@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

zakalwe

@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com

Culture Special Circumstances, detached.

pp desc for vision impaired: The N7 (Systems Alliance Special Forces) Seal from the Mass Effect games.

Neuro-spicy. Aspie pretending (sometimes badly) to be human (at least, it often feels that way) while fighting depression and chronic insomnia. Aspiring mostly-SF writer, burned-out IT geek, humanist who wants to see us make at least a token effort to stop enshittifying our entire planet. Is there really anything so incredibly, soul-threateningly terrible about the idea of giving a shit about other people?

Something I said pissed you off? It may be a misunderstanding, I'm far from immune to foot-in-mouth disease. Please check with me before you assume it was malicious. It most likely wasn't. If I don't think you're someone worth talking to, I just won't talk to you in the first place, period.

Follow-backs: If you have something to say, sure. No posts? Nothing to say? What would be the point? In the words of @PatternChaser, "I don't follow back, I follow interesting." I'm trying to keep the signal-to-noise ratio in my feed high. Still, if you follow me and I see it, I will do my best to at least find time to look. I can't guarantee I won't miss it, I'm not awake 24/7.
(And sorry, but don't expect me to follow you if you're posting the same dozen posts, day in, day out, day after day after week after month. In fact I'll most likely mute you.)

Came here to put words into my mouth so you could attack me over something I didn't say? (Yeah, sadly, it's happened.) Just don't. I WILL block your ass. Nobody has time for that shit.

Geek Stuff: I run Gentoo Linux, and I maintain a personal overlay with packages for dev-perl/Tk-MListbox, sys-apps/procmeter3, net-misc/icbm, media-sound/perljammer, app-crypt/sherpa, and app-editors/xnedit. Of those, net-misc/icbm and media-sound/perljammer are my own projects.

#nobot #writer #geek #linux #mysql #Gentoo #nosystemd #science

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

dangillmor, to random
@dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar

The cops who tortured a bogus murder "confession" out of a man -- even threatening to kill his dog along the way -- are still employed by the Fontana, Calif., police department. The city's taxpayers paid for the $900,000 lawsuit settlement.

https://www.sbsun.com/2024/05/23/fontana-pays-nearly-900000-for-psychological-torture-inflicted-by-police-to-get-false-confession/

This tells you everything you need to know about police impunity.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@dangillmor The police are aimost THE LAST PEOPLE EVER who should be above the law, second only to the lawmakers themselves.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

It's strange to me when I see people get upset about people doing good deeds, and posting it online.

"They're just doing it for attention!"

Yeah, so what? I'd much rather see people doing nice things for attention, than the people who do mean pranks or wasting food. A good deed is still good, even if it's done for the wrong reasons.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr One person's "doing it for attention" is another's "setting a good example." The first person sounds defensive that they wouldn't have done it in the first place. How dare someone else make them look bad?

Hey, bud, ya wanna not look bad, stop protesting when others do good deeds. It's your own foot you're shooting.

RickiTarr, (edited ) to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

The Tale of Two Gynecologists

This is a bit long, and I've talked about this a lot lately, but it's something I'm thinking about a lot in the wake of so much hatred of female Healthcare. When my female troubles got bad enough that I finally talked to my doctor about it, he referred me to a gynecologist. I had already had several ultrasounds and an MRI at this point, and she had put me on some oral contraceptives for several months, (which made sick to my stomach no matter what I did) and had just done another ultrasound. She greeted me with "Well, you're really messed up inside, Honey.", which already had me pretty stressed out. Then told me I would probably need surgery to figure out exactly what was going on. She then asked me if I wanted children, and I said No. I had taken my husband with me to the appointment for moral support, and she glanced over at him, and then talked to me for 5 minutes about how many women my age could still have children, and I could definitely consider it, and that they would do everything they could to make sure I could stay viable. They could freeze my eggs if I had to do a hysterectomy, just on and on. She probably asked me directly 4-5 if I was sure I didn't want kids. Finally, I said, "Ma'am, my husband got a vasectomy over a decade ago, we are absolutely sure we don't want kids." After hubs had found me crying on the toliet, because my period was late again, he went to his doctor and said, "Hey doctor, I'm thinking about a vasectomy." The doctor gave him a pamphlet to read, and made him an appointment. The whole thing was done in a few weeks.

Anyhow, she finally referred me to a gynecological surgeon, and I was not looking forward to dealing with this again, and was just generally terrified of having surgery for the first time. I met with this woman and she was so efficient and practical. It is the longest doctor appointment I've ever had, since this surgery would be exploratory, she went over every possibility of what could happen when she was inside. She did a thorough exam, she went over all the scans that I had, and explained why she thought this needed done. Then she said she would like to put in a Mirena IUD during surgery. She said, "You're in pain half the month, and there's no reason for you to have a period if you don't want to have kids. You'll have some erratic bleeding for six months, but by a year most women have a very light or no period at all, there's no reason for you to needlessly suffer if you don't end up needing a hysterectomy."

