nightscout

nightscout, 10 months ago

To understand why this is happening, you have to go back in history to the end of the slave trade. When the ability to kidnap people from Africa and bring them back to enslave them was legally ended, the white enslavers realized that the only way they could keep slavery going was to force people to breed more slaves. Google that history. It is utterly abhorrent but necessary to understand where the Republican Party is coming from today.

Since the end of slavery, a certain contingent in the U.S. has never gotten over the fact that they couldn’t legally have a sub-class of citizens that they could use for free or nearly-free labor. So they kept trying to find other ways to keep people oppressed, and they expanded that oppression beyond just black people and to any of the “less desirable” groups. Think not just Black people, but also Irish, immigrants, Appalachia. They pit these groups against one another because divided people are easier to control. But the goal is the same - have large groups of people poor for generations who have no other option but to work for slave wages and keep the people at the top very, very rich.

Slavery in the U.S. was a huge economic force, one that a certain contingent (the very wealthy) never got over losing. The next best thing was to create whole groups of people who are desperate enough to work for almost nothing. That’s what we have in this country now. And it works best if those people are constantly putting out more children. That keeps them even more stuck and more desperate, and it keeps a steady supply of cheap labor coming.

It’s no coincidence that they want abortion ended but also want to ensure those same people are continually subjected to sub-standard education, that those same people are “allowed” to send their kids to work (defeating years of progress through child labor laws), that those people are also unable to access higher education, government benefits, or virtually anything that could potentially make their lives better.

nightscout, 10 months ago

I starting using Reddit in 2010 or so when I was going through health issues and was looking for information. I became very active on Reddit over the years, occasionally helping to mod a couple of communities. I am not a hugely “online” person, but I loved Reddit as a source of information and advice from actual real people. Particularly for those of us living with chronic health conditions, Reddit in particular was hugely important.

But I don’t use Reddit anymore. The whole API fiasco was the last straw for me, and I also just didn’t see it remaining a vibrant place full of valuable information. So I deleted my accounts and left. Haven’t been back since.

nightscout, 11 months ago

I can’t imagine not using a password manager. I am a long-time user of 1Password and have been very happy with the service and apps. I recommend it to everyone. Worth every penny and then some IMO.

nightscout, 11 months ago

And I hope it fails as miserably as Twitter is failing. I’m so tired of these companies doing the crap they’re doing simply to earn a buck from people. It’s pure greed and I hope they all go under and end up failing.

nightscout, 11 months ago

Here’s my hope as a 40-something who came of age when the internet was just taking off.

I REALLY HOPE this is the push we need to move away from corporate-owned social media. I have high hopes for federated platforms and forums that are much more like what the internet was when it started (but better because now we have mobile devices).

I realize a lot of people see social media as being some evil thing, but we also fail to realize how much good it has done. Marginalized communities have come together online and formed real movements. People living with health conditions have been connected to one another for support and also life-changing resources and care. People who were isolated because of disability found communities.

I would like to see old-fashioned blogs and RSS make a comeback. I’d like to see forums and federated sites like Lemmy take off. I’d like to see social media sites that have been given way too much weight in society collapse. I don’t think government or reputable media outlets should ever be using a corporate for-profit entity as a means for distributing information.

nightscout, 11 months ago

Health-related communities, particularly those for specific medical conditions. Those are the communities that really become a lifeline for people, help them through diagnoses or just difficult times, and can serve as an excellent resource. I was active on r/diabetes_t1 on Reddit and am trying to get a community started here on Lenny.world (!T1diabetes).

nightscout, 11 months ago

Yes these are exactly the kinds of communities I’m hoping will get replicated on Lemmy.

nightscout, 11 months ago

Don’t know if that’s possible but what I do is create a note for a person - for example [[Jane Doe]].

Then I add the #people hashtag in the note which, thanks to the auto note mover plugin, sends the note directly to a specific “People” folder.

I then go in and add to the person’s note any info I want to save for them, such as where they work, email, etc.

This system had proven to be very helpful for work. Has helped me so many times recall where and in what context I talked with someone.

nightscout, 11 months ago

This only makes sense when you understand that he’s intentionally trying to destroy Twitter.

nightscout, 11 months ago

IIRC, causing its value to plummet is the easiest way for him to get out of this whole fiasco via bankruptcy (remember, he was basically forced into buying it). He played a stupid game and won a stupid prize and now he’s desperately trying to find a way out.

nightscout, 11 months ago

That’s exactly why. He didn’t want to go through with JT and I think devaluing the company might be a way for him to get out of it via bankruptcy. I remember reading that somewhere and thought it made the most sense. He’s a dude with a lot of money (at least on paper) and I’m sure he has people with a decent amount of financial acumen advising him what to do or at least trying to steer him in the right direction. I don’t think it’s any 6D chess or anything, just finance and tech bros playing finance and tech bro games.

nightscout, 11 months ago

I don’t recall the specifics of the one article I read about this, but yes, I think being able to declare bankruptcy gives an out for at least some of the debt. I believe there was also some way that doing so protected Tesla but can’t recall exactly how that worked.

