that are fun... Is it for the entertainment of a group?
Barbara: Could be? ...
Adam: So it could be for the entertainment of a group, but it could be for the entertainment of the individuals?
Everyone: Right
Adam: Ok. The inanimate object - the equipment - right? It is not specialised, but is a common object, correct?
Everyone: yeah
AI
Adam: Does it have anything at all to do with AI?
Everyone: [laughter] No
Adam: I had to check. In this setting, everything turns back to AI at some point
Me: I would say no
Frank: Not yet!
Me: Right, not yet. But yeah, 'No' is definitely the answer to that one
George: I trust Rob Miles on this
Barbara: As an expert in shibari?
Frank: As an expert in AI Shibari. I think that's what it's called.
Chris: Oh, yeah it kind of is!
Can one shibari by accident?
Adam: Ok. Is it something that one might do without knowing that it is shibari?
Everyone: [cacophony of disagreement]
Me: Interesting question!
Frank: Very interesting question.
Barbara: It's totally plausible that someone would do something that would qualify as shibari without knowing the Japanese artform
Me: Yeah, and they might also have seen things about it but not know the name of it
Chatting during shibari
Adam: Does it involve talking?
Everyone: No, not necessarily
Adam: God Dammit. Agh, I thought it might be... talking using some prop or something
Barbara: For me it always involves talking, but it's...
Adam: One doesn't have to?
Barbara: It's just 'cause I don't stop talking
[laughter]
Adam: And it doesn't involve betting markets in any way?
Everyone: No
How technologically advanced is shibari equipment?
Adam: Ok. Is the object technologically difficult to make?
Everyone: No
One guy: Yes
Everyone: What? No it isn't!
Adam: Is it only available in an industrialised economy?
Everyone: No
That one guy again: Yes!
Everyone: NO!!!
The guy: No, you're right, I'm sorry... But it is difficult to make
George: Every object is difficult to make!
Barbara: Maybe you're confused about what shibari is
Ed: Yeah, you should be up there with Adam
Adam: Would it have been available before industrialisation?
Everyone: Yes!
Adam: Ok. Um... is it a stick?
Everyone: It's not a stick
No cheap tricks allowed
Adam: I feel like I'm gonna get close to covering everything...
Me: I feel like we were very close just now, when you were like "Well what could this object be?"
Adam: Ok so the object is important. It's... before industrialisation... Does it begin with a letter before-
Everyone: No, no, we're not doing that. N/A
Adam: Ok so it starts with an N and an A...
[laughter]
What is this dang object?
Adam: Ok... so... is the object artificially pigmented?
Everyone: Can be, but not necessarily
Adam: Is it commonly painted?
Everyone: No
Adam: Is it commonly dyed?
Everyone: Yes
Adam: Ok, is it something that it's very common to dye in other purposes?
Everyone: Yeah
Adam: Does it involve a vegetable, of some kind?
Everyone: ...No?
Adam: Does it involve a plant?
Everyone: [confusion about what 'involve' means]
George: The object can have... some relation to a plant
Me: eehhh, that's more confusing than helpful. We already said that it can be biologically derived
Adam: But it would have been available before industrialisation?
Everyone: Yeah
Adam: So it's got to be something that is... around. Is it something that requires human modification to make into the form we know and love?
Everyone: Yes
Adam: Uh.. does this processing require specialised skill?
Everyone: Yeah, some skill for sure
Adam: Would I be able to do it? Like, without training?
Everyone: Probably not
Ed: On a long enough time horizon you'd figure it out, but the answer is basically no
Adam: Like, you throw me in with the tools to make it and say "come out in an hour", could I...
Everyone: No, probably not
Adam: But other people would be able to make it in an hour?
Everyone: Yeah, with the right skills
It’s not a weapon
Adam: Does it involve a weapon of any kind?
Everyone: No.
George: How creative are you allowed to-
Everyone: The answer's no
What shape is the object?
[long pause]
Adam: Well... does anyone else have any questions?
Barbara: You're asking such good questions though!
Ed: Yeah you're doing a good job
Danielle: I think you should ask more questions about the shape of the object
Everyone: Oh, great suggestion
Adam: Ok, is it spherical?
Everyone: No
Adam: Is it cylindrical?
Everyone: Yyeeaahh, sort of, yeah.
Adam: So it's not a pure cylinder but it's cylindrical-ish?
Everyone: Yeah
Adam: Is it an ovaloid?
Everyone: No.
