● 07.04.23

Gemini version available ♊︎

● Gemini Links 04/07/2023: Happy Independence Day and GemText Tweaks

Posted in News Roundup at 8:37 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Gemini* and Gopher

Personal/Opinions

• While I sometimes watch some short films on and off, its been awhile since I sat down and watched an entire film. That changed today.

• Everything Must Go 2010 – Starring Will Ferrell is one of his more dramatic outings. Similar to Stranger Than Fiction (which I also enjoyed). Also, legally free on Youtube as of this post.

• My mother told me as a child, “You will grow up to be as tall as your father”, who was over six feet tall. I am still waiting.

• I was a teen when I realized that most kids around me started getting taller, then, substantially taller. When I stopped growing I was not horribly short, but pretty damn short, compared to those around me. When I realized what it meant I was pretty devastated.

• I was also transported, some time earlier, to a place where height mattered much more than where I grew up. All of a sudden, I became the subject of bullying – both physical and psychological. I was misgendered, mocked, and shoved. I was called vile names. I cursed gods of all kinds for making me the way I was, and the circumstances that placed me situations in which I was not able to defend myself — both physically and otherwise, as I could not speak the language without making a complete mockery of myself.

• [...]

• As I got older, women literally looked over my head at the tall men behind me. I was largely invisible as a potential sex partner. Recent data from dating sites confirms it: for every inch of height (in men — bra size in women) the potential match pool doubles. There is literally a factor of 1000 between someone 5’4″ and 6’2″. ONE THOUSAND!

• Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans out there. As the 1st son of immigrants to this country, it’s always interesting for me to reflect on America.

• For many immigrants, America truly was the promised land. My parents left Asia with literally nothing but the clothes on their backs. I have a picture of my dad taken when he came to America with all of his belongings. He literally had one suit and a small hard-sided 70s luggage the size of a large briefcase.

• He started working in Chinese restaurants as a waiter for years while he was in college. He eventually got an accounting degree, married, and moved to Texas where he had me and my sister.

• The last of the lucky few, those who could afford sinking a year’s salary for a ticket, push their way into the vast hall as the lights slowly dim. Hushed conversations end, and an opressive silence pours over the darkness. A barely-lit stage commands full attention now — except for the occasional tigadink-dadading-dadaa-wink of a stray phone followed by aggressive hissing from all directions.

• The silence continues. And then there is motion on the stage. Everyone stands — The Reader is on stage!

• I can’t believe it. Hearts are flying across my screen as my friends cheer me… Volume goes up and everyone is taking selfies, even though The Reader not really visible.

Technology and Free Software

• Now I have to use a smartphone more often (as a remote control for some home equipment) so I have decided for a small challenge.

• The plan is to be as non-digital as possible.

• I recently learned that tilde.pink’s mail setup works perfect, with mutt pre-installed, and I can accept and send email at my username at tilde.pink. If anyone wants to reply to my posts directly, this is an option!

Internet/Gemini

• I agree with Acidus’s points about tables: they are far, far too heavyweight for Gemtext.

• The “burned in” tables look good to me.

• I believe passionately *reading* – especially paired with *some* public effort to indicate that reading took place – is at least as important as passionately writing, else I suspect most will eventually lose heart over what slowly, increasingly feels pointless effort – as we can simply “post” writing to local files if we truly don’t give a shit whether we’re read.

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