[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

I'm generally not all that into the traditional local New Year's parade---it tends to be stuff like this:



Bleh. (Not sure if they're going for French or US. Stars imply US? If it's US, IMO they should have leaned harder into an explicit clownshow theme. Though in the past the parodic costumes have tended to be politically reactionary (Democratic politicians on chains), more or less overtly racist, etc.) Or (a little better) this:



(The colors and feathers symbolize the local football team. I do like the crowns and the feathers, but I'd like them a lot more without the silly sportsball reference. The umbrella with the green feather is a nice touch too. And the look of joy on that guy's face---bit less so on the child's, though they also seem to be enjoying themselves---is almost infectious (like probiotics that change your brain functioning by playing around with your guts).)

But I chanced upon this photo from a past year (forum won't let me post it, but the link should work):

Mummer's costume

... and I do kind of love that one. Especially to usher in the New Year. Even more appropriate now, on the cusp of the dawn of the Trumpire...

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 31 December 2024 - 06:21 PM

[Tiste Simeon]

Happy new year to you all! Here's hoping that despite so many bad things in the world you all find a bit of peace and joy in the year ahead.

Being the hardcore party animal that I am, I'll be heading to bed with my cup of tea in a few moments (it's nearly 10pm after all!)

I'm waiting for macros to resurrect the New Years Resolution thread.

[Mezla PigDog]

I hope your cup of tea was good. I was already asleep by then. Pesky fireworks woke me up at what I assume was midnight. I celebrated by sleeping through the small hours for the first time in weeks. May that continue into 2025. A successful combination of being in my own bed, not having a sick person fidgeting beside me and no noisy air bubbles left in the new heating system.

[Macros]

Playing games and drinking till 4am

[Tiste Simeon]

Took part in the New Year's Day dip in a local town today. It was flipping cold but a lot of fun. I reckon a few hundred people were there!
https://imgur.com/a/iC9XA9B

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

You might want to prepare yourself for a year of "neo-medievalism."

That's the key takeaway from a new report [... examining] data from social media, Google Ngram, and other sources [...]

"The future is medieval," [...]

[... It's ] the next consumer trend set to sweep the internet.

Think

Spoiler

cloaks and blacksmithing, all washed down with lashings of mead, the ancient honey-based alcoholic drink.

[...] There were hat-tips to medieval fashion on runways and major entertainment events last year that hint at the growing trend[...]

[...] pop star Chappell Roan fashioned a sword as an accessory and later appeared in an outfit entirely made from chainmail. [...] Natalie Portman wore a chainmail-inspired Dior dress [...]

In a similar vein, Pinterest predicted last month that "castlecore" would be a big trend for 2025, particularly in home décor and fashion.

Why "Neo-Medievalism" Could be a Hot Consumer Trend in 2025

Of course, some of my biggest reservations about this are the anti-technology currents. Ironically a lot of that activity is still happening on the internet---or to be promoted and thoroughly documented on the internet. I expect cyber-medievalism and AI AR/VR to be larger overall trends. It's already very much not medievalism so much as neo-medievalism for the most part. Putting creative modern spins on it. But also doing some research into underappreciated aspects of medieval history, like mead production, or (I hope) the heavy use of spices. (All the potatoes and boring cuisine in the Riyria Revelations 1&2 irritated me a little. I mean sure it's a fantasy world, and maybe modern readers will find potatoes more relatable than, say, turnips, but if the goal is to make someone's diet seem very basic, other common crops could easily substitute. Oats maybe. Or onions. If those won't make too many readers waste their tears too soon...)

And of course "the embrace all things medieval", as the author of the report suggests, would just be ridiculous---well no actually not just ridiculous but really terrible---if taken literally. Though with Trump as Holy American Emperor...

Obviously another drawback is that attire may no longer be a reliable indicator of actual interest in medievalism or quasi-medieval fantasy. But the eye candy ought to be fruitful and multiply for a time. And then the trend will probably end, so they'll go back to being reliable indicators---and there will probably be plenty of cheap but high-quality creative variations on the secondhand markets.

