No pharmaceutical aids preferably

And no, please dont suggest homeless shelters, those are just unsafe and very demoralizing.

The very first thing I looked for (and forgive me for this, this is gonna be a controvertial one here) is the military, because thats just what lots of reddit threads mentioned, and like it would be an immediate exit from a toxic household, and yes, that would mean enduring an institution thats also kinda toxic, but thats only a few years and you're free, and its much more predictable. Except they dont accept anyone with depression and you have to prove you're "fine" for probably 36 months to even get a waiver. So that's crossed off as an option.

Jobcorps, well thats for low income families, and being a dependent means your parents income is what counts so i dont qualify

Americorps NCCC, well that seems seasonal and the next thing doesnt start till like months later (not sure if I'm even reading the website correctly)

Ngl I lowkey just thought of enlisting so once I finish that, next time we meet, I could stand in front of my toxic brother just staring at him menacingly, like whatcha gonna do, fight with an ex-soldier? Not to mention the prestiege of veteran status. And btw its only 1% thats acrually ever gonna face real combat so its not like WW1&2 trench warfare, its mostly just logistics, and like a civillian job, you'd be contributing to shareholder value anyways so there isnt really much of a "moral highground" either way, except working a retail job or some shit is very demoralizing but military has the reverance. And also

But anyways I'm not eligible anytime soon anyways. I doubt I'm even "manly" enough for it.

Bruh idk what to do really, you know that one movie, Parasite where like they work in a rich person's mansion and that shit. I'm not a fan of rich people but like I lowkey wanna like just "housesitter" and chill in some nice mansion with great views, and maybe even find secrets and become a movie plot. (edit: okay this part I'm half joking, its more like a fantasy daydream of "I get to be in a movie plot" probably unrealistic for someone that never been in proximity of high wealth)

I'm in Philly, PA btw.

(Also should I pack light with just a backpack and just one or two change of clothes and laundry often or just carry every clothing I could fit in a suitcase?)

I honestly hate myself for still feeling this way at 23. Whenever I’m out, I always feel like the ugliest girl in the room, and it literally makes me feel completely worthless. It sucks watching how nicely everyone treats beautiful women. Nobody ever says anything mean to them. Guys are always looking out for them, and other girls always have their back. They get this pass in life that I’ve never had. No one has ever helped or protected me except my parents.I’ve learned to just rely on myself, because my parents won't be around forever and nobody else gives a damn about me. Maybe this is how it should be.

A really good feeling hit yesterday. It was the memory of life before smartphones. I could feel it so well that I forgot what having a smartphone was like.

This was triggered by a re-watch of a television show. I hadn't seen it in 10-15 years but The Wire really got to me in the way the characters treat and use technology. Almost everything is done by hand and it put my brain in a moment of time before tech came for us all.

The question, "what would I do if I didn't have this?" came across my mind. What would I be doing with my day or my morning? What would I be doing if I wasn't typing this now?

We've crossed a line with computer technology where we don't understand the benefits any further. A human being cannot operate a computer smaller than a smartphone so then we said "where else can we put these?" and the smartphone automobile was born.

We've reached the end of what computers can do. AI was just computers predicting the next possible step. Prediction. Is there anything else a computer could possibly do outside of carry out the present or predict the future? Data storage is the past. It sits and doesn't do anything.

I feel like this is the beginning of the end for how we view computers as an important aspect of our society. There appears to be more human growth away from technology.

We met on a dating app and have had five dates so far. I like many of his qualities for example he’s been respectful and chivalrous: didn’t try anything physical on our first date, hasn’t been pushing for sex, only kissed on our previous dates, listened to my boundary of less tongue after inserting it immediately our first kiss, told me “you’re so beautiful”, paid for our recent dinner after we split the previous one, we’ve had great chemistry/banter, opens doors and pours water, asked me my favorite flower, already initiating dates for weeks from now. Conversation flows and I'm attracted to him, both physically and otherwise, but I'm conflicted about the physical intimacy recently escalating past our emotional/mental connection.

We went to his place for the first time on our fifth date and I suggested we cuddle which turned into more. He wanted to finger and go down on me at the same time right off the bat, whereas I’m more used to fingering on its own first to let things unfold gradually. He said it's been a few years since his most recent relationship (LTR), so we agreed we’re both learning about each other. We continued kissing and all, but he repeatedly said he wants to be inside of me (not in a pressuring way, but I don't know what to say to that) after I already explained I prefer easing into physical intimacy slowly and am more traditional.

