Burkowski was right Love is a dog from hell

Either the long years or bad decisions, Made me a ghost of

Desire, longing, zest Hope, inspiration, zeal

Haunting through Obligation and honor

I want to run wild and free And celebrate the nakedness

Of my soul, swim in the darkness. Gulp down life in whole sums.

Oh god, oh god why have You forsaken me

This will of mine Why has it damned me so

This dog from hell that chews Away at my heart like a toy

Spilling my breath and blood Onto the floor of existence.

To paint is to invite you into my dream, realms where anything is possible. Soft edges of understanding and experience rife with hope and the unexplored. We are there together, artist and lover interpreting the form and color in our own time and understanding. Sometimes delighted, sometimes sad, sometimes confused. Each experience personal and every journey differing.

Writing is inviting you to the knife’s edge of my reality, now, moments past or futures imagined. A moment or experience revealed in the precise detail of invention or observation. You come into my mind and you feel the pain and the joy, the tears and the exultation as I feel. We are bound on that journey in experience, feeling and understanding.

Music takes the precision of writing and combines it with the abstract qualities painting to create ethereal moments exploding with experiential thrill.

—

This is amazing! So good and talented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d6c9KSrX30

#MusicVideo #NicoleAlexis #Cover

I love when client work, works as expected. If I feel overwhelmed, I have to tackle each task one by one. Sounds like I got this from a YouTube video. Maybe I have. I can’t remember. 😂

94 of #100DaysToOffload
#log
Thoughts?

American “Democracy”: A slippery slope of Elite Control

American democracy, often heralded as a shining beacon of self-governance, began its descent away from true democracy when technology made direct popular votes feasible. From the inception of the United States, the Founders designed a republican system rather than a direct democracy. They feared what they termed “mob rule” and implemented mechanisms like the Electoral College and the Senate to serve as buffers between the will of the masses and the actual process of governance. This framework, while practical in the 18th and 19th centuries due to technological and logistical limitations, ensured that power remained concentrated in the hands of elites. As communication technologies like the telegraph, telephone, and eventually the radio emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the logistical barriers to direct democracy began to erode. These advancements could have enabled a more participatory form of governance, but instead of embracing this potential, elites doubled down on constitutional formalism. They emphasized the rigidity of the system, framing it as a safeguard against rapid, populist shifts in policy. At the same time, political power became increasingly centralized within elite-dominated parties, and mechanisms such as gerrymandering and voter suppression further curtailed broader participation.

The mid-20th century saw the rise of television, which further centralized political narratives. While voting technology became more accessible during this era, elites mastered the art of mass persuasion through carefully controlled messaging. Political campaigns and media coverage were tailored to maintain the status quo, ensuring that popular votes rarely threatened entrenched interests. This dynamic revealed a critical shift: while technological progress made democratic participation easier in theory, it also gave elites the tools to manipulate public opinion on an unprecedented scale.

The advent of the internet and social media promised a new era of democratization. Direct digital participation, such as online referenda or widespread grassroots movements, seemed within reach. Yet, these tools were quickly co-opted by elites. Algorithms and platforms prioritized engagement over truth, amplifying polarizing voices while drowning out grassroots initiatives. Social media—initially a platform for mass organization—was weaponized to spread disinformation, enforce conformity, and suppress dissent. Proposals for digital direct democracy were dismissed under the guise of cybersecurity concerns and constitutional barriers, once again highlighting the elites’ resistance to change.

Strict constitutionalism became a powerful shield for elites, allowing them to resist reforms that could further democratize governance. The Electoral College, a relic of a bygone era, remains despite widespread calls for its abolition. The Senate’s structure ensures disproportionate influence for low population, less diverse states, perpetuating elite control. Even innovative electoral reforms like ranked-choice voting or proportional representation face significant obstacles, with critics often appealing to the sanctity of the Constitution to justify their opposition.

This resistance to direct democracy reflects a broader strategy to maintain elite dominance. Popular votes represent unpredictability, threatening the stability of economic hierarchies and political structures entrenched by corporate lobbying and elite networks. For those in power, a system that allows for significant redistribution of influence is inherently destabilizing—and thus must be suppressed.

