Universal Basic Friend

Small scale veggie grower in a remote community. FIFO (but with trains) tutor at regional teaching hospitals all over south east australia.
Studying clinical coding, interested in population and environmental statistics.
Natural disaster recovery work found me (as it does).
Quackery enthusiast.
Hillbilly. Redneck. Any pronouns.

Profile pic: monochrome photo of a person welding.
Banner: a person sharpening a scythe viewed through long grass with seed on top.

Last Notes

2025-10-10 02:31:56 UTC

We need a word for this effect, I hear people explain versions of this all the fucking time:
- I hate the background music in here
- there are other people here
- therefore the other people must be demanding the music
- therefore I also hate all these people
Narrator: no one liked the music

2025-10-08 20:43:27 UTC

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I also feel like 'just after' might be doing some work there.
They must churn them through pretty quickly, so there would be a large cohort of people who have been on a Disney ghost train in the last 20 minutes at any given time.

2025-09-05 22:23:19 UTC

Totally unexpected side effect of AI:
A lecturer just told is we need to check our data carefully after downloading it to make sure it matches the source because "you can't trust technology and AI".
We're downloading a csv of data points (human observations) from a selected area of a map, AI is not involved.

2025-06-23 06:54:07 UTC

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Since we're on dealing with grievance culture...
I've probably shared this one before but it's a classic so here it is anyway:
When someone tries to engage you in bonding over being mutually upset about some dog whistle bullshit ["isn't it so terrible that teenagers these days..."], focus the whole conversation on them being upset. Totally ignore the dog whistle and focus all conversation completely on the fact that they don't feel okay and they need strategies to feel better. Make sure they can't get another word in about "the teenagers" (or whatever) because the whole conversation is now about how they can be helped to better cope with emotions.

2025-05-27 23:33:08 UTC

Do you have coloured sheep? Do they have nice wool? Are you a reasonable distance from western vic/eastern SA?
I would like to buy raw wool directly from you.
I'm particularly up for Polwarth wool in interesting natural colours (ginger, russet, chestnut, fawn). If you keep a couple of these sheep, hit me up, I will be buying this for years.
#Sheeptodon #Sheep #Wool

2025-05-06 06:59:07 UTC

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Has Princeton review discovered the clitoris yet? They hadn't in the 2003 edition.
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/114/459/583/713/442/913/original/f692e221afa3a83f.jpg

2025-04-13 23:18:01 UTC

We don't talk anywhere near enough about how the tech industry is fucking with the general public's understanding of consent.
Fairly often I will opt out of something that would have been obviously reasonable a few years ago, and people will look at me like I drove a truck through the room.
Things like:
- I won't be appearing on camera today
- I don't wish to speak on a recording to be published on the University website
- I won't be giving my personal details to an overseas third party just to use a notepad tool in one meeting
I see this seeping through into attitudes about consent in other everyday life contexts. People are so used to being walked all over by their tech that they're increasingly shocked by boundaries.

2025-02-03 05:46:53 UTC

#evacuation lists are easy time come by. What I haven't seen is a similar document for preparing to shelter in place through a disaster that is likely to damage the building. Given we keep getting warnings, I'm going to start my own, just so I have something on hand for when this happens in future.
This is mostly applicable to storms, as that's what we keep getting alerts about.
Anyway #ShelterList
- put on sturdy boots, fresh hiking socks, work pants
- put pets in safest room with water, beds and cages at the ready. Feed and medicate pets
- charge devices including battery packs and headlamps, put in known location
- take meds before event arrives, put meds in known location
- ensure important documents are in waterproof bags in safe
- cover electronics
- clear valuables and bedding away from windows and flood prone parts of the building
- have a meal and a shower (assuming there's no lightning)
- take panoramic photos of each room
- photograph crops/gardens
- while waiting for the event to arrive relax, stay hydrated, keep cool/warm, keep in contact with community/loved ones, avoid intoxicating substances, slow down and plan manual labour to avoid getting injured moving items out of flood water

2025-01-29 02:40:43 UTC

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I've been in the habit of stocking our local for a few months, here's what I regularly get:
- canned veggies, fish and vegetable-rich soups
- oats, long life milk
- peanut butter, nuts
- tampons, soap, condoms, toothpaste, toothbrushes
- laundry detergent, dish detergent
- socks
- pet foods, flea and worming stuff

2025-01-22 08:40:22 UTC

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I assumed it was for the purposes of enhancing public speeches.

2025-01-22 03:14:48 UTC

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This item has 59 likes. The same guy released an updated design with the word Tactical added to the title and it has 524 likes.

2025-01-22 01:26:49 UTC

Thank fuck for 3d printing is all I can say
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/113/869/395/784/978/587/original/ea8abffae99593a5.jpg

2024-12-30 19:22:54 UTC

If you had wages stolen from you at RM Williams in Victoria in the last decade, hit me up. I may be your witness.
I was management. I noticed this happening and reported it repeatedly. HR told me to fire the employees who had been underpaid instead of organising back payment (I refused and organised backpay for those I knew about, before being pressured to resign so a new manager could come in a fire anyone needing backpay).

2024-11-19 23:56:01 UTC

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I figure the effect from a distance is more important than the neatness

2024-11-19 23:51:50 UTC

Guess who has two thumbs and a series of sample pots in trendy interior decorating colours
https://mediacdn.aus.social/media_attachments/files/113/512/279/386/509/791/original/997e4a878c75bc4e.jpg

2024-10-09 00:28:31 UTC

I know I already have multiple hot take in full swing so it's a bad time, but real ernest for one second...
Reasons some of my neighbours didn't evacuate last time they were asked to:
- working at a medical facility (over 15% of our population)
- providing daily care to a family member in a nursing facility that is not evacuating
- cannot feed and house animals in safe, hygienic, separate areas at evacuation centres
- many animals require daily care, other key farming tasks must happen, many farms cannot be left alone, especially at certain times of year
- unable to get back into the evacuation area for potentially weeks (three weeks in this case) if you choose to leave
Not reasons:
- redneck identity/culture/aesthetic/accents
- being less clever than city people/you