{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2023-11-07T16:48:12-08:00",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/blog/442-Taking-a-break-from-stuff",
"name": "Taking a break from stuff",
"content": {
"text": "So yeah I\u2019m deep in a pain flareup right now. I made sure that all of the critical bugs in bandcrash are, to my knowledge, fixed, but I just am not in a situation where I can really work on stuff right now due to a massive pain flareup.I was just starting to work on some music for a game jam game and Novembeat but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s really in the cards for me this year.And of course now that I\u2019m in agony, suddenly a lot of folks want to interview me for engineering roles that I\u2019d normally be very interested in, so, thanks for twisting the knife on that one.At least choir is going pretty well and gives me stuff to look forward to.",
"html": "<p>So yeah I\u2019m deep in a pain flareup right now. I made sure that all of the critical bugs in <a href=\"https://fluffy.itch.io/bandcrash\">bandcrash</a> are, to my knowledge, fixed, but I just am not in a situation where I can really work on stuff right now due to a massive pain flareup.</p><p>I was just starting to work on some music for a game jam game and Novembeat but I don\u2019t think that\u2019s really in the cards for me this year.</p><p>And of course now that I\u2019m in agony, suddenly a lot of folks want to interview me for engineering roles that I\u2019d normally be very interested in, so, thanks for twisting the knife on that one.</p><p>At least choir is going pretty well and gives me stuff to look forward to.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "fluffy",
"url": "https://beesbuzz.biz/",
"photo": "https://beesbuzz.biz/static/headshot.jpg"
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "39391579",
"_source": "2778"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2023-11-06T18:14:17-08:00",
"url": "https://nadreck.me/2023/11/thoughts-on-aloneness/",
"category": [
"quotes",
"depression",
"loneliness"
],
"name": "Thoughts on Aloneness",
"content": {
"text": "Not my thoughts, for once, but some put together by Craig Mod has he prepares to walk the width of Tokyo (found via Kottke). A lot of what he wrote resonated. I\u2019ve said before that there\u2019s a difference between loneliness and being alone, and between solitude and isolation. While we may differ on definitions (the type of aloneness he describes I\u2019d describe as loneliness), he definitely gets it.\n\n\n\n\nAloneness sucks. It\u2019s insidious and becomes habitual. It\u2019s rapacious. It saps the spirit. It twists a peaceful dude all truculent and paranoid. It renders decision making oddly cumbersome. It\u2019s more difficult to feel elevated as a human when swaddled in aloneness. Self-worth plummets as aloneness rises.\n\n\n\nAnd aloneness as a default is tremendously difficult for some folks to understand.\n\n\n\nFor many, being surrounded by big families or long-term partners is so normalized, that to empathize with someone who is deep in aloneness (which I distinguish from solitude or quietude, more volitional and opted-into states) is akin to imagining what it\u2019s like to fart your way to the moon.\nCraig Mod\n\n\n\n\nAnd then later:\n\n\n\n\nI still feel a deep and terrifying aloneness \u2014 mostly when when I\u2019m worn down. But now I can slightly detach myself from it, tell myself that we\u2019ve felt this before, that we\u2019ve come out of it, and believe in that pending emergence. If I admit to a friend that I\u2019m experiencing these grueling bouts of crushing aloneness, I often get responses like:\u00a0How can\u00a0you\u00a0feel alone?! You have so many people in your corner and support and love and friends!\u00a0This is a terrible response. (But I know well meaning!) Aloneness and depression go hand in hand, and for someone not depressed, the idea of your body weighing ten thousand pounds, of wearing that lead cloak, of not being able to get out of bed in the morning, is unthinkable, unfathomable. So, too, with that sense of aloneness. How can you feel alone? How can you feel so isolated and hopeless?\nCraig Mod\n\n\n\n\nThis is something that I think is important to note: when we say stuff like this, we\u2019re not trying to brush things off as \u201coh, you wouldn\u2019t understand\u201d \u2014 that\u2019s really not the point. The point is that, like so many lived experiences, the reality of the experience is hard to articulate in a way that actually gives enough context for someone who hasn\u2019t experienced it. It\u2019s hard to grok something that is as abstract and arbitrary as feelings and experiences that are almost entirely inside someone else\u2019s head.\n\n\n\nThanks for sharing, Craig. I hope your walk goes really well.",
