I get most of my stuff from Facebook. Since most of you refuse to go there, it really keeps my content fresh 😁

More seriously, since most of my stuff is from non-profits and photographers, it’s still the number one place these people share their stuff since it’s free, easy, and has a built in wide audience.

Other than that, I look for owls in the Google news page once a week, I look up old research papers or read books, I volunteered at a rehab clinic to learn more and get photos and stories, and I go to events and talk with people that work with owls.

I think the most important thing is that I’m genuinely interested in the subject, so even if social media vanished tomorrow, I would’ve stop doing anything I do to source content, I just wouldn’t be posting. I just post because I think you guys will like it and hopefully donate or volunteer yourselves.

This is the main resistance I see. I thought I’d be boring in the beginning. I didn’t know much about the subject I began to post about. But from continuing to interact, I learned more about the subject, and I learned what the people I was talking to liked more or liked less.

If you’re just being yourself and talking about things you’re interested in, you’re gonna be fine. People here are pretty chill, so if you’re not spouting outright lies or antagonizing people, there isn’t anything to worry about.

I don’t know how those people do it. Putting out stuff every day for one community keeps me as busy as I’d want to be.

I just watched the first episode of the most recent series of Black Mirror and it was this too.

Implant had range limitations, premium tier to avoid you randomly shilling products, constantly increasing subscription fee, etc.

I am glad you got something important out of reading it! I hope you don’t either. ❤️ 🦉

Huh now that you say that, I had felt they seemed “rushed” but I thought maybe he was just testing more brands at once and trying to keep the videos the same length.

My wife absolutely hates his voice, even at standard speed, to the point she leaves the room. 😄

Not only is he semi-local so I get to see landmarks I recognize, but he’s so calming when many creators try to be 90s levels of extreeeeeme these days. Also lots of his repair/resto/DIY stuff is affordable, he gave us Decent Sampler, and the weird and homemade instruments he often uses are actually musical, not the weird ambient beeps, boops, and screeches many channels feature.

That’s a very good way to compensate! Some of the products and testing things he buys aren’t cheap, and he often tests to failure, so helping recoup that money is likely very beneficial.

Starsky Carr, Woody’s Piano Shack, and David Hilowitz are great as well!

My feelings on Ian himself have become a little strained, but he is doing the same or better quality than ever now that he gets invited around the world to show off so many rare items. I could not name a better source anywhere for weapons history and being able to see the actual weapons and often their entire disassembly.

While modern life has made me less interested in gun culture, their mechanics, development, and how they have shaped history and society I still find very interesting.

Honestly I have begun to question whether Project Farm staying exactly the same is good or not for me as a viewer.

I used to watch every video, even if it was for a tool I’d never need myself. Now on a lot of them, I just tend to watch just the beginning to see the initial assessment of the competing products and the final summary, since I know what the whole middle is going to be.

I’m sure that’s not the healthiest thing for the channel, as it cuts “engagement time” and I’d like to see a heat map to see if I’m not the only one doing this.

I just trust the guy maybe too much at this point, plus since most products I don’t need, I’m not that invested in the minutia show by the main segment of the videos.

None of this is a knock on the channel or his videos, but as the question was about what has stayed good and you are still watching, that made me think how PF was still as good as ever, but that has somewhat reduced my watching of it.

I’m glad I could word it properly. I always worry about noy adequately capturing my feelings on emotional things.

I was a little bummed at first when the talk took the turn it did, because it was entitled something like “Minimizing Stress in Animal Patients” and I thought it was going to be things like covering birds’ heads to calm them down and such, but halfway through it took the euthanasia turn.

But the lady giving the talk presented it calmly and sensibly like I tried to do here, and I think framing it as the ultimate neutral position when that is the least worst outcome left was very helpful. It’s obviously the least favorite part for anyone involved in the care of animals, by occupation or as a pet owner, but it’s something we ultimately will be involved in, and should be an act of compassion.

In a different reply in this thread I touch on my experiences in hospital with humans as well, and tl;dr I think it is insanely cruel we cannot offer that compassion to our fellow humans.

Please don’t take any of this as being directed at you personally, I think your opinion is 100% valid, but you’re the only one I saw with this stance.

I think this is something very important to consider when it comes to things like living wills and just how we as a society feel that a medical system should operate, preserving life at all costs vs preserving quality of life.

I won’t go deep into details, but I have been there to witness the passing of both my wife’s parents in the last 2 years. Both were normal for their age and overall health conditions up to the very days they died. Both died suddenly, though not immediately, and one was upset they called the ambulance because they said they were fine, both those ended up being last words.