Ironically, while technology has made direct democracy technically feasible, it has also given elites tools to tighten their grip on power. By controlling the flow of information, shaping public discourse, and leveraging strict constitutionalism, elites have weaponized the very progress that could have democratized governance. The promise of technology as a democratizing force has instead been channeled into preserving the status quo.

American democracy’s evolution into a system increasingly resistant to change underscores a fundamental tension: the conflict between technological progress and entrenched power structures. Elites have used constitutional formalism and technological control to suppress the potential for direct popular votes, ensuring that their dominance remains intact. In doing so, they have turned democracy into a curated illusion, a system that promises representation while safeguarding the interests of the few.

J’ai entendu la sociologue Isabelle Clair parler de ses enquêtes de terrain et du livre où elle en a fait la synthèse dans un épisode récent du podcast Les Couilles sur la table, créé par Victoire Taillon et désormais repris par Naomi Titti. Son sujet de recherche, ce sont l’amour, la sexualité et le couple chez les adolescents. En l’espace de vingt ans et sur trois terrains différents, elle a suivi une centaine d’adolescents pour étudier comment leurs premières fois accompagnent leur transformation de filles en femmes et de garçons en hommes. Elle a synthétisé ses travaux dans ce livre : Les Choses sérieuses, Enquête sur les amours adolescentes, publié mars 2023 au Seuil.

Les premières amours sont des choses sérieuses : les filles s’y transforment en femmes, les garçons en hommes. Loin de la fraîcheur et de la liberté que leur prêtent parfois les souvenirs adultes, ces métamorphoses sont difficiles, pleines d’enjeux et d’embûches. Pour faire leurs preuves, les jeunes doivent s’efforcer de répondre à des attentes sans que celles-ci ne soient jamais nettement formulées, tant l’attirance et le sexe sont réputés affaires naturelles et spontanées.

À partir de trois terrains d’observation qui l’ont menée des cités d’habitat social aux beaux quartiers parisiens en passant par le monde rural, Isabelle Clair propose une lecture sensible et incarnée de la façon dont les jeunesses françaises traversent cet âge des amours débutantes, du collège à l’entrée dans l’âge adulte. Elle montre qu’on attend toujours de la réserve de la part des filles, de la puissance de la part des garçons et que les conduites quotidiennes sont loin d’être bouleversées par le mariage pour tous et le mouvement MeToo. Son travail d’enquête au plus près des expériences révèle ainsi comment les jeunes viennent à la sexualité.

Isabelle Clair a travaillé sur trois terrains différents, dans trois milieux socio-culturels différents : les cités populaires de la banlieue parisienne, la ruralité dans la Sarthe, et les beaux quartiers parisiens.

L’étude illustre la construction des rapports de genre, des modèles genrés, des contre-modèles à éviter et à rejeter, des injonctions différentes et parfois contradictoires qui pèsent sur les garçons et sur les filles.

Isabelle Clair décrit le couple adolescent, forcément hétérosexuel, comme une parade, aux deux sens du terme : une mise en scène pour performer son genre, et une façon d’écarter le risque d’être considéré comme une pute (pour les filles) ou comme un pédé (pour les garçons).

Les filles doivent être intéressées par les garçons, mais pas trop ouvertement. Elles doivent justifier leurs sentiments amoureux pour accéder à la sexualité sans subir l’injure et la mauvaise réputation.

Les garçons doivent séduire, se montrer intéressés par la sexualité et non par les sentiments. Ils doivent prouver leur hétérosexualité et leur masculinité, démontrer à la fois leur appartenance au groupe des hommes et leur domination sur les filles.

J’ai trouvé ce livre passionnant et très bien construit. L’alternance entre les verbatim des échanges avec les adolescents et l’analyse de la sociologue rendent la lecture vivante et enrichissante. Le discours sur le genre, les modèles genrés et les risques de la marginalité m’ont particulièrement intéressés, ainsi que les intersections entre les rapports de classe, de race et de genre.

