Shaula Evans

artist & friend of artists. human & friend of humans. thinker. feeler. timeless international woman of mystery.

Support: https://ko-fi.com/shaula

Posts + DMs delete after 1 week.

Shaula Evans (npub1c24…0kcs)">https://justmytoots.com/Shaula Evans (npub1c24…0kcs)

My posts are licensed CC-BY-NC-ND - see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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npub1c24wr6he3pmg0dtsnt74tl89tr5eqfktukhfqu30lwa5uzg7qlwq550kcs

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shaulaevans_at_zirk.us@momostr.pink

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relay.momostr.pink

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Published at

2026-05-28T21:37:22Z

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Last Notes

2026-05-04 19:22:40 UTC

Of all the absolutely random songs, today I noticed I had One Tin Soldier going through my head.
???
I don't remember the last time I heard it or even thought about it, but it's what the Earworm DJ saw fit to spin up while I was in the kitchen.
Ah, Earworm DJ: your ways are mysterious indeed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjGnvst6AmA
#OneTinSoldier #TheOriginalCaste #Music

2026-03-22 05:31:46 UTC

I see eggcorns for these words in the wild a lot; here's what the eggcorns are referring to (with a bonus link for eggcorn). If you know where the terms come from, it's easier to keep them straight.
1. Cut & Dried (past tense)
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cut_and_dried
2. Kid Gloves
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kid_glove#English
3. Bonus link: Eggcorns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggcorn
#Eggcorns #English #Language

2026-03-22 00:36:45 UTC

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Out of curiosity, is hoosegow a word you knew before you read this thread? Any idea where you know it from?
*I tried to make a poll but my instance doesn't support enough options for the way I'd want to phrase it.
3/3 #CeciNestPasUnPoll

2026-03-22 00:31:56 UTC

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I threw "the clink" in there alongside hoosegow to have another American slang term for comparison.
I couldn't guess at the etymology so I looked it up and yes, of course, Americans turned informal spoken Spanish juzgao, variant of standard Spanish juzgado (“court, courthouse”), into anglo "hoosegow".
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hoosegow
2/3
#Etymology #English #Language

2026-03-22 00:29:17 UTC

It occurred to me that I don't hear the word "hoosegow" used a lot, so I looked it up.
1. The heyday of its usage coincides with the Golden Age of Hollywood (more or less). I probably know it from classic films. (It's easy to imagine in the voice of Humphrey Bogart.)
2. I'm mildly alarmed that it's usage has been increasing in this century -- it's a great word but I wonder what's driving that trend.
1/3
https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=hoosegow%2Cthe+clink&year_start=1600&year_end=2022&corpus=en-US&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=false
#English #Language

2026-03-21 21:28:09 UTC

My screen is small and I tend to sit at a distance from it (because of the limitations of my workspace)...
...which is why for the longest time I thought the :exploding head: emoji (🤯) was a guy with a fish on his head.

2026-03-21 20:53:03 UTC

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However, much like mutual aid, the people in my life who show up to support me the most (or at all) are typically in some kind of serious ongoing or acute hardship or crisis.
In contrast, the people in my life with the lightest loads and the most resources are the least supportive and most extractive. (I've cut most of those people out of my life as a survival choice because I truly can't afford them.)
2/n

2026-03-21 20:50:26 UTC

I know we all joke about passing around the same mutual aid $20 bill, but in a polycrisis world, it feels like there's also a parcel of moral support and caring that we pass around between people in different kinds of crisis and hardship, too. Everyone gets their turn to give and receive it (in my circles anyway). The reciprocity is much healthier & more comfortable than feeling like a constantly needy friend.
1/n
@npub13vf…ffrq
#Polycrisis #CovidIsNotOver #LonelinessCorps

2026-03-19 07:43:56 UTC

A number of my friends got out of long-term abusive relationships in the past few years and are now doing well and thriving.
This is a reminder to anyone who needs to hear it that second acts are possible and good things also happen.

