My grandma took care of me from the moment I was two months old till I was old enough to travel on my own and cook my own food, and even after that we would continue meeting for lunch every week. My mom and dad were present in my life and loving parents but divorced when I was really young and both had to work and travel a lot, through it all, I'd always had her.
At the time of the story, my dear grandma was slowly dying in her struggle with depression. In-patient treatment had done little to nothing, she was on several psychiatric medications, no dice.
In the middle of this I had an interview scheduled for an internship in a field I really cared about and for the life of me, I couldn't find the room the interview was being held at in that laberynth of a faculty building. I would go to where the receptionist told me and find nothing, Id ask teachers and no one knew the place I was headed to. Id open random doors and got into offices where people would rush me out. The clock was ticking and I felt incredibly stupid at not being able to find the stupid room. The building wasn't even that large.
And all of a sudden it was too much and I just... broke down sobbing and couldnt stop, everything was too much. Must have been ugly crying for half an hour straight. My eyes were so puffy I could barely even see anymore.
What I wont forget about that time is how many of the 17 - 18 year-old students approached me that day: offered me water, or to show me the bathroom, asked if I needed a phone to call anyone. One girl even hugged me while I continued crying my hear out and helped me email the person I was supposed to meet that day to tell them I had a personal emergency, while she heard out everything that was going on with me and try her best to assure me everything would turn out fine.
On my way home, people on the public transport would offer me seats, or ask if I was alright.
Sounds like small things, but in the world we live in sometimes its easy to believe nobody gives a shit anymore.
I did get that internship, the following week. And continue to be in that field of work.
Sherlock emerges from the shadows of his contemplation, his penetrating gaze alight with a glimmer of the mind's razor-edged acuity, dancing over the hushed assembly.
"Ah, a conundrum indeed! But the game is afoot, my good fellows. Let us untangle this web of mystery step by step."
He begins to pace, his long fingers steepled in front of him, his sharp gaze distant.
"Firstly, we must examine the peculiar constraints Mizu has imposed upon himself. He wishes to abstain from the natural act of defecation for three days, intending to consume food that occupies minimal space, while also reducing perspiration. He will stay in a well-equipped tent, with access to adequate sanitation should the need arise, yet he insists he will resist such necessity."
He stops, turning sharply on his heel to face the crowd, the dramatic swish of his coat filling the silence.
"Despite these restrictions, Mizu explicitly denies embarking on a hiking trip or attempting to smuggle contraband. Yet he is engaged in a journey of some kind, returning to his place of origin before embarking on the same route again."
He taps his forehead lightly, his gaze thoughtful.
"The desire to limit perspiration indicates a need to control body odor and moisture - potentially to avoid detection or discomfort. The same logic may apply to his endeavor to restrict bowel movement. This points to a need to stay confined in a small, potentially shared, space for extended periods."
He turns away, pacing once more as he traces the threads of the narrative.
"His choice of diet - minimal and compact - suggests a limited ability to dispose of waste. This, coupled with the significant investment in a large, air-conditioned tent, speaks of a measure of affluence, yet a necessity to live in a manner that does not align with this status."
He spins around, eyes gleaming with realization.
"Consider the pattern of his journey. It is repeated, yet with a sojourn at his original location - a pause that allows for the resumption of normal bodily function."
He points at the crowd, his voice ringing out with certainty.
"Mizu, my dear audience, is not embarking on a mere trip. He is engaging in a performance, a role that demands these unusual conditions. But what performance could that be? Think, ladies and gentlemen, of an endeavor that requires one to remain in a compact, enclosed space for days, sharing it perhaps with others, yet intermittently returning to a home base."
His voice drops to a hush, his eyes intense.
"A role that demands a significant investment in a temporary abode but necessitates confinement in close quarters. A role where control of bodily functions and odors becomes vital. And what is that role, you ask?"
He raises his arms, his voice echoing dramatically in the silence.
"Mizu, ladies and gentlemen, is partaking in a competitive reality television show or a similar endeavor. A program that demands participants to live in close proximity, often in limited spaces like a train compartment or a shared tent. This necessitates careful control over body functions to minimize discomfort. The mid-journey return to his origin represents a break in the filming schedule, allowing him to revert to his normal physiological routines before starting the second leg of the journey."
He sweeps his arm out, his eyes twinkling with a triumphant gleam.
