"these researchers published a paper on something that literally any of us could have told you 🙄" ok well my supervisors wont let me write something in my thesis unless I can back it up with a citation so maybe it's a good thing that they're amplifying your voice to the scientific community in a way that prevents people from writing off your experiences as annecdotal evidence
Have y'all ever tried to write an essay with the phrase "everyone knows [insert thesis statement or very important supporting evidence here]"?
You end up sitting with your bullshit paper wondering how you can strengthen your argument and sources enough that you don't sound like a 10 year old having an argument with another 10 year old. It's awful. I have had to rewrite so many papers.
We want research backing up what everyone knows. PLEASE give us research backing up what everyone knows.
We need to lay more blame for "Kids don't know how computers work" at the feet of the people responsible: Google.
Google set out about a decade ago to push their (relatively unpopular) chromebooks by supplying them below-cost to schools for students, explicitly marketing them as being easy to restrict to certain activities, and in the offing, kids have now grown up in walled gardens, on glorified tablets that are designed to monetize and restrict every movement to maximize profit for one of the biggest companies in the world.
Tech literacy didn't mysteriously vanish, it was fucking murdered for profit.
Oh man, I remember needing to buy a computer maybe ten years ago, and the salesperson was really pushing the very affordable Chromebook. And I, being far too trusting, was interested and asking questions, right up until I got to the question of what software it came with. At which point the salesperson said you had to do everything on a web browser and I peaced on out of there.
btw I’ve found these stretches from the WAK blog very helpful when knitting a lot:
Plus make sure to take breaks regularly - and stop if anything starts to hurt!
especially with gift knitting I know it can be tempting to push through it for a deadline, but it’s really not worth causing long term injury. (And anyone knit-worthy should be understanding of that, imho.) Stay well :)
So! This is a perfect case study in situations where you should be wary of misinformation.
Take a moment and ask yourself, a project like this requires a lot of time, money and dedication of resources, why would scientists dedicate that time to something that could just be done by a tree?
The answer is they wouldn't. So that means this claim requires further investigation!
This project is called LIQUID 3, and it's not meant for cities with wide open spaces, it's meant for cities like Belgrade in Serbia. These cities are densely populated and heavily polluted, to the point where pollution actually chokes out current trees and makes creating green spaces difficult.
Liquid 3 was a PhD scientists answer to these problems. The microalgae tank is intended for spaces where you either:
Don't have enough space to plant full trees, or
Don't have enough time to plant trees and wait for them to grow up.
The tank is extremely efficient when you consider the amount of space needed compared to the amount of CO2 turned into oxygen. The tank can operate throughout the winter. And most importantly, it can be quickly set up in areas that desperately need relief from air pollution NOW not in 10 years when trees are done growing. Children currently suffocating on polluted air can't wait for trees to grow, they need to be taken care of now, and Liquid 3 is one of the ways to take care of them. Depending on the species of microalgea used, a number have shown a pretty amazing capacity to pull heavy metals out of the air which is something trees can get choked up by.
The tanks aren't just tanks either! Liquid 3 have solar panels placed on top, they have lighting and mobile phone charging, and they work as public benches. The designers of it want to encourage green spaces where there's room, but where there isn't room or time, Liquid 3 can step in. Realistically, this isn't a replacement for trees. It's replacing boring metal city benches with new, cooler benches that also clean the air (and have at least some heating during the winter).
Not only that, but the microalgea that grows is native to Serbia and all that microalgea has a ton of great uses! It makes for great fertilizer, compost, wastewater treatment, cleaner biofuels and even for helping create new tanks for further air purification. They only require a quick algae divide once a month, and the produced algae can be carted off to where ever it's needed. This makes them effective solutions for areas that can't sustain complex installations.
So yeah, there's actually quite a lot of places that would like these. Lots of people currently breathing in terrible quality air would much rather have their boring city benches replaced with really fucking cool algae tanks that clean the air and can be used to help create + sustain future green spaces in cities. I dunno about you, but I'd take that over a dumb metal bench any day. Put these at every bus stop and I'd be delighted.
