And I have an appointment downtown this morning...
Jan. 9th, 2026 08:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dewlineSpecial weather statement for Ottawa-Gatineau today. 70-90 kph winds expected this afternoon. Rain all day, which has already arrived.
Interesting Links for 09-01-2026
Jan. 9th, 2026 12:00 pmandrewducker- 1. Danish troops told to 'shoot first, ask questions later' if US invades Greenland
- (tags:usa greenland denmark war doom )
- 2. What is the product placement in Lord of the Rings? (read the comments)
- (tags:lotr advertising viaSwampers )
- 3. How do UK voters feel about coalitions, and what kind would they like to see?
- (tags:uk coalition politics polls )
rydra_wongOn Monday evening I had the BEST time being repeatedly summoned by someone who (it gradually became clear) was wildly lost in the Duke's Archives.
Context: in Dark Souls, you can put down a summon sign so that other players can* summon you into their game to help them out (at the risk of also opening themselves up to potential hostile invaders).
You can only be summoned by people in the same rough level range as you, so if I don't feel like moving on yet from an area after I’ve completed it, I often put down my summon sign and hang around for a bit before I level up out of the usual range for that area. It’s been a lot of fun.
VERY IMPORTANT CONTEXT: there is no channel for voice or text communication. There's a very limited menu of gestures, and a few signals (e.g. repeatedly tapping the block button to jiggle your shield or weapon, which generally seems to communicate "I'm here, let's go!") which the fandom has evolved by default.
This makes communication challenging. But it also means it makes zero demands on my capacity for verbal conversation or pretending to be a semi-normal human being.
( Cut for length )
Context: in Dark Souls, you can put down a summon sign so that other players can* summon you into their game to help them out (at the risk of also opening themselves up to potential hostile invaders).
You can only be summoned by people in the same rough level range as you, so if I don't feel like moving on yet from an area after I’ve completed it, I often put down my summon sign and hang around for a bit before I level up out of the usual range for that area. It’s been a lot of fun.
VERY IMPORTANT CONTEXT: there is no channel for voice or text communication. There's a very limited menu of gestures, and a few signals (e.g. repeatedly tapping the block button to jiggle your shield or weapon, which generally seems to communicate "I'm here, let's go!") which the fandom has evolved by default.
This makes communication challenging. But it also means it makes zero demands on my capacity for verbal conversation or pretending to be a semi-normal human being.
( Cut for length )
Media and Power: 01 Unit 1: Construction of Meaning: Picture Composition
Jan. 9th, 2026 05:17 pmalias_sqbrI finally got back to this! Masterlist.
The chapter: Construction of Meaning: Picture Composition.
It was really interesting reading this as someone who has read lots of art theory for the purposes of being better at art, and picked up some more formal theory via vague osmosis from my artsy parents and their books, but not generally thought about composition very deeply from a media analysis angle.
( Read more... )
The chapter: Construction of Meaning: Picture Composition.
It was really interesting reading this as someone who has read lots of art theory for the purposes of being better at art, and picked up some more formal theory via vague osmosis from my artsy parents and their books, but not generally thought about composition very deeply from a media analysis angle.
( Read more... )
Media and Power: Masterlist
Jan. 9th, 2026 05:07 pmalias_sqbrGoing through the free university mini-course Media and Power from the University of Iowa.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Just One Thing (09 January 2026)
Jan. 9th, 2026 08:02 amnanila posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
awesomeersIt's challenge time!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
Comment with Just One Thing you've accomplished in the last 24 hours or so. It doesn't have to be a hard thing, or even a thing that you think is particularly awesome. Just a thing that you did.
Feel free to share more than one thing if you're feeling particularly accomplished! Extra credit: find someone in the comments and give them props for what they achieved!
Nothing is too big, too small, too strange or too cryptic. And in case you'd rather do this in private, anonymous comments are screened. I will only unscreen if you ask me to.
Go!
A Hand in the Hole Semi-Flash Exchange!
Jan. 8th, 2026 09:23 pmbrightly_burning posting in flashexchangesA Hand in the Hole is a semi-flash exchange focused on fisting, hosted on AO3. Matching is on fandom, medium, ship, and freeform.
Collection | Tagset | AutoAO3App
Schedule:
Tag Nominations Open: January 3rd @ 6 PM CST
Signups Open: January 5th at 6 PM CST
Noms & Signups Close: January 12th @ 6 PM CST
Works Due: January 19 @ 6 PM CST
Works Revealed: January 19 @ ~6 PM CST
Creators Revealed: January 22 @ 6 PM CST
Work Minimums
Fic: 300 words
Art: Nice sketch
Collection | Tagset | AutoAO3App
Schedule:
Tag Nominations Open: January 3rd @ 6 PM CST
Signups Open: January 5th at 6 PM CST
Noms & Signups Close: January 12th @ 6 PM CST
Works Due: January 19 @ 6 PM CST
Works Revealed: January 19 @ ~6 PM CST
Creators Revealed: January 22 @ 6 PM CST
Work Minimums
Fic: 300 words
Art: Nice sketch
The Boys Are Back In Town
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
questionable_content_feed
thank you, past jeph, for setting up this callback
i do love watching falling snow though
Jan. 8th, 2026 08:46 pmwychwoodThe snow did indeed all melt on Tuesday, but this evening we're under Storm Goretti, and it's been coming down good and proper - huge wet flakes, a couple of centimetres in the last hour or so already. We don't seem to have much of the high winds or anything, though; it's been quite peaceful (well, except for Miss H's family, who were driving back from Worcester and are stuck on a road behind some lorries).
Currently in limbo as to whether I'll be in the office tomorrow or not; the forecast thinks it'll keep snowing for a couple of hours but then move towards sleet, and this stuff is so wet it won't take much to melt it. I'll have to see what it looks like in the morning. I've packed everything ready, regardless - although actually I didn't really need to, because the swimming pool has pre-emptively cancelled the morning swim, so I don't need most of it anyway...
The washing machine is behaving itself again. The repairman has broken his ankle and couldn't come and look at it, but suggested something to check; we tried it without any result but then did some laundry to see whether it would cooperate or not, and so far so good! I did four loads yesterday, so the pile is looking much more reasonable.
Life is incredibly quiet and mundane and some day I will finish the November booklog, but mostly things are just... restful, right now. A good way to start the year.
Currently in limbo as to whether I'll be in the office tomorrow or not; the forecast thinks it'll keep snowing for a couple of hours but then move towards sleet, and this stuff is so wet it won't take much to melt it. I'll have to see what it looks like in the morning. I've packed everything ready, regardless - although actually I didn't really need to, because the swimming pool has pre-emptively cancelled the morning swim, so I don't need most of it anyway...
The washing machine is behaving itself again. The repairman has broken his ankle and couldn't come and look at it, but suggested something to check; we tried it without any result but then did some laundry to see whether it would cooperate or not, and so far so good! I did four loads yesterday, so the pile is looking much more reasonable.
Life is incredibly quiet and mundane and some day I will finish the November booklog, but mostly things are just... restful, right now. A good way to start the year.