i got sick again so the financial update and also this thread are late. i'll get the financial update up at a later point, or i might just combine it with january since there's not *that* much to report as far as i can tell

Howdy y'all! It's October 1st, so make something month has begun. If you would like to participate, post below with what you are planning to do. There's really no rules, you've just got to make something. Every week after this I'll post a thread for weekly updates, and then on the last day of the month a final update post. About a week later we will do a showcase thread, just in case people need some time for finishing touches or to take photos. Anyway, good luck and I am looking forward to seeing what everyone makes!

"Anti-semitism" is a frightening word. It harkens back to imagery of leather boots, supremacy and the Holocaust. For years and years the word has meant one thing and one thing only: prejudice and hatred against Jews. But, as should be apparent, Semites are not Jews, though Jews can be Semites, but not if they are converted Jews. Why? Because though "semite" is largely about linguistic history, it can be seen as a common denominator for several people groups, including among others Arabs and Asyrians. As always, it's about people who share a language tree, geographical history and cultural similarities, as defined by people groups. Why then is it when we say anti-semitism, per definition, we mean persecution against the Jews? I've alluded to the answer in the first paragraph. The first time it was really used was by, you guessed it, pre-first world war Germans, as a more scientific and clinical term replacement for Jew hatred. Among the many battlefields, we find scorched earth even on Wikipedia, as the edit warriors have been vying for territorial control over paragraphs, because some of these warriors want anti-semitism to mean one thing and one thing only. Etymology works like this: someone puts together some words, nevermind how aptly or even logically, and as it becomes popularized said definition gets written into stone. It doesn't matter how nonsensical the word or phrase is. Once it's common parlance, it's common parlance. Not only that, but since Semite is largely about language groups and not about people groups anymore, that word changes as well, as it's mostly used when discussing middle Eastern language trees. But, also, nationalists and authoritarians of the past have historically persecuted people for not using their ratified language, and the reason for that should be apparent to everyone. It's not just he who defines history who wins the war, but he who defines the language. Which brings us to today. The word "anti-semitism" has been a favourite deflection word for the authoritarian right wing government of Israel, and if you don't like that definition, tough titty: political definitions are not defined by common parlance, no matter how much certain politically inclined people who play ball with moving goal posts would want them to. It's been used to deflect any sort of criticism against the Israeli government, as a politically form of saying "rumpel stiltskin". All your detractors sort of get Thanos snapped out of the conversation. What defines words still isn't up to politicians though. It's still up to the people. So what if we say old, Nazi scientists don't get to define our words, and neither does nationalists with yamucka's. Let's say Semites is still a set of people groups with overlapping history. Let's say that it includes Arabs, Assyrians, Palestinians, etc, because there is still some cultural and historic overlap, much like with Germanics. Germanic language and history tree, started it's life in the Nordics, a tree that worked it's way down south. But it's so far back in the past that it also is largely used in language studies and language studies alone, as the cultural overlap has long since replaced with a cultural gentle nod instead. As a quick aside, "islamophobia" is in a similar way abused by certain extremists Imam's and Mosques, who find the term equally politically advantageous, just like those crazy Christian denominations your aunty is apart of, that the family collectively treats as a propaganda spewing elephant in the room, as they too lay their persecution fetish on the dinner table. Does that mean that islamophobia isn't real, or that Christians don't get persecuted? Not at all. People generally have the capacity to be awful and it's best to call out prejudice, social paranoia and subverted political intentions wherever they may be found. It just goes to show that when political interests take over scientific language and definitions, that it is almost always bullocks. The word "terrorist" for instance means absolutely nothing but "who is our enemy today", from a political perspective. The term is used by governments all across the world to justify curbing dissent while trying to avoid being defined as a persecutor, as well as justifying invasions to uphold the petroleum dollar. Personally, whenever anyone says "anti-semite" to me, I'll be sure to remind them who technically are defined as Semites, and that the language being used to define "the one true heir to the land" is some old European, Crusader-ass bullshit that literally means nothing, discounts hundreds of years of social development and geopolitical changes and has the simple job of whitewashing everything Netenyahu and his cabinet of blood thirsty maniacs does. I'd be pleased to know what Assyrians, Arabs and Jews think about this. Did I say anything wrong? None of us are above being wrong, and in the way you correct people will be pertinent to how that information gets spread, and also intrinsically how language is shaped. It's up to us then to form responsible, apt and correct language to dispell language being weaponized for political purpose. As always; use your words and use them responsibly. Thanks for reading.

