Paul @Paul@kith.kitchen

By the way, here's a thing I think is a Bad Meme: criticizing not putting your pronouns in your bio/in introductions.

I felt pressured to do so before I was *out* as nonbinary trans-femme. It felt like pressure to out or misgender myself.

I do it now, and I'm all for it... but it shouldn't be mandatory. Someone might have a reason for not doing so. You might pressure them into doing the wrong thing.

always

the new uk policing bill is very bad for travelling people https://friendsoftheearth.uk/system-change/out-site-britains-nomadic-people and they plan to do something about it this summer https://www.drive2survive.org.uk/about there will likely be many actions in protest so keep your eyes peeled

A lot of blind and partially-sighted people use the Fediverse through screen readers, apps that read on-screen text aloud.

Long strings of emoji can cause problems for screen readers, because they take a long time to say out loud. They can't be skipped because it is impossible for apps to know when emoji contain useful information.

If you want to make life easier for screen reader users, use just one emoji at a time.

For example, 😄 is fine but 🙂 😋 😚 😆 😄 😞 👍 causes difficulties.

#FediTips

@Paul I tried. Wasn’t well received. They liked the centralised control too much and feared the alternative. (Mind you, I guess Diem is much more a traditional socialist group than anarchist in any way so I guess it was my own naïveté and was probably to be expected.)

https://ar.al/notes/farewell-not-goodbye/

#folklorethursday
BURNING THE BONES

The modern word bonfire posibly comes from the portmantu of 'bone fire'.

This is an old tradition of on holy days when a large fire would be lit bones would be cast into the fire to burn.
It was said this would give those around the fire protection from malignant forces.

This works in a very mundane sense as the smoke from burning bones is repellent to mosquitos and other biters .

The ash from these bone fires was also taken home to be used in gardens as it is minaral rich fetiliser.

#folklore

So, ancient people pretty much ate what we eat.

"The researchers are using a wide range of techniques — from examining microscopic marks on ancient tools to analysing DNA residues inside pots. Some investigators are even experimentally recreating 12,000-year-old meals using methods from that time. Looking even further back, evidence suggests that some people ate starchy plants more than 100,000 years ago."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01681-w

#Archeology #Diets #Science #Research