![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
out if touch
Oct. 29th, 2023 12:51 amHaven't been keeping up on my Dreamwidth or Fediverse/Mastodon feeds since early October. Hope folks will email or comment here if they social media posted something they really would prefer that I know.
DIY fit testing pointers
Sep. 30th, 2023 07:38 pmI'm a little frazzled and need a pointer or two.
I don't want to spend $150 on a fit testing kit. I'd like to spend less.
The $40 one I've seen mentioned is sold out.
Resources I've read about how to do-it-yourself say that I need a nebulizer/atomizer. I saw a mention at some point of a USD$10-$15 nebulizer the author had bought on Amazon, and evidently I misplaced that link because I can't find it now. I find disposable nebulizers for sale at Betty Mills in about the $3 range. Are those the types that I would want?
Or, if you have a lead on a complete DIY fit testing kit that costs under about $50, I'd love to know. Thanks.
I don't want to spend $150 on a fit testing kit. I'd like to spend less.
The $40 one I've seen mentioned is sold out.
Resources I've read about how to do-it-yourself say that I need a nebulizer/atomizer. I saw a mention at some point of a USD$10-$15 nebulizer the author had bought on Amazon, and evidently I misplaced that link because I can't find it now. I find disposable nebulizers for sale at Betty Mills in about the $3 range. Are those the types that I would want?
Or, if you have a lead on a complete DIY fit testing kit that costs under about $50, I'd love to know. Thanks.
My spouse Leonard Richardson, the creator & maintainer of the screen-scraping library Beautiful Soup and coauthor of the book RESTful Web APIs, is open to new work opportunities as a senior software engineer. (He left the New York Public Library last year and has been doing some part-time consulting since then.)
He's open to remote contracting, consulting, full-time or part-time gigs starting in December 2023. And he's seeking a mission-oriented org, ideally involving publishing, freedom of access to information, or climate resilience.
A little more about what he's looking for in his Fediverse post which is what I would suggest you publicly link to, or pass along to interested folks, instead of this Dreamwidth post. Resume, LinkedIn.
[EDITED 9 NOVEMBER 2023: New gig found!]
He's open to remote contracting, consulting, full-time or part-time gigs starting in December 2023. And he's seeking a mission-oriented org, ideally involving publishing, freedom of access to information, or climate resilience.
A little more about what he's looking for in his Fediverse post which is what I would suggest you publicly link to, or pass along to interested folks, instead of this Dreamwidth post. Resume, LinkedIn.
[EDITED 9 NOVEMBER 2023: New gig found!]
Significant sale on Aranet 4 CO2 monitors
Sep. 7th, 2023 08:27 pmCOVID-cautious folks:
Carrying a carbon dioxide monitor helps me check how safe the air quality in a space is, and lower or raise my cautions accordingly. (Details and photos.) Super useful.
I use and like the Aranet 4 CO2 monitor. The Aranet 4 is usually USD$249. It's on sale, direct from the manufacturer, till September 17, for $184.35, with free shipping in the US.
Or from Amazon for $197. (Might be today only - Sept 7th.)
Vienna Teng concert now
Sep. 3rd, 2023 06:42 pmlive Vienna Teng concert now, livestream, free
https://www.youtube.com/live/d6iSm963r08?feature=shared
https://www.youtube.com/live/d6iSm963r08?feature=shared
Nirvana in Fire recruiter post?
Sep. 3rd, 2023 03:31 pmWithin the last few years, I remember reading a lengthy blog post where someone tries to get the reader interested in watching "Nirvana in Fire", illustrated with stills and embedded GIFs that are short clips from the show. It's divided into non-spoiler and spoiler bits. Can't find it now, and want to link to it as part of answering this question. Anyone remember this?
book series comparison
Sep. 2nd, 2023 08:32 amSpoilers for both Novik's Temeraire series and Kowal's Glamourist series.
