chocobean's recent activity
-
Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
-
Comment on Timasomo 2026: Sashiko Embroidery Kits in ~hobbies
chocobean Link ParentI super want to see your Kumiko <3 please!I super want to see your Kumiko <3 please!
-
Comment on Timasomo 2026: The Showcase in ~creative.timasomo
chocobean LinkI made my thread here about sashiko Embroidery Kits Thank you for hosting again, Kfwyre!I made my thread here about sashiko Embroidery Kits
Thank you for hosting again, Kfwyre!
-
Timasomo 2026: Sashiko Embroidery Kits
As someone with ADHD (PI) and hence quite broken executive functioning, this year I'm very proud of myself for setting a (modest) goal and then completing it. My Timasomo goal was to make...
As someone with ADHD (PI) and hence quite broken executive functioning, this year I'm very proud of myself for setting a (modest) goal and then completing it. My Timasomo goal was to make embroidery kits to sell at the local (extremely small rural) craft fair
My half table with some of the kits -- each of them contains items made in japan: 100% cotton sashiko special woven thread in 10m or 22m, embroidery needle x 1 (longer ones for easier straighter patterns), momen woven cloth with pattern I pre-drew. And instructions with full colour photos of the finished products, the names of the traditional pattern if they want to look up further info or colour inspiration, and my email if they run into trouble. I also sold additional small bundles of other colours for $1 if they want to do their own design.
The goal wasn't to make money, it was meant to be an easy way for people to try a new hobby that, for me, had a high initial startup cost: all the Japanese items not easily found on Amazon had to be ordered from Japan with duties at the border. And a few things I tried to get from Amazon were fake drop ship nonsense and the quality really poor.
Anyway this was a show off piece: light grey thicker border, light blue edges, white center, and a red accent. The pattern I bought from Olympus had all the lines drawn, but someone doing one still get to decide what colour or thicknesses and how they want to join or not join intersections.
This is the traditional kasumi (mist) pattern embroidered onto an airplane tossaway cotton napkin I decided to re-use as a handkerchief. It has two different blues, red, and a very very faint white wisp that you can feel rather than see.
This is the easier package template, the traditional Asa-no-Ha Hemp Leaf pattern. So many colour and pattern variations can be highlighted in these simple geometric lines. When I have time I might make a little fabric booklet of the exact pattern done in wider or narrower stitches, in different colour combinations.
One of the major differences from Western embroidery is that in sashiko you load up a few stitches to inspect for evenness before pulling all the way through, like this (Edit: typo. And also little tips like how knots are done differently or how to do curves or how to set it all up in the beginning and how to make both sides beautiful by hiding the stitches etc. hopefully folks can jump right in and have a cozy fireside craft they can finish and be proud of)
This is the other kit option, a gradient from half of shippo-tsunagi (Seven Linked Treasures) to a full pattern in the middle with the interlocking circles, and Hana-zashi (flower stitch) with yellow added. The more traditional colouring would be two layers of circles instead of having the flowers be highlighted like this.
Anyway I got compliments and the people who bought the kits seemed excited to try!
23 votes -
Comment on Weekly thread for casual chat and photos of pets in ~life.pets
chocobean Link ParentHe was a beautiful baby. I'm so sorry for yours and your parents' loss. He was spirited away! It is a dull aching kind of comfort to know they are now pain free and no longer have limitations.He was a beautiful baby. I'm so sorry for yours and your parents' loss. He was spirited away! It is a dull aching kind of comfort to know they are now pain free and no longer have limitations.
-
Comment on Nova Scotia [Canada] to host massive data centre to power Anthropic's AI assistant Claude in ~tech
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentNot noise at all. You saw the video, you thought about it, you decided to read a woman's words, you thought about it some more, and then you are publicly speaking up to say Yes I will help. This...Not noise at all. You saw the video, you thought about it, you decided to read a woman's words, you thought about it some more, and then you are publicly speaking up to say Yes I will help. This is Signal. Thank you.
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentThank you for sharing your unique experiences. Not many people get to work in cross cultural settings like this, let alone recieve bystander intervention training. In fact I haven't heard of...So what looked completely fair and equitable to a Swedish man was not what many Swedish women experienced when I spoke up and called it out.
Thank you for sharing your unique experiences. Not many people get to work in cross cultural settings like this, let alone recieve bystander intervention training. In fact I haven't heard of bystander intervention training until just now. I suppose the first step is is attempting to see the world with fresh eyes and be open to the possibility of seeing things one had previously not fully perceived?
Like that gorilla and ball passing video. We've been so trained to ignore the ball passing and to expect the gorilla by now, in a new edition of the video, we all see the gorilla and miss an equally obvious new thing thrown into the video. In fact, knowing about the gorilla makes people tune out even faster and harder.
Perhaps people got trained up to spot butt slaps and rape kit gifts and fuck you you whore messages, and they become blind to any other kinds of harrassment. They don't see it. They get angry when people suggest they couldn't see a different kind of gorilla.