It's interesting to me still, that one doctor was so focused on what my body could do, and another so focused on how I felt. I came out of the first appointment feeling scared and confused, and the second feeling heard and cared for. Feeling valued as a person and not a baby maker made the surgery much easier to go through, and the Mirena has been great btw. Women don't have to needlessly suffer.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr It's my understanding that (a) it is now established medical knowledge that we can suppress the menstrual cycle altogether if we choose to, and (b) that so far at least, it appears there are no adverse consequences to doing so. So I don't see any rational option why we don't make it a readily available option.

(Note that I do not consider "controlling women's bodies" to be a RATIONAL reason.)

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@thepoliticalcat @RickiTarr And then they tell us that this is good.

No. Your god is a god of hate, fear, pain, and misery.

ayoub, to Israel
@ayoub@spore.social avatar

bombed a displaced persons camp after designating it a humanitarian area in . Reports of dozens of civilians killed.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@maddad @MikeImBack @enoch_exe_inc @Mary625 @ayoub Not sure they have any people LEFT in Gaza. Israel has been selectively targeting them and is trying to shut them down. (And has banned them from Israel iirc)

ChrisMayLA6, to climate
@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar

So while you & I might think its necessary to speed up the Green Transition & enhance/accelerate measures to reduce emissions, Shell's shareholders disagree.

The firm has just sought & obtained agreement from investors to slow down its measures to mitigate its environmental impact & reduce progress towards its own (already weak) climate targets.

More reason(s) the fossil fuels sector cannot really be central to climate response(s).

We don't have the time to slow down!

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@IveyJanette @pete @Mary625 @KimSJ @GhostOnTheHalfShell @Npars01 @ChrisMayLA6 And then the Ivy League schools of business management realized that they could normalize plundering the entire heart of the economy for its assets, and nobody would stop them.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Sometimes the way people phrase things is so telling. For instance, telling women they should be "taking care of" their husband and children. Another adult doesn't need taken care of like a child, what you want is for women to be a Sex Mom.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@HunkThunderzone @RickiTarr But maybe it would get the attention of techbro CEOs who keep whining that nobody wants to work¹ any more.


¹ ... sixty hour weeks at wages they can't live on

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

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.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@mikey @RickiTarr And yet here's another thing related to this. Individual atoms are too small to have "color" in the conventional sense. And yet, gold is very clearly colored.

Gold does not get its color by any of the conventional mechanisms. The color of gold comes from the fact that the nucleus of the gold atom is so heavy, and its outer electrons moving so fast as a consequence, that relativistic effects come into play.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr Possibly falling into the original question: The Monty Hall "paradox" still really, really breaks my brain. I've been through the math multiple times and understand that it does actually work that way ... and yet every fiber of intuition still screams that it SHOULDN'T.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr @mikey 🎼 And nothing to get hung up on
Strawberry fields forever 🎵

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

The Epaulette shark is only about 9 million years old as a species, making it the most recent branch in the shark family. And it is slowly but surely evolving into a land animal!

You will have to choose your side!

HELP THEM! “We' missed you, pal!” “Their filthy Water" "If you see a Horrid Beast evolving, welcome them home.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr I, for one, WELCOME our new landshark comrades-in-arms! 😁

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Where do you live and how do you feel about it?

Obviously, don't tell me exactly where you live, no actual addresses please! You can be as vague as you like.

I live in Central Missouri in the U.S.

Pros:

This is an absolutely beautiful place, green rolling hills, lots of rivers, lakes, ponds, and natural springs, cool caves to explore.

Lots of farming here, so great access to quality fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy.

It's relatively inexpensive to live here compared with other states, because it's a "flyover".

I'm close enough to three major cities, that it's an easy day trip, and I'm about halfway to anywhere in the U.S.

We have one of the best Conservation departments in the U.S. and this is one of the few things that is a bipartisan issue. Lots of awesome nature programs that are free or cheap, state parks, conservation areas, bird watching, hunting, boating, foraging available to everyone.

Cons:

Yeah, it's a big one, it is a RED STATE, while a lot of the cities are blue, there is a large rural population, that votes red. Abortion is not legal here. People often vote against their own self interest.

While I'm not against responsible gun ownership, lots of people aren't responsible, and people have access to guns that definitely should not.

We have very few employee protections here, while the cost of living is relatively low compared with other places, it's taken years to get to a $12 minimum wage, and it's still not enough.

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr The thing is, I remember when the Libertarian party sounded like the sane alternative.

Now, and especially since the von Mises caucus staged their coup, they've gone utterly and completely raving batshit, out-MAGAing the MAGAts. The VERY FIRST thing the von Mises people did when they took over was to remove the anti-racism plank from the platform.

I guess the problem is that when all of the actual middle-of-the-roaders who are looking tor a sane, reasonable balance give up and move on, all that's left is the frothing, raving lunatics.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

How much alone time vs socializing do you need?

