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    1. On 8 March, 1910 Raymonde de Laroche became the world's first licensed female pilot

      I don't really have any cool articles about de Laroche besides the Wikipedia page on her, but it is quite good and a shortish read, so very worthwhile. There is also this short article from the...

      I don't really have any cool articles about de Laroche besides the Wikipedia page on her, but it is quite good and a shortish read, so very worthwhile. There is also this short article from the University of Houston, complete with a 3-minute audio version.

      The week of 8 March is also International Women of Aviation Week, celebrating all the female aviators (people are getting away from using gender-specific words like aviatrix that weren't necessary in English anyway), including Jacqueline Cochran, the wartime head of Women Airforce Service Pilots in the U.S. and who would go on to be the first woman to break the sound barrier; Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman, the first African-American and Native American woman aviator and presumably the first licensed female pilot of mixed race to participate in air races and barnstorming stunt shows across the U.S. and Europe; Leah Hing, the first Chinese-American female pilot and who started her own flight school after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931; among many other women past and present who are earning their pilot's license.

      10 votes
    2. Is anyone else frustrated with the eBay buying experience?

      I've used eBay for many years. It seems to me their support is just getting worse and worse, and their buying experience is beyond confusing. Most recently, I've been getting an invoice for items...

      I've used eBay for many years. It seems to me their support is just getting worse and worse, and their buying experience is beyond confusing.

      Most recently, I've been getting an invoice for items that I never committed to buy, I merely asked the seller if combined shipping was a possibility on these items. eBay support first told me that I made a bid on the items. I responded that is incorrect because the items weren't even up for auction, it was a fixed price. They responded with "oh sorry, I see you did not bid, but you did send an offer and if the seller accepts, you must pay the amount". But I never sent any monetary offer, I didn't even request a shipping price.

      This is the most recent of a few experiences that just seem beyond confusing to me. Is anyone else having these kind of experiences?

      25 votes
    3. [SOLVED] I filled up my VM with Nextcloud all in one (Docker) to the brim. Help me rescue it.

      RESOLVED /var/lib/docker/volumes/ <-- thats where the data is saved I fucked up colossaly I run a Nextcloud all in one instance on my ubuntu VM with Hetzner. I run a backup of my phone to said...

      RESOLVED
      /var/lib/docker/volumes/ <-- thats where the data is saved

      I fucked up colossaly
      I run a Nextcloud all in one instance on my ubuntu VM with Hetzner.
      I run a backup of my phone to said instance.
      I forgot to set a sensible limit on my Nextcloud.
      I somehow changed to hourly backups....
      My Vm filled up in a very short time.
      My VM has not one byte of free space left.

      What I tried to do:
      open Console inside the Nextcloud Aio Container with docker exec -t -i , to find the space and delete stuff, but no chance, not enough space.

      There is nothing else on the VM i know of that i could delete to make space (nothing else i put)

      has somebody an idea how to fix this gracefully?

      I have some ideas but they involve a lot of work or money...

      • just pay for a bigger VM but i dont need more cores only more space, even that i dont really need (incures a monthly cost, cannot downsize afterwards as more space means you cannot downsize)
      • clone my vm onto a bigger one, delete stuff, clone it back to the original one... (sound like a lot of work, incrues (little) cost, and feels like a lot of risk involved)
      10 votes
    4. Creative short story writing contest—prize for winner! (2025-03-07)

      Welcome to the third installment of Tildes’s monthly creative writing contest! The February entries showcased some truly spectacular storytelling—my heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated...

      Welcome to the third installment of Tildes’s monthly creative writing contest! The February entries showcased some truly spectacular storytelling—my heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated or left feedback. Now let’s see what March brings!

      Hm? What’s that? The title’s wrong? I’m posting this on the 8th, not the 7th? No, no; that must just be your imagination. I would never miss a deadline like that. No, the light isn’t growing dimmer over time, why do you ask?

      Your goal: Write a creative short story based on the prompt provided and post it in this thread.
      Deadline: 2025-03-22T23:59:59-04:00. I’m giving you an extra day on the usual deadline because I’m a kind and generous host, and definitely not for any other reason whatsoever. (Note the timezone shift—daylight savings and all that.)
      Prize: Your choice of a $20 gift code for either Proton or Tuta! As always, if anyone wants to suggest or donate future prizes, my DMs are open.

      Your prompt: A character must solve a problem using their worst flaw, trait, or habit—something others have always criticized them for.

