The Dragon’s Den

So my car didn't get totaled when the steering went out last week, but it's a close thing.

The plus side is, come mid-August we'll be able to get some help fixing it - it'll probably be good to go by my birthday at the end of September.

The downside is, we're so boned until then.

Living in Reno, we have access to public transit. But oh my god. It's awful. It's not reliable in the way public transit is in larger cities. Everything takes 5x longer to do, and none of the stops are conveniently near anything else. I'm constantly aching.

My bicycle is a single-speed beach cruiser that someone gave to me. With all of the hills around here and my chronic pain, it's hell on earth.

We need to be able to grocery shop, pick up prescriptions (we're on a lot of prescriptions), and attend doctor's appointments. Being able to do the occasional Fun Thing (Cyberpunk campaign at my daughter's house, karaoke at the gay bar) would be nice, too.

Raven has once-weekly physical therapy and an appointment or two a month, plus labs every now and then.

I, however, have physical therapy and occupational therapy once a week each, a minimum of a doctor's appointment a month, and labs every month. I run most of our errands, and I pick up our prescriptions. I also am the one most likely to get antsy and need out of the house, but on good days I can ride my bike down to the river.

So... we need transport backup. Something that won't cost an arm and a leg to get, or to operate, but that doesn't rely solely on our physicality. We are so physically broken, man. I got new shoes and the only thing that changed was my feet hurt slightly less now. My back is still cramped all the time. I hate it! 🙃

But! I've found what looks to be reliable-ish, affordable-ish electric options! An ebike for Raven, because they don't have a driver's license and so an ebike is the only legal option for them in Nevada that involves sitting down.

An electric moped-style scooter for me, with some cargo room so I can do grocery shopping.

Both have a range that can cover up to my daughter's house and back, and are rated for adult weight.

I put together an emergency registry on Amazon, along with a "pitch in" option, for the bike, scooter, helmets, and a few other options that would make it easier and safer for us. (Also decent bike locks because... It would suck for them to get stolen.)

I could do a Gofundme or a PayPal Pool, but I'd rather have as complete transparency as possible. So, here's the transparency.

If you're able to pitch in, even a few dollars, I'd appreciate it a lot! But if you can't or don't want to (I understand that this feels frivolous, and I won't blame you for not wanting to help! I just can't afford $120 a month for a bus pass for each of us - it's $60 each - plus the massive time sink. It's exhausting and painful), a signal boost would be a great help!

So my car didn't get totaled when the steering went out last week, but it's a close thing.

The plus side is, come mid-August we'll be able to get some help fixing it - it'll probably be good to go by my birthday at the end of September.

The downside is, we're so boned until then.

Living in Reno, we have access to public transit. But oh my god. It's awful. It's not reliable in the way public transit is in larger cities. Everything takes 5x longer to do, and none of the stops are conveniently near anything else. I'm constantly aching.

My bicycle is a single-speed beach cruiser that someone gave to me. With all of the hills around here and my chronic pain, it's hell on earth.

We need to be able to grocery shop, pick up prescriptions (we're on a lot of prescriptions), and attend doctor's appointments. Being able to do the occasional Fun Thing (Cyberpunk campaign at my daughter's house, karaoke at the gay bar) would be nice, too.

Raven has once-weekly physical therapy and an appointment or two a month, plus labs every now and then.

I, however, have physical therapy and occupational therapy once a week each, a minimum of a doctor's appointment a month, and labs every month. I run most of our errands, and I pick up our prescriptions. I also am the one most likely to get antsy and need out of the house, but on good days I can ride my bike down to the river.

So... we need transport backup. Something that won't cost an arm and a leg to get, or to operate, but that doesn't rely solely on our physicality. We are so physically broken, man. I got new shoes and the only thing that changed was my feet hurt slightly less now. My back is still cramped all the time. I hate it! 🙃

But! I've found what looks to be reliable-ish, affordable-ish electric options! An ebike for Raven, because they don't have a driver's license and so an ebike is the only legal option for them in Nevada that involves sitting down.

An electric moped-style scooter for me, with some cargo room so I can do grocery shopping.

Both have a range that can cover up to my daughter's house and back, and are rated for adult weight.

I put together an emergency registry on Amazon, along with a "pitch in" option, for the bike, scooter, helmets, and a few other options that would make it easier and safer for us. (Also decent bike locks because... It would suck for them to get stolen.)

I could do a Gofundme or a PayPal Pool, but I'd rather have as complete transparency as possible. So, here's the transparency.

If you're able to pitch in, even a few dollars, I'd appreciate it a lot! But if you can't or don't want to (I understand that this feels frivolous, and I won't blame you for not wanting to help! I just can't afford $120 a month for a bus pass for each of us - it's $60 each - plus the massive time sink. It's exhausting and painful), a signal boost would be a great help!

So my car didn't get totaled when the steering went out last week, but it's a close thing.

The plus side is, come mid-August we'll be able to get some help fixing it - it'll probably be good to go by my birthday at the end of September.

The downside is, we're so boned until then.

Living in Reno, we have access to public transit. But oh my god. It's awful. It's not reliable in the way public transit is in larger cities. Everything takes 5x longer to do, and none of the stops are conveniently near anything else. I'm constantly aching.

