@sundogplanets Thanks for all of the inspiring posts about staying positive, and cute goats! It makes a big difference.

This is a wonderful day to do plant recycling.

Don’t forget folks, self care is so important right now. Create little positive things in your day. Bake cookies. Go for a walk. Talk to someone you love. Indulge in your hobbies and interests. Find your moments of joy. Give yourself permission to find things to be happy about even when the big picture is not going well

One positive thing - the dehydrated cinnamon + apple chips that I made a few months back turned out great.
It's great having a delicious snack ready to go. Thanks past-me.

Thanks to Ben Falk for encouraging me to learn more about dehydrating food.

#dehydrating #OneGoodThing

Useful learning/explainer links on gender and being trans - from the wonderful Julia Serano (who holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics!)

1) "Transgender is a Pan-Cultural and Trans-Historical Phenomenon"

https://juliaserano.blogspot.com/2018/06/transgender-is-pan-cultural-and-trans.html

If you are feeling or reading "all of this trans stuff just started happening recently" - that's actually false.
People have been born along a spectrum of gender for thousands of years. And they will continue to do so.

2) "Transgender People, Bathrooms, and Sexual Predators: What the Data Say"

https://juliaserano.medium.com/transgender-people-bathrooms-and-sexual-predators-what-the-data-say-2f31ae2a7c06?sk=6761aaeb01784afb20561a663f7a7826

If you're a fan of HWFO-style journeys through statistics, this one is for you.
If you are hearing or reading "trans people are dangerous and grooming kids" - that's false.
Most grooming, sexualization, and child abuse happens from family members or known close acquaintances.

Yes we need to do everything we can to help all of these kids and prevent this. But it's not trans people doing it.

#trans #data

For the record - I support and stand by every trans person and everyone LGBTQ. and I hate nazis. fuck you nazis.

#trans

Hi, Mastodon Peeps,

I have my blog post ready.

Last month, I talked about a philosophical journey for perspective on today’s politics.

Plato is always a good place to start.
I’ll also talk about TV lawyers and the spirit of liberty because . . . it follows.

An election happened since my last blog post, so I’ll have a bit about that as well. I also included a section on what to expect moving forward.

https://terikanefield.com/chapter-1/

@JohannaForster This art is beautiful! Very nice work

Spa time ☁️ it's getting cold outside, so get cozy ✨ available as print on my website :) #cuteart #illustration
#art #digitaldrawing #grunling #ghibli

Can a comic book be an accessible way to learn a new philosophy? A way to get started at staying calmer, handling adversity, and becoming a better person? Let's hope yes!

I read "Verissimus" by Donald Robertson and Zé Nuno Fraga. It is well done. They have many panels depicting how to deal with strife and work to be a good person. Several people I did not think would care picked it up and started reading because of the great art!

Have you found other comics that hook you like this?

https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/mini-book-review-verissimus

#comics #philosophy #morality #Stoicism

Do you need a free template document to collect your Emergency Information? You can put all of the phone numbers and account numbers into one place. Print it off and put it on your wall, or in your Go Bag. Make a copy and store it in your own free Proton drive.

It's Creative Commons CC0 / Public Domain, so feel free to copy.

https://drive.proton.me/urls/BST492NCH4#HcAelnnPhTXV

#security #privacy #safety #prepping #EmergencyPreparedness

@esnyder This is a beautiful photo!

@aronow These are great answers. Thanks to everyone for sharing.

Hi friend - this is not a replacement for therapy, but I have had a lot of success reading Stoic philosophy. This is from ancient Greece and Rome, 2,0000 years ago.
It is part psychology, discussing how human brains are strange, and are bad at some things. And part philosophy on how to be a good, wise person.

They figured out several techniques for how we can improve our thinking to stay calm, think more clearly, and overcome obstacles. Focus on what we can control. Keep things in context. De-catastrophize to stay calm more often.

I can attest that compared to my past self, I am much more confident, and my internal monologue is more positive and healthier. I have not mastered it, but it's better.

The best book I have found is "The Practicing Stoic", by Ward Farnsworth. He is a clear and calm author. He groups all of the related topics together, so you can read about Perspective, Emotion, Judgement, Adversity, etc. all in one place. But it is a newer book and might be more expensive.
"How To Be A Stoic" by Massimo Pigliucci is also good. See if your library has any copies.

The three main Stoic authors lived 2,000 years ago, and their works are free in the public domain. But some of it is cryptic and I find having some modern help with context and removing repetition helps. You could start with "The Handbook" by Epictetus (aka "Enchiridion")

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/short-works/george-long

Others:

* https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditations/george-long
* https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/discourses/george-long
* https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/dialogues/aubrey-stewart

Donald Robertson is a good modern author - https://donaldrobertson.name/

@alisynthesis Hi friend, I just recently wrote up three short guides on making your life and data more secure -

* Part 1: Get a password manager - https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-1-get-a-password

* Part 2: Secure backups + private newsletters - https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-2-secure

* Part 3: Collect your Emergency Info - https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-3-create

My goal here was: easy and fast, small steps. Everyone should be using Signal messenger.