"html": "<p>Not my thoughts, for once, but some <a href=\"https://craigmod.com/roden/086/\">put together by Craig Mod has he prepares to walk the width of Tokyo</a> (found via <a href=\"https://kottke.org/23/11/0043397-i-dont-really-know-exactl\">Kottke</a>). A lot of what he wrote resonated. I\u2019ve said before that there\u2019s a difference between loneliness and being alone, and between solitude and isolation. While we may differ on definitions (the type of aloneness he describes I\u2019d describe as loneliness), he definitely gets it.</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>Aloneness sucks. It\u2019s insidious and becomes habitual. It\u2019s rapacious. It saps the spirit. It twists a peaceful dude all truculent and paranoid. It renders decision making oddly cumbersome. It\u2019s more difficult to feel elevated as a human when swaddled in aloneness. Self-worth plummets as aloneness rises.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>And aloneness as a default is tremendously difficult for some folks to understand.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many, being surrounded by big families or long-term partners is so normalized, that to empathize with someone who is deep in aloneness (which I distinguish from solitude or quietude, more volitional and opted-into states) is akin to imagining what it\u2019s like to fart your way to the moon.</p>\nCraig Mod\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>And then later:</p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote>\n<p>I still feel a deep and terrifying aloneness \u2014 mostly when when I\u2019m worn down. But now I can slightly detach myself from it, tell myself that we\u2019ve felt this before, that we\u2019ve come out of it, and believe in that pending emergence. If I admit to a friend that I\u2019m experiencing these grueling bouts of crushing aloneness, I often get responses like:\u00a0<em>How can\u00a0<strong>you</strong>\u00a0feel alone?! You have so many people in your corner and support and love and friends!</em>\u00a0This is a terrible response. (But I know well meaning!) Aloneness and depression go hand in hand, and for someone not depressed, the idea of your body weighing ten thousand pounds, of wearing that lead cloak, of not being able to get out of bed in the morning, is unthinkable, unfathomable. So, too, with that sense of aloneness. How can you feel alone? How can you feel so isolated and hopeless?</p>\nCraig Mod\n</blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This is something that I think is important to note: when we say stuff like this, we\u2019re not trying to brush things off as \u201coh, you wouldn\u2019t understand\u201d \u2014 that\u2019s really not the point. The point is that, like so many lived experiences, the reality of the experience is hard to articulate in a way that actually gives enough context for someone who hasn\u2019t experienced it. It\u2019s hard to grok something that is as abstract and arbitrary as feelings and experiences that are almost entirely inside someone else\u2019s head.</p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks for sharing, Craig. I hope your walk goes really well.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Nadreck",
"url": "http://nadreck.me",
"photo": null
},
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "39382959",
"_source": "2935"
}
On my staging site, the metadata endpoint now advertises the ticket_endpoint. That endpoint is accepting POST requests with parameters: ticket, resource, and subject. If the request is valid, it will be stored and return HTTP 202 with the message “Accepted.” Tickets are not automatically redeemed yet.
In the IndieAuth module admin, I set up a page to issue a ticket by entering a URL for “Allow access to” (the resource) and “Send ticket to” (the subject). Submitting that form will check the subject URL for an indieauth-metadata endpoint that advertises a ticket_endpoint. If that is found successfully, a ticket is created and sent there.
Finally, I updated the token_endpoint to accept POST requests with grant_type=ticket and exchange the ticket for an access token.
Next I will be working on automatically redeeming received tickets for access tokens and setting up some private posts to work with granted access tokens.
I am currently using the same code that generates authorization codes to make the tickets. I think this should work fine because it already handles creating an opaque string that is valid for a short period of time (5 minutes). The module also ensures these can only be used once and logs key information for each request like client_id (source code). I need to run some tests to ensure tickets can’t be used as authorization codes and I might need to add some metadata to differentiate the two in the admin area.
Feel free to try to send a ticket to my staging site and ping me in IndieWeb dev chat. I can also send you a ticket if you’d like to try that out. I look forward to discussing this with other implementers!
