We've all heard the tale of how to own a Nazi bar, i'm fairly sure.
I was drumming up interest in a local board game group i really enjoy, on my local queer Discord server. I got some interest.
Someone on the board games group's server asked "why did you make a point about us being queer friendly?" Not rudely, just curious.
"Because a lot of community groups are invisibly closed to us. We daren't reveal ourselves because of antipathy to queer folk. This place doesn't do that, at all. So i tell people it's safe, and they feel more comfy coming along."
Someone said, "Oh, so it's like the Nazi bar story, only good." I thought for a moment, and they're right. Sort of. Because unlike Nazis, queer folk aren't an invasive species. We don't push people out. Assholes just self-select choosing not to be associated with a bar that's queer-friendly.
Which is fine, system working as designed.
So...how do we tell the tale of the Queer-friendly bar, and the positive feedback loop that can occur when a business is explicitly friendly to queer folk?
Cause I think that could be a simple, true, and effective point about the great difference between choosing to be nice to Nazis instead of queer folk. Or vice versa, being nice to queers and bum-rushing the Nazis.
The Nazi Bar story is one we all know. Anyone got a proposal for how to do a good tale of how the bar got so lively? "Oh, I bought a drink for this gay fella once, and soon there were loads. But they're great guys, and if ya tell them no, they stop bugging ya, which is giving me weird feelings about how I treat women. And we get a lot fewer assholes, too."
Someone? Got a seed for the good story lurking here? I wanna make us some rippin' good properganda.
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I just accidentally dropped my Jinhao 10 #FountainPen and bent the nib slightly (at least it wasn't an expensive pen, right?).
I did my best to bend it back into shape by hand and oddly enough, I kind of like the way it writes now better than before.
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It's been brought to my attention that while #BuyNothing groups are pretty useful, they tend to exist mainly on Facebook. It'd be nice to have such a group for #WaterlooRegion here on the fedi as well.
I'd be happy to set one up, but if there's one that already exists, I'd rather use that than start from scratch. Is anyone aware of such a group here?
#KWAwesome #WRAwesome #Kitchener #Waterloo #Cambridge #Guelph
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FWIW, while Iโm not what a # BuyNothing group talks about, the local KW Techs Slack team has a # buylocalandcanadian channel that has great recommendations for local and more-broadly Canadian products, and is focused mainly on independent businesses. It's a great resource, though obviously not fediverse.
Also FWIW, Iโd love to see something similar here.
Jonathan Lamothe likes this.
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A comic that I will think about every day for the rest of my life, probably.
(Sauce: analognowhere.com/_/ogmxha/ )
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@Jeremy List I've had this before. It took years to get a conclusive diagnosis. Turns out of was reflux, and two antacids a day typically keeps it in check.
This past week though Katy and I have been sick, and it's upset the balance.
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Ao-freaking-nishki!
I keep flirting with the idea of learning the Deseret alphabet. I have absolutely no practical reason for wanting to do this, but I still want to. I guess the appeal is my obsession with weird corners of #Mormon history.
If I'm going to learn an obscure alphabet, the Shavian alphabet is probably more practical, but... I dunno maybe I'll learn that one too.
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Dumb internet article: Here's 5 reasons you should be helping your wife clean the house.
Me: If all 5 reasons aren't 'Because you FUCKING LIVE THERE' then it's bullshit misogynist clickbait
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Is this a generational thing like do younger people now not understand that piracy is illegal
Have we normalized talking about it being ethical to the point that the fact that it's still definitely not legal has been lost on people
Jonathan Lamothe reshared this.
I'm pro-piracy for most media, like I'd rather you not download someone's $2 indie game but I certainly have no qualms with pirating $1500 of Sims DLC because nobody should be expected to spend $1500 to buy all the content in a game
But ethics and law are often not the same thing!
I just won my first game of Go.
I mean, my (online) opponent apparently just abandoned the game and ran the clock out, but I'll take what I can get.
Applying for a freelance transcription gig tomorrow (when I can hopefully go back on my ADHD meds (because I can't mix them with Tylenol Cold)). Hopefully it works out better than the freelance closed captioning job I had a while back, but time will tell.
Trying to find a way to earn some extra income that doesn't require a reliable car, which has become a big question mark.
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I'm finally starting to feel better (though you wouldn't know it from listening to my voice) just in time for Katy to start feeling a sore throat.
I really thought she was somehow going to dodge this one.
A conversation we just had:
Me: We should pick up some lemons.
Katy: We have limes.
Me: Will that work?
Katy: For what?
Me: For those teas you made me when I was sick. It really helped with my sore throat.
Katy: Yeah, I don't want that.
ยฏ\_(ใ)_/ยฏ
Welp, I am officially sick.
I've had both my COVID and flu shots, so hopefully I can fight it off faster.
I learned a while ago of the existence of old Soviet ternary computers and have been doing some reading about how a ternary computer would operate different from a binary one.
In a binary system, the smallest unit of data is the bit (binary digit). What would the smallest unit of data be in a ternary system?
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Sensitive content
God I hope I'm not coming down with something. I went to bed with a bit of a sore throat and woke up this mornig feelig like I'd been gargling broken glass.