Adam: Is it an ellipsoid?
Everyone: No
Adam: Is it uh... hmm... But it's longer than it is wide?
Everyone: Yes!!!
[scattered applause, we're close now]
Adam: Is it a plank of wood?
Everyone: No!!!
Barbara: It still isn't that!
Frank: No, his previous guess was stick
Adam: Yeah, a plank of wood requires processing and I couldn't make it... like it fits a lot of the other questions
Barbara: No you're right, that's fair, I'm convinced. It is a plank of wood.
Where is the object?
Adam: Could I find it inside a building or outside a building?
Everyone: Yes...
Adam: Wait. I mean. Ok, can you find it in a bathroom?
Everyone: Not really
Adam: Can you find it in a kitchen?
Everyone: Probably not
Adam: Can you find it lying on the ground?
Everyone: Yeah possibly
Adam: Is it something that people commonly use?
Everyone: Yeah
Adam: Is it something that people would pick up if they saw it lying there?
Everyone: Nah
It’s really not a weapon
Adam: Is it something that is dangerous at all?
Everyone: Can be, but not especially
Adam: Is any part of it sharp?
Everyone: No
Adam: Can any part of it fragment?
Everyone: [???]
Adam: Like, is it brittle?
Everyone: No
Adam: So it's firm?
Everyone: No
Adam: Is it flexible?
Everyone: Yes!!
Adam: Ok! Is it a pool noodle?
Everyone: [laughter]
Adam: Which is cylindrical, flexible, and organic, dyed but not painted...
Everyone: No, we're so proud of you, you're doing great
Me: But we did say "pre-industrial"
Pinning down the object
Adam: Ok ok. Is it a solid?
Everyone: Yes
Adam: Is it any of the solid hybrids, like a colloid or a gel?
Everyone: No
Adam: Does it retain its shape after being bent?
Everyone: Uh... yes?
Adam: So it doesn't spring back with any force?
Everyone: No, it doesn't spring back
Adam: Ok... so... Is it Japanese in origin, or is it found around the world?
Everyone: [assorted contradictory statements]
Me: The origin of the practice is Japan, but the origin of the object is all over
Adam: Is the object put on a person?
Everyone: Yes!
Adam: Is the object... um... is the object rope?
Everyone: YES!!
[scattered applause]
Me: The object is rope!
Adam: Ok!
Me: Now bring it home
Bringing it home?
Adam: Are things hung upon the rope?
Everyone: Uuuuummmmmm. Ambiguous? No.
Adam: Is the rope itself... does the rope look good?
Everyone: Yes!
Adam: Ok! Is this putting-on... a mark of esteem?
Everyone: No?? ???
[laughter]
Adam: So the object is a rope, and you're putting the rope on somebody
Everyone: Yes!
Adam: You're... putting rope on somebody!
Everyone: Yeah!
Adam: Is that... is that not the practice?
Everyone: No, no, it is, it is!
[confused cheering. Are we done?]
We’re not done
Chris: But, no, come on, there's more to it!
Ed: You're missing something critical!
Chris: You're so close!
Adam: Ok. Do you... hang someone?
Everyone: [strongly conflicting opinions]
Barbara: Only if you're doing it extremely wrong
Adam: Ok. But you can tie knots?
Everyone: YES!
Adam: Ok! Do you tie... is it a bracelet of some-
Everyone: No!
Adam: So it's not an adornment of any kind...
Everyone: Well...
Where on the body?
Adam: Is it put on your neck?
Chris: No
Danielle: Well, can be...
Adam: On your head?
Everyone: Can be
Adam: On a limb?
Everyone: Yeah
Adam: It's on a limb
Me: Not exclusively
Adam: On an arm?
Everyone: Can be
Adam: On a leg?
Everyone: Can be
Adam: On... uh... I've run out of limbs...
What does it mean?
Adam: Ok, it's rope, you put it on somebody, it's Japanese in origin... does it... signify something?
Everyone: Not really
Adam: Hmm. Do you tie the rope in a loop?
Everyone: ...Yeah??
Adam: I'm wondering, is it the casting of ropes upon people, like uh...
Chris: It's not a lasso, no
Frank: I like the idea of shibari as, like, a carnival game...
Barbara: I'm unclear on what the win condition is here...
Ed: I feel like there is a really important component that we haven't got yet
Everyone: Yeah, when he gets that component, he’s won
Are people into shibari?
Adam: Hmm... Did you find yourself fired by enthusiasm to do it upon being told about it?