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2023-11-05 17:48-0800",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/2023/11/i-now-have-the/",
"category": [
"indieweb",
"indieauth"
],
"content": {
"text": "I now have the building blocks for Ticketing for IndieAuth set up.\n\nOn my staging site, the metadata endpoint now advertises the ticket_endpoint. That endpoint is accepting POST requests with parameters: ticket, resource, and subject. If the request is valid, it will be stored and return HTTP 202 with the message \u201cAccepted.\u201d Tickets are not automatically redeemed yet.\n\nIn the IndieAuth module admin, I set up a page to issue a ticket by entering a URL for \u201cAllow access to\u201d (the resource) and \u201cSend ticket to\u201d (the subject). Submitting that form will check the subject URL for an indieauth-metadata endpoint that advertises a ticket_endpoint. If that is found successfully, a ticket is created and sent there.\n\nFinally, I updated the token_endpoint to accept POST requests with grant_type=ticket and exchange the ticket for an access token.\n\nNext I will be working on automatically redeeming received tickets for access tokens and setting up some private posts to work with granted access tokens.\n\nI am currently using the same code that generates authorization codes to make the tickets. I think this should work fine because it already handles creating an opaque string that is valid for a short period of time (5 minutes). The module also ensures these can only be used once and logs key information for each request like client_id (source code). I need to run some tests to ensure tickets can\u2019t be used as authorization codes and I might need to add some metadata to differentiate the two in the admin area.\n\nFeel free to try to send a ticket to my staging site and ping me in IndieWeb dev chat. I can also send you a ticket if you\u2019d like to try that out. I look forward to discussing this with other implementers!",
"html": "<p>I now have the building blocks for <a href=\"https://indieweb.org/Ticketing_for_IndieAuth\">Ticketing for IndieAuth</a> set up.</p>\n\n<p>On my staging site, the <a href=\"https://staging.gregorlove.com/indieauth-metadata-endpoint/?pretty=1\">metadata endpoint</a> now advertises the <code>ticket_endpoint</code>. That endpoint is accepting POST requests with parameters: ticket, resource, and subject. If the request is valid, it will be stored and return HTTP 202 with the message \u201cAccepted.\u201d Tickets are not automatically redeemed yet.</p>\n\n<p>In the <a href=\"https://processwire.com/modules/process-indie-auth/\">IndieAuth module</a> admin, I set up a page to issue a ticket by entering a URL for \u201cAllow access to\u201d (the resource) and \u201cSend ticket to\u201d (the subject). Submitting that form will check the subject URL for an <code>indieauth-metadata</code> endpoint that advertises a <code>ticket_endpoint</code>. If that is found successfully, a ticket is created and sent there.</p>\n\n<p>Finally, I updated the <code>token_endpoint</code> to accept POST requests with <code>grant_type=ticket</code> and exchange the ticket for an access token.</p>\n\n<p>Next I will be working on automatically redeeming received tickets for access tokens and setting up some private posts to work with granted access tokens.</p>\n\n<p>I am currently using the same code that generates authorization codes to make the tickets. I <em>think</em> this should work fine because it already handles creating an opaque string that is valid for a short period of time (5 minutes). The module also ensures these can only be used once and logs key information for each request like client_id (<a href=\"https://github.com/gRegorLove/ProcessWire-IndieAuth/blob/main/src/IndieAuth/AuthorizationCode.php#L57\">source code</a>). I need to run some tests to ensure tickets can\u2019t be used as authorization codes and I might need to add some metadata to differentiate the two in the admin area.</p>\n\n<p>Feel free to try to send a ticket to my staging site and ping me in <a href=\"https://chat.indieweb.org/dev/\">IndieWeb dev chat</a>. I can also send you a ticket if you\u2019d like to try that out. I look forward to discussing this with other implementers!</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "gRegor Morrill",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
"photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39374397",
"_source": "95"
}
The CDC’s HICPAC has proposed guidance that will weaken infection control in healthcare settings. They have a rather short period for written comments, “…opened November 1, 2023, and will close at 11:59 pm on November 6, 2023.” I presume that is Eastern timezone.
