Nepenthe

joined 1 year ago
[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 19 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (6 children)

Well yeah, of course the problem here would be child support and not divorce is functionally impossible in Missouri.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 23 points 4 months ago

That was very nearly my exact same thought. Maybe not for curious children with carrot-sized fingers, but for adults, how convenient! Business competitor's body won't quite fit in your fancy frunk? Just while away on your phone for about 10 minutes, let the cat do its magic, and off go the legs! Travel-sized!

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I mean, I know I'm raining on an already pretty despairing post, here, in times that very well do lend themselves to despair, but that sentiment has been around as long as I've been alive and I'd bet good money decades longer. It's probably one of those sentiments that's as old as people.

But no one (or at least, comparatively very few) was rewarded for hating Elvis. He hasn't been a thing in a long time. Same with any other risque entertainer that was also satan, they fall by the wayside after everyone gets bored. People are rewarded very well when they bend over for billionaires. As long as sociopathy is rewarded, there will always be rampant sociopathy.

I'm not saying it's so ingrained that there's no point in fighting it -- forcibly changing the culture is of the utmost importance, especially now. But that sentiment, the battle plan can't just be "wait around and it will work itself out." It's not like billionaires either of the actual or the temporarily embarrassed sort don't have kids. I'm starting to see that's the fatal flaw the more liberal-minded seem to have. It's like we believe so hard that everyone is inherently good and that things will work out in the end that we never bother to make a move. It's the death of us.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Uh....then you have kids? If you want them? I do not think I understand the question.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 36 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (3 children)

Ah yes, the only two functions, reproduction and opening jars /s

Recently, scientists successfully induced the stem cell of a male mouse to transform into an egg instead of sperm.

The resultant litter was in all respects normal and, while we are talking about baby steps (ha) with mice instead of humans, I'm sure that would be a when, not an if.

The biggest immediate concern would probably be depression and osteoporosis. Pretty sure the depression wouldn't be very new, sadly, for anyone still paying attention to anything around them at all, but it doesn't need to be added to the pile for a demographic that already doesn't tend to reach out.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 8 points 5 months ago

Fanning slowly -- "I am married."

Fanning quickly -- "I am engaged."

Using as a fan -- "Introduce me to your company."

.....?

I have to wonder who came up with this. One would imagine it was just some idea someone had and they published a whole etiquette book about it, and it slowly but forcefully caught on from there, because otherwise I can't imagine this just being a thing that evolves spontaneously in a way everyone equally understands. Imagine sitting all the way across the room at a ball or something and witnessing someone break up with their boytoy through body language. With perfect clarity for all to see. You might as well just say it out loud.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 8 points 5 months ago

From the US: I'm over 30 and this is the first time I've heard surrogacy referred to as human trafficking. And now I need to sit and think.

It's always felt a little bit creepy to me, but I've also never wanted kids and the idea of pregnancy for any reason would be traumatic. So I'm starting out heavily biased. I think if you take the money out, it no longer counts....?

But the idea would be so out of left field that it would mostly be dismissed out of hand, probably even by most women.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah? And how many removed the lid that way?

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 16 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Middle-age would be in your 40s-50s. Not to diss my dead relatives too hard, but you're thinking of old fucks that would have any solid opinion on that. In a handful of years, the music middle aged men will be up in arms about is *NSYNC.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 14 points 5 months ago (11 children)

So apparently if you smack it all around the sides of the lid with a spoon or something, you can loosen the vacuum seal.

It sounds fake but it worked the other night on a jar of salsa I was legitimately considering just breaking, and I'm still kinda mad that I never knew that til now.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 10 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Remember, if the thick cloud emitted by the egg only drifts upwards, it's probably no good.

No, this graphic really is solid advice for people to know, but damn if it could have been designed with a little more forethought. Imagine, for instance, if the reader is yellow/blue colorblind. They could make a guess at what's happening, but they may not quite be sure. Arrows are doing 99% of the lifting, here.

[–] Nepenthe@kbin.social 1 points 5 months ago

I would be very concerned if one did not at least break even, but we can always bulldoze the bulldozing company at the end.

 
 
 

Larian Studios's policy and guidelines restrict the selling of fan content or goods for any of its games, including Baldur's Gate 3…

…The five basic rules for making fan content of Baldur’s Gate 3 and other Larian Studios games are:

  1. Keep it free.
  2. Keep it clear it’s fan content.
  3. Keep it honest.
  4. Keep it clean
  5. Keep it legit.

The fourth rule of “Keep it clean” simply means that Larian Studios reserves the right to stop your use of its IP if it deems your content “inappropriate, offensive, damaging, or disparaging.” It isn’t forbidding you from making R-18 content.

“Keep it honest” and “Keep it clear it’s fan content” are very similar. The main rule in question is the first one, in which you cannot sell “fan content to any third parties for any type of compensation.”

If you really want to make Baldur’s Gate 3 fan content, you can do so. You simply cannot do it for profit. This would include putting something behind a paywall, or selling items at a convention. For reference, Larian Studios defines “fan content” as “fanart, videos, stories, screenshots, cosplays, mods, or anything else.” Uploading or giving things away for free are both totally alright.

I'm guessing this may be more a WotC thing than a Larian thing. Still annoyed to hear it, since things like cosplay can be expensive and I imagine they're things you put your heart into the same as art.

I've seen some damn incredible stuff at conventions before, and I'd hate to be deprived of them rather than force the artist to give their work away for free. This also makes commissioned work feel weirdly shaky, depending on what they're calling a third party?

Wonder if this will turn into a panini situation . Free amigurumi Karlach with every purchase of a $40 pencil.

 

New research has shown that vampire bats form social bonds by sharing freshly drained blood with unfamiliar members of their roost. It might sound desperately gross, but this behavior is showing scientists that vampire bats are incredibly prosocial animals.

"Food sharing in vampire bats is like how a lot of birds regurgitate food for their offspring. But what's special with vampire bats is they do this for other adults, eventually even with some previous strangers," Gerald Carter, lead author of the new study and assistant professor of evolution, ecology, and organismal biology at Ohio State University, said in a statement.

 
 

In 2015, Democratic Elk Grove Assemblyman Jim Cooper voted for Senate Bill 34, which restricted law enforcement from sharing automated license plate reader (ALPR) data with out-of-state authorities. In 2023, now-Sacramento County Sheriff Cooper appears to be doing just that.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) a digital rights group, has sent Cooper a letter requesting that the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office cease sharing ALPR data with out-of-state agencies that could use it to prosecute someone for seeking an abortion.

According to documents that the Sheriff’s Office provided EFF through a public records request, it has shared license plate reader data with law enforcement agencies in states that have passed laws banning abortion, including Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas.

Adam Schwartz, EFF senior staff attorney, called automated license plate readers “a growing threat to everyone’s privacy ... that are out there by the thousands in California.”

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