I would love to share this with everyone who may happen to see this post. Please support this wonderful human being. He spent nearly a half century in prison for a crime he never committed. And the only thing that kept him going was his artistic endeavors. He deserves the best life can offer anyone ❤️
As Pride Month as approaches, I thought I'd make a confession that I've been holding onto for many years, 57 years ago, I was tucked away in a bar, an occasional tear dripping into a poorly made Manhattan, talk about bottom shelf liquor, that whiskey was distilled in the Guwanis. Anyway, you see my friend Judy had passed away and I was really feeling the loss. At around 1:20 am June 28th 1969, police raided the stonewall inn, and history was made, Now, there's some debate over who threw the first brick, but I want to set the record straight on something, I was the Brick.
You see, I was so petite and I wasclad in an antonelli red and white woolen moehair tweed coat and skirt set, that people mistook me for a flying brick. I flew through that stained glass Window and boom, the Stonewall riots commenced. As I lay face down and unconscious on Christopher Street, a vision of Judy came to me, and said, "Fulla, get up, finish your drink and fix your wig"
That's a life lesson I never forgot, all I know is that I woke up several hours, in the back of a paddy wagon, topless, surrounded by drag queens, each of whom had an article of my clothing on, they are quick and resourceful
So always remember, Fight, resist, finish your drink, and fix your wig
My "Transparencies" quilt took 1st in category (pieced modern traditional) in my guild's recent show!
This was my first big guild show and while I hoped to place, landing in first was a happy surprise! I've also entered this quilt into an upcoming juried show (also my first), so keep your fingers crossed for me.
So, my mom has corgis, and a year or so ago, she was really excited because she had found a corgi meetup in her area that fit into her schedule. So naturally I told her to send me pictures and tell me all about it later.
And she told me that she was the only one who showed up.
Mostly she was focused on how well the dogs socialized and how nice the host was, but she also let things slip like that there was a table of homemade cookies for the people and homemade biscuits for the dogs. Like, the woman had clearly put a lot of work into making this a fun event and this was her FIRST TIME hosting an event like this, and she was clearly so excited, and then my mom was the only one who showed up.
Anyway, she still hosts events every month, and Mom goes to most of them, and so do other people. She just went to one yesterday. But I still think about that first one.
If you would like to have something handmade and one-of-a-kind, check out my quilts. As small as 1.5x1.5 inches and as large as queen size.
As many of my followers know, i had a severe hip dislocation in April.* This requires surgery to repair, and recovery will have me on bedrest for several weeka or even months. I have a consultation on June 25th, which means surgery may happen in July.
I'm raising money to acquire the laptop and lap desk i have on my Throne list here. This laptop will provide me with the means to write my book, and access to entertainment in general. There are other things on the list that will help keep me occupied as well. You may choose to purchase the listed items on my behalf, with the option of remaining anonymous.
In order to acquire necessary funds, i'm opening commissions. I will work on these until i can't. What i don't complete prior to surgery will have to wait until until after i recover. If you buy a commission, this is something you need to understand. If i have surgery this summer, i may not be back in the sewing room until this winter. You could be waiting for several months for your commission.
Now, that being said, let's get to the good stuff!
Pay What You Want - starts at $57 USD, what you receive won't be seen until it arrives. What you pay will influence what i choose to make, so beware this is a bit of a gamble.
Mug Rug - starts at $62 USD, 6x8 to 12x12 inches. Foundation paper piecing is an option. These are large enough for a mug and snack.
Single serving dining set - starts at $98 USD, and includes one placemat and matchint coaster. Foundation paper piecing is an option.
Set of four coasters - starts at $112 USD, with the option of adding more coasters to the set. Foundation paper piecing is also an option.
Table runner - starts at $246 USD, with the option of using insulated batting for this to serve as a long hot pad. Foundation paper piecing is also available.
Four piece placemat set - starts at $246 USD, with the options of adding a set of coasters and a table runner for a full collection. Foundation paper piecing is available as well.
Mini quilt - starts at $281 USD, and foundation paper piecing is an option.
Pine tree wallhanging - $292 USD, and can serve as an alternative for a yuletide tree. I have one, in pink, blue, and purple, and my ornaments are pins and buttons.