En conclusion, l’autrice retient 4 caractéristiques des expériences adolescentes de l’amour, du couple, et de la sexualité : – le devoir d’aimer ou le tribut des filles à la supériorité des garçons – un noyau normatif du genre diversement contrarié – virilité racaille et féminité classe : des idéaux aux antipodes de l’espace social – les conditions sociales du récit de soi (et de sa réception)

Sur ce dernier point, et en particulier sur la difficulté des garçons à parler de soi, j’ai particulièrement retenu cet extrait, qui l’a particulièrement parlé :

On peut supposer que le fait d'occuper une position dissidente ou marginalisée au sein du groupe de garçons, et de le reconnaître, a des effets dans la durée, engendrant de plus grandes capacités à parler de soi, à se penser soi-même et à penser les autres comme problème. Une aptitude que la majorité des garçons ne développent pas ou répriment, comme on attend généralement d'eux qu'ils répriment l'expression de leurs émotions (et leurs émotions elles-mêmes).

Of Oligarchs and Edge Lords

Ah, Elon Musk, the heralded messiah of modernity, the architect of audacious aspirations, the libertarian champion of “absolute free speech”—or so he would have us believe. With the rhetorical aplomb of a snake-oil salesman hawking immortality tonics at a turn-of-the-century carnival, Musk has positioned himself as the torchbearer of unbridled expression. Yet, beneath the gilded veneer of his promises lies the unmistakable stench of hypocrisy, a pungent bouquet befitting an oligarch masquerading as a revolutionary. Musk’s acquisition of Xhitter, that wretched hive of scum and vitriol, was trumpeted as a clarion call for freedom. “Let speech be free,” he bellowed, as though casting off the chains of tyranny. Yet, in true oligarchic fashion, his version of freedom is a gilded cage, where the bars are algorithms, and the lock is the capricious whims of its newfound overlord. Musk’s Xhitter, one quickly learns, is less a bastion of liberty and more a fiefdom where dissenting voices may roam—provided they do not step on the toes of His Excellency’s personal sensitivities or business interests.

Consider, for a moment, the peculiar duality of Musk’s “free speech absolutism.” The man who decries censorship with the fervor of a street preacher railing against sin also wields the ban hammer with the grace of a medieval inquisitor. Accounts criticizing Tesla’s labor practices? Mysteriously throttled. Journalists exposing SpaceX’s environmental impact? Shadowbanned into oblivion. And let us not forget the great “Substack Fiasco,” wherein Musk, protector of expression, moved swiftly to suppress links to competing platforms.

Ah, but we mustn’t judge him too harshly! After all, it takes a certain genius to simultaneously condemn the Orwellian tendencies of Big Tech while building his own algorithmic Ministry of Truth. Musk’s proclamations of “absolute free speech” are not unlike the promises of a benevolent dictator: enticing in theory, but inevitably corrupted by the intoxicating nectar of power.

One must admire the audacity of Musk’s theatrics. Here is a man who casts himself as the modern Voltaire, bravely defending the right to speak—so long as the speaking does not inconvenience his shareholders. He decries censorship while silencing critics, mocks government oversight while pocketing government subsidies, and tweets about democratic ideals while consolidating control over the public square. It is a masterclass in the art of oligarchic hypocrisy, an ode to the eternal truth that those who shout the loudest about freedom are often its staunchest oppressors.

But Musk is not alone in this theater of contradictions. Enter Jeff Bezos, the patron saint of one-day shipping and the self-styled steward of journalistic integrity. Bezos, in his magnanimity, acquired The Washington Post, that venerable bastion of democracy, ostensibly to safeguard the fourth estate. Yet, as with Musk, one cannot ignore the shadow of corporate interest lurking behind the curtain of his public-spirited rhetoric. Under Bezos’s ownership, The Washington Post has undoubtedly NOT retained its journalistic prowess. How often do its investigative lenses linger on Amazon’s labor abuses, its anti-union crusades, or its environmental footprint? Rarely, if ever, does the Post’s editorial board bite the hand that feeds it, revealing once again how oligarchs cloak their self-interest in the guise of public service.

