@mgorny@social.treehouse.systems2025-12-26 10:41:26
I don't think I'm ever going to enjoy gifts.
I can get why people would give them to children. After all, children don't have their own budget. However, I'm talking about occasional gifts, not a new toy every second week, because "we must outcompete the other grandparents". But to adults?
Once I've heard that you should gift people with what they won't buy themselves. Well, that's won't work for me. I'm a minimalist. If I don't need something, I don't want to have it. Unnecessary junk is only emotional burden to me.
I can get why you'd enjoy something handmade. But something people bought? If I need something, I can buy it myself, when I need it. And I definitely don't need people to prove to me that they never cared to learn who I am, and just buy whatever they like or whatever is "fashionable"; which usually means exactly the opposite of what I'd prefer (i.e. something minimalistic). Or even worse, I don't need people manipulating me through gifts.
Sweets? Besides my diabetes, I don't really enjoy expensive shit that people generally buy because it's what's advertised. For the money they waste on it, I'd buy three times as much sweets I'd actually enjoy.
Gift cards? Oh yes, "you aren't supposed to give money, so let's just give the equivalent of money that's actually worth less than money". Actual money? And here we reach the true nonsense; we exchange the same amount of money, so it's just pointless gesture. Unless one of us gives less money…
What I'd really like, as a gift? Maybe that people would finally bother accepting me as who I am. The absolute minimum of caring that I hate consumerism, and not fueling it "for me".
#AntiCapitalism #minimalism #ActuallyAutistic
@aral@mastodon.ar.al2025-11-27 15:18:08
Wow, if you search for signal messenger on DuckDuckGo using Chrome, the actual @… web site is the *third* entry following ads for “Signal Private Messenger – Free Download” that leads to the site appmaus.com and “Get Signal Messenger | Install Signal App” that leads to the site filelocations.com.
DuckDuckGo should be held criminally liable for anyone who…
@inthehands@hachyderm.io2025-11-27 23:03:45
The experience @… describes here is deeply familiar to me: advertisers keep shoving in front of me ads in which I have •negative• interest.
Does the massive adtech surveillance apparatus actually work on someone out there? Because it’s sure failing to target me. https://wandering.shop/@Violinknitter/115624133826239199
@pre@boing.world2025-12-26 08:40:32
Nice to see a UK party leader demonstrate some actual compassion and care this Christmas. I'm so fed up with politicians pedaling hate and division trying to pander to terrible racism and xenophobia, trying to pick up the votes of the hateful.
This is what political leadership really is. Not following the right wing media hatred but countering it.
Zack Polanski's Christmas message is less than five minutes.
#green #christmas
@memeorandum@universeodon.com2025-10-25 19:50:55
Trump Is Actually Failing Fast--and the Rabid MAGA Bigwigs Know It (Virginia Heffernan/New Republic)
https://newrepublic.com/article/202191/trump-failing-curtis-yarvin-maga-bigwigs
http://www.memeorandum.com/251025/p41#a251025p41
@seav@en.osm.town2025-11-26 06:55:27
One of the biggest political scandals in the #Philippines 🇵🇭 in 2024 was the accusation that Alice Guo, the elected town mayor of Bamban was not actually a Filipino citizen and instead was a Chinese spy that engaged in trafficking of Chinese nationals for illegal online gambling operations.
Following her recent conviction of human trafficking last November 20,
@aardrian@toot.cafe2025-11-25 23:39:44
Trying to read a post claiming GitHub’s decision to purge toasts is *bad* for accessibility, even though it's on perennially inaccessible Medium.
And it’s behind an authwall.
Fine, I’ll sign in.
Oh, it’s actually behind a paywall.
Oh well. It’s not meant for me. Or anyone.
@yaya@jorts.horse2025-10-25 21:00:13
also where the fuck did the actual shelves for my bookcase go. things falling apart but it's the main place where I've put stickers so I can't just scrap it I gotta endlessly repair it
I shouldn't have made that payment on my credit card if the power company is gonna take $750 from me on the 28th cuz I don't have that much aaaaaaaa
I should go put the numbers on my door so I can end the Hold Mail thing and hopefully get settlement check soon. but also I shoul…
@cdarwin@c.im2025-10-17 17:07:56
“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
You are not obligated to complete the work,
but neither are you free to abandon it.”
https://amandalitman.substack.com/p/50-things-you-can-actually-do
@mariyadelano@hachyderm.io2025-12-18 16:22:06
My favorite video game company is currently making news because they admitted to falling to AI hype and pushing it on employees even though they’ve (predictably) seen no actual benefits.
I am sad about it but, in good news, writing with a fountain pen continues to be an extreme delight.
I developed carpal tunnel nine years ago, and handwriting would always be a stolen joy in the brief moments before pain would start again. I have been feeling nearly 0 pain in the last two weeks despite filling 50 pages. I feel like I’ve been given a new lease on life in a small way.