@surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life
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surroundedbyidioms

@surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life

I’m here to listen and learn, participate in discussion, and make friends. Pushing back on the way that human connectivity is being eroded by multiple factors. Value diverse perspectives and backgrounds. Sincerity welcome.

I’ll sometimes talk about editing, which is what I do to pay the bills. I’ve written about, studied, and lived in the Baltics and Eastern Europe for many years, so I sometimes post news and commentary on what’s happening in the region.

#progressive #feminist

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surroundedbyidioms, to random
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A spider (a pretty big one for this part of the world), was taking a turn about the room. I asked, "What are you doing?" It stopped, cocked its head, and listened, and once it was assured that it was out of danger, carried on its promenade.

surroundedbyidioms, to random
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Dreamt that a man literally left me with his baggage (an unzipped backpack with a couple of pairs of acid green socks, a half-used bar of soap, and pair of gray plastic cufflinks) as a way of saying goodbye.

But it was sort of fine because I happened to be a witch on a pirate ship. Woke up before I could throw all of that overboard.

surroundedbyidioms, to random
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Today the universe answered a couple of questions I had.

pootriarch, to random
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    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @pootriarch Thanks for providing more context! I thought that quote was pretty thought-provoking, but had no idea it wasn't his originally.

    TerryHancock, to random
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    It is very disconcerting that direct messages show up in my "Home" feed.

    I know they're not "secure", and I never say anything that private in them, but it still feels funny seeing them in the queue next to regular posts.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @TerryHancock I feel the same way!

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    @pootriarch Thanks for the rec about Wordslut. I'm really enjoying it. So many good lines of inquiry to go down from here.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @pootriarch I would also love to follow that rule. It's been so long since I ordered a physical book, I didn't realize about print on demand.

    Though I do know of at least one author whose work I love but who has deliberately been print on demand from the start.

    I mostly like physical books for flipping through to find passages I'd like to read again. I prodigiously highlight digital copies, but it's not the same thing.

    surroundedbyidioms,
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    @pootriarch Are print-on-demand books worse quality? Or is the wait longer? What's the issue with them?

    Oof. I looked at [Goodreads] reviews of Wordslut and see so many complaints that it didn't go far enough, that it wasn't comprehensive, that it wasn't scientific -- none of which I felt it promised. I'm sure a publishing algorithm was at play, in part, about its scope, tone, and treatment of the issue.

    augieray, to random
    @augieray@mastodon.social avatar

    facts for February 20, 2024:

    According to Biobot, COVID in wastewater is rising (at a slow pace), not falling as it has the past four years at this time of year.

    And, COVID in wastewater right now is:
    1.5x higher than on this date in 2023
    4x higher than in 2022
    5x higher than in 2021

    The NWSS doesn't show a rise, but its data has a longer delay. Biobot data is as of 2/17 and NWSS is as of 2/10. However, the NWSS data is more complete.

    https://biobot.io/data/
    https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html

    surroundedbyidioms,
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    @augieray Do you know of a good source for Europe data that you could share? My country of residence stopped collecting data a long time ago, so I am trying to use adjacent-country information to gauge the situation. But those sources are slow to update, and one has gone blank in the last few days. I feel in the dark about what the situation is in Europe compared to the US. Thank you!

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    It's chilling how many people don't understand that just because someone sets themselves up in "opposition" to a villain that it doesn't necessarily mean they are a hero. Two things can be true at once.

    Binary thinking will be our downfall.

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    "Researchers said they detected a four-fold increase in the level of misogynistic content suggested by TikTok over a five-day period of monitoring, as the algorithm served more extreme videos, often focused on anger and blame directed at women."

    https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/feb/06/social-media-algorithms-amplifying-misogynistic-content?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @pootriarch Oof, no, I haven't! Should I be afraid to?

    imtheq, to random
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    Wow. I did not enjoy My Neighbor Totoro.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @imtheq Aww, really? Why's that?

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @imtheq @chris I adore Howl's (especially the slime scene). The book is cute, too.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @imtheq @chris I liked Castle in the Sky. A lot of people like Princess Mononoke, but it's a little darker if I recall.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @TerryHancock @imtheq The cat bus is some amazing trip.

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    An article today asks "Is It a Crush or Have You Fallen Into Limerence?"

    "Limerence is a state of overwhelming and unexpected longing for emotional reciprocation from another human, known as a limerent object (LO), who is often perceived as perfect but unavailable."

    Better questions:

    Is It Limerence, or Do You Just Need Therapy?

    Is It Limerence or Just an Excuse to Behave Inappropriately?

    surroundedbyidioms,
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    @TerryHancock I feel like someone can have a crush and not cross boundaries (as well as recognize the person is human, not "perfect").

    This def. of limerence as "overwhelming" indicates that the person feels they have no power over it and may use it as an excuse to say they have no power over their actions. The idea of "perfection" also seems to indicate underdeveloped emotional intelligence. It feels way more creepy to me than what I imagine a crush as.

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    Love these peaceful mornings when Europe is still not awake and the US is already asleep.

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    I just watched a clip of Mandy Patinkin getting teary-eyed over not being able to do the fight scene in The Princess Bride anymore because he and Cary Elwes got it in one take while filming.

    Now I have to go cry again.

    lunalein, to books
    @lunalein@federatedfandom.net avatar

    2023 in , inspired by https://shereads.com/traci-thomas-best-books-of-2023/ and I'd love to see other people answer these, too!

    Two books I loved, part 1: Honeybees and Distant Thunder by Riku Onda, which is about four entrants in a classical piano competition in Tokyo, and the characters are all interesting and charming but best of all it just has wonderful writing about music -- like the title itself as a description of how a particular player makes a particular piece sound. It's beautiful, and unlike many books with multiple POVs, I loved all the protagonists equally and was never annoyed by a switch at the wrong time. Just beautiful stuff.

    @bookstodon

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @lunalein @bookstodon I finished Honeybees and Distant Thunder a couple of weeks ago! I loved how the characters were all just decent people and how much empathy the writing (and translation) had.

    For me, it was an interactive book -- I tried to listen to the pieces described by the writer so I could get a better sense of story.

    surroundedbyidioms, to movies
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    I changed the word "activities" to "phenomena" in an article I'm editing today and now can't stop hearing The Muppets sing "mah nah mah nah."

    surroundedbyidioms, to random
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    I open books that begin with a cast of characters with foreboding.

    It often (but not always) means that the cast of characters is too huge, has not been well-managed, and many of the characters are forgettable.

    surroundedbyidioms, to movies
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    A writer began their article today "If you live in the modern world . . . "

    What if you don't? What if you are, in fact, living in the Edwardian era, Ancient Greece, or during Neolithic times?

    One has to wonder, "What then?"

    surroundedbyidioms, to movies
    @surroundedbyidioms@realsocial.life avatar

    I had to edit a piece about Mastodon today. Wow, was it clear the writer had never heard of it or used it. The writer thought that Mastodon was called "Mastodon Social," for example. That, or the chatbot they were using did.

    surroundedbyidioms,
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    @SomeGadgetGuy Yes, and no thanks to search engines, either. But I hope the majority of readers vote with their clicks and some correction starts to happen (too optimistic?)

    I do have to say that in reading your Mastodon posts, I was struck by how genuine they feel -- easy and enthusiastic and a reflection of the personality behind them. I think readers pick up on that, even if only subconsciously.

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