0d_billie's recent activity
-
Comment on Donald Trump Department of Justice is looking at ways to ban transgender Americans from owning guns, sources say in ~lgbt
-
Comment on Glow-in-the-dark succulents could be the future of ambient lighting in ~science
0d_billie Link Parent… How do they intend to prohibit propagation?… How do they intend to prohibit propagation?
-
Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentMint is a really good shout for this. It’s a familiar enough environment that your father should feel well at home :) You could have a try with elementary OS as well; it’s somewhat opinionated,...Mint is a really good shout for this. It’s a familiar enough environment that your father should feel well at home :)
You could have a try with elementary OS as well; it’s somewhat opinionated, but it’s clean and simple, and a doddle for a less computer-savvy person to use.
-
Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentLinux Consultant, but close enough! Distro-wise I like Debian for servers. Rock solid and with great compatibility. It’s rare that I’ll need something that isn’t already packaged for Debian on my...Linux Consultant, but close enough!
Distro-wise I like Debian for servers. Rock solid and with great compatibility. It’s rare that I’ll need something that isn’t already packaged for Debian on my servers.
For a personal computer that can depend on what you’re up to. Debian (or a derivative like Mint) is pretty good here too, but if you’re eager to try lots of new packages and applications that are in active development then you can end up with a pretty janky system that doesn’t update super gracefully.
I cut my teeth with Arch Linux, which was a brutal introduction where I made a lot of mistakes and had to reinstall my OS a ton. But for learning it was unmatched, and the Arch wiki is second to none. You have access to just about every package under the sun.
-
Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk
0d_billie Link ParentI should go to more of those! Preaching the gospel of OG Sapir-Whorf might also get the blood suitably boiling. Or failing that, just straight up Skinnerian behaviourism.I should go to more of those! Preaching the gospel of OG Sapir-Whorf might also get the blood suitably boiling.
Or failing that, just straight up Skinnerian behaviourism.
-
Comment on What's a question you could ask to determine if someone is an expert in your line of work? in ~talk
0d_billie LinkInteresting question, and one I’m not sure I have an answer to for my actual job. Linux is such a wide and varied subject matter; there’s not necessarily one thing I could ask to figure out...Interesting question, and one I’m not sure I have an answer to for my actual job. Linux is such a wide and varied subject matter; there’s not necessarily one thing I could ask to figure out exactly how much of an expert someone may or may not be. Maybe I’d ask how to find and replace every instance of a given string in a number of text files. Or like, their preference for SSH key algorithms or something.
For people opining about language I think I’d ask which of the generative and constructivist schools they fall more into. Every linguist I speak to has an opinion about it, and it’s a quick way to sift the “I have opinions about language and here they are” type from the “I am a linguist and here are some cool facts” ones.
-
Comment on Five major misfires that derailed Russell T Davies' second Doctor Who era in ~tv
0d_billie Link ParentNobody dislikes Doctor Who like Doctor Who fans, to paraphrase an old adage. I quite liked the last couple of seasons too. I think they did suffer from having a lot of setup that went nowhere, or...Nobody dislikes Doctor Who like Doctor Who fans, to paraphrase an old adage.
I quite liked the last couple of seasons too. I think they did suffer from having a lot of setup that went nowhere, or had payoff that was ultimately dissatisfying. But the overall quality of the individual episodes was pretty high. I do wish we’d had more time with Gatwa’s Doctor, and both companions. I especially feel like we didn’t get to know Belinda well enough.
I do think the show would benefit from a long hiatus. Like, in the order of 10-15 years. Let a generation of kids grow up not having seen it, let today’s new TV writers cut their teeth on other stuff first, get a feel for the stories they want to tell. And then when the time is ripe for another go, pass the torch. Forget about Moffat, Chibnall, and Davies and give the helm to someone new. Do a big, in-world narrative reset (akin to the off-screen Time War between classic Who and Nu Who). Give the show time to rest and, well, regenerate.
-
Comment on Troubling scenes from an Arctic in full-tilt crisis. The heat that hit Svalbard in February was so intense that scientists could dig into the ground with spoons, "like it was soft ice cream." in ~enviro
0d_billie Link ParentI’ve been increasingly of this opinion too. I don’t believe that climate change will wipe out humanity, but I am mostly convinced that it will be bad enough that the global population will settle...I’ve been increasingly of this opinion too. I don’t believe that climate change will wipe out humanity, but I am mostly convinced that it will be bad enough that the global population will settle somewhere towards pre-industrial revolution levels. Enough for pretty much all technology to be come mostly unsustainable and unusable. Enough for our descendants in a couple of hundred years to wonder about this race of giants that walked the lands before them.