After a while, I asked if he could say something dirty but was shocked when he said “you’re a little slut aren’t you” when trying to dirty talk. He didn't apologize but admitted he's not good at it. I don't like the word 'slut', but I didn’t want to make things more awkward after we just had a discussion about my preferences for going slow with fingering first before more happens. He said he will do so when the moment comes up again, which I thought meant another day, but he soon initiated fingering and our chemistry is so strong I let him go down on me right after that. He also started asking me sex-related questions like how kinky I am, what's a no-go in the bedroom, and said he used to have a sex swing.

He also promised to share all of the photos of us from his phone but only sent one at first until I followed up and has complained about or judged each of my date ideas in some way or another - the food, declined my venue idea (my favorite spot) since he's been there a few times already, and an accessory I just excitedly bought. I noticed he didn't ask about my parents whereas I was trying to get to know him on a deeper level during our date, but we did touch on it during our first date (surface level though).

Please help me out, everyone. I would really appreciate any help or advice! Are there any red flags or is he just a more sexual guy who’s genuinely attracted to me with good intentions? Does he seem to be in it for casual or short-term versus a long-term relationship? Am I overthinking any of this? Instead of asking to take a break, should I scale back and explain to him I'm busy (which I am) on our next date, or wait until he asks me to come over again before opening that topic? Should I bring up the 'slut' term in person on our next date or wait until we’re intimate like that again and first see if he says it again before speaking up?

Hi, I'm Fyn. Sound engineer in Portland, OR. Into retro computing (mostly 80s home computers), mechanical keyboards, and climbing. I've been around the fediverse a while now (Mastodon - @fyn@mstdn.party) and wanted a home on the forum side of things. Nice to meet you all, and happy to answer any questions.

The internet sucks a lot right now. I know it's full of AI and scammers, the Lemmy users are helpful to spread warnings about them everyday. It's a little disheartening though to know that a lot of the warning signs are way above my entry level knowledge. Is there anyplace "safe" where someone can ask questions or even hire (not a job request post!) someone to help make a website without getting something that looks pretty but is actually a vibe coded nightmare?

Alternatively, what should laymen like myself be on the lookout for when trying to interact with this field? A real doctor can show credentials and answer questions, a real artist has a portfolio and can talk you through their process, I don't know what to ask a website maker person

thanks :3

At this point, it’s become a bit meme on Reddit to share the creepy or disgusting DMs you receive. However, nothing like that has happened to me here yet, even though I’ve been active for the equivalent of three or four of those pervy chat invitations on Reddit. I’m no less active here.

if you are learning something how do you not be on tutorial hell

Why can't one easily filter the spammy multiple posts from super niche crap-holes?

I discovered Gemini in 2023 and really enjoy it. I like the minimalism. I like that page presentation is up to the user. I've even come to appreciate the line-based nature of its markup, because theoretically at least, it means a screen reader user knows that elements are always arranged top to bottom.

I say "theoretically" since I have yet to run into an accessible Gemini browser for Windows, which is unfortunate since Gemini's whole deal is text first.

And to head off the inevitable comment about Linux, in order to have an accessible app you need an accessible OS for it to sit on top of.

I eat a pretty high protein diet which has the side-effect of giving me really big ones. Sometime my farties exit my anus with such turbulence that it feels like they could do damage. After multiple decade of farties and lots of other wear and tear, could ripping huge ones give me fissures?

This part gripes me when they travel to "less fortunate" or "poor" countries where eating out is $0.50-2.00 but the same or similar thing is $30-500 in the US, however: people earn different levels of income. Like in that "third world" country, people may only live with $10 a day while Americans live with either $7.25 / $15 per hour in minimum wage, so it's not comparable as to why the prices are seen as "cheap" by Americans.

Now, put it this way: if an average joe were to earn the FEDERAL mandated minimum wage of $7.25, is buying a whole weeks worth of groceries affordable with that alone (excluding rent, utilities, insurance, etc)? Do you consider a $200 semi-fancy dinner at a restaurant (not over the top luxurious, but formal & fine dining) with family or friends "cheap" in the US whilst earning $15 (or even $30) per hour in minimum wage?

I’m getting really tired of “verify you’re not a bot” checks everywhere.

I understand these checks help prevent bots, but they seem to appear on so many websites now. Does anyone else find them frustrating?

I have leggings with mesh I use to workout and lounging, for everything basically. I'm thinking about buying a pair of leggings with no mesh, synthetic material also, for daily use as well.

I have the feeling that the ones with mesh cool faster and don't smell funky as quickly as the models with no mesh. I don't know if I'm imagining things.

The ones with no mesh should keep me warm longer and be better for winter?

both leggings are a mix of polyester and spandex: 20% spandex on the mesh model, 33% spandex on the no mesh one.

͏

No, i don't drink coffee, nor do i drink energy drinks.

Edit: i fucking hate autocorrect

Edit 2: thank you all for the great advice, you all are helping me maximize my procrastination potential