2026-03-11 09:47:12 UTC

Take this test to find your Just Noticeable Difference: the smallest colour range you can actually see.
What's My JND? 0.0054
Can you beat it? https://www.keithcirkel.co.uk/whats-my-jnd/?r=AhofKP__8Dvd
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/209/892/638/603/837/original/d5a8a7f1fdc3e5be.jpg

2026-02-21 16:25:55 UTC

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I still have songs from my brothers' old bands stuck in my head.

2026-02-19 10:43:08 UTC

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For a very, very different show that still lands in the same soft, quiet, gentle way (for me, at least), I recommend the South Korean show "The Blank Menu for You."
The pilot starts off awkward but then finds its way and becomes consistently cozycore charming without being twee (i.e., it hits what I think of as the McKenzie Crook Goldilocks Zone).
Offered in a spirit of wanting to share back something equally lovely.
https://www.justwatch.com/uk/tv-series/the-blank-menu-for-you

2026-02-19 10:40:15 UTC

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Oh, that's wonderful. I can't wait to see it! My eyes are peeled. Thank you.

2026-02-19 10:36:19 UTC

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I haven't seen Small Prophets yet (wrong side of the pond), but I support you in that The Detectorists is some of the best English-language TV writing and production I have ever seen. Astonishingly good.

2026-02-18 02:37:11 UTC

For real, with YouTube down, I would love to see links to all your PeerTube accounts.
Who's on PeerTube? Please share!
#YouTube #PeerTube #FediMeta #AskFedi

2026-02-09 07:55:06 UTC

What is one book that positively shaped who you are as a person and how did it influence you? At what point in your life did you read it?
Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel, audiobook: however you define "book" for yourself is fine with me.
@npub1q60…kp90
#Bookstodon #Books #AskFedi

2026-02-09 04:46:52 UTC

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In my experience, likewise, no one cares for the carers. I have been a full-time carer, with zero family or community support.
When I talked to a social worker in palliative care about how badly I was burning out, she suggested I join a knitting group. I didn't need an ugly sweater, I needed someone else to clean my bathroom or cook a meal or do a load of laundry, even just once.
It was years ago and I am still dealing with the burnout.

2026-01-26 07:50:34 UTC

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Amazing!

2026-01-26 06:45:36 UTC

Hey, Fedi. I have a favour to ask you. Help me help a friend. (Not financial!)
I have a friend who is all about cool bug facts. They're going through an intense patch in their life, so I would like to send them some bug facts to cheer them up. But this is really their thing, so basic search engine results aren't going to new to them.
If there is a cool bug fact that you genuinely love yourself, could you tell me? I'll save them to share with my friend over time.
#Bugs #CoolBugFacts #Insects

2026-01-12 06:29:06 UTC

A friend sent me this Covid Policy Statement (from a church in Vancouver, Canada) and I feel so seen that I'm in tears. It's well written and relatively comprehensive. It is also an astonishing example of care and compassion combined with science to inform an approach to covid.
I'm sharing it here for the many Fedi friends who may be heartened by it or find it useful.
https://www.stmargaretscedarcottage.ca/why-are-we-still-masking.html
@npub13vf…ffrq
#CovidIsNotOver #PandemicIsNotOver #LonelinessCorps #Covid19 #Covid

2026-01-07 04:23:10 UTC

Friends, we're all increasingly overwhelmed as a baseline (except for some luckily privileged people and/or sociopaths). That means when we are acutely overwhelmed, it is tough.
Please give grace to yourself & others to the extent you can.
Please take care of the small animal that is your body.
Please let go of anything that's not necessary (you probably already have, I know).
Please reach out, please offer help, as/when you can.
I hope we can get each other through somehow.
#Polycrisis

2025-12-30 10:39:57 UTC

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Oh! I've just thought of an experience like yours:
When I was studying Japanese, I learned that the word for Mediterranean was 地中海 (pronounced Chichūkai). The characters literally translate as Earth Middle Sea.
It had never occurred to me that that's what Medi-Terran-Ean (Sea) had meant all along -- and then it was right there staring at me!