Anything new with beehaw and the lemmyverse? Are we still changing platforms? Things seem a lot more quiet now. Is that really a bad thing though? How are you?

Thinking about going with interrail, Im from Romania. Anyone went aleady? stories, tips to share?

I find myself needing to read things that don’t have emotional weight for me. I have noticed that most of the articles and sites I frequent when I’m bored, even the previously neutral-feeling ones, are bringing up Tough Feelings for me lately. I need less triggering stuff to waste time looking at, when I’m too tired for fiction but too wired to sleep. Got any recommendations for interesting, but not fraught, websites/nonfiction/longreads?

I feel lost sometimes. I'm an ethnic minority in s country I consider my home, and in recent years I've seen conflicts surge especially with the rise of outspoken xenophobia paired with economic troubles. I thought I could change this when I was in my twenties. I got involved with migrants rights organizations. I volunteered and taught classes. I met people and tried to talk about the topic. I thought I was helping a good cause, that it should count for something. Then I got into my thirties. My parents are showing health troubles. Our family business isn't doing great. I had no savings. I had to switch careers since teaching wasn't paying enough, and guess what happens to a decade of experience as teacher/volunteer/freelancer when I apply for entry level jobs requiring 3+ years of experience in a godforsaken yet another JS library doing the same crap? Tossed into the bin. I gave up. People were ignorant at best and venomous at worst. The pandemics only made things worse. Me and my parents were called names, told to go back to $country, that we were stealing money meant for neighbors when I was simply applying for finantial aid. My acquaintances (or friends) don't share the threat I perceive. I was told to simply stop bothering or to "calm down". When I wanted to vent about racist treatment during a job interview, their collective response was "how funny that must have been". I wasn't making a joke. I just learned not to react. But it still hurts. I just want to distance myself from all of it. I accepted a job offer paying less than expected after a year of searching. Better than nothing, but I can't be stuck in this job forever, I need more. I need to take my parents out of this place. Make them finally have a livable environment instead of being made fun of simply because they're crossing the street or doing something mundane. We're not robots that make your chow mein. We're not spreading covid just by existing. We're not your enemy. We're your neighbors.

I remember when I was at the dentist a few years ago and they showed me pictures of slightly yellowed teeth. They said that drinking tea for five years would result in slightly yellowed teeth and drinking coffee for five years would result in a little bit more yellowed teeth. But you know, it's a doctor, right?? Who cares if my teeth are yellow, as long as they're healthy. The GP doesn't tell me how to avoid getting a saggy ass, they help me with health issues 🤣 Sorry for the boring story I just remembered it when brewing a cup of tea.

currently getting over the lingering after-effects of a sinus infection, which was not an enjoyable way to spend last week

I thought that the people here might find this thread on universeodon.com interesting. cross-posted from: https://discuss.online/post/3236065 > An explanation of two problems inherent to social media platforms from @siderea@universeodon.com > > > scale has social effects. Most technical people know that scale has technological effects. Same thing's true on the social side, too. > > > difference in perspective between the governance parties and the end users > > [Explanation starts](https://universeodon.com/@siderea/111478703259005044) > > [End of thread](https://universeodon.com/@siderea/111481984648223586)

When so much shit gets thrown at you that you have to rehome a pet, it's so nice to be reminded on Black Friday that you still don't have that pet, but here are some deals you can't fucking use.

this week is starting off with what i can only assume is a sinus infection, so that's not ideal. i'm also down two grandparents, which likewise is not ideal

[web archive link]( https://web.archive.org/web/20111129054847/https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/real-story-behind-black-friday/) > The official explanation from the retail industry for the term “Black Friday” is that it’s the day when retail profits for the year go from red to black. Are you skeptical about this? You should be. ---- > The term originated in Philadelphia in the 50s or earlier and wasn’t in common use in the rest of the country until decades later. And it did indeed refer to something unpleasant: the gigantic Army-Navy-post-Thanksgiving day crowds and traffic jams, which both retail workers and police officers dreaded. The retail industry originally loathed the term, and the whole “red to black” fairy tale was tacked on sometime in the 80s by an overcaffeinated flack trying to put lipstick on a pig that had gotten a little too embarrassing for America’s shopkeepers. > And now everyone believes it, which is a pretty good demonstration of the power of corporate PR. But now you know the real story behind Black Friday.

