elf: John Egbert with a rocketpack, captioned "THIS IS STUPID" in all caps. (This is stupid)
Last night, bluesky exploded with the discovery that itch.io has delisted/shadowbanned pretty much all its "adult" games - they don't show up in a search anymore, even if you have the 'show me adult content' turned on, even if you are the game's creator.

They are still listed on the creator's pages; they are still in the bundles they've been in, and the "search title/author/tag" on the bundle pages still works.

Some games have been removed entirely - with a claim that they violate the TOS and therefore the creators can't receive payment, so itch will be just keeping their money thankyouverymuch.

After a mad scramble to figure out "what's going on and why," Itch mentioned payment processor issues on its Discord (which is going wild with drama; it does NOT have enough moderators for this), and eventually released a statement:
We have “deindexed” all adult NSFW content from our browse and search pages. We understand this action is sudden and disruptive, and we are truly sorry for the frustration and confusion caused by this change.

Recently, we came under scrutiny from our payment processors regarding the nature of some content hosted on itch.io. Due to a game titled No Mercy, which was temporarily available on itch.io before being banned back in April, the organization Collective Shout launched a campaign against Steam and itch.io, directing concerns to our payment processors about the nature of certain content found on both platforms.
Itch instantly caved to their "Warriors for Innocence."

ExpandSpecific game info )

Hobbies: Hairstyling

Jul. 24th, 2025 12:49 am[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Folks have mentioned an interest in questions and conversations that make them think. So I've decided to offer more of those. This batch features hobbies.

Hairstyling is a hobby that includes cutting, braiding, and related accessories such as wigs or hair jewelry. It all depends on what you what looks you wish to create. Like makeup, it varies a great deal depending on your human canvas -- African or other curly hair textures require different techniques than straight or wavy hair.

On Dreamwidth, consider communities like [community profile] daily_gyaru, [community profile] edgoreyanfashion, [community profile] first_nations_freaks, [community profile] justcreate, [community profile] sw_costumes, and[community profile] thefreaksclub.

ExpandRead more... )
dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
Temporary Work
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1209
[Saturday, 5 August, 2017, 1 p.m.]


:: LaQuinta is restless in her new living quarters, so she goes looking for work without her Surrey. Things become complicated fairly quickly. Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::




LaQuinta stared around the interior of the converted schoolbus, called a ‘skoolie’ though that insulted both the bus’ origins and the education of anyone who repeated the term. She sniffed, surprised to smell cedar. Leaning close to the light-colored paint, she shook her head. Standing on the sofa, she brought her face close to the wooden strips on the ceiling and laughed.

When she stepped down, she quickly smoothed the cushion and checked the surface for dirt. The whole place, contained in a forty-foot schoolbus, was a bit larger than the motel room converted into emergency housing for earthquake refugees, felt very, very different.
ExpandRead more... )
ysabetwordsmith: Victor Frankenstein in his fancy clothes (Frankenstein)
This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] janetmiles, [personal profile] chanter1944, and discussions with [personal profile] dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Immigrant" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the third in the triptych after "Strong, Competent, Capable" and "The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes unplanned and unmarried pregnancy, domestic abuse, partner loss, awkwardness, poor support back home, reference to other illegitimate children, severe personality changes, past family tragedies, complicated grief, scrapes and bruises, messy medical details, confusion, uncertainty, and other challenges. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

ExpandRead more... )
ysabetwordsmith: Victor Frankenstein in his fancy clothes (Frankenstein)
This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] janetmiles, [personal profile] chanter1944, and discussions with [personal profile] dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Redemption Story" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the second in the triptych between "Strong, Competent, Capable" and "Fed from So Many Sources."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes disappointment, worry, reference to minor character death, unpleasant social duties, loss of a friend, alarming personality changes, trouble caused by loss of horses, signs of hunger, reference to domestic abuse, legal issues, confusion, desperate hope, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward.