( Spoilers for both Novik's Temeraire series and Kowal's Glamourist series )
( Spoilers for both Novik's Temeraire series and Kowal's Glamourist series )
Readings of Odo
Jun. 29th, 2023 02:54 pmI was talking with some friends recently about the Star Trek characters Spock, Data, and Odo. I believe I've read interesting fan analyses of Spock and Data, but not Odo. I'd love pointers to essays (including video essays or comics), tie-in novels, and fan fiction that provide lenses through which to understand Odo. In particular I'm interested in:
- People who found Odo's story reflective of their own in some way, and who are in some way systematically marginalized (adoptees, neuroatypical people, queer people, and so on)
- Odo's and Kira's attitudes towards justice and how they work towards it
- Fiction or speculation about alternate universes where the scientist who found and nurtured infant Odo was from a different culture, e.g., Betazoid or Vulcan or Klingon or The Traveller or Q, or in a different time period, such as Bajor centuries earlier under the D'jarra system
- Comparisons of Odo with Spock, Data, Worf, and Seven of Nine
- What a DS9 with a much much higher production budget could have done to make more interesting use of a shapeshifter character (Odo is a cloud much more often! Sometimes Odo is played by Angela Lansbury or the dog who plays Wishbone! Quark sells tons of of caulk to station residents who just want some assurance of privacy in their own quarters!)
- Gender and Odo, like, what's up with that?
Please feel free to comment here and to link widely to this request!
Short stories are great. And there are dozens of high-quality online magazines that publish short, original speculative stories for you to read for free. Even when I have a tough time bringing enough attention and time to commit to and finish a book, I can often enjoy a short story or three.
A couple years ago I listed several magazines that have published work I like, and their syndication feeds you can subscribe to here on Dreamwidth via RSS/Atom. Enjoy!
BTW if anyone makes a big OPML feed out of all of those, please link to it in the comments!
A couple years ago I listed several magazines that have published work I like, and their syndication feeds you can subscribe to here on Dreamwidth via RSS/Atom. Enjoy!
BTW if anyone makes a big OPML feed out of all of those, please link to it in the comments!
Splashing around in my archives
Jun. 29th, 2023 01:07 amOn my main blog (as here), I tag blog posts rather erratically, and keep meaning to go back and systematically taxonomize my thousands of posts. One thing that my new blogging platform includes is another way to highlight particular posts for attention: individual "collections" of posts listed on the "Collections" page, which is prominently linked on the top navbar of the site.
Just now I went through about nine years' worth of archives to add posts to a few collections:
![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png)
sumana_feed. I recently found out it had broken last year, argh, and have now remedied that, so please do subscribe if you'd like.
I'm glad I did this tonight especially because I ran across an old post in which I share a memory that means a lot to me:
Just now I went through about nine years' worth of archives to add posts to a few collections:
- Sometimes-silly ideas: I often dream up business or project ideas. Often they’re silly. Often I have no intention of executing on these ideas. Feel free to implement them. Caution: several are probably pretty bad!
- Fundamental ways I think about things: These posts illustrate some of the underlying beliefs, habits, and approaches that undergird how I reason and act.
- Detailed instructions: Systematic how-to explanations on a variety of topics.
sumana_feed. I recently found out it had broken last year, argh, and have now remedied that, so please do subscribe if you'd like.I'm glad I did this tonight especially because I ran across an old post in which I share a memory that means a lot to me:
Once, Leonard and I had to have a difficult conversation. As I gulped breath and tried to get up the gumption to go into the living room and talk with him about this thing, I did a bit of math. There are maybe 350 million people in the US, which means tens of millions of couples - maybe even a hundred million couples, just in my country. Some tiny fraction of those couples had the same problem, so, maybe twenty thousand? And it might take years for the couples to talk about it, and there are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, but even so, I thought, there must be at least a few other couples having this same hard talk tonight, maybe five. I imagined them as points of light, with bright lines crisscrossing the continent to connect us.
