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Just Meandering

@forgottenflies

Random thoughts and things.

They are making audio and digital books available now too!!

I found a hardback printing of the Voynich Manuscript on here. This place fucking rocks.

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foxingfae

Hey I’m so excited to see this on my dash! I work at an independent bookstore in NY and we were hit insanely hard by the pandemic, like so many other indie bookstores across the country. Bookshop has literally been helping us to keep the lights on. You using stores’ affiliate links to bookshop (you can support my store here) or just browsing it on your own directly impacts our ability to remain in business. Overall Bookshop has raised over 10 million dollars for independent bookstores across America. This site really works!

If you want to buy books from the comfort of your own home without supporting Amazon, please please consider using Bookshop! We are all so thankful for your support!

Image reads:

“Oh, this is fabulous. A new online platform, Bookshop, has created a centralized online shopping platform for independent bookstores around the country. Quarantine doesn’t mean you have to resort to Amazon.”

Picture of a person with hands on a desk, standing in front of bookshelves. 

Caption under the picture: “Thanks to Bookshop, there is no reason to buy books on Amazon anymore.”

Armenians have lived in Jerusalem for 1,600 years and Armenian Palestinians are the oldest group in the Armenian diaspora. From their indigenous land in Artsakh to the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem, Armenians have been facing ethnic cleansing and persecution on multiple fronts. With the escalating genocidal violence in Gaza and the West Bank, armed settler encroachment into Armenian holdings in Jerusalem has fallen under the radar of some pro-Palestine activism and it is critical we do not allow this to happen.

Some context:

“We are not the objectives of the Israelis, but we occupy a huge chunk of Jerusalem. The fact that we’re here is an obstacle for them, but we’ve been here for 1,600 years and we’re not going anywhere.” "These are only the most visible of the challenges facing the community....Israeli discrimination, economic decline, and political insecurity have taken a toll on Armenians, encouraging emigration. A century after the community was nearly annihilated, Armenian Palestinians today say they feel deeply at home in the Holy Land, but fear how much longer they will be able to hold on."
“Don’t ask me about the massacres that happened 100 years ago [1915],” Annie Guluzian said when asked about her experiences as an Armenian Palestinian. “I won’t open [up about] those topics. Because if I do, I will start talking about my brother who was martyred by the Israelis in the [second] Intifada.” The toll of the Israeli occupation in Palestine is what defines her life today, Guluzian added. Source

From November 5th:

November 5th:

November 22nd:

November 25th:

In response, Armenians have created an account on Twitter called SaveTheArq which has been documenting and updating on social media the recent land demolitions by Israeli settlers in the Armenian quarter, they have also launched a fundraiser for legal actions to protect the Armenian quarter and I highly recommend donating, if you can't, please share it around:

Reminder that while you can do a full boycott of Disney, Amazon, etc, be sure to focus on the BDS’ consumer boycott list.

If you want to pressure companies, spam their comment sections with Pro-Palestine things, call them out publicly, etc. That’s how you pressure companies, and that’s what the BDS is asking you to do.

Massive fuck you to everyone who is talking about Palestinians as if we’re already all dead and sharing more solidarity with our corpses than us living. “We will never forget the beautiful Palestinian people-“ how about you stop “making peace” with Palestinian extermination. My people are not going to be forgotten because we are going to live. Palestinians have already survived one genocide and have been surviving one ever since.

Do not ever let the idea that all Palestinians are going to die exist in your mind. Mourn the dead, fight like hell for the living.

I love the library

i recently went to the library, picked out a giant comfy chair in the middle of the place, sat down and just read for an hour. it was a genuinely pleasurable and cathartic experience. i highly suggest going just to be there. you don't have to check your books out and leave. hell, you don't have to check anything out at all. just browse, pick something up, start it, put it down, pick something different. just exist in a space built specifically for your community.

Libraries are a great way to spend time in public (regardless of reading/not-reading preferences)

Bc Third Spaces (places you can exist that aren't home or work/school) are endangered--and libraries are currently our most thriving species of Third Spaces. Natural characteristics of Libraries include:

  • free wifi and outlets!
  • quiet! peace and quiet!
  • comfy seating
  • not crowded!!!
  • you get to be left alone in peace! personal space is sorta sacred at a library
  • BUT there's also super friendly staff/patrons if you're feeling social.