Anything specific you hoping to teach your audience about?

I'd like to start teaching seminars at my local #library about personal #data #privacy and #security. The goal is to help people use modern technology without giving their data away to big tech companies and the government. (I'm in the USA, FYI.)

Since the Fedi is rich with expertise in that area, I'd love to tap your brain. I've gone through the process myself and feel like I've reached a good balance, but I'd love input and resources.

Boosts/questions welcome! :)

#DataPrivacy #AntiFascist

@beecycling Excellent. Yes, a great idea in whatever format works for you.

what i need cis folks to understand is how badly we really do need you

we need your support, we need you to march with us, we need you to defend us and protect us with everything you’ve got

don’t just tell your trans friends you have our backs, show us

we need to see it more than ever

@mkj Thank you! It looks like you mean this FreeOTP, correct? - https://freeotp.github.io/

I can edit the article to add that. Do you mind if I credit you? I can link to your profile if you wish

**Securing Your Life, Part 3 - Create an Emergency Info Document**

If you suddenly need to leave in an emergency, do you have a document that contains all of your important information? Items like - insurance account numbers and phone numbers; emergency contacts; medication info; and everything else you might need to be able to get your life back and get stable while working through an event?

Great news - you can build a document like that to help out your future self!

I created a public, copy-able template document and hosted it on Proton Drive. Feel free to make a copy, download, and edit. You can store your copy in your own Proton Drive.
Then if you need to leave quickly - grab your document, your security key, and your Go Bag (ideally, all stored together). You should have everything you need.

Good luck out there!

https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-3-create

#security
#privacy
#safety
#prepping
#EmergencyPreparedness

**Securing Your Life, Part 2 - Secure Backups + Newsletters**

The Swiss company Proton will give you 5 GB of free space to store secure, encrypted files and email in the cloud.
They have been highly reviewed by informed nerds, and use strong end-to-end encryption to protect your data.

You may not be able to migrate your entire life, but with 5 GB of space you could certainly create a separate, private email account and upload copies of your important documents - emergency contacts, marriage licenses, medication lists, etc.
In case you ever need to have a backup copy and have an emergency where you need to leave quickly.

You can also separate your newsletters.
How many email lists and newsletters do you subscribe to? Perhaps some of these are topics you would prefer to keep private?

By signing up for a Proton email address, you can migrate all of your newsletters to that account, separate from your main email. This gives you more privacy over what you read, and prevents companies from knowing exactly what you receive, or passing that information along to anyone else.

Proton Drive also lets you set up automated backups of important files so you can make sure they are stored somewhere safe.

https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-2-secure

https://proton.me/drive

(Coincidentally, they are currently having a Black Friday sale for a large discount on other plans - https://proton.me/drive/black-friday)

#security #privacy #safety #prepping #EmergencyPreparedness

**Securing your life Part 1 - Get a Password Manager**

If you do not have a password manager - now is a good time to set one up.
This gives you a secure way to store all of your accounts, and easily take it with you.

1. Choose BitWarden or 1password. I like BitWarden.

2. To create a password - choose four or five random words and just put them together. There are online lists of words you can use to select or choose by rolling dice. This helps to keep your password strong.

3. It is totally okay to write your password down! Especially as you are starting out. Keep that note somewhere safe.

4. To set up 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your password manager - install Aegis Authenticator on your phone. This gives you a way to see the codes without needing data or an internet connection.

5. You should print off your backup codes and keep them somewhere safe.

6. For $20 you can buy a physical Yubikey hardware key and also set that up as 2FA for your password manager. This way - even if you lose your phone (lost, damaged, etc.) you can still get back into your account. Hardware keys are small and easy to travel with. You can put one in an old medicine pill bottle! See my short article at the bottom.

Once you have this - you only need to remember one password, rather than having to remember all of them.
It should give you an easy way to move around and keep control of your digital life.
If you needed to suddenly leave due to a natural disaster or other emergency - it is fast and easy to grab your key and your phone. Or just your key. Keep it in your emergency Go Bag or container.

Bonus: If you have the money - buy a couple of Yubikey hardware keys and store them at a different physical location. Do you have a locker somewhere? A family member or friend you can trust? Perhaps offer to hold their key if they hold onto yours. Then you have extra resilience in case something happens.

https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/securing-your-life-part-1-get-a-password

https://brownfoxff.substack.com/p/digital-recovery-kit

#security #privacy #safety #prepping #EmergencyPreparedness