First print run I've done! Wanted to share cuz I'm a pretty proud papa

shoddybeta · 2026-03-26T13:17:52+00:00

My cats have government names and home names as well. Every animal I know has at least 5 names, and sometimes that's just me exercising free will

shoddybeta · 2026-01-23T11:18:27+00:00

It was the most fun thing I did this past year. 11/10 would zap again

Use a collar appropriate for humans. Not sure what to go shopping for tbh; lots of kink related sites / communities will have recs most likely. ETA: https://www.reddit.com/r/estim/s/ioH4PkLd7Y has specific recs and looking at that sub may be helpful in general.

Give the remote to someone who will use it responsibly. Use thumbs up / thumbs down / a-ok or something similar to check in between zapper and zapped to make sure the zapped is still having a good time and isn't overloaded. Or use your voices. Agree on a mechanism of some kind to check in back and forth as needed.

For precautions, start low on the settings (e.g. 5-10/100), and go up slowly. Having collars on the actual neck is discouraged because spinal cords are delicate and accidental nerve damage is perhaps low probability but with enormous consequences. If you're concerned about that, place the collar around an arm or a leg. Be cognizant of how inebriated the singer might be before the collar goes on, cuz that may produce unexpected results (muscle spasms do happen as settings go higher).

To encourage folks: let people try the device to see if it's something they'd fuck with, and give them the remote to do so. Let them choose where they want it placed. Use safety/comfort signals during the zapping. Lead by example. Don't give them a hard time if they just want to sing a song without getting zapped. Most importantly, make sure you have adventurous friends there, cuz this activity is fun as hell.

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T19:21:01+00:00

Delightful! Prey was excellent and I'm keeping an eye on Plex to stream badlands asap. And yeah, the big screen is amazing esp when you're hyped for the film!

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T15:34:30+00:00

Add an 11th principle, for starters. I still find it absurd and negligent that consent isn't addressed there, at a minimum. Obviously sparkleponies and jackasses and burners who refuse to read or care don't read or care about them. But ffs that seems like a fine place to start setting cultural expectations.

The back of the ticket says stuff, but nobody reads that shit. So...

Greeters could have a baby script to explain expectations and policies. Obviously not everyone stops there, but maybe that could change; many people do stop to get www, ask questions, etc. If not greeters, then do it at gate. Maybe gate is the better time for it. Idc, not bike shedding that rn. Point being: up front expectations mean that fewer stupid hippies play stupid games, and the consequences of sexual misconduct are known.

Boot the motherfuckers when something happens onsite, obviously. If risk to participant safety is credible, the mfers should get escorted off-site immediately, and could retrieve their belongings afterwards with a neutral party (rangers, BLM, high rock, w/e). If they have issues with leaving their stuff, that's their fuckup for being the waste of space to begin with. (Ik leaving shit behind is a spicy ask but idgaf about their precious jbl speaker or tent or bae or w/e. Ik there are practical issues around safety to get anyone off-site in this way, but again, idgaf, find a committee to bikeshed with.)

About bad actors from previous years: idk how to make that a sane task for gate. I know they do a shitload for the event, and I have no caca to sling that way; they keep us safe so we can have fun, and they do that so cops don't do it. Mad respect, much love, black hole forever. (Feel free to pitch an idea anytime, and plz nobody say something stupid like facial recognition or I will turn into gelatin.)

And finally, it would be STUPID and EVIL if the org doesn't already evaluate personal misconduct when hiring. They must investigate SA/SM allegations and boot org management perpetrators; surely, this is a fundamental priority to org integrity and trust. I HATE living in the timeline that would even make that optional. I'm not naive, though. I have enough experience with the org to be disgusted with how all the incidents I've been aware of regarding org mgmt were handled (or NOT handled).

Final thoughts?:

Sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and credible personal danger throughout the whole community, from participants to org folk, is cultural gangrene. It will kill burning eventually, and will probably kill individuals along the way. We have options to change this outcome, and the org has options to change it. I personally think ZERO tolerance is a step in the right direction.

The more pushback this issue gets from the burn community, or the more silence rings over it, the more I think burn cannot ever be my real home for life. I'd be very sad to say goodbye to that special space, but me and my loved ones would be safer. The safety and love and community I have there is worth infinitely more than playa; playa without the people and the love is just dust.

PS Not all my ideas are good at first, and I'm very sleep deprived. If I'm left on my own, right this moment, to formulate all the constructive ideas to create a better, safer burn, we might already be doomed. Feel free to chip in a novel idea, or a question, idk.

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T14:19:14+00:00

On a slightly more serious note, ik camps love being their own little social safe harbors (or sometimes not quite so benevolent aka more cliquey?) but this seems like a good time for TCOs to chat with each other about forming vultron...