Several people: Yes
Me: Personally no, but...
[laughter]
Adam: So it has mixed appeal?
Barbara: That is absolutely correct
Can one shibari... too hard?
Adam: Is it um, does it involve the tying of knots?
Everyone: YES
Adam: Ok. Are there knots that are peculiar to shibari?
Everyone: yeah
Adam: Is the learning of knots, or the tying of knots upon other people the important part?
Everyone: Uh... yes?
Adam: Do you tie someone up and they attempt to escape?
Everyone: Uh, not necessarily, but like, often.
Me: Yes is closer than no, I think
Adam: Ok, you tie rope on someone. Do you have to use some sort of special rope for it? Can you use any rope?
Barbara: You can use any rope, but some are better than others
Adam: So you wouldn't want to use any rough ropes, or...
Danielle: No, you do, that's actually preferred
Adam: You prefer rough ropes?
Chris: Some do
Frank: It depends
Danielle: Natural fibers tend to be rougher
Adam: Does it chafe?
Danielle: It can, but ideally not
Adam: Would you do it even if you were injured in the process of doing it?
Frank: No
Barbara: You would not want that to happen generally
Adam: Uh... Does it look cool?
Everyone: Yes!!
Origami?
Adam: So you're tying knots that look cool... is it like an origami for knots?
Everyone: [confused disagreement]
Ed: It's not about the knots
Chris: It's totally about the knots!
Frank: It's all about the cones...
Adam: Like, in origami you fold paper in ways that look cool, maybe you tie knots in ways that look cool?
Everyone: [loud disagreement]
Diagnosing the problem
[long long pause]
Chris: Ask the question in your heart!
Adam: ...Neckties?
Everyone: No?
Barbara: I keep thinking "But, he already has it", and then he asks a question that makes me say "No, he doesn't have it at all"
Frank: I think there's a question you want to ask, but you're not...
Everyone: Yeah
Chris: Yeah, ask the question that you don't want to ask
Danielle: I don't think he has the question...
Adam: Would it cause any gratification in someone?
Everyone: Yes!
Adam: Would it... Would it cause sexual gratification?
Everyone: Yes!!
Adam: Is it a practice... under the category of kink?
Everyone: Yes!!!
Adam: Is it tying somebody up for bondage purposes?
Everyone: YEAH!!! [Pandemonium, hollering, applause, Adam is lifted above the cheering crowd]
After the hearty congratulations were done, I wandered off, elated from the experience, and I bumped into a group of friends.
"Friends!" I said, "I just had the funniest experience. This guy didn't know what 'shibari' was, so we-"
"Shibari?" a friend interjected, "What is that, like, a Jewish building?"
"OK EVERYONE SHUT UP" I said.
unexpectedly sexy part of the Sinners credits. we LOVE a thoroughly sourced film.
logging back after a multi-year hiatus just to reblog my tumblr cameo
SINNERS RAILROAD CONSULTANT KELLY LYNCH???
we need more pathetic female characters written by authors who don't hate women
to be clear since this is making the rounds: she has to be an absolute loser in no way that can be pinned on her gender. no "i'm just a girl tee-hee" stuff. straight up just a loser (nondenominational)
addendum: she must be the most important person in the whole narrative
I decided to sit down and concentrate and properly write the list of rules that qualify a character for this role.
FIRST LAW: This character must be a woman.
SECOND LAW: This character must be a loser, but not in a way that can be pinned on her gender. Misogynistic response from the audience does not disqualify the character.
THIRD LAW: If the audience does not enjoy this character, then it becomes impossible to enjoy the show/film/book/game altogether. It is not possible to ignore this character, for better or for worse.
FOURTH LAW: The character must make bad decisions, and not just be a victim of poor circumstances outside of her control. The character can also be a victim of poor circumstances outside of her control, but it has to be primarily her personal choices that deem her a loser.
as an archivist I am begging you
put dates on everything
don’t believe digital stuff is preserved forever - if it’s really important (documents, photos, etc) print it out
name your files accurately I know it sucks but please
don’t destroy the original just bc you scanned it
rubber cement is the devil’s adhesive use photo corners and quit gluing shit
you will NOT remember write it down
if you staple things to the inside of a folder I will find you
your public library probably has equipment to digitize old media for free or can at least get you connected with somewhere that does!
When I am elected president I will institute a law saying that anyone with a net worth over 50 million must, at their own expense, employ a Jester. They must feed, clothe, and house the Jester according to the Jesters wishes, may not fire the Jester, and may not retaliate against the Jester, as the Jester will have Jesters Privileges.