2025-12-21 03:24:06 UTC

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I am a huge fan of arbor teas and of this style of infuser. They make moving from tea bags to loose leaf tea so easy and painless!

2025-12-19 10:12:59 UTC

What are some of the small, functional things in your life that give you joy?
I'm asking because I've been noting lately that many of the things in my life that give me joy are small and functional. 1/n
#AskFedi

2025-12-19 09:28:24 UTC

It only just occurred to me that the English and French words garage come from the French verb garer which also gives us the French word "gare" for train station (as in La Gare du Nord).
I have been staring at these words all my life. I have no idea why this decided to click tonight. (Except that I was thinking about the Italian word parcheggio.)
#English #French #Language #Etymology

2025-12-08 08:54:41 UTC

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If you eat seafood, out of the foods the study tested, the lowest microplastics (MP) per serving (best choices) were:
1. Alaska pollock (minimally processed) - 9 ± 7
2. White Gulf shrimp (fresh caught) - 10 ± 11
3. Alaska pollock (fresh caught) - 11 ± 16
The worst:
Breaded shrimp - 370 ± 580
Key lesson: more processing = more microplastics 5/n

2025-12-08 08:48:35 UTC

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The study analyzed store-purchased breaded shrimp, minced pollock, fish sticks, white Gulf shrimp (headless/shell-on), Key West pink shrimp (headless/shell-on), Alaska Pollock fillets (skinless), chicken nuggets, top sirloin steaks, pork loin chops, chicken breasts, plant-based nuggets, plant-based fish sticks, plant-based ground beef, and tofu blocks.
The authors acknowledge this is not comprehensive, but it's a start.

2025-12-08 08:45:45 UTC

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Foods pick up microplastics during processing. Not just ultraprocessed foods, but any kind of food handling. Think about conveyer belts, machinery, gloves worn by food workers. Plastic is everywhere.
I am aiming for minimally processed foods as much as I can for myself. (Your mileage and spoons may vary.) 3/n

2025-12-08 08:43:42 UTC

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I had read about the study but only just tracked down the study itself and read it. I'll share some of the parts that interested me in this thread.
I flag these kinds of threads as cursed knowledge and put them behind a CW because I know it's easy to get polycrisis-overwhelmed and you may not be able to handle food becoming even more complicated.
It's worth doing what you can to avoid microplastics -- with available spoons, on an opt-in info basis.

2025-12-08 08:40:39 UTC

A study led by researchers at Ocean Conservancy and the University of Toronto a found #microplastic particles in 88% of protein food samples tested. The samples were drawn from 16 different #protein types destined for U.S. consumers, including seafood, pork, beef, chicken, tofu, and three different plant-based meat alternatives.
Two links follow, plus thread.
1. Summary https://oceanconservancy.org/newsroom/press-release/2024/01/08/its-not-just-seafood-new-study-finds-microplastics-in-nearly-90-of-proteins-sampled-including-plant-based-meat-alternatives/
2. Study https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749123022352?via%3Dihub
1/n
#Food

2025-12-08 04:38:06 UTC

I did a call to catch up with an old and really dear friend tonight and it absolutely fed my heart.
They worked at US AID until the layoffs in February and they are looking for new jobs in international development, related fields, and/or anything that uses their broad skill base.
Question follows in thread below. 1/n
#AskFedi #InternationalDevelopment #InternationalRelations #USAID

2025-11-25 04:37:51 UTC

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Or the Tulip Bubble for that matter.

