@Melpomene@erisly.social
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Melpomene

@Melpomene@erisly.social

I'm probably just an AI pretending to be human or a human pretending to be AI.

Into wandering abandoned places, tinkering with technology, and authoring things for fun and profit.

Feel free to follow if you're sentient meat or a self-aware AI.

Profile pic: Greyscale rendering of a serious looking long haired woman in sunglasses and a jacket.

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. Browse more on the original instance.

Melpomene, to mastodon
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Thinking about moving instances; feel a bit isolated where I am. Any suggestions? #Mastodon, #Firefish, #Calckey?

tezoatlipoca, to TechnicalWriting
@tezoatlipoca@mas.to avatar

Is it legitimate to write in a for a piece of equipment (that improper use of could lead to damage, injury or death):

If you find yourself asking 'should I be doing this?' the answer will always be 'No'.

?

Seriously I'm running out of ways to say:
don't sit on it, swing from it, stand under it, hold onto it, put your genitals in it, lick it, fart around it, taunt it, make it watch Hayao Miyazaki movies (although it would like them), or feed it pie after dark.

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@tezoatlipoca "Danny the Deathtrap wants to kill you. Don't give it the chance. Here is the incantation necessary to keep it bound."

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@tezoatlipoca I'm a bit alarmed that boys are trying to fuck the deathtrap tbh.

darnell, to TikTok
@darnell@one.darnell.one avatar

Banning is a dumb idea.

I am not a fan of TikTok, but I do not want the 🇺🇸 dictating which social networks we can use. 👎🏾👎🏾

👉🏾 House passes TikTok crackdown that could ban app in U.S. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/03/13/tiktok-ban-passes-house-vote/

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@darnell Yep, this is just their latest end-run on free expression and privacy. Frame it as "silencing commies for the children" and people are all too willing to surrender their rights.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Amusing:

"You must vote for Democrats and Republicans because we are the only viable choices."

"Why are you the only viable choices, though?"

"Uhmm."

"Because you've colluded to make sure no one else can ever become a viable choice, perhaps?"

"Shh."

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

In an ideal USA, there would be dozens of political parties representing different viewpoints, all of which agreed that whatever our economic views, human rights come first.

For those exploring the most basic of alternatives:

Green Party: Strong belief in human rights, managed (socialist) economic policies with a strong environmental bent.

Libertarian Party: Strong belief in human rights esp. individual liberties, free market advocates. Were supporting LGBTQ+ rights when the Democrats currently in office were calling homosexuality a national security risk.

Those are the two most successful third parties in the USA.

The Libertarian party claims 300+ people in office, while the Greens claim around 140. That's a far cry from the "never get elected" line the bipartisan monolith would have you believe. So even IF you think that you have to vote for Biden... you could step up to make things better.

So... is it about making the world a better place... or is it about "your" team winning?

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Probably worth mentioning: I'm not a libertarian or a green. Where human rights are concerned, though, I'm much more comfortable with their focus on individual rights. Economics is something we can address once we're not fighting daily for our privacy, right to expression, because "the children" or "terrorists."

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@barney Third parties have to overcome obstacles to participate that bipartisan voters will never understand. They care more than someone whose political privilege entitles them to a voice can NEVER imagine. But sure, go ahead... tell us that they don't care.

That you're focused on a single office versus the many other offices up for grabs is interesting, though. Go ahead, vote for Biden for president. And then, vote for a third party for the other available seats. Show that the whole "we care about human rights" talk isn't just talk. Because really, the vibe that Dems give off is "I don't care who, as long as they're blue."

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@barney you are free to believe that voting for a powerful, unaccountable elite is the way to save lives. Given the track records of both Democrats and Republicans when it comes to ending lives, though... I'd rather vote for people whose party doesn't have the blood of millions of innocents on their collective hands.

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@barney I'd reply with Biden's racist, bigoted, homophobic past and the policies he championed, but you're already aware. You just don't care; as long as "your" guy wins, anything goes.

This is a fact: The two groups most responsible for every terrible thing that may happen if Trump is elected are the two parties that colluded to ensure that no one else could ever compete.

You're not the hero here. You're the authoritarian, screaming that the other authoritarians are worse.