      The Rules:

      1. Creative Writing Only: Fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, fanfiction—all welcome! Just make sure it’s, you know, creative. If you’re venturing into fanfiction territory, remember I might not know your favorite obscure anime from 2013. Also, submissions should be in English, unless you believe that Google Translate can only improve your work.

      2. Length (Soft Rule): Try to aim for the “short story” sweet spot of 1,000–7,500 words. Too short and you’re writing flash fiction; too long and you’re writing a novella. Both are wonderful forms! Just not what we’re doing here. One submission per person, please.

      3. Judging: Winners will be chosen through the highly scientific process of “whatever I think is best.” Comment votes are nice for ego-stroking but won’t influence the final decision. Trust me, my literary judgment is completely arbitrary absolutely impeccable.

      4. Originality: Your story should be freshly created for this contest. No recycling that brilliant piece you wrote in college that’s been sitting in a drawer for years. Though if it’s that good, maybe you should publish it anyway?

      5. Formatting: Use collapsible formatting if posting directly in the comments. This keeps the thread tidy and prevents the inevitable scroll-a-thon when reading multiple entries. Feel free to host your story elsewhere and link to it here as well.

      6. Licensing: Include a clear license declaration with your submission. Whether you’re going with “All Rights Reserved,” a Creative Commons option, or perhaps even the JWCL (which is not a shameless plug and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise), I’d like to know how/if I can compile these for the community later.

      7. Feedback: This isn’t actually a rule, but more of a desperate plea: please, please leave feedback on other entries! Writers thrive on knowing their work has been read, whether the response is effusive praise or thoughtful critique. Even a simple “I enjoyed this because…” can make someone’s day.

      Oh, and if you find yourself with spare time between writing masterpieces, you can always peruse my own writing. I promise it’s at least as entertaining as these posts are.

      Happy writing, everyone! I’m genuinely excited to see what you come up with this time around.

      25 votes
    5. Banned from eBay for life with no explanation

      Today I got an email from ebay. It says: We wanted to let you know that your eBay account has been permanently suspended because of activity that we believe was putting the eBay community at...

      Today I got an email from ebay.

      It says:

      We wanted to let you know that your eBay account has been permanently suspended because of activity that we believe was putting the eBay community at risk...

      Well this is weird because I don't use ebay. I sold some things there over 10 years ago. Since then I may have logged in once or twice. Maybe I reset my password a few years ago to make it more secure. So I couldn't have violated any of their policies.

      This is a concern to me because I assume someone has been using my account. I assume they have been logging into it and scamming other people. And the account is linked to my email so the scammer has that. So I don't know if someone found out my address info, credit card, or something else. But I can't login to ebay and change my email or check account history because my account is suspended.

      So I contacted customer support and they replied a few hours later that I'm banned for life and the reason can't be told to me.

      By the way, I did not reply to the original email or click any links in it. I went directly to the ebay site and contacted customer support through that. I'm sure it wasn't a phishing attempt, it's really ebay and they really banned my account (which I haven't been using).

      Any suggestions? In my opinion eBay has not used proper security and is exposing me to risk by not giving more information about what has happened.

      38 votes
    6. In 2025, the mundane can still be sacred

      It's 5am. My family is asleep. I slide out of bed, creep down the stairs, and enter the kitchen. Through the window, faint light dapples the horizon, teasing a rising sun. I turn on the stove....

      It's 5am. My family is asleep. I slide out of bed, creep down the stairs, and enter the kitchen. Through the window, faint light dapples the horizon, teasing a rising sun.

      I turn on the stove. While it heats, I prepare my station. A knife. A bowl. An old plastic mixing fork.

      I inspect the fork. It is old and worn and made of cheap plastic. I don't remember where it came from, perhaps a dollar store. It seemed like something we've always had, following us from home to home to home, always finding its own place to settle amidst our ever-changing lives.

      I like this fork.

      The dogs grow restless. They wonder if I have forgotten them. I have not. I fill their bowls with food and water. They thank me with wagging tails. I return to—Oh right, the cat. I haven't forgotten you either. Heh. Sorry about that. Here you go.

      I return to the kitchen. I can smell hot metal. It's time.

      Oil. Hashbrowns. Sizzle. Nice.

      I lean my back against the counter and close my eyes. The oil crackles on the stovetop. The rest of the world is still. The day ahead will hold many moments for many people, but this one belongs to me.

      I open my eyes. The sun is showing a bit more of itself now. It peeks through the window and spies on me. It wants to know how I make my eggs.

      One egg. Crack. Two egg. Crack. Three egg. Crack. Into the bowl they go. A splash of milk. The mixing fork does its job. Around and around and around. Good job, fork.

