Vanth

I worked at a company that transcribed handwritten medical forms to digital text when the automated OCR failed. I got assigned to a population of Tricare forms for a while. Tricare is the health care program for active duty US military members. We never saw the actual physical forms, nor the forms in their entirety, just snapshots of one question at a time to protect the patient's privacy. The fields where they described their mental health symptoms and how relationships with family and friends were going would sometimes make me want to vomit and cry and quit all at once. I got moved to a different assignment and when they wanted to move me back, I left that job.

There's more to know if you plan to drive a car.

Four-wheel drive helps to accelerate in icy conditions, it does not help braking.

Make slow, careful changes when it's snowy or icy. Slow down more than you normally would to take a turn. Give yourself triple the distance to slow to a stop. Don't turn hard.

Use windshield wiper fluid appropriate for freezing temperatures.

Put any rage or impatience aside and get to where you're going safely.

If you live in a place that clears the streets and you don't have to go anywhere, consider staying put. Wait a couple hours until the streets are cleared.

If you'll be driving somewhere more remote, have clothes and boots appropriate for the weather in case your car breaks down or gets stuck and you have to walk. I also keep a jug of water, flashlight, and blanket/sleeping bag in my trunk during winter for this reason.

Same as following musicians or authors: subscribe to communications.

Film festivals tend to be annual; the successful ones, at least. Get on the mailing lists for the festivals that show the sorts of films you're interested in so you get their schedule next year before the festival starts.

Follow content creators who follow the film festivals and films you tend to like. YouTube, blogs, podcasts, whatever. Even the festivals themselves often have social media accounts you can follow.

And now move to the next election, 1860, in which the third party once again disappeared. No term-over-term progress made. I see no evidence any current minor parties are faring any better.

I'm not saying to stop activism. I'm saying voting a third party candidate for US president is minimally effective activism. Putting resources into getting people to vote for third party presidential candidate is an inefficient use of those resources. The general public can see this, and it adds to the perception that third parties are disorganized and unserious. (In addition to the system being built to keep them out)

Those resources should be spent on down ballot candidates and other initiatives to drag the Democratic party in the direction of cutting funds to Israel. We're seeing this now. A group of Palestine were almost invited to the DNC. The DNC chickened out, but the fact that it was even better considered never would have happened ten years ago. We have a steadily increasing number of Democratic senators and representatives who vocally oppose the genocide in Gaza. The anti-genocide position correlates to politician's generation, which is only going to improve further as Biden and Pelosi's generation gets out and there are more of AOC's generation and younger. Installing anti-genocidal local officials like sheriffs, judges, city councils, and university regents means peaceful protests wouldn't be shut down as frequently.

My down ballot will not be a straight Democratic ticket. But I'm sure as hell not giving Trump even a miniscule edge by throwing my vote for US president away on RFK Jr. or Stein.

Kinda sorta. This specific account I opened after the reddit API thing.

I have other Lemmy and broader Fediverse accounts I opened separate from any reddit issues. This is just my active one that is basically my replacement for reddit.

Looking at my password vault history, it looks like my first Fediverse account was probably Friendica. I remember I was looking for an alternative to Facebook. I didn't think Google+ was going to last, nor did I really want to use another Google platform. I used Ello more at the time, which isn't based on ActivityPub protocol. Ello never did gain critical momentum and fully closed down within the last year or two. I kept up some interaction with it all the way to the end.

And how does a 5% gain per election happen? When in USA history has there been comparable rate increase and how did that party accomplish it?

I don't think I've ever met a person like you're speaking of, who is going to vote for a Democratic candidate but opposes third parties. They never oppose the existence of third parties and they often support third party candidates.

They just don't vote for third party candidates in US presidential elections because that vote doesn't do anything productive.

I'm all ears on what a third-party candidate who gets less than 5% of the popular vote will be able to do to stop the genocide by 2075.

I have a relative named Agnes in her early twenties. Don't do it. I find the Texas A&M jokes to be unbearable and I'm sure I hear less than 10% of what she hears

Mildred, Evelyn, Opal all names of my aunts +3 generations older than mine. Also try Betty as a diminutive for Elizabeth, Gerald, Hank, Errol, Mabel, Jerome, and Cordelia. These all scream white Midwestern US farmer to me.

Errol is most likely to have gotten into a bit of trouble and really seen the world when he was drafted for WWII.

Another vote in the camp of "evaluate if there is more than just attractive and friendly before changing dynamics with son's best friend's family".

I sure hope there's more than that. It describes most adults I know, men and women.

A school computer lab with a bunch of grubby-handed students touching and licking and who knows what to every surface? Yes, VGA cables get screwed down.

I've been rewatching at least one of Michael Flanagan's horror series every year. Haunting of Hill House is my fave, but there's also Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, Midnight Club, and Fall of the House of Usher. And a movie or two of his.

I try to make my own version of some popular fall food or drink. Like pumpkin spice whatever, apple cider doughnuts, sweet potato pie.

I don't get trick or treaters, so I like mooching off friends. If someone has a super low key "party" where I can throw some candy at kids with fun costumes that come to their door, I'm there.

Something for the trip, maybe?

Will that trip be to a beach? Swimsuit or beach goodies.

Camping? New gear.

Camera. Travel luxuries like nicer luggage.