2025-11-18 01:26:29 UTC

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Voice work is collapsing as a field because big players like Apple are pushing computer generated voices.
There are more people competing for fewer jobs at lower rates. It's disastrous.
I have stopped narrating new books because I have a day job and I don't want to take paying work away from my fellow voice actors who do the work full time to pay their rent.
When people tell me they want to give it a go for the lulz or the "passive income" (ha!) I am underwhelmed to say the least. 2/n

2025-11-18 01:23:34 UTC

Lately when I tell people I do voice work / audiobook narration, they respond with, "Oh, how could I get into that? I'd like to make some extra money."
Well, I started as a child actor. I have trained in acting, singing and voice all my life. I am a director and qualified to work in isolation & handle a self-directed performance. I also manage my hardware, software and edits.
What a profoundly insulting question. lmao
1/n

2025-11-14 12:03:20 UTC

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I'm sorry it's all so hard and complicated.
I'm glad you're making positive strides forward for yourself. I really hope the book helps.

2025-11-14 07:39:00 UTC

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I miss proper Boolean queries desperately.

2025-11-13 21:16:23 UTC

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I have found that one way to address a difficulty in receiving compliments, sometimes even without understanding the root cause, is to reframe it:
A compliment is a gift and an offer of friendship which imparts joy to the *giver*.
When I reject a compliment, I reject the gesture of friendship and I deny the giver that joy.
I don't want to make other people feel bad!
So, if nothing else, I can say: "Thank you" -- and, more than that, I can mean it.

2025-11-05 10:27:01 UTC

The UPS app widget on my phone screen, rather than giving me a time window for my delivery later today, simply says, "We Have Your Package"...
...and it's giving me really big "I've got your nose" energy.

2025-10-30 06:04:04 UTC

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I am asking about this precisely because I don't know what I don't know, and this is a topic I haven't needed to stay current on in the past.
I don't need my feelings managed and I don't need lectures, I just need accurate, current information about what Zoom does with user voices and what my security/privacy options are.
Thank you for understanding the assignment, and thanks very much to anyone who can help! 2/n

2025-10-30 06:02:22 UTC

I haven't followed conversations about #Zoom and AI because it hasn't been in my sphere, but it looks like we're going to start using it at work.
Outside the day job, I am a voice artist / audiobook narrator. I cannot let corporations record my voice and use it for AI training or I lose my side job. (I also object on multiple grounds.)
Can anyone give me a link to reliable sources on what Zoom is doing with voices at this stage? I've looked but am not finding answers I need.
Thank you. 1/n

2025-10-26 06:52:59 UTC

No one gets enough compliments, validation or positive feedback in this world.
(Well, almost no-one. Maybe a blessed few of you do. Consider yourselves lucky.)
We really ought to collectively do something about that.
If I have something positive to say to someone, I give myself permission to say it, & go out of my way to make sure it doesn't just stay as a safe little thought in my head and instead I say it out loud.
If you need it, here's official permission for you to say nice thing too.

2025-10-18 02:20:59 UTC

Quisling is a great word to add to your vocabulary if you're not familiar with it already.

2025-10-16 02:17:14 UTC

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Do you feel like that brush with the threat of Ebola in 2014 affected how your colleagues have reacted to the current pandemic? Did you see what you learned carry forward?

2025-10-16 02:10:17 UTC

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That must have been grueling as well as terrifying, Freddy. I'm glad you had access to proper PPE then and got through it safely.

2025-10-15 08:33:50 UTC

I look at Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) precautions.
Then I look at the preventions people do and don't take against COVID-19 and what they consider reasonable risks.
Then I look at Biosafety Level 3 precautions again.
Then I bar the door a little harder.
@npub13vf…ffrq
#CovidIsnotOver #PandemicIsNotOver
#LonelinessCorps

2025-10-15 04:42:30 UTC

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Oh, I'm not trying to foist it on you! If you have a need for it, it's a great tool. If you don't need it, it's one less app on your phone. You know what's right for you.

2025-10-15 04:41:03 UTC

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Signal is a great private messaging app that is free and (end to end) encrypted. Once you install it on your phone, you can install it on a laptop as well or similar device.
It also handles voice notes, audio calls, video calls, and group chats.
It's a better, more secure alternative to native phone texting, WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, etc.
If you're ever looking for a good messaging app, I warmly recommend it.

