DMakarios

RickiTarr, 16 days ago to random

This was a fun one, so let's do it again. What is something you've learned that seems unlikely, even though you know it's true? Here's one I think about a lot:

Sight, while being something something many people are born with, is not an innate ability, but something we learn to do. People who were born blind or were blind for a long time, who get sight, have to learn to see.

DMakarios, 1 month ago to knitting

Today's MeMade garments are a hat (crocheted), a skirt and bandanna (sewn), and a waistcoat and socks (knitted).
Here's a photo from last year of our cat putting her seal of approval (i.e. hair) on my hand-knitted sock collection.
#MeMadeMay #knitting #socks #cat #sewing #crochet

DMakarios, 1 month ago to fountainpens

My coffee Jinhao 992 unexpectedly leaked - for the first time in its life - and now my handkerchief looks like Exhibit A from a true crime show, thanks to Diamine Autumn Oak.
#FountainPens #handkerchief

DMakarios, 1 month ago to sustainability

Seriously?? The Met Gala theme is all about "celebrating clothing and fashion so delicate it could never be worn again"?
How much more tone-deaf could one be, than to celebrate planned obsolescence and conspicuous consumption in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis (not to mention the climate crisis)?
#MetGala #PlannedObsolescence #sustainability #ClimateCrisis #CostOfLiving

DMakarios, 1 month ago to visibleMending

A question for menders: when/how do you decide if the fabric of a much-mended garment is worn too thin to be worth mending again (and it's therefore time for deconstruction/repurposing/compost etc)?
#mending #VisibleMending

golgaloth, 1 month ago to Pubtips

Me at the start of my Kickstarter, vs Me at the end of my Kickstarter.

Well that was a ride. I didn't anticipate being hospitalised halfway through my campaign, but we're funded and I'll have my first book available through Ingram Spark for everyone in June/July.

Writing is easy compared to publishing.

#WritingCommunity #publishing #WritersLife #AmWriting #Fallout

DMakarios, 2 months ago to fountainpens

Not as much of a colour difference as one might expect, given the very different names.
There's an orangier tone to the Diamine ink, and the Jinhao is perhaps slightly less saturated. Or maybe that's due to the different nib.
#FountainPens #ink #Diamine #Jinhao #red #pink

DMakarios, 2 months ago to tea

reaches for mug/teacup/teapot
The tea is gone.
WHY IS THE TEA ALWAYS GONE???
#tea

DMakarios, 2 months ago to fountainpens

Two new fountain pens.
To my surprise, the Swipe EF is a wetter nib than the Jinhao. Not sure yet how much of that could be due to the ink.
As you can see, my right hand writing (25 days and counting) still needs some work.
#FountainPens #TWSBI #Jinhao #handwriting #ambidextrous

DMakarios, 3 months ago to fountainpens

Has any left-handed person out there tried a Jinhao 777? What was your experience? (Further info: I have small hands and am usually a side-writer.)
Other options I'm considering include a Jinhao x750 or a KaCo Mellow.
#FountainPens #Jinhao #LeftHanded #KaCo

DMakarios, 3 months ago to random

Thinking of taking a census of things on my desk, measuring the three great desk demographics:

• things that have a place on the desk
• things that have no place anywhere yet
• things that have a place and this ain't it
  #tidying #APlaceForEverything #desk

DMakarios, 3 months ago to Bloomscrolling

A lavender-toned flower from my garden. Seems honey-scented to me.
#BloomScrolling #gardening

DMakarios, 4 months ago to Cats

Long shot, but does anyone here in the Hutt have a large wire dog crate they're looking to sell or otherwise dispose of?
Temporary accommodation for an elderly cat who's averse to catteries.
Boosts welcome, obvs. Thanks!
#LowerHutt #cats #dogs

DMakarios, 4 months ago to random

Some bad news for me this morning: Draft2Digital have just confirmed to me that their Creative Commons policy will remain the same following the merger with Smashwords: banned.

Side note: it would have been nice if Smashwords had told me this. I asked them back in Feb 2022 when the merger was announced, and their response was "we haven't discussed this yet". (No reply to later follow-up email.) It would also be nice if those with decision-making power in the publishing industry had learned the difference between Creative Commons and PLR.

This means that I am now looking for other options for the two (soon to be three) fantasy novels and one humorous nonfiction compilation that are currently being vended through Smashwords and their distribution network.

Fortunately, I can do the formatting myself. Know of any CC-friendly online vendors? Reliable ecommerce plugins? I'd particularly like to make sure the books are still accessible to libraries.

