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Nefara

@ Nefara @lemmy.world

Posts
5
Comments
289
Joined
2 yr. ago

  • Have you ever made money online?

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  • Just about the only way I've ever made real money has been online in the manner you're talking about.

    I enjoy thrifting and flipping, which is harder than it might seem to be successful at. It requires familiarity with what a good quality item is, a robust knowledge of the kinds of prices you might get for those things and some knowledge of refurbishment. Most flippers will pick one or two things that they specialize in, usually based on an existing hobby, because they already have a baseline knowledge of it by being interested in it. Being willing to clean, replace parts, paint, fix or otherwise renew the item is usually the most consistent way of making a return on investment that might make it worth your time. However, there really are some golden opportunities which sometimes appear and another needed skill is being in tune to where those show up. The estate sale of some eccentric artist who has an amazing antique collection, or the office that's liquidating a bunch of computers or furniture, will be advertised briefly in some narrow window of view and time unique to your location and to catch it you need to be quick to act and decisive. I made a ton of mistakes early on and learned to be a lot more careful about impulse buying, but I also got good enough at it to make rent.

    The other part of being self employed is the dual edged sword of freedom. You are never at work and yet you're always at work. There's no time "off" anymore, any day or any hour you might find yourself working and it's unrelenting. Unless you are remarkably disciplined you will probably never have a "weekend off". There's no meetings or bosses to answer to but that also means that if you mess up there's nobody else to blame but yourself. It has its own challenges and drawbacks, so don't let yourself be fooled into thinking you wouldn't find new things to piss you off.

  • Is Star Trek Discovery that bad?

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  • I don't have much time to respond so I'm going to just hit one bullet for now:

    Are you going to try to argue that Khan and Gul Dukat weren't given nuance and development? Some of the things that made them such compelling antagonists is that we were given insight into their motives and backgrounds and perspectives. Khan absolutely was nuanced and the persecution and illegality of genetically enhanced humans was a great stepping off point for him. Just about every antagonist that pops up in Star Trek gets some kind of explanation why they are doing the things they are doing, and the crew takes a moment to acknowledge their inherent worth as living beings and, if they're sentient, discuss possibilities for negotiations or nonviolence. I haven't forgotten that Klingons, Ferengi, Borg, Cardassians and many others start off as villains, but we are given many opportunities for them to be "humanized" through characters like Worf, Quark, Hugh/Seven, Garak and others. There are no "good" or "bad" aliens in Star Trek.

    So keeping that in mind, how did things go with the Ba'Ul? How did they handle Control? What nuance was Lorca given? In Discovery, your first impression of a bad guy being bad is always correct.

  • Is Star Trek Discovery that bad?

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  • I have an intense distaste for Discovery, and wouldn't recommend it.

    I could rant about it a la Angela Collier for 4 hours but here's my main issues boiled down to a bulleted list:

    Some things I like about Star Trek:

    • Optimistic future, humans can create greatness and beauty if they continue to check and overcome their faults• No black and white villains. All antagonists are given nuance and development and many become favored allies• Themes of teamwork, a functional ensemble, core crew are all valid and valued, no one star of the show.• No such thing as magic or gods, everything is in the realm of human understanding if we have sufficient knowledge

    Guess what Disovery has?

    • Nihilistic, apocalyptic future• Bad guys that are just bad, they're evil, don't ask questions• One principal star of the show that is the focus of nearly every episode• No attempt to explain things with any veneer of science

    Then add on some blatant examples of total ignorance for the universe it's set in, attempts at ham handed fan service by shoe horning in clumsy references to characters from other series, you have a show that is farther from Star Trek than a 14 year old's submission on IO9. When it actually let the supporting cast do things, they were charming and likable, but Stamets, Saru and Tilly weren't enough to keep me from getting mad at just about every episode.

    If you don't really care about or know anything about Star Trek it can be entertaining I guess, but why watch it when there's Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks and The Orville?

  • What is your personal little luxury you aren't supposed to have?

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  • Iron supplements, vitamin C and moderation all help so hopefully no need to give it up entirely 💜

  • What is your personal little luxury you aren't supposed to have?

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  • I'm so glad I could put you onto a new lead!

    Here's a paper I found that has some good info, especially the Dietary Nickel section. It has a food table under the treatment section too.

  • What is your personal little luxury you aren't supposed to have?

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  • I went to my doctor about it too! She was convinced it was something I was physically in contact with so I was trying to eliminate types of fabrics, changing detergents, soaps, my cleaning gloves, wearing shea infused gloves at night, etc etc and at the same time I was eating dark chocolate nearly every night. I finally cut back in an effort to lose some weight and the rashes got better. Someone somewhere in my searches mentioned the nickel thing and it all clicked. You can search for "systemic nickel sensitivity" and "dietary nickel and dermatitis" and see if it sounds like what you're dealing with. If so, I'm glad I could help!

  • What is your personal little luxury you aren't supposed to have?

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  • Dark chocolate. I've apparently developed what appears to be a nickel sensitivity that manifests itself as itchy rashes on my hands, and guess what has a high amount of nickel in it? I've been ok at cutting out other foods but while I reduced my intake I'd rather be itchy than give up my chocolate.

  • How do people in cities have fun without spending money at every turn?

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  • When I lived in the city I was dead broke but had a great time. I hung out at the library, which was its own cool thing but also served as a community hub to let me know when the local Gurudwara was doing a luncheon, or when crafting clubs met, and having a library card also came with some museum passes. I learned about all sorts of cool, free goings on through my library.

