Started paying off debt, saving, and investing consistently over 25 years ago. It has really worked out, and my wife and I are more financially secure than most. Even still, we’re one health crisis away from potential bankruptcy, because we live in the United States.

If the frog starts singing the Ozempic song, do you punch it across the room?

The standard answer is “security”…and that may be true in some cases.

But a lot of it is just job justification. Some beleaguered coder somewhere has to do a thing because their manager has to do a thing because their director has to do a thing and so on. Box checking exercises.

Yes, I have noticed a lot of activity in that community! I do some resin printing myself. Most folks in there appear to be using filament, but I’m grateful they are so active.

It’s not too surprising that some dedicated DIY 3d printing “maker” type people gravitate towards the fediverse.

Fastmail is pretty great, and it lets you create masked email addresses for throwaway purposes if you need one.

I speculate in many cases, suicide bombers are supplied with their equipment by a sponsoring organization, and don’t build it themselves. Obviously, some of them (like the lone wolf types) do make their own. Someone who is knowledgeable with explosives might be too valuable to sacrifice in the attack. Whereas almost anyone can deploy the weapon, it doesn’t take much skill.

I’d love to see more users / activity in the non-political niche and hobby communities. That’s my holiday wish.

Very few sane people want to hold office. The truth of the job is that it’s almost nonstop fundraising. The system is intentionally broken to keep money in power.

Book banners bringing attention to books that scare them is galaxy brain in action.

Yep. It sucks. My doc joked that we all have rocks in our heads, har har.

It can sometimes be treated with a simple technique (more info below, also mentioned in the article above). When it works, it brings amazing relief.

Unfortunately it doesn’t always work. An ENT specialist can help you with it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epley_maneuver

Much smaller user base, distributed servers, modern code (versus reddit’s ancient code), less enshittification in the code (reddit’s various manipulative algorithms).

Maybe. But in this case, two decades had passed since he’d written the previous book in the series.

Runes of the Earth by Stephen R. Donaldson. Couldn’t even finish it. Loved some of his earlier books, which I read when I was much younger. Not sure if he changed or if I did. But what I read of Runes was truly awful.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched him. You’re probably right. I hope so, that makes it funnier.

He’s funny in small doses, but the traditionalist gatekeeping thing gets old.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Earth_(genre)

Glad you sorted it!

Not 100% sure, but these come to mind.

• Science Fantasy
• Dying Earth
• Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy

I hope it gets better for you.

A few more tips came to mind.

Flonase works better for me, but some people respond better to Nasonex.

Also, sometimes switching to Allegra instead of Claritin often helps me when the Claritin isn’t working. It costs more, so I always switch back.

I have allergies and they suck.

Most of the year, a daily dose of OTC Claritin takes care of it for me. But sometimes in the spring or fall, the pollen counts get too high and the Claritin isn’t enough. Doesn’t help that I’m allergic to multiple types of pollen. What helps me a lot is to start taking OTC Flonase. It makes a huge difference. The thing with allergies is, the medications work better if you get out in front of the allergic reactions. You can catch up after they start, but it takes longer.

One tip that helps some folks is to take a shower before you go to bed. This can reduce allergens building up on your pillowcase. Obviously, launder your linens regularly.

Also, vacuum the house (wearing a mask) and replace your HVAC filters frequently. Consider getting better filters that are good for allergies (but note they are expensive).

Don’t forget the cabin filter in your car.

Finally, the absolute best allergy therapy that I personally know of is immunotherapy AKA allergy injections. This regimen is a major PITA, but it works really well for some folks. It basically trains your immune system to stop freaking out and tolerate the allergens. I did it as a kid and it completely eliminated my allergies until adulthood when I developed new ones. I have considered doing it again, but I’m making do with the OTC regimen for now.

I hope this was at least a little helpful. You have my sympathy. Allergies are no joke, they can be miserable.