ExpandRead more... )
ysabetwordsmith: Victor Frankenstein in his fancy clothes (Frankenstein)
This poem is spillover from the July 15, 2025 Bonus Fishbowl. It was inspired by prompts from [personal profile] janetmiles, [personal profile] chanter1944, and discussions with [personal profile] dialecticdreamer. It has been sponsored by [personal profile] janetmiles. This poem also fills the "Sunrise / Sunset" square in my 7-1-25 card for the Western Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Frankenstein's Family and follows (several months later) the poems "Signs of Their Trespass" and "Incompetence, Sloppy Thinking, and Laziness" so read those first or this won't make much sense. It is the first in the triptych followed by "The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption" and "Fed from So Many Sources."

Warning: This poem contains intense and controversial topics, including canon-typical levels of violence. Highlight to read the warnings, some of which are spoilers. It includes a fruitless hunt, irrational behavior, legally risky action in effort to protect people, unplanned and unmarried pregnancy, domestic abuse, verbal abuse, death threats, pregnant woman fleeing from danger, rude language, minor character death due to terminal stupidity and testosterone poisoning, begging for mercy, uncertainty, and other mayhem. If these are sensitive issues for you, please consider your tastes and headspace before reading onward. Readers with a history of domestic unrest may wish to think twice about this one, but skipping it would leave a major gap.

ExpandRead more... )

Housing

Jul. 23rd, 2025 04:15 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
What Happens When Housing Prices Go Down (because they are)?

There’s a theory about housing that has taken hold with a kind of religious fervor: If you want to make housing more affordable, just build more of it. Supply and demand. Simple economics.

ExpandRead more... )

Poetry Fishbowl Update

Jul. 23rd, 2025 05:03 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Victor Frankenstein in his fancy clothes (Frankenstein)
[personal profile] janetmiles has sponsored the triptych. I will post these as soon as feasible. That means if you're waiting on your bonus fishbowl prompt to get written ... it's going to take longer.

"Strong, Competent, Capable"
A pregnant woman seeks refuge in Victor's valley, aided by two former poachers.

"The Future by Consequence, the Past by Redemption"
Victor speaks with the former poachers about their presence in his valley.

"Fed from So Many Sources"
Igor takes care of Amalia and discusses future options.

Crafts

Jul. 23rd, 2025 04:09 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
As a general rule, grid-based patterns are transposable across all crafts that use them, such as cross-stitch, beading, knitting, and the newer diamond art. But [personal profile] badly_knitted pointed out that knitting stitches are slightly rectangular, so not all grid-based patterns will work for it unless designed for knitting.  But every grid pattern I've seen for knitting has been square!

https://blog.tincanknits.com/2014/06/06/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart/

https://www.fibersprite.com/blog/how-to-modify-colorwork-patterns

This seems like a poor choice in terms of pattern construction. :(  

However, it also occurs to me that knit stitches have a limited range of ratio, because they are  near-square.  The ratio might vary a little based on yarn thickness, but you don't see very tall and skinny stitches.  So it should be possible to calculate what that ratio typically is (or perhaps 2-3 versions based on yarn thickness) and then how that affects a pattern.  Changing a simple pattern would then be easier, and while changing a complex one might not, you could still calculate how much extra to add in order to cover the intended area (such as a sweater front).  I don't have the math skill to do this, but I can see that it is doable.

Climate Change

Jul. 23rd, 2025 02:24 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Snowless winter? Arctic field team finds flowers and meltwater instead

New commentary reveals a dramatic and concerning shift in the Arctic winter.
Scientists in Svalbard were shocked to find rain and greenery instead of snow during Arctic winter fieldwork. The event highlights not just warming—but a full seasonal shift with major consequences for ecosystems, climate feedback, and research feasibility
.


Here in central Illinois, it rained on Christmas last year. We would've had a white Christmas, except for climate change. That was just sad.

Birdfeeding

Jul. 23rd, 2025 02:13 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Today is partly cloudy and sweltering.