Just the hypothetical existence of this community calmed me. We are not alone, we can't be. We talked and came out the other side together.I've been working on this for weeks? months? I finally published a giant blog post on how I reduce my risk of catching COVID. Includes:
- Air quality and ventilation: Specifics on the Aranet 4 carbon dioxide monitor, including a coupon.
- Masking: Some N95, N99, and P100 respirators you may not have heard of, with links to purchase.
- Self-testing (antigen and NAAT/molecular) and PCR: Links for some amazing sale prices on rapid tests, including more-accurate molecular tests.
- Nasal spray: Enovid, the wackiest thing in my post. I assure you that I have not turned into, like, an ivermectin user.
- Staying apprised: A new wastewaster data site.
Readercon (July, Boston area, 2023)
Jun. 15th, 2023 01:04 amI'm going to Readercon next month (mid-July, Quincy near Boston, MA, USA). I've never been to Readercon before.
Any of y'all going to be there? (If so, book your hotel room by Friday, June 23rd.)
A friend told me there's a rule at Readercon that each program participant is on only one program item. Is that true? The program isn't out yet, but the list of participants is, and it includes Ben Rosenbaum, Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Julia Rios, Kate Nepveu, Sparkymonster, Pat Murphy, John Wiswell, and some other folks who always have interesting things to say.
I particularly welcome recommendations for restaurants and grocery stores near the convention!
Any of y'all going to be there? (If so, book your hotel room by Friday, June 23rd.)
A friend told me there's a rule at Readercon that each program participant is on only one program item. Is that true? The program isn't out yet, but the list of participants is, and it includes Ben Rosenbaum, Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Julia Rios, Kate Nepveu, Sparkymonster, Pat Murphy, John Wiswell, and some other folks who always have interesting things to say.
I particularly welcome recommendations for restaurants and grocery stores near the convention!
I am at WisCon, where the Otherwise Award has several related events and program items this year!
I've already caught up with a few fannish acquaintances and am looking forward to further conversations.
If you would like to hang out in person, please note that I am pretty cautious about COVID and am only eating outdoors, or alone in my room.
I've already caught up with a few fannish acquaintances and am looking forward to further conversations.
If you would like to hang out in person, please note that I am pretty cautious about COVID and am only eating outdoors, or alone in my room.
WisCon 2023, In Person
May. 12th, 2023 07:03 pm(Cross-posted from Cogito, Ergo Sumana.)
I'm going to be at the feminist scifi/fantasy convention WisCon 2023, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, May 26-29, in person. This'll be my twelfth WisCon, and my ninth one in person.
If you haven't registered yet, you can do that now! This year's WisCon is hybrid in-person and remote, and remote attendees will be able to view some program items live. It is likely no public video recordings will be available. Panels and performances where I'll be onstage (all times Central Daylight Time) are on the public schedule:
- Imaginary Book Club (online), Friday 7:30 PM–8:45 PM
- How to Proceed with Procedurals? (in-person, not sure about livestream), Saturday 10:00 AM–11:15 AM
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in SF/F (in-person, not sure about livestream), Saturday 2:30 PM–3:45 PM
- Otherwise Auction (in-person and will be livestreamed), Sat 7:30 PM–9:30 PM
- Not Another F*cking Race Panel (online), Sunday 4:00 PM–5:15 PM
If you're curious who'll be at the con in person versus online, the panelists listed on the schedule give you some info.
WisCon's COVID policy includes masking and vaccination for all participants and attendees. And WisCon is adding air filtration units for convention spaces. Here's what they did last year and how well it worked. I'm writing up an exhaustingly long post right now about my own COVID-risk-related practices, but the basics are: I'm going to be masked indoors, and ok with being unmasked sometimes while outdoors. I'm usually happy to eat meals and drink beverages together with others outdoors, and will not be eating meals together with others indoors. I plan to self-test with rapid antigen tests every morning at the convention.
