At the bus terminal there was a guy in one of the shelters. His face was red, and all around his mouth was purple with wine stain. He had a thin plastic bag that had three or four bottles of wine in it. I could hear the bottles clanging together. I was waiting for the bag to split and for the bottles to fall and smash. He was incredibly drunk. Wine drunk. He was trying to sit on the shelter bench and it looked like he was going to fall off of it. I felt dizzy just looking at him. I'm not sure how things all turned out for him. My bus arrived. I got on it and left.

At the bus terminal I was walking on the platform. There was a woman in front of me, and in front of her there was a guy. The three of us were about ten feet apart walking at the same pace. Suddenly the guy laid down on the platform. Didn't fall or anything. Just gently laid down on his side like a person would at home on the carpet. Like to play with the cat or something. When the woman got near him she stopped, and sort of leaned over him. Right when I got near both of them she said, “are you okay?” He looked up at her, and said, “no,” and then very suddenly he changed his response to, “uh, yes!” Then he got up and continued walking. It was very odd. He might have been high. I do not know. We all continued on.

At the bus terminal I was standing on the platform waiting for my bus to arrive. It was a hot and sunny summer day with a nice breeze. A woman with a light dress was walking towards me. The wind caught her dress and it blew up. Not just a flash of upper leg or anything. Like right up. If she had raised her arms at that exact moment the dress might have blown right off, and away like a balloon. She was not wearing anything under it. She was right in my line of sight. Suddenly right in front of me, naked woman for a second or two. I was standing there, and then I continued to just stand there when she walked by me. Neither of us reacted at all to the occurrence. What could we say or do though really? Any reaction I could have had would have been inappropriate. Laugh? Nope. Nod? Nope. Thanks? Nope. OMG? Nope. Yes! High five! Nope. No response was the only option. And what reaction could she have had really? There is just nothing. She couldn't blame me for the wind and scratch my eyes out. She didn't have to apologize.

It was like, oh,

that just happened.

---

Uma bibliografia comentada do caderno

Este caderno não escolheu as suas referências por acaso. Cada texto aqui mobilizado representa uma filiação intelectual e política — uma escolha sobre quem merece ser lido, citado e colocado em diálogo. A teoria das masculinidades de Connell, o realismo agencial de Barad, a intersecionalidade de Crenshaw, os conhecimentos situados de Haraway, o testemunho de Vincent — são vozes que vêm de tradições diferentes, de posições diferentes, de corpos diferentes. O que as une é a recusa da neutralidade: todas partem de algum lugar, todas têm uma posição, todas produzem conhecimento a partir de uma aposta política sobre o que importa pensar e por quê.

Esta bibliografia é também uma cuirografia — uma escrita situada das leituras que tornaram este caderno possível. Não é exaustiva. É honesta.

Teoria das masculinidades

Raewyn Connell, Masculinities (1995, 2.ª edição 2005). A obra fundadora da teoria das masculinidades. Connell introduziu os conceitos de masculinidade hegemónica, subordinada, cúmplice e marginalizada, mostrando que a masculinidade é uma estrutura relacional de poder e não um atributo individual. Indispensável — e incontornável para qualquer análise que recuse essencialismos.

Richard Howson e Jeff Hearn, Hegemony, Hegemonic Masculinity, and Beyond, in Routledge International Handbook of Masculinity Studies (2020). Uma revisão crítica do conceito de masculinidade hegemónica que sublinha a sua natureza relacional e a centralidade do exterior constitutivo. Útil para compreender a hegemonia como estrutura dinâmica e não como categoria estática.

C.J. Pascoe, Dude, You're a Fag: Adolescent Masculinity and the Fag Discourse (2005). Um estudo etnográfico decisivo que mostra como o insulto homofóbico funciona como prática regulatória de género que disciplina todos os homens — e não apenas os gays. A análise interseccional de Pascoe revela que o fag discourse articula simultaneamente género, sexualidade e raça.

C.J. Pascoe e Tristan Bridges, Fag Discourse in a Post-Homophobic Era (2018). Atualização do conceito que analisa como a regulação da masculinidade persiste e se reconfigura mesmo em contextos aparentemente mais tolerantes. A tolerância liberal não elimina a vigilância — transforma-a.

Tim Barrett, Multiple Forms of Masculinity in Gay Male Subcultures (2020). Barrett analisa a pluralidade de masculinidades dentro das subculturas gays, mostrando que a subordinação não é homogénea e que as hierarquias internas às comunidades cuir articulam raça, classe e estética corporal.

Stephen Lawton, Bi+ Men and Their Intimate Partners: Sexual Identities, Intimate Relationships and Binegativity (2023). Um dos poucos trabalhos que leva a sério a especificidade da experiência bissexual masculina, mostrando como a binegatividade opera tanto nos espaços heteronormativos como nos espaços cuir. A invisibilidade não é ausência — é produção ativa.

Henry Rubin, The Logic of Treatment: Transsexuality, Medicine, and the Medical Model (2006). Rubin demonstra como o sistema médico-psiquiátrico não se limita a responder às identidades trans — participa ativamente na sua produção. Uma leitura essencial para compreender a transmasculinidade como fenómeno materialmente produzido por aparelhos institucionais.

Jamison Green, Look! No, Don't! The Visibility Dilemma for Transsexual Men (2006). Green aborda o dilema da visibilidade trans masculina e mostra como a passabilidade é um campo minado de classe, raça e acesso desigual a tecnologias corporais. A visibilidade expõe; a invisibilidade apaga. Não há saída fácil.

Miriam Abelson e Tristan Kade, Trans Masculinities (2020). Uma síntese contemporânea que articula experiências trans com teoria feminista e estudos críticos de masculinidade, sublinhando que os corpos são lugares cruciais onde a masculinidade se materializa — e onde a exclusão se inscreve.

Onto-epistemologia e teoria feminista

Karen Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning (2007). O texto central do realismo agencial — uma onto-epistemologia que recusa a separação entre matéria e discurso e defende que a realidade é produzida por práticas material-discursivas. Difícil, exigente, transformador. Nenhuma leitura sobre género, corpo e poder fica igual depois de Barad.

Karen Barad, TransMaterialities: Trans*/Matter/Realities and Queer Political Imaginings (2015). Um texto mais acessível onde Barad articula o realismo agencial com questões trans e cuir. Uma entrada mais curta no pensamento baradiano para quem quer começar por aqui antes de enfrentar Meeting the Universe Halfway.

