#A NOBLE FELLOW!!!!

[flimsy-spine]

If there was a sudden avalanche that came out of nowhere and trapped all four of us inside that tent, who do you think, personally, you would each resort to eating first?

[mistakenot4892]

Disclaimer that this is a post mostly motivated by frustration at a cultural trend, not at any individual people/posters. Vagueing to avoid it seeming like a callout but I know how Tumblr is so we'll see I guess. Putting it after a read-more because I think it's going to spiral out of control.

Recent discourse around obnoxious Linux shills chiming in on posts about how difficult it can be to pick up computer literacy these days has made me feel old and tired. I get that people just want computers to Work and they don't want to have to put any extra effort into getting it to Do The Thing, that's not unreasonable, I want the same!

(I also want obnoxious Linux shills to not chip in on my posts (unless I am posting because my Linux has exploded and I need help) so I sympathise with that angle too, 'just use Linux' is not the catch-all solution you think it is my friend.)

But I keep seeing this broad sense of learned helplessness around having to learn about what the computer is actually doing without having your hand held by a massive faceless corporation, and I just feel like it isn't a healthy relationship to have with your tech.

The industry is getting worse and worse in their lack of respect to the consumer every quarter. Microsoft is comfortable pivoting their entire business to push AI on every part of their infrastructure and in every service, in part because their customers aren't going anywhere and won't push back in the numbers that might make a difference. Windows 11 has hidden even more functionality behind layers of streamlining and obfuscation and integrated even more spyware and telemetry that won't tell you shit about what it's doing and that you can't turn off without violating the EULA. They're going to keep pursuing this kind of shit in more and more obvious ways because that's all they can do in the quest for endless year on year growth.

Unfortunately, switching to Linux will force you to learn how to use it. That sucks when it's being pushed as an immediate solution to a specific problem you're having! Not going to deny that. FOSS folks need to realise that 'just pivot your entire day to day workflow to a new suite of tools designed by hobby engineers with really specific chips on their shoulders' does not work as a method of evangelism. But if you approach it more like learning to understand and control your tech, I think maybe it could be a bit more palatable? It's more like a set of techniques and strategies than learning a specific workflow. Once you pick up the basic patterns, you can apply them to the novel problems that inevitably crop up. It's still painful, particularly if you're messing around with audio or graphics drivers, but importantly, you are always the one in control. You might not know how to drive, and the engine might be on fire, but you're not locked in a burning Tesla.

Now that I write this it sounds more like a set of coping mechanisms, but to be honest I do not have a healthy relationship with xorg.conf and probably should seek therapy.

It's a bit of a stretch but I almost feel like a bit of friction with tech is necessary to develop a good relationship with it? Growing up on MS-DOS and earlier versions of Windows has given me a healthy suspicion of any time my computer does something without me telling it to, and if I can't then see what it did, something's very off. If I can't get at the setting and properties panel for something, my immediate inclination is to uninstall it and do without.

And like yeah as a final note, I too find it frustrating when Linux decides to shit itself and the latest relevant thread I can find on the matter is from 2006 and every participant has been Raptured since, but at least threads exist. At least they're not Microsoft Community hellscapes where every second response is a sales rep telling them to open a support ticket. At least there's some transparency and openness around how the operating system is made and how it works. At least you have alternatives if one doesn't do the job for you.

This is long and meandering and probably misses the point of the discourse I'm dragging but I felt obligated to make it. Ubuntu Noble Numbat is pretty good and I haven't had any issues with it out of the box (compared to EndeavourOS becoming a hellscape whenever I wanted my computer to make a sound or render a graphic) so I recommend it. Yay FOSS.

[ghost-bison]

part 14 here

[frodo-in-a-fez]

i see your “tenth doctor has adhd” and i raise you “tenth doctor and donna BOTH have adhd and that’s part of why they match each other’s freak so well and also part of why donna was the only companion willing to call him out”

[mariocki]

RIP Timothy West (20.10.1934 - 12.11.2024)

"We met when we were cast with small parts in that really boring play, so had both brought the crossword to stop us going mad. We saw each other across the rehearsal room doing it, so decided to sit together. Then we couldn’t record because of the strike one day so we went to the cinema, Pru and I, to see The Grass is Greener with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. The show was cancelled, but a bit later Pru sent me a card saying ‘they’re reviving that terrible play, are you in it?’ I wasn’t but we started writing to each other then."

"Humour is vital, and respect for what people do and what people think. Kindness is important, and we’ve always had the same humour, laughed at the same things, been interested in the same things, got cross about the same things. And been in the same business. We have often been away from each other work-wise and therefore we’re always very glad to see each other again."

[davidtennan-t]

the way he points at Mel will never not be funny to me

[vigilskeep]

some origins are so easy to make cameo in another warden’s worldstate but cousland & mahariel are sooo difficult abt it

[galacticdrift]

perhaps I will have to watch a stupid cruise ship medical procedural show

[fauvester]

"Is it too much?"

"Well - I wouldn't take John in to show him, to be sure..."

