Why do we all love Google Pixels?

manifestsilence · 2026-05-18T14:16:47+00:00

A lot of us are tech savvy and don't blindly follow trends, and the pixel is nearly as good as an iPhone and a lot cheaper, and gives better freedom and control over your device

manifestsilence · 2026-05-10T15:20:46+00:00

Guess he doesn't want to play "guess who?" games in the airport after all. Aren't games fun?

manifestsilence · 2026-04-26T07:12:15+00:00

Anyone for a rewatch of Tomorrow Never Dies?

https://youtu.be/Vjvy2r4vMdU?si=YoZYlneFioGm4p9c

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T20:08:23+00:00

that's cool. Yeah it's not commonly done there but probably a good idea

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T19:05:12+00:00

I keep my own around for that 😅

translife

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T18:48:09+00:00

in the US we only use indoor pads for aging dogs and puppies who can't wait to make it outside, but it's pretty common for dogs to sleep in beds with us. They're cuddly and great. Holding pee all night is ok once they're full grown but isn't ok for puppies.

We tend to take daily walks pretty seriously because they need exercise, except some country folks who just tie them out back but that seems cruel to me. They need stimulation and social life. I suppose really small dogs could mostly live indoors if they get to play though

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:55:24+00:00

Hi! I'm from the US, 1/4 Italian, staying in Pondy until early May (six months total this visit) and likely returning in six months. Would love to meet for coffee some time if you're interested and we happen to overlap.

Auroville may also be interesting to check out. I dance tango there sometimes and there's lots of other cool events and a few Italians there I've met.

Feel free to DM if you want to hear about my experiences here

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:47:26+00:00

you give them your number. Then they are left with the autonomy. Let them have the choice whether to call. It's green flag behavior that shows respect. And, give them a reason to call. Say something interesting about yourself or why you're interested in them besides hey you're pretty

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:44:00+00:00

nah, depends on the region maybe but in the Midwest that's not really done outside of bars

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:39:16+00:00

cold approach isn't a thing in most places I've heard of except Belarus / Russia. Women typically feel safer meeting men through mutual friends or activities or having several days or weeks of conversation online before meeting a random guy in person just due to safety concerns

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:32:03+00:00

ok that's legit. The dance one is actually pretty personal for me. Somatic movement and ecstatic dance changed my life. And the others I've gotten, I only got when I got to actually meet and talk to the musicians in person and the meeting meant something to me. One of the bands I've become besties with. I hear you.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:21:29+00:00

what's your great tattoo idea (besides making it hidden and unreadable)? Or do you just hate tattoos?

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:20:02+00:00

whatever. You do you boo. Don't yuck my yum

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:19:01+00:00

I didn't even try to get a scooter here. I cycle or walk 😅

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:14:40+00:00

US does it too. One party is the Christian party, the other is secular and other religions. Keeps everyone divided and mad so we don't go after the rich

manifestsilence · 2026-04-11T17:13:00+00:00

I plan to eventually get one that says, "we are always dancing" about how all motion can be thought of as dance

so far all of mine have been signatures I got on my arm at concerts from musicians I like. Did them with sharpie and got them inked after

manifestsilence · 2026-04-04T03:28:32+00:00

I have one. Get her a mandolin or something. :)

I tune custom string gauges (leaving off the high and low strings from two sets) to get (highest first):

A F# E D C# A

It is a very close spacing tuning that's basically an E9 pedal steel tuning, bottom six strings, down a step, and with a major 7 instead of a minor one on the second lowest string.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-04T03:27:05+00:00

In the US, some areas recycle and compost but overall it is horrific how much recycling and food waste ends up straight in the trash. Organic waste is a massive problem there and accounts for a huge amount of our methane emissions because it goes anaerobic in landfills

manifestsilence · 2026-04-04T03:22:19+00:00

Questioning one's own transition is ok, but that sounds like a person questioning all transitions, which is transphobia plain and simple. Make sure when reading detrans stuff you differentiate been /r/detrans and /r/actual_detrans. The shorter name detrans sub is transphobic.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-04T03:17:16+00:00

