Sven Slootweg @joepie91@pixie.town

hey fedi. asking for some help here, boosts would be greatly appreciated.

one of my partners a few months ago got stuck in a shitty situation where her disability benefits - including health insurance - were cut off. as a result of that, she lost access to her doctors, including the one that prescribed her antidepressants, and she's not going to be able to get that health insurance any time soon. right now i'm looking at paying cash for her to see a doctor and get that prescription, with the hope she can get by without seeing the doctor for another year or so, but that's not the preferred solution as it requires me to be there to pay every time, and it's not a guarantee.

is there a way she'd be able to get that antidepressant without a prescription? she's on Duloxetine HCL (aka Cymbalta) 80mg (she was previously prescribed 40mg, but as 2 pills taken in the morning), but she also said 60mg worked. i'm willing to pay cash for it, and although i'd like to say money isn't a limiting factor, we'd prefer if its on the cheaper end (although i don't mind paying more to get it in bulk if it's cheaper long-term, as I only can see her every few months, due to distance.)

so, i was browsing https://isp.netscape.com/ at 3am like a normal girl in her early 20's does, when i noticed something weird... what the fuck is this "download browser" thing? it downloads a file called "AOL_Netscape.exe", what the fuck is that

spent today messing around with #blender #geometrynodes

This is an experiment. Please boost.

http://mastoddosnt.ddns.net/

Here's the idea: This post is going first to my followers, then, if they boost it, to other people. This domain has been registered for only this experiment. I should see in my web server's logs when mastodon instances start crawling the site for info. Then maybe also some curious humans.

I just want to play with my monitoring a bit :)

@coffee4danz I'm blind and for me alt text is the Big Special Thing about Mastodon. If someone posts a meme, I'm in on the joke. Someone shares beautifiul moss, or their cat, I'm in on the beauty or fun or whatever. I'm now 62, and this is the first time I entered a community and a culture where people grant me this kind of access and community. So grateful for people who do alt text.

pros of the internet:
- you can find and become friends with cute gays across the world!

cons of the internet:
- you can befriend cute gays across the world and now you badly want to fly to south america to hug them

@coffee4danz it reveals the bits that the poster thought was important; I especially enjoy when that's very different to what I thought was important, it's like seeing the image from a different angle. It's delicious, like seeing in another dimension, through someone else's eyes. It enrichens :)

Mastodon has introduced me to the joy of reading descriptive #alttext. I take in the image then read the text as icing on the cake. It can really add extra personality to images.

there's a Minecraft oak wood planks block as a table in my hotel room

Ah yes, the very popular intercity to Groningen #DrukHier

The 'This is fine' meme is way older than anyone had expected.

This 14th century manuscript illustration shows the legendary British king Vortigern in his burning castle.

More on the illustration here:
https://thehistorianshut.com/2020/10/14/illustration-depicting-the-demise-of-vortigern-from-a-14th-century-manuscript/

British Library royal ms 20 a ii f3r

De wereld zoals we die kennen is ten dode opgeschreven. Houden we onszelf voor de gek met optimistische voorspellingen? Of heeft het nut om hoop te houden? Wat kunnen we nu eigenlijk echt weten over de toekomst van onze planeet? https://www.groene.nl/artikel/vlinders-verdwijnen-zonnepanelen-verschijnen?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=owned_social&utm_source=mastodon

We are proud to announce the new mandatory rules for table construction. Please see your local Cat Office of Cat Happiness for information on compliance with these stunning and well-thought-out changes. Congratulations to the design team on solving the problem!

This was NOT posted by #PicaTheCat I, a human agree and support this fully of my own free will. #picalaw #picacrime

Hey writers, I need help.

I know how to turn calm and excited energy into writing energy, but I don't know how to turn anxious and nervous energy into writing energy.

Unfortunately all I've got lately is anxious and nervous energy.

How do you do it? And please don't say drugs and alcohol. XP

has anyone read a particularly good book about the growth of a new religious movement, especially growth in the last fifty years or so? using that term intentionally, doesn’t have to be a high control group

Yikes! Other authors, be very careful and make sure you, or your agent, keeps an eye on contracts! Because mine is more experienced, he spotted the below right away, but keep an eye out for the below.

1. Do not give publishers permission to train their AI on your work, even internally. WTF? A publisher tried to sneak this in!

2. Despite what publishers tell you, demand your audiobook should be done by humans and your cover should be done by humans. Publishers love AI despite what they tell you!

3. Do not let publishers dictate giving you a lower advance *because* you don't have a platform. This is bullshit, especially since they have all the PR connections.

4. Do not let them say anything about how many hours you should spend promoting your book. Make this low as possible or even eliminate it altogether. They have all the PR connections. You don't. Make it their fault you don't make back their advance, not you, because they can decline to publish you in the future and you won't have numbers to prove they failed in PR.

5. Don't let publishers tell you virtual book tours don't generate returns on investment and isn't worth having their publicist do. No, fuck that shit! Because my agent is experienced, he said fuck that straight away! If you want your releases to be virtual, say so!

And finally,

6. Do not let them give you a low advance. A lower advance says they don't have to invest in you as much to get back that investment. They should do the bulk of the publishing work, not you, so always ask for higher advances, always! Even if you don't think you'll make back that advance. Go higher. This will force them to do something about their investment in you!

#Publishing