Louie Mantia, Jr.

Designer • Artist • ダイナマイトボイス™

@parakeet • @junior • @crown • @magicpassport

Public Key

npub1vyqqgee0lsca2vm9p0ta9sru6sxvg6f5xk9dlpvycj00jly688ds3c26ls

NIP-05 Address

louie_at_pdx.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsxzqqyvuhlcvw4xdjsh47jcp7dgrxydy6rtzklskzvf8he0jdrnkcqc2vfj

Author Public Key

npub1vyqqgee0lsca2vm9p0ta9sru6sxvg6f5xk9dlpvycj00jly688ds3c26ls

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Last Notes

2024-10-16 08:24:45

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The result of this approach is that everything really looks like the same. Even if I can guess the general cuisine of a place, it feels ineffective and leads to indecision.
But like— is this everywhere? It can’t just be Japan, right? But maybe it’s more common here? Maybe this kind of plating is more desirable? I don’t know!

2024-10-16 08:18:52

I don’t know if this is a Japan thing or just coincidence, but I feel like every thumbnail on UberEats is a smorgasbord of dishes. And no thumbnail captures—what I would consider—a nice plating of a single dish. Either it’s to show variety or uniformity, but neither appeal to me. Seeing the same thing 20 times or 20 different dishes doesn’t work on me. It does the opposite. I can’t see any detail in a dish the size of a tab bar icon.
I just want to see a closeup of one dish.

2024-10-08 11:55:46

I’ve been burned by this a few times but— if you collaborate on an Apple Notes document with someone else— make sure you’re in sync about the “Automatically sort checked items” setting.
I don’t like the a checklist to re-sort like that, but if your pal has that checked, it will ruin your list. Be careful out there.

2024-10-08 00:49:00

If you use dark mode app icons, do you want all the app icons to have the same dark gray background? Or do you just want them to have a darker appearance?
Like with tinted icons, I “understand” them being all the same, but is that true with dark mode? It’s obviously *not* true in light mode that all backgrounds are the same.

2024-10-03 07:47:17

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@npub1gy6…0x63 Definitely seen praise about some things (and have said so myself) like for iPhone Mirroring.
But there *is* a lot of frustration this year as well. I feel it too.

2024-10-03 01:57:43

I really miss designer-led apps. There’s no other way to put it. I see *so many* apps available for macOS or iOS that are good apps but are ugly or things aren’t aligned or arranged properly. It just lacks a sense of order and style.
I’m over here looking at these apps, seeing every spot where a tiny bit of effort could improve it a lot, but what am I supposed to do? I don’t make those apps.

2024-10-02 06:20:07

Smart glasses are not the future. For any device to be considered “the future” it has to be capable of several key tasks.
📖 Primary Device
🔗 https://lmnt.me/blog/primary-device.html

2024-09-18 13:04:26

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@npub184a…8prq I believe it!!

2024-09-18 07:15:08

i cringe every time some weirdo says “he/she” or “him/her”
grow up

2024-09-17 04:31:20

One of the funniest takes I’m seeing about RCS messaging is from Europeans who proudly say, “This isn’t a problem here because everyone uses WhatsApp.” Sounds ...awful ?? What an odd thing to be cocky about.
Messaging apps are so territorial, but pretending that WhatsApp and LINE are *good* apps is... well, lol

2024-09-15 11:07:28

I have two Pro Displays XDR (don’t ask), but I feel like two Studio Displays would be much more comfortable. One Pro Display XDR is already huge, but add the second and I just don’t know what to do with it. I set it vertically to the side, with widgets and windows I’m not using but keeping an eye on, but I’m only using... half of it? You know?
I don’t remember feeling this way when I had two 30” Cinema Displays way back in the day. I wonder what changed. Is it really just that they’re 32”?

2024-09-13 12:12:14

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@npub1pfn…xva0 I said I don’t want to have a discussion with you.

2024-09-10 07:17:31

Behold my Control Center
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/113/112/032/693/392/567/original/c8f6ce316bac75c3.png

2024-09-08 10:29:32

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@npub1h94…5489 To be clear, it’s not just rice. Every piece of food served to you is consumed. I use rice as an example because the smallest amount of rice is incredibly small.

2024-09-08 09:41:39

In Japan, it’s really important not to waste any food. People will eat every grain of rice given to them. If you’re dining with others, everyone will pitch in when there’s something left on the table.
But I can’t stop thinking about how much bread is wasted because Japanese people don’t find the crust of bread appealing. Every konbini sandwich has the crust cut off. Millions sold every day. I want to understand why every grain of rice is critical to eat, but it’s okay to waste so much bread.