Time to load up on tea with honey and lemon, I guess.
Gotta be honest, it absolutely sucks watching the same people who call me a groomer just for being trans say that Epstein did nothing wrong because his victims were teenagers.
PEOPLE WOULD RATHER THEIR KIDS BE RAPED THAN BE TRANS.
And it is INFURIATING.
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Watching Megyn Kelly contort herself into knots to redefine child rape of 14 year olds as "adult & consensual" because Trump & Epstein "liked them young" and "barely pubescent".
This is beyond depraved. Megyn Kelly has a 14 year old daughter herself. That child needs a wellness check asap.
In a recent podcast, she & her guest absolved both men of culpability because they didn't like 5 or 8 year olds.
If these men had targeted kids under 10, Megyn Kelly would OK that too.
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If they are trying to normalize sex with 14 year olds now, the Epstein files must be really bad.
Date: 2025-11-12
Title: Car Size
Alt text: 'They really shouldn't let those small cars drive in traffic. I worry I'm going to kill someone if I hit one! They should have to drive on the sidewalk, safely out of the way.'
xkcd.com/3167/
![Description:
A four-panel comic showing two people observing vehicles over time. The vehicles escalate from a bike and old car to SUVs to an armored, weaponized car.
Transcript:
[Panel labeled "100 YEARS AGO"]
Person 1: IT'S TOO DANGEROUS RIDING A BIKE WITH THESE CARS AROUND. I SHOULD GET A CAR, TOO.
[Panel labeled "50 YEARS AGO"]
Person 2: SMALL CARS ARE LESS SAFE IN COLLISIONS WITH LARGER VEHICLES, SO I SHOULD GET A BIGGER ONE.
[Panel labeled "TODAY"]
Person 1: EVERYONE HAS HUGE SUVS NOW. IF I DON'T GET THE BIGGEST ONE, I'M PUTTING MY FAMILY AT RISK.
[Panel labeled "SOON"]
Person 2: IF I DON'T INSTALL MORE WHIRLING SPIKE CLUBS, I'LL BE DESTROYED BY ALL THE OTHER DRIVERS WHO...](https://social.jlamothe.net/photo/preview/640/8625178 "Description:
A four-panel comic showing two people observing vehicles over time. The vehicles escalate from a bike and old car to SUVs to an armored, weaponized car.
Transcript:
[Panel labeled \"100 YEARS AGO\"]
Person 1: IT'S TOO DANGEROUS RIDING A BIKE WITH THESE CARS AROUND. I SHOULD GET A CAR, TOO.
[Panel labeled \"50 YEARS AGO\"]
Person 2: SMALL CARS ARE LESS SAFE IN COLLISIONS WITH LARGER VEHICLES, SO I SHOULD GET A BIGGER ONE.
[Panel labeled \"TODAY\"]
Person 1: EVERYONE HAS HUGE SUVS NOW. IF I DON'T GET THE BIGGEST ONE, I'M PUTTING MY FAMILY AT RISK.
[Panel labeled \"SOON\"]
Person 2: IF I DON'T INSTALL MORE WHIRLING SPIKE CLUBS, I'LL BE DESTROYED BY ALL THE OTHER DRIVERS WHO...")
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PLEASE IF ANYONE CAN SEE THIS POST. PLEASE I NEED UR HELP ๐ญ๐๐ป๐ AS U GUYS KNOW I LIVE IN PH๐ธ๐ฝ PARTICULARLY IN VISAYAS WHICH WAS RECOVERING FROM A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE & NOW GOT HIT WITH A VERY STRONG TYPHOON.. I AM KNOCKING IN UR HEARTS TO PLS HELP,
CAT KIBBLES/FOOD/CLOTHES/BLANKET
โ omoshiroii.jj@gmail.com โ paypal email (cousin's)
Jonathan Lamothe reshared this.
I have always been annoyed by the statement that sqrt(-1) = i.
Note: I'm perfectly fine with the assertion that i^2 = -1.
sqrt(1) = -1. We're either constraining the answer to positive numbers or we're not.
piecewise function definitions are a thing though, like the abs function for instance
abs(x) = x, for all positive x
abs(x) = -x, for all negative x
sqrt(x) = positive y, for all positive x
sqrt(x) = i * sqrt(-x), for all negative x
I also find arctan really weird, because it only works if you fiddle with the domain (yet it clearly does exist, and is useful)
I enjoy the unpleasant feeling I get when I realise that all maths is made up!
abs can be defined for the whole complex plane though (the square root of the sum of the square of the real and imaginary components) i.e.:abs(a + bi) = sqrt(a^2 + b^2)
@Eric Gerlach I... guess, but I'd imagine there are less violent ways to feel that control.
Maybe that's just me.
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@JenJen @neil @me
I once worked for a major UK bank that decided it was cheaper to pay a payment processor than do PCI compliance themselves despite having all the legal, accounting and tech staff needed to do so.
So well done you for taking on something that can scare a major bank and getting it done! ๐
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Penfount • Pen Community reshared this.
