happy genderfluid visibility week to those who celebrate
to those that don't, face my wrath
anyways, shout out #GuildValkyrie for showing me that there exists a significant community with similar goals.
edit: I attempted to delete redraft this to fix a typo but this post won’t delete so I deleted the other one and edited this.
and I am privileged to have a body that, pre-HRT, is pretty aligned with my goals. lots of chest and back muscle to mitigate breast growth, a face that doesn’t look too masculine.
i think I can allow myself to get a little carried away with transition goals. Just a little.
Gender clinician: sighs dramatically “so I’m just gonna put you down as “still considering” for therapy referrals…”
on one hand, it seems really unhealthy for me to have such rigid ideas about how I want my body to look, even if it is very much attainable for me with amateur bodybuilding, conservative facial feminization surgery, common skincare, and feminizing HRT.
on the other hand, I don’t have terribly severe body dysmorphia and do feel happy with what I see in the mirror. I speak more about what I want than what I don’t like about what I have. The negative things I do fixate on (mostly body hair) don’t eclipse anything.
so I do have a problem, but it doesn’t seem severe.
@bkuhn @copiesofcopies @cwebber i think it can be reasonable to use unethical technology if there is no other choice, for example if your employer is forcing you to use proprietary software or genai; or your government (or bank) requires a proprietary app. however, this doesn't mean it's good. we should strive to minimize usage of these unethical things as much as we can
systemic issues generally are not solved by personal decisions, but many people going against a systemic issue can be a path to solving it. it's sort of a "when do a few pieces of sand become a heap of sand?" kinda situation. the way this informs how i do activism is that i try not to target individuals, and try to go against the wider issue
also, personal decisions can cause ripples if people are open about those decisions: i openly decide to avoid proprietary software and i openly object to all genai. i also openly decide to avoid consuming animal products. the act of doing this by itself may not do much, but i am setting an example for others, who can do the same, and together we are much stronger
i don't think it's possible to use genai to destroy it, imo the path forward is to completely reject it and band together with others that reject it. this is unethical and anti-social technology that has no place in the world
“OPEN YOUR BIBLE NOW”
“What?”
“Go to your bookshelf, get a bible”
“I’m not at home, I’m traveling for work, overnighting in an airport hotel at ORD”
“Even better, get the Gideons bible from the nightstand, open to the contents page. It’s an ESV. What’s the last book?”
“Duh, Revelation. Wait, Whiskey Tango—”
“Is there another book listed?”
“Yeah, contents says Apologia”
“Open to that page, read aloud, now”
“Yeah I’m doing it. ‘Hi, sorry for the silence, it’s been a while since I updated this blog, I’ve been busy with a new project’…”
me protecting my pumpkin spice latte from the down-bad transfems:
starting a cafe just to make a seasonal drink called “pumpkin wife latte”
@davidgerard Come out…. Come out? “”COME OUT””???? I HAD TO MOVE STATES. MY FAMILY STOPPED TALKING TO ME. I would ruin this motherfucker’s shirt. WHAT an entitled asshole
god creating Adam: “what if I made a femboy…who’s also a tomboy…”
the way i use the term slop is about how it's soullessly regurgitated, rather than quality. because of what it is, it is way more likely to be low quality
but if someone shapes slop to be higher quality, that's still slop. it's still unethical. all genai output is slop because it's other people's stuff, regurgitated and extruded back out. it is always slop
@wehpudicabok just a few days ago I was thinking about how at least one entire Generation of people now exists who have only experienced the Internet primarily as Consumers, instead of individuals seeking community and communication or information.
A certain age group only knows the Internet as something to Spend Money on, or Make Money off.
Which is kinda sad.
Nothing new, but I'm disappointed.
Many years ago, Linux represented the alternative. The question was: "Why don't you just use Windows? It's easier." And the answer was, almost always: "To be free."
The "bazaar" spirit of Linux and its distributions made us feel free. Personally, I've always thought that the "cathedral" approach of the BSDs produces more reliable and maintainable results. But that feeling of freedom was fantastic.
There wasn't a company deciding everything. There was a kernel developed by people following what they believed was right. Or what the community, in one way or another, was asking for.
Torvalds has always been quite outspoken (remember the middle finger to Nvidia?). But the general spirit was, again, freedom. Anyone, sitting in their bedroom, could contribute in some way. Even me.
Today, after the embrace of AI, I read statements about wanting only "serious" contributors, "serious" contributions, because the world depends on this code and reliability must come first.
I understand the problem. Maintaining the Linux kernel is a huge responsibility. And low-quality contributions, especially those blindly generated with AI, are a real problem.
But what I hear, between the lines, is something like: "Hey, kid in your bedroom. If you don't have the right tools, the money to afford them, or the experience we expect, maybe your contribution isn't even worth considering."
Am I exaggerating? Maybe. But this is what I got from the tone and content of the latest public statements.
And it makes me sad.
Because it feels like a transformation towards what we wanted to escape, back then.
So please don't ask me why the BSD community, imperfect as it is, feels like home to me.
When I see young people, with limited resources, being able to contribute and attend conferences (thanks to the support of the Foundations), and I see the enthusiasm in their eyes, I feel at home.
Because I still remember what it meant to be that kid in a bedroom.
And I really hope we never close the door in their face.
Here's your periodic reminder that you can turn off the beep on your microwave! 🙉
Search your model online. It's usually done by holding down 1 or 0 or something for a bunch of seconds.
:boosts_appreciated:
Edit: my condolences to those who have dials and a bell that can't be turned off 😔
i pronounce it "yiff" and set the toilet paper roll upright by stabbing through it sideways
duckduckfedi does anyone have that "cis guy shocks doll by ordering in perfect awawa" post. can't fucking find it.