Below is the message I sent, including links to more information. Please take a moment and send an email yourself! hicpac@cdc.gov
Subject: Strengthen infection control guidance
To: CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) hicpac@cdc.gov
I am writing to join my voice with the National Nurses United (NNU), People’s CDC, and thousands of experts in public health — calling on HICPAC to strengthen the guidance on infection control and fully recognize the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed updates weaken the guidance and do not adequately follow the current science on transmission. This will put more healthcare workers and patients at risk.
I am also urging more openness and transparency in your processes. You should be seeking input from frontline workers and other experts in respiratory health. Draft guidance should be published along with the scientific evidence well in advance, with an ample time for the public to make written comments.
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2023-11-04 21:49-0700",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/2023/11/strengthen-infection-control-guidance/",
"category": [
"covid",
"KeepMasksInHealthcare"
],
"content": {
"text": "The CDC\u2019s HICPAC has proposed guidance that will weaken infection control in healthcare settings. They have a rather short period for written comments, \u201c\u2026opened November 1, 2023, and will close at 11:59 pm on November 6, 2023.\u201d I presume that is Eastern timezone.\n\nBelow is the message I sent, including links to more information. Please take a moment and send an email yourself! hicpac@cdc.gov\n\nSubject: Strengthen infection control guidance\n\nTo: CDC\u2019s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)\nhicpac@cdc.gov\n\nI am writing to join my voice with the National Nurses United (NNU), People\u2019s CDC, and thousands of experts in public health \u2014 calling on HICPAC to strengthen the guidance on infection control and fully recognize the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed updates weaken the guidance and do not adequately follow the current science on transmission. This will put more healthcare workers and patients at risk.\n\nI am also urging more openness and transparency in your processes. You should be seeking input from frontline workers and other experts in respiratory health. Draft guidance should be published along with the scientific evidence well in advance, with an ample time for the public to make written comments.\n\nThank you,\n\nGregor Morrill",
"html": "<p>The CDC\u2019s <abbr title=\"Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee\">HICPAC</abbr> has proposed guidance that will weaken infection control in healthcare settings. They have a <a href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/meeting.html\">rather short period for written comments</a>, \u201c\u2026opened November 1, 2023, and will close at 11:59 pm on November 6, 2023.\u201d I presume that is Eastern timezone.</p>\n\n<p>Below is the message I sent, including links to more information. Please take a moment and send an email yourself! <a href=\"mailto:hicpac@cdc.gov\">hicpac@cdc.gov</a></p>\n\n<p>Subject: Strengthen infection control guidance</p>\n\n<p>To: CDC\u2019s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC)<br /><a href=\"mailto:hicpac@cdc.gov\">hicpac@cdc.gov</a></p>\n\n<p>I am writing to join my voice with the <a href=\"https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nnu-calls-out-cdc-hicpac\">National Nurses United (NNU)</a>, <a href=\"https://peoplescdc.org/2023/11/01/peoples-cdc-public-comment-on-hicpac/\">People\u2019s CDC</a>, and thousands of experts in public health \u2014 calling on HICPAC to strengthen the guidance on infection control and fully recognize the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed updates weaken the guidance and do not adequately follow the current science on transmission. This will put more healthcare workers and patients at risk.</p>\n\n<p>I am also urging more openness and transparency in your processes. You should be seeking input from frontline workers and other experts in respiratory health. Draft guidance should be published along with the scientific evidence well in advance, with an ample time for the public to make written comments.</p>\n\n<p>Thank you,<br />\nGregor Morrill</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "gRegor Morrill",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
"photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39368238",
"_source": "95"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": null,
"url": "https://herestomwiththeweather.com/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://herestomwiththeweather.com/2023/11/02/challenging-orwellian-language/",
"published": "2023-11-02T22:37:48+00:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p>A week ago, <a href=\"https://herestomwiththeweather.com/2023/10/26/orwellian-language/\">I made a post</a> about the bizarre use of the phrase \u201cright to self-defense\u201d and today <a href=\"https://www.democracynow.org/2023/11/2/ta_nehisi_coates\">Ta-Nehisi Coates addressed this phrase</a>.</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>I keep hearing this term repeated over and over again: \u201cthe right to self-defense.\u201d What about the right to dignity? What about the right to morality? What about the right to be able to sleep at night? Because what I know is, if I was complicit \u2014 and I am complicit \u2014 in dropping bombs on children, in dropping bombs on refugee camps, no matter who\u2019s there, it would give me trouble sleeping at night. And I worry for the souls of people who can do this and can sleep at night.</p>\n</blockquote>",
"text": "A week ago, I made a post about the bizarre use of the phrase \u201cright to self-defense\u201d and today Ta-Nehisi Coates addressed this phrase.\n\n\n I keep hearing this term repeated over and over again: \u201cthe right to self-defense.\u201d What about the right to dignity? What about the right to morality? What about the right to be able to sleep at night? Because what I know is, if I was complicit \u2014 and I am complicit \u2014 in dropping bombs on children, in dropping bombs on refugee camps, no matter who\u2019s there, it would give me trouble sleeping at night. And I worry for the souls of people who can do this and can sleep at night."