One must spend at least three hours per day on the company of your Jester, and allow the Jester access to your quarterly reports.
The Jesters will be chosen by voluntary lottery. Jesters will be regularly interviewed to make sure they have not become Lackeys.
This law will prevent rich folk from being surrounded with vapid yes-men. A lot of problems with the world right now are happening becuse rich and powerful men don’t have anybody on hand to say “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Yep, They’re Assholes
A Surviving Facts Blog
The results are in. People with wealth aren’t very nice. I just read Rolling Stones’ “What You’ve Suspected Is True: Billionaires Are Not Like Us.” Author Alex Morris does an excellent job of summarizing research and outlining the issues. It’s worth reading.
Let’s break this down a bit. Usually when we refer to people as “nice,” we mean that they engage in prosocial behaviors. These are behaviors that convey kindness, empathy and generosity. For example, let’s say a car is entering a freeway. The freeway is bumper to bumper traffic. The yield sign for the highway entrance is a signal not to stop, but rather to gently move forward and be allowed to merge in the lane. But let’s say the person in the highway lane refuses to move. The entrance runway is ending, but the car on the highway guns the accelerator to make sure the yielding car doesn’t get in. We’ve all had this happen to us. But let me break it to you: This is antisocial behavior. Prosocial would require a few brake taps allowing the entering car to go in front. Both cars keep moving, the entire highway benefits, road rage is unneeded.
Studies show a direct relationship between prosocial behaviors (or lack thereof) and wealth. Wealthy people are
Less likely than lower income people to allow pedestrians to cross a street, even when pedestrians have the right of way
More likely to cheat when playing board games such as Monopoly
More likely to believe they deserve special rules and treatment, even when it is given randomly and without merit
Less likely not to read or to misread other people’s expressions and emotions
More likely to engage in risk-seeking behavior such as drug experimentation, abuse and addiction
More likely to believe in nature rather than nurture. They are born to be great.
Moreover, wealthy individuals donate a smaller percentage of wealth to charity than do lower income individuals. Indeed, generosity falls even when people are asked to think about wealth.
Three recent occurrences have led me to thinking about this correlation:
The Senate passage of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill which promises not only to continue his high income tax cuts from 2016 but to increase them even more. At the same time, the bill will cut healthcare and food support for those who need it most and increase the debt by trillions of dollars, per the GAO.
Bezos’ $50 Million-dollar wedding was an astounding display of excess. From purchasing an entire city to his star-studded guests to his bride’s over-indulgent plastic surgery- the entire affair illustrates the crevasse between the haves and the have nots. Should one rent an entire city just because they can? This is a real ethical question.
Musk’s criticism of the BBB for increasing the deficit has a schadenfreude feel. We all watched while he and his zealous tech bros systematically dismantled the Federal government without understanding roles and needs and without returning some of the 100s of millions of dollars Musk had received in government contracts. Some departments were so decimated that employees had to be rehired to perform critical tasks. So while I agree with Musk on the increase in government deficit, I still call hypocrisy on taking what he has from the government.
There’s a fourth one, actually. As a country, we have bailed out big industry numerous times- auto industry, home industry, banks, on and on. We also forgave the PPP loans of the top 1%. Why are we okay with providing charity and loan forgiveness to billionaires and not to students who have paid off three years of student loan interest and participated in a government program for student loan forgiveness? Why do we only give welfare to the wealthy? Why would I- who paid off almost $100k in student loans myself- resent today’s young people not having to go through the hardship I did? I want today’s young to have this hurdle knocked down!
These are the issues that sent me to research the correlation between wealth and empathy, kindness and compassion. Are the wealthy really different from the average American? Drum roll, please: yes, a strong negative correlation exists. Simply put, billionaires (most of them) are assholes. They lose empathy, compassion, connection and relationship. In fact, they live in purely transactional worlds- I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine. Just look at the tiff between Musk and Trump now when their mutual usefulness expired.
One of the arguments I’ve heard about bailing out big industry is their employment of other Americans. Yet, as AI becomes more ubiquitous, these same companies are replacing humans with robotics. In fact, this started decades ago. Look at the jobs lost in the auto industry. Big business does little to safeguard jobs for the average American worker and it doesn’t bring jobs back either. The wealthy reap the rewards, benefits and bailouts.