[Macros]

I can finally assemble a good Aragorn costume for Halloween cheaply

[Tsundoku]

Macros, on 05 January 2025 - 08:46 AM, said:

I can finally assemble a good Aragorn costume for Halloween cheaply

Pics required of course.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

As I was reviewing my grocery list to determine what I should stock up on before Trump takes office, it occurred to me that tariffs could actually lower domestic prices on certain products for which there is a domestic surplus by reducing foreign demand. Especially if the domestic country in question is the primary global producer of said products. The theory and the data seem to bear this out. For example:

Quote

Tariffs affecting U.S. agricultural exports, 2018–19

All other things being equal, when foreign countries impose tariffs on exports of U.S. goods, the increased costs of these goods usually result in lower demand in the importing country, creating a supply surplus in the exporting country. As a result, U.S. prices of the goods typically decrease as supplies pile up, while U.S. producers attempt to find new markets for their products. Additionally, U.S. producers may lower their prices in anticipation of imposed tariffs to remain competitive in the global marketplace.

U.S. soybean exports
Soybeans are a major agricultural commodity that China usually imports from the United States in large quantities. In July 2018, China raised its tariff on U.S. soybeans from 3 percent to 25 percent. [...]

As a result of China's soybean tariff, inventories in the United States rose to 3.74 billion bushels in 2018, an increase of 18.0 percent from 2017 levels. This led to declines in soybean prices.

https://www.bls.gov/...%20marketplace.

... and yet the manufacturer of my dried edamame---despite being based in the United States---says that they import the edamame (not clear if pre-dried or not) from China. And if/when the mass deportations start---even when they seem as if they're on the verge of beginning---there will be a major shortage of farm workers... though it's been speculated that Trump may focus on deporting workers from blue states (like California, the world's primary producer of almonds (80% of global production, 70% of which is exported)) while leaving red states and those who sufficiently bribe him largely alone.

But in the longer run the replacement of exploited undocumented workers with automation should be cheaper (despite the larger initial investments) and more humane (well, unless the billionaire class "allows" the rest of us to go extinct... pumping more fuel into the gargantuan climatic trolleys headed for the intertwisted tracks (of systems within systems) we've been bound by).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 09 January 2025 - 12:37 PM

[Mezla PigDog]

My yoga teacher farted in class the other day. She was showing the class a pose and when she strained to get up, out it popped.

You can't see other peoples faces when someone farts in class so I have this shame that I'm the only one trying not to fall into fits of hysterics.

Can you think of a regular situation in which someone farts and it doesn't make you want to laugh? Are there people in the world who don't laugh at public farts?

[Tiste Simeon]

Mezla PigDog, on 12 January 2025 - 10:09 AM, said:

My yoga teacher farted in class the other day. She was showing the class a pose and when she strained to get up, out it popped.

You can't see other peoples faces when someone farts in class so I have this shame that I'm the only one trying not to fall into fits of hysterics.

Can you think of a regular situation in which someone farts and it doesn't make you want to laugh? Are there people in the world who don't laugh at public farts?

Seen online:
"If you don't laugh at farts I feel sorry for you because you're choosing to have less laughter and joy in your life, and the exact same amount of farts."

That's being said I always thought letting out toots was just part of the job when it came to yoga?

[amphibian]

I couldn't hear any farts during MMA/jiu jitsu classes for about 12 years. (Am 90-95% deaf, so when I took out my hearing aids, I was functionally totally deaf)

In the exercise world, farts mostly get a slight smile/giggle. In the pro sports world, people shit themselves during the games or races and it's kinda normalized.

That being said, I usually did smile a tiny bit when I farted in BJJ class. The toots are one of life's small joys.

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

I had my initial screening appointment for my autism assessment yesterday. Wound myself up all week ahead of it only for the lady to be absolutely lovely and agree to a referral very straightforwardly. I'm not sure how much the 45 minute interview affected things since she said I'd scored well above the points threshold they want to see to recommend referral in the pre-screening questionnaire.

My fellow Brits on here will appreciate how exceptionally well behaved I was in ignoring the urge to ask if points meant prizes

Joking aside, it feels nice to have passed that particular hurdle. Now I have a very long questionnaire to fill in and another one for my mum and Mr NAB to do, then it's an 11-12 week wait from the point they get the paperwork back from me to get the assessment appointment. I didn't realise that the process is to interview me and my informant (my mum) at the same time, and then the two assessors compare notes and report back with their findings.

Going to know one way or the other by the summer!

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 16 January 2025 - 04:33 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

amphibian, on 13 January 2025 - 12:13 AM, said:

I couldn't hear any farts during MMA/jiu jitsu classes for about 12 years. (Am 90-95% deaf, so when I took out my hearing aids, I was functionally totally deaf)

In the exercise world, farts mostly get a slight smile/giggle. In the pro sports world, people shit themselves during the games or races and it's kinda normalized.