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentHey Akir, good job putting your mental health first but still taking the risk for women. If you didn't get to the end, here is how her talk ends: So thank you for Seeing It. And thanks for Saying...Hey Akir, good job putting your mental health first but still taking the risk for women. If you didn't get to the end, here is how her talk ends:
See it. Say it. Fucking sort your shit out.
So thank you for Seeing It. And thanks for Saying Something here as well. You're right to find this distressing, but I do hope you come away from witnessing us without further harm to yourself. Things are getting better slowly and unevenly, but slowly better all the time. And it can only keep slowly getting better if men like you keep Seeing Us, and coming to speak with us to say "I saw it. Ain't right" like you did here. The third step might be hard and dangerous and not possible every time, but the first two already helps a little. I'm rambling now, but just wanted to say that I see your caring for your mental health, I see you care for women, and thank you for not looking away. This here, where you saw it and you said something, on a public forum? That's part of the structure that still exists and you're already among the helpers.
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentThank you for the immense labour, fae. It's evident to me how lopsided the requirements are for women to be believed. Even in this space.Thank you for the immense labour, fae. It's evident to me how lopsided the requirements are for women to be believed. Even in this space.
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentI understand that perimenopause or even menopause doesn't affect every person with the setup, but for some folks it really hits like a serious and debilitating health event for a few years....I understand that perimenopause or even menopause doesn't affect every person with the setup, but for some folks it really hits like a serious and debilitating health event for a few years. Thinking about this from an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense that the most miraculous ability to create complex Life would come with a heavy cost. We have racecars that go zip and we expect it to rightfully fall apart after the race.
I hope more people learn about this phase in some of our lives and more doctors take it seriously enough.
For example, if you had known about this, and you had a good doctor, you might have been able to take a year off as debilitating sick leave, much like how we would allow someone with cancer or liver failure to take some time off, focus on returning to health, instead of burning through references and savings. That, upon returning to workforce , one could be able to say, I had a serious health condition, but I'm better now.
I'm sorry you had that experience alone. That would have been so frightening to me
-
Comment on Nova Scotia [Canada] to host massive data centre to power Anthropic's AI assistant Claude in ~tech
chocobean Link ParentCBC, Oct 19 NDP Leader Claudia Chender, Halifax ExaminerThe Independent Energy System Operator, which manages the provincial grid, told CBC News it studies all new projects to ensure the grid can handle them, before allowing them to connect. It did not answer specifically whether there is capacity to connect this data centre, although EverWind officials said they've been assured there is capacity, at least for the first phase of the project.
NDP Leader Claudia Chender, Halifax Examiner
This 420 megawatt project, which is the size of the project when the two buildings are built, would consume roughly one-fifth of the current electricity supply on Nova Scotia Power’s grid. EverWind has been granted a permit to use 20 times more water than it claims its data centre will use. They’ve been granted a 30-year permit to draw 10 million litres of water per day from Landrie Lake, and that’s 110 billion litres in total. [...]
“Certainly the vast majority of the feedback that we’ve gotten has been negative, has been people concerned, people asking questions,” continued Chender. “But even those who are in favour of this project say — universally — that they are in favour of it based on the promises being made by the premier, by the federal government, by this company.”
“And it is important to note that none of those promises exist in legislation or regulation. There is nothing to protect Nova Scotians. And so we are here to ask the premier to come back, to table in the legislature the promises that he’s made, and then we can have an opportunity to have a real debate and decide if this is what Nova Scotians want for their future.”
-
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
chocobean Link ParentI think since the game is based on statistics, and in a game it's very easy to "stay focused on education", and the ability to click Exercise, click Turn Down Addictions, statistically speaking a...I think since the game is based on statistics, and in a game it's very easy to "stay focused on education", and the ability to click Exercise, click Turn Down Addictions, statistically speaking a well educated and well character, especially among statistical real lives where real humans don't have that singular focus or genetic luxury, is well set on the path of optimised lives.
-
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
chocobean Link ParentTry not investing in education 8D Or accidentally rolling a character with a disability or/like ADHD or autismTry not investing in education 8D
Or accidentally rolling a character with a disability or/like ADHD or autism
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean Link ParentThree actionable suggestions with personal stories where mild sexism/harrassment happened to me at work and no one said anything, even/especially the women, when I wish they would have New grad...- Exemplary
Three actionable suggestions with personal stories where mild sexism/harrassment happened to me at work and no one said anything, even/especially the women, when I wish they would have
-
New grad first job barely out of my teens. The CEO drops in from LA from time to time and he hugs the women. Only the women. He holds on for just a half second too long. I wish one woman or one man would give me heads up when he'll be in town next. They wouldn't have had to say anything about the unwanted hugs from old white man with ultimate authority at my first job, they'd just be making a casual water cooler comment and letting me decide if I want to call in sick. I would have liked that.
