Timasomo 2025: Roll Call
October 1st has already hit in some parts of the world, so Timasomo has officially begun!
Posting in this topic is your official entry into Timasomo.
Let everyone know what your actual plans are. What are you going to make?
Anyone who was not already on the notification list will be added with a comment in this topic.
Once the date turns over to October 1st wherever you are in the world, feel free to start creating!
FAQs
What is Timasomo really though?
Timasomo is "Tildes' Make Something Month": a creative community challenge that takes place in the month of October. It is a chance to create something/anything!
There are no restrictions on what you can choose to make.
The best way to get a feel for Timasomo is to check out our previous Showcase topics, where creators share their creations with the community at the end of the event:
Can I participate?
Yes! Timasomo is open to anyone on Tildes! Please make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo.
The greater Tildes community is also encouraged to participate in discussion threads even if you are not actively working towards a creative goal. This is meant to be an inclusive community event -- all are welcome!
If you are interested in participating but do not have a Tildes login, please e-mail the invite request address here for an invite to the community.
If you do not want to create something but still want to check out the showcase, let me know in a comment here and I will add your name to a separate notification list that I will ping for the showcase topic only.
How do I sign up?
Make sure you are subscribed to ~creative.timasomo and/or are included in my notification list (simply comment on this topic to be added).
On October 1st, there will be a Roll Call thread. By posting your plans to participate in that thread, you have formally signed up for Timasomo!
Didn't it used to be in November?
Yes. Timasomo was originally inspired by NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, which takes place in November.
Initially, I wanted people participating in NaNoWriMo to be able to share their work with Timasomo as well. In the entire time it has run, however, no participant has publicly submitted any work from NaNoWriMo to Timasomo. Instead, Timasomo has gained its own identity independent of NaNoWriMo (which, after recent events, is probably for the best).
Many participants from previous years have shared that October would be a better month for them personally, so we moved the event to October.
Also, the event was so fantastically popular that it regularly upstaged American Thanksgiving, thus we only felt it fair that Canadian Thanksgiving be targeted as well.
What are the rules?
Timasomo is self-driven and its goals are self-selected.
On October 1st, participants will commit to a creative project (or projects) that they plan to complete within the month of October.
There is no restriction on the methods/products of creativity: writing, painting, code, food, photos, crafts, songs -- if it's creative expression for you, it works for Timasomo!
Though most will be participating individually, collaborations are welcome too!
What is the schedule?
Timasomo begins October 1st and ends October 31st.
All creative output towards your goal(s) should be confined to this time.
This week prior to the start of October is for planning. There will be a few days at the beginning of November given to "finishing touches" before we have our final thread, which will be a showcase of all the completed works.
Below are the dates that I will be posting weekly threads:
Tuesday, October 1, 2024: Roll Call Thread
Tuesday, October 8, 2024: Update Thread #1
Tuesday, October 15, 2024: Update Thread #2
Tuesday, October 22, 2024: Update Thread #3
Tuesday, October 29, 2024: Final Update Thread
Tuesday, November 5, 2024: Timasomo Showcase Thread
Do I have to share my creation(s) publicly?
Tildes is a privacy-respecting site, and you are not obligated to share your creation here if you do not want to. We'd still love to hear about it though, if you're willing to share process and details!
Is it Timasomo or TiMaSoMo?
Either.
I personally use "Timasomo" because I think it looks cleaner and because too much time on the internet has made my brain incapable of reading "TiMaSoMo" as anything other than sarcasm, but go with whichever you prefer.
The best option, however, is โ๐ป๐ฐ๐ด๐จ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ถโ for reasons that are self-evident.
Pinging all Timasomo participants/conversationalists: hereโs the official start of Timasomo 2025!
Notification List
@ali
@Amarok
@aphoenix
@Areldyb
@arqalite
@Banazir
@boxer_dogs_dance
@CannibalisticApple
@chocobean
@crialpaca
@delphi
@em-dash
@Falcon79
@faye_luna
@Fearghal
@first-must-burn
@fnulare
@Habituallytired
@IsildursBane
@longwave
@mat
@Pavouk106
@RheingoldRiver
@scrambo
@sorkceror
@Tardigrade
@TheRtRevKaiser
@TonesTones
@Tygrak
@tyrny
@unkz
@Weldawadyathink
If you would like to be removed from the list, let me know.
Anyone not on the list but commenting on this topic will automatically be added. If you would prefer not to be added, please let me know.
Count me in for art with cosmetics! Specifically teaching myself the basics of nail polish application with my own polishes. I ordered the second half of my collection yesterday to complete my "color wheel," and I'm hoping it'll get here in a reasonable amount of time for me to try like maybe one thing before I need to put my wedding color back on (which was graciously provided by a coworker). Wedding color is Ghosts of Hecate by mooncat, unless I do another polish trial between now and then that steals the show and partner approves.