},
"name": "Challenging Orwellian Language",
"post-type": "article",
"_id": "39352499",
"_source": "246"
}
People go to Stack Overflow because the docs and error messages are garbage. TLDR exists because the docs and error messages are garbage. People ask ChatGPT for help because the docs and error messages are garbage. We are going to lose a generation of competence and turn programming into call-and-response glyph-engine supplicancy because we let a personality cult that formed around the PDP-11 in the 1970s convince us that it was pure and good that docs and error messages are garbage.
Mike takes a look at what can go wrong when writing a one-line “Hello World” program in C. It’s dark — an example of the violence that developers inflict on one other.
It’s not just error messages and documentation. Today’s tools and frameworks overflow with violence; violence is so omnipresent that we’re inured to it, typically choosing to cast blame anywhere but where we should. All developers suffer for it; new developers suffer disproportionately more.
{
"type": "entry",
"author": {
"name": null,
"url": "https://davepeck.org/micro/",
"photo": null
},
"url": "https://davepeck.org/2023/11/01/developer-on-developer-violence/",
"published": "2023-11-01T16:40:00-07:00",
"content": {
"html": "<p><a href=\"https://mastodon.social/@mhoye/111336250489992775\">Mike Hoye, writing on Mastodon</a>:</p>\n\n<blockquote>\n <p>People go to Stack Overflow because the docs and error messages are garbage. TLDR exists because the docs and error messages are garbage. People ask ChatGPT for help because the docs and error messages are garbage. We are going to lose a generation of competence and turn programming into call-and-response glyph-engine supplicancy because we let a personality cult that formed around the PDP-11 in the 1970s convince us that it was pure and good that docs and error messages are garbage.</p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>Mike takes a look at what can go wrong when writing a one-line \u201cHello World\u201d program in C. It\u2019s dark \u2014 an example of the violence that developers inflict on one other.</p>\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just error messages and documentation. Today\u2019s tools and frameworks overflow with violence; violence is so omnipresent that we\u2019re inured to it, typically choosing to cast blame anywhere <em>but</em> where we should. All developers suffer for it; new developers suffer disproportionately more.</p>",
"text": "Mike Hoye, writing on Mastodon:\n\n\n People go to Stack Overflow because the docs and error messages are garbage. TLDR exists because the docs and error messages are garbage. People ask ChatGPT for help because the docs and error messages are garbage. We are going to lose a generation of competence and turn programming into call-and-response glyph-engine supplicancy because we let a personality cult that formed around the PDP-11 in the 1970s convince us that it was pure and good that docs and error messages are garbage.\n\n\nMike takes a look at what can go wrong when writing a one-line \u201cHello World\u201d program in C. It\u2019s dark \u2014 an example of the violence that developers inflict on one other.\n\nIt\u2019s not just error messages and documentation. Today\u2019s tools and frameworks overflow with violence; violence is so omnipresent that we\u2019re inured to it, typically choosing to cast blame anywhere but where we should. All developers suffer for it; new developers suffer disproportionately more."