      I turn back to face the sun. Soon, the Earth will finish a single rotation and the sun will rise high into the sky. It has completed this ritual 1.6 trillion times. More times than every breath I will ever take.

      I hear a creak from above. My family is awake. They come down the stairs. My wife smiles. My son smiles. I smile. Away they go. They have rituals of their own to attend to. The sun, the fork, and I will attend to ours.

      I dump the eggs onto the hashbrowns. The mixing fork does its job yet again. Fried salami joins the fray. I top it all with melted cheese. Nice. I grab plates, utensils, napkins, and orange juice. The ritual is complete.

      In the next room, my wife has finished feeding our son. I set her breakfast down. She thanks me. She doesn't know I'm the one thanking her.

      I sit down beside her and grab a remote. I press shuffle. The music plays. David Bowie. Nice.

      ♫ I heard the news today, oh boy
      I got a suite and you got defeat
      Ain't there a man who can say no more?
      And, ain't there a woman I can sock on the jaw?
      And, ain't there a child I can hold without judging?
      Ain't there a pen that will write before they die?
      Ain't you proud that you've still got faces?
      Ain't there one damn song that can make me
      Break down and cry? ♫

      We eat our breakfast. The sun has risen. The world is awake.

      Today will hold many moments. But this one is ours.

      70 votes
    7. How do you explore things safely? TikTok.

      I have a specific instance in mind, but I'm open to more general conversations as well. Specifics: I am a very curious person and want to experience what TikTok is like both from a creator stand...

      I have a specific instance in mind, but I'm open to more general conversations as well.

      Specifics:
      I am a very curious person and want to experience what TikTok is like both from a creator stand point and consumer standpoint. Prior to this I have had no engagement with it other than people sending me videos that I somehow still watch without having an account. But I want to be able to "see" what happens from the inside, so to speak.

      Concerns:

      • I don't want to be doxxed.

      • I don't like my privacy being invaded, so I generally do not like making accounts or linking or sharing personal information.

      • Addiction to social media - I understand that being aware that addiction can happen does not prevent addiction from happening.

      So my question is how can I actually do this and engage in my curiosity, safely? Basically, are there sandbox situations for TikTok?

      Generalized question. How do you assess your threat/risk levels and then proceed with caution?

      9 votes
    8. Deep cleaning a previously-roach infested kitchen

      Kitchen was in a house of hoarders and has had various roach infestations over the decades. It is something where I cannot mentally use the kitchen with all of the memories of opening a dish...

      Kitchen was in a house of hoarders and has had various roach infestations over the decades. It is something where I cannot mentally use the kitchen with all of the memories of opening a dish drawer/cabinet and having roaches run out, and so part of this deep cleaning (and making this thread) is to quell that mental aspect by literally scrubbing it from top to bottom.

      I guess I'm mostly looking for this thread on what product would you use to clean? Obviously the most specific stuff will have their own products (eg the oven) - but it terms of just scrubbing down every inside/outside of every cabinet and shelf and what not, what would you use to say "okay I have peace of mind that this has been cleaned and is safe to use"

      But also still looking for general advice, as I've never fully deep cleaned a kitchen. Eg Something I didn't think about but came across was deep cleaning a dishwasher (and I've seen them crawl out of the drain there, so even washing dishes haven't been safe). But I mean macro level it's basically "clean the room and clean the appliances" I imagine lol

      ...which, and I'm guessing more a plumbing issue than a cleaning one, there is a smell that permeates from drains. It's especially bad in the kitchen sink which does have a garbage disposal (and so I imagine it's mostly take that part and clean it out), but I figured I'd still throw that out there now too for any tips on helping with that

      (I've already applied Bifenthrin as an insecticide, and haven't seen anything in the past couple months. I've also completely emptied out the entire kitchen, so I can literally scrub from top to bottom.)

      19 votes
    9. What have you been listening to this week?

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as...

      What have you been listening to this week? You don't need to do a 6000 word review if you don't want to, but please write something! If you've just picked up some music, please update on that as well, we'd love to see your hauls :)

      Feel free to give recs or discuss anything about each others' listening habits.

      You can make a chart if you use last.fm:

      http://www.tapmusic.net/lastfm/

      Remember that linking directly to your image will update with your future listening, make sure to reupload to somewhere like imgur if you'd like it to remain what you have at the time of posting.

      7 votes
    10. What did you do this week (and weekend)?

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do...

      As part of a weekly series, these topics are a place for users to casually discuss the things they did — or didn't do — during their week. Did you accomplish any goals? Suffer a failure? Do nothing at all? Tell us about it!

      10 votes