It’s Forbes.sites, i.e., a blog post and not an actual article edited by Forbes.

So, some life updates.

Interview went very well, but still waiting to hear back. I really need to get back on the application train regardless in case a different candidate gets picked.

My partner is deciding to try (feminizing) HRT! I am super happy for them, but they don’t have health insurance so I am trying to figure out options. Here’s what I have so far, and it’d be good to get feedback:

• We can go with Planned Parenthood virtual visits and hope that the payment plans for their income level is reasonable.
• We can pursue one of the various online GAHT clinics (Folx, Plume, etc…)
• I have insurance and have a big EV stockpile. I can let them borrow my stock until they get insurance. I would need to probably adjust my regime (split my EV dose over 2 injections), so that they could take my spiro since that doesn’t come as easily as E and then I could run fine on monotherapy (I have been kinda forgetting most of my spiro doses anyways for the past few months it wouldn’t be a big change, it would just alleviate some of my anxiety). I am a little concerned them not getting blood tests in this scenario, but it should be fine short term.

No. The continuing resolution was a “clean” bill, but there will be definitely anti-trans riders in other appropriations bills down the road.

So, there are a couple key leading design movements.

In mainstream spaces (i.e. 5e D&D-adjacent) you have a new generation of games with a focus on well-tuned tactical combat and trying to tie in more narrative mechanics for non-combat scenarios. These games are generally similar in complexity to D&D 5e, albeit with higher optimization ceilings. Examples: Pathfinder 2e, Daggerheart, Draw Steel, Lancer. I would also slot Fabula Ultima here even if the tactical combat isn’t spatial in nature.

In indie spaces, you have a lot of post-PbtA microgames, where the idea is to riff on an established mechanic with bespoke material for capturing a specific vibe. The 24XX movement is a key example. Really, any of these can be picked up and played with little prep, you just have to find something that you like. You also have diceless (and often GMless) games based on Belonging Outside Belonging, which are super narrative heavy and based on collaborative storytelling. Jenna Moran’s games (Nobilis, Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine, etc…) are also a major precursor to this movement, but Jay Dragon’s games (Sleepaway, Wanderhome, Yazeba’s Bed and Breakfast) are probably the most notable modern examples.

The other major indie movement is the New School Renaissance (NSR) movement, which is derived from the Old School Revival/Renaissance (OSR) movement. While the OSR movement was mainly about recapturing what was perceived to be lost modalities of play (generally based on a nostalgia for Basic/Expert D&D), NSR games take the core mechanical aspects of the OSR and apply them to more diverse genres and themes. Mothership and Mork Borg are the biggest games in this space, with a mountain of 3rd party support, but games based on Into the Odd (Bastionland, Cairn, Mausritter, etc…) are also a major current.

In addition to these design movements, you still have a lot of stable currents as well, including PbtA/FitD games, trad games published by legacy publishers (Onyx Path, Arc Dream, Chaosium, Free League, Pelgrane Press, Green Ronin, etc…) as well as a fair number of 5e-clones/hacks.

(Miami Herald) U.S. poised to strike military targets in Venezuela in escalation against Maduro regime

Yeah, if you’re on 8 mg daily then it’s probably a good idea to switch to injections.

Welcome back.

Most of the higher-end data center chips that have been the main point of investment aren’t designed/supported for home use or gaming, so even then it might not be usable outside of tensor processing.

AI job applications combined with AI application screening just turns the entire process into a pure lottery.

Finally got a call back from my job search! It’s a cancer research postdoc in a state/city that I actually want to live in. Super excited and a bit nervous of course.

I need to wrangle reference letters now (won’t be hard depending on the timeline) and prepare a short research presentation (also shouldn’t be hard, but it’s definitely nerve-wracking).

I used two 1 in wide strips of pink patent leather that are joined together by an o-ring (used rivets for that). I then spaced out 12.7mm diameter grommets and pairs of 0.79 in spikes (spikes - grommet - spikes - grommet - spikes) on each strip. For a clasp, I used a pair of snaps.

Overall, the equipment, initial pleather and bits (spikes, studs, grommets, snaps, rivets, o-rings) cost somewhere between $100 - $150 dollars (cheaped out and got stuff on Amazon), but there’s enough material to make a lot of pieces. I already had a hammer and cutting mat, but most of the bit sets came with the appropriate tools. I may also want to experiment with buckles later, but the snaps are pretty easy and since I am just sizing each piece for my partner and I it doesn’t necessarily need to be adjustable.

I’ve started making my own pleather chokers and related jewelry. I made a spiked choker/collar for my partner last week, and today I’ve been working on armlets for myself.

I’m so proud of you for taking this step.

Federal taxes (income, corporate, payroll, etc…) are levied directly on individuals & firms, so there’s no mechanism for states to withhold funds.

NYT reporting that the bullet engraving story appears to be fake news:

https://bsky.app/profile/thelincoln.bsky.social/post/3lyl5ljm2h22m

Photo of the FBI-designated person of interest have dropped.

https://bsky.app/profile/erininthemorning.com/post/3lyl4kbj7ik2u

Not going to go too deep into the pop phrenology, but kinda looks like an archetypical groyper.

Apparently, the man who was arrested was not the shooter and the shooter remains at large. Still hoping that it wasn’t a trans, queer or BIPOC person, and that the shooter was some right-winger or radical centrist.

Was incredibly scared that the shooter would be trans or otherwise visibly queer, so I am pretty relieved that the alleged shooter is a an old white guy.

Bottoms (2023) is a very good movie for a party night with the fellow gays/trans people. It was the second time I had seen it, but I was still cackling like a hyena for most of it.