I'm planning on hand embroidering a patch of this classic comic. It's only my second project like this - here's a in-progress picture of a Bill Cipher patch that I've been working on for my oldest kid.
I have had a kind of surrealist fantasy novel (or maybe novella) slowly amalgamating in my head for the last year or so, just a half dozen incomplete ideas cohering into something enormously intimidating that I haven't dared to start in on. This month, I think I'll try to draft it.
I'm going to forge out a fire poker for a friend. If I have the time, I'd like to make log tongs as well, but I will probably get 12-ish hours at the forge all month so I don't want to push too hard.
Months ago, I bought an HF radio kit from QRP Labs. And then work and life got in the way and I never built it. This Timasomo, I plan to fix that!
I think my thing is going to be a rat fountain. The breeder my wife is in contact with uses an aquarium spillway with a litterbox, but I found a small submersible pump online, and I want to design and 3D print something more elegant (and smaller). It might end up being a collaborative project with my wife because she has some design ideas.
Alright, I've decided: I'm going to dedicate the month to finally building a buffer for my ongoing fanfics because I feel bad about the big gaps in chapters.
I'm also going to try to work on the clock. I have no clue of repairing it is possible (it may be a matter of a part not being made anymore...?), and if not, I'll try to think of some other use for it. Maybe I can make it into a diorama...?
I'm looking forward to following along! I won't be able to participate due to some intense time commitments early in the month. Hopefully next year!
Catching up on old threads after being out of state for nearly two weeks, just commented in the previous thread that I'll be participating after missing last year.
Will figure out what I'm doing by the first progress post.
I'm going to try to avoid scope creep and aim for a "one-page" TTRPG system. I have an idea for what I think is a unique albeit very silly character creation / skill system that I'm looking forward to exploring.
I'm a bit of a cheater as I'm participating with something I already started making - the open PC stand/case 3D model for 3D printers.
I'm still participating as I will be finishing the model this month. I have the basic structure but I have to make a few addons (for various sizes of motherboards and various PCIe configurations).
I do 3D modelling just for the 3D printer, I'm learning new things with every model. This particular project isn't that hard for modelling it as it is for thinking far ahead and calculating a lot of things so it all comes together after printing.
I'd like to join and finally publish a game on Steam! My goal is to just publish there even with zero prep and zero marketing. I'm not sure I'm following the rules exactly though because I've already started working on the game. But my goal this month is just to learn the process of publishing a game on Steam.
Late add in the Announcement thread. I'm making hot pepper sauce experiments thanks to an impending abundance of ghost and habanero peppers from the garden, and a month where I'm not tied up in work travel.
As far as Timasomo is concerned, my output will be mainly informational - techniques, recipes, and photos. Possibly PM for a sauce sampler if I think it's gone well.
I'm going to build a calculator!
You see, the modern calculator is essentially a solved problem. If you're a scientist, specifically a mathematician, an engineer, a physicist or anyone who fights numbers for a living, you'll have a favourite calculator - not because it's any good, but because it's what you've always used. Your TI-84. Your Casio Classpad. Your HP 35. These work, and they can be pretty damn good, but very few people "choose" a calculator. They get told which to use by their school, because their teacher used it, and this is how we got to the biggest improvement in graphical calculating being the fact that you can now sometimes have graphs with multiple colours, but no anti-aliasing.
For accountants, the matter isn't much better. Most use Excel or their specific brand of CPA armour to crunch their numbers, and if you do need (or prefer) a physical device, the HP 12C exists, and that's the end of that.
If you're anyone else, use your phone, or pop to the Poundland (or Five Below in 120V countries) and grab a plastic calculator with a seven-segment display and a sometimes fraudulent solar cell that you'll use exactly once and then forget in the junk drawer. And those things suck, let me tell you.
It's strange because by all accounts it should be very easy to build a good calculator. Everything already has the things you need built in. Thermostats should have these - there are no dependencies. Still, nobody (except Numworks, I guess, but they only cater to the education market) has made a good, pleasant, and high quality calculator. I aim to fix this.
And as a side note: The offerings from SwissMicros don't count to me since they're not very original designs. They cater to the people that did use the HP 32 or the 12C forever but now want something that's not flimsy. It's a reinterpretation, and while they're very good calculators, it's not what I'm looking for. They're also really expensive.
My requirements for the calculator are as follows:
I've never designed an embedded device like this, but I'm looking forward to figuring this out! I'll see y'all at the monthly checkins and the presentation round at the end.