In the hours and days since Trump was re-elected president of the United States, there’s been a surge of interest in the US for 4B. Via Yahoo News:

Young liberal women across TikTok and Instagram are discussing and sharing information about the South Korean feminist movement, in which straight women refuse to marry, have children, date or have sex with men.

These women say they are enraged and fed up after a majority of their male counterparts voted for a candidate who was found liable for sexual abuse and whose appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices led to the overturning of national abortion rights protections.

In response, they say they’re swearing off men — and they’re encouraging others around the country to join them.

Dipshit billionaire Leon Musk, who we fondly refer to as that stupid fuck, isn't amused by Dana Carvey's impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live. So, he took his little fingers to Xitter, the once behemoth social site he destroyed only to influence the election to his audience of conspiracy theorists and far-right edge lords that use Peppy the Frog in their postings or avatars.

Well, Leon got quite a paycheck for promoting convicted felon and adjudicated rapist Donald Trump, so at least he's happy while the rest of us remain in shock over the election results.

SNL's cold open got under Leon's fragile narcissistic skin where the actors, sort of like him, pretended to be on Trump's side with solid support.

Dana Carvey – who previously played President Joe Biden, and we didn't bitch about it -- played the part of Leon. You can see Carey's part that shook Elon at around the 3:30 mark in the cold open, and below.

“Check it out, dark MAGA,” Carvey said while impersonating Musk in a black MAGA hat. “But seriously, I run the country now,” he added.

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Bluesky, the social media platform whose interface most resembles Twitter, has picked up more than 700,000 new users since the election, as users seek to escape misinformation and offensive posts on X. Via The Guardian:

The influx, largely from North America and the UK, has helped Bluesky reach 14.5 million users worldwide, up from 9 million in September, the company said.

Social media researcher Axel Bruns said the platform offered an alternative to X, formerly Twitter, including a more effective system for blocking or suspending problematic accounts and policing harmful behaviour.

“It’s become a refuge for people who want to have the kind of social media experience that Twitter used to provide, but without all the far-right activism, the misinformation, the hate speech, the bots and everything else,” he said.

It's not a natural fit for bloggers, because you can far too easily get kicked off for saying mean or controversial things and hurting people's feelings. So I'll straddle both.

Despite, well, everything, we are trying to get back into the classroom as much as we can at the start of a new academic year. I am scheduled to teach Introduction to Sociology for the first time this coming spring and planning the course this fall. Whether in person or remote, I will be ecstatic […]

Social networks are a great way to introduce people to the power of Sociology. In my Intro class, I make a point to show students the way their social networks shape the spread of divorce, how people ask for help, and the surprisingly tangled world of dating. Now there’s a new take on networks – […]

Never name your pigs… Photo courtesy of Cande Gyrl. Spotted in China. 

An Italian style creamy bean and pasta soup with plenty of vegetables! Pasta e fagioli soup is an Italian pasta and bean soup that is one of my favourites! Typically I make it with a tomato based broth, like that recipe has, but it’s also nice without tomatoes, like in this white pasta e fagioli....

Read On →

The post White Pasta e Fagioli Soup appeared first on Closet Cooking.

There’s something about a bowl of my delicious Hamburger Potato Soup that just feels like home. This hearty soup, made with simple ingredients like ground beef, russet potatoes, and Velveeta cheese, is perfect for those colder months when you’re craving something creamy and cheesy. Whether you’re cooking for your family on a busy weeknight or preparing a comforting soup for a cozy weekend,...

The post Hamburger Potato Soup appeared first on Dear Crissy.

Cowboy Soup is a filling, hearty dish that’s perfect for family dinners or meal prep. This tasty soup is packed with a comforting blend of ground beef, sausage, beans, vegetables, and spices, this soup will keep everyone full and satisfied. This delicious Tex-Mex soup is easy to make with common ingredients from your pantry. Plus, it makes great leftovers and can even be stored...

The post Cowboy Soup appeared first on Dear Crissy.

By Amanda Mannen Published: November 10th, 2024

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Just read (and loved) a fun reimagining of the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears: GOLDIBOOKS AND THE WEE BEAR, written by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, published earlier this year by Running Press Kids.

Here is Troy Wilson's advice for young writers:

"My advice? Write badly. Badly, badly, badly. Include words and ideas that shouldn't be there. Leave out words and ideas that should be there. Put things in the wrong order. Have your protagonist act wildly out of character. Why? Because that is what your favorite author does.

"You don't see your favorite author's horrible first drafts. Or horrible second drafts. Or horrible third drafts. For that matter, you don't see their attempted books that never, ever turned out at all. (Some things are just dead ends, even for your favorite author.) No, you only see their final, super-duper-polished work, after they got lots and lots of great feedback.

"Everyone starts with bad writing. Every single writer, every single time - no matter how long they've been doing it. You can't avoid your own bad writing. You can't go around it or over it or under it. You have to go through it. Just get it onto the page or screen. You can always fix it later. Except if you let the bad writing - or the fear of bad writing - stop you from writing. Because you can't fix what isn't there."

Thanks, Troy! 