Judith Butler, Problemas de Género: Feminismo e Subversão da Identidade (1990, tradução portuguesa Orfeu Negro, 2023). Butler argumenta que o género é um efeito performativo — produzido pela repetição de normas e não pela expressão de uma essência interior. O texto que fundou a teoria cuir. A tradução portuguesa permite finalmente ler este clássico na nossa língua.

Donna Haraway, Situated Knowledges: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective (1988). O ensaio fundador dos conhecimentos situados. Haraway mostra que não existe olhar de lugar nenhum — que a pretensão de objetividade universal é sempre o privilégio de quem pode esconder a sua posição. Uma das leituras mais politicamente necessárias deste caderno.

Donna Haraway, The Promises of Monsters: A Regenerative Politics for Inappropriate/d Others (1992). Um texto complementar que desenvolve a ideia de figuras parciais e conexões inesperadas como estratégia política e epistemológica. Lido em conjunto com Situated Knowledges, aprofunda a proposta de uma objetividade encarnada e responsável.

Pierre Bourdieu, La domination masculine (1998). Bourdieu analisa como a dominação masculina se naturaliza por meio de esquemas de perceção incorporados e reproduzidos por instituições e práticas quotidianas. A violência simbólica — central nesta obra — atua precisamente por não se apresentar como violência, mas como evidência, consenso ou normalidade.

Intersecionalidade e direito

Kimberlé Crenshaw, Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex (1989) e Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color (1991). Os textos fundadores da intersecionalidade. Crenshaw mostrou que os sistemas de opressão articulam-se produzindo experiências específicas de discriminação que as categorias jurídicas e políticas dominantes não conseguem captar. Escreveu a partir das mulheres negras — e criou uma ferramenta para pensar qualquer experiência que recuse tratar as opressões como compartimentos estanques.

Elisabeth Holzleithner, Law and Social Justice: Intersectional Dimensions (2024). Uma análise rigorosa dos limites do direito anti discriminatório face a experiências interseccionais. Holzleithner mostra que o sistema jurídico tende a proteger categorias estáveis e a deixar de fora quem vive na intersecção — não por omissão, mas por desenho estrutural.

Vanessa E. Thompson, Entangled Genealogies?! Intersections and Abolition (2024). Thompson articula interseccionalidade e abolicionismo, mostrando como as modalidades institucionais de violência se inter-relacionam. Uma leitura que empurra a análise interseccional para além da denúncia e em direção à transformação estrutural.

Contexto português

Sandra Saleiro, Nelson Ramalho, Mafalda de Menezes e Jorge Gato, Estudo Nacional sobre Necessidades das Pessoas LGBTI e sobre a Discriminação em Razão da Orientação Sexual, Identidade e Expressão de Género e Características Sexuais (2022). O estudo mais abrangente sobre discriminação LGBT+ em Portugal. Os dados mostram de forma inequívoca a dimensão interseccional das desigualdades — e a distância entre a igualdade formal que a lei promete e a exclusão material que as instituições continuam a produzir. Leitura indispensável, e mais pertinente do que nunca num momento em que essa igualdade formal está ela própria sob ataque.

Testemunho e experiência vivida

Anthony Vincent, Peau noire, masque arc-en-ciel, in Florent Manelli (org.), Pédés (2023). O testemunho que atravessa os dois últimos textos deste caderno e que serve de âncora para o argumento onto-epistemológico do texto 5. Uma obra que toma a sério a experiência vivida como matéria política e teórica — e que recusa a separação entre o pessoal e o estrutural. Vincent não é um caso de estudo. É um sujeito epistémico.

Frantz Fanon, Peau noire, masques blancs (1952). O texto fundador da análise da colonialidade como inscrição na pele e como produção de um sujeito que aprende a ver-se através do olhar do colonizador. Vincent dialoga deliberadamente com Fanon ao substituir a máscara branca pela máscara arco-íris — atualizando a genealogia fanoniana para o campo da sexualidade e da vigilância policial contemporânea.

#cuir #kuir #bibliografia #leituras #masculinidades #intersecionalidade #ontoepistemologia #teoria #desdeasmargens #caderno2

Tonight my WNBA Indiana Fever are scheduled to play the Washington Mystics at 6:00 PM CDT, and I plan to follow this game. I've not yet decided whether to watch the game on Peacock TV or follow the radio call on WIBC. But whichever I choose, I do intend to follow this game.

And the adventure continues.

On a couple of previous, now deleted blogs, I wrote a fair number of pieces looking at so called Liveable Neighbourhoods, the concept of 15 minute cities and last but by no means least, the frustrations of trying to get around the Avon region. That’s getting around by driving, using public transport, cycling and walking. I include all modes of transport because I don’t want to pander to the divide and rule merchants who are doing their level best to pit users of different modes of transportation against each other. Which when you think about it is plain daft because regardless of whether we drive, use public transport or cycle, at some point we’ll all be walking along a pavement. In other words, being a pedestrian is a great leveller.

The aim of this piece is to revisit what I’ve written in the past and fuse them together to try and provide some kind of overview. Something that will hopefully form the basis for a rational discussion around the issues and problems relating to getting around the Avon region. This isn’t a comprehensive piece and there are issues raised that I’d like to examine in greater depth at some point in the future.

It’s disclosure time. The two of us behind this blog don’t drive. We use public transport, mainly rail, we occasionally use taxis and a lot of the time, we walk. Our experience of these modes of transport gives us some degree of authority when we talk about the parlous state of train travel in the region and also, the degraded state of the pedestrian infrastructure.

The discussion around the various modes of transport people choose to use to get around the Avon region all too often descends into what can best be described as a culture war. One that manifests itself in a variety of ways from the bitter rows between supporters and opponents of Liveable Neighbourhoods, through the tensions between cyclists and pedestrians and onto the element of die hard motorists who resent the subsidies given to public transportation, both rail and bus. That’s a lot of division that’s being fostered. Division that ignores the fact that we all have to be able to get around and that a holistic transport strategy that balances everyone’s needs fairly is what we really need. Well, we can all dream can’t we because with the calibre of politicians running the various authorities across the region we cover, we’re more likely to end up getting kidult style name calling and virtue signalling than anything coherent.

Liveable Neighbourhoods

On the surface, Liveable Neighbourhoods seem like a lovely idea – in theory that is. Imagine the bliss of living in an urban neighbourhood where measures have been put in to minimise the amount of traffic coming down your road, making it a much pleasanter place to live. Less, pollution, less noise and being outside on your street becomes a much pleasanter experience. Who could possibly object to streets in urban neighbourhoods having the amount of traffic using them substantially reduced? Let us try and explain why people do object...