Last year I only participated virtually. This year, I'm going to WisCon to meet old friends and new, to emcee the Otherwise Auction to raise money for the Otherwise Award and entertain people, and to participate in a group that means something to me -- especially since there will be no WisCon next year at all, in-person OR online.
If you've never attended WisCon before, here's why I love it and why I invite you to come. People who participate online as first-timers have also mentioned how fun it is. If you're a first-time WisCon participant, whether you come to Madison or attend remotely, let me know so I can say hi!
no secret option C
Mar. 14th, 2023 11:21 pmI came across a blog post that's now locked. But the gist of it was:
Sometimes you have to make a hard decision between A and B. And it can be tempting to procrastinate in the secret subconscious hope that a new option C will emerge that is magically easier. But that will almost certainly not happen. So accept that and choose.
Something I appreciated a reminder of.
Sometimes you have to make a hard decision between A and B. And it can be tempting to procrastinate in the secret subconscious hope that a new option C will emerge that is magically easier. But that will almost certainly not happen. So accept that and choose.
Something I appreciated a reminder of.
I am planning to attend PyCon North America, in person, in mid-April in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. I'm also planning to attend WisCon in person -- that's in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, in late May (DW comm is ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
wiscon).
I blogged about why and how I'm going to PyCon this year, and the COVID mitigation steps I'll take. I have not (yet) made a similar post about WisCon but it would have a pretty similar logic to it.
Both conferences are hybrid this year, with a lot of support for remote attendees and with strong COVID risk mitigation measures in place. So I hope to interact with you, in person or virtually, if you attend/participate!
(Note that there will be no WisCon in 2024.)
wiscon).I blogged about why and how I'm going to PyCon this year, and the COVID mitigation steps I'll take. I have not (yet) made a similar post about WisCon but it would have a pretty similar logic to it.
Both conferences are hybrid this year, with a lot of support for remote attendees and with strong COVID risk mitigation measures in place. So I hope to interact with you, in person or virtually, if you attend/participate!
(Note that there will be no WisCon in 2024.)
Zine fest in Queens tomorrow
Feb. 24th, 2023 04:25 pmTomorrow, Saturday 25 February, is the Queens Zine Fest! Astoria Bookshop is one of the hosts and you can buy "Quill and Scroll", the illustrated zine my friend Brendan and I made about an all-night animal bookstore in Astoria.
a favorite vid: The Chosen One's Lament
Feb. 13th, 2023 10:19 pmI come back to and rewatch this vid probably several times a year since I found it in 2020. It's just so good.
The Chosen One's Lament [Fanvid] (110 words) by Tafadhali, periru3
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra, Steven Universe (Cartoon), The Matrix (Movies), The Hunger Games (Movies), The Lord of the Rings (Movies), Game of Thrones (TV), Frozen (Disney Movies), Alien Series
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Buffy Summers, Anakin Skywalker, Harry Potter
Additional Tags: Buffy Summers Angst, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Capslock Harry Potter, Harry Potter Angst, Anakin Skywalker Angst, Protagonists, Chosen Ones, Humor, Fanvids, Tropes, Angstikins Crywalker, Embedded Video, Meta, Temporary Character Death, Big Damn Jesus Death, Song: No One Else is Singing My Song (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
Series: Part 4 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Vids, Part 5 of Covid Co-vids, Part 1 of Multifandom Trope Vids
Summary:
This is one of those ambitious multifandom vids that wryly comments on a trope. And, if you're a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fan, you get the extra layer of joy in seeing the composite visuals from the original video not only replicated but topped.
