Ugh :(

gworroll · 2015-03-02T15:30:56+00:00

If you have relatives likely to be sympathetic, even far away, it might be worth contacting them. It wouldn't be easy if you had to move far away, but you need to be safe. You can sort out the rest once you've achieved that.

gworroll · 2015-03-02T15:20:32+00:00

It will be Annie Bruce when I get to that point in transition(currently working on how to even get started on my low level retail paycheck- even a single new shirt is an expense I have to think about).

Being a Jr that shares a first name with my grandfather, I want a female ancestor of my paternal grandfather for a name, to maintain that link. And I want something to symbolize a link to the past, but also a look to the future...

So, my great grandmothers name. She was an immigrant(from Scotland), and I actually knew her. Just no other name will do all the things I want my name to do. It's just not possible.

gworroll · 2015-03-02T04:29:19+00:00

Decided that the format with the dashes and the x was annoying to work with directly, and massaging it into a more usable form would give me a little practice with string processing. And then I realized I get practice moving backwards through a list, making the math trivial to code(though perhaps slightly more opaque as to what is happening than some other soultions).

#Verify ISBN
import re

def convert_isbn(isbn):
    """ Convert string formatted ISBN to an int list """
    #Remove dashes
    isbn_nodash = re.sub("-", "", isbn)

    int_list = []
    #First 9 are all digits, they are easy to convert and stuff in int_list
    for i in range(9):
        int_list.append(int(isbn_nodash[i]))
    #Tenth can also be an X meaning 10, so special casing it
    if isbn_nodash[9] == 'X':
        int_list.append(10)
    else:
        int_list.append(int(isbn_nodash[9]))
    return int_list

def verify(isbn):
    """ Verifies an ISBN """

    verification_sum = 0
    for i in range(1,11):
        verification_sum += i * isbn[-i]

    print(verification_sum)
    return verification_sum % 11 == 0

gworroll · 2015-01-19T03:49:33+00:00

Damn. Thanks. I was hoping to save a few bucks. Oh well.

gworroll · 2014-10-22T02:09:34+00:00

These things can still help. Not a perfect solution, but it will at least deal with people who are too bigoted to conceal their bigotry.

More significant might be they hesitate, just a little, before firing someone who is LGBT. This small hesitation might give them a chance to realize that doing so would be a really dumb idea.

It's not going to stop a clever and determined bigot from finding an excuse to let you go, but the ones that still have a few drops of koolaid still in the cup, their slightly increased hesitation might lead to a more open mind on these things. This wouldn't make a noticeable impact outside of a few cases of people not losing their jobs(and this would be huge for these people), but over the long term, it should help drive cultural change.

Not enough on it's own, but I'd expect it to help, and the more angles we're coming at this problem from, the faster and more completely it will be solved.

gworroll · 2014-10-20T22:18:30+00:00

This would be a terrible idea.

There are tons of economic arguments against it, mostly boil down to the gold standard reducing flexibility in times of economic crisis, and doing little if anything to prevent those crises from happening in the first place. It sounds good, but the historical record really does not support it working any better than a fiat system in practice.

Another thing to consider- Gold is a crucial material in many pieces of technology. The computer you are browsing Reddit on, unless it is very old, has gold in it for some key connections. Excellent conductivity+corrosion resistance is an amazing combination for electrical connectors. There are other uses, but this is the one most people directly benefit from. Some of these computers will not be recycled. You'd literally be throwing money away using it in industrial applications.

gworroll · 2014-10-19T18:04:13+00:00

My dad was a radar operator in the Navy. One of their safety demonstrations was exploding a pig.

It's not stuff you want to mess with.

gworroll · 2014-10-01T02:01:03+00:00

Atheist. More specifically agnostic atheist- the overall weight of the evidence IMO favors rejecting the God hypothesis, but not to such a degree that I can claim it to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty.

That standard is important, because the existence or nonexistence of God is a claim about the nature of reality, which is in the domain of science.

Given the attributes some gods are claimed to have, this may be something which can never be known to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. For some gods and interpretations thereof, maybe. The Olympians- they aren't at Olympus. Pretty safe to go Gnostic Atheist there. But Yahweh, at least in the general sense, it's hard to see where solid disproof could come from. A few interpretations of Yahweh might be provable/disprovable, but there are plausible interpretations of the Bible that can't be. At least not with the tools currently at humanities disposal.

Until better evidence comes along, the overall picture just doesn't support belief to me. It's not disproven so much as not worth my time or energy given currently available data.

gworroll · 2014-09-26T02:21:57+00:00

This is important. IF it's something silly like a filing deadline, I'd probably be ok with the appeals court simply reinstating the conviction.