Unless there are measures that actually reduce the overall volume of vehicles using the roads in a town or city, all Liveable Neighbourhoods achieve are shifting the traffic burden onto someone else. We're talking about measures such as vastly improved public transport networks that will persuade people to leave the car at home because the bus and/or train offering is a faster and more comfortable way to move around. We live in a region where bus services leave a lot to be desired and what remains of the local rail network after the Beeching cuts of the 1960s is widely seen as a joke. Also, it's a hilly region, so cycling is only a serious option for the younger, fitter and braver members of the populace. So sadly, many people are forced to rely on their cars to get around because there are no viable alternatives.

So what happens when there aren't anywhere near enough viable alternatives to having to use a car, yet Liveable Neighbourhoods are still being imposed? What happens is that the same volume of traffic is forced to use a smaller network of roads. The inevitable result is...more congestion! You don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that one out... As it tends to be the more affluent streets who can leverage the system to make sure they become a Liveable Neighbourhood, inevitably the displaced traffic is forced upon lower income areas. It could be argued that they’re a form of class war.

What they certainly are is a piecemeal, so called 'solution' to the problem of traffic. They're little more than a gesture that appeal to those with sharp elbows and a knowledge of how to work the system to get traffic in their neighbourhood reduced at the expense of others suffering more traffic. If they're not accompanied by sustainable, long term plans to offer a viable alternative to car use, they're essentially a waste of time at best and at worst, socially divisive.

15 minute neighbourhoods

‘15 minute neighbourhoods’ sound like a lovely idea – in theory. However, after decades of planning policy assuming near universal car ownership with our towns and cities developing accordingly, it's understandable that a fair few people will be bemused by the concept of a '15 minute neighbourhood'. Tract housing has been allowed to sprawl in such as way that when people need to do the weekly shop, all too often they have no alternative but to jump into the car to the nearest supermarket which may be miles away. We're talking about forty minute round trips just to pick up the groceries for the week. This is the reality of how our towns and cities have been allowed to sprawl for decades without any thought as to the long term when the resources needed to sustain a car based economy start to run out.

To ensure that as many of the amenities of life are within a fifteen minute walk would involve the reconfiguration of many suburbs and overspill towns that were built on the assumption of near universal car ownership. While it's perfectly possible for a lot of the amenities of life to be reasonably close to hand in the older suburbs such as Bedminster or Redland in Bristol, once you get out to places like Hartcliffe to the south or Bradley Stoke to the north, it's a very different story. Re-configuring the outer suburbs and the overspill towns to ensure that as many of life's amenities are within a fifteen minute walk is a gargantuan task because it involves correcting decades of flawed and ultimately, short sighted planning policies. That's before having the really serious conversation needed about how we adapt to a future when the resources needed to sustain a car based economy start to run out.

Liveable Neighbourhoods and so called '15 minute neighbourhoods' are essentially performative rather than achieving anything substantial in terms of reducing the overall volume of traffic on the roads. All each of these actually achieve is to add more to our lives in the way of digitised monitoring, tracking and sending out punitive fines in moves that suck us all further into what feels like a high tech, digital control matrix. You can forgive people for thinking that this may be the actual motivation for the imposition of these schemes rather than any substantial reduction in overall traffic volumes.

The rail ‘option’

What of the so called alternative modes of transport that would allegedly reduce the volume of traffic using the road network across the Avon region? There's the train 'service', most of which is still currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The thing is, there's nothing 'Great' about it, nothing at all. That's unless you're a fan of buses on rails where the offering outside the mainline stations of Bristol and Bath is two or three coaches of these trundling through your station roughly once or twice an hour. That's until a creaking signalling system fails yet again, throwing what passes for a network into meltdown and you end up with, no trains and an expensive cab ride home, if you have the money that is. Whatever I may have said about the c2c rail service that operated in the south of Essex where I used to live, I wholeheartedly take it back!

When you look at the rail 'service' on offer in the Avon region, it offers little to no incentive for anyone to leave their car at home and take the train. An option that's denied to many people as a result of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s that left many areas of Bristol and Bath bereft of a train service. Also, should a significant number of those within easy reach of a train service actually decide to leave the car at home and take the train, the rail network as it currently stands doesn't have the capacity to accommodate a surge in passenger numbers.

As for the buses, we rarely use them so we aren’t really in a position to comment. Suffice to say that with what we’ve heard from various sources about the dire state of services across the Avon region, we have little incentive to use them.

Cycling and walking

The cycling infrastructure… At best, the cycling infrastructure across Bristol is patchy with a few scattered examples of how it can be done well standing in stark contrast to the shoddy state of much of what cyclists have to put up with. Bristol with its hills is not an obvious cycling city. Given the dire state of public transport across the city, cycling and walking are seen as more reliable options, despite the hazards faced by both cyclists and pedestrians. For many, it's a case of needs must rather than a positive lifestyle choice. Given the sclerotic pace that discussions about the future of public transport across Bristol are moving at, it's going to be a case of needs must for some time to come.

One thing we notice every time we go into Bristol is that the way the cycling infrastructure has been set up with poor delineation between cycle lanes and pedestrian footpaths, conflict between cyclists and pedestrians is inevitable. Cyclists and pedestrians should be natural allies, not at each others throats. Such is the lack of joined up thinking from the 'planners' that is responsible for this conflict.

As for Bath, while there’s some cycling along the Avon and also, the Kennet and Avon Canal, because of the hills, it’s not exactly a city for riding a bicycle around. Which makes walking around Bath as a pedestrian less stressful than walking around Bristol.

Then there’s the pedestrian infrastructure. The reality of being a pedestrian in both Bristol and Bath stands in stark contrast to the bullshit we're being fed about how wonderful it is to walk and how we should feel great about reducing our carbon emissions. The reality are pavements that are not fit for purpose. You should be able to walk around without having to constantly cast your eyes to the ground to avoid the numerous trip hazards caused by broken and uneven pavements. The reality is having to watch out for the selfish minority of cyclists who seem to think the rules don't apply to them and that they have no responsibility to look out for pedestrians while they're cycling around at speed. The reality is having to watch out for pillocks on e-bikes who, like the aforementioned cyclists, seem to think the rules don't apply to them. The reality is waiting ages at pedestrian crossings over busy roads before finally being able to cross.