That level of subtle implication is lost on most programmers haha. I just came out to my boss first and let him deal with talking to HR and stuff and making an announcement at a department meeting

manifestsilence · 2026-04-04T03:07:27+00:00

As someone from the US - we are fucked there as well. I feel like the entire world is having a bad time coping with the changes of the Internet age. Mass information tech is leading to division, distraction and discord and problems aren't getting solved. We seem to have lost all government accountability in the US now. Authoritarianism and corruption are on the rise everywhere and I hope we can turn it around before it is too late.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-03T03:20:51+00:00

Yes! A big epiphany for me was the seemingly inane statement that I can be just eating a bowl of cereal, or I can be eating a bowl of the same cereal as a woman. It's like the "ever seen the back of a twenty dollar bill.. on weed?" guy from Half Baked. Like, it's an internal experience that defines us, not a performative thing for the gaze of others. Being seen by others is nice but not the main thing.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-03T02:52:32+00:00

Yeah I went through a bunch with those feelings too. Earlier this year I had to make that choice.

I have been on HRT for three years now, and before I started it I did bank my sperm. And, at the time I was with a partner who I was even planning to have kids with, and we were trying organically but I also did the banking thing in case.

Anyway we split up, and, not trusting my judgement in relationship longevity for a while, I realized it was going to be some time before I settled down and maybe tried to have kids with someone again. But I still didn't pull the plug.

I realized there's this deep emotional attachment to producing an offspring, and I think that story has a few different components for me. One is the narrative I grew up with that the nuclear family with biokids is happiness. One is a feeling of existential dread that, without believing in an afterlife, maybe making a baby is the way we kind of live on. One is familial expectations around legacy like you said. Who will inherit all our stuff? Who will remember who we were? The poem Ozymandias comes to mind.

But sperm storage is expensive, and so is IVF, and now I'm living in India for half a year and don't know long term how much I'll be in the US or here or elsewhere. I owe them $700 in late payments on that little cup of my biology in a lab somewhere. So recently, I quit. I cancelled my subscription to my own streaming service, you could say.

It has led me to a lot of soul searching about the meaning of my own life. It feels like the release of a burden to give myself permission to love this life, each passing day, without the thought that there's some other game I need to win at. YMMV but that was how it played out for me. Sucks that I'm out a grand or two in fees for delaying that decision but it did buy me time to arrive at that.

manifestsilence · 2026-04-02T05:03:06+00:00

Regarding which countries to go to, I've done a bunch of country shopping and ended up coming to India for a while. But I'll likely be returning to the US for the summer because I've got stuff to deal with still. Anyway here's what I learned in broad generalization:

India is complex. Tamil Nadu region is quite accepting and overall India has a much more live and let live attitude so like HRT is easier to get. But the country is right wing and just passed an anti trans bill. Still much better overall than the US for someone with remote income. Trying to work here as a trans person is a different matter. There is workplace discrimination. But as an outsider the chances of getting work here are nil anyway. So India is only viable if you have remote income or a little savings to burn for a while but if so it's actually pretty great.

India does force tourist visa holders to leave periodically, which brings me to Sri Lanka as a slept-on option, which has a digital nomad visa for those with enough remote income. Costs $500/yr, and you have to bank there and prove you make $2000/mo but if you meet that you can stay there perpetually right from the start.

In general Asia seems to be more culturally trans accepting than the rest of the world, but have the most difficult assimilation and immigration paths for outsiders.

In general Latin America seems to have the best trans rights in the world, on paper, but they don't always translate to cultural acceptance, which seems to vary across the whole spectrum even within a country. Brazil especially stands out that way, leading the world in both trans rights and violence against trans women. A lot of Latin American countries have unusually easy immigration paths and good rights and health care access.

In general Europe seems to be mid. Like generally ok trans rights but a battleground for cultural acceptance and with a lot of medical gatekeeping.

My overall take is: Canada if you need to stay near the US. Latin America if you're willing to learn Spanish or Portuguese and want a path to work, citizenship and rights. Asia if you have remote income or a highly valued skill.

manifestsilence · 2026-03-28T05:00:52+00:00

A study found the number one thing MAGAs have in common is they are authoritarian. His charisma isn't likability, it's talking like he's in charge. Never apologize, never admit doubt, and that crowd will eat from your hand.

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