2024-09-03 23:19:14

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@npub17s2…l39j what are you talking about

2024-09-03 22:57:28

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It’s hard to pinpoint what about this feels so bizarre to me. Maybe because that’s like the standard I’d expect from any food? Tasting good is the essential attribute to sell food, I feel like? Is the implication that there is undelicious milk also for sale?

2024-09-03 22:52:29

This sounds silly to even ask, but why does Japan like to label food with the word「おいしい」(delicious)? As in「おいしいスパゲッティ」(Delicious Spaghetti) or「おいしい牛乳」(Delicious Milk). It seems so... on the nose? Like... uncreative? Why not just “milk.” Does “delicious milk” sell better? I feel like there must be a reason.

2024-08-30 21:54:17

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@npub1dpj…ayn4 but how would you feel about “Eat Doritos: they’re from Disneyland!” ??

2024-08-20 07:56:39

Lately I am feeling a very serious shift in sentiment regarding Apple as a company. They have been pissing some people off for some time, but are recently starting to piss off some of their biggest fans, advocates, and evangelists.
It ain’t good. And they don’t seem to care.

2024-08-14 02:03:37

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@npub1y8c…ycms I think it’s less about the comedy of it and more of the style of it. Like it doesn’t have to be funny.
Most movies push on the “reality” boundary, but a “cartoon” maybe rejects that boundary.

2024-08-14 01:10:12

The subject is “live action movies that are actually cartoons.” For example, Batman Forever, Speed Racer, Beetlejuice.
Movies that are aware and don’t shy away from being extreme and stylized in a goofy way. What are some others?

2024-08-07 08:52:30

Today I made a really detailed app icon with Luka, worked on a ridiculous hover effect for a website, and recorded a narration for a Japanese coffee company’s Kickstarter video (???)
Those are different things.

2024-08-04 07:04:59

I wonder how much money was spent trying to revive Gowalla.

2024-07-30 23:37:34

I wonder which country has the most identifiable silhouette? Like if you polled everyone around the world about every country, which one would be most correctly identified?
I feel biased as both a western person and Italian-American to say it’s probably Italy, but... is it?

2024-07-30 22:54:51

There’s a lot of differences between Japanese and American convenience stores, but perhaps the biggest difference is price.
In America, you’re paying for the convenience.
In Japan, the low price is part of the convenience.

2024-07-28 22:51:31

huh.
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/866/563/791/021/159/original/404f99a6ce2630c4.png

2024-07-26 04:05:45

I genuinely believe that 90% of branding is just having the confidence to ship it. Even logos that are remarked as “bad” can survive and the company doesn’t suffer for it in the slightest as long as they don’t falter and fumble with it.
Someone once told me you can’t muster confidence, and I think that’s bogus. Confidence is a belief you have to invest into. If you doubt yourself or the icon/logo/brand, then it won’t work because that doubt will be communicated. You gotta believe in it.

2024-07-22 11:23:11

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@npub10y3…ewt5 woof

2024-07-22 11:16:51

tbqh I’m shocked how many people are like “hey cops are great” today, like we somehow collectively didn’t see cops be the most reprehensible humans

2024-07-19 09:55:57

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I guess I usually go every 2-3 weeks but this time it was maybe 5 weeks?? I’m so sorry. I’ll try to be better in the future.

2024-07-19 09:54:20

Omg. The shop that sells Philly cheesesteaks here, I walked in and they said: “We were worried. We thought you went back to America.” 🥲

2024-07-18 00:08:27

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@npub1dpj…ayn4 I was so curious about this. Have you been burned before? Like, have those lenses scratched in your personal experience?

2024-07-14 12:10:09

People are so quick to say “I don’t want him to win but I also don’t want him to die” as if there’s some prize for not wishing death on someone who does more than wish us dead. If someone in power actively attempts to do unthinkable damage to the world and people around you, just a reminder: you get absolutely nothing in exchange for kindness toward them.

2024-07-10 23:52:14

Happy 16th birthday to the original #1 App Store hit, Tap Tap Revenge!
https://lmnt.me/intro/portfolio/tap-tap-revenge.html
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/764/880/957/176/245/original/1bd22dc1539eb6e2.png

2024-07-09 03:14:54

So I’ve been drawing app icons for Magic Passport. Actually... a lot of app icons.
📝 Magic Passport App Icon Development
https://lmnt.me/blog/magic-passport-app-icon-development.html

2