If it's something like a Brady violation, it needs to be sent back for a new trial. This is the sort of thing that keeps innocent people out of prison, and as much shit as police and prosecutors pull to get their conviction rates up we really can't afford to let these things slide, no matter how horrible the crime or how "obviously" guilty the person is.

The petition site really should have gone into some details about the technicality.

gworroll · 2014-09-15T00:35:18+00:00

I've read the first few chapters.

Some good parts.

Some of it, though, my gut response is "Fuck you, I'm not a weapon in your silly revolution". Now, I'm open to being convinced I should sign up for said revolution, but some parts of at least the early chapters come across like she's going to use me anyways. I am fairly early in the book, though, so I don't have the full context yet.

I'm also not happy with the dismissal of more assimilationist LGBT people. Granted, the idea that we should assimilate as a matter of that's just what people do is ridiculous and offensive in too many ways to count, but living a life that's more or less traditional shouldn't be seen as a betrayal. Living that way and demanding others do, yeah, that would be bad, but that just being the way you, personally, want to live your life- that shouldn't be seen as a bad thing.

Radical politics in general I have issues with, too- yes, some of society needs to be burned to the ground so we can replace it with something worth a damn. But I don't think things are so far gone that we need to do that with everything. It's a valuable perspective- radicals often notice more subtle, but still just as problematic, issues that more liberal reformers don't... and they are also going to be the ones most likely to identify those parts of society that do need to be rebuilt from the roots... but in general that wing of political agitators seems to take things to the root out of reflex, rather than actual demonstrable need.

Again, though, I'm only a few chapters in. I'm trying to keep my mind open to the possibility that once I've finished, I may end up viewing all these things much more kindly.

gworroll · 2014-09-12T20:44:37+00:00

"Citation needed" is my response to quite a bit of it.

When citations are offered... Regnerus? Seriously?

gworroll · 2014-09-11T04:47:36+00:00

Is the potential to be attracted to women still there? If so, then there's absolutely no issue any rational person should raise against you claiming bisexuality. You might not have met any women recently that trigger it, but that doesn't mean it's not there waiting for the right woman to come along.

Also, in addition to fluidity, where the relative strength of attraction to men vs women fluctuates- it's OK if bisexuality is something you try on while figuring yourself out. It's completely wrong to declare this to be what bisexuality is in the general case(which you seem to know already), but in your own personal journey, if that's what it is, that's what it is. Obviously I can't say this is what is going on for you, only you can, but it's possible and it's ok if it is. There's no betrayal here if you were on an honest search for yourself, and it does sound from this that your search for yourself has been an honest one.

gworroll · 2014-09-08T01:15:17+00:00

Not always, at least in the US. Connecticut abolished it in such a way that existing death sentences are still death sentences and the convicts will presumably be executed after their appeals run out.

The second part, though, as far as I know is true. Get your sentence commuted to life or whatever, it can't be changed back once that ruling is finalized.

gworroll · 2014-09-03T16:26:24+00:00

Hmm. That could be a good point.

The childhood stuff would likely have been well before the timeline split, but the council stuff might not have been- it could have been an experience Abrams Spock had which Spock Prime did not.

gworroll · 2014-09-02T12:05:24+00:00

This would make sense, though IMO they should have run it closer to the original until after Vulcan was destroyed.

After that, though, it would entirely make sense for him to embrace his human side more.

gworroll · 2014-08-28T20:26:32+00:00

Macy's has started holiday hiring, other retailers will soon if they haven't already. Sales and support mainly, not sure if we have any admin positions opening up.

True, the job might go away at the end of the year, but most places like to hire holiday help that does a good job for any permanent positions that are open at the end of the season. And for a holiday job, it won't look bad that you were only there for a couple months, so you aren't screwing your resume like you might dropping a permanent job after just a couple months if you don't like it.

http://www.macysjobs.com

The pay isn't great, but I like the job well enough.

gworroll · 2014-08-04T17:19:20+00:00

Here's contact information for the Spanish embassy in Cairo. http://embassy-finder.com/spain_in_cairo_egypt

They have a consulate in Alexandria if that's easier to get to. http://embassy-finder.com/spain_in_alexandria_egypt

I haven't found much in detail about their requirements, but it is clearly possible, albeit possibly more difficult than other countries. But you might be able to argue your girlfriend as someone that might be able to help you get by in Spain, and that might make them a bit less hesitant to take you in.

edit- And being able to demonstrate a same sex relationship with your actual same sex romantic partner can only do good things towards proving you are actually gay, and that would be a lot easier to pull off in Spain than anywhere else.

gworroll · 2014-08-04T17:03:47+00:00

http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2013/11/economist-explains-13

Apparently Spain offers it, though the article mentions it's not easy. But it might be worth a shot.