Both became unrecoverable very soon after being admitted to the hospital, as in less than 12 hours. The family made the decision to take them off the life support stuff, as there was nothing treatable. A fair decision. But what I witnessed afterwards was the cruelest stuff I have ever seen. It isn’t like on tv where they turn the stuff off and in a couple seconds it’s over. The sights and sounds of suffering were horrific, and all of us who were there just had to sit for hours, watching our loved ones in total unconscious agony while we were all just wishing for it to be over.

After I saw firsthand what natural death can look like, I thought it was a sin that with all the equipment and medicine in that hospital, that no one was allowed to end the suffering, either for the dying, or for the living. It looked and sounded like physical torture, it was undignified, and I sat there the whole time saying we would not leave an animal to suffer like this, so why are we letting it happen to our family?

It really solidified my thoughts on assisted suicide and the concept of keeping someone “alive” at all cost.

I get if you want to be in your own home instead of hospice someday, or that you shouldn’t have all your freedoms as long as you’re not a danger, but we don’t all get the luxury to die in a brief moment in our sleep. For a lot of us, it will be a long processes, and it won’t always be us conscious or able to make determinations on that process.

Again, just sharing my personal experience, nothing to argue against you in particular. I just find myself able to consider and discuss death more than most people around me seem comfortable doing.

I work at a wildlife rehab clinic. Just a guess, but we probably euthanize more animals than any vet, since for people to be able to catch and bring us wild animals, they are typically much worse off than most domestic animals. A third of patients are dead by the time they get here, or shortly after. The next third, we will have to euthanize within a few hours or days. That’s a lot.

We don’t do it because they are too hard to work on or anything like that. Our only goal is to return animals to the wild and have them survive. We try some far-out things sometimes to make that happen, and since most of us work for free, we do it because we love animals and want to see them survive.

I just attended a conference talk about the topic of animal suffering. It wasn’t specifically labeled as a talk about euthanasia, but it ended up being a large part of it, and attending made me feel a bit better about it.

When we’re treating animals, it’s like a balancing scale. We have their health conditions, stress levels, etc on one side, and we have our treatments and stress mitigating factors on the other. Ideally, we can either balance the scales or tilt them positive. But as time goes on, and if things are not improving, or get worse, even if we can stack more and more positive responses on the other side, that is still a lot of weight on the scale. It wouldn’t take a big nudge to make it crash. Or the negative side is stacking up and the positives have no chance to keep up or reverse things.

All this time, the animal is not living the life it was meant to live. Out in the wild, hunting, mating, etc for my animals, or being a happy, lazy, snacking, sunbeam soaking friend to you that a domestic animal should. And animals hide pain as a survival reflex. If they are sick or injured, they are always hurting more than you know, because they don’t want to be seen as that slowest wildebeest in the pack that the lions are chasing.

And the point of the lecture was this: no matter how hopeless the stack of negatives is, there is one thing that is guaranteed to instantly alleviate that pain and suffering. Euthanasia is not a positive or negative, but should be looked at as neutral, a zero point. No points on the positive side of the scale, but the negative side is swept clean. If you can do nothing to help your animal, or if the treatment itself is making their life miserable, you have the ability to take that stress and pain away. When to do that is an ethical question with no concrete answer. We address each case on an individual basis and come to consensus as a group. With your pet, that is you and your family. Are you keeping them alive because the animal is still happy or because you aren’t ready to let go to a hopeless cause?

I’ve tried to treat my pets, 2 of which died of failing organs, and for my cat, it was clear the treatment was making her suffer, and for my dog, she eventually has a seizure. Those were where I had to say to myself that what I was continuing to do was only for my sake, and it wasn’t helping me, and was certainly not going to help them. Looking back though, if I would have euthanized them a week or 2 sooner, I probably could have spared them days of pain, and I regret being what I consider to have been selfish acts.

Especially with a dog (I was not a dog person, but the death of my 2 dogs both crushed me immensely due to that pack bond they have with you as opposed to more independent cats) it can be hard to make the call. But when you learn they are that sick and are likely going to crash soon, don’t try to prolong that time, but do spoil the shit out of that dog. Take them on extra walks if they can. Take them to beautiful and smelly places like a state park or a sunset walk along water and walk extra slow so they can enjoy it in their dog ways. Feed them all the stuff they always wanted but wasn’t good for them. And when they start to not enjoy even that spoiling anymore, know you gave them the best life they could have dreamed, and accept that ultimate responsibility you took when you committed yourself to that dog the day you brought it into your home and made it part of your pack.