Fortunately fountain pen ink is water soluble so it often washes right out if you get to it immediately.
Thank God it wasn't my Baystate Blue.
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You are responsible for the privacy-invasive software that you inflict upon others.
Yes, you!
Choose the software you use with the data of others carefully ๐๐
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people need to stop snitching on themselves and their friends.
I'm sick of seeing people sell others out for an Amazon gift card.
Perusing the terms of service my phone is requiring me to agree to after the update.
Under the section about how they safeguard my data, it reads:
We take data protection seriously. We have put in place physical and technical safeguards to keep the information we collect secure. We also take appropriate measures, in compliance with applicable law, to ensure that the personal information collected by third parties remains secure. However, please note that although we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no website, Internet transmission, computer system, or wireless connection is completely secure.
That's a very verbose way to say "trust us, bro."
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Cait the Proud Trans Woman
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •WhichOne'sPink ๐ซ๐ฎ
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •La Guiri
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •This has happened to me with @berniethewordsmith. I play DnD because he said here on Mastodon something like "I want to narrate one-shots, newbies and queer people welcome". I didn't know him much but there was a good vibe in his ad.
I'm mentioning him as he shares this interest about creating community, and I'll give your question a thought too.
Cait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
Tattie
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Cait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
Molly ๐จ (trans edition ๐ณ๏ธโโง)
in reply to Tattie • • •It reminds me of when I'm picking out an Airbnb to stay at; I always look around the neighborhood in maps to see how many pride flags I can spot.
i. celeste aurora [witchzard]
in reply to Tattie • • •@Tattie Like the first time my (cis) wife and our (cis) female friend J-- joined me on a night out in ProseccoBar (a queer club):
TiffanyNBastow
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Cait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
BewilderedKat
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •I'm pretty sure every organized social group I participate with has some sort of proclamation of safety and inclusiveness of LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC folks.
For clarity sometimes there will also be a line about "If you cannot be inclusive of queer folks for any reason then you are not welcome here (because you're not a safe person to be around)"
May Likes Toronto
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •I've built a lot of social power in a lot of very different spaces. When people see me in a room, things just... change? I tick and represent a lot of different groups, and just by speaking, people feel like they belong a bit more. Queer people get to be a little more queer. More women show up. More POCs take the stage.
The cycle compounds with more representation, and now we're even getting more Black people out to these product events. It's taken a few years to get here. Feels good to look at my community and see it reflect our city's demographics so much more.
Cait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
dragonfrog
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Cait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
i. celeste aurora [witchzard]
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •I knew that the 25hour hotel in Berlin had a sauna, included in the price. But I also know that saunas are "full monty"-naked in Germany, so I wasn't planning to go to the sauna at all. Mind you, this was the first time I was planning to stay in that hotel.
But when I arrived at the reception and saw the huuuuge progress pride flag with intersex hanging on the wall at the reception, ... ๐ฅน๐ฅน
Even my wife loves it there so much that we always stay there now, even though there are so many cheaper alternatives. And yes, we go to their sauna every time we stay there.
Cait the Proud Trans Woman
in reply to i. celeste aurora [witchzard] • • •@ics
When I was posted to Baden, i once went to the Caracalla-Therme baths in Baden-Baden. It was an education. I didn't get to full Monty, but I did get down to my swim trunks. And went through the full set of four increasingly hot saunas, with plunge pools between.
Bracing. ๐
And when I went skiing to Freiburg, I spent almost as much time in the sauna, which had that lovely little outdoor space so you could scrub off the sweat with snow, as I spent on the slopes. Very Canadian feeling.
I was made to live in Germany, I think. Damn shame it's basically impossible for me to immigrate, as someone with a serious and permanent disability, and as a retired person.
But I've loved all the time I spent there over the years.
Eliza
in reply to i. celeste aurora [witchzard] • • •@ics
Do you go naked or wear a swimsuit?
I went to Adina Hotel in Leipzig recently and they allowed people to wear swimsuits if they wanted to. So I did
i. celeste aurora [witchzard]
in reply to Eliza • • •@eliza
I go naked. In the hotel they don't care, but since about early 2024 I am happy with my boobs and since I also want to keep my penis (this is who I am after all), I can't be shy of my body; i.e., to say: whoever has a problem with my body has a problem, but it is not my problem.
@oldladyplays
Rens
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Jen
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •it's like the curb cut effect.
Put in a curb cut / dropped curb for wheelchair users, and soon parents with huggies, delivery people with trolleys, cyclists, folk with suitcases, and more will have an easier time, too.
Design for the most vulnerable, and everyone benefits.
tomate ๐
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Viva la QueerBar
Plotbunny GamesCait the Proud Trans Woman reshared this.
Elle ๐
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Not so much a story, but when there are those invisible barriers, we have to look for the little signs of acceptance.
Seeing a queer person in a space shows that it's okay for at least one person.
Seeing them treated well provides additional validation that we may be too.
Seeing multiple queer group members starts to make it truly look like a safe space.
A statement of support is great, but showing that support through the representation in the community is better.
Mark Movember Whybird
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •Dลบwiedziu
in reply to Cait the Proud Trans Woman • • •