I was watching a video from two years ago about different social norms and this showed up. Found someone questioning the same eight years ago on reddit (when it seemed less normalized). It feels so weird not being aware of this shift, even as a foreigner.

Social media is one hell of a drug. It'd have you swallowing giant gummy worms whole at the back of a sip'n'strut. Oh sure, the catharsis is nice, but at some point you'll need to ask yourself "why are we like this?" Lately I've been noticing how some comments make me want to exclaim "IT'S A TRAP!". Obvious, open and quite frankly kinda basic baiting, like some disgruntled parent at a PTA, smacking his chest with his bare hand, telling another parent "cash me outside bro how bout dat?" Like okay, this one comment was doing a set up where the intention was to either get someone to A) depose Hamas or B) defend Hamas, with the intent of jumping down someone's throat. Why are people like this, mommy? And why am I calling someone "mommy" on social media? Can't we just make homemade cookies like we used to do on rainy nights, and be happy? And why is daddy always drinking the unhappy juice? I think I probably already answered that question... Mommy, I want McDonald's!!!

- [deadbird site](https://mastodon.social/@dangillmor/111419265815006873) - [hellbird site](https://kolektiva.social/@DoomsdaysCW/111314239647220355) - [birbsite](https://social.tchncs.de/@vfrmedia/111353025274941331) - [Twatter](https://scholar.social/@toothFAIRy/111387634392212309) - [exTwitter](https://darkfriend.social/@hybridhavoc/111417406862046301) - [Xitter](https://libretooth.gr/@dougiec3/111426542123887402) - [Xhitter](https://infosec.exchange/@simonzerafa/111392382117255063) - [Shitter](https://infosec.exchange/@dangoodin/111423839570999763) - [birdchan](https://mastodon.social/@jamesbritt/111423228945978172) - [$8chan](https://infosec.exchange/@jernej__s/111420086693459280) - [140chan](https://mastodon.hccp.org/@igb/111420741687146034) Have I missed any? Edit: added birbsite

I have seen so many articles, tweets, posts, etc. in the past few months about AI eradicating all jobs or something along the line, and robots eliminating all needs for human labour. And then I look at all the jobs that I have worked on. Good luck using AI to get through government bureaucracies. I am sure ChatGPT get help you navigate all the regulations, apply to all the licenses automatically, comply with regulations etc. I am sure when a company is fined millions they can just say "[but...ChatGPT say this can work](https://www.reuters.com/legal/new-york-lawyers-sanctioned-using-fake-chatgpt-cases-legal-brief-2023-06-22/)!" Good luck telling the CEO to use AI assistant. I am sure the 70-years-old CEO would prefer shouting to a phone which may tell them the idea does not work instead of shouting to a group of employees who would nod nervously and then implement the ideas while ignoring the bad parts. Good luck replacing humans with robots. The maintenance costs of hardware and software on an army of robots which needs fuel and electricity and probably internet connection MUST BE lower than hiring labour at minimum wages. Right? Did I forgot to mention that human can takes care of themselves? Remember that the society is run by humans. Even the rich and the powerful are human and have human needs. They would want other people to work for them. What if a singularity AI took over the world? I mean if that is possible and the society fail to prevent such an event from happening then humanity deserves to perish anyways. Also please don't tell me you believe in [Roko's basilisk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roko%27s_basilisk). Stop worrying and start living your life!