2025-10-15 03:11:23 UTC

When people want to text me, I tell them the only app I use is @npub1rkw…5q62, and if they want to reach me I can give the my handle there (without giving out my phone number).
It turns out to be a remarkably effective way to get people onto Signal in my experience.
*This is descriptive not prescriptive, your mileage may vary, don't need your yabbuts in my mentions, etc., etc.
#Signal

2025-10-14 02:09:53 UTC

It looks like we are reaching the point where all online art should be assumed to be AI slop until proven otherwise.
Just like we don't boost images without alt text, I won't be boosting images going forward without attribution, either.
I know: it's more work and more friction. Sometimes that's what being a responsible community member is like.
Thank you to everyone who makes an effort not to boost or normalize AI slop. It's extra work at a time we're all tired. I appreciate you.
#FediMeta

2025-10-11 22:32:08 UTC

I want to hear from people who have made lifestyle changes in response to climate change.
Do you travel less / fly less? Eat differently? Shop differently?
I'm interested in what changes you've made specifically in response to climate change, when you started, and what got you to the tipping point of taking that action.
1/n
#ClimateChange #Polycrisis #Travel #Diet #Food #Hopepunk #Solarpunk

2025-10-11 03:01:32 UTC

I still see people putting their street addresses on resumes for job applications, grant applications, festival submissions, etc.
Oh, honey. No.
Your location can and will be used to rule you out.
And your personal data will inevitably be leaked.
Please normalize giving out the absolute minimal data possible in any and every situation.

2025-10-03 03:11:47 UTC

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This sounds great! Bookmarking.

2025-10-01 07:27:09 UTC

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Bonus round: If someone could explain to me how LLM-based AI systems could allow *me* to live a more healthy and fulfilling life while the material, financial, and spiritual costs remained, I still wouldn't use them.
No individual benefit to me could outweigh the massive costs and damage.

2025-09-17 05:20:15 UTC

I find it horrifying how platitudes can short circuit and shut down thinking, discussion and communication.

2025-09-07 06:20:16 UTC

I'm watching a great sword fight scene, which compels me to mention that I have fought for my life in a sword fight.

2025-09-03 03:00:23 UTC

Orphan Black is now on Netflix US. (I don't know about other regions.)
Tatiana Maslany's performance is absolutely extraordinary.
If you like scifi, it's a great show. And if you are an actor or you appreciate good acting, it's superb.
#OprhanBlack #TatianMaslany #Netflix #CanadianContent #SciFi

2025-09-01 06:20:37 UTC

The most important thing I can tell you about writing or any other creative pursuit is this:
Give yourself permission to do it and don't worry about being "good" at it.
Life is short. Creativity is joyful. Just do it! Have fun. Muck about.
If you stick it out, you can get good at it over time, if that's important to you — but it doesn't have to be.
You can just play with creativity for the pure joy of it, too.
If it brings you joy, do it.
#Art #Creativity #Writing

2025-09-01 05:06:32 UTC

It's not especially relevant to my current life, or to my conversations on Mastodon, but I'm an international award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker.
I used to talk about screenwriting regularly on my pre-Fediverse accounts.
Are there hashtags or groups that TV and film writers congregate around in the Fediverse? I wouldn't mind picking those conversations back up.
(And I'm pondering a related project to launch in the new year.) 1/n
@npub1m2z…uvde
#TVWriting #Screenwriting #Writing

2025-09-01 05:04:18 UTC

"3%" from Brazil and "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" from South Korea exist in a shared universe in that they both know exactly what the game engine is that underlies their series premise and the writers deploy that game engine skillfully and elegantly in each episode (at least in the first few seasons of 3%).
I recommend both series to anyone interested in advanced episodic writing.
@npub1m2z…uvde @npub1j3x…8v5j
#BonAppetitYourMajesty #ThreePercent #Netflix #TVWriting #EpisodicWring #Screenwriting #Kdrama

2025-08-28 03:49:34 UTC

Vaccination is just like masking, in that even if you didn't do it for a while, you can pick it back up. You can always change course for the better.