-
I was twenty something, at a firm that's traditionally male dominated. Inappropriate jokes all day every day, but luckily not as often directed at me or mentions me. The most uncomfortable: when I mentioned my partner's birthday is coming up soon and we're going away with some friends that weekend, "what are you getting him?" "Oh I know, does it start with a B and end with a J?" * Laughter . The slightly older than me woman office assistant gets it much worse and she occasionally protests, to deafening roars of even more laughter. Years later I got to know the men more individually, and apparently most of them felt uncomfortable. I wish they could have said something to me: it might have been that I would laugh along with the jokes too if I knew I could give one ally a "could you believe this guy" look and get s sympathetic eye roll.
-
A small group of employees are at a different city, and the company decided to get one rental car for a man to drive. I wish someone more senior to me would have talked to the manager and said, "hey maybe get a second car for [woman in most senior position] so they don't have to wait around for [man] to drive them back to the hotel, at night" if the manager is being obtuse, replace the names in the square brackets above with "the women" and "a man" and look him in the eye. If they're insisting on one car, let a woman drive.
TLDR:
-
If you know an occasional drop in harasser will be in town, casually mention around the watercooler they'll be dropping by on X day.
-
Sometimes, all we need is one person in the room of blue jokes we can make eye contact with, and receive an understanding eye roll
-
Say something if you are in a senior position and you see a situation where a woman has to wait around and make nice to the man who is in charge of driving her back to her hotel room at night.
-
Comment on Men in tech #YesAllMen in ~life.women
chocobean (edited )LinkHi, to folks who watched this and want to help but feel awkward because "oh but she's smiling/laughing along" or "well she hasn't said anything" and you're not sure and don't want to be a...- Exemplary
Hi, to folks who watched this and want to help but feel awkward because "oh but she's smiling/laughing along" or "well she hasn't said anything" and you're not sure and don't want to be a spoilsport stick in the mud:
Go talk to her about it afterwards. Tell her that made YOU uncomfortable. You're not offering to be her saviour, you're not putting words in her mouth, you're not making assumptions about how she feels. YOU feel uncomfortable. Watch her response. If she trusts you: eg, if she hasn't previously seen you laughing along with the guys and if she isn't afraid you are secretly recording her reaction to share later, she might confide in you. If you had laughed, apologize. Even if she says nonono it's fine it was funny. You tell her you don't think it's funny after you thought about it some more. If she wants, the both of you can go to HR together. Or, at least she knows she has merely been sexually harassed again, not harassed with everyone's silent / laughing approval again.
Okay let's pretend she doesn't care. Let's pretend she's a guy's girl and she jokes with the worst and swears like a sailor. What that does do is make the environment much more unsafe for the rest of the women. Or any future women any of these men go on to work with. In that case, take out your phone and record the hilarious moment. Ask them all to explain the funny to you. Just make a record of it. You don't have to go to HR, you don't have to make anyone stop. Just publicly anounce you are making a recording of the very funny joke. You can stash it somewhere and forget about it. And then, if a woman approaches you and asks you to share the recording, please do so. Tell her that made YOU feel uncomfortable. Now she has proof and can stand up for herself if she deems the risks justifiable. Or at least she has a video record of her not feeling insane: one other person felt it wasn't funny.
Or just see it and don't laugh and make eye contact with her and leave the room.
I'm begging you. If you can't Say It, if you can't Sort It Out, please See It. Please feel uncomfortable about it.
-
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
chocobean Link ParentA few different items came up when I searched (generic name) is it still playable/online or is this like, older educational software?A few different items came up when I searched (generic name) is it still playable/online or is this like, older educational software?
-
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
chocobean Link ParentHaha Chinese military lady in US feels extra fun. I think this game interprets any focus other than "friends and family" as neglect that even annual trips with them don't fix. Kinda harsh but that...Haha Chinese military lady in US feels extra fun. I think this game interprets any focus other than "friends and family" as neglect that even annual trips with them don't fix. Kinda harsh but that is actually strangely true in real life too.
I know people use AI chat bots for stories, and this is kind of like that I guess :)
... I should stop contributing to climate change and play dwarf fortress instead. Get more monsters and pudgey Fluffy Wamblers along with my vicarious tea.
-
Comment on 1 in 8 Billion - Browser game, free, life sim with real statistics from 172 countries in ~games
chocobean Link ParentYeah, I'm sad the exes are not mentioned or given an opportunity to become friends or stay close. In one of my runs, my person's spouse abruptly died from a workplace accident at age 36, only 1...Yeah, I'm sad the exes are not mentioned or given an opportunity to become friends or stay close. In one of my runs, my person's spouse abruptly died from a workplace accident at age 36, only 1 year into their marriagen right before they had a chance to have kids. Not mentioned.
-
Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
chocobean LinkDying man's wish to see highland cow fulfilled The gentleman is still okay, and he seems super happy. Article has two photos of happy man and soft adorable "heylan coo" . The lady who owns the...Dying man's wish to see highland cow fulfilled
The gentleman is still okay, and he seems super happy. Article has two photos of happy man and soft adorable "heylan coo" . The lady who owns the cows is a nurse, and was inspired by Jeremy Clarkson's Farm, apparently, and farming pulled her out of a dark spot after COVID.
It's gorgeous! What a wonderful craft, I was already excited when you anounced this at the beginning of Timasomo and your finished art piece did not disappoint!