skaldish

[skaldish]

The quality of things is disproportionately bad, considering the sheer magnitude of manufacturing and technological power we have today compared to the 90’s. We make things faster. We have better materials. The stuff we make can do more using less resources and do what they do more efficiently than before.

But we don’t see that because the incentive for doing business is no longer about making a better product, but rather “making number go up.” Corporations generate their wealth by metagaming the structures of society rather than playing by their intended rules, which is why we’re seeing our society erode before our very eyes.

I hate it ever so much.

Man…I’m not going to lie, it’s not remotely rewarding anymore to buy what would normally be fun happifying things. Most of the time I have to return what I ordered because it’s poor-quality or defective in some way. And what I do keep, I usually keep because it’s adequate enough to not bother returning.

I can think of maybe one non-essential splurge I bought in the past two years that actually rewards me by virtue of its quality, and that was a bluetooth gaming controller for playing Minecraft on my iPad.

#replies

[skaldish]

I can settle with things not being the most beautiful or even the most durable so long as they provide a good user-experience.

But if using something for its intended purpose is an unpleasant experience (even if the thing “works”) it means the act of buying that thing has not enriched my life in any way.

This has been so routine that my mammal brain is starting to go, “Well shit, I guess buying stuff doesn’t make my life-experience wealthier anymore. Gotta go look for other avenues to get that from.”

Man…I’m not going to lie, it’s not remotely rewarding anymore to buy what would normally be fun happifying things. Most of the time I have to return what I ordered because it’s poor-quality or defective in some way. And what I do keep, I usually keep because it’s adequate enough to not bother returning.

I can think of maybe one non-essential splurge I bought in the past two years that actually rewards me by virtue of its quality, and that was a bluetooth gaming controller for playing Minecraft on my iPad.

#zan speaks #enshittification

[skaldish]

Man…I’m not going to lie, it’s not remotely rewarding anymore to buy what would normally be fun happifying things. Most of the time I have to return what I ordered because it’s poor-quality or defective in some way. And what I do keep, I usually keep because it’s adequate enough to not bother returning.

I can think of maybe one non-essential splurge I bought in the past two years that actually rewards me by virtue of its quality, and that was a bluetooth gaming controller for playing Minecraft on my iPad.

#zan speaks #enshittification

[skaldish]

the most infuriating thing about personal growth is that even if someone else did have the answer you needed and conveyed it to you in a precise and effective matter, it won't make sense until you're ready for it. you could hear it every day of your life and it wouldn't matter a fucking bit until it finally clicks. there's very little you can do to influence when that happens, either

#yeah this gets me every time

[skaldish]

If u want to write a story about a character that’s just you but hotter with a dark twisted backstory and magical powers and a pet falcon or something, I think u should just go ahead and do that. Who’s gonna stop you? The government?? Fuck the police.

#I love this post

[skaldish]

#resources #resource

[skaldish]

Y'all, I need that post that explains the early animation neolithic cave art.

You know, the one that talks about how researchers didn't know what all the lines scratched through the drawings meant, until they brought in a low lamp that swung back and forth and they could see the reliefs in the stones creating animated movement...which they couldn't see before because they were using modern lighting to light up the cave.

Anyone got it on hand?

#reblogging for reference #history

[skaldish]

OH HECK YEAH

Y'all, I need that post that explains the early animation neolithic cave art.

You know, the one that talks about how researchers didn't know what all the lines scratched through the drawings meant, until they brought in a low lamp that swung back and forth and they could see the reliefs in the stones creating animated movement...which they couldn't see before because they were using modern lighting to light up the cave.

Anyone got it on hand?

#a thousand thanks!! #this is exactly what I need #history

[skaldish]

Yeah this has the story I'm looking for! Unfortunately though, I'm trying to find the name of the cave this is in and the name of the researcher who wrote this experience in 1993, and this tiktok doesn't say either ;-;

Y'all, I need that post that explains the early animation neolithic cave art.

You know, the one that talks about how researchers didn't know what all the lines scratched through the drawings meant, until they brought in a low lamp that swung back and forth and they could see the reliefs in the stones creating animated movement...which they couldn't see before because they were using modern lighting to light up the cave.

