starless @starless@pixie.town

Just ordered dinner while soaking in the tub. Not a bad evening in.

At this point, I don't think I could come out of the broom closet at work if I tried. Literally just asked for Samhain off at the end of the month, since we might need to be available overnight and my boss just went "yep, okay".

Good news? He's cool with it. Bad news? He asks how my Christmas was every year.

Aaand version 0.4, I guess? 0.3.5? Anyways, I made a vest to hold the sound processor and battery pack and wow, did it make a difference. Shoulder-mounted hearing aid-- who knew? Directionality isn't perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better, and wow, did it make a difference.

Anyways, I put in an order for a small 3.5 mm mic-- hopefully it shows up and basically 'just works' once I switch the audio input in the code. I suspect I might need to do some faaancy stuff to compensate for the mic's sensitivity range, but I'll burn that bridge when I come to it.

So far, this whole thing (aside from the Tympan board) has been really inexpensive-- maybe $30 in electronics-- for a functioning hearing device. Programming the prescription is still kind of a beast, involving some spreadsheets and a little guesswork. If we can get the board cost down, though, and improve the documentation/build process this thing might actually be accessible! I imagine I'll see some cost increases once I add nicer microphones, but it's hard to say. Feeling pretty excited. :)

Today I made version 0.3 of my hearing device using one of the examples in the Tympan library (https://github.com/Tympan/Tympan_Library/tree/master/examples/05-FullSystems/WDRC_3BandIIR_wAFC). I'm still getting a lot of artifacts, but I think I'm learning how to use and understand audio charts.

Aesthetically, I'm beginning to suspect I'll want to build my prototype into epaulets.

Cyberia's first #hope2020 is a little different from what we'd expected, but we're slowly coming online and tuning in. Our online home is over at https://cyberia.club-- feel free to stop by our matrix and chat! :)

Hi. Have another #art. It's part of the same triptych as the moon I posted earlier.

Hi hello have more smol #art.

OK, that's enough capitalism. Have some art.

I didn't have any real watercolor paper, so this is on a little 4x6" note card. The paper is not happy, but I like it anyways.

Crooked River (US, black-woman-owned and run) is busy, but sooo cool.

Instagram sensation Crooked River has sharp, futuristic, crisp, neon street-style vibes. If you're in a rush, check their instagram to make sure they're actively shipping orders-- this is a one-woman-run shop, and she gets *busy*.

I ordered a bathing suit ($50 USD) from this shop and although it took a while to arrive (there was a substantial backlog when I placed my order), the workmanship looks good and the reflective patterning on it is crisp and bright. Despite being a pretty risky cut, my suit still fit my body well and stayed street legal.

Note that the sizes in this shop only range from small (US) to large.

UGOGIRL (UK-based, owned by a woman-of-color) is so much cooler than me. Because their site is hard to find with a websearch, their address is ugogirl dot shop.

This shop has hard-girl vibes written all over it, plus some comfy loungewear. I picked up a long-sleeved, turtleneck bodysuit with high-cut leg holes, and let me tell you, this piece adds an edge to everything I've worn with it. The vibe here is fierce and club-friendly.

I spent about $50 USD for 3 pieces, including shipping, from the UK to the US. PoC and woman-owned, this is a designer to watch.

I did notice that the largest size they included with just 'large'. While their size 'small' shorts stretched to accommodate my 40-or-so inch hips without much trouble, larger folks may have more trouble.

HissyFit (UK-based, ethical mfg standards, woman-owned) is hella sick, though a little bubblegum femme for me.

They've got some rad futuristic, antifashion vibes, they've got some pretty rave girl vibes, and they've got some femme/them fatale vibes. I bought most of the stuff they had in black and honestly? Not bad.

For a little color, I suggest checking out their isolation mystery packs, and adding on an item or two from their main shop that you're pretty sure you'll like. Budget about $60-$110 USD for a cool haul, and expect to wait a bit as they ship to the US from the UK (about $10/package). Most of their designs are pretty revealing, though they do have some very cool high-waisted pants for folks who feel like showing less skin.

I'm not sure what good-manners on the fediverse are, so I'll hold off on dropping links unless someone asks. :)

A month or so ago, some larger alternative fashion brands got hard-cancelled.

They'd been problematic for years, but some friends and I had struggled to find cool alternatives. And then one of them rallied in defense of police brutality and Geneva Convention violations, and frankly, it was the last straw. I decided that boycotting these brands wasn't enough-- I had to fall in love with their competition.

I set aside about $200 and decided I'd see what I could find from more ethical shops. If I can get threads working, this'll be a thread. :)

Hi fediverse! I'm new here. Nice to meet you. :)