The belief in “working harder” also breaks down when examined. Does a billionaire really work harder than the single mom with 3 jobs, working 90 hours a week and caring for her four children? More frequently today than in generations past, billionaire status is gained based on inheritance, cronyism and financial opportunities not afforded the average American. Are these billionaires better simply because they are fortunate to have access? And let’s not forget, billionaires take advantage of government subsidies and regulatory loopholes. Many workers helped them get where they are. They did not do it alone. Yet, billionaires overwhelmingly believe otherwise.
If most billionaires were good people, we would see more improvements to society. If ingenuity is what we’re protecting, then let’s ask them to apply their innovation, cleverness, and singleminded obsessions to homelessness, hunger, healthcare, systemic poverty and crime rehabilitation. I would think that solving these very real US horrors are more profound than having very wealthy people living on mars by 2070- one of Musk’s literally lofty goals. The tech bros see democracy as dead and old fashioned (read Peter Theil). Their goal is to break everything, even if it doesn’t need breaking, and refashion it with tech oligarchs at the helm. This sounds like a new version of 1984, or Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall. When wealthy oligarchs rule, society is made for those who have money and those who don’t have no opportunity to climb out. Btw- that is communism.
Billionaires’ inventiveness is not applied to real world problems but to abstract, out of the world, unearthly, inhuman issues- i.e. rockets and Mars. Perhaps they can move en masse to Mars so those of us left on earth can get to work and solve real problems.
The root of the richer=meaner equation is ego. Extreme wealth magnifies the concept of exceptionalism, the belief that one is wealthy because they are better than anyone else. The definition of empathy, however, is connection and compassion. Exceptionalism and empathy don’t coexist.
Of course, billionaire exceptions do exist- MacKenzie Scott, for one. Warren Buffet, probably, as well. I’m sure there are more. But it’s too few.
We are an asshole society. This is the only way we can explain how empathy has shifted from starving children (Florida has now passed a law so underage children can work- you know, earn their food) to reducing billionaire taxes? A billionaire will not feel a 20% tax. A person making $75,000 per year will.
Our compassion-o-meter needs recalibrating. When we overlook human suffering for billionaire aggrandizement, our meter is stuck: our country has become the United States of Assholes rather than the tired and weary masses yearning to be free. Send your poor and hungry to Canada or elsewhere. The US of A-holes doesn’t care.
I would love to hear from you, even if, especially if, you disagree. Perhaps we can bring back the American tradition of debate. Please like and share this blog with others. Subscribe to receive it by email and go directly to the Walk the Moon website (www.walk-the-moon.com) to peruse the full collection of articles and updates. You can email me from the Walk the Moon website as well. Pl
Source: Yep, They’re Assholes
Boris "professional idiot" Johnson wanted to build an island airport in the immediate area.
it's fucking visible
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It is fun to learn.
The locals have a mural about it
Welcome to Sheerness!
YOU'LL HAVE A BLAST
so a very long time ago, my dad worked with an arson investigator
this guy was often one of the first people on the scene following a suspected arson, once emergency services had done what they needed to do. at times, there were also civilians on the periphery. often, they were freaking out, and understandably so; their home or workplace had just, quite literally, gone up in smoke
this investigator wouldn’t try to calm them down. he wouldn’t comfort them or be a shoulder to cry on.
instead, he’d walk up to the person most visibly losing their shit, hand them a fire extinguisher, and say “hey, can you keep an eye out for any other fires, and if you see one, can you put it out with this?”
of course, there was no actual risk of another fire. he wouldn’t be on the scene investigating if there was even a chance that the fire wasn’t completely put out. but the bystander didn’t need to know that
because that person, without fail, would immediately pull it together, take the fire extinguisher, and stand guard. they were, at least temporarily, calm enough for this investigator to do this job
my dad has told me the parable of the fire extinguisher a hundred times, and i think about it a lot. i think about what it says about people and crises. i think about what it says about the grounding power of having a purpose. and i think about the importance of letting someone help me through something, even if that help is just going to be another casserole to throw into the freezer, because useless or not, that fire extinguisher might be the only thing holding them together
Something they never tell you about being an adult is the power of just being The Person Who Reliably Shows Up. Even if you don’t think you have much to bring to the table except being kind to people, wanting to learn, and contributing when you can. Many of the good things that have happened to me and many of the connections I’ve made have been because I just kept showing up and people were like, whelp, I guess we can’t get rid of your ass and now you’re a load bearing part of the community
Um…those who do not move cannot feel their chains tbh….