I have been working for a consulting firm since early last year. I'm a programmer and this is basically my first "adult" programming job I've had since graduating and briefly working part time as a coding tutor. When I started at the firm I expected that I would be on one or more consulting teams and I would be learning/working with new and emerging technologies. Instead I was placed on a development team at a corporate banking client, working remotely with other employees of the bank. The bank has a big problem with turnover so having been there for a year I'm seen as one of the more senior members on my team and have been given more challenging projects to work on more or less independently. I'm responsible for the analysis, the coding and most of the testing. I was assigned a new feature in early October. I was given a brief description of what the whole feature would do, but it wasn't immediately clear which parts I'd be responsible for. It was a while before I was able to speak with folks about the requirements for my side so I realized I ended up doing work I didn't need to. Now I understand the requirements but I spend more time researching than actually writing code. I meet with my project manager remotely every day for standup and he's always asking me for percentages of work done or some metrics for completeness and I don't really know what to tell him so I just throw stuff out there. ("Oh probably another few weeks or so.") I think for a while there I was just saying I knew what I was doing 1) because I was trying to "fake it until I make it" and hope that I make some breakthrough and figure it all out, 2) because in order to ask folks questions I'd have to understand the problem well enough to have some context for what to ask, 3) because the only two people, senior devs at the bank, who could help me have ten other things assigned to them each (not an exaggeration) and they can both be really flippant and unhelpful when I have reached out to them in the past. I have so much pressure at the firm to put in a good face for the firm with the client. I have tried within the past year multiple times to get transferred to another role but I just get met with pep talks about how I'm "doing better than I think" and how "they really need me there". When I express frustration with the bank's management structure and levels of communication my handlers are like "yeah...some clients are tough!" So it seems like I'm stuck. Unfortunately I cannot afford to simply quit. But I feel like I'm getting close to just blurting out that I don't think I can do this at all the next time my project manager at the bank asks me how far along I am, despite supposedly having put work hours towards it. I have so much stress and lingering dread that I will be fired, that it will ruin my career, and that I can't do anything to change my situation. It's hard to manufacture enthusiasm for finding other jobs because at the end of the day, even though I'm not getting as much done as I need to, I feel burnt out with stress and don't want to do anything resembling work. Frequently when off the clock I'll randomly think about work while doing other stuff and I'll break down and start crying. It's bad. Every part of me just wants to be gone from this but I can't leave and I also can't make things better. The cracks are beginning to show and I feel like it's not possible to get the support I need. Should I continue to push through the feeling that failure is inevitable and *try* to succeed? Or should I go mask off and hasten the end?

First thing I did upon starting my work day was to open a beer. Just one out of two purchased for the occasion of yesterday being payday. I then proceeded to skim through my inbox and appointments for the day, concluding that beyond migrating this one production system over to the new VPN there's not going to be a whole lot happening today. Just like most other days. Second thing I do is to fire up my personal PC. For three reasons: 1. Write this post 2. Check if there are any new torrents worth downloading 3. Check my personal e-mail to see if the competitor has gotten the paperwork ready. I'm so looking forward to jumping ship for the competition. So, long story short, I worked for a company we'll call A. We had a customer that we'll call B to whom we sold a few older production systems. Then A got bought up by huge company C. Initially I didn't mind. But while A was the perfect size for me - Big enough to give me a nice budget and the resources I asked for, company C is 90% red tape, where I can't do shit without approval from everyone. On top of that, people more skilled at office politics than I managed transfer all of the interesting aspects of my job halfway around the world. Then, it turns out that a couple of former coworkers of mine joined company B as consultants, and they wanted me on board. 30% pay increase, and I get to do what I liked to do again. That's an easy choice. I can't jump over soon enough. So while I now am severely overpaid to do ridiculously easy stuff, I'm so fucking demotivated and sick of my employer and all of its corporate bullshit (which constitutes 80% of my inbox nowadays) that even when I do nothing, and I'm sitting in my living room couch, I fucking hate it. I had a revelation around half a year ago, where I was out in the field, and I was having a beer with a friend/coworker. "It's not fun anymore..." we agreed. That's when I started toying with the idea of looking elsewhere. I used to enjoy what I did for a living. I found my work day interesting, the right amount of challenging, and it catered to something I was good at. And I know most people have more valid complaints than their job not being fun, and I know that I'm spoiled in that regard. I hate my current job, not only because it's not fun. But because it's turning me into someone I don't want to be - A bullshit employee with a bullshit job. I don't know where I wanted to go with this post, or what I wanted to achieve. I just needed to vent, even though the gas that comes out of the vent is a moist fart with not a whole lot of pressure behind it.