My bicycle is a single-speed beach cruiser that someone gave to me. With all of the hills around here and my chronic pain, it's hell on earth.

We need to be able to grocery shop, pick up prescriptions (we're on a lot of prescriptions), and attend doctor's appointments. Being able to do the occasional Fun Thing (Cyberpunk campaign at my daughter's house, karaoke at the gay bar) would be nice, too.

Raven has once-weekly physical therapy and an appointment or two a month, plus labs every now and then.

I, however, have physical therapy and occupational therapy once a week each, a minimum of a doctor's appointment a month, and labs every month. I run most of our errands, and I pick up our prescriptions. I also am the one most likely to get antsy and need out of the house, but on good days I can ride my bike down to the river.

So... we need transport backup. Something that won't cost an arm and a leg to get, or to operate, but that doesn't rely solely on our physicality. We are so physically broken, man. I got new shoes and the only thing that changed was my feet hurt slightly less now. My back is still cramped all the time. I hate it! 🙃

But! I've found what looks to be reliable-ish, affordable-ish electric options! An ebike for Raven, because they don't have a driver's license and so an ebike is the only legal option for them in Nevada that involves sitting down.

An electric moped-style scooter for me, with some cargo room so I can do grocery shopping.

Both have a range that can cover up to my daughter's house and back, and are rated for adult weight.

I put together an emergency registry on Amazon, along with a "pitch in" option, for the bike, scooter, helmets, and a few other options that would make it easier and safer for us. (Also decent bike locks because... It would suck for them to get stolen.)

I could do a Gofundme or a PayPal Pool, but I'd rather have as complete transparency as possible. So, here's the transparency.

If you're able to pitch in, even a few dollars, I'd appreciate it a lot! But if you can't or don't want to (I understand that this feels frivolous, and I won't blame you for not wanting to help! I just can't afford $120 a month for a bus pass for each of us - it's $60 each - plus the massive time sink. It's exhausting and painful), a signal boost would be a great help!

something something dykes on bikes 🏍️🌈💨 (because it's not pride without some l e a t h e r)

I got a weird bruise from the car accident yesterday. Thanks, safety belt! But for some reason my neck doesn't hurt as much as usual?

Please help me go into remission from Type II diabetes

Hello everyone, I am so sorry to remake this post, but I am very scared. I am experiencing embarassing and vulnerable symptoms- my type II diabetes is becoming progressive, and I am desperate to go into remission. It has affected my liver and my heart, and neuropathy has made me partially incontinent. On April I was hospitalized twice. I have no thyroid, and without medication, it will put me into a myxedema coma and will kill me within days. Hypothyroidism and type II diabetes is making it very difficult for me to find work, as I am from the global south (the Philippines), with government aid only covering 20,000 pesos (around 326 usd) a year. I am the only person in my family who can work; my mother is paralyzed from a brain injury, and my sister is autistic with a very low frustration threshold. I need help covering for my new medication, as I now take metformin twice a day, and phosphates to help with my liver and kidneys, and b complex to help bolster my immune system. Im sorry I keep remaking this post, I am alone and desperate. Community is all I have. Thank you so much for your endless grace and compassion.

Please come buy my prints!

https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/littlestpersimmon/

I have 400 exclusive artwork on patreon for only a dollar a month!

https://www.patreon.com/littlestpersimmon

You can also submit a tip here if yohd like, I promise I will do everything I can to give back to the community when I am in a better position to

Please have a moment of silence for the people who were killed instead of freed when news of emancipation finally reached the furthest corners of the american south.

have another moment for the ledgers, catalogs, and records that were burned and the homes that were destroyed to hide the presence of very much alive and still enslaved people on dozens of plantations and homesteads across the south for decades after emancipation.

and have a third moment for those who were hunted and killed while fleeing the south to find safety across the border, overseas, in the north and to the west.

black people. light a candle, write a note to those who have passed telling them what you have achieved in spite of the racist and intolerant conditions of this world, feel the warmth of the flame under your hand, say a prayer of rememberance if you are religious, place the note under the candle, and then blow it out.

if you have children, sit them down and tell them anything you know about the life of oldest black person you've ever met. it doesn't have to be your own family. tell them what you know about what life was like for us in the days, years, decades after emancipation. if you don't know much, look it up and learn about it together.

This is Juneteenth.

1. The court holds Google responsible for statements made by its AI, considering them Google's statements (search engines have limited liability for results in their engine as they're the words of other sites/companies/people), meaning when their AI lies/hallucinates they're liable for the defamation/harm resulting from those statements.

2. Google's defense that customers are generally aware of the lack of reliability and are responsible for fact checking was dismissed. As the court pointed out, that would "significantly diminish" AI Search's stated purpose and it can't be distinguished from Google's business practices/statements as a search tool.

3. Studies have found about 91% of Google's everyday AI responses are accurate, leaving millions of searches per HOUR with potential liability for falsehoods. 56% of correct responses weren't supported by the sources the AI listed. Both of which mean Google is now liable for a LOT more AI "errors."

4. Google was held liable for 80% of court costs in this case and this precedent is expected to reverberate around the world. This is a massive shift from the 3rd-party search provider role Google has previously played and it comes right as they've tied ALL searches to their AI search.