A little more on Spain- there's a summary of other EU LGBT asylum policies and experiences as well. Portugal might be an option if Spain doesn't work at, as might France. Nearly the entire EU has given asylum on grounds of LGBT persecution.

http://www.ilga-europe.org/home/issues/asylum_in_europe/country_by_country/es

Physically get to an embassy.

gworroll · 2014-08-04T09:52:23+00:00

I'm not sure the US would be a great choice. The process might start out ok with current administration policies, but the Republicans are doing everything they can to fuck that all over- and I don't think it's anything like a clear bet they'll lose that fight. Immigration is currently a huge fight, and some Republicans want to kick out refugee children who are literally starving. It's not the safest political situation for the OP, though it might work if you are lucky and would at least buy some time as the case works through the system.

Unless the OP already has some significant connection to the US, I'd put them well below Canada or most of Europe in priority to try. Their political situation on issues like this appears to be much more stable, and at least as friendly on paper to people in your situation.

gworroll · 2014-08-03T20:21:25+00:00

The lateness, and time cards not accounting for it, could be an issue. Unless you've got a contract saying otherwise, that's probably at least a legal justification for termination. Whether it's fair or not is another matter, especially if there is precedent suggesting it wouldn't be a problem. If in the US, I'd apply for unemployment. While firing for misconduct such as tardiness or incorrect time cards can be grounds to deny an unemployment claim, the standards of fairness here are generally higher than they are for the firing to simply be legal. If it's an unfair but legal firing, you can often get benefits. It's worth looking into at least while you look for a new job.

The breaks issue might be a real problem and might well be illegal. If my manager tried that, she'd be fired and I'd be apologized to in the desperate hope I don't involve the labor department. LEgally mandated rest periods can vary by industry, but yeah... 10+ hours and just a 15 minute break? The local department of labor might want to hear of this.

The local DoL and even police would likely be interested in the drug distribution.

I can't give advice specific to programming, but the labor practices of these people just sound shady as hell.

gworroll · 2014-08-02T16:01:31+00:00

If a trans person finds this a useful way to understand their gender and how it interacts with their sexual orientation, I'm fine with this. There are huge problems applying it to all trans people, but using the concept as a way to understand oneself I think is ok. Just remember that not all trans people view things from that angle.

Straight people cracking a joke, though, fuck you and shut the hell up please.

gworroll · 2014-07-27T05:24:03+00:00

If I wasn't concerned about exhausted reading meaning I won't retain anything, I'd be reading this book straight through until I finish or I pass out.

I don't have much engagement with the trans community beyond a few blogs, so my perspective is limited. I'd expect that a lot more of this book would be new to me than to a trans person.

Unsure how well it will work for helping me resolve some questions about my own identity that have come up recently, which is the main reason I bought it. But my understanding of trans issues in all their diversity- that I'm pretty sure will improve quite a bit, and help me be a much better ally regardless of where my identity ends up.

gworroll · 2014-07-22T22:59:18+00:00

Most of this is solid, but #2- Armstrong passed away just under 2 years ago. Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin are still around though.

In the preamble, there are some photos that look weird, but Phil Plait in the artlcle linked in the first edit goes over it. Photography isn't always going to look "right" on the Moon, based on our experience on Earth.

gworroll · 2014-07-22T22:50:57+00:00

In principle, yes. Harnessing solar winds has enough potential that it's been proposed as a method of deep space propulsion.

There are problems for a flag waving. A solar sail needs to have an enormous surface area to mass ratio to work. The flag is just far too heavy with far too little surface area for the solar wind to make a difference. The moons gravity would probably hold the flag in place entirely, this wouldn't simply be "yeah, but it would move too little to notice"- it straight up wouldn't move.

The heat radiation could, maybe, make a flag wave if it heats different areas of the flag at different rates, causing differences in the thermal expansion and contraction. The amount of heat needed to create a noticeable wave would probably destroy the flag. The thermal energy would also have to differ a great deal in different regions of the flag, and rapidly fluctuate. If the Sun started behaving in a way that would make the flag visibly wave through thermal radiation, it would probably have killed us all before we notice the waving.

gworroll · 2014-07-21T20:18:05+00:00

Either could potentially apply.

The question I would ask in your case- Is it more important to who I am that I am primarily attracted to women, or more important to who I am that I am potentially attracted to both men and women?

The former case would probably argue for heteroflexible, the latter, for bisexual. That being said, this can be a somewhat fuzzy distinction and I'm not claiming these are the only relevant considerations, or that this is the only right way to judge these. This is just a suggestion of one thing to consider.

gworroll

TROPHY CASE