I hope that was helpful. I gave up having pets because it was hard to do that last step so many times. Now I work with wild animals and see death all the time, but it is less personal, so it is easier to see the positive/negative balance because it isn’t clouded by an emotional bond. No one wants to say goodbye to a loved one, human or pet, but it is a certainty of life, and because we live life at a different scale than they do (unless you have parrots, tortoises, etc!) that time is never going to feel like enough, even if you could keep that dog alive for 50 years. The length of their healthy days we have no say over, but we can keep the sad days to a minimum.

Oh heavens, I don’t even want to think about me without the net!

I was a nerdy introvert raised in a moderately abusive house, in a small town with hardly any other kids. I had zero social skills.

Got internet at 16, and now I could talk to anybody with no real barrier to entry. I spent a lot of years being oblivious and a borderline incel before learning to get my act together, but I can only imagine I’d be much more socially awkward and probably still be a jerk and much more conservative if I hadn’t been able to talk to so many other people and especially with people of the opposite sex.

I still keep a small friend group, but I like to think it’s more by choice now 😅

It is day 2 of the 16 day Owl of the Year tournament at !superbowl@lemmy.world if you still want to get in early on that. It’s our annual bracket tournament to determine the community mascots for the next year.

Otherwise you can learn about the near 250 species of owls through my research and personal experience.

Summit is peak!

Just tried dry shampoo for the first time yesterday actually. I’m a male in my mid 40s who started growing my hair out about 2 years ago and it’s to my shoulder blades now.

I have electric heat, hard water, and somewhat dryish hair so I try to use shampoo just twice a week if I can help it, so as to strip a minimum amount of oil from my hair and keep it from frizzing all over. It works pretty well, but by day 3 it is pretty heavy and there are spots that look greasy and don’t feel great or look good.

I’ve been sick as hell this week and have been falling asleep at random times. So I woke up yesterday after falling asleep before showering. I had time to shower, but having long thick hair takes a long time to dry, and part of my work is outside, and since it’s around freezing here, I didn’t want to have a wet and heavy head of hair outside while I’m already sick.

So I looked in the wife’s rack of hair stuff and saw dry shampoo. I said if this isn’t what this stuff is made for, what is? And I shot my head all over with it. My hair was still heavy and not the best feeling, but man, did it look a ton better than it did before using the dry shampoo! In some ways it even looked better, as the heavier hair can style better, but it usually isn’t visually appealing, but with the excess oil absorbed, now it did look good.

It got me through the day looking kempt and professional, and while I fell asleep immediately when I got home again and still haven’t washed it, if I had to leave home this second, it’d still be passable. Again, it doesn’t feel like the best hair ever, but it will fool everyone else if need be.

So while teens may overuse it and it is no excuse for a shower, I don’t see how the owner of the hair would be fooled into thinking it’s clean instead of just dry and manageable. If the high school girls have gym or sports, I bet they would have some of this so they can freshen up after activities and to not look or feel gross while being constantly judged by other teens.

As a guy who had quarter inch hair for most his life, none of this ever made sense to me either, but now trying to learn how to care for long hair, it is such a complex thing! You’ve got to learn your body chemistry by testing all these things so you know how to keep your hair looking nice when it’s super hot out or humid or windy. Hair snags hurt, and frizz is a bitch if you’re trying to look presentable. So until you live it, try not to get too judgy. Using this stuff isn’t fun, but for people that want to have long hair, these products exist because people need and want them to make hair care better for themselves.

Anti War Quackers (Bangkok protests)

Anti War Quakers

I can’t help but tease, I am from very prime Quaker territory, so I see the mix up constantly. 😜

I’m going to assume a few things, given the small amount of details provided, and see if I can be helpful, as I just got married this month myself, so I’ve spent much time reflecting on it.

You call yourself Indian, and not Indian-(insert other country) and are in an arranged marriage, so I will assume you both currently live in India and are at least traditional leaning in faith/culture if you’re both willingly in this marriage. The other replies seem pretty good for a Western marriage, but I wasn’t sure what exactly was considered appropriate for Indian marriage.

My only reference for anything close so far was reading a comic series about arranged marriages in nomadic groups around the Caspian, so I checked out the wiki for Marriage in Hinduism and Grihastha. The traditions and motivations sound fairly different between India and here in North America, but the goals sound very similar. I’m going to try to avoid touching on too much religious/cultural stuff, because I am 100% ignorant on that besides this reading, but I will give my basic takes on it.