Every time we're out and about walking where we live in Keynsham, it's a life lesson in how the needs of the motorist seem to take priority over those of us mere pedestrians. The main roads in and around Keynsham are busy and an absolute pain to cross in too many instances. Where the main roads go through the older residential areas of the town, the pavements are incredibly narrow making walking along them a pretty unpleasant experience. To get from where we live to the pub by the Avon that's our adopted local, even though it's only a ten minute walk away, because there isn't a continuous pavement along both sides of the main road that runs past it, we're obliged to cross the road three times!

The same applies to a fair few other towns in our region. Older town centres and residential areas that were not laid out with 21st century traffic levels in mind. One such town that sticks in my mind is Bradford-on-Avon, just over the border in Wiltshire. A lovely old town but blighted by a massive volume of through traffic which makes walking round the streets in the centre not just unpleasant but also, pretty risky.

A brief conclusion

On the one hand, people are being lectured on the need to leave the car at home and use 'alternative means' of travel. On the other hand, as outlined above, those 'alternative means' of travel simply don't hack it. We're being set up to fail aren't they? As for us non-drivers, we're being absolutely shafted. As already mentioned, the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired and as for public transport, it's dire. Look, I'm not asking for public transport to whisk me to every corner of the Avon region because I know that's impracticable. All I'm asking for is a reliable public transport system with solid plans for expansion that will help to reduce the volume of vehicles clogging up the roads. With my pedestrian hat on, all I'm asking for is for a safe walking environment. That's not much to ask for is it?

When we don't even get the basics we should expect in a so called civilised society, we can be forgiven for thinking that there is in fact, a silent war against non-drivers as well as drivers. In fact, it could be argued that there’s a war against movement regardless of the mode of transport that’s chosen. One that’s a significant part of the control matrix that will be a feature of the ‘great reset’ if we don’t start resisting it. Which is why the bastards who presume to rule over us will go to some lengths to pit the users of various modes of transport against each other. Anyone falling for these divide and rule tactics and engaging in the culture wars surrounding transport really needs to take a look at themselves in the mirror, because they are part of the problem.

This post is for the attention of the people mentioned in the title. A sizeable minority of whom seem to be relishing the prospect of what they think will be at least a partial societal collapse as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A closure that’s a consequence of the reckless, ill considered attack by Israel and the US on Iran. A closure that’s cutting off twenty percent of the oil supplies the modern world needs to keep functioning. A closure that could well start to disrupt the supply of many plastic based products derived from that oil. These include plastic based medical products, some of which I rely upon to keep functioning as normally as possible.

This is quite a personal post and I make no apologies for it. Should it result in me losing a few more subscribers and followers, so be it. It’s about an issue that’s dogged me for over two years. It’s about what can technically be described as a disability. Not an obvious, visible disability but a hidden one that can prove to be a bit life limiting at times.

Here’s how I got to the situation I’m in now. At the end of 2023, I was experiencing some nasty urinary tract issues. These came about as a result of a stricture in my urethra caused by an injury sustained back in 1988. An injury that since then has caused some occasional issues. In the early part of 2024, it was deemed necessary that I had to have a urethral dilation. This is something that I thought would be pretty routine and that after ten days living with an indwelling catheter post procedure, upon its removal I would be able to urinate normally again.

Come the trial without catheter day at the hospital, after having the indwelling catheter removed, I was instructed to start drinking water to see if I could urinate without any problems. Easy I thought as I sipped at the water reading the paper to pass the time. Come the time when my bladder was full, I tried to urinate naturally and nothing happened. I tried quite a few times and nothing happened. The urology nurses concluded that I would need to be using intermittent, disposable catheters for some time to come. With a bladder full to bursting, after being instructed on the procedure of inserting the catheter, I then did so and the feeling of relief was almost indescribable. However, I wasn’t going to be let go at that point. I had to drink more water, fill up my bladder again and then show the assembled urology nurses that I could use disposable catheters up to six times a day without any issues. I managed to achieve this and was sent home with a box of disposable catheters and the contact number for the outsourced health provider who would be supplying them.

Trust me, I have tried everything I can to be able to urinate naturally again. I really do not want to be in a situation where I’m reliant on external suppliers to provide the catheters and other related items I need to empty my bladder. I also don’t want to have to be reliant on the external supplies of the D-Mannose supplements I need to fend off bladder and urinary tract infections. Whatever I tried didn’t work and here I am, reliant on a healthcare system that I don’t trust to provide me with what I need to function. Needless to say, with the amount of disposable catheters I use along with the disposal bags, wipes and antiseptic hand cleaners, my environmental credentials are shot to pieces.

Quite what some of the anarcho-primitivists, the collapsists and the doomer-preppers would have to say about my total reliance on a range of disposable plastic products and a supply chain that cannot be allowed to fail is something I would like an honest answer to. As much as I may personally want to rail against modern civilisation at times, I’m now in a position where I’m utterly reliant upon it for my survival. Any failures in the manufacturing and supply chain that would stop me getting the disposable catheters I need, would lead to consequences that don’t bear thinking about.

I’ll freely admit that over the last two years, thinking too deeply about these consequences has led to to some pretty bleak moments. Whether the anarcho-primitivists, the collapsists and the doomer-preppers would even consider my plight is open to question. Not least because somehow, I suspect my existence and total dependence upon a healthcare system they despise is an inconvenient disruption to their purist beliefs and dare I say it, ableist assumptions. One of the reasons I’m writing this post is to get them to face up to the consequences of their rhetoric on the current state of my mental health, which thanks to these f**kers, is not in a good place.

Well, we’re now getting closer to a clusterf**k situation as a result of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Oil supplies are being impacted. Oil doesn’t just run vehicles. As previously mentioned, it’s the feedstock for a wide range of products we rely upon, including plastics. The plastics that are used to manufacture the disposable catheters and the associated disposal bags that I now have to totally rely upon. Suffice to say that since the start of this poxy conflict, I’ve had more than my fair share of sleepless nights wondering just what the heck will happen to me should my supply of catheters be seriously disrupted or even terminated because of the forecast shortages of plastics to come.

A situation that’s not been helped by reading what the prepping community recommends that people do in order to deal with the clusterf**k we’re heading towards. None of which have bothered to acknowledge the situation faced by people like me who are totally dependent on an external supply of plastic medical products for our survival. This isn’t just the doomer preppers who have access to acres of land in a remote part of the Appalachian Mountains. It’s also the supposedly ‘normal’ preppers who have been expecting the start of the collapse of Western civilisation for some time to come now. It would seem that the needs of people like me are an inconvenient interruption to their fantasy of re-building after the collapse. A re-building I won’t be taking any part in because if my supply of catheters is terminated in a collapse scenario, I simply will not be around.