I fed the birds.  I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, plus a mourning dove.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

I've seen a fox squirrel and a pair of mourning doves at the hopper feeder.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I did more work around the patio.

EDIT 7/23/25 -- I checked on the gardens.

Even this late, it's still miserably hot out.  :P

I am done for the night.

Hard Things

Jul. 23rd, 2025 01:02 am[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do? Is there anything your online friends could do to make your hard things a little easier?
dialecticdreamer: My work (Default)
Housing Solution
By Dialecticdreamer/Sarah Williams
Part 1 of 1, complete
Word count (story only): 1392
[Saturday, 5 August, 2017, 10:00 a.m.]


:: Captain Marquez, Ambassador Loudmouth, and Agent Tamsen have brainstormed a solution for LaQuinta’s housing problem. Will she go along with it? Part of the Unfair Trades arc in Mercedes, within the Polychrome Heroics universe. ::




Loudmouth poured from the thick white thermal coffee carafe. A slight shake made the coffee inside slosh. She gauged the three mugs holding barely enough cooling coffee to cover the bottom in each cup. Deftly, the ambassador poured more into Captain Marquez’ mug, her own mug, and a bare mouthful into Daniel Tamsen’s. She lifted the carafe and shook it to prove how empty it was.

The federal agent rolled his eyes. “Is your middle name ‘Petty’? Because if it’s not, it should be.” Daniel saluted her with his mugs. “Thanks for the good stuff, though.”
ExpandRead more... )

Riders on the what?

Jul. 22nd, 2025 04:22 pm[personal profile] azurelunatic
azurelunatic: Hacker-Kitty (aka Yellface) snuggling with Azz. (Hacker-Kitty)
I have a locational song for Yellface.

There's a kitten on the bed.
There's a kitten on the bed,
Please pet her silly head,
This kitten on the bed.

There's a kitten on the sill.
There's a kitten on the sill,
So please don't speak her ill,
This kitten on the sill.

There's a kitten on the couch.
There's a kitten on the couch,
She just might be a grouch,
This kitten on the couch.

Nanotechnology

Jul. 22nd, 2025 04:03 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Goodbye plastic? Scientists create new supermaterial that outperforms metals and glass

New method aligns bacterial cellulose nanofibrils, enabling high-strength multifunctional bionanocomposites.
Scientists at Rice University and the University of Houston have created a powerful new material by guiding bacteria to grow cellulose in aligned patterns, resulting in sheets with the strength of metals and the flexibility of plastic—without the pollution. Using a spinning bioreactor, they’ve turned Earth’s purest biopolymer into a high-performance alternative to plastic, capable of carrying heat, integrating advanced nanomaterials, and transforming packaging, electronics, and even energy storage
.


I am amused to see someone exploring the non-glamous applications of nanotechnology. Yes, this can work. Any time you're growing something, you have to make sure it can't get loose and cause problems, but organisms really do excel at making useful materials. Remember, conventional plastic comes from petrochemicals, which started out as ancient plants.

Birdfeeding

Jul. 22nd, 2025 03:59 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Today is partly sunny, humid, and hot.  It drizzled a bit yesterday.

I fed the birds.  I haven't seen much activity yet.

I put out water for the birds.

EDIT 7/22/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.

EDIT 7/22/25 -- I've seen a mixed flock of sparrows and house finches plus a pair of mourning doves.

EDIT 7/22/25 -- I trimmed around the garden under the contorta willow tree.  A few things are far enough from the trunk that I might need to move them closer in.

I am done for the night.

Green Building

Jul. 21st, 2025 10:49 pm[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith
ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
Scientists invent 'living' concrete that heals its own cracks with sunlight

Jin and fellow researchers used two key materials: Cyanobacteria, which turns air and sunlight into food, and filamentous fungi, which produce minerals that seal the cracks.

The microbes survive on just air, light, and water, and when paired together, are able to grow and produce crack-filling minerals in concrete. At least, that’s what Jin’s latest research, published in Materials Today Communications, concluded.

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