-
Comment on Victories and challenges: An A[u]DHD community and support fortnightly thread #5 in ~health.mental
0d_billie LinkI’m getting to grips with the fact that I’m quite probably autistic. All of my article-reading, quiz-taking, video-watching, and conversation-having seem to point to that conclusion. But there’s a...I’m getting to grips with the fact that I’m quite probably autistic. All of my article-reading, quiz-taking, video-watching, and conversation-having seem to point to that conclusion. But there’s a part of me that still rails against the idea that I am autistic and not just socially anxious, a little awkward, and millennially burned out. Part of that is doubtless stigma and internalised negativity.
To some extent, I don’t feel“autistic enough” to warrant the label. It feels like my capacity to muddle or brute-force my way through life’s changes and social situations is such that I feel like claiming this label for myself would be insensitive to those who have more intense needs than I. That’s a remarkably similar situation to how it felt coming out as trans, notably.
Realistically the only thing that changes if I do get diagnosed (self- or otherwise) is that I come to understand myself better, and perhaps have more ammunition by which to forgive myself when I don’t meet my expectations. My additional support needs are minimal to non-existent, and I can’t see my way to lessening my parental, professional, or …partnerial (romantic, but I really wanted that triple alliteration dammit) responsibilities as a result of “coming out” as autistic. So really, what would the label be for, other than as a heuristic for other people to box me into a set of their own prejudiced expectations? I can learn to accept and love myself as how I am without having to define myself as having autism.
I think a huge thing that I’ve been struggling with (and this might actually be really autistic of me) is seeing these influencers online whose whole output is about autism. They (seem to) construct their whole identity around a diagnosis and it makes me feel like I would need to do the same. And maybe that’s the thing that I’m railing against. I don’t want to define myself by this, just as I didn’t and don’t want to define myself by my transness. I am a musician, linguist, writer, parent, fiancée, gamer. I want to define myself by what I do, not what I am. If I do get diagnosed (self or otherwise) then I feel like I would have to review everything in my life through this additional lens of what I am, not what I do. And… I don’t wanna.
I don’t know. This is my fourth or fifth attempt at writing this comment, just on this iteration of the post. I’ve been trying to get it out for some time, and I can never seem to manage to. I still don’t necessarily feel like I’ve properly said what I want to. I’m finally going to hit Post though, because I’ve been drafting for at least an hour and I should really get dressed.
-
Comment on A less affectionate approach to technology in ~tech
-
Comment on European VPN recommendations in ~tech
0d_billie Link ParentThis is the approach I’ve been considering, except possibly with OpenVPN instead of WireGuard (I’m just more familiar with it). I prefer to be in control, plus it gives me another server to tinker...This is the approach I’ve been considering, except possibly with OpenVPN instead of WireGuard (I’m just more familiar with it). I prefer to be in control, plus it gives me another server to tinker with 😁
-
Comment on European VPN recommendations in ~tech
-
Comment on What silly complaints would your pets try to report? in ~life.pets
0d_billie LinkCosmonaut would like to lodge a complaint with ground control that they are not sufficiently enthused by the 3:30am zoomies, and nor do they even attempt to get up and zoom with him. Honestly,...Cosmonaut would like to lodge a complaint with ground control that they are not sufficiently enthused by the 3:30am zoomies, and nor do they even attempt to get up and zoom with him. Honestly, you’d think the damn humans weren’t on call, the way they just try to roll back over and sleep.
And then, when he tries to remind them of their duties, his (definitely) gentle
maulnibble of their toes beneath the blanket seems to initially work. One human (the shorter one, usually) arises fast and quick like a cat, elevating his hopes for a zooming partner. But no. They toss him out of his bedroom and close the door!Appalling behaviour, and absolutely no way to run a mission.
-
Comment on Frigg – Valsette (2025) in ~music
0d_billie LinkI really enjoy Frigg! I’ve seen them live a few times and they are such tight performers, it really boggles the mind. Some of the harmony work is absolutely incredible; they have that rare...I really enjoy Frigg! I’ve seen them live a few times and they are such tight performers, it really boggles the mind. Some of the harmony work is absolutely incredible; they have that rare capacity for writing harmonies that make you forget you’re hearing multiple notes played at the same time.