Inevitably, this is leading to feelings of despair. That’s despair at not having my predicament, and that of others in my position acknowledged. That’s also the despair of knowing that if the worst case scenarios predicted by some of the doomers turn out to be true, then my time on this mortal coil is somewhat limited. It’s despair at the number of ableist commentators and pundits out there who would see my demise as a result of not being able to access the catheters I need as mere ‘collateral damage’. It’s turning out that in a situation like the one we’re facing, I’m finding out who my real friends and allies are, and who the self serving grifters with an agenda are. It has been a painful and depressing process.

Over the last few weeks, this feeling has become particularly acute. That’s to the point of questioning why I’m still carrying on as an activist if I may only have a limited amount of time left. After reading a few too many posts from doomer preppers, I came close to jacking it in. I thought that if the worst of the doomsday scenarios is likely to play out, I’d be better off spending my time living life as fully as my disability allows and not worry about blogging and posting any more. It was only the fact that we now have the At the Grassroots papers back from the printer and which are now being distributed that has stopped me from quitting.

Again, I make no apologies for the personal nature of this post. There’s been a lot building up to this and I felt that now was the time to get it off my chest, ascertain who my real friends and allies are, then move forwards as best I can. There are times when being open and honest about a situation is the best approach. This is one of those times. As previously mentioned, if posting this loses me subscribers and followers, so be it. There’s more to life than chasing approval. Summer beckons and I want to get out there and live it like it may be my last one with no regrets.

How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Entering a new era of life.

Recently, Lorena and I welcomed our beautiful daughter to the world.

I'm not even sure how to put my feelings into words. “Happy” doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling. I'm overwhelmed by joy and gratitude, with a sprinkle of nervousness as well. I'm so in love with this baby girl. She is everything.

I'm a dad. I never thought I'd get to say that. It feels so good.

#personal

I’m trying to get The Package done and need a break from posting. Will get back next Monday. Thanks for your patience and support!

#writing #break #rest

I typically love to reset on the weekends. It helps set me up for the work week ahead. My Saturdays are typically filled with laundry, grocery shopping, working out, catching up with friends, and doing some of my hobbies.

This one feels just a little bit different, because even though I still need to set myself up for success for the coming week, I only have three more days of work before every weekday becomes another Saturday.

Alas, I keep up with the routine and reset for the coming week.

The Last Light of the Sun est un roman de fantasy historique par Guy Gavriel Kay, publié en 2004 et inspiré de l'Angleterre du XIe siècle, à l'époque des invasions vikings.

From the multiple award-winning author of Ysabel, Tigana and A Song for Arbonne, this powerful, moving saga evokes the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse cultures of a thousand years ago.

There is nothing soft or silken about the north. The lives of men and women are as challenging as the climate and lands in which they dwell. For generations, the Erlings of Vinmark have taken their dragon-prowed ships across the seas, raiding the lands of the Cyngael and Anglcyn peoples, leaving fire and death behind. But times change, even in the north, and in a tale woven with consummate artistry, people of all three cultures find the threads of their lives unexpectedly brought together…

Bern Thorkellson, punished for his father's sins, commits an act of vengeance and desperation that brings him face-to-face, across the sea, with a past he's been trying to leave behind.

In the Anglcyn lands of King Aeldred, the shrewd king, battling inner demons all the while, shores up his defenses with alliances and diplomacy-and with swords and arrows-while his exceptional, unpredictable sons and daughters pursue their own desires when battle comes and darkness falls in the woods.

And in the valleys and shrouded hills of the Cyngael, whose voices carry music even as they feud and raid amongst each other, violence and love become deeply interwoven when the dragon ships come and Alun ab Owyn, chasing an enemy in the night, glimpses strange lights gleaming above forest pools.

Le roman se déroule dans le même monde que les romans précédents de Guy Gavriel Kay, mais dans une autre région et à une autre époque. Il y a plusieurs allusions à des lieux et des personnages que le lecteur attentif reconnaîtra et apprécia sans doute : un médecin bassanide installé à Al-Rassan, une mosaïque représentant l’empereur Valerius III et son épouse, des débats théologiques sur les représentations divines, etc.

Ces clins d’oeil peuvent sembler anecdotiques, mais ils permettent de prendre conscience que les romans de Guy Gavriel Kay se déroulent dans le même monde. Chaque roman nous permet d’en percevoir une facette différente. Cela donne l’impression de découvrir une fresque historique au long cours.

Pour en revenir à ce roman, il met en scène trois peuples : les Anglcyn, les Erlings, et les Cyngael, incarnations respectives des Saxons installés en Angleterre, des Normands venus de Scandinavie, et des Celtes basés au Pays de Galles. Comme toujours, Guy Gavriel Kay multiplie les points de vue et il n’y a pas de gentil et de méchant, hormis un cas particulier sur lequel je reviendrai plus loin. IL y a seulement des hommes et des femmes que leurs histoires et leurs cultures ont mis face à face. Les trois peuples sont représentés par plusieurs personnages dont on suit le point de vue. Chaque lecteur, moi le premier, aura sans doute ses personnages préférés, mais cela n’empêche pas d’apprécier et de comprendre les autres.

Dans ce roman, Guy Gavriel Kay fait tout un travail sur les sagas nordiques et plus généralement sur la notion de récit. Il relate l’histoire en train de se faire, y compris les petits événements qui peuvent changer le destin d’une vie, d’une bataille ou d’un peuple. Il met en scène des personnages secondaires dont les actions d’apparence anodines ont une influence sur la « grande Histoire ». Le narrateur intervient parfois pour apporter ses commentaires sur les événements et sur la façon dont ils seront remémorés et racontés ultérieurement. Ainsi, l’auteur nous fait réfléchir à la façon dont les récits historiques sont construits, avec leurs biais et leurs angles morts.

Avant de conclure avec mon impression d’ensemble, je ne peux pas ne pas évoquer un point qui m’a gêné et qui est important à mes yeux. Parmi les nombreux personnages du roman, il y a un antagoniste qui est né albinos et malformé, et dont un autre personnage, un prêtre présenté positivement et qui représente la sagesse, dit qu’il est aussi “mauvais” physiquement que moralement et que les deux sont souvent liés. Autant dire que c’est un trope qui ne me plaît trop, que l’on a beaucoup vu à une époque mais qui me semble clairement dépassé pour un roman publié au début des années 2000. C’est la première grosse faute note, à mes yeux, dans un roman de Guy Gavriel Kay.