"There you have it, my dear fellows. A peculiar request, indeed, but quite understandable under the unforgiving lens of reality television. Not as mundane as a hiking trip, not as nefarious as smuggling, but every bit as demanding."
Hercule Poirot sat in his armchair, eyebrow raised as he read the peculiar Lemmy comment before him. His mustache twitched in amusement at the dramatic flair with which the analysis was presented. He admired the cleverness and relevance to the topic, but couldn't shake a feeling of familiarity, as if he'd encountered a similar style of writing before.
The detective leaned back, his mind busy with the details concerning the case brought to him by an anonymous client. The client had claimed that the comment was generated by an LLM, an algorithmic language model, and sought Poirot's expertise in evaluating the comment's authenticity. It was a clever observation, but Poirot wondered if such a deduction could truly be made based on the content alone.
With a thoughtful stroke of his mustache, Poirot dissected the essence of the comment. He noted the grandiose language, the crafted phrases, and the lack of personal touch. It seemed constructed solely to impress, rather than convey genuine insight.
Poirot's eyes scanned the room, landing on a shelf of books. He remembered a similar style of writing he'd come across in a novel written by a pretentious author. He retrieved the book, finding a passage that matched the tone of the Lemmy comment.
"Ah, mon ami," Poirot muttered, smiling wryly. "It seems our LLM has not proven as original or interesting as they would have us believe."
Poirot focused on the motive behind such an endeavor. Why would someone generate a comment that mimicked an author's style? Perhaps an aspiring writer sought attention or validation.
With a triumphant glint, Poirot concluded that the motive behind the LLM's imitation was simply a lack of creativity. The individual had chosen to emulate a well-known author's style, believing it would garner attention.
"It seems, mon ami, that even in writing, some are tempted to take shortcuts," Poirot mused, shaking his head. "But true brilliance lies not in imitation, but in the unique voice and perspective one brings to the table."
With that, Hercule Poirot closed the book and returned it to its place on the shelf. He had solved the case of the Lemmy comment, revealing it to be an uninspiring endeavor. Poirot hoped that the aspiring writer behind the LLM would find their own voice and path of genuine creativity.
Definitely better. I tried getting into Lemmy about a year ago and it was kind of a miserable place. Most communities were abandoned and the website was less usable than now, the only active group were tankies (specifically CCP lovers). There just wasn't any demand for a Reddit alternative. I abandoned Lemmy and went back to Reddit not long after.
Now the website feels sooooo much livelier and is a much nicer place. The community isn't huge but it feels like the content I need to find is here, and as people settle in specific communities activity is going up! Once Lemmy fixes their bugs and Kbin fixes their federation I'm confident I won't want to go back to other websites.
I had a very similar experience, my lemmy.ml account is about a year old and I bounced off it several times because of a lack of content and engagement. But now I think it'll stick, thanks spez.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to hear there wasn't a lot going on because, honestly, coming here from Reddit feels a bit like participating in some sort of digital gentrification.
The Wagner mercenary group is rebelling against Putin and not really meeting much resistance as they travel towards Moscow, even picking up new soldiers along the way. As it started on Friday night, a lot of Russian soldiers were too drunk to be useful. Putin has fled Moscow.
tl;dr Russia hired Wagner mercenaries, Wagner mercs felt threatened in some way (not clear at the moment, various theories), turned around and are now headed to Moscow and Moscow is shitting bricks. There is a lot of confusion and confabulation at the moment.
I have fasted for three straight days on many occasions and it was pretty easy for me. Drinking zero-calorie beverages (coffee, tea, water) should be fine. This is not professional medical advice and definitely do not do this if you are an alcoholic, diabetic, or pregnant. Once you break the fast, do so with moderation.
They’re not trying to fast. Sugary drinks (juice, non caffeinated soda, Gatorade, Pedialyte) are probably a good idea, plus calorie dense foods like energy bars.
I’ve been an Ivory Stan for a while, lol. But ngl, I’m starting to get itchy since updates have slowed significantly. Other apps have gotten lots of other QOL features, or he’ll even some basic features, in a much quicker time. But I’ve paid for Ivory already, and don’t really want to pay for another.
My options are more limited too cuz it’s a requirement for there to be some sync to a desktop app. Not too many others that do that (Mona is the first that comes to mind that is in “second” place for me).
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