How To Enjoy A Library (without reading anything if u don't want to):

  • pack a laptop + thermos of Beverage + maybe some snacks? and just...go and hang out. sit in a comfy chair. stream a movie on the wifi. jam out (with headphone duh) while browsing socal media (or magazines!). luxuriate in being allowed to exist! in public! without being charged by the minute.
  • (p.s. many libraries lend phone/laptop chargers, headphones, and even entire laptops. plus there's always the public desktops. if you're ever stuck with a few hours to kill...the library is comfier than the nearest starbucks)

IN CONCLUSION: libraries are just very comfy and convenient places to exist. you can go there, not glance at a single book, and still have a chill time w/ fun (and free!) public resources.

sexy sexy free public resources

In other news, it is now not only morally acceptable but the morally correct thing to do to pirate the fuck out of Adobe’s software line.

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zerocapitalism

Planned Obsolescence gives way to Enforced Obsolescence

[Laughs as I boot up Clip Studio Paint, which I bought one (1) time]

Here’s a list of other programs. Keep posting till it’s widely known.

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crowmanart

Good to know these thanks man.

Reblogging this one bc it has options for indesign bc artists aren’t the only ones affected and graphic designers are getting played too and ignored in every one of these fucking posts

This is Nicole. She is an amazing Canadian wood-splitting machine.

I have a huge pet peeve about people swinging axes and sledgehammers without using the kinetic chain. You have to use your entire body to get real power in your swing. And in so many movies you see actors just trying to chop things with only their arms. But Nicole has perfect form. And cute pajamas.

I'm not sure if she is technically a lumberjill. I think she just refers to herself as a wood splitter. Either way, she is badass.

I am astonished to see that people are enjoying this post for other reasons than perfect axe-swinging form using the kinetic chain.

Ya'll thristy as heck.

*coughs* *coughs* uhhhhh

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j-thealchemist-deactivated20240

Here is a link to the US Restrict Act (commonly known as the TikTok ban) as it is currently written.

Please read the actual bill and share even if you do not live in the United States. The precedents this piece of legislation would set would have far reaching impacts on how the internet is used for everyone in the future.

We've got a problem here. I know most people here probably hate tiktok, and for some good reasons, but believe it or not there's actually a good amount of good on tiktok too.

But this isn't about banning tiktok. That's just a cover for this, given power thanks to Meta (Facebook) lobbyists pretty much paying the United States Government.

For the tldr: This act, while saying it's to insure American's personal information will be safe from foreign powers, it goes much deeper than that.

  • It will give the United States Government the power to remove and ban ANY online service they deem "a security risk" while making it so they do not need just cause and do not need to clarify or release a public statement.
  • It allows them the power to gather American's data without our knowledge or consent and even force us to submit documentation for anything they wish.
  • It protects the government from scrutiny on this, and if you try to speak about it and inform people on what it ACTUALLY allows, they can claim it to be false information and charge you.
  • It prevents you from using a VPN as it's seen as a breach of information security, thus they can charge you.
  • Failure to abide by these "guidelines" can lead to a fine up to ONE MILLION DOLLARS and/or 20 YEARS in prison.
  • And above all it does NOTHING to prevent AMERICAN companies from collecting and selling your data.

And that's not even everything it does. This isn't about banning tiktok. It's about control, taking away our freedom of speech, censorship, and selfish monetary gain. This doesn't just affect tiktok users. This affects ALL Americans, small businesses, communities, and even those that use American online products, like Tumblr.

The US is turning into a fascist regime, where they are slowly but surely stripping away our rights and freedoms even more than they already have. And it terrifies me.

If you're not an American, please share this. We already have a hard enough time knowing what goes on with those in other countries. This could make it all the more difficult.

And if you are an American, share this, then contact your state representative and your state senators. Email, phone, even mailing a physical letter for crying out loud. You can search "who is my representative and senators?" on Google, bing, duck-duck-go, or whatever, and it'll take you to where you can find that out and even how to contact them.

Calmly and professionally tell them that not only do you NOT support the TikTok ban(since that is the cover they are using), but you DO NOT support the Restrict Act.

And let them know that if this bill is to pass, you will be spending all your time and energy supporting their opponents in the PRIMARIES. They do not expect Americans to contact them about this, so not only will they see us going out of our way to contact them, but by saying you'll be supporting their OPPONENTS, they'll have to either listen or have to spend thousands of not millions of dollars in campaigning so they don't lose their nice day paychecks, and to them this is all about money so it'll hit them where it hurts.

It doesn't matter what political party you're on, because BOTH parties in office want this. This is not about sides. This is about the ENTIRE government stripping our rights away so they can keep lining their own pockets.

And while we're at it? Review bomb anything related to meta it Facebook. Meta started all this because they couldn't compete with tiktok or buy it, so they paid lobbyists to convince congress to ban tiktok so they didn't HAVE to compete.

And here's the kicker... Many people of congress actually bought stock in Meta RIGHT BEFORE this all started. They are LITERALLY trying to manipulate the market for themselves. So let them burn.