That being said, I usually did smile a tiny bit when I farted in BJJ class. The toots are one of life's small joys.

Sometimes I exercise in order to fart.

For example, I decided to hazard repopulating my gut microbiome with a probiotic feast that I've been spreading out over the past week. Uzbek fermented pickles and yoghurt, Nepali fermented---I think?---green mangos and vegetables, though since they're partly submerged in oil I'm not sure if the Nepali pickles have live bacteria... the Uzbek almost certainly do. The Uzbek fermented cabbage produces tons of gas, and I want to make sure it exits promptly through the wholesome channel.

In fact I read a few articles recommending that people take a walk after eating in order to fart:

Quote

Walking after a meal gets your bowels moving, which can reduce bloating and acid reflux, and potentially help prevent Type 2 diabetes, according to experts

Why "fart walks" after meals are good for you, experts say - Axios

Sometimes I do a fart dance. Closely related to the poop dance, of course. To jiggle my bowels, and let them breathe out. Like a rain dance that actually works.

[Tiste Simeon]

AD as someone recently diagnosed with Type 2 I have started walking every lunchtime to flatten the sugar curve and yeah, let rip haha

TRB fantastic news and while it sounds like a fairly long winded process it must feel great to have things moving!

[Tsundoku]

Tiste Simeon, on 17 January 2025 - 08:15 AM, said:

...let rip haha

...a fairly long winded process it must feel great to have things moving!

I feel you're on a theme here.

This post has been edited by Tsundoku: 17 January 2025 - 12:17 PM

[Mentalist]

The greatest thing about living alone is being able to blare music in the kitchen when cooking.

I've spent the better life around my mom who always compained about how much time she spent in the kitchen. In her 60s now, she absolutely hates it.

To avoid becoming miserable like her, whenever I spend any significant time preparing food, I make sure one of to have my favourite music playlists is playing on the stereo, so that I always have positive associations with cooking.

But it's not something that's feasible when iving with 3 other people. Which is why I'm glad to finally be back home after the autumn and the holidays spent at my parents' place.

This post has been edited by Mentalist: 18 January 2025 - 02:05 AM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Quote

Breakthroughs from Chinese AI startup DeepSeek have stunned Silicon Valley [...]

China's rapid advances suggest America's strategy of withholding technology from China might just be speeding up the evolution of its rival's AI knowhow. [...]

DeepSeek created and released its entirely open source project for about $6 million in training costs ("a joke of a budget," in one
expert's words). OpenAI is spending hundreds of millions of dollars. [...]

Deepseek [...] focused on basic research rather than consumer product development.

Silicon Valley's startup culture relentlessly pushes research in the direction of the consumer market. But sometimes[...] basic research is even more important than market share — and open research tends to overwhelm secret research.

OpenAI's pivot from "world's best AI lab" to "aspiring consumer tech giant" has wowed the financial world but could leave the U.S. in second place.

https://www.axios.co...na-openai-rival

I'm happy to see virtue triumphing over greed and selfishness. And open access + fundamental research over trying to conquer the consumer market ASAP.

Sure, I have much more monetary capital invested in non-Chinese AI (and related infrastructure) than I do in Chinese AI, but in the longer run being able to get equivalent or better performance so much more cheaply is fantastic news---and it's all open source.

As with subsidies for green energy, this is another area where China is proving to be the ethical hero of the early 21st century. (Granted, it still has a lot of very major issues from ethical standpoints....)

[Tsundoku]

Deep Seek's icon is a blue whale. Just saying.

[QuickTidal]

I keep saying that one of the reasons the US (and others really; including probably my country) paint China in the media as this deeply scary enemy is because they are leaving the nonsense in the dust and progressing with technology as a MUCH faster pace than anyone else in the world. And the US know that to achieve similar ends, they would have to invest a TONNE of money...and the private sector will demand it's payout even so...it's a herculean task that no administration is willing to put their necks on the line for. At some point in the last 50 years the US went from being a leader in all these fronts, to being so left behind that catching up will be a daunting ordeal...if it's even possible.

Deep Seek being so much stronger than ChatGPT is proof of that. And the fact that the Bros in Silicon Valley are "stunned" is hilarious because of course when you don't laser focus your shit on consumerism, you're going to be able to build a much stronger and rounded system.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 28 January 2025 - 12:43 PM