Notices by Snake Girl Ellie (noelle@elekk.xyz), page 36

I'd just like to in
terject for a moment. What
you're referring to

as Linux, is in
fact, GNU/Linux, or as I’ve
recently taken

to calling it, GNU
plus Linux. Linux is not
an operating

system unto it
self, but rather another
free component of

a fully function
ing GNU system made useful
by the GNU corelibs

"A Ruby programmer will tell you to use "idiomatic" Ruby. The word "idiomatic" means something different to Ruby programmers than it does to everyone else in the world. To you and me "idiomatic" means "a confusing phrase only a native speaker would know and should be avoided in well written language". To a Ruby programmer "idiomatic" means "way.easy.most.natural.people.all.do.unless.real.programmer"."

Rather than launch into a rant about education, I will say simply this:

When you praise someone - anyone - for a successful project, PLEASE praise the WORK they put into the project, including the training they went through to be able to do the work - and NOT their "talent" or "smartness" or "giftnedness".

I wonder how many sites are just putting up banners that read "EU users: This site does not recognize the EU's authority. By using this site you consent to our privacy policy."

I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's, and his hair was perfect

It's interesting to me that "emoticon" and "emoji" look so similar but are etymologically unrelated.

"emoticon" - "emotion" + "icon"

"emoji" - 絵 ("e", meaning "picture" or "art") + 文字 ("moji", meaning "(written) character" or "kana")

so uh if you have a couple bucks handy I could really use your help going into June

https://paypal.me/joyeusenoelle
https://liberapay.com/joyeusenoelle

There was a young man
From Toulouse who got lim'ricks
And haiku confused

This is apparently a common disorder and I want to reassure people that you're not alone or weird for having it. Having a delay between hearing someone's words and processing them is nothing to be ashamed of and it's not abnormal.

Boost if you know what this means:

ATH0M0V1DT8675309

apparently a TERF made this to mock trans people and it's actually just the best thing?

@squirrel look at my beaners. look at my beaners. look at my beaners look at my beaners look at

https://thechad.zone/users/3, as an actual Nazi, can probably go safely on your blocklist

"They're not people, they're animals" is how people start getting put in concentration camps. They're not people, so you don't have to care about them. They're animals, so you don't have to offer them due process or the protection of law. And once you've done that once, it's really easy to justify doing it again to suppress another group you don't like.

The power to dehumanize is inherently corruptive.

Trump says, regarding illegal immigrants, and specifically transnational gangs like MS-13, "You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people, these are animals."

The danger in denying basic humanity to a certain group of people is twofold:

1) It's too easy to use that to justify TREATING them as non-human, and

2) It's too easy to start spreading that non-human category to include other people you don't like.

the ducks know what they did

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GNDYN8C/

cc @squirrel: the Puma R-System, a computerized running shoe from 1986: https://www.defynewyork.com/2018/03/29/puma-re-invents-their-r-system-for-2018/

Friends, as we head into #Ramadan, please take special care to CW your posts about #food. Your observant Muslim community-mates will be fasting between sunrise and sunset, and using a CW will make life a little easier for them.

The funny thing about "soccer" being thought of as a North American term is that it's as perfect an example of English twee-ism as I can think of. It's from the full name of the sport, "association football" (American football, by contrast, is "gridiron football").

"Association football" -> "association" -> "soccer".

(Viz., for example, James May calling Jeremy Clarkson "Jezzer".)

If I could convince Mastodon at large of only one thing, it would be this:

if you see someone complaining, DO NOT give them advice.

If someone ASKS for advice, offer it.

But 90% of the time, someone complaining is just venting. They're not telling you the whole story, and they're not receptive to being given advice, because in that mental state, your "good-natured advice" is their "HERE'S HOW YOU'RE DOING THIS WRONG".

Do not respond with advice unless it's asked for.