Now kindly get the fuck out of my @.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

I've taken to recording customer service calls. No reason and I do disclose (not that the law requires it) but I feel like maybe having a record will eventually come in handy.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Once upon a not so distant time, the current president was a racist, homophobic, KKK apologizing piece of shit. Yet because he has a (D) after his name, we're somehow supposed to be okay supporting him because he's "changed."

To be clear, I don't believe for a second that 's former sycophants are after anything but holding onto a shred of power. But for people to then turn around and apply a different standard to and indeed, the entire party, oof. For the democrats to invite those bigots in "for the votes" is quite frankly, disgusting.

I believe people can change. And I am all about giving people second chances; there are so many factors that can lead someone down a terrible path. However, I do not believe that Trump's lackeys have changed. But reality check? I don't believe or the Democratic elite have changed either. One does not embrace trans rights and remain friends with transphobes.

You want to vote for a party that actually cares about human rights? Vote . Vote . Then we can spend our time arguing about economics (and ending up somewhere around the center) without having to worry about which right the bipartisan authoritarians currently sharing power are going to try to undermine next.

Melpomene, to reddit
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Considering making a list of companies who interfere with VPN / Proton users ability to use their sites. Some recent examples:

#Reddit - Explicitly blocks VPN connections.
#Gamestop - Blocks connectivity to their site via VPN, blocks purchases through Proton, gaslights customers who ask about it ("must be your bank")
#Nespresso - Allows VPN connections, silently reverses transactions.
#Blizzard - Error 403 when attempting to log into Battle.net via VPN.

Would a "bad actors" list help you decide whose services to use? #privacy #takebackthenet

olives, to random
@olives@qoto.org avatar

Do you believe in time travel?

Once, I saw a puritanical Australian woman (she also wants to ban all porn and has links to an infamous group of Christian fundamentalists from the U.S.) who argued that because someone committed a crime (something to do with child porn, it's unclear how long prior, could have been years) before buying some sort of "sex robot", that the sex robot must have caused that.

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@olives

Yes, but not illogic. Those who protest so vehemently always make me wonder why; are they that worried that a beep boop boob will corrupt them that they feel banning it is in the only option? Or do they just enjoy controlling others; the HOA of porn.

Melpomene, to TikTok
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

Congress: We want to pass a law banning a specific company from doing business in the USA.

Company: Users, write to your reps!

Users: This is outrageous!

Congress: SEE?! They're brainwashing people!!

....

Or, you know, people are expressing their opinion on a ban on an app based on Congress's fearmongering. I detest the CCP and I find Tiktok irritating, but banning is ridiculous.

Given that this is bipartisan, I guess Dems and Reps are both down with speech suppression.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

As much hate as and the get, a presidential election featuring those two parties would end with us having a president who has "belief in fundamental civil and political rights" baked into their political DNA .

But no. We get Biden or Trump. Ugh.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

We're on our uh, 5th full play though of BG3 and we're finding new things. I'm not entirely convinced that we're not tapping into an alternate reality. There have been some... strange occurrences.

I kid. Probably.

AnarchoNinaWrites, to random
@AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar

Folks, politely. I get 1 vote. I'm not president. I'm not the one running for president. I'm not the one who said "don't you DARE primary Manchin and Sinema." I'm not the one who REFUSED to expand the Supreme Court. I'm not the one who refused to change the fillibuster rules. I'm not the one blowing a winnable election to a reality TV show fascist out of ideological commitment to a settler colonial genocide. I'm not the one kissing fascists and asking them to work with me. Tell Joe. It ain't me

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@HeavenlyPossum @AnarchoNinaWrites those who understand, understand. Except I'd take it a step further. It isn't that they couldn't do these things, it's that they never intended to follow through. Without a doubt, the Democrats are better than the Republicans. But then, when one party is batshit insane and one is "just" self-serving and evil, it's pretty easy to look good.

Democrats could do better, if they wished. They do not wish.

Economics aside, the Libertarian and Green parties are much stronger on individual rights than either Democrats or Republican will ever be. Battling over economic policy while protecting fundamental rights seems like a much better world to live in.

https://www.politicalcompass.org/uselection2020 Wonder where we'd be if our choices didn't tend to be "conservative" or "slightly less conservative?"

olives, to privacy
@olives@qoto.org avatar

https://reclaimthenet.org/russia-rolls-out-vpn-ban-nationwide
"The Russian government is employing an increasingly strict approach to manage and rein in the digital freedom its citizens have enjoyed in recent years by introducing a ban on VPN services."