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39341292",
"_source": "2781"
}
The border:none conference was in Germany last week followed by an IndieWebCamp event, so several indieweb people were there. In the chat, the amount of current Covid cases was brought up and a mention of how few were masked in a crowd of about 200.
My heart sank — a feeling I’m unfortunately getting more and more used to. I commented “in-person conferences may just be a thing of the past for me at this rate 🫠.” I followed that with an explanation that it’s the psychological and emotional weight of being in spaces like that. I have to psych myself up. It feels really isolating; the “alone in a crowded room” feeling.
Tantek helpfully tried to put a positive frame on it as “an interesting exercise in independence and not bowing to implied / perceived social pressure” and the idea that it can help train us to be independent thinkers. I’ve been thinking on that for a bit now. I think there is some truth to that, but I also feel pretty well-trained in that regard after almost 4 years of this.
For me, it’s important to remember that the context of this training is the nearly unmitigated spread of a virus with long-term health impacts. That’s a big part of the psychological weight. I can’t emphasize enough how important community care has become to me. It’s not just my health that I’m concerned about when I’m in a crowd. Looking around and seeing that the majority are not taking basic precautions (for whatever reason) really weighs on me. We know these precautions make everyone safer, but so many people have bought into the hyper-individualism of the moment.
I love the work that Clean Air Club is doing in Chicago, crowdfunding and trying to make concerts safer by providing free air purifiers. They posted a reel recently that I think explains the importance of being proactive in prioritizing Covid safety and accessibility. Here is a transcript of the audio (emphasis mine):
Going to shows the past few years, it seems like nobody is masking anymore. But the reality is that Covid cautious people are being pushed out of these spaces. There’s a selection bias at crowded events. If you do attend and choose to mask, you feel like the only one. But you’re not.
This is a classic paradox of inaccessibility. Because a space is inaccessible to Covid cautious people, they aren’t able to join. But because they aren’t able to join, it appears that there is no demand for Covid cautious spaces. It’s feedback loop that entrenches ableism in our music scene. Artists, event hosts, and venues most of all have an obligation to interrupt this loop.
This has me mulling over what policies I will promote if/when I’m in a position to organize in-person events again, as well as what I will request/encourage other event organizers to implement. I hope to write more on that soon.
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2023-11-01 14:59-0700",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/2023/11/the-border-none-conference/",
"category": [
"covid",
"organizing"
],
"content": {
"text": "The border:none conference was in Germany last week followed by an IndieWebCamp event, so several indieweb people were there. In the chat, the amount of current Covid cases was brought up and a mention of how few were masked in a crowd of about 200.\n\nMy heart sank \u2014 a feeling I\u2019m unfortunately getting more and more used to. I commented \u201cin-person conferences may just be a thing of the past for me at this rate \ud83e\udee0.\u201d I followed that with an explanation that it\u2019s the psychological and emotional weight of being in spaces like that. I have to psych myself up. It feels really isolating; the \u201calone in a crowded room\u201d feeling.\n\nTantek helpfully tried to put a positive frame on it as \u201can interesting exercise in independence and not bowing to implied / perceived social pressure\u201d and the idea that it can help train us to be independent thinkers. I\u2019ve been thinking on that for a bit now. I think there is some truth to that, but I also feel pretty well-trained in that regard after almost 4 years of this.\n\nFor me, it\u2019s important to remember that the context of this training is the nearly unmitigated spread of a virus with long-term health impacts. That\u2019s a big part of the psychological weight. I can\u2019t emphasize enough how important community care has become to me. It\u2019s not just my health that I\u2019m concerned about when I\u2019m in a crowd. Looking around and seeing that the majority are not taking basic precautions (for whatever reason) really weighs on me. We know these precautions make everyone safer, but so many people have bought into the hyper-individualism of the moment.