Related links:

Publisher page about Goldibooks and the Wee Bear

More about Troy Wilson at TroyStory.ca, Twitter and Facebook.

More about Edwardian Taylor at EdwardianTaylor.com, Twitter and Instagram.

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Find more advice for young writers and illustrators from children's book creators.

I've been gradually adding new and older BookADay posts to my new Bookstagram. One of the most recent:

SOUP DAY by Melissa Iwai (Henry Holt): Celebrates the importance of making a nutritious meal and sharing in the process as a famly. Also be sure to check out Melissa's newest book, DUMPLINGS FOR LILI (Norton Young Readers).

Brian McLachlan is a cartoonist who's worked for Nickelodeon, The Nib and the New Yorker. He writes the monthly comic Spruce Street Squad for Owl Magazine. His book, Draw Out The Story: 10 Secrets to Creating Your Own Comics is an ILA-nonfiction award winner. Each Tuesday he hosts a group of artists in a PG-13 game of Dungeons & Dragons where they live draw what happens in game on Twitch, called Magical Marker ( MM ). You can find Brian at his website, on Twitter, and Instagram.

Synopsis of COMPLETE THE QUEST: THE POISONOUS LIBRARY (Imprint/Macmillan):

Save your kingdom in this interactive role-playing adventure, which reads like a graphic novel but also plays like a game! It’s perfect for fans of all ages who are interested in the exciting world of fantasy gaming.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for Complete The Quest?

Complete the Quest in a brand new mix of role playing game (RPG) and comic. It started as an experiment to see what would happen if I took a Dungeons & Dragons or Chose Your Own Adventure multi-path story and made it into a comic. How would the gameplay change by putting it into a visual space? For me, it was a literal game changer, turning the CYOA anxiety of multiple choices, into a laid-out, laid-back invitation to check all paths for your favourite way forward. It also encourages people to come up with their own, better solution if they want. While I always give the reader a clear path forward, I invite them to forge their own. It's a great introduction to co-operative storytelling.

Q. What was your writing/illustration process?

I draw a scene much faster than I can write about it. A picture's worth a thousand words and all that. So I draw my scripts in rough, laying out out the word balloons, figuring out how much space I need, how the page turns feel, etc. This was especially important for this comic gamebook which also filled with maps for the reader to navigate. We needed to see if the pathing was clear. Creating the tutorial was the most time intensive part, trying to make the most elegant, clear way to ease the reader into how the game part functions. I think we nailed it. I hear from parents who don't play RPGs that they were worried about the reading a gamebook, but they quickly "got it".

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

Advice is hard to give because everyone's different. Some people need to hear "finish what you start" and some need to hear "stop working on that thing, it's good enough". So my advice is to train your inner advice-giver and follow it. What is it about the way you work that you've been putting off improving, but could do right now? Because you know what type of story or art you're making, and if you're trying to make an apple, the best advice in making a banana isn't going to help. And the best advice in making an apple right-handed isn't going to help you if you're left-handed. Not all advice is for you, it's a skill to figure out what part is for you to take right now, later, or never.

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Also see my other Inkygirl interviews with book creators and advice for young writers and illustrators from book creators.

IKEA hacks that go viral? It’s often the simplest ideas, brilliantly executed, mixed with a healthy dose of “It’s so easy, even you can do it” appeal. The latest sensation comes from Ayse Balci of @interiorundco, whose stylish DIY project has been turning heads on Instagram, amassing an impressive 115,000 likes and counting. Have you seen it yet? It’s a fantastic DIY project that transforms the popular and affordable 13 3/4″ LACK side table into a stylish chrome cube side […]

The post How a Basic IKEA Table Became a Viral Sensation (So Easy Anyone Can DIY It) appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

The IKEA NÄMMARÖ storage box serves as a practical solution for the garden and balcony, functioning well as an outdoor storage box and bench. Made from acacia, a naturally durable hardwood, it is pre-treated to withstand the sun, rain, stains, and general wear and tear. However, the loose lid can be a pro or con, depending on your specific needs and space configuration. For John Sharpe, the design was a bit of an inconvenience. “The original box has no hinges,” […]

The post A Quick Fix Makes This IKEA Outdoor Storage Box So Much More Accessible appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

That awkward gap between your refrigerator and wall doesn’t have to be wasted space. Palestinian DIY enthusiast Qamar Derbas (@decorista_93) had the same thought – and turned it into a brilliant pantry storage solution. Her clever IKEA hack transforms the IKEA GERSBY bookshelf into a rolling pull-out pantry that slides perfectly into that refrigerator gap. This project requires no special tools or much DIY expertise and takes a mere hour or two hour to complete. What’s more, the GERSBY bookshelf […]

The post The $50 Solution to Your Kitchen’s Most Annoying Gap appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

We’ve all been there – the frustration of searching high and low for that elusive piece of furniture to turn our home decorating vision into reality. For Sabrina, her search was for the ideal console table. “Unfortunately, I could not find the perfect console, so my husband had to believe in it again and build one himself!” she shared on her Instagram post. After realizing that the perfect entryway console was nowhere to be found, the couple decided to take […]

The post Failed Furniture Hunt Inspires Couple’s Fabulous Entryway Console Hack appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

New Disney+ Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian premiered on Tuesday and people haven't been able to stop tweeting about "Baby Yoda." Can you blame them? He's just so goddamn cute. The catch here is that Baby Yoda isn't actually Yoda at all, but rather of the same species. Either way, people are positively freaking over him, and we don't blame them.