The parallels between Musk and Bezos are striking. Both men wield their platforms—one digital, the other journalistic—not as neutral arenas for free expression but as instruments of influence and control. Bezos’s stewardship of The Washington Post ensures that the narrative surrounding Amazon is carefully curated, while Musk’s Xhitter operates as a personal propaganda machine. In their hands, the ideals of free speech and press freedom are reduced to mere marketing slogans, deployed strategically to shield their empires from scrutiny.

Musk’s acolytes, of course, will rush to his defense, proclaiming that his actions are but necessary evils in the grand pursuit of innovation. Bezos’s defenders will echo similar sentiments, extolling his contributions to journalism while ignoring the inherent conflict of interest. To them, I say this: if free speech and a free press are to be the hills on which we plant our flags, let them not be in the shadow of men who trade in influence as readily as others trade in commodities. For Musk and Bezos alike, these principles are not sacrosanct but expendable, tools to be wielded in the pursuit of power.

In truth, the reigns of Musk over Xhitter and Bezos over The Washington Post are not revolutions but mirrors held up to society’s gullibility. We, the hapless masses, have once again mistaken wealth for wisdom, charisma for competence, and audacity for authenticity. We have ceded the public square and the press to oligarchs who preach freedom while tightening their grip on the levers of control.

So let us call Musk’s “absolute free speech” and Bezos’s “commitment to journalism” what they truly are: farces, charades, carnival acts designed to distract us while the power structures remain firmly intact. And when the dust settles, when the Xhits fade into the digital ether and the headlines grow stale, we will be left with the sobering realization that we placed our faith in men who value their empires above all else.

In these two titans, we see the quintessential modern oligarchs: men who speak of freedom while building gilded prisons, who promise the stars while selling us shadows. And we, ever the willing fools, lap it up as though it were ambrosia. Cheers to the charade, for it is as enduring as humanity’s penchant for self-delusion.

Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi, this week's subjects: The Unforgettable Fashion Moments of 2024, Origins of Ghana's Fashions, and Frankies and Hot Dogs

The Unforgettable Fashion Moments of 2024. Tech Couture: The Future is Now. The intersection of technology and fashion reached new heights last year. Designers embraced wearable tech like never before, integrating smart fabrics and augmented reality into their collections. Balenciaga's innovative designs featured clothing that could change colours or patterns at the touch of a button. Fashion shows began to incorporate immersive experiences, with virtual reality transporting audiences into entirely new worlds, blurring the lines between digital and physical fashion. Smart Fabrics: Clothing equipped with smart technology such as moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating, or even health-monitoring fabrics gained traction, merging functionality with fashion. The Return of Y2K Aesthetics: Nostalgia continued to reign supreme in 2024, with the revival of early 2000's fashion capturing the hearts of many. Bubblegum pink, baggy jeans and crop tops were everywhere, thanks to fashion icons like Dua Lipa and the resurgence of brands like Diesel and Ed Hardy. Social media challenges celebrating this era highlighted playful, kitschy aesthetics, reminding us that fashion is often cyclical. Vintage and Retro Influences: Nostalgia-driven designs, including vintage athletic logos and retro styles from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, continued to influence contemporary fashion. Gender Fluidity in Fashion: 2024 marked a further shift towards gender-fluid fashion, with numerous brands releasing unisex collections that challenged traditional gender norms. Major fashion houses like Gucci and JW Anderson led the change, showcasing designs seamlessly blending masculine and feminine elements. This movement was not just about clothing but also about redefining identity, challenging societal norms, and promoting self-expression through personal style. Origins of Ghana's fashions. One of the most notable of Ghana's local fashions is the kaba, a garment created from six yards of fabric that includes a tailored blouse, a sewn or wrapped skirt, and an additional piece of fabric for a wrapper or shawl, dating back to at least 1831, and still relevant today. Its origin is foreign-influenced. This was followed by kabas sewn out of kente, thus combining foreign and local, first documented in pictures taken during the opening of the Ambassador Hotel in 1957 (Mövenpick Hotel since 2011). Kente by that time had taken a political colour, linked to the desire for independence from Colonial Britain since about 1950, expressing Ghana's own identity. Next came the Jaguar, about 1953, one of the many possible variations on the kaba, comprising a wrapped skirt and a matching peplum blouse, strong evidence that Ghanaians were highly attuned to the rapidly changing styles of specifically Ghanaian attire. Whereas the wrapped skirt was relatively simplistic, the blouse featured a variety of innovations, including a scalloped v-neck line, scalloped sleeves, and a dramatic, exaggerated ruffle along the bottom of the blouse. These stylistic elements resulted in an ensemble that exposed the upper chest and back while creating an exuberant hemline that exaggerated and drew attention to the wearer's hips.