Malgré ce bémol, c’est un roman très agréable à lire : le récit est rythmé, les personnages sont bien écrits, et le monde mis en scène par l’auteur est crédible et inspirant. Ce n’est probablement pas le meilleur roman de Guy Gavriel Kay, à mes yeux en tout cas, mais c’est un roman de fantasy historique tout à fait honnête, notamment pour les lecteurs qui s’intéresse à l’Angleterre médiévale et aux incursions normandes.

After popular demand, the complete THE SOLAR GRID graphic novel is now available for download. For a limited time only, there are presently two ways to get it:

• – $10 bucks through Garage.Ganzeer
• – Pay-what-you-want on Gumroad

The book is also being serialized in print from Radix Co-op.

A pathway for a collected print edition is still being explored.

This complete e-book edition comes with a never-before-seen introduction by Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, Castlevania, Normal), extensive foreword by Sim Kern (The Free People's Village, Genocide Bad), and fantastic afterword by Ho Che Anderson (King, I Want To Be Your Dog, Godhead).

Hundreds of years after a global flood, night has been consigned to legend. In its place, the Solar Grid—a vast network of artificial suns—keeps Earth bathed in relentless daylight, powering factories that never cease. But this eternal dawn comes at a cost: The Earth has become a scrapheap, a wasteland stripped of resources to fuel colonial settlements on Mars.

Amidst the ruins, two young scavengers, Mehret and Kameen, stumble upon a discovery that could shatter the Solar Grid's fragile, oppressive system. The story spans centuries—from a submerged Cairo to the corporate strongholds of New York, and into the augmented reality of a distant Mars. Environmental collapse, capitalism, imperialism, and migration collide in an epic tale that examines the hopes and consequences of unhinged techno-utopianism.

“Ganzeer treats The Solar Grid as a culmination of his personal, professional and political experiences over recent years.” – THE GUARDIAN

“Ganzeer’s project epitomizes his hyper-democratic ethos.” – FOREIGN POLICY

“It’s a story about the inevitable destruction of our planet by corporate greed and a couple of unassuming antiheroes who somehow bring it all down. This is a story of revolution, the powerless taking power back from the powerful.” – SLATE

#work #comix #tsg

雪の街は静かだった。積もった雪は音を吸い込みながらも、不思議と人の気配だけを柔らかく残している。いつまでもいたいと思わせる空気があり、その暖かさは気温とは無関係に胸の奥へ染み込んできた。

この街をデザインした人はきっと優れた感覚の持ち主だったのだろう。良い色合いのオレンジの街灯が雪面を照らし、その光は少し赤みを帯びた屋根に反射していた。橋の上に立てば、川は鈍い銀色の流れとなって続き、ただ眺めているだけで時間が失われていく。日本の街並みでありながら、どこか遠いドイツの地方都市を思わせる景色だった。

城の跡地へ向かう坂道を歩きながら、私は土の色を思い出していた。かつて赤い土の土地に城を築けたことを誇る人々がいた。自分もまた、土が赤い街で衰弱しながら死にたいと願った時期があった。理由は説明できない。ただ、その色だけが生の終わりと奇妙に結び付いていた。

雪の下に埋もれた広場には、由来の分からない石碑が並んでいた。そこに横たわる欠片を見ていると、地面へ根を張るように残されていなければ、それは遺産とは呼べないのではないかと思えた。歴史とは案外、意味よりも固定の仕方によって決まるのかもしれない。

空を横切る影があった。鳥だと思ったが、すぐに見失った。そういえば私は、飛べなくなった鳥ばかりを記憶している。地上で歩き方を覚えたものたちだけが、なぜか鮮明に認識できた。自由に飛ぶ姿よりも、失われた能力の方が強く人の目に残る。

歩き続けるうちに、どこからともなく音が聞こえ始めた。日記を引き出しへしまう乾いた音だった。同じ動作が永遠に繰り返されているような規則正しさで、その響きだけが頭の中を巡り続ける。記録は閉じられているのに、記憶だけが閉じることを拒んでいるようだった。

ショーウィンドウに映った自分の姿を見た。無計画なままここまで来た人間が立っていた。その曖昧さが妙に心地よかった。しかし同時に、昔見た鉱山の遊覧トロッコを思い出す。進路も定まらないまま突っ込んでくるそれは、計算された危険よりもずっと恐ろしかった。

医療資料館の前を通り過ぎた時、ふと昔のことがよみがえった。誰かの訃報を聞いたとき、真っ先に当然だと思ってしまった感覚。幼い頃、熟れ過ぎたトマトを口にした時の嫌な後味と同じ種類のものだった。過去には乱暴な治療としか思えない経験もあった。傷を治すための行為が、殴打の記憶と区別できなかった時代が確かに存在した。

観光案内所では歴史的人物の肖像をカード化した商品が並んでいた。その光景に、なぜだか小さな抵抗を覚えた。人の人生まで薄い紙片に整理しないでほしい。そんな気持ちが雪の白さに紛れて消えていく。