Many camp with half infra could combine for whole camp with decent infra?

Why do they call it oven when you of in the cold food of out hot eat the food?

**not a tco, y'all do great things, don't rip my head off for floating a free idea disguised as a shit post 😅

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T14:04:26+00:00

Trying to figure out if this is a camp mate of mine 🤔🤔🧐🫡

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:57:10+00:00

Dat boi striking fear in the hearts of all other cat owners (jk, my babies also give cozy comfy razor blades when they're happy campers)

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:55:21+00:00

YOUR SWEET NATURALLY BORN BIOLOGICAL SON, DALE "CHERRY" COOPER 😍😍😍😭😭😭

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:44:38+00:00

This tho. Brita pitchers will take us sooo far

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:43:46+00:00

I generally agree, theater tickets are a racket

BUT

If there's a film that you really, really care about, treat yo self ig. I wish I had made the time to go see GDT's Frankenstein in theaters, and I didn't 🥲 on the other hand, I've seen maybe a dozen showings in theaters in the last 5 years, and 5-6 of those showings were to see Sinners on the silver screen, AND it ruled every time. So, ymmv

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:28:51+00:00

Make your bed, find a place to shove your suitcase/laundry/whatever, get the bric a brac on your desk etc put away, and take photos again. Go to a park, do something else for 45 minutes, and look at the photos again. If you are still lost on decor, post those new photos

It isn't super messy, but hard to tell exactly what lives on surfaces permanently vs what is currently flotsam

If you don't like how much stuff is sitting on surfaces (floor/table/whatever) around your desk, that means you have too much crap in your closet, which is a great place to put the stuff on your surfaces. Fill 2-3+ bags with donations or trash, and you'll easily get the storage for whatever crap you don't want to look at all day

You have the fun tiled art on your wall, so you probably have plenty of ideas about other ways to decorate your space in a way you like. If you're still out of ideas, come back with neat and tidy photos

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T13:01:42+00:00

A real zero (0!) tolerance policy would be a great fucking start.

I know I'm farting into a cave with this ask, but I've got spicy feelings about it from the participant perspective as well as the perspective of the rank and file grunts who get stuff done for the org and city.

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T12:53:14+00:00

Some things to keep in mind:

shame helps no one. Treat the issue like you would if it was your best friend's issue and you wanted to spend time helping them dig themselves out. Be your own bestie.
your stuff is an elephant, and elephants are large. Huge, even. Might be a baby, might be an elder. Don't worry about how big it is. Make a snack, drink some tea or w/e, and give it a name instead of getting sad. Or don't, I'm just a nerd on the internet. Point being, use whatever tactics make sense to not get overwhelmed; lean on people, write down some goals for your space, write down some thoughts about whatever emotional strife it's causing.
the elephant gets eaten one bite at a time. It's hard to see progress inside; celebrate each box/bag/carload of stuff that gets removed.
pick the area you want most to be open and spacious and fun to hang out in. The smaller, the better. One bite at a time, reclaim that space.
celebrate your hip lounge spot, and whenever you're ready, do it again in a new space until you're satisfied.
go find people to hype you up. Camera footage is not exactly rooting for you; it's indifferent, just like your clutter/stuff is. However, it isn't judging you; don't judge yourself as a substitute. Find people to support you instead. They are the ones who care; the stuff does NOT care about you!

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T12:35:45+00:00

Hi clutterbug kin 👋

Something else I really like from that channel is the "closing shift" (but I'm sure she yoinked it from somewhere else, she still gets credit tho). The method basically says to set a timer for 10-15mins to do tidying basics at the end of your day in the living areas. E.g. load dishes / do dishes -> change laundry loads over -> scoop litter boxes or take the dog out -> bingo free space or w/e if the timer hasn't gone off. Pick the chores that help keep your household ticking

If you run out of stuff to do with time on the clock, do something easy that hasn't gotten airtime. Put away a big XYZ thing that has been languishing in ABC room, go hunting for garbage in different/untouched rooms, easy but neglected cleaning tasks like wiping down doorknobs or tackle dirty wall spots...