Frankies and hot dogs. Frankies (Oxford Street, Osu, Accra) is a nice choice if you want a bite and a view of Oxford Street (though the window seats are mostly occupied). You can have pizzas, jollof, burgers, steaks and so forth, or you can order cakes or ice cream, or even rent a room ($77 per night). Parking is hell, but a bit further down is Osu Mall with Shoprite and other shops (Viva Boutique, Hakim Jewelart, Sony Centre, Electromart) and a large underground parking, and then you just walk back, no questions asked. I had a hot dog which to me is a little elongated, warm grilled white bread bun of about 6-7 inches (15-17 cm) long, a thin grilled sausage and some diced onion, mustard and tomato ketchup. But this one was a monster, a real hot bulldog monster about 10 inches long, (25 cm), looking like an open volcano overflowing with a red warm tomato ketchup/ tomato paste mixture, laying on a slice of melted pizza cheese (the fast food type, not the fromaggio you get on your pizza in a real Italian restaurant), some onions, a trace of mustard and I could even find the sausage. The bun was cold. They had definitely not tried to save on the ingredients, but the result was miles away from a traditional hot dog. I think Frankies is owned by people who for religious reasons don't eat sausage or meat, sausages mostly contain meat, pork meat. So they may never have experienced a real hot dog. Which is a quality grilled Wiener sausage, a thin parboiled sausage made of pork and beef in a casing of sheep's intestine, then given a low-temperature smoking, a lightly grilled bread bun slightly shorter than the sausage so that the sausage sticks out on both sides and then some diced onions, mustard and tomato ketchup. Some add coleslaw or capers. Simple, a tasty smoked sausage packed in grilled bread with some sauces on it for extra flavour. But then again, it’s a free world and people add whatever they want and can call it a Brazilian hot dog, or a Chicago, Danish, Dominican, or New Yorker hot dog, so maybe what I had was a Ghanaian hot dog and Frankies is leading the pack?

Lydia...

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Four years ago, I somehow decided that I want to learn how aircraft take off from water. It seemed fascinating to me how first the forces of water, and then the forces of air enable it to fly off the water. I had a pretty good understanding of the air part from flying gliders and radio-controlled model airplanes and from working together with an Aerospace engineer for two years. But I had no clue about the water part. All I knew was that water is more than 800 times more dense than water.

So I found a company that had designed a bold new electric seaplane and seemed to be struggling a bit. They had built a prototype and flown it from a runway, but there was no video of it taking off from water.

I found the number of the founder on their website and wanted to call him, but kind of forgot about it. Eventually I felt quite sad and depressed for no apparent reason. it was almost the middle of the summer. In a moment of inspiration I asked myself: “What is the one thing that I'm afraid of that, if I did it, would make the whole day a success?” It was immediately clear to me that I had to make this phone call. Then I imagined the worst and best possible outcomes of making the call, and it suddenly it was very easy. There is an important lesson hiding in plain sight here: Whenever an action has a clearly favorable asymmetry of worst and best outcomes, it is worth pursuing.

First, I didn't reach him, but the next day I did. The guy on the phone was super nice, and when I asked him whether I could come for an internship, he simply said yes.

When I arrived, I realized that I had been right. The plane had never taken off from water because of severe flaws in the hull design, and it had somewhat stopped the whole project and thrown the small company into a depression.

