Born and raised in Scotland, currently living in New Hampshire. Author of several books, mostly on meditation and Buddhist practice. Fan of Scots language. Learning #dansk and #svenska. Dabbler in #Pali.
I am getting less and less tolerant of people who post pictures of text without alt text. It's an extraordinarily thoughtless, unkind, and rude thing to do.
If you can't work out how to add alt text to a picture, don't post the picture, just retype it.
@simon_brooke I’m getting less tolerant of people who post minimal-effort alt text. “Flowers,” for example. If you’re going to do it, do it properly. Imagine you’re describing the picture to a friend over the phone.
@jwz@maegul There are many visually impaired users of mastodon. Posting an image without alt text makes being on this place more difficult for them. Adding alt text makes it easier.
@maegul@jwz I don't think you were rude to @jwz at all. You made a simple, straightforward observation.
I'm glad to hear that you have a bit of an interest in Scots. I grew up surrounded by it, and I had a mild interest in Old English because it seemed clear that Scots is closer to it than Standard English is.
@maegul I'm learning Danish at the moment and there's a bit of crossover with Scots, although sometimes a word will look like Scots but sound different, or look different but sound similar. The hardest part as a Scot is the Danish R-sound. I'd expected the R's to be rolled like in Scotland. But they're super-soft, a bit like a French one but made closer to the front of the mouth. At least being a Scot helps me with Danish glottal stops!
Nick just texted. His on/off/on/off/on/off/on/off toxic lady friend just tried to call him again. He just got over her and is just beginning to act like himself again.
I am not a violent person. Just the opposite (unless you count throwing soft dog toys at the TV during Eagles games as violent). But I told him if he calls her back, I will beat the living crap out of him. I told him to block her, delete her, and STAY moved on.
But he's a grown man. In the end, he'll do what he wants.
Well, never quite made it to yoga. I'm feeding my neighbor's cat while he's away. I went upstairs to check on the cat, then went downstairs to feed her, and she ran between my legs as I walked down the stairs. I stumbled to avoid her, fell, and braced myself on my wrist. OUUUCHHHEEEE. Hurts like Hell, so I'm icing it. I can type, so I"m guessing I just strained it.
My neighbor asked if his dog could say hi to my two, and I said yes. I hadn't expected he was going to let her off leash, and both my girls went crazy when she charged us. Suki ran around me, wrapped her leash around my calves, and accidentally pulled me over. Not her fault. My back's still not right.
I'm going to have to have a conversation with the neighbor about leash etiquette.
I just got a bill for $3,001.36, which is for one visit to the hospital. That amount is what I have to pay after insurance.
Vote the Tories out and protect your #NHS. The system in the US is the system they want for you. They want a profit-making health service because they'd own it and you'd be making them richer every time you go to the doctor.
And people in Scotland: in the long term Labour are not going to save the NHS. Vote #SNP. Make Scotland independent!
@paulb3017 To be more accurate, 43.6% of voters chose the Tories. The majority rejected them. The UK election system just about worked when the choices were closer to being binary, but in a multi-party system it's seriously dysfunctional.
@dancinyogi I My insurance company broke one hospital visit down into six different cases, each of which is detailed on a different "Explanation of Benefits" (i.e. an explanation of why they're not paying everything). None of them actually explains anything. I will fight this, but it means contesting six different decisions simultaneously. I guess they do this to make things easier for themselves.
My cousin is sheltering in place in Atlanta right now -active shooter. He works in midtown Atlanta and said they locked the building down.
Edit - he is fine. He sheltered in place for the duration.
Not sure what to say at this point. The words that have been said over and over again following a mass shooting have been worn out. There are no new words, at least none that I can think of.
I think there is a difference between a realist and a pessimist., yet realists tend to be lumped in with pessimists when the reality they point out is less than pleasant. Example - If I point out a fire, that doesn't mean I agree with the fire! A pessimist would throw up their hands and let the fire take the house. An optimist would work to put it out.
Realists point out our reality. What one does with that reality determines whether they're an optimist or a pessimist.
@dancinyogi An optimist might smell smoke, assume things are going to be okay and not act promptly. A pessimist might call the fire service the first moment they smell folk because they assume something dreadful's going to happen.
Optimism can be toxic, as I know from my own experience. Pessimists might feel bad more of the time, but they'll often err on the side of caution and end up staying safe.
@dancinyogi Toxic? I was describing myself, but I'll forgive you 😉
Your framing of pessimist was, I think, overly negative. Pessimism can be warranted, and sometimes better fitted to circumstances than optimism. For example, if you were Jewish in 1930's Germany it was better to be pessimistic about how things were going to turn out. Optimists didn't fare well. As an optimist, I try to think a lot about the possible shortcomings of my perspective, in order to find more balance.
@dancinyogi It looks like I didn't express myself clearly.
I wasn't saying that optimism is bad. Your original framing was pessimism is bad (don't try to save the house because what's the point?) and optimism is good (try to save the house). I'm saying that both optimism and pessimism can be helpful or unhelpful, depending on a variety of factors.
@dancinyogi On a different note, you mentioned running with a dog's leash attached to your waist (if I remember correctly). Can you tell me more about that? I've been thinking it would be nice to run with my larger dog. I'd be worried about standing on the small one!
@dancinyogi Usually she starts by pulling and I have to keep her on a short leash, but once she's settled in she'll walk beside me. I've tried training her not to pull, but she's so excited at being out on a walk that she isn't interested in the treats I try to give her to reward good behavior.