    There were also local attractions that had free days or days for locals, and there were street festivals nearby that had live music and performances. One of my favorite things about living in the city was hearing the sound of live music and walking out the door to go follow it to some cool, hitherto unknown to me event that was happening.

    We also went ice skating on the pond in the park (free if you had your own skates), or went biking on bike paths. We built snow sculptures in public parks and gardens and just walked around exploring. There were lots of beautiful and interesting buildings and side streets where we could get pleasantly lost.

    The key part of where I was is that it was walkable, and there were plenty of "third spaces". I understand not all cities have that. However, if you're in the US I highly recommend starting with your local library.

  • What normal household item becomes a mythical magic item when given to someone in a fantasy novel?

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  • People tend to very much not consider how fucking awful everyone smells when almost everyone is a manual laborer, washing machines don't exist, indoor plumbing largely does not exist...

    This is a common myth but people absolutely did wash and do their best to stay clean. Being smelly was just as undesirable as it is now, if not more so because it was commonly associated with disease. People would have a ewer (pitcher) of water and a basin in their bedrooms and wash themselves every morning and evening with a cloth. Of course scented oils and perfumes used to be a huge business, but even people who were extremely poor could make or buy "posies" or sachets of sweet smelling herbs, grasses and flowers and carry them with them. As another poster said, they would also wear natural fibers like linen, hemp, cotton or wool that don't hold on to scents as much as polyester or rayon do. Even if they had one set of clothes, they would have at least two under clothes like shifts or shirts or tunics and wash them regularly in ammonia and hot water.

    Deoderant would probably be a neat trick and on par with an expensive perfume but I doubt it would be on the level of magic.

  • Why are people canceling Disney? Here's what to know about the boycott

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  • Why are people canceling Disney? Here's what to know about the boycott

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  • I just canceled last night because of this. I'll just have to find the time to finish Andor S2 in the next couple of weeks.

  • What's the spice you use most?

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  • Love rosemary with garlic and lemon. I use it on my dry brined turkey under the skin, crushed in quinoa and in herbal bread. So good, definitely my favorite herb.

    Sorry basil, I do love you too but it's not close.

  • Deleted

    Permanently Deleted

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  • Because as much as they want to claim they're logical and rational, no logical or rational argument would ever be the thing to convince them. Identity politics prevents people from accepting anything from the "other side", so they ask for sources so they can point to it as biased and unfair etc. There's really no point in arguing with someone like that using facts. The things most likely to change their mind is their own personal experience or writing an entirely new narrative about the world.

  • Repair leaky foundation?

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  • First thing I would look into is how water is getting into those cracks in the first place. Check your gutters and make sure they're cleaned out and at appropriate angles, and check the downspouts. Water should be draining away from your home, not into it. You might need to put up some sort of awning or tarp, and fix the angles of those pavers/concrete. If there's water flowing into the foundation then it's going to be a reoccurring problem.

  • Favorite Movie With Practical Effects?

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  • It's one of my favorite movies, and I find the story beautiful. Incredible acting from a child, as well as Lee Pace.

  • Unfortunately, I still have over 48 hours until the deadline, so no dice

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  • If I have a project that needs doing on a specific deadline, I start thinking about all of the types of complications I might face and what sort of obstacles there might be. What if I can't find this thing? What if this component breaks? What if I get sick and I can't do it on this day? I keep thinking of things that would make it take longer, and padding out the time estimate.

    If I truly believe something will take four hours, I will talk myself out of it and say "no, something will go wrong, nothing ever goes perfectly smoothly, you don't even have your tools/resources together, that estimate is wildly optimistic" and then I'll double the estimate to eight hours. Then, if everything goes smoothly, it maybe takes me five or six total hours and I can get it to a decent point I'm not embarrassed of. Maybe I planned on doing that eight hours of work over two days, and ended up finishing it on the first day. I'm not going to pretend it's foolproof but it honestly has helped me a lot

  • Unfortunately, I still have over 48 hours until the deadline, so no dice

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  • Something I managed to do was trick myself into using the "deadline push" to complete things on time by adjusting how long I thought something might take. The shorter it takes the more you push it to the edge of your deadline. So conversely, if you think a task will take longer, you start panicking about it sooner and harness that frantic energy to actually do a decent job.

  • I can always find something to talk to someone about

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  • Love that! You clearly kept an even tension the whole time, your stitches are very even. Cats love being the first to test yarn projects, haha.

    Congrats on finding natural fibers from thrifting, just about everything is acrylic so it's such a thrill to find wool or cotton!

  • People who watched the show "The Big Bang Theory", what is your opinion on it?

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  • The "laughs" all felt from the outside. There was very little humor aimed at the people who would self identify as nerds and way more "haha look at these nerds and how quirky they are" set ups. Sure there are misogynist asshole nerds but usually they need to grow beyond that to find friends and partners. As far as I could tell none of them did. Sheldon and Howard were still super sexist, Leonard was still passive and whiny, but the story pushed forward foisting "perfect matches" on them.

    Throughout the whole thing there was very little actual geek humor, and it felt denigrating to actual nerds.

  • I can always find something to talk to someone about

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  • Something I liked about crochet is that it can be formed and shaped easily, to make 3d shapes or to fit around 3d shapes, and unlike knitting you can just do it. If it doesn't fit right or look right you just undo it. For a fiber art it's really improvisational and flexible. Do you have a favorite creation? What's your yarn stash like?