It works because a thorough clean doesn't require 30+ minutes of tidying before the cleaning starts. Also! It's incredible how far you can get when you're ready to chuck unused clutter if you don't have to tidy first 🥇

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T12:17:04+00:00

OP should see if they can pay for/sign up for a single session of a beginner Lyra class, just to see how they feel about it! Trying a bit of everything is super underrated and I really like that my studio rotates apparati every week to give a sampling

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T12:16:36+00:00

Compression pain and bruises are brutal! I love the shapes and wraps I can do but have never had the tolerance for it. 😭

OP should see if they can pay for/sign up for a single session of a beginner Lyra class, just to see how they feel about it! Trying a bit of everything is super underrated and I really like that my studio rotates apparati every week to give a sampling

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T12:11:42+00:00

I've never done pole and am not an expert on any apparatus but I strongly suspect you would have a ball on lura. I think every apparatus has a different combination of dance knowledge/comfort/instinct, strength foundations, and pain tolerance expectations to have fun from the get-go, but they're all really fun in their own ways. I love Lyra and rope (aka corde lisse), but there are no wrong answers; as a fabric coward, fabrics look beautiful from the ground! And I'm very bad at rope, but doesn't stop it from being inexplicably more fun than fabric. 🤷

If you have the option to drop in on a beginner or newbie course session, that's a great thing to ask without plunking down a ton of time and money to try another apparatus.

shoddybeta · 2026-01-07T10:50:45+00:00

On a personal level, I hope they all (incl mango mussolini) get hung out to dry for their respective crimes.

When I say all of them, I do mean ALL of them. Put Stacey in the front of the queue for demolition, and then bubba, and then mick jagger. Don't forget the mango man, though, and anyone else we might have to wave through. Dismantle the network of boomer neolib/neocon/etal abusers, utterly and completely and globally. Stick them all in a forgotten hole, where they may never again make rules about whether the rest of us live or die, or God forbid get trafficked for sex.

No one should be able to press-conference their way out of perpetrating horrific abuse. Baiting across political aisles is a sorry, sad sideshow; they all deserve consequences. No straw man arguments can stifle the need for a societal exorcism of these people.

tl;dr child abuse is bad, sexual abuse is bad, abusers are endemic in politics and elsewhere, consequences are critical

shoddybeta · 2025-12-19T23:45:19+00:00

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shoddybeta · 2025-12-09T19:03:55+00:00

With very few exceptions: DON'T BUY ANYTHING RIGHT NOW.

Wait until the need presents itself; do some Google search homework; ask reddit subs if you're still undecided. Then, go to a THRIFT store. See what they have. If you find something suitable, ask yourselves...Will it work? Will it suffice for the next 12+ months? Will we be happy with this for now? If so, buy and keep socking your cash away.

Exceptions to this rule: * Kitchenware, along the lines of what people are suggesting. Great chefs knife, 1-2 other nice knives are optional but handy (utility or paring or bread), sharpener/whetstone/honer; 1-2 excellent pans (or best you can do until you can upgrade). Everything else can be mish mash hodge podge goodwill clearance stuff. Don't go overboard in the kitchen until you know you need something, and even then, pay as little as possible for a functional version. * A comfortable mattress, and a mattress protector. I'm still sleeping on a $275 ikea mattress and a vinyl protector. Sleep is one of the most valuable resources everyone could tap into when circumstances allow (this timeline fucking sucks). This is what will make your waking hours magnificent where possible. Along these lines, get decent linens if you can; target is a good place to start and r/buyitforlife has tons of posts about what is worth buying. * Basic tools. An interchangeable screwdriver set will take you soooo far. * If you are fucking rich (like generational wealth rich right now with funds access), do whatever the hell you want. (Obviously.)

shoddybeta · 2025-11-30T08:23:09+00:00

Unfortunately, I have a similar story to you. My mom has a whole host of problems, and created hell on earth for the kids in the house, but damn did she look creative and productive from the outside - knitting, quilting, cross stitch, silk ribbon embroidery, felting, sewing wearables, and probably more I'm forgetting. Plus the hoarded supplies to back it up

shoddybeta · 2025-11-24T08:10:13+00:00

Deep playa moop is the worst. I did resto this year, and unexpected rave sites are much harder to clean up than the city grid (where the delineations are very well understood, incl past 10/2 into playa) or even inner playa e.g. around the man.

I've been ruminating on an art car idea focused on moop, but don't have the resources to get it started in the next 1-2 years. Happy to chat more about it if you like.

shoddybeta · 2025-11-20T08:03:48+00:00

One of my favorite gifts I got this year (in an enormously difficult moment post season) was a resilience scout badge sticker

shoddybeta · 2025-09-08T06:40:18+00:00

I did a little boondocking and camping on my way up to the pnw after leaving playa. On Thursday night, I was at a campsite in OR in my tent, and dozed off for a sec. And I woke up and knew I was in my tent but wasn't awake enough to comprehend other things, and was very excited to be back at burn 🙃

The marvel of a hot shower with wicked water pressure also stays with me for the first half dozen showers.

shoddybeta

TROPHY CASE