橋へ戻ると、川面には街灯の光が揺れていた。日記を閉じる音も、鳥の影も、赤い土の記憶も、すべてが流れの中へ溶けていく。

その時、端末が静かに震えた。

家に帰ろう。妻からミートパイが焼けたと連絡があった。

I hosted a game night again tonight, and I had 11 other people over. Honestly I didn’t feel like I had a great time, I think it’s fair to say I had a good time, but I feel like I’ve spent so much of my time and effort hosting and organizing this event And afterwards I kind of just wonder about why I even do it in the first place. I feel kind of socially isolated when I have to host the games because of the nature of it, and I know that G offered to run one of the games which is really nice but also a lot of information I’m not sure I can just give it to someone and have them understand instantly. I guess I also did focus a little bit too much on the game itself rather than conversations outside of it, but I also do feel like the people that came were almost a majority of people that are kind of difficult to talk with, they don’t make jokes, they aren’t really good conversationally, and mostly are just useful as side characters for a lack of better word. It also kind of feels shitty because people wanted to drink and so they drink the alcohol that I had, a wine bottle and the rest of my beers. And no one even tried to make a gesture bringing anything, or even offering to pay payback for the stuff that they drank. J did say that he would buy me another case of beer in five weeks or something like that I didn’t really hear. At the end of the night everyone left, and a couple kind of awkward/obligatory thank yous for inviting them, and only J texted me to say thank you for hosting. I then had to go and clean up everything myself when I was still hungry, tired, and my feet are killing me from walking around most of the event. I had to go through and do all the dishes and put away all of the things that people went through. J asked me if she could have some sour patch kids because she knew that I had a bag, and that was completely OK. S went and took just the blue ones from the bag and was really disrespectful about it and completely acted entitled. And I remembered the fact that that bag of sour patch kids was from the first present E gave me during our relationship. And it hits me now because I think about how my last birthday I didn’t really have many of the friends that I do now so it’s not fair, but I did have friends then. And did any of them get me anything for my birthday? No. Hell I think most of them didn’t even tell me happy birthday. And I just feel like I have been doing so many of the right things, I have been this social hub, I’ve fought to make myself the person that I am, and it feels like I do so much and I try so much and at the end of the day it isn’t enough. Like fuck. I really try my best to be loved. Or at least I try really hard to be. And I think about how in obsession there is the scene where she holds him while he dies from overdose suicide. And she desperately doesn’t want that to be the case, and I just couldn’t help but think about how no one would do that for me. And I know that’s not true to some extent, but my brain is still just reminding me about how I don’t really feel like I get the love I deserve. And I feel like it’s a shitty thing to even expect to deserve some amount of love, but I can’t help but sometimes see people online that have everything that I dreamed of when I was a kid. They have these friends around them that are super sweet and thoughtful, and they can have these birthday parties where the other people want to be there, to the point where they would even want to organize it for them. And I can’t help but feel like my entire life I had to fight to convince people to care about me in a way that just seems so inherently effortless for others. And I can’t feel like I don’t know what they did to deserve it that I didn’t. And the worst thing is I know that a lot of this just comes down to childhood, people grew up learning that they inherently just deserve to be loved, because that’s what their parents showed them. And then it’s an even bigger slap to my face because what the fuck did I do to not deserve it. And it just ends with a thought I was just a kid. And it makes me want to cry when I think about the fact that it feels like all of these other people just get to take this for granted, having friends, having these friend groups, not having to fucking fight for it, not having to like consciously work incredibly hard towards it. And I’m tired. I’m tired that I’ve had to do this shit as long as I can remember, and I’m glad that I do it and I’m glad that I’m not fully alone and completely just powerless, but I also wish that the world was a little bit more fair. And I know that a lot of these troubles and friction has been given to me in return for having these strengths now. And I know that these are some of the things that make me the person that I am in a way that a lot of people are envious of or admire me for. But it hurts. And I feel myself tearing up as I say these words with voice to text. But I don’t like the fact that I always feel different. I don’t like all of this constant second Justin trying to figure out this social contract that so many people got to have taught to them as a kid. And yes I’m glad that I’m a high achiever and I’m glad that I have the financial support from my dad, and I’m glad that I’m smart, but I’m also really hurt by the fact that what it feels like the most important thing in life, human connection, is the thing that I’m fucked over for. It feels like everyone else gets to coast at a natural level, while I have to constantly run to keep up. And it’s gotten easier I think, it feels like it does even take effort for others. And it feels like I’m putting in so much work for such a little reward when I see the people that are born fortunate. And I know that it’s hypocritical to say that because plenty of people would say the exact same thing towards me. I’ve had so many people tell me about how it’s unfair how I’m naturally good at so many different things. I’ve had so many people tell me about different traits that they wish they could have that I get to have. I know that I’m so incredibly exceptionally fortunate and people would kill to swap lives with me. But I feel like the chemical defect that has been passed out to me, it makes it such a shitty hand, because even though I’m winning the game, I’m somewhat doomed. I think about how there are so many people that have much worse circumstances, and yet there are people that really do not want to die. And here I am in my castle, and my entire life I’ve been dealing with thoughts of suicide. And in a way I kind of take comfort in it because it’s always like a justification that I have something to complain about because if I’m willing to kill myself over it, that is more than what most people are willing to do to get away from it. Can I think about how my grandma commit suicide recently even though she’s similarly has so many things people would kill for. And that condition has been passed down to me. And on top of it a lot of the generational trauma has also been passed down to me. And I know that I’ve been given a lot of the tools to help fight it that my predecessors have not had, but a lot of my peers don’t have to fight it either.

I wish someone could truly acknowledge everything that I’ve done. How hard I’ve fought. How much I’ve done and given to become the person that I am now. And I know that it is virtually impossible for anyone to be able to understand all of it. And I know that it’s unreasonable to hope that someone can recognize any of it. But it feels like I’ve tried so fucking hard and when I want to die it feels like I have nothing to show for it. And it scares me because I’m not suicidal right now, but at the same time I had a thought popping into my head where if I owned a gun I would not be opposed to just killing myself. And I guess here I should employ one of the things my therapist recently told me which is when I have one of these thoughts that feels irrational, just ignore it until tomorrow, because I know that there’s a lot of different factors going on right now that caused my depression to get worse, and if it is a real thought it will still be here tomorrow. Because my brain started thinking about suicide again let me do a skill.

S: I hosted this event and I had to deal with people taking it for granted, a lot of shitty responses that made it difficult for me to host, and no help afterwards or really recognition.

T: I do so much and it’s fully taken for granted and I’m exhausted of this. And it’s not fair that I have to do all this additional stuff by myself.

F: I feel helpless, desperate, alone, and exhausted.

B: I host events less, I undo a lot of the social connections that I have been building up by doing this work, and I isolate myself more.

T: yes it is a lot of additional work that I do, and in the future I can ask for more help. I also have control over the people that I want to invite. There are people that I really do enjoy interacting with and I can spend more time with people like that. Additionally it’s not completely that I have to do these things, it’s the fact that I get to do these things. I get to have a house that I clean, I get to have a table that I have to re-organize, I get to have drinks that I can give to people. I am not forced to do any of these things against I will, and I have control over them.

F: still tired, but I feel less powerless.

B: maybe I take a break from hosting big events with low ROI people. I still however feel in control and I get to socialize at will.

I feel better after just venting like this, and also doing the CBT chart. I should start brushing now and go to bed. Thank you for doing the CBT chart though and the skill.

Freundinnen & Freunde der Weisheit! Langes Sitzen gilt heute als eigenständiger Risikofaktor für ernsthafte Gesundheitsprobleme – auch bei Menschen, die täglich Sport treiben.