Under the first article, we have:

In Hinduism, the four goals of life (Purusarthas) are regarded to be righteousness (dharma), wealth (artha), pleasure (kama), and liberation (moksha). Marriage is generally not considered necessary to fulfil these goals because following righteousness (dharma) applies to a person since birth and wealth (artha) and liberation (moksha) are again one’s personal goal as dharma and need not to be aligned with marriage as they can be practiced with or without it. The three goals of marriage include allowing a husband and a wife to fulfil their dharma, bearing progeny (praja), and experiencing pleasure (rati). Sexual intercourse between a husband and wife is regarded to be important in order to produce children, but is the least desirable purpose of marriage in traditional Hindu schools of thought.

Dharma sounds like being a righteous person. Do what it takes to lead an upstanding life and be someone worthy of respect. We tend to call that The Golden Rule, which usually boils down to “don’t be a jerk and treat people how you would like to be treated.” Treat your wife and her family how you would treat your own, and always be working to improve that. We all make mistakes or don’t live up to our potential, but we can always keep working at it.

Artha seems to be finding purpose for your life by learning an occupation that can provide a proper life for you, your wife, and any children. Worldly success while not doing something to violate dharma. It seems to be making the best of yourself at work so you don’t have to struggle to be and feel successful as a person and as a provider.

Kama looks to imply more than just sexual excitement, but the excitement of all senses. Work on becoming a good lover, which requires a lot of intimate communication. It is awkward to discuss these things, but every body works differently. You say you have had some prior experience, so I am sure you have seen some of your moves work differently on different people. Don’t focus on what you know how to do only. If she can’t communicate comfortably right away, try different things to see how she responds. Even small movements of where you are touching can make a huge difference, as you may understand from yourself. Eventually she may be more open about her desires and what she enjoys most. Some people are givers, some receivers, and some both. If she doesn’t like doing what you are into, give her time, or come to understand some things just dont give her pleasure or put her in a place where she is not having a good time. When you both come to the same enjoyment during activities, it will maximize both of your enjoyments.

In non-sexual things though, kama also looks to include enjoying arts, music, dance, etc. Learn what types of entertainment you both enjoy and find common ground to enjoy things together, and find ways to still appreciate things you don’t both enjoy. If you like concerts and she prefers gardening, find times where you can each pursue those things without frustration or jealousy. Don’t stifle each others’ individualities. You are united together and should learn to love each other for your unique qualities as well as those you share. In my example, if you did not like gardening but she does, enjoy how her work enhances the beauty and feelings of life it brings to your home even if you hate to do yard work.

Moksha sounds like a very interesting concept to me in a culture that doesn’t seem to have an equivalent. The second linked article sounds like this is more along the line of what those who don’t pursue marriage should start pursuing when they realize that. It seems like moksha is something you approach by practicing good dharma, artha, and kama, so as a married couple, it seems like something you should work on together. In the most general sense, it sounds like finding your rhythm in life, where you are able to let go of struggles as you become more proper beings. You better understand yourselves, each other, and your place in this world, and that can only be accomplished as you improve your lives together and explore inside yourselves and your relationship.

All-in-all, it sounds like being Indian doesn’t make marriage all as different as it can seem outwardly. We all strive to become better people, better spouses, and to live to the best of our abilities. The most important part now it to realize you are more than yourself. Where before, you were on your own or had your family, you are now in a union with this woman, who should be your equal partner in all things. You will experience both joy and sorrow together, and to function well and grow, you need to share all those experiences as one.

It sounds hard to do as two people who are, in a way, still just getting to know each other. You may end up being a perfect match, or you may find troubles, but that is much the same as any relationship really. I was married once before, and after my first wife’s father passed away, she decided she wanted a different type of life than the one we had been living, and she no longer wanted to be with me. People change, and what can start good can end up poorly, or what starts hard may wind up being the best thing ever. No one can predict how it will go for you (or any other couple) long term, but if you both are open, honest, and do your best to love each other as you would want to be loved, you will stand the best chance of happiness possible in an imperfect and trying world.

I changed myself a lot before meeting my new wife. I tried to fix a lot of the areas I was lacking, and that helped me to support her as she was my girlfriend, who then had a long period of health problems, and my ongoing love and support has probably kept her from ending up in a very bad place. It was a lot of learning and patience I had to develop on my part, but I am committed to her and her happiness and our happiness together. Life will continue to throw things at us, but now I have her when I feel weak, and she has me, and when we have happiness, I get to experience my own joy along with hers, making it feel twice as great.

Keep working to make yourself proud, grow the kind of household and family that you picture when you imagine a beautiful home and a happy family, and expand your world while also bring the two of you closer to being one mind and body. Every day will present you with something new, but always remember you are now in it together.

Best of luck to the two of you, and I hope I spoke of relevant things to you with the care and respect intended from an outsider to what your life may or may not be like.