Interesting Links for 01-05-2023

[andrewducker]

1. This computer game is going to have entirely embroidered character art

(tags:games art craft viaSwampers )

2. Just in case anyone was wondering, the very concept of monarchy can fuck off

(tags:monarch UK OhForFucksSake )

3. Did you know you can replace large chunks of an orchestra with an accordion

(tags:music video )

4. Cat! Can! Has! Cheeseburger!

(tags:meme cats food funny )

5. New water treatment zaps 'forever chemicals' for good

(tags:water cleaning GoodNews )

6. I don't understand how anyone thinks that Disney movies are improved by photorealism

(tags:Disney movies reality )

7. Was not expecting Kirsty Allsopp to come out in favour of trans rights. Am delighted

(tags:LGBT transgender UK rights )

Comments

[cmcmck]

2 As both a republican and a Quaker (we don't swear any sort of oath) they can very much do the other thing!

[nancylebov]

#1. Nina Paley was doing embroidered animation in 2013.

https://blog.ninapaley.com/2013/09/18/embroidermation-tree-of-life/

Unfortunately, she's a TERF or at least TERF-adjacent.

This doesn't take away from the fact that she's a genius. I would trade five or six J. K. Rowlings to keep her.

Chad Gadya, a much more ambitious embroidered animation.

https://blog.ninapaley.com/category/embroidermation/

#2. More anti-monarchy stuff: https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2023/04/fuck-the-monarchy.html

[andrewducker]

I saw Charlie's piece, but felt that posting it myself would almost certainly cause friction over the comparisons to slavery, and couldn't face trying to moderate that kind of thing.

[nancylebov]

That makes sense. I've only read some of the comments at the beginning-- Charlie shut down the slavery discussion for a day, but I don't know what's happened since.

[purplerabbits]

There are signs in the Kirsty Allsopp thing which show she's still distinguishing between "women" and "transwomen" which isn't ideal. I hope it's a sign of improvement but she certainly isn't saying that trans women are welcome in women only spaces just yet.

[bens_dad]

She has more right than me, but I would not say that someone with a penis should be welcome in a women's *communal* shower.
Unless you would say that, it seems reasonable not to explicitly equate all women, whether or not they have a penis.

[andrewducker]

I do not remember ever encountering a bunch of naked people in a communal shower.

Is it something that happens regularly where you are?

[bens_dad]

The showers in the gym at my boy's school were communal, I don't remember whether I ever used them, but if I had a shower after rubgy, a fell-run or cycling I would not have had water-clothing with me.

Most swimming pools have communal showers, though not nudity.

How relevant is nudity to this issue ?

[andrewducker]

If you're not seeing what's in someone else's pants, because it's, well, in their pants, then I fail to see what business it is of yours.

[marymac]

Depends how antique your local sports facilities are. The PE Centre at my alma mater/current workplace still has communal showers for both the male and female swimming pool changing. In the way of spaces used by
Germans, Scandinavians and people who spent a lot of time in Outdoor Education Centres, swift efficient stripping, showering and dressing is the norm. The Malaysian girls are particularly ninja-like, mostly because it's Baltic in there.

And our brand new Leisure Centre has open communal showers for the swimming pool and absolutely no cubicle showers whatsoever, although that's entirely a "well if you can't be trusted to share nicely you can't have it at all" thing, as there were wars over lengthy grooming routines happening in the female single occupancy showers in the old pool.

[andrewducker]

Communal showers, absolutely.

But if they aren't naked then nobody is going to be scandalised by seeing a penis.

[marymac]

Well yes, although people being naked in the PEC showers is perfectly normal, especially if they've managed to get the heating on. But I doubt anyone trans is going to be stripping off in there, because why would you give yourself that hassle, especially in a venue with a lot of very sheltered students.

[andrewducker]

I'd imagine they'd be terrified to.

[cmcmck]

I suspect it depends- I have a body pretty much like any other woman's.

We tend to forget sometimes that there are stages of development with trans people as with everyone else. I'd use a communal shower now but I wouldn't have done so before the age of 21.

[andrewducker]

I was meaning in the context of a trans woman who still has a penis (as per the comment that started this thread). Someone who's had surgery would presumably be much more comfortable.

[cmcmck]

Hence not before the age of 21 as they made me wait that long!

[melchar]

Chuck should have stuck with the 'homage of peers', since my guess is the 'homage of the people' is going be be incredibly embarrassing unless it gets artificially enhanced.

The kitty getting a hamburger of their own was adorable!

Also - the live-action Disney remakes of animated films has been dismal - at best - to creepy verging on 'uncanny valley'. Example: animated male lion falls to death is tragic - live action version of that causes the thought of 'why in HECK did they geld that lion?!' & 'Did they get a lioness to do that scene?' & 'Terribly goofy expression made it look funny, oh no!'

Sheesh Disney, just re-release the originals with a new, spiffed-up soundtrack or enhanced detail work on a scene if you want to extend your fricking copyright. Quit releasing these dumpster fires!

[andrewducker]

I don't think they're going to count the number of people who pay homage. We don't have to write it down or tick a box or anything.

And totally agree about the faces on lions.

[calimac]

2) I hope you weren't planning on watching the thing. It would just upset you.

7) I'm amused at the person responding to Allsopp who defines trans women as "men" tout court. As I've pointed out before, in that case trans men are women, and do you really want them in your women-only spaces?

[andrewducker]

I'm not intending to watch it, for pretty much that reason.