Potted plants wallhanging - $464 USD, and made using mostly scraps.
Just the quilt top - starts at $481 USD, with options for larger sizes. You will receive the finished top and will have to either do the quilting yourself or hire someone to do it for you. If you wish for me to use foundation paper piecing, pay twice the amount and mention you want me to use FPP and the size range. If there is a pattern you would like me to use, feel free to ask but I promise nothing.
*It caused something called a flap tear on the front of my right hip. A 4cm cyst developed next to it and just inside the edge of the joint. It has made it virtually impossible to sit upright for more tham 10 minutes at a time due to this section if my hip pinching the tear and cyst. I have pain tolerance high enough to scare my doctor and physical therapists, and the pain sitting upright causes is enough to bring me to tears.
Guy makes a really stupid decision and gets in a car accident -> no real damage from accident but insurance goes up -> starts beating himself up over his stupid decision -> gets depressed -> starts to realize he's single and had crash been worse he'd die alone -> realizes he's never had a relationship or even a crush and starts wondering what he'd want out of a relationship -> starts to realize he doesn't really like girls so he thinks he must be gay -> realizes he likes girls and boys about the same amount, so he must be bi -> later realizes that "same amount" is none at all -> he's ace
This is the second time I've seen a video of this technique and this explanation is so clear! It does use more fabric than English paper piecing (EPP) but you end up with a double sided hexagon so don't have to source fabric for the backing.
I'm doing EPP at the moment but I have a hole punch to make the papers and just use leaflets and junk mail, so it doesn't feel wasteful. I don't think it's difficult either- in the video she mentions it's not for beginners, but I don't have that much experience with hand sewing or EPP and I've been finding it pretty easy so YMMV
I saw this video yesterday and was seized with the need to try it out immediately. Lookit my cute lil' hexagon baby!!
Here is what the backside looks like. OP notes this takes more fabric than paper piecing, but that excess fabric makes it already triple-layered. Besides not needing backing fabric, I don't think you'd need batting for this quilt at all. It's already thick and soft just from folding all that fabric into a hexagon.
Hexagon quilt tutorial video by tiktok user camelscrafts. Method:
Each hexagon begins as a 6" circle. camelscrafts does this by creating a paper template using a compass. According to the video, a 6" circle will create a hexagon that is 2.5 inches tall.
These hexagons are hand-sewn. Thread the needle.
With the fabric right side facing, find the center of the circle by folding it in half right sides together, then folding it in half again (wrong sides are facing). The top of the triangle shape is the center of the fabric circle.
Make a small stitch into the center of the fabric. The wrong side is still facing.
Unfold the circle. There will be a small stitch in the center.
Now the hexagon is created by folding the circle into itself: Take the needle to one of the edges of the fabric (it doesn't matter which one). Pull the needle through and pull the thread tight. This will fold down the fabric and create an edge of the hexagon. Crease the fold with your finger.
This fold has two corners, one at the top and one at the bottom. Put the needle into one of the corners and pull the thread taut. This will create another fold.
Continue this going around the circle until all of it is folded down, creating the hexagon. camelscrafts notes that the last corner pulled in may be a little bit "wonky" (no precise point in the corner) if the corners were not done precisely. However, that corner is pulled into the back, so is not visible from the front.
The hexagon is now formed. Sew around the folds in the middle of the circle to hold the folds in place. Tie off and cut the thread.
Attach hexagons to each other along the sides. With right sides together, whip stitch the sides together.
At the risk of sounding anti-intellectual, I think that college should be free and also not a requirement for employment outside of highly specialized career fields
technically you can, if you don't care about degrees.
Free Harvard courses.
Free Courses from Stanford.
Free Courses from MIT.
Free courses from Yale.
Free courses from Princeton.
Free courses on Coursera.
Free Courses on EDx
Free Courses on Alison
For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.
When searching, the phrases you're looking for are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or you can do a general search of say, "free online college courses."
Oh, and so you don't get surprised like I did, have an avoid: Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian site and not a valid MOOC place. Sign up with them and you will get things like THIS IS WHY THE LEFT IS TURNING YOUR KIDS TRANS AND GAY in your inbox.