\n\nI love the work that Clean Air Club is doing in Chicago, crowdfunding and trying to make concerts safer by providing free air purifiers. They posted a reel recently that I think explains the importance of being proactive in prioritizing Covid safety and accessibility. Here is a transcript of the audio (emphasis mine):\n\n\n\nGoing to shows the past few years, it seems like nobody is masking anymore. But the reality is that Covid cautious people are being pushed out of these spaces. There\u2019s a selection bias at crowded events. If you do attend and choose to mask, you feel like the only one. But you\u2019re not.\n\nThis is a classic paradox of inaccessibility. Because a space is inaccessible to Covid cautious people, they aren\u2019t able to join. But because they aren\u2019t able to join, it appears that there is no demand for Covid cautious spaces. It\u2019s feedback loop that entrenches ableism in our music scene. Artists, event hosts, and venues most of all have an obligation to interrupt this loop.\n\nPrioritize Covid safety.\n\n\n\u2014 Clean Air Club, October 29, 2023\n\n\nThis has me mulling over what policies I will promote if/when I\u2019m in a position to organize in-person events again, as well as what I will request/encourage other event organizers to implement. I hope to write more on that soon.",
"html": "<p>The <a href=\"https://border-none.net/2023/\">border:none</a> conference was in Germany last week followed by an IndieWebCamp event, so several indieweb people were there. <a href=\"https://chat.indieweb.org/meta/2023-10-26#t1698317868414800\">In the chat</a>, the amount of current Covid cases was brought up and a mention of how few were masked in a crowd of about 200.</p>\n\n<p>My heart sank \u2014 a feeling I\u2019m unfortunately getting more and more used to. I commented \u201cin-person conferences may just be a thing of the past for me at this rate \ud83e\udee0.\u201d I followed that with an explanation that it\u2019s the psychological and emotional weight of being in spaces like that. I have to psych myself up. It feels really isolating; the \u201calone in a crowded room\u201d feeling.</p>\n\n<p>Tantek helpfully tried to put a positive frame on it as \u201can interesting exercise in independence and not bowing to implied / perceived social pressure\u201d and the idea that it can help train us to be independent thinkers. I\u2019ve been thinking on that for a bit now. I think there is some truth to that, but I also feel pretty well-trained in that regard after almost 4 years of this.</p>\n\n<p>For me, it\u2019s important to remember that the context of this training is the nearly unmitigated spread of a virus with long-term health impacts. That\u2019s a big part of the psychological weight. I can\u2019t emphasize enough how important community care has become to me. It\u2019s not just my health that I\u2019m concerned about when I\u2019m in a crowd. Looking around and seeing that the majority are not taking basic precautions (for whatever reason) really weighs on me. We know these precautions make everyone safer, but so many people have bought into the hyper-individualism of the moment.</p>\n\n<p>I love the work that <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/clean.air.club/\">Clean Air Club</a> is doing in Chicago, crowdfunding and trying to make concerts safer by providing free air purifiers. They posted a reel recently that I think explains the importance of being proactive in prioritizing Covid safety and accessibility. Here is a transcript of the audio (emphasis mine):</p>\n\n<blockquote class=\"h-cite\">\n\n<p>Going to shows the past few years, it seems like nobody is masking anymore. But the reality is that Covid cautious people are being pushed out of these spaces. There\u2019s a selection bias at crowded events. If you do attend and choose to mask, you feel like the only one. But you\u2019re not.</p>\n\n<p>This is a classic paradox of inaccessibility. Because a space is inaccessible to Covid cautious people, they aren\u2019t able to join. But because they aren\u2019t able to join, it appears that there is no demand for Covid cautious spaces. It\u2019s feedback loop that entrenches ableism in our music scene. <strong>Artists, event hosts, and venues most of all have an obligation to interrupt this loop.</strong></p>\n\n<p>Prioritize Covid safety.</p>\n\n\n<p>\u2014 <a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/clean.air.club/\">Clean Air Club</a>, <a class=\"u-url\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy_b_cRLkzS/\"><time class=\"dt-published\" datetime=\"2023-10-29\">October 29, 2023</time></a></p>\n</blockquote>\n\n<p>This has me mulling over what policies I will promote if/when I\u2019m in a position to organize in-person events again, as well as what I will request/encourage other event organizers to implement. I hope to write more on that soon.</p>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "gRegor Morrill",
"url": "https://gregorlove.com/",
"photo": "https://gregorlove.com/site/assets/files/6268/profile-2021-square.300x0.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "39340439",
"_source": "95"
}