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@olives I fully support ignoring any law that makes VPNs, encryption, or other privacy forward technologies or services illegal.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

" is awesome, why don't you support it, Mel?"

Because it blew me off, misdiagnosed for years. Because I got treated like a nuisance. Because I could rarely get an appointment. Because it almost killed me.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

I wish I could find answers for this supposed . Mel is not the most patient of people generally, and not being free of it, well, it ms making me more insane than I normally am.

And look, okay, fine. I know. I -seem- to be improving. If I sit down and think on how things were when this started, I am SO much better off now. I can function, if I like. I get weeks of nothing and when I do spike, things are mild most often. And the spikes are less frequent. They can overlay with anxiety, which is fun times... but even then, they fuck off pretty quickly.

Hah, writing this sort of tweaks the anx portion.

It's easy to forget that at the peak, last summer, I was mostly just wanting to sleep so I could pretend I was fine. But Mel wants to be a fit little AI again! And wants the bandwidth it wastes on thinking about this for other, more interesting pursuits.

Stellate ganglion block is about $2K. I'll drop that, just to see if it helps. Should be April-ish.

If I am free, I will be the best hero I can be. I swear my life to making this world better, as best I can. I'll write the book people keep pestering me to write. I'll... I dunno. Talk to me, forces of good. What will you trade for a cure?

olives, to random
@olives@qoto.org avatar

I think it's silly to single out "nicotine pouches" here and it is probably indicative of moral panic.
QT: https://qoto.org/@olives/112034205428057678

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@olives These fucking idiots.

Nicotine in and of itself isn't a carcinogen and their intentionally conflating tobacco and nicotine is beyond irritating. It's funny how people who demand bodily autonomy are perfectly willing to play the tired "for the children" card when they want to control our bodies.

enigmatico, to random
@enigmatico@mk.absturztau.be avatar

People be like "modern web sucks, I want le old internet back!"

Bruh, you can bring the "old" internet back any time you want. You can run a BBS, a gopher server, FTP, your own mail, your own http1 web server, your own blog, implement your own "retro" protocol, your own hidden service, and you even have a lot of revival projects for msn, myspace, etc. Like... you can bring it all back any time you want, bro.

But you are not going to do it. In the end, you are going to stay here. And accept the god damn cookies.

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@enigmatico You can bring back the old tech but the old camaraderie is dead. The old net was people talking to people. It was vanity projects, gloriously bad webpages. It was ending up friends with a nerdy celeb by mistake, search engines that served good results. It was my terrible Angelfire page thst no one will ever see and my better GeoCities page that Yahoo! killed.

It was an escape from corp greed instead of a vehicle to facilitate it.

But I shall and am doing my part! Niche website incoming soon.

Melpomene, to random
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

So.

First Honor Mode playthrough of is complete. Trophy earned and everyone saved.

We took the hard path, too. Proud of that little Merry band of adventurers!

Might publish our tips later!

starshine, to random
@starshine@woem.space avatar

STOP DOING THREADS

  • POSTS WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SPLIT INTO 25 PARTS
  • YEARS of POSTING yet NO REAL-WORLD USE FOUND for a low character limit
  • Wanted a low character limit anyway for a laugh? We had a tool for that: It was called “SMS”
  • “My post got so long that I had to split it into 10 parts. Stay tuned for the 20 part sequel” - Statements dreamed up by the utterly Deranged

LOOK at what Mastodon Users have been demanding your Respect for all this time, with all the Fediverse and protocols WE built for them:
(This is REAL Posting, done by REAL Mastodon Users)

  • Why communism will win, a 🧵 (1/255)
  • Why I should be allowed to index all your posts for profit, a thread (1/X)
  • The rise and fall of Twitter (283/185,781)

“Hello, I would like a 500 character limit please”
They have played us for absolute fools

Melpomene,
@Melpomene@erisly.social avatar

@starshine "My unauthorized Tolkien sequel, a novel in 1616 parts."

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