If you have any advice or suggestions, I'm all ears.
#CreativeCommons #SelfPublishing #Draft2Digital #SmashWords #ebooks

DMakarios, 5 months ago to Bloomscrolling

Pōhutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa). Sometimes called the New Zealand Christmas tree due to its flowering season.
Just about every NZ scenic calendar's December page features a pōhutukawa on a sunny day at the beach. Here it is on a cloudy Christmas Eve.
#BloomScrolling #NewZealand #trees

Mikal, 5 months ago to random

I'm getting Google, Facebook and Amazon out of my life.

Starting last year and continuing until it's done, in manageable increments, I've been gradually disentangling myself from three of the worst tech monsters. After 15 years of letting them embed their fangs deeper and deeper into my leg, it's daunting!

Finding an alternative for audio books and ebooks tonight was a nice step. I still have to un-DRM my books from them and find a non-proprietary e-reader, but I'll get to that.

Even seemingly little things like removing Google Analytics from my sites and installing the (paid) non-tracking app Plausible Analytics felt like a big thing at the time. I had to first look to see if there was such a thing as privacy-forward analytics — there is, with multiple options! Then pick one, then sign up, then install and configure...

So I'm taking this step by step. It'll take years. But each additional step feels liberating.

#goals #FuckAmazon #FuckGoogle #FuckFacebook

DMakarios, 6 months ago to Bloomscrolling

Purple peony poppy.
#BloomScrolling #gardening

atomicpoet, 8 months ago to random

So, I had an interesting conversation with ChatGPT this morning. I asked it to come up with a business pitch for a fictional resurrection service.

Surprisingly, ChatGPT responded by saying that it couldn't generate the pitch because resurrection is considered both illegal and unethical.

Curious about the legality, I questioned ChatGPT about the specific jurisdiction where resurrecting someone is prohibited. It kindly apologized and clarified that there isn't any country on earth where resurrection is actually illegal; it had simply made a mistake.

Wanting to explore the ethical aspect, I then asked ChatGPT if it considered Christianity unethical since the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected. Again, it apologized and admitted that resurrection is not unethical, explaining that it had been mistaken about its previous statement.

Determined to receive a business pitch, I asked ChatGPT once more. However, it reiterated its initial response, stating that resurrection is both illegal and unethical.

DMakarios, 8 months ago to Bloomscrolling

Freesias!
#bloomscrolling

DMakarios, 8 months ago to australia

One of the few Australian animals that won't kill you: the pobblebonk.
Yes, the pobblebonk. No, I am not making this up.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limnodynastes_dumerilii
#Australia #animals #frogs

DMakarios, 9 months ago to gardening

Seeking gardening advice and encouragement!

Some previous occupant of my house planted a more or less inedible member of the mint family which has since spread to infest the entire back garden.

I've tried digging clear patches (heavy clay: backbreaking, and it just grows back), and building no-dig beds (worked for a season, then failure to thrive due to root competition).

Does anyone have any suggestions that don't presuppose either a fat budget or boundless energy? I'd prefer not to do anything that is going to destroy all soil life, but I'm getting desperate and am open to suggestions.
#gardening #InvasiveSpecies

DMakarios, 10 months ago to Bloomscrolling

This is a peony poppy I grew a year or two ago. I love it. Happiness on a stalk. I'm planning to grow more as soon as the season allows.
I'd never been a fan of pink, but I'm allowing myself to change as I grow. I even ordered a bottle of Diamine Pink, which is a similar colour (as long as your nib isn't too fine).
#bloomscrolling #poppies #pink #FountainPens #ink

DMakarios, 10 months ago to fountainpens

This is just a cheap Jinhao, with a nib like a nail, yet the writing experience is unexpectedly smooth and pleasant.
Currently inked with what used to be called Havana Brown, but is now for some reason known as Absolute Brown. (Query: does this disprove the dictum that only the #Sith deal in absolutes, or does it suggest that Waterman is now under Sith management?)
Now I wish I'd pushed the boat out and bought one of these pens in the other available timber, too, but alas! too late. The only NZ vendor I've since found selling anything close has one review saying basically "I ordered a fountain pen and I got a ballpoint."
#FountainPen #FountainPens #Jinhao #Waterman #AbsoluteBrown

DMakarios, 10 months ago to Cats

When your cat discovers where you're keeping the good stuff...hand-knitted winter socks.
#cats #knitting #socks

DMakarios, 11 months ago to FiberArts

I never understood why so many women have this thing about their favourite jeans. Until I realized that for many women, jeans are the only garments they own that last long enough for them to get attached. Not because there's something special about jeans, but because most other #clothing is of such poor quality, both of fabric and construction.
#SlowFashion #QualityNotQuantity #dressmaking #sewing #sustainability #fashion