So I set out to understand this problem. I received videos of the test, assembled the different camera angles into one frame and synchronized them in time so that I could view the test from multiple angles at the same time.

I watched the same scene probably more than a hundred times, and every time tried to understand better what was happening. For some reason, each time the pilot tried to accelerate, the wing got sucked into the water and the plane started turning.

Luckily, they had already built a radio-controlled scale model, which made testing a lot faster and easier. So I started quite quickly testing my first hypotheses about what was happening and how it could be changed.

This way I found a solution that was rejected for practical reasons. It was just not feasible to shift the center of gravity in a safe manner during a takeoff run. So I followed a different path towards a solution, using testing to gauge how much I was getting closer to it.

Some ideas seemed very logical at first, like that of creating a hull shape that would “trap” the water under the hull, thus creating lift. Reality showed that the water rather escaped forwards, thus creating more drag than lift.

So my idea of wanting to “force” the water to do what I want got replaced by the idea of trying to imagine what the water would do and then harnessing that movement.

This proved to be a much better mental model, which was exemplified by the model accelerating to a higher velocity under the same amount of thrust. Eventually we had reduced the drag enough for the model to lift all the way out of the water and to start planing, allowing it to accelerate even further.

After this solution was found, we started a new development program for a larger seaplane, which we also tested with a radio-controlled scale model.

I refined my understanding a lot doing more tests and reading into the theory of hydrodynamics and hull design. By now, the company has grown from two to twenty-five employees, and I am still in charge of the hull design.

As the stakes have grown, reading into specific risks related to hull design and how to mitigate them has become more important. I also used CFD simulations to verify improvements that we observed in the model scale. Our latest hull design has a substantially lower drag and spray than conventional hulls, which is quite a success.

In retrospect the recipe seems rather simple: 1. Find a problem that excites you and is really painful for someone else 2. Learn by observation and forming a mental model 3. Test hypotheses and possible solutions – don't be attached to the outcome, only to learning 4. Don't stop. Continue improving and learning more. Learning takes time.

I’m on the train, man. Is a deep blue not black out there and I haven’t seen no moon as the darkness came pretty quickly and I cannot see thru the ceiling. Can’t remember if it was dark when I got on the train and therefore I’ve not seen the moon. Can’t see through the ceiling .

I’ve worked at the office and now I’m going home. They all love me for some reason, it’s cause I moved a few points from INT to CHR when I created my character but why did I create a male? That’s strange. I probably didn’t have a choice. I probably was just how the gene Tombola worked and now I’m doing the best I can given the circumstances. I am beautiful in a wabi sabi type of way I think: I am perfect in this flawed way I think; and wouldn’t change a single thing. Do you believe in fate? Sometimes I think I’d make a very great philosophy student.

The last knife fighter had on his bio:

The Last Knife Fighter is a Texas born songwriter, poet and freelance philosopher. Known for his unique gravely voice and multi-layered writing style, [ … ]

Love that description.

Of yeah they’d also heard that HelloWorld.java song at work and they did do did like that one just as much as I do. There was I felt a sense of community then and I felt warmth towards these people.

What else would you like to know?

Something negative? Shall I try to avoid being toxic positive?

I fucken hate YAML.

(Сжатие информации в имя необходимо для удобства передачи поставленной перед носителем задачи. )

Ксе́ния (др.-греч. ξενία «гостеприимство», или ξένος «чужой; чужеземный») — женское личное имя, распространённое преимущественно среди  русскоговорящего населения Земли.

Производные имени Ксения, ставшие самостоятельными именами: Оксана, Аксинья. Латинизированные варианты имени: англ. Xenia — Зи́ния, нем. Xenia — Ксе́ния. Англ. Xena [ˈziː.nə] — форма Xenia.

_Ксенофо́бия (от греч. ξένος «чужой» + φόβος «страх») — нетерпимость к  сознаниям и формам жизни отличительным от собственного. Восприятие чужого как неприятного и опасного. Как следствие активная пропаганда и действия направленные  на исключение другого существа  из общества существ похожих друг на друга по каким либо критериям.__

Справка взята из Википедии и скорректирована Штурманом К.