Wer über acht Stunden sitzt, schadet langfristig Herz, Kreislauf und Stoffwechsel. Die gute Nachricht: Bereits kurze, regelmässige Bewegungspausen können diesen negativen Effekten entgegenwirken. Studien zeigen, dass sogenannte „Active Breaks“ oder „Exercise Snacks“ eine einfache und wirkungsvolle Strategie darstellen, um den Körper auch während langer Sitzphasen aktiv zu halten.

Doch was genau wirkt am besten? Forschende verglichen verschiedene Formen von Bewegung und fanden heraus: Wer alle 45 Minuten drei Minuten spazieren geht oder zehn Kniebeugen macht, verbessert seine Blutzuckerwerte deutlich – und wirksamer als mit einer einzigen halbstündigen Gehpause pro Tag. Entscheidend ist also nicht die Dauer, sondern die Regelmässigkeit der Unterbrechungen. Bewegung in kleinen Dosen, aber in hoher Frequenz, entfaltet eine überraschend grosse Wirkung.

Für den Alltag bedeutet das: Wer im Büro arbeitet oder zu Hause viel sitzt, sollte sich alle 45 bis 60 Minuten bewusst kurz bewegen. Möglich sind Kniebeugen, Treppensteigen, zügiges Gehen auf der Stelle, Ausfallschritte oder ein schneller Gang durch den Flur. Diese Mini-Workouts dauern nur ein bis drei Minuten, lassen sich fast überall umsetzen und benötigen keine Hilfsmittel. Wer solche Pausen konsequent einplant, verbessert nicht nur seine körperliche Verfassung, sondern auch Konzentration und Wohlbefinden – mit minimalem Aufwand, aber maximalem Nutzen.

Denkanstoss zum Wochenbeginn

„Die Kunst des Umgangs mit Menschen besteht darin, sich geltend zu machen, ohne andere unerlaubt zurückzudrängen.“ – Adolph Freiherr von Knigge (1752–1796)

ProductivityPorn-Tipp der Woche: Flow-Zustand nutzen

Maximiere Deine Produktivität, indem Du in einen Flow-Zustand kommst. Reduziere Ablenkungen, stelle sicher, dass die Aufgabe herausfordernd, aber machbar ist, und vertiefe Dich vollständig in die Arbeit.

Aus dem Archiv: Wie Du erfolgreich Deep Reading als Habit etablieren kannst

Vor einigen Wochen habe ich in einem Beitrag die kognitiven Vorteile des Lesens beschrieben und davon erzählt, wie ich es geschafft habe, mir einen täglichen Lese-Habit aufzubauen: mindestens 30 Minuten pro Tag, seit Anfang 2023. Seither habe ich über 60 Bücher gelesen. Mich erreichen seither immer wieder Fragen: Wie gelingt es, diese Art des intensiven Lesens im Alltag zu verankern? Wie kann man fokussierter, tiefer lesen, statt Texte nur zu überfliegen? In diesem Beitrag möchte ich Dir eine Antwort geben. Ich nenne diesen Ansatz „Deep Reading“ – ein Zustand des vertieften, konzentrierten Lesens, der weit über das schnelle Erfassen von Informationen hinausgeht.

weiterlesen …

Vielen Dank, dass Du Dir die Zeit genommen hast, diesen Newsletter zu lesen. Ich hoffe, die Inhalte konnten Dich inspirieren und Dir wertvolle Impulse für Dein (digitales) Leben geben. Bleib neugierig und hinterfrage, was Dir begegnet!

---

EpicMind – Weisheiten für das digitale Leben „EpicMind“ (kurz für „Epicurean Mindset“) ist mein Blog und Newsletter, der sich den Themen Lernen, Produktivität, Selbstmanagement und Technologie widmet – alles gewürzt mit einer Prise Philosophie.

---

Disclaimer Teile dieses Texts wurden mit Deepl Write (Korrektorat und Lektorat) überarbeitet. Für die Recherche in den erwähnten Werken/Quellen und in meinen Notizen wurde NotebookLM von Google verwendet. Das Artikel-Bild wurde mit ChatGPT erstellt und anschliessend nachbearbeitet.

Topic #Newsletter

This post forms part of the ongoing #TagJob project.

For reasons discussed in this post, I have tentatively decided to roll my own minimal geospatial types and calculations.

There are many excellent Geospatial libraries available, even in the brave new frontier of an embryonic language such as Zig (thanks to the excellent bridging to C). Principal among these is Geos. However, I decided to move forward with my own geospatial types and calculations because:

• I want both visibility of and direct control over performance-related aspects such as memory management (more on this below)
• I want the ability to tinker with algorithms that may favourably trade performance for functionality that is irrelevant to my use case
• there's fun to be had

My initial thinking was to define Zig structs for each basic geometry, but I have now moved to using simple aliases of native types and arrays:

pub fn WithDimension(comptime dimension: comptime_int) type {
    return struct {

        pub const Vector = @Vector(dimension, f64);
        pub const Coordinate = [dimension]f64;
        pub const Coordinates = []Coordinate;
        pub const Point = Coordinate;
        pub const Line = [2]Coordinate;
        pub const LineString = Coordinates;
        pub const LinearRing = Coordinates;
        pub const Polygon = []LinearRing;

        pub const AnyGeometry = union(enum) {
            point: Point,
            line: Line,
            lineString: LineString,
            linearRing: LinearRing,
            polygon: Polygon,
        };

        pub const Envelope = struct {
            min: Vector, // stored as vector as heavily used with SIMD
            max: Vector, // stored as vector as heavily used with SIMD
        };

    };
}

This design decision does mean that I cannot add either additional state or instance functions to my types. But I do avoid any overhead of allocating an instance of the wrapper type, and of needlessly creating instances of the wrapper type simply to call a function that is interested in the internal state only.

In place of instance methods, I'll be using a separate calculator that accepts each geometry type. Again, I'll claim a win here because I can use different calculation functions (e.g. Euclidean versus Geodesic distance) without coupling either to the type.

The one exception is the Envelope type, for which I have wrapped min and max points, and a small number of instance functions:

• valid
• intersects
• covers
• intersectionOf
• unionOf
• bufferOf

Within Envelope I am storing min and max as Vectors as most functions use SIMD, my first foray into this world:

/// Determine if this envelope and another envelope intersect.
pub fn intersects(self: @This(), other: @This()) bool {
    const result_min_max = self.min <= other.max;
    const result_max_min = other.min <= self.max;
    const rval = @reduce(.And, result_min_max & result_max_min);
    return rval;
}

The code lives here.

Tags: #TagJob #Geospatial #Zig #SIMD