When Windows tells you it's out of memory, what does it mean and what can you do about it?

How Do I Tell Which Program Is Using So Much Memory? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Here are my latest recommendations for specific security software and techniques.

What Security Software Do You Recommend? (2024 Q4 update) from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

Commercial software can be expensive. Can you just pirate software if you can't afford it? You can guess my answer, but even better: theft isn't necessary.

Why Can’t the Poor Just Pirate Software? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

This book contains essays from the 2016 postings of A Philosopher’s Blog. Subjects range from the metaphysics of guardian angels to the complicated ethics of guns. There are numerous journeys into the realm of political philosophy and some forays into …Read more »

Embed from Getty Images Scottie Nell Hughes, a Trump surrogate, presented her view of truth on The Diane Rehm Show. As she sees it: Well, I think it’s also an idea of an opinion. And that’s—on one hand, I hear …Read more »

A family friend asked me to work on her home computer.

Friend: “If you can’t fix it, I assume you messed it up beyond repair and will owe me a new computer.”

I stopped then and there.

I work as dispatch for a trucking company. One of my duties is to provide the closest truck driver for shipment. I get a call from a customer.

Customer: We can pay [generous amount] for this shipment, can you please check with your driver if that will be enough for him?”

I ask the driver:

Driver: “Yes, lock it down!”

Customer: “Alright, send your driver to the address.”

When the driver arrives at the address, he needs to wait for a couple of hours because they “made a mistake” with the paperwork. After asking them when they will be ready, only at the end do they tell him they sent their shipment with another courier for less money, and they didn’t even contact us. The driver tells me this and I call them asking for an explanation. They only said “sorry “and hung up.

Related:
Absolutely Trucking Mad, Part 4
Absolutely Trucking Mad, Part 3
Absolutely Trucking Mad, Part 2
Absolutely Trucking Mad

You probably haven’t given a lot of thought to the damaging effects of tire wear, at least when it comes to our food supply. But a study out of the University of Vienna (UV) will likely change your perspective on that. [...]

California-based Greatfill makes zero waste easy. With a variety of refillable household products, the company’s focus is on health for the home, humans and the environment.[...]

Lots of people want to have more sustainable homes, not just to help the environment. Because at the end of the day, it's a lot more affordable to get your energy from the sun and the wind than to pay some oil or coal plant to provide it. But for many people, being sustainable means having a home built. Hiring an architect and a contractor and going to all that trouble gets pretty expensive. Thanks to Clayton, sustainable living is about to get much more accessible.[...]

Clean beauty brand ILIA was founded by Sasha whose brother suffered from asthma and severe allergies as a child. Their mother helped him recover through an organic food co-op to give him access to clean nutrition, and he went on to become an Olympic athlete after being told by doctors he could never compete in sports. As Sasha moved into a career in fashion and beauty branding, she realized she didn't have clean ingredients in products she was putting on her body every day. ILIA was born as a beauty brand that cares about health. [...]

Soapbox is a company dedicated to providing meticulously-crafted personal care products that focus on the health of humans and the environment. [...]

Wedding season is upon us, and thanks to a slowly retreating pandemic, there seems to be more than ever. Whether you are attending a wedding this year or planning one for next year, it is important to recognize the environmental impact that such an event can have. There is an average of two million weddings a year in the U.S., and they are some of the most expensive parties thrown around the world. Between travel, single-use objects and food waste, weddings produce 400 pounds of trash and 63 tons of carbon dioxide per event.[...]

Soil erosion is an age-long predicament that always shows up whenever humans embark on any land use activity. Whether it is agriculture, construction or gardening, the need to tame erosion is apparent, especially in regions that experience significant precipitation. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that 90% of the world’s topsoil risks erosion by 2050. It is, therefore, the responsibility of those who participate in land use activities to prevent such a mess. [...]

Solar panels are by far the best applicable technology for converting solar energy to usable electricity today. With the sun available to us around the year, it is only reasonable to consider taping its energy for domestic use. Even so, the currently available photovoltaic solar cell technology is still not as efficient as desired. The cells used in most solar panels have an efficiency of about 15% to 20%. This means that only about 20% of the sun rays that reach the panel are converted to electricity.[...]

The Housing NOW project addresses home insecurity in a variety of affordable, efficient and sustainable ways. Started by Blue Temple, an architecture design studio based in Myanmar, the structures are constructed using bamboo that is locally available and endlessly renewable.[...]

People are paying more attention to what they eat right now than at any other point in history. There's a lot more focus on organic ingredients, fresh ingredients and locally-sourced ingredients. At the famous Steirereck restaurant, you are surrounded by farmlands where the ingredients in your food are grown. Now, PPAG Architects have completed Sterock am Pogusch. This is an offshoot of Steirereck and it will take you into the Austrian Alps.[...]