Terrible, Beautiful Sparks in Space

have not seen any AAC device vocabulary have words for any “private” body parts . can not tell caregivers about having a problem with some “ private “ body part . no pages for to talk about serious brain “trouble” either .

we people what use AAC devices are very most likely to be hurt by bad people because them people know we can not tell really what happened .

Pixie HAVE grid from smart box . Is been Pixies primary AAC device for years . Pixies original speech therapist STILL had add genitals to body page AND had find switch , buried in settings , for make grid actually show not - censored symbols . ( And also same same with all not - straight identity words too , because of same same censorship . )

Them words and symbols being available to children and especially intellectual / cognitive disability people , too often make not - disabled people so very uncomfortable , and so get excluded from default vocabularies . THAT is what this post was about , automatic censoring of people what use symbol based AAC devices . Grid not exception to this .

These these absolutely critically needed words need be include in all AAC devices AND make visible *by default* . No needing to dig through settings to find the switch that make these symbols appear . No needing ask for help put in these words .

I think there are useful conversations about M/M being written by women (and F/F being written by men) especially in the context of the romance publishing ecosystem often shutting queer men out of the M/M romance space in favor of female authors and in the context of some women in fandom using their gender as a shield against criticism about some trends in slash fiction, and about F/F being written by men in the context of the history of fetishization by men of lesbians in pornography.

but lets not forget sergei prokudin-gorskiy, who developed a similar process in 1902, published in 1903 and then toured russia to take hundreds of color photographs:

This is Leo Tolstoy, author of “War and Peace” and “Anna Karenina”.

Alim Khan, Emir of Bukhara…

…and his Minister of the Interior.

A Type B-15 steam locomotive…

Another of those peasant girls with guest-gifts of berries…

The Church of St John the Baptist at Staraya Ladoga…

…and a Sergei Prokudin-Gorskiy self-portrait.

Unlike some current selfies ;-> he’s not dominating the image, so here’s a closer shot.

Nice hat…

And for those people who have access to mobility devices but might benefit from a second chair they can abuse without risking expensive damage…

Erik Kondo has made a website, Open Source Innovations, that details plans for DIY wheelchairs. These wheelchairs can be made from common materials like wood, plastic, and pvc. They are lightweight and can be custom fit to the user allowing from the same degree of movement you would get from a custom chair. And they are durable and easily repairable. (he has been stress testing his latest design by dropping it down stairs, dropping it out of a car, launching it across a driveway, and throwing it off a deck). Its 12lbs and I think he said its was in the $200 ish range for parts.

Also, for those saying that this wheelchair looks uncomfortable or that the dimensions wouldn’t work for them etc… this picture is of a wheelchair that is custom made for a specific user. It’s functionality comes specifically from its custom fit which allows the user to self propel comfortably and easily do maneuvers like jumping curbs, etc which regular hospital chairs (one size fits none) do not allow.

However, the website and designs (which were designed, built, and tested by a full time wheelchair user for other wheelchair users) seeks to provide DIY info that is helpful regardless of one’s needs. Meaning that you can decide if a higher or lower backrest is better for you or if you need a bigger cushion or a different foot rest or push handles or whatever. And since it’s s cheap and easily repairable it can also be updated for the user’s changing needs as their disability progresses.

It is obviously less ideal than other options and users need to know enough to protect themselves from injury from pressure sores and repetitive movement just like any chair. But for the thousands upon thousands who have no other option because they don’t have manufacturing companies available in their country or because insurance wont allow it or because their doctor doesn’t think they need it or because airlines damages their chair and wont replace it, this may be their only viable option.

Plus, if you want to know more about how design affects usability (its super cool I promise) there are also a ton of test videos which show side by side comparisons of custom chairs vs DIY chairs vs hospital chairs performing various functions to demonstrate the importance of custom fit over materials. Because if you can expend half the effort to go the same distance, that is HUGE.

The Bubonic Plague

Vampire Folklore

Tree frogs.

he looks SO shocked and taken aback and goes “what did you just say? how do you know my name?” so i sit there for a moment trying to figure out what the fuck he is talking about, and then go, “…. bitch?” and he looks so relieved and tells me his name is mitch.

It usually feels really bad. Because this is the point it becomes real craft. It's so, so difficult to really be able to identify if it's truly not going to be anything or you're just in the hardest part of the process, and really the only way to know is to... write through it. Write it badly. Or, if you really can't, put it in a drawer and come back to it after a few months of breathing space. Remember, you can fix so much in the edit, but you can't fix nothing!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/writing-advice-1-82451675