The band hold a special place in my heart, especially since my dad, brother, and I started playing Kesät Kerkkosalla together (sorry for the IG link!)
-
Comment on systemd has been a complete, utter, unmitigated success in ~comp
0d_billie Link ParentI must be missing something here; what does Windows have to do with systemd?I must be missing something here; what does Windows have to do with systemd?
-
Comment on Nobody has a personality anymore. We are products with labels. in ~health.mental
0d_billie Link ParentI've just deleted a slightly pissed off reply to your initial reply, having not seen this thread here; I appreciate the clarification. I have gotten into an argument about my parenting with you...I've just deleted a slightly pissed off reply to your initial reply, having not seen this thread here; I appreciate the clarification. I have gotten into an argument about my parenting with you before, and I do not wish to again.
As a trans woman I have plenty of personal experience of that same lack of grace that you refer to, and I found the implication (no matter how clear or otherwise the claim to the contrary) that I would invalidate the identity of anyone in the queer community, much less that of my child, honestly a little insulting and I replied a little hastily, hence deleting.I know 12 very well, and they display highly rigid, black-and-white thinking globally, not just in relation to their gender and sexuality. My conversations with them about their queer journey have been very one-sided, and I hope that I've given them space to explore and think without feeling any need to appease me. They are currently happy in their identity as aro-ace and agender, and my partner and I have enjoyed celebrating pride month with them. If they find that some other queer identity or name fits them better, than I'll go right on and celebrate that too.
My worries on this simply come from the fact that I have known 12 stick determinedly to an idea, plan, or lie, even in the face of insurmountable evidence to the contrary, and my concern is simply that they will not feel like they are allowed to change their mind if the time ever comes (mirroring a fear that I felt at the start of my transition). I have never once witnessed them walk back a mistake, bad call, or falsehood, and my fear is simply that that attitude carries across into how they identify, and that they will end up feeling constrained by a decision they have made barely into their second decade. And that's not that 12 cannot know themself now, nor that I hope they'll eschew the queer identity for a cis/het one. I just want them to be able to say "you know what, I think I need to tweak this" without fear. -
Comment on Nobody has a personality anymore. We are products with labels. in ~health.mental
0d_billie LinkMy thoughts on this feel quite muddled, and this is a very long comment, which might not make a huge amount of sense or have a cohesive argument. I'm tired, heigh ho. I know I'm guilty of doing...My thoughts on this feel quite muddled, and this is a very long comment, which might not make a huge amount of sense or have a cohesive argument. I'm tired, heigh ho. I know I'm guilty of doing exactly what the article describes. I've recently been grappling more and more with the idea that I exist somewhere on the autistic spectrum, and whether or not an official diagnosis is the path I want to go down. Am I pathologising experiences and personality traits as symptoms, and appropriating a label that doesn't apply to me? Possibly. Does reading something like this make me feel all the more confused as to who I am as a person, and whether or not I should even be having that and other conversations with myself? Definitely.
My own various journeys have been plagued with self-doubt, trying on different labels, and growing within and beyond them; something that the author seems to skip over. I don't need someone else to tell me what it means to be a parent, trans, English, lesbian, a musician, left-wing, (Arch) linux user or whatever. These are identities that are important to me, as is that growing niggle am autistic. And to some extent they are a useful heuristic to give to others that are not me or those closest to me. But I don't apply a label as a set of traits that I must exhibit and exist within. I get to choose what all of these things mean for me, and I don't care if my version of being trans is different from yours. What being a parent means for and to me is different now than 12 years ago. Which parts of the left side of politics I ascribe to and truck with and which I don't are not included in the term "left-wing," and are in fact open to a lot of self reflection and change.
A close friend of mine is a university lecturer, and she is constantly shocked by how determined all of her students are to label themselves and box themselves off. Gender, sexuality, neurotype... All these different things that these 18-21 year olds use to categorise themselves, which are often meant to be liberating but seems to end up being all the more restrictive. I'm seeing it with my step-child, who has been exploring some gender-and-sexuality-related thoughts of their own. There's an enormous rigidity to their thinking and the idea that they will never move away from an identity they settled on at the age of 12. It scares me a little. Not that kids can't know themselves, or that people can't have their gender/sexuality figured out from an age much younger than I managed to. But I think it's the prospect that this child of mine, and their peers, and many many young people seem more and more determined to have settled on their identities and not allow for any growth away from or out of that.