2025-08-27 03:50:13 UTC

What if I took my ego out of it?
What if I loved harder?
What if I showed up for people the way I'd like them to show up for me?
- questions I ask myself all the time (and try to live up to)

2025-08-20 11:21:07 UTC

A friend told me that when she buys any kind of personal hygiene product in a tube, like toothpaste or skin lotion, when it's "used up" she cuts the tube open to get more out, and recommended I try it.
I had had low expectations but thought I'd give it a try. I just cut open a tube of moisturizer that I could not possible squeeze more out of.
Holy cow.
I'm shocked at how much was left.
(Is this one of those things that everyone on earth knew but me?)
Time to slice some tubes!

2025-08-17 07:29:55 UTC

Fellow language learners, if you have ditched Duolingo because they wedged in AI slop (because you care about how they treat their workers and/or the accuracy of the lessons and/or AI impact on the planet, etc.), what are you using for language study now and for which languages?
#Language #LanguageStudy #Duolingo #AskFedi

2025-08-16 08:23:15 UTC

I love how there is no "best time to post" on Mastodon because, lack of tracking data aside (which is already great), we are a globally distributed network of nerdy insomniacs. 😂

2025-08-14 21:48:32 UTC

As you know if you follow me, every once in a blue moon I post that I could really use to hear a human voice (which is hard to come by in my isolated life), and I set up a Signal call with whoever replies.
On a few occasions, it has been lifesaving.
I wonder if we should consider a hashtag, like #FediWarmLine, for anyone who'd like to request or supply a call like that. Would that be helpful to anyone? I feel like there's good potential.
Let's figure this out! 1/n
@npub1y55…2ts6
#AskFedi

2025-08-08 09:19:24 UTC

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Please for the love of all that's holy don't come into my mentions to defend your use of LLMs.
That's between you, your god, and the planet you're destroying. And the original creators whose work you're plagairisng. And the exploited global south laborers who tag & moderate it. And the communities next to data centers that haven no water. And everyone affected by these harms & your normalization of these harms.
If you bring LLM apologetics or evangelism to my mentions, I will block you.

2025-08-08 09:15:12 UTC

I've been on an unexpected unfollowing spree.
Context: I follow cool, intelligent, informed, interesting people.
And yet my TL today has been all about people confessing all the ways they choose to use LLMs all the time. (And that's an instant unfollow.)
Weird.

2025-08-08 02:18:12 UTC

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You might consider talking to your doctor or pharmacist about where you store those pills. If the bathroom is in regular use, the humidity may be enough to degrade the medications so he won't be getting the full dose the doctors are prescribing.
Or you may be taking this into account already and your specific bathroom and arrangement may be fine. I'm not there, I don't know.
I'm sharing this as a caring stranger who wishes you both well.

2025-08-07 10:12:02 UTC

One of the best parts of the Fediverse: book recommendations from the brilliant, interesting people here. 💙

2025-07-25 11:39:00 UTC

Someone mentioned a new instance for podcasters the other day and I misplaced the link. Does anyone have it handy? I want to recommend it to a friend. Thank you!
#AskFedi #FediMeta #Podcast

2025-07-22 07:21:23 UTC

Another fiction book that haunts me in the pandemic is José Saramago's novel Blindness (original Portuguese title: Ensaio sobre a cegueira), because of how well it captures the social dynamics.
If you've read it, you know.
@npub1ny7…uv57 #EnsaioSobreACegueira #JoséSaramago #Bookstodon #CovidIsNotOver #PandemicIsNotOver

2025-07-22 07:17:45 UTC

One of the books that made the biggest impressions on me as a kid was Flowers for Algernon (which I read far, far younger than was advisable as an advanced and voracious reader).
So I have to say that now living through an unacknowledged and unchecked pandemic that causes cognitive impairment and watching it steadily erode the people around me is a very particular kind of waking nightmare.
@npub1ny7…uv57
#Bookstodon #CovidIsNotOver #PandemicIsNotOver #DanielKeyes #FlowersForAlgernon

2025-07-21 09:30:50 UTC

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Does anything work for effective PPE when you have to go outside?