And one runs into the sorts of search shenanigans that bedevils any job query. So, having cleared with an admin posting this *in no mod capacity whatsoever*, I wanted to see what suggestions y'all have. The logical fit at this point, as I'm adding solar to my van this weekend, is green energy and climate (part of the van is Austin's summer reminding me of growing up in Phoenix this year). We will not discuss the fuel economy of my stepvan. However, time is critical for a lot of what are called "left-leaning" causes (my preferred term: "human rights"), and I could be effective if not as up to speed in other fields. I have a face for radio and a voice for print, and self-sales is not my strong suit, so influencer is not a viable path; I'm looking for orgs that have the reach and need news analysis at the editorial-board level. Hell of a needle to thread, but one that actually seems likely in this political climate. I'm used to copyeditor wages and recognition, so I'm not looking for fame or fortune. But I am looking for a path forward that gets me out of debt within a few years and have a couple of decades under my belt, so intern wages won't work. And any org worth working for would expect to pay more for experience as part of their ethos. So, direct orgs y'all have experience with? Actually useful job boards (80,000 Hours seems more toward the governance side, and I think I'm too far left of the Overton window to truly enjoy that)? Good subreddits? I've got the clips; I just need to know whom to put them in front of.

another slightly late thread but i have been busy for most of today. learning about some [arcane internet drama](https://suboptimalism.neocities.org/writings/yesterweb), also reading some books. currently on The Storm Is Here--this will be book 41 for the year when i finish it.

2 1/2 weeks ago, I started going for short (25-40 minutes) daily morning runs. Right now the temperature is mostly 10C or higher, so I can just wear shorts and a t-shirt. One day it was below 8, felt a bit cold, and so I got a functional (=plastic) sport long sleeve. That works well, and I can even wear a t-shirt under it if it gets colder (tested it, currently too warm, but I'll probably do that for 6c and lower). Cleaning is easy, I just take it in the shower with me. But now I'm worried about it getting colder, not running, getting out of the routine and not starting again. What does one get for temperatures around 0 or slightly below, that's also cleanable and dryable for the next day, that preferably also doesn't break the bank? Edit: just to clarify, mainly looking for pants, but will happily take top recommendations as well. edit2: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone here :) I got a merino beanie and a running windbreaker with a neck-protection. I’ll get running tights if I start feeling the need for them.

the headlines have been pretty bad this week, huh?

Howdy y’all! This thread is for anyone who worked on a project for the make something month to post about it. Feel free to share pictures and links, or just write about the experience. I hope people enjoyed, and I'll see you all next year!

Howdy Beehaw, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately and wanted to share some thoughts. I’ve been having these strange little epiphanies that many things today just don’t seem to fit right. Like at least in the US, everyone is working so hard just to get to this fictitious level of “success” that finally means “you’ve made it,” i.e. finally making enough income to have a decent work/life balance. But it from what I see, often people need to take out a large school loan to do that, pay it off seemingly forever, and there never seems to be a real point of “made it.” I took a vacation to much more relaxed, beachside spot and saw how the locals were living. Basically off the grid, get fruit at the little market, fix things or trade things. Everyone seem to have this collectivism that felt really connected. No one was money rich, but everyone had this peace about them that almost felt fake to me at first. And then I went down this whole rabbit hole of “why do I need money anyway?” I know there are certain things life that just costs money, but I’m coming to realize that I don’t think I need as much as I previously anticipated. The people that are “living” to me aren’t just enduring and saving for most of their life so they can sort of relax during retirement, they’re doing real things with *people* that make them happy. On a somewhat similar note, I wanted a hobby/activity that did not involve screens and I could continually learn. I ended up picking up hand tool woodworking and feel pretty nice to simplify a bit and get a little creative. I listened to a few podcasts that discussed the industrial era transition and the focus to “more efficient and lower costs,” which took some of the feel away from many things. The more I think about it, the more I think that industrial shift was not entirely beneficial. The hand tool working podcast said they’re “finding the ‘new’ old ways of living.” And that there is this natural desire for human connection. Restaurants have fake wood marks in the paneling to *feel* more authentic. Before machined things, there was more *intention* that went into goods. Anyway, in my sea of thoughts about enhancing human connection and intention, I thought about Beehaw. After the whole Reddit-geddon searching for an online community, I noticed that the communities here are respectful, open, and actually making human connections. It felt like a breath of fresh air. And I just want to say that I appreciate y’all.