But then again, perhaps I'm forgetting what it's like to be in the turmoil of puberty, lost and determined for community and security. And I think I'm forgetting that I too would have once defined myself in very rigid terms ("I only like heavy metal, and this pop album is just objectively bad music"), and have grown beyond them, and accepted more and varied parts of myself. I think this author would do well to remember that these labels (and to a lesser extent, diagnoses) are not fixed categories, and can in fact be completely transient and not limiting in the ways that she (and I) fear. I think we need to remember that while we all are special unique snowflakes, we are also just simply to communicate ideas about ourselves to others. Saying "I'm lesbian" is a much quicker, and typically far more relevant & efficient thing to say than "I'm lesbian now, but I dated men for 10 years and found I was never really happy with them, and it wasn't until I really started to question if I was truly bisexual or if I was just experiencing a sense of compulsory heterosexuality for all those years that I came to realise..." etc. There is space for both. In casual conversation, the former is necessary and more efficient. It lacks nuance, but it also activates the primary meaning in heads of the listener and is good enough for most purposes. But when you're having a deep and meaningful with someone, then the latter is also available to you.
The problem, then, that I have with this post is that is guilty of the same thing I am; a) not trusting that people are communicating in normal, human ways, b) that people are capable of growth and change, and c) that strangers on the Internet don't owe us their life story, justification for their identity, or proof of their growth. Using single words to gap-fill for larger, more complex concepts that quickly flag the basic, most pertinent details to a listener (and let us not forget that social media is inherently rapidfire, and demands the squashing of larger conversation into shorter snippets) is a perfectly normal and essential part of human communication. Human beings are not the same year-on-year, and we do them a disservice when we think that they are rigidly locking themselves behind these kinds of definitions.
TLDR: Humans are capable of changing within and beyond the labels they apply to themselves at all stages of life. Communication on and offline necessitates the use of prototypical phrases and words which activate enough meaning in the mind of the listener to convey the majority of a concept, but necessarily sacrifices a lot of nuance, which isn't always appropriate to get into depending on the listener or the medium.
-
Comment on I deleted my second brain in ~tech
0d_billie LinkInspired by this, I just hit "mark all as read" on my RSS reader, and set tabs older than a month to close automatically. It's surprisingly freeing!Inspired by this, I just hit "mark all as read" on my RSS reader, and set tabs older than a month to close automatically. It's surprisingly freeing!
-
Comment on DnD 5e approach to describing executive function in ~health.mental
0d_billie LinkThis is a really fun analogy, and super relatable. I think I’ll show it to my fiancée and get their read on it as well!This is a really fun analogy, and super relatable. I think I’ll show it to my fiancée and get their read on it as well!
-
Comment on Why your favourite British metal bands are breaking up in ~music
0d_billie LinkThis is an interesting, if disappointing read. While I'm not an avid fan of any of the named bands, it's sad to see musicians of any ilk giving up their art. As a musician myself, I know how...This is an interesting, if disappointing read. While I'm not an avid fan of any of the named bands, it's sad to see musicians of any ilk giving up their art. As a musician myself, I know how difficult it can be to try to hold down a day job and also play live on the regular. It's a really difficult circle to square, and adding a family into the mix all but guarantees that one thing is going to suffer.
I don't blame any of the interviewed musicians for calling it quits on their projects, but it's such a shame that metal music, or really any music that doesn't go mainstream is never going to be enough to sustain the people making it. Streaming is partially to blame for this, of course; it's nigh impossible to make anything approaching a liveable wage with streaming numbers as an indie artist. But I suppose so is the cost of living, the more generalised devaluation of music as an art form.
Anyway, this lands at a time where I am planning to put together a metal project of my very own, and it's given me The Doubt. Not that I ever expect to make a living from music, but it's making me worry for the viability of any project I might start up in the future.
What a fucking bleak outcome from an already bleak event. And yet somehow it was blindingly obvious that this attack would be used to further withdraw trans rights.
It is with some trepidation that I watch all of this nastiness unfold from across the pond, since the UK seems determined to import as much of it as possible. I hope my American siblings are managing to stay safe and connected to community at the moment.