MANAGEABLE QUEER DISASTER

Source:

iFixit

iFixit is a wiki-based site that teaches people how to fix almost anything. It was started in 2003 by Luke and Kyle, in a dorm room at California Polytechnic University when they tried to fix an old iBook together. With no instructions, they tinkered, fiddled, broke some tabs and lost some screws. But they fixed it. When they decided to start selling spare parts themselves, iFixit was born. It now hinges around its step-by-step repair guides, which are free to download and use under Creative Commons licenses.

Now, anyone can create a repair manual for a device on iFixit and anyone can edit the existing set of manuals to improve them. The site’s founders say that thousands of people make use of the guides every day.

“We’ve heard repair success stories from forensic detectives, field translators, and even kids,” say the pair. “From New York to Alaska, Tibet to the Faroe Islands, people have used our guides to fix their stuff.

“Our philosophy is that if you can’t open it, you don’t own it. Once you disassemble, repair, and put back together your laptop or iPod, you have a much better understanding of what goes into it. It’s astounding how just 20 minutes of work can make an iPod good as new – but most people have no idea that there are instructions available to make the work easy. And why should they? Apple tells everyone that the battery isn’t user-serviceable.

“That’s where we come in, filling the ecosystem hole that Apple created by manufacturing a device without an end-of-life maintenance and disposal strategy.”

Restart Wiki

This is a place where members of the Restart community share tips for mending appliances and gadgets with people who are starting out, or whose knowledge lies elsewhere.

This wiki won’t show you how to fix a particular make and model of device: they leave this to the various fix-it websites and disassembly videos. (You can also get help with a device on social media using #SOSRestart). Rather, contributors to this page concentrate on basic and widely applicable principles, for example soldering and how to stay safe while fixing things.

The site is aimed at anyone with a curiosity about how things work and how to fix them. No prior knowledge is assumed. In the spirit of spreading knowledge as widely as possible, everyone is welcome to read it – and to share it. Anyone is welcome to reuse anything on the wiki, under the terms of the Creative Commons ShareAlike Licence 3.0.

what would have to go wrong in your life, and how wrong would it have to go, for you to stop bathing? to stop eating? to let the garbage pile around you until you can no longer see the floor?

how bad would you have to feel, and for how long, before you would stand on the street screaming at anyone & anything? beating your fists on your head and crying? how bad would it need to be?

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS (2023 - ) Ep. 2.01 "Cause and Effect"

if you have access to a gym/appropriate facilities:

a LOT of people in the notes vouching for swimming, and it makes sense. not only is it basically zero impact on any of your joints, it engages just about every muscle in your body and it’s actually easier to stay afloat the higher your bodyfat%

stationary bike/elliptical: works for some better than others, but definitely far lower impact than running, usually has adjustable difficulty, and you can watch youtube videos or play games on your phone to pass the time

non stationary bike: the benefits of a stationary bike plus the ability to travel to a location

weight lifting: if you’re a total beginner to exercise this genuinely might be a better place to start than any designated ‘cardio’ activity, it Will get your heart rate up and build strength to do higher impact stuff with less risk, but designing a routine can feel overwhelming without help from a trainer/more experienced lifter

classes: yoga, pilates, dance, kickboxing, spin class, water aerobics, etc. as long as you can find one that accommodates your current fitness level and is a reasonably friendly environment

rowing: i actually know relatively little about rowing, but this has come up in the notes several times and people seem to like it. def seems like a good overall workout with little to no jarring impact

roller derby: definitely less of a Safe Beginner Activity and more ‘form of cardio you can do if you are on the fit side but still hate running’ but has come up in the notes multiple times specifically as a sport where a range of body types can do well

minimal equipment alternatives:

walking: if you have the resources to jog you have the resources to walk, and it really is a good form of exercise that also puts less strain on your joints

dance tutorials: seen a few people recommending these, there’s apparently a huge variety on youtube and you can take things at whatever pace works for you

yoga: also beginner friendly classes on youtube, good way to build up mobility and bodyweight strength

someone in the notes recommended hula hooping?? which actually sounds kind of genius especially if you don’t have a lot of gear or space. also iirc you can buy different weights of hula hoops for reasonably cheap so there’s a way to up the intensity over time

this seems like a decent resource at first glance and i think i saw more than one rec for them

one important thing to remember for anyone out there who’s significantly out of shape and feels overwhelmed is that when it comes to fitness you have one enormous advantage: it is currently EXTREMELY EASY for you to get exercise

It *is* a really good low impact, smooth motion, full body workout.

It is also damned easy to get wrong, so PLEASE start with a trainer to make sure you learn good form and technique - you can fuck up your back, your knees, your shoulders, your hips if you have bad technique. I'm sorry to say this so strongly, but it really is super important; it is ONE repetitive movement you make, and if you get that one movement wrong, your body will not like it.

Once you know how to do it properly, you can also get a rowing machine for at home, at roughly similar cost to treadmills.

It is also possible, depending on where you live, to row live and on water! A lot of places near suitable bodies of water have clubs for rowing on those bodies, so check it out - see if they have beginner's classes or open days for you to get a feel for it, including whether the club feels welcoming to fat people wanting to exercise. Be aware that you need to be able to swim (and usually prove so) to make rowing on water safe in case of a capsize.

Regarding weights: this is also possible at home, although with similar warnings about form and technique. You don't need to buy equipment for that - the keyword here is "bodyweight exercises", so exercises you don't do with dumbbells or barbells or weightlifting machines but with the weight of your own body. Think pushups - BUT ALSO (sorry if that was a jumpscare right then) know that nobody is asking you to do pushups straight away from zero. On the contrary! A pushup (pullups too) is considered well advanced!

- Can be done on a treadmill with incline function, or at your local park with sloped paths!

- Walking on an incline requires you to lift your legs slightly higher than flat surface walking, while not being as intense as climbing stairs. It's great as a cardio alternative or warm up; i start sweating 3 mins into it

- It's also kinder to your joints. Slow paced walking can still get your heart rate up, so no rush. Do it at your own pace

- On treadmill: i) make sure your hands are off the hand rails. This is to prevent your body from leaning backwards, which takes the work off lifting your legs. You'd be better off walking on a flat surface that way. Just walk with your arms swinging by your sides and lean slightly forward for better balance. ii) you can also watch videos while walking, and iii) if you walk backwards (hold the handrails when you first try it bc it feels faster than walking forward), it can help to strengthen your knee joints!

- As you get better/incline level feels less challenging, feel free to increase the incline and/or speed, and exercise duration