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

Indulging myself today by thinking about the fact that Solas was going to admit his identity and involvement with Corypheus and the orb, but chickened out at the last minute and told a romanced Lavellan about the vallaslin instead, and so I am considering the world where he does admit All Of That to Ena and sets aside his plan to tear down the Veil. And this is mostly a setup for jokes so once they work through All Of That and Corypheus is defeated and the worst of the chaotic aftermath is dealt with, at some point Ena is going to want to take a brief trip to Wycome and check in with her clan in person. And also introduce Solas to them.

Ena has a multi-step plan for slowly easing everyone into the idea of “everything we know is wrong” where she’s worked out what she first wants to tell the clan about the Temple of Mythal and the ancient elves there, and then once they’ve digested that she’s figured her next rounds of information to feed them, so that eventually she can build the way up to dropping “the gods sucked and Fen’Harel was trying his best” on their heads. Because she knows she can’t lead with that.

“And what if they do not believe you, no matter how slowly you introduce them to the truth?” Solas asks her.

Ena shrugs. “I think they will. They would have no reason to deny what I saw and heard from Abelas at the Temple, and even that will be enough to raise many questions that we can’t answer ourselves. And that’s where we’ll start to lead into your answers. If you haven’t already started arguing with my mother by then. She likes to argue with the other Keepers every Arlathvhen.”

So they go visit Clan Lavellan and it takes about half an hour for Keeper Deshanna to start arguing with Solas and Ena catches up with the rest of the clan and meets some of the elves from Wycome’s alienage while her mom and her boyfriend argue for the next four hours. Esti listens for a while to what Solas is saying and then she goes to Ena like “what kind of weird cult did you find this guy in?”

“It was called the Inquisition,” Ena says. “I thought you would have heard of it.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about,” Esti says.

“I know,” Ena says.

[faithchel]

when ur a baldurian noble rogue with 20 charisma and 17 dexterity with acrobatics and performance proficiencies and now you have to pass a dice roll to not flop around like a fish

[adventurersdelight]

"A bit wordy, but I guess important people like their long names."

[blorboresidue]

this man really brought enough cunt for the whole class

[huh-1260]

:)

Another part of my Au to many almost or finished art from my phone of this AU I made. Zoroark mist is purple cuz shiny. I am writing part 2 of my ramble because yes. Satoshi is in Aloha like so confused like " I was in the Abalaster ice lands how did this happen? At least my friends are alive." He puts on his human illusion (he kinda sometimes forget that it's him when he didnt get Zoroark, some days he thinks someone he cared about.) Gary, Goh, Rei, and Ingo are in Aloha for finding out about Ultra wormholes as that's probably how they appeared in the lab. ( it was a time space rift stupid kids) Ingo has one of Lady Sneasler's babies because how else do you think they fell into the random rift baby sneasel wanted to play in snow but tripped on her foot. Satoshi wanders until he's at a familiar building the Pokemon school, he wanders in walking around until he is at the doorway of Professer Kukui's class, part of him wondered "why am I here its just a classroom what ever that is" and leaves going outside where the class was, with Kiawe challenged Gary to a pokemon battle because Gary is Ash's first rival. Gary wins and Ingo ends up yelling " Super Bravo!" Catching the Sun and moon gang off guard. Which Satoshi realize, Rei and Warden Ingo didn't die falling off a cliff in the Highlands but ended up in the future and stepped forward a bit slowly only to step on a stick which everyone turns their head towards him. Why are they just standing their looking at him do they see through the illusion, oh wait he's panicking just act natural. " Hello there, Warden Ingo, Rei." Rei's eyes light up and says " Warden Satoshi!" In which Gary's head is lining up images of Ash and Warden Satoshi, and the faces match if Ash had insomnia and longer hair. Warden Ingo is giving Satoshi the stink eye because a lot of Hisuian Zoroark tried to prey on him with the form of Emmet and didnt Satoshi die all the way in Hisui? Ingo then ask " If you are Warden Satoshi, then." Warden Ingo glared. " How did you get back from Hisui?" Satoshi grinded. " I didn't." The illusion faltered a little showing a bit of mist and his real colors. " I waited a few hundred years after, then I le-"

"Pokeball, Goooooo!"

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

anyway Mura is the evil advisor that's so fed up of stupid royals that when the bastard son of prophecy who has rainbows coming out of his ass she is 100% with his plan to make the country a better place just because all the other evil people are so stupid about what they do.

'no we cant place enormous taxes on the people they will hate us and revolt, instead i have this 12 step plan on how to ruthlessly keep the nobles in line through taxation- what do you mean your not listening to me'

'your majesty if you create another royal bastard and make teh succession even more confusing and splinter the people even more i will kill you myself. but while we are at it we can use this to divide and conquer the factions against you- will you please stop drinking and listen to me'

she ends up hunting down the illegitimate son secretly starting a rebellion to make the kingdom a better place, and when she finds him she criticizes his plans, tearing them apart in front of the rebellion, only to give them a new plan that is foolproof and becomes their greatest asset all because the tyrant king didnt listen to her.

Evil? Good? Law? Chaos? she doesn't care, Mura Hagdaughter only sees stupid plans and smart plans.

[villainanders]

I got the sera cookies scene for the FIRST time since my original playthrough I’m so proud of myself she never likes me 😭