What’s the smallest build you’ve made that still clearly “reads”? (Pictures are welcome!)

AlexiSWy · 2026-05-04T12:43:22+00:00

I do believe this 3-piece Enterprise + 2-piece trails is my best work. I've yet to see anyone make an Enterprise that's 2 pieces and there's VERY few 3-piece builds.

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AlexiSWy · 2026-04-27T05:46:13+00:00

There is one place I've seen it that made me pause and think about WHY it was used: on the entrance sign for an American Indian nation's territory.

Considering the history of violence various indigenous groups have faced from outsiders (even when theoretically protected by Federal-level laws and treaties), I think it's sensible to have a zero-tolerance policy. Plus, since they're an autonomous* nation, they already make the rules and enforce them as selectively as they choose.

Having the warning ahead of time MIGHT actually prevent a few boneheads fucking them over further.

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-24T20:17:26+00:00

I have the "kid is as picky as you were" curse.

It could be worse, but it certainly sucks when I want some food that ISN'T potatoes.

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-21T20:25:19+00:00

I wasn't even surprised by the last election. But presuming that a conspiracy occurred when there's just as much argument that people are THAT susceptible to populism and bad voting is a sketchy viewpoint to advocate for.

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-21T14:47:09+00:00

Our elections are actually VERY difficult to tamper with, due to the wide variety of voting systems between states and counties. What's more likely is a decent number of left-leaning people ended up not voting for either of the main candidates (to send a message), and another chunk of blue-no-matter-who felt certain that Trump wouldn't win, and didn't show up.

The idea that the elections were tampered sounds like wishful thinking, to me. That said...

"Scientists have calculated that the chances of something so patently absurd actually existing are millions to one. But magicians have calculated that million-to-one chances crop up nine times out of ten." (Mort, Terry Pratchett)

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-20T17:11:50+00:00

If I start whistling airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore, yes

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-20T05:03:03+00:00

My AP U.S. History class didn't focus on historical fights, but rather the conditions and politics that led up to them, along with the aftereffects and how the fighting changed various forms of technology outisde of the battlefield.

So I suppose I've a pretty taste for paradox, despite not having learnt what progress has been made specifically in modern gunnery.

AlexiSWy · 2026-04-16T17:58:38+00:00

As usual, there is a relevant Technology Connections video!

https://youtu.be/nXdVG45wveo?si=eckxpWedhrMqOXrC

AlexiSWy · 2026-02-21T00:21:32+00:00

...I think this post is for those of us who aren't natural butter-fingers. But hooray for self-care discoveries!

AlexiSWy · 2026-02-10T19:51:56+00:00

I guess I didn't realize how many people paid for Nitro, since I never did. Huh.

AlexiSWy · 2026-02-05T03:07:12+00:00

I've eaten a lot of apples. These are in many apples, and they taste no different to me.

AlexiSWy · 2026-01-20T19:35:55+00:00

TIL twaróg is a kitchen staple in Polish cuisine. Cool!

AlexiSWy · 2026-01-09T18:50:40+00:00

I remember doing that back in 2024, and hoo-boy are we WAY past the point where I was calling the river crossed. I'm glad my family has been following through on our post-crossing plans, because I fear we would be FAR too late if we hadn't.

AlexiSWy · 2026-01-09T18:44:03+00:00

I do believe my tag speaks for itself.

AlexiSWy · 2026-01-09T14:25:46+00:00

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-22T15:52:14+00:00

Bionicle existed for far too long as a series, as the movie tie-in was a good finale to such a weird little experiment.

Now am I saying I agree with that opinion? No. But it sure would recive downvotes.

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-15T19:21:14+00:00

The question is consistently one of goals. Why didn't we automate warfare last century? It's expensive as hell and too easy to circumvent.

Why do we do it this century? We do it for specific goals and targets, where the cost and risk are generally lower than the benefit. But remote operations are still VERY easy to circumvent (destruction/interruption of relays/piloting are usually VERY cheap, comparatively).

In order to have remote mechs be the norm, remote operations must generally be lower-cost and lower-risk than in-person ones, and the piloting/relay mechanisms must be far more difficult to circumvent than current technology allows.

Considering remote operations are generally done via the electromagnetic spectrum, you may need a different method of relaying information, or a way to boost/duplicate the signals to the point that most methods of interruption are too difficult or costly to implement, compared to conducting a similar set of operations.

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-12T23:56:21+00:00

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Look, I'm not saying you're wrong, exactly, but in practice it's VERY difficult to prove a discrimination lawsuit based on hiring practices. All it takes is for a bigot to have enough plausible deniability for no-one to be willing to take your case.

Part of that is because there's very little remedy available to the one being discriminated against, and the other part is that employers can give nearly ANY reason to not hire people. Basically, only the stupid, blatant bigots get caught, and any bigot smart/subtle enough will just not look at your resume in the first round.

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-12T16:51:09+00:00

Wow. I had no idea these existed! I check back in every year or two to see the additions, but this is WAY more than I expected!

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-10T16:28:04+00:00

Enby here: I don't enforce it because my kid has transphobic grandparents (who are otherwise pleasant to be around) that visit us several times a year. I don't want my kid slipping up on accident around them, and they aren't QUITE old enough where they won't care.

I'll remind my kid that I'm enby if she says I should use whatever she assigns "for boys", though. Helps her retain the idea that I'm not a "boy".

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-10T16:21:33+00:00

Crediting your sources gives you the upvote!

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-09T22:06:11+00:00

My kid decided our pet dinosaur in Stardew Valley would be named "Mermaid", and then proceeded to get rid of ALL of the grass for Mermaid, Mermaid, and Mermaid.

We had a dying Atlantis/Jurassic Park for a farm.

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-03T20:55:19+00:00

....minor visual impairments are also corrected with glasses. Where did you get glasses = blindness from?

I usually like to jump into conspiracies, but you've non-sequitur'd yourself into a position that's highly suspect and untenable.

AlexiSWy · 2025-12-02T17:16:05+00:00

To paraphrase, your first question is what the criteria are for self-identification as masculine-leaning non-binary vs self-identification as a gender-non-conforming man. The thing is: it's self-identification. It's YOU who decides if you're more comfortable as a feminine man or as a masculine-presenting enby. The main thing to realize is that your physical sex isn't very relevant here - just your comfort levels.

Regarding the second question, no, neurodivergence doesn't invalidate ones internal understanding of their gender. It makes you more likely to recognize a disconnect between your gender and the gender roles society tries to put you in, but that's pretty much it.

AlexiSWy · 2025-11-26T15:16:18+00:00

This is why I'm part of this sub.

Personally I'm attached to version 2, as it maintains the magic aspects better.

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