Howdy y’all! I meant to post this on Halloween but then got distracted with Halloween and travel. If you're still working, this is your time to stop, though if you need finishing touches or anything to document your project feel free to continue on that. This final update post, so comment below with your progress and challenges. See you all in a few more days for the showcase!

pretty quiet week so far. incidentally, next week is election week in most of the US, so don't forget to vote on November 7th (and vote early if you can--my ballot just has to be dropped off)

So this is a bit of a meta-question. I was going to post a question about tech (for context I am looking for a tablet/iPad to read journal papers) so I headed to the technology community. But all the posts are news articles and the description is along the lines of 'post happenings and innovations in tech...' so I chickened out. Same over at science and humanities (I was thinking a more acedemic community might be up for a convo about journal reading)... I know Beehaw is really friendly and it probably wouldn't matter if I posted random questions in the "wrong" spot but I would like to be able to target my questions and convos and not just put everything in chat and AskBeehaw. But maybe that's the idea. News type posts by topic and convos in other communities to maximise the relatively small community? I'm really interested to know what 'rules' other people use to decide where to post non-links. Or any more formal guidelines - Am I missing something? Edit: and yeah I did (over)think about posting this in Beehaw support but I am more interested in hearing about other people's thoughts then asking a help question

Hi

I just hate how it's the only retail space left that never bothers to organize things beyond men's sections, women's sections, and the dreaded kids' section. I had to go shopping today to get long sleeve black shirts for my job (long story). All I needed were like 3 larges that were black. That's it! But it took me well over an hour because of how much of a nightmare it is. I even had to go to another store down the road because the first one I tried was just a maze. What I can't get over is how even the consumer big box stores don't bother to organize shit. You get men's, women's, kids' sections like stated previously and that's like it? There's been times where I wanted to grab some jeans but I had to dart around the store because there just wasn't a centralized jean section. It's like if I went to a sporting goods store to buy a tennis racket but the tennis rackets were divided into 3 separate corners of the store. Just... why? And the worst part is I have yet to go to a place where the sizes were actually organized beyond thrift stores. Oh you need a large? Be prepared to sift through 10 mediums and 14 smalls before getting there, and sometimes your large might not even be there but you just spent 10 minutes of your life searching. I'm not kidding when I say this, I once went to **Value Village** which is a big box thrift store and got jeans that fit me in less than 10 minutes because the jean racks were all in one place (!) and organized in ascending order of waist size (!!). But heaven forbid JCPenney or Kohl's or Target or Old Navy or any of the other stores for "regular people" do this. I ended up finding the shirts I needed at Old Navy but they weren't even the type of fabric I wanted. Apparently we're in the season now where 90% of men's section tops are heavy jackets or graphic tees. (hate graphic tees btw, just wanted to say that). And don't even get me *started* on jeans. I'm quite a tall fella and so I need to buy jeans from stores' "Big & Tall" sections (Big & Tall the retail chain doesn't even exist where I live), but their "Big & Tall" sections only ever have the "big." I once went to every clothes store in my area that I could think of and *none* had an "average" waist size pair of black pants that I also needed for my job that were also tall. They just had big waist sizes that were also like 40 inches down. And then let's say you finally find the stuff you're looking for, now you gotta wait in line and when you finally get to the checkout they ask if you want to register for their account... then their credit card... then do you *really* not want an account... then they ask if you want a coupon... and then you finally get to pay for your stuff. To use the sporting goods analogy again, I don't remember Dick's Sporting Goods asking me all that BS just to buy exercise equipment... The shirt thing has actually gotten to the point where I usually order my shirts from LL Bean online because they don't shrink much in the wash and they always fit. Only downside is they take like 2 weeks to ship and only come in solid colors, so I had to go in person for shopping because I needed these shirts by tomorrow. /rant. Anybody else struggle with this to such a degree? If you know any retail chains in the west coast US that aren't Value Village and aren't a total maze to navigate then please drop them down below. edit: to drive home the first point about organization, if I go to buy a baseball bat then most sports stores will have a **Baseball Section** but it's like if those stores had a "Stick and Ball Game section" that also included Cricket bats among the baseball bats.

Howdy y’all! We're coming in on the home stretch. This is the fourth and almost final update post, so comment below with your progress, challenges, and next steps. See you all in a few days for the time call. Then we’ll have a week for finishing touches and documenting out projects before the showcase.