The Chosen One's Lament [Fanvid] (110 words) by Tafadhali, periru3
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: Legend of Korra, Steven Universe (Cartoon), The Matrix (Movies), The Hunger Games (Movies), The Lord of the Rings (Movies), Game of Thrones (TV), Frozen (Disney Movies), Alien Series
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Buffy Summers, Anakin Skywalker, Harry Potter
Additional Tags: Buffy Summers Angst, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Capslock Harry Potter, Harry Potter Angst, Anakin Skywalker Angst, Protagonists, Chosen Ones, Humor, Fanvids, Tropes, Angstikins Crywalker, Embedded Video, Meta, Temporary Character Death, Big Damn Jesus Death, Song: No One Else is Singing My Song (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)
Series: Part 4 of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Vids, Part 5 of Covid Co-vids, Part 1 of Multifandom Trope Vids
Summary:
It's hard when no one else is singing your song. A love letter to our favorite Chosen Ones.
This is one of those ambitious multifandom vids that wryly comments on a trope. And, if you're a Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fan, you get the extra layer of joy in seeing the composite visuals from the original video not only replicated but topped.
"Home Economics"
Feb. 7th, 2023 09:48 pmI recently watched all the extant seasons (1-3) of "Home Economics", a sitcom currently airing on ABC in the US. It's reasonably funny, has some fun actors and writing, and sometimes gets at issues I haven't seen explored in other TV-type mass media (although I'm not thoroughly keeping up). The third season just finished and we don't know whether ABC will renew the show for a fourth.
As English Wikipedia summarizes:
In particular, this show is set in the modern-day San Francisco Bay Area. Connor's a private equity investor, living in a mansion I think in Sausalito or the Marina District; Sarah and Denise, who work in public schools, live in Oakland; novelist Tom and taking-a-break-from-corporate-law homemaker Marina live in a suburban house. (The geography does not really make sense to me when it comes to how quickly they jaunt from home to home, and also we glimpse a map onscreen saying that the suburban house is in Berkeley but I do not think there are any neighborhoods in Berkeley that look like that, but I have decided to not let that bother me.)
I've found it interesting to reflect on what the show does and doesn't address, given its premise.
( details )
I am extremely hesitant to recommend this show. It's a totally fine way to pass 22 minutes at a time, watching reasonably good-looking people banter and make references you'll probably get, laughing a bit. If you want to try a single episode, try S2E3, "Bottle Service, $800 Plus Tip (25% Suggested)". I needed a little brain vacation after a rough January so I gulped the show down and it served its purpose of immersing me in a different life for a bit. And at least it's trying to reflect some aspects of cross-class relationships in a way that's been a bit useful for my brain.
As English Wikipedia summarizes:
Home Economics follows the lives of three siblings. Tom, the oldest, his wife Marina, and their three children are considered a middle class family. The middle sibling, Sarah, her wife Denise, and their two adopted children live in a tiny apartment and are barely scraping by on their meager incomes. The youngest, Connor, is very well off financially but unlucky in love, as the series begins with him finalizing a divorce.
In particular, this show is set in the modern-day San Francisco Bay Area. Connor's a private equity investor, living in a mansion I think in Sausalito or the Marina District; Sarah and Denise, who work in public schools, live in Oakland; novelist Tom and taking-a-break-from-corporate-law homemaker Marina live in a suburban house. (The geography does not really make sense to me when it comes to how quickly they jaunt from home to home, and also we glimpse a map onscreen saying that the suburban house is in Berkeley but I do not think there are any neighborhoods in Berkeley that look like that, but I have decided to not let that bother me.)
I've found it interesting to reflect on what the show does and doesn't address, given its premise.
( details )
I am extremely hesitant to recommend this show. It's a totally fine way to pass 22 minutes at a time, watching reasonably good-looking people banter and make references you'll probably get, laughing a bit. If you want to try a single episode, try S2E3, "Bottle Service, $800 Plus Tip (25% Suggested)". I needed a little brain vacation after a rough January so I gulped the show down and it served its purpose of immersing me in a different life for a bit. And at least it's trying to reflect some aspects of cross-class relationships in a way that's been a bit useful for my brain.
