Sasha [They/Them]

I’m just being silly, but I mean that if everything can be represented as a matrix then there’s a point of view where things like complex numbers are just “names” of specific matrices and the rules that apply to those “names” are just derived from the relevant matrix operations.

Essentially I’m saying that the normal form is an abstract short hand notation of the matrix representation. The matrices are of course significantly harder and more confusing to work with, but in some cases the richness of that structure is very beautiful and insightful.

(I’m particularly in love with the fact one can derive spinors and their transforms purely from the spacetime/Lorentz transforms. It’s a really satisfying exercise and it’s some beautiful algebra/group theory.)

Matrix representations in general, if that counts?

Complex numbers, polynomials, the derivative operator, spinors etc. they’re all matrices. Numbers are just shorthand labels for certain classes of matrices, fight me.

If you suck at interviews cheat, or get lucky.

I flunked the interview for the job I wanted, did well in an interview for a different position at the same company, new boss loved me and I have no clue why. She got fired the weekend before I started and I got moved into an even better job than I’d originally wanted.

For my only other interview ever, I got in because I literally just googled answers to the coding test on my phone just out of view of the camera, not that they were watching anyway. I’m glad I did too, that company was an unethical hell hole and it’s tragic that it hasn’t folded. I left after a couple of months and got abother job with the company from the first paragraph, no interview at all, and significantly better pay (more than double lol).

I seriously have no clue how people get jobs the normal way. I’ve tried, I’ve been trying for years and can’t get another interview.

Not in the US but my perspective on this whole thing is very mixed. Obviously I’m terrified of the rise of fascism and the exterminatory rhetoric that’s now so common when trans people are mentioned in politics. I’m terrified for a number of my friends, and I can’t help them, I can’t keep them safe and I can’t get them out.

For now I’m focusing my efforts locally, we’ve largely been able to keep that sort of thing out of Australia and have had some incredible support outside of the queer community at rallies and a recent counter protest against some terfs. I think we’ll be okay, we might even make some progress down here, very exciting and it’s keeping me going despite everything else.

I’m not holding up well, but I am still standing. I really hope things turn around in the US and UK soon, my heart goes out to you all. I’d say stay strong, but honestly that’s not on you, just stay alive, it’s okay to not fight.

I kinda live by the whole “solidarity not charity” thing. I’ll chuck whatever I can spare towards mutual aid requests, and do some community building stuff so that we can all work towards meeting our needs collectively.

I’m not particularly against charities, though I know a lot of the people in my circles can give pretty extensive criticisms, for me they just don’t address the issues that are most prominent and urgent; the aid requests I see are often when people are in very immediate danger and there are an enormous number of them.

Nah fibromyalgia, life is hell

Worst I’ve had is cops searching all my pockets and bag when I got arrested, I guess I consented? It was mostly fine, largely because I’m white tbh

Energy

No this doesn’t sound normal. Do you have any other symptoms, including things you might think are normal but that other people your age don’t deal with, joint pain or fatigue for example?

I thought I was just someone with the knees of an 80 year old, but then I got diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is almost certainly a misdiagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Severe varicose veins at a young age is a known symptom of vascular EDS, not something you want to take lightly, I’d suggest trying to rule it out if you do have other symptoms as it’s life threatening.

I have no reason to diagnose you, so don’t take my suggestion of EDS that way. It’s just worth taking things seriously if your quality of life is being impacted because it might save you a lot of pain in the future. Hence be on the lookout for other problems and consider that they may be related. You should also be careful of doctors dismissing your symptoms as it’s extremely common for illnesses like this to be dismissed as “all in your head” especially if you’re a woman.

Regardless of other symptoms, I’d still suggest you take it seriously and be sure your doctor is doing the same and not just declaring you healthy for no obvious reason.

I think they were just being careful not to erase or assume your personal experiences, at least that’s how I’m used to that language being used. It would really come down to the context though.

If they didn’t stop to actually ask, I wouldn’t think that’s a question in any case.

Work makes me use a Mac, and the main setting I always want to change is the power state to off.

Serious answer though, motion blur in games, ick. I also usually turn off audio normalisation and max out the quality settings for streaming audio apps

I’m not in anything resembling a hetero relationship, and I’m not even on the gender binary so gender roles aren’t something I ever considered in what I wrote, I don’t know what gave that impression but I do apologise for it. I also made it a point to state that my issues aren’t to do with individuals, so I’m not sure what you mean there.

My problem is mainly that marriage has historically excluded queer relationships, and through marriage equality has only acted as a way to deny queer culture and replace it with an “acceptable” version. I’ve no interest in marriage as an institution for its exclusion of relationships that don’t fit a traditional western (in my country at least, but the restriction on form still applies in lots of non western places) format, even one that’s been widened the tiniest bit to include gay, lesbian or bi couples. It still excludes transgender people in many places, and makes absolutely no room for things like polyamory and other structures that deviate from the norm.

As I see it, it’s literally a form of coercion exercised by the state to control relationships. There’s no good reason to lock benefits behind it in the first place, but the fact that people are denied access just because they don’t love people “the right way” is objectively disgusting.

After some more thought: One of my main gripes with marriage is its erasure of the non-traditional, so I’m very confused that you’ve interpreted my first comment as saying the opposite somehow.

I’m on the fence.

I would like a celebration of the sort and already use jewellery as a signifier of a relationship, but as an institution, marriage is not something I want to be included in. It’s a patriarchal and hierarchical structure which demands compliance to a narrow range of relationships and historically exists to make women and children into property; children are still treated as property such as in custody battles and women are trapped in toxic relationships unable to escape DV and the like.

The fact that there are so many benefits, such as tax breaks, access to welfare and healthcare (depending on your location) is despicable. There are forms of relationship that are entirely excluded (poly for one example), and many people don’t want a relationship in the first place, why should they be treated as second class citizens? These benefits should be given to people regardless of marital status, otherwise this is a vector for the state to regulate your life.

Oh, and no I don’t have a problem with anyone who likes marriage, I hate oppression not individuals.

Oh I wholeheartedly agree with this.

Veganism should be based around the fact that there’s no reasonable or meaningful distinction between animals and humans. We should reject animal suffering for exactly the same reasons we seek to end human suffering.

I regret my snake bites, only because I want a slightly different piercing in the same place instead lol

Having jewellery in your mouth gets annoying when you can’t stop unconsciously messing with it. I’ve swallowed so many of them at this point…

Fuck law abiding activism, stonewall was a riot and the law will not make us silent.

I’m no hacktivist but I’m a pretty experienced back end dev/sre and an activist. I won’t tell your secrets if you wanted to run your idea past someone or need advice.

A holding cell, waiting to be processed is boring as hell. I’d highly recommend learning to sleep in the recovery position because even a solid steel bench can be comfortable if you do.