For me there are a few people who are usually equalizing, and I can just be around them, so I won't count that. But generally, I find about 3 times a week, I'm game for socializing. A day in between to rest is usually nice, but the larger the gathering or if we go somewhere particularly noisy or I'm meeting new people that involves more effort, and my social battery empties sooner. I'm very curious where everyone else falls on this!

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@RickiTarr About half a dozen people is really my comfort limit. Much over that, and I get overloaded and need to go find some quiet. Especially if there are LOUD people.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Seriously heard someone saying they don't listen to many black artists, because they aren't really into rap. Bitch please, feel free to share songs from Black artists from any genre. Here is one of my favorites, if you like this song please check out her other work:

https://youtu.be/KovrJ8HXI1Q?si=HOYIG7YMuAUTsJz6

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar
skykiss, to Ukraine
@skykiss@sfba.social avatar

Putin's barbarians are using choking agents in , US reports. The International Criminal Court at The Hague (ICC)has issued a warrant for arrest of Vladimir Putin's for his genocide of .

The state department says Moscow has used a World War One-era weapon to "dislodge" Ukrainian troops. Choking with deadly chemicals.

Please boost. 🇺🇦

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68941220

zakalwe,
@zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

@skykiss Putin's Russia violates the Hague Chemical Weapons Convention again ...

DrALJONES, to random
@DrALJONES@mastodon.social avatar

deleted_by_author

  • Loading...
  • zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @DrALJONES FFS, JOE

    Step away from Netanyahu. Stop fucking DEFENDING him.

    RickiTarr, to random
    @RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

    What is the thing(s) that attracts you to a person romantically or otherwise?

    zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @RickiTarr Intelligence, compassion, and competence really top the list, I think. Not in any specific order, but all three have to be there. Oh, and integrity...

    "I'm sorry, we'll come in again."

    RickiTarr, to random
    @RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

    Is this what y'all think living with me is like?!

    zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @skweetis @RickiTarr This sums it up EXACTLY.

    "So how about that local sports team?"
    "Which one?"
    "Uh, the one with the ball ... I guess?"

    zakalwe, to random
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/02/microsoft_google_passkeys/

    The tech, simply put, works like this: When you create an account for a website or app, your device generates a cryptographic public-private key pair. The site or app backend gets a copy of the public key, and your device keeps hold of the private key; that private key stays private to your gear. When you come to login, your device and the backend authentication system interact using their digital keys to prove you are who you say you are, and you get to login. If you don't have the private key or can't prove you have it, you can't login.

    So ... "passkeys" are 30-year-old with a shiny new name.

    Hey, you know what? If Microsoft and Google can finally mainstream public-key infrastructure, MORE POWER TO THEM.

    zakalwe, to random
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/american-airlines-lawsuit-camera-bathroom-b2549541.html

    On Monday, a lawyer representing [American Airlines] wrote in a filing that the [9-year-old] girl should have been aware that a device [secretly placed by an American Airlines employee] was recording her while she was using the bathroom.

    Dear American Airlines,
    WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?

    RickiTarr, to random
    @RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

    If the gods exist, it's mighty presumptuous to think they have our best interests at heart, or even think about us at all.

    zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @RickiTarr @skribe Yeah, the telepath arc is not widely popular.

    zakalwe, to Israel
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    https://act.ourrevolution.com/signup/ceasefire-apr-24/

    Seriously, until Israel stops using the arms for mass murder of civilians.

    zakalwe, to random
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    Seen elsewhere, ré the Tesla Supercharger fiasco:

    "Musk is now playing zero-D chess, and losing. There's one space on the board, and all he had to do was leave his king there."

    Waitnwallflower, to random
    @Waitnwallflower@beige.party avatar

    In case anyone remembers the threatening email I received (and griped about) that said I would be kicked out of the work system I've been working in for >6years if I didn't take introductory training (to which 1 literally says I did already and for which do not specify duration to take, have multiple modules, and must be physically manned to progress slide after slide as it reads to you):

    The 10 day warning has come and gone. I received another warning email now. The clock has apparently been reset.

    I'm dug in.

    I remain firm on not taking unnecessary introductory training on a system I work in often and have worked to have tools implemented in.

    I'm fighting the good fight, peoples.

    Stop making us take bullshit trainings that waste our time for no good reason. Allow a demonstrated-skill option if you must, by skipping to test. Less than 5m, 5 or less relevant questions.

    ⏰️🗓

    image/gif

    zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @Waitnwallflower I remember a colleague of mine being asked to demonstrate proficiency with some software tool or another, I forget offhand what.

    His answer was three words. "I wrote it."

    StillIRise1963, to random
    @StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

    What I find most disgusting is all the people who knew Diddy was abusing Cassie and others and kept their mouths shut because of money. I have no respect for that shit. It’s INDEFENSIBLE.

    zakalwe,
    @zakalwe@plasmatrap.com avatar

    @StillIRise1963 We have GOT TO STOP WORSHIPPING MONEY.

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