I don't expect this to be widely appealing as A) psilocybin use is involved, and much as I hate to perpetuate the before/after dichotomy, no one's blowing smoke there and B) I'm going to sound full of myself and bitter because of things like my first college editorial taking first nationally from Columbia when I had no such intent and sitting in a car listening to the AME/News bitch with the staff about Woodward at an SND convention because of the ownership of my first paper that also led to me changing A1 of *The Washington Post* in April 2003 after a linen meal across K Street earlier in the evening. Who the hell do I think I am? Someone wooed by metros less than a year into my career who instead took being unexpectedly poached to be second in command of a small daily a few months later. I like to start at the top. So when people like to take issue with how I need more skills after not saving Gannett $3-4 million a year because my bosses would lose their jobs from the efficiencies I found, it's difficult to know precisely what hue of acerbic sarcasm this calls for. Right, a coding class. How, exactly, did I already produce an automated workflow wherein the rollout would be seven figures? Semaphore? On a sociological level, it's been fascinating to watch as people are increasingly ready to widen the net of "other." I was told this month that not being able to lift 80 pounds for eight hours a day makes me a cripple on account of two back surgeries, and ideas are now like assholes: you've never gotten paid more for having one. Fascination does not so much pay the bills. And as my purchasing power has only trended down since starting in fucking ***SMALL-TOWN JOURNALISM***, I assure you, things are worse than you think. This much should be noted about the job market without much dissent: * experience is a liability, not an asset If this does not apply to you, let me be blunt: *You are participating in a different economy than I am.* We have a caste system. You can buy your way up in ours, but skill is no longer legal tender. If the system is working for you, the only way to change your mind about it working for everyone else you presume it simply must be is new data. As someone with some skill in conveying new data in a compelling way, here I am. Let's start at the top: Do I sound like what you think of when you envision a homeless person? I live in an unfinished 8'x16' cargo area of a 2000 Freightliner MT45 with less than 150K miles. I think the disconnect here is you lead (as a verb, it keeps standard spelling) with the van, and the framing is done. Lucky fucking bastards; I'm still working on the framing. Anyway, I've posted all over at large about sending out 1,000 resumes and cover letters over the course of 30 months, punctuated by one reply, a few suicide attempts and even more detox adventures. AI is not coming for our jobs yet, but there's not much need when experience round-files you. Yes, this is federally illegal age discrimination past 40, but I'm sure I have better ways to address things down the line. But let's step back to shroom trips 1, 1A and 4. Respectively, ruminations resolved with requisite exploded brain diagram; being found worthy of a mystical experience with the warning of "you can't live life the way you have been afterward" which of course while part of the ineffable entity communication seemed too cliche to take too seriously; and the 72-hour integration of something that left me suicidal to start for practical reasons instead of emotional. And let's please not start with my ability to accurately use "suicidal." I have the data points from being the son of Arizona's foremost adolescent-suicide-prevention expert for a couple of years (TV interviews at home and such), whose reaction to my first, after a few days to get back to the states was "well, I thought something like this might be coming." So, I was warned, I acceded, and here we are, in a van astride a drainage ditch. Look at how many things are meant to bind you from choices. * Kids. Gotta have kids. So that your job can keep getting worse but you need it because I guess some third or fourth generation would cure cancer if there were still a shot of that many generations. * Housing. Austin apartments never go month to month. You're essentially locked in with a huge exit fee outside of three weeks a year. And let's face it ... I was born after 1975 and didn't intend to enter the housing market on account of the transient nature of my career until at least 2012, so, yeah ... hedge funds kinda made that a moot point. What's not on this list? **Jobs.** The fact that it's not should be a neon fucking arrow, in that truly tacky combo of seafoam and not-quite-pink-enough of places trying to come across as vintage but are a visual affront. You're expected to put up with the state of the job market because you have no choice. Tied as a parent and homeowner so that you just have to take whatever's next. No house yet? No worries! Each year's rent increase will ensure you never escape the cycle! The government doesn't care about you or your family. The current state of the two-party system guarantees that; we all experience what D.C.'s plates mention: taxation without representation. Income tax is absurd when the government works for corporations. In Texas especially, it matters not if anyone at the local level cares about me; it'll get thrown out at the state or federal level ... sometimes with a new state-level ban! At least there's no state income tax? Domestic climate migration is already happening. If you are projecting land values ignoring that and climate change figures, I hope you enjoy the lesson about ignoring relevant data because you don't like it. If any given intelligence operation really hasn't stirred the pot enough, blowing up the fractious Near East is a classic. The layperson isn't supposed to learn anything, just be really angry for any number of reasons that resonates. It's difficult to come up with a conflict that elicits such tribalism among sometimes strange bedfellows. If you're trying to get back to your former caste, hope you have friends who are hiring. Otherwise, maybe stop othering those one tick ahead of you. Because it gets bad from here, and you're going to want friends. There's ignorance by opportunity and ignorance by deed. And choosing to write off all tales of difficulty because the plural of anecdote is not "data" regardless of frequency is the latter. Don't be the person who waits to understand you're next ... at some point.