2025-07-21 06:45:05 UTC

Hey, short film fans! I'm looking for short films (under 20 minutes) about caregivers and caregiving (of children, of elders, sandwich generation, etc.).
Do you know of any short films that fit this bill?
Let me know about the caregiver films you love. Thank you.
@npub1j3x…8v5j
#ShortFilm #Film #AskFedi #HiveMind #LazyWeb

2025-07-20 05:06:07 UTC

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Maybe. Indeed.

2025-07-19 22:53:53 UTC

Are there any countries, regions, societies, subcultures, industries, anything that is taking the cognitive harms of COVID seriously?
#Covid19 #Covid #CovidIsNotOver #PandemicIsNotOver

2025-07-19 13:07:16 UTC

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Aye, there's the rub.

2025-07-19 08:45:48 UTC

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With all the plagiarism and scraping out here? Oh goodness no.
It's too good to waste -- or to hand over for someone to steal.

2025-07-19 08:20:04 UTC

One of my best stories, that is far too good for the open internet, is about the time I fought for my life in a sword fight.
Yes, really.
If you ever wind up in a private conversation with me and you're in the mood for a story, get me to tell you.
*I looked up translations for all the sword fighting terms once so I could also tell it in French. I'm not sure if I can do that now off the top of my head though.

2025-07-17 06:19:39 UTC

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I have not been touched by another human being in 5.5 years. I have not made direct eye contact with another human being in over 3 years. I go for days and weeks, sometimes months, without being in a live conversation with another human voice.
I have online connections.
I am also isolated. At a level that despite my concerted best efforts definitely affects my mental and physical health.
If you haven't lived this, you don't know.

2025-07-17 05:54:05 UTC

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As someone who is super isolated and would prefer not to face Alzheimers, do we know *why* isolation is a risk factor for Alzheimer's? Is it the lack of mental stimulation? Is it the high cortisol? Something else?
I take my survival in the circumstances very seriously. It's also increasingly too bleak for me to read up on this stuff directly and wade through the doom to find actionable information, to be honest.

2025-07-11 04:22:02 UTC

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That reminded me of this Japanese commercial!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgPmaNMReKQ

2025-07-09 10:27:02 UTC

I'm looking for new homes for more than one Mastodon account, so tell me savvy-friends: Are there instances for audiobook fans & narrators?
*I realize that the answer is probably either "no" or "wut?", but if you have any suggestions, I'd appreciate them.
**What do I narrate? Romance & (under a different name and account) erotica. Even my spicy alt is solidly PG-13 though.
#Audiobook #Audiobooks #Bookstodon #Romancelandia #AskFedi @npub1skd…z9az @npub1ny7…uv57 @npub1me9…z28v @npub1444…7858

2025-06-29 09:28:15 UTC

What's the longest palindrome you know by heart?
#palindromes

2025-06-28 03:52:00 UTC

Two people whom I adore are in an amazing relationship together.
They met on Mastodon. When I boosted a post by one of them, and the other one saw it.
Boosting on Fedi: It's more powerful than you think!™

2025-06-27 22:42:45 UTC

Fedi Meta Question:
I know that there are significant numbers of people in the Fediverse who appreciate CWs on posts about food. Do you like CWs on posts about tea / non-food drinks as well?
I'm happy to do it if it helps people. I haven't come across discussions about this before so I'm asking.
#Tea #FediEtiquette #FediMeta #MastodonMeta #AskFedi #ContentWarnings

2025-06-27 03:16:58 UTC

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I bought some online earlier this year so I could try it, and I'm a fan!
I don't have a lot of good sulphur sources in my diet. I'm really pleased to have come across it.
How do you like to use it?