Cooking basic stuff doesn't require a ton of herbs and spices. Also, they can be found cheap. Also, once you have them they last a long time. I've had a full spice cabinet since I was 18. Like. You can get staples on hand.
Actually this is insane I'm not even entertaining the rest of these points
Cooking is absolutely a skill that requires some effort in terms of time money energy. But like. It's a survival skill.
If you can only cook simple cheap dishes then you can put in the effort to find and learn simple cheap dishes.
But like. Cooking is a skill that pays off. Once you know how to cook something you can do it forever. You can learn meal planning and substitutions. You can make up your own recipes.
When my mom and I were poor as dirt when I was a kid, she'd just make buttered noodles because that's all we could afford. We didn't order takeout.
Now that I'm an adult that can cook anything your heart desires? And has fed crowds for Thanksgiving and Yom Kippur breakfast?
My go to meal each week is just... Baked chicken breast or fish. Whatever was on sale. Then some kind of roasted fresh veg or microwaved can veg. I cook for an hour on Sunday and eat for the week.
Yeah learning to cook on my own was hard and intimidating and it sucked and took me a couple years and sometimes I'd fuck up and make something incredible and end up wasting money and ordering pizza.
But it's so fucking worth it. I can make good food and plan and eat cheaper and healthier. It's a skill for life.
"I need to cook at home, but I'm not even sure how to make authentic khao poon, and coconut milk and fresh basil are so expensive! And I won't even have enough basil left over to make pine nut pesto, so I'll have to buy more when I buy the pinoli!"
Actual poor meals: Noodles with garlic & sesame oil. Pasta with a can of Hunts tomato sauce. Pasta cooked in V8. Rice and beans. Pancakes for dinner. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Also spices and things are way cheaper if you go to an actual East Asian/Indian/Mexican etc. grocer instead of trying to buy it from the ethic aisle of Whole Foods.
Also, once you get comfortable with seasoning it's easier to know what types of spices and combos you like and therefore "mix your cuisines" with a smaller spice selection because you already know what you do and don't like and what substitutions you want.
From what I remember of back when Millennials were outpacing Boomers at internet and tech stuff in general, this is going to cause a lot of issues for companies angling to use slop in marketing because the younger set are always going to be better at spotting it than the older, but the older are going to be the ones approving marketing campaigns and ads and etc. Meaning, the older people will not ever be able to tell what might actually convince the younger.
The good news is that if it persists and Gen Z and Gen Alpha continue to scoff at the generated stuff, then marketing departments aiming at them will just have to give up on using it because they won't be able to figure out how to fool their targets with it.
The bad news is that this won't apply to scams and campaigns aimed at older people, so once again we're going to have a situation where the kids will be the ones lunging across the coffee table to stop Mom from giving her financial info to that really obvious fake scam mom oh my god do NOT buy that it isn't even a real thing.
undiagnosed autistic people will be like "I don't get upset when my routine changes though!!" and it's because they've built a set of if-then loops in their head to pick from one of 6 different strict routines and they do get incredibly upset when they're unable to keep to any of the 6 scripts. I'm john normal
This is called a fault tree. You will always know how to act if your fault tree captures all possible scenarios. In NASA Mission Control during mission critical events like landings there are huge binders with fault tree protocols, kind of like choose your own adventure books except you’re not the one making the choices, the universe is making them for you and you’re just trying to keep up.
The engineers who develop fault trees, I am told, often imagine new ways for their precious spacecraft to die (new branches on the fault trees) either while in the shower or lying awake at 3am, because human
Was just thinking about this the other day. Yeah I have a favorite seat on the bus (middle of the bus, near the back doors, slightly elevated, facing forward), but I don’t get upset if someone is already sitting there, I just pick one of my other favorite spots. Then I realized that most people probably don’t have a favorite bus seat, let alone a series of backup favorites.
My boss asks me if I can do something to a piece of jewelry, and my answer is almost always "in theory, yes, but here's all the ways it could go wrong." And he never appreciates all of the mental hoops I make from myself to jump through to decide if it's an in-theory-yes that I actually want to try.
Okay, fine. I'll title it. @shadowinrw - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