No Paywall: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fideas%2Farchive%2F2023%2F06%2Fchristian-movement-new-apostolic-reformation-politics-trump%2F674320%2F >The reformation meant recognizing new apostles—men and women believed to have God-given spiritual authority as leaders. It meant modern-day prophets—people believed to be **chosen by God to receive revelations through dreams and visions and signs**. It meant spiritual warfare, which was not intended to be taken metaphorically, but actually demanded the battling of demons that could possess people and territories and were so real that they could be diagrammed on maps. >It meant **portals**: specific openings where demonic or angelic forces could enter—eyes or mouths, for instance, or geographic locations such as Azusa Street in Los Angeles, scene of a seminal early-20th-century revival. It meant the rise of the Manifest Sons of God, an elite force that would be endowed with supernatural powers for spiritual and perhaps actual warfare. >Most significant, the new reformation required not just personal salvation but action to transform all of society. Christians were to reclaim the fallen Earth from Satan and advance the Kingdom of God, and this idea was not metaphorical either. The Kingdom would be a social pyramid, at the top of which was a government of godly leaders dispensing biblical laws and at the bottom of which was the full manifestation of heaven on Earth, a glorious world with no poverty, no racism, no crime, **no abortion, no homosexuality, two genders, one kind of marriage, and one God: theirs**. Reading this article feels terrifying.....by the sheer ignorance of the people covered. They believe they are acting on behalf of God, literally. It feels like a doomsday cult.

I don’t really want a definition of what the fediverse should be or was initially envisioned to be. I just want to understand how people actually use it. I started wondering because I felt the talks about its current state and growth stumble in invisible misunderstandings about the basic nature of what we are using or how we are using it. I came here with the reddit exodus, but the site was mostly utilitarian for me, with my attempts to find community a failure. I saw something forum like and treated it like that, and the same can be said about my use of beehaw. Only recently I adventured in seeing a feed with All displayed, which was definitely not for me, but helped me find some communities to subscribe. Federation, personally, is an opportunity for different communities to communicate, not necessarily get conjoined. For instance, I have an account in tech.lgbt, although it’s abandoned. In this group x.y, I focused first in the lgbt, as I have being doing since much before I saw myself as queer, because it’s a very good way to make sure the people around are the kind I wish to have around as a start. That’s my home, a place in which I expect visitors to respect the rules if they want to be let in. That’s to say I believe there’s no public / communal space in the fediverse, you are always on someone’s home and should respect that. The big issue I’d find with the fediverse is that we don’t advertise the outside communities we enjoy enough, mostly expecting something interesting to simply show up on our screens.

In this post I am speaking as a Beehaw fanatic and **not** as an admin. That is why it is placed in the chat community. To be clear, I am not speaking on behalf of the Beehaw admin team nor the community as a whole. Currently, we have $5,430 that is in our collective purse to be used to further this endeavor. When I take a step back, and look at that amount of money, I am humbled. That is hope…it is an expression of where we want to go and what we want to preserve. You may be wondering where we are with the testing of alternative platforms and any other considerations. The testing phase, as far as I can tell, is over. We are, I believe, in a stage of digesting all of it. And, I have a feeling, that we are holding out hope that there could be other options we haven’t encountered yet. I appreciate the patience of everyone involved and I don’t want to make a hasty decision. Thankfully, we have had persons such as [PenguinCoder](https://beehaw.org/u/Penguincoder@beehaw.org) to rescue us from the huge Reddit exodus and all the technical problems associated with the Lemmy software platform that we rely on right now. There have been whispers that [PenguinCoder](https://beehaw.org/u/Penguincoder@beehaw.org) could be working on a new platform for the Beehaw project. Thank you all for grabbing onto our northern star, be(e) nice, and running with it.

it is yet another week at the Beehaw factory so it is time for yet another of these threads...