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crimepit-deactivated20200606
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kiwwibrick

unironically one of the funniest things i think ive ever seen on this fucking website and yes im going to reblog this like every other day

all video games should have a “I’m shit at video games but I’m curious about the story and I don’t want to watch a let’s play” mode

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orionsbelts

I am

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orionsbelts

I made this post because I am disabled and no matter how much I practice there are some games I will never be able to play because I physically cannot move my fingers the way you have to and the responses to this post from other disabled people, people who grew up unable to play video games, and people who just aren’t very good at them has been extremely enthusiastically positive, while people who apparently can’t conceive of the idea that some people will never be good at gaming condescendingly comment, tag or send me asks telling me to try easy mode or to get good despite the fact that the feature I’m describing already exists in some games and mods. if you’re part of the latter group, consider that some of us can not ever be good at video games and we still deserve to be able to participate and have fun

Ok, real talk, if you play PC games I use a program called Wemod that has settings for almost every game ever and you can change them to suit your needs Unlimited health? one hit kill? unlimited items? They can’t mod multiplayer games, but every genre of game imaginable is on Wemod so I use it for everything from stardew valley, subnautica, hades, farming sim and more! It mods the games to your level of ease without needing to mess with any files or get deep into webpages for mods yourself It is a life changer

FYI ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Only passing along as the only games I play are on my phone.

Get an older sibling and have them play the game and you watch

One, this is older siblings who watch younger siblings play erasure, two that’s not the point. People deserve to enjoy the experience of playing a game for themselves. Watching someone play is fun. Playing yourself is a different kind of fun.

There are so many reasons why someone wouldn’t want to be challenged by a game, and it’s ridiculous that people can’t fathom someone requiring a different gameplay than themselves. 

Back in the dark ages when I was a kid and we got our first computer, my dad noticed that I was sad because I wanted to play computer games like him, so he would let me play his games in god mode. Should a five year old have been playing Ultimate Doom? Absolutely not. Did I enjoy the shit out of it, particularly the part where I couldn’t die and could just wander around aimlessly machine gunning demons to death with no real goal in mind? Hell yes.

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iamtrashofthetrashiestorder

Also, no one should have to explain the reason they want to play the game in god mode.

That is absolutely none of your business, if someone wants to play the game with max items, weapons, armor, money etc., whatever reason they’re playing that way for. YOU, the anon on the internet have no business knowing or shitting on how they play. It’s THEIR game, and THEIR gameplay experience. and I hope OP was able to play their game the way they wanted to without being stymied by the games mechanics.

Oh shit, I have something for this!

Can I Play That? is a fantastic resource for fellow disabled folks who want to play video games, as well as non-disabled video game devs who want to make their games more accessible. I highly recommend checking it out!

Every show and film and book I grew up with presented the military as a place where you’d find yourself. The military could be good, could be bad, and all that “glory” stuff is nonsense… but shared trials made you stronger and forged ride-or-die buddies for life. And hey, it’d pay for college.

And then I joined. It didn’t work out. Every day ranged from tedious to toxic. I made one short-term friend in four years.

I still loved those stories, but none of them were ever about the guy who joins up and doesn’t find himself and never belongs—so I wrote it.

Poor Man’s Fight is a rockin’ space opera built on shattered dreams, student debt, and space pirates. Lots of space pirates. It’s funny, it’s sober, and you’ll still want to hug Tanner Malone even when he’s covered in blood. The real enemies are always capitalism and toxic masculinity.

And then comes the war with the corporations that built this whole dystopia, because the enemy is still capitalism, even for the aliens.

On a brighter note, Tanner does make it out of the military and into college, becoming the Deadliest Unpaid Intern in the Galaxy… and the Resident Advisor for a dorm full of freshman chaos goblins.

(Cover art by Lee Moyer, Julie Dillon, Dan Watson, and Brittany Torres, for which I’m forever grateful.)

If you’ve made it this far, hopefully you’re looking for where to pick this up. They’re all available on ebook and Kindle Unlimited, and everything from Poor Man’s Fight to Last Man Out is also in paperback and audio.

And bonus: they’re cheap!

the idea that it’s ‘creepy’ to interact with things posted a long time ago is so terrible for artists and contributes to the pressure to be constantly creating new work, at an unhealthy and unsustainable rate. I hate it so much.

The idea that it’s “creepy” to interact with an artist’s old work from a while back is especially stupid since we have entire buildings filled with the old works of various artists for the explicit purpose of creating public interaction with them, and they’re called museums.

and libraries

and archives

me: oh wow, this is such an impressive work–

the ghost of michaelangelo, appearing at my side: avert your fucking eyes, creep