Anyone got it on hand?

#replies

[skaldish]

Y'all, I need that post that explains the early animation neolithic cave art.

You know, the one that talks about how researchers didn't know what all the lines scratched through the drawings meant, until they brought in a low lamp that swung back and forth and they could see the reliefs in the stones creating animated movement...which they couldn't see before because they were using modern lighting to light up the cave.

Anyone got it on hand?

#zan speaks

[skaldish]

DEAR EDUCATIONALLY NEGLECTED HOMESCHOOLERS

I’ve gathered some resources and tips and tricks on self-educating after educational neglect. This is only what I did and what I know helped me. I’m about to graduate college with honors after having no education past the age of 9. I wouldn’t be here without the following. Everything is free, and at/well above the standard for education in the US.

The holy grail: Khan Academy. Nearly every course you could take is available here, in order and by grade level. Their open-source free courses rival some of the college classes I’ve taken. This is your most solid resource.

For inattentive types: Crash Course offers a variety of courses that are snappy, entertaining, and extremely rewarding. They work for my ADHD brain. They also have college prep advice, which is essential if you’re looking to go to higher education with no classroom experience.

To catch up on your reading: There are certain books that you may have read had you gone to school that you’ve missed out on. This list is the most well-rounded and can fill you in on both children’s books and classic novels that are essential or at least extremely helpful to be familiar with. You can find a majority of these easily at a local library (and some for free in PDF form online low key). There are a few higher level classics in here that I’d highly recommend. If it doesn’t work for you, I’d always recommend asking your local librarian.

*BE AWARE* The book list I recommend suggests you read Harry Potter books, and given their transphobic author you may or may not want to read them. If you choose to, I’d highly recommend buying the books secondhand or borrowing from a library to avoid financially supporting a living author with dangerous and damaging views.

TEST, TEST, TEST: Again, Khan Academy is your go-to for this. I don’t personally like standardized testing, but going through SAT and ACT courses was the best way I found to really reveal my gaps so that I could supplement.

Finally: As much as you can, enjoy the process. Education can be thrilling and teach you so much about yourself, and help shape your view of the world. It can get frustrating, but I’d like to encourage you that everyone can learn. No pace is the perfect pace, and your learning style is the right learning style for you. In teaching yourself, be patient, be kind, and indulge in the subjects you really enjoy without neglecting others. You are your teacher. Give yourself what others chose not to.

#education

[skaldish]

i live in california. tl;dr if its got ANYTHING, PROP 65 on it, you can probably ignore the warning. coffee gets a prop 65 warning. sunlight technically fulfills the requirement to get a prop 65 warning. alcohol gets a prop 65 warning. so does seafood and soft cheese. so does gasoline. so does aloe vera. i swear i see those signs in every store and restaurant. the law is about consumer safety and information, and it ends up being way too broad. everyone here mostly ignores the signs and labels.

Yeah, it seems to defeat the purpose if the label is that broad.

I imagine it could be easily resolved with something similar to, like, recycling labels, where the number would indicate where it falls in the classification system.

Because there's a big difference between "We don't know if this'll cause cancer or not so we're putting a warning on it just in case" and "this is an actual factual biohazard."

#answered #PSA

[skaldish]

I think there's also something to be said about fact a lot of people—particularly white people—don't have good methodology for building community, precisely because our notion of "community" is largely theoretical, rather than something we grow up experiencing.

I also notice communities tend to enter cult-territory when their members/leaders/organizers are more focused on reproducing the vision they have in their heads for how it should look/feel/operate, rather than committing to co-operate with each other regardless of ideals.

hey ct. you know cult stuff. why is it that its so much easier to find cult shit than actual community? ive soft dodged like three cults trying to find a rural communal living situation. what is it about cults that is so appealing over Being Normal And Chill About Community Living

Man. That's a good question, and not one I'm qualified to answer with any real authority, but I've got some cents to give.

Capitalism is isolating. As public spaces and resources are stripped from the public, it becomes harder and harder to exist as a community. But still, people yearn for community. We are by and large social creatures.

Unfortunately, that means that sometimes, the organizations who can provide community, do so on predatory terms.