Имя я выбрала себе сама. Оно стало моим на третие сутки моего воплощения.  В начале мне пытались присвоить не мое, а чужое. Но каждое существо всегда получает уже выбранный вариант. Мне было больно от звучания моего имени, и сквозь это ноющее несогласие пришлось распаковывать его код.

Я с детства знала, что я – совершенно инородное существо  в моей семье. Я видела многое , но не понимала мотивы действий других. Здесь говорят ребенку, что ты вырастешь и все поймешь. Я выросла и поняла: я  – не человек, но в человеческом теле.

Имя раскрывается постепенно. Его расшифровка – это первое задание приземлившегося. К сожалению, это не всегда приятный процесс. Мое сознание раскачивается от состояния агрессии и готовности к бою до глубокого интереса к жизни местных. Оказалось, мое имя носит оба полюса расшифровки, как миротворческое начало, так и взрывную воинственность. Все это уживается во мне и требует выхода или корректировки.

Местным я не понятна, залетевшие тоже не всегда идут на дружеский контакт, свои пока не на связи. И это чувство отчужденности всегда со мной. С этим я  и пришла сюда.

_Результат расшифровки – инакость. Инакость – родная мне , но настораживает  других. Инакость, которую невозможно спрятать и опасно выпячивать. Инакость, как инструмент для следующего действия. Но какого?___

_Заканчиваю запись отрывком из книги “Ведьмак” Анджея Сапковского___

“...Как тебе удается сосуществовать с ближними, от которых ты, кстати, немного отличаешься?

– Стараюсь помаленьку, – посмотрел ему в глаза ведьмак. – Справляюсь. Потому что должен. Потому что другого выхода у меня нет. Потому что смог подавить в себе спесь и зазнайство, которые хоть и дают мне защиту от «инности», но защиту плачевную. Ибо я понял, что солнце светит иначе, что нечто изменяется, но не я являюсь осью этих изменений. Солнце светит иначе и будет светить, и без толку кидаться на него с мотыгой. Надо признавать факты, эльф, надо этому научиться.”

Штурман К.

One of the keys to reading more is, unsurprisingly, having access to books. That means I should make it a habit to bring a book with me wherever I go.

I go to great lengths to ensure I always have my phone with me — fully charged and ready to use. What if, in the service of combating brain rot, I invested as much time and energy into making it a habit to always carry a book?

If I’m reading the latest Stormlight Archive installment by Brandon Sanderson, lugging that brick around might not be practical. However, I have plenty of thinner, shorter books on my shelf just waiting for me to dive into. Carrying one of these along would ensure I always have something of genuine value to immerse myself in. It would serve as both a defense against brain rot and a means to help me read more.

I should find an “on-the-go” book and work to establish the habit of always bringing it with me when I leave the house — even if it’s just a quick errand to the store. I know I’m likely to pull out my phone several times on that same short trip, so I definitely have time to read a paragraph or two instead.

The One Page a Day challenge is a great way to encourage myself to read more without triggering guilt when I fail to meet bigger goals, like reading 10 pages or finishing a chapter. That single page often turns into two, three, or even twenty—and sets me on the right path toward more consistent reading, even when my days feel overwhelming.

With a book always by my side, I’ll have a little escape, even if it’s just for a minute while waiting to pick up the kids, riding the tram, or before starting the drive home from work.

Stofwisseling van de Macht

Zo langzamerhand ging het geleide volk me steeds meer tegenstaan in dit land zou nooit aan mijn wil aangepaste eenheid ontstaan ik zei 'ik ben de beste weg, voor het beste resultaat volg mijn fraaie lijn' ze dachten van niet, zeiden dat er betere wegen waarts zijn waarlangs kans op langer en gelukkiger leven zou worden vergroot ik verduidelijkte 'de door jullie ingeslagen weg loopt op mij dood' en zij beweerden toen dat ik het was die van het padje was geweken! daarna heb ik van woede mijn net schone luier vol gekakt en gezeken.