This just doesn’t seem like a “he’s just bad at running a company” situation. A company of Twitter’s age and maturity could have run itself for quite some time if Elon just let it continue on. He’s doing this intentionally for some self-serving reason.

nightscout, 11 months ago

I prefer Memmy the most because it’s the most feature complete. But WefWef is also really nice and I use that sometimes too.

nightscout, 11 months ago

A lot of this has more to do with the mindset people approached Twitter with than the service itself. Honestly, I always approached Twitter the way you describe Mastodon here. I just wanted to find people who had interests similar to mine and connect with them, as well as find interesting news. Maybe that’s why moving from Twitter to Mastodon has been to seamless. Just a lot less anger and hate on Mastodon from what I’ve experienced. A much nicer atmosphere.

nightscout, 11 months ago

Yes people forget that. They also forget how people said Twitter was too difficult or “techie” for the average user.

nightscout, 11 months ago

Oh wow. This is really nice! Thanks for sharing!

nightscout, 1 year ago

Too late for me. It’s just one other social media company subject to the whims of an irrational rich tech bro. Not interested in that whole scene anymore. Reddit is forever tarnished.

nightscout, 1 year ago

So a few things. This is a CVS minute-clinic visit, not a visit to a general provider. The minute clinics have contracts with insurance companies that look a bit different in terms of what and who they are permitted by the insurance companies to treat. There are some really odd variations in these contracts by insurance companies for reasons that are not always grounded in science.

This, as you've noted, is an unfortunate reality of a for-profit health care system that is dictated by private companies, insurance companies, and mind-bogglingly complex contracts that sit between providers and patients. The most annoying part IMO is that insurance companies provide zero transparency into these contracts and the justification behind decisions. It's all "business decisions" at the end of the day, not decisions that are medically sound and in the best interest of the patient.

And for those wondering why OP maybe just didn't go to a "regular doctor" - the U.S. has a horrible shortage of general practitioners (primary care) physicians. This shortage is worse in some areas than others. And even if you're lucky to live in an area that has general practitioners, the waiting list to get into their practices might be long. This leaves many people relying on a "doc in the box" aka CVS Minute Clinic or some similar outfit. These doc in the box clinics often only have a nurse or nurse practitioner on site, with a supervising physician off side. They are for-profit entities and they work with the insurance companies to design their contracts to maximize profit.

If you ever find yourself in OP's physician, one easy way to get around this is to indicate that the visit is for something more general, like abdominal pain or unexplained fever. While the staff still might refer you off to another provider, it might be a good way to at least "get in" with someone.

Another option is to visit a local urgent care clinic if one is available and covered by insurance. These are often staffed by actual physicians so they can treat a wider range of conditions. Many often even have testing facilities right on site for a number of issues.

Finally, another option is to call your insurance company and see if they have an over-the-phone nurse consultant available. They can usually help direct you to the right location for treatment based on your symptoms and insurance coverage.

But yes, OP, I agree with you that we need something better. Medicaid and Medicare have slowly been expanding and my hope is that they will eventually expand enough to cover all Americans. it has been proven that they can still operate without completely decimating the insurance industry (see Medicare and Medicaid managed care). While I don't agree with for-profit health insurance, the reality is that they are a lobbying force that has to be worked with if we are going to get everyone universal coverage.

Source: Health policy professional by trade, extensive experience within the health care industry

nightscout, 1 year ago

Ha, I used to have that same reaction! Had to turn my notifications off for exactly that reason.

nightscout, 1 year ago

We have some not-close friends who are very wealthy. Not billionaires but very deep into the millionaire range. Mansions, fleet of expensive cars, private jet. That sort of thing. The husband took up all sorts of extreme hobbies. He does rather risky vacations and adventures (wife refuses to go with him because she’s more grounded and not willing to risk the lives of their kids). It’s almost like the husband has come to believe that being rich makes him immortal, as if any situation he might find himself in can be remedied with enough cash. He seems to not understand that there are simply some perils that all the money in the world cannot save you from.

nightscout, 1 year ago

I don't care how much money I had, there's no fucking way I would have gotten on that thing or done anything that involved going down into the ocean at that depth.

nightscout, 1 year ago

Highly doubt it. I've been watching coverage and it seems pretty unlikely they will be found before their oxygen runs out (assuming they are even still alive and haven't died as a result of an implosion).

What irks me with all the coverage, however, is that no one is pointing out the potential harm to all the people involved in trying to rescue these people. The Coast Guard and other outfits undertaking the rescue attempts are put in danger the whole time they are out there. And of course there's the cost involved as well.

nightscout, 1 year ago

I think it’s a mentality that people tend to develop when they are insanely wealthy. This notion that because they have extreme wealth, nothing can touch them. I know a family who is very wealthy. The father does things all the time (extreme adventures and travel) that just seems incredibly dangerous. He seems unaware that these little adventures present danger that not even all the money in the world could save him from.

nightscout, 1 year ago

I’m fine with Obsidian on desktop and I love that they have a fully-featured app, but the experience on mobile and iPad with the obsidian app is not the best UI experience. I also find it to be a bit buggy at times.

nightscout, 1 year ago

That’s one app I really wanted to try to use but they don’t yet have a trial or monthly subscription option for iOS (supposed to release one). I didn’t want to pay $50 for it just yet.

nightscout, 1 year ago

I’m finding sub.rehab to be the best resource for making the switch. If you haven’t submitted the link for this community, please do! Reddit is taking down a lot of the “here’s our community on Lemmy” posts so I’m just directing everyone to sub.rehab so they can find theirs communities for themselves. I think this central resource is the best way to do this.