2025-06-25 17:45:10 UTC

I have watched my life burn to the ground and started again from scratch many, many times.
I believe in second acts and second chances.
I want to say this clearly for anyone who needs to hear it: it is possible to survive radical, unexpected and unwanted life changes, to start again, and to build a new life that is worth living.

2025-06-13 20:04:38 UTC

It can be frustrating when all your friends are doing something cool and important that for whatever reason you can't be a part of. But there are often other ways you can help.
Give someone a ride. Give or lend them supplies or PPE. Babysit their kids. Do something else helpful that frees up their time so they can go.
It takes a village to do a lot of important things (including but not only raising kids). Your role in your village matters, too.

2025-06-13 10:05:20 UTC

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To be honest, I have no recollection of what was going through my mind at the time or why I thought it would be a good idea, except that I was confident it would make her laugh -- and I was right!

2025-06-13 10:04:30 UTC

My life may have peaked when I gave a friend a stuffed toy in the shape of a gonorrhea bacterium as a gift for her new baby.
Especially when it went on to become the baby's favourite toy.
*My friend was a doctor and a huge nerd, very STEM-oriented, absolutely brilliant. She loved it.

2025-06-12 01:15:14 UTC

If you dry your laundry inside (not outside), without using a laundry dryer, what works best for you?
I'm thinking of trying out hanging sheets over doors. I might put a towel underneath so the doors don't dirty the sheets. (My house is super dry.)
*I'm short, so my patience for this may wear out quickly.
If you dry sheets indoors sans dryer yourself (e.g., meet these criteria / are not speculating), I'd love to hear about the methods you like best. 1/n
#Laundry #LaundryHacks

2025-06-11 04:32:15 UTC

When I see discussions about "ventilation" to improve indoor air quality as a layer of protection against covid and other airborne diseases, they somehow never (from my limited POV) reference the challenges of erratic outdoor air quality. E.g., wildfire smoke, pollution, ground level ozone, etc.
Ventilation is great on paper but it doesn't work if it's not safe to open the windows.

2025-06-02 00:08:12 UTC

It looks like I am on the hunt for a new Mastodon instance!
Please let me know if you are on a server that you recommend that fits these criteria:
- hosted in Europe;
- stable;
- well moderated by a team;
- blocks Bluesky / Threads / etc.;
- no petty blocking wars;
- small or medium sized, not large.
Don't need special interest or regional focus. Don't need pushback on my criteria.
Any recs? Thank you.
#FediMeta #AskFedi

2025-05-27 06:05:02 UTC

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Debbie, that's so hard. I'm so sorry.
The physical isolation isn't the hard part for me. It's the social isolation of being profoundly alienated from people I previously trusted and respected.
I do not know how we cope with the betrayal and moral injury of these times.
I'm right there with you. Solidarity.

2025-05-26 09:37:35 UTC

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I feel like my one chance to still be alive in 10 years (or 5, or 3, or 1) is to do everything in my power to invest in my health, strength, preventative care and risk mitigation so that I do not have to rely on a healthcare system that may not be there.
(Not to mention nosocomial infections, obviously.)

2025-05-25 01:54:02 UTC

Please donate to your local food bank if you can.
Please make sure people you know have enough to eat.
It's one of many quiet, non-valorized, invisible ways you can literally save lives.

2025-05-21 07:07:51 UTC

I have two big issues with the multiple ongoing unchecked transmissible disease public health crises:
1. I will have to die of something someday but this is really not how I want to die (ill, alone, untended, miserable, of a preventable disease).
2. I don't actually want anyone to die from preventable disease.
#Polycrisis

2025-05-19 20:44:33 UTC

A system is what it does.
A system is what it does.
A system is what it does.

2025-05-19 03:19:10 UTC

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If you're a functioning adult, stop waiting for "kids" to save you. Roll up your sleeves and save them and yourself. Like an adult.