diff --git a/_posts/2020-06-03-post.md b/_posts/2020-06-03-post.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..969c0f1 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2020-06-03-post.md @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +--- + tabtitle: 'An Update' + title: 'It has been a while.' + topics: [writing, other] + pub: '2020-06-03' + short_desc: "It has been a while. Here's an update, of sorts." +--- + +# An Update + +There is nothing I've experienced as humbling as powerlessness. The immediate +realization that, despite all the capabilities which may be before you, you can +do nothing to affect a situation. It is a powerful reminder that we are, all, +parts of a whole. That could mean "cogs in a machine" or other such cynical +metaphors, or it could mean part of a team, working together towards a goal. I +often fall for the former, and rally to the later. Right now, I see examples of +the later all around me: protesters on streets, in parks, joining together to +oppose a borderline dictator who chooses military action over reform. Yet, I +don't understand how I can fit in. I understand how, literally, I can join in +the protests. I'm not worried about my health or my status in doing so, yet I +still hesitate. Because I feel powerless. Because I look at protests, and I see +peaceful citizens opposed by military bullies. I see the desperate grasps for +control furthering oppression and injustice. I see "their" power, and I feel +"their" power, and I sit here, thoughts gasping for breath in a sea of rage and +regret. I know adding my voice would not be in vain. I understand that another +body in the crowd is not just a number, but a show of support. And yet I still +hesitate. Perhaps out of fear; perhaps I was wrong to boldly claim I was +unconcerned with my health or status. I like to think I can set aside those and +other "indifferents" during times when virtuous action is required; I like to +think I would be one to race towards danger, if it was the right thing to do. +Yet, as the saying goes, often our actions speak louder than words. + +But perhaps this is a misperception. There are many ways to show support, many +avenues to fight oppression. If fear dictate I stay in my house, "safe" from the +troubles in the world, then what can I do from here? Much like a voice in the +crowd, throwing a blog post out to the world may seem ineffective, but to expect +change on this scale be made only by my voice, is selfish and fantasy. This blog +post represents my voice online. It is my space, where I can share my ideas and +theories, my creations and my fears. In our digital world, this is my personal +park from which I can protest, and so I shall. And just like protest in +meatspace, it need not end at this. I can still contact my representative, my +congressperson, and anyone I feel can and should know my opinion. And so I +shall. And I encourage anyone who stumbles across this post, in good times and +bad alike, to know that you have options. That powerlessness, while humbling, is +not a force of oppression, but a call to examine your perceptions. + +## Resources + +[Find your +Representative](https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative) +[Find your Senators](https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact) + +# And now for something completely different... + +Rails! I've been learning Ruby on Rails (again... again) as a means to build +some of the applications I've been thinking of. The most immediate, and the +motivation for the recent return, is to build a character sheet system for +roleplaying games, specifically Pathfinder and D&D 5e. For a long time, I have +considered how cool it would be to have a dynamic character sheet that can +calculate all my rolls for me, help me level up, and provide me contextual +information. I want to explore tying it to a chat bot, available first on Matrix +but later on Discord and perhaps others, to allow for in-line reference and +rolling with character awareness, for both players and DMs. I've been working my +way through Michael Hart's [Ruby on Rails +Tutorial](https://www.learnenough.com/ruby-on-rails-6th-edition). I'm literally +on the last chapter of building the example application, and look forward to +using it as the foundation to build my application. I also played around with +[Matrix](https://matrix.org/) and a [Ruby +API](https://github.com/ananace/ruby-matrix-sdk) for building a bot. Glaub, my +WIP bot, was able to connect to the Heroku-deployed application and query it for +information via REST calls. I look forward to exploring this more as well. + +I also stumbled across [#100DaysToOffload](https://100daystooffload.com). I +think it's a cool idea, and I'm going to try and pursue it. I have plenty I +think about and do every day, and some of it may be helpful. + +Finally, I've been very interested in a number of things since being confined +during quarantine: self-hosting, decentralized platforms, exercise, cooking, +gaming, streaming + +I also stumbled across [#100DaysToOffload](https://100daystooffload.com). I +think it's a cool idea, and I'm going to try and pursue it. I have plenty I +think about and do every day, and some of it may be helpful. + +Finally, I've been very interested in a number of things since being confined +during quarantine: self-hosting, decentralized platforms, exercise, cooking, +gaming, streaming. Some of these are continued hobbies, some of these are +relatively new, and some are completely new to me. I see many synergies between +them, and as part of my writing goals, I want to explore them. I already +highlighted one: Matrix, a decentralized platform, and building a +character-sheet bot. In fact, it also incorporates self-hosting, since I +followed [this fun +tutorial](https://matrix.org/blog/2020/04/06/running-your-own-secure-communication-service-with-matrix-and-jitsi) +and setup and configured my own Matrix homeserver and Jitsi Meet instance. +Because part of the #100DaysToOffload is to share these posts on socials, I'm +also resuming my look into [Mastodon](https://joinmastodon.org/) and considering +self-hosting a homeserver of that as well. I'm also considering finding a +[Peertube](https://joinpeertube.org/) community to upload videos to. I think +Peertube is a cool idea, and as someone pointed out, there's not a lot of gaming +content on it. I could help promote the platform as an alternative for finding +fun gaming videos. Well, at least, for finding gaming videos. + +That's all for now. Stay safe, stay vigilant, pursue virtue in all that you do. +If you're not sure what to do, consider writing a blog! I'm writing this post as +part of [#100DaysToOffload](https://100daystooffload), an initiative to inspire +writing habits. Perhaps you could do the same.