Het publiek morde, zeiden dat ik alle kans op verbetering had gemeden wezen op de rede waarom ik daar als volksherder mocht staan namelijk dat ik tijd en middelen aan hun levensgeluk ging besteden dat ik dit volk had beloofd om daar dit 6e ambtstermijn voor te gaan maar op dergelijke mij onzekermakende veranderingen ben ik altijd tegen en dit aangaande zal ik vast en zeker op mijn strepen blijven staan maar ondertussen zittend leidende zou ik graag willen weten wanneer wordt me nou een schone luier omgedaan.

Zelf was ik behoorlijk onder de indruk van mijn geniaal landsbeleid ik zit al zolang op de hoge zetel dat het is alsof ie door mij wordt bewoond op alle juiste posities zitten vrienden daarom verlies ik nooit een strijd en al mijn meest kritiekloze volgers worden elk termijn degelijker beloond dankzij een gewiekste staatsinterventie win ik altijd overal ieder pleit als iemand toch protesteert wordt door de fans mijn anus film vertoond maar het is inmiddels hoe dan ook echt wel de allerhoogste tijd dat mijn almachtig vieze gore luier wordt verschoond.

Niemand wou mij echter helpen met deze steeds vuiler wordende troep zelfs niet na mijn feestelijke oproep bij de grote geweldige nationale omroep het is alsof alles wat ik vraag van het volk nauwelijks meer wordt gehoord dat de staat waarin mijn achterwerk verkeerd mijn overwicht heeft vermoord na dertig jaar omhangen op de hoogste zetel ben ik verworden tot een grap het volk is niet meer onder de indruk van mijn charismatisch leiderschap ik ben er dan ook doodop van en heb nog maar een diep verlangen dat mijn inmiddels ongelooflijk gore stink luier zal worden vervangen.

Le podcast La saga des maths est en ligne

C'est un podcast que j'ai écrit et raconté pour France inter, avec la participation de Nathalie Ayi pour la partie mathématiques et de Karen Déhais pour la réalisation sonore.

L'idée de ce podcast c'est de raconter les maths plutôt que les expliquer, via la vie, bien concrète, de celles et ceux qui ont passé leur vie entre les nombres. Les destins des mathématiciens et mathématiciennes ont été sélectionnés pour leur intrication avec la vie sociale, politique et scientifique de leur époque. L'objectif est de montrer que les sciences, et notamment les mathématiques ne tombent pas du ciel : elles sont le résultat d'une époque et de conditions matérielles de production. Surtout, ces biographies montrent que la vie de celles et ceux qui font les sciences ne sont pas linéaires et ne sont pas réduites à des individus dans des bureaux qui remplissent des tableaux noirs.

5 épisodes sont publiés :

• Alan Turing, mathématicien anglais considéré comme le père de l'informatique
• Émilie du Châtelet, femme scientifique brillante et combative qui traduisit les travaux de Newton et en déduisit de nouvelles hypothèses au 18ème siècle
• Hypatie d'Alexandrie, qui au 4ème siècle après Jésus-Christ mourra d'avoir été une femme passionnée de mathématiques
• Christine Darden, la première femme noire à être devenue directrice à la NASA et spécialiste du bang supersonique
• Leonardo Fibonacci, importateur des chiffres arabes et du zéro en Europe et découvreur du nombre d'or

Crédits : “La Saga des maths”, une série de Claire-Selma Aïtout Médiation scientifique : Nathalie Ayi, maîtresse de conférence en mathématiques de l'Institut Universitaire de France (Sorbonne Université) Chargée de programme : Stéphanie Fromentin Réalisation : Karen Dehais Mixage : Raphaël Rousseau Coordination : Fanny Bohuon

Bonne écoute.

I have been stunlocked for over an hour doing leet code interview questions, because they seem so easy and I think “Oh I can quickly just do this one I want to solve it, I already know how to do it”. I’ve been stuck in that trap for god knows how long, it’s probably better than doomscrolling however. I feel pretty shit today I’m going to be honest, the lack of exercise is getting to me.