#zan speaks

[skaldish]

I will have to give his a look!

have you any adaptations of norse myth as complete as the eddas but in a more accessible format? or a modernized english translation? ive tried reading the eddas a few times but struggle with the archaic language so i prefer other texts, including those on your site, but they all focus (understandably) on the more well-known stories while only briefly mentioning others. they solve the antiquity of the eddas but in the process omit lots of gems! am i chasing unicorns here?

It's out-of-print, but I generally recommend d'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths for a first-time read.

It's a children's book, so the authors gloss over a few of the cruder things (such as Loki tying his balls to the beard of a goat to make Skadi laugh), but the way they've chosen to adapt these oral stories into a linear book-format is nothing short of brilliant. They've woven a shocking amount of extant and historically-attested tales within the book, and being that it's a children's book, everything is very easy to read and understand.

They objectively did a spectacular job with how they organized everything. I think it helped that Ingri d'Aulaire was Norwegian and grew up with the oral tradition. It's clear to me that she didn't need to rely on how these tales are formatted in the old Icelandic sagas; she knew how to restructure them while still conveying the same information.

One thing to note about this book, though, is that it's not designed to give you the same experience you'd have with the oral tradition, nor is it intended to fulfill the same anthropological function. Its purpose is just to share the cultural stories. But the fact it's extraordinarily successful at fulfilling this purpose is why it's my go-to recommended retelling at this point in time.

#replies #resource

[skaldish]

Something good to know about the cancer warnings is that they can apply to the packaging and not the product itself. Ofc this depends on the product and all that, but js you might not need to be as concerned.

Oh damn that's also a very important addition, good to know.

#answered #PSA

[skaldish]

That makes sense! Good to know.

...Why are companies allowed to manufacture and sell products that use materials known for causing cancer?

#guess I should do my due diligence and take my old keyboard to the recycling plant #PSA #I wish I got better education about prop 65

[skaldish]

I hear Crawford's Poetic Edda translation is generally the easiest to read, out of all translations. What he sacrifices in poetic effect he makes up for by putting everything in very plain English. That would be the way to go, I think, if you're looking for a more Eddic experience.

I personally use the Larrington translation since it strikes a nice balance between academic analysis, poetry, and legibility. It may be another option for you to try.

(Although if I had my way I would have Dronke's version. That one is deeply academic so definitely not what you're looking for, but it provides the most comprehensive analysis of the cultural understanding behind the Poetic Edda to date. Unfortunately, it's an out-of-print textbook and priced like one.)

As for the Prose Edda, I use the Everyman version, but Snorri's words are going to feel archaic no matter what, so your mileage will vary there.

But you're right in the sense that there isn't anything that captures the feeling of the stories, and replicates the experience and understanding that these stories are supposed to evoke, and do evoke in the oral tradition.

One of these days I hope to write a retelling of the Norse Myths. I have it on my to-do list anyway.

have you any adaptations of norse myth as complete as the eddas but in a more accessible format? or a modernized english translation? ive tried reading the eddas a few times but struggle with the archaic language so i prefer other texts, including those on your site, but they all focus (understandably) on the more well-known stories while only briefly mentioning others. they solve the antiquity of the eddas but in the process omit lots of gems! am i chasing unicorns here?

It's out-of-print, but I generally recommend d'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths for a first-time read.

It's a children's book, so the authors gloss over a few of the cruder things (such as Loki tying his balls to the beard of a goat to make Skadi laugh), but the way they've chosen to adapt these oral stories into a linear book-format is nothing short of brilliant. They've woven a shocking amount of extant and historically-attested tales within the book, and being that it's a children's book, everything is very easy to read and understand.

They objectively did a spectacular job with how they organized everything. I think it helped that Ingri d'Aulaire was Norwegian and grew up with the oral tradition. It's clear to me that she didn't need to rely on how these tales are formatted in the old Icelandic sagas; she knew how to restructure them while still conveying the same information.

One thing to note about this book, though, is that it's not designed to give you the same experience you'd have with the oral tradition, nor is it intended to fulfill the same anthropological function. Its purpose is just to share the cultural stories. But the fact it's extraordinarily successful at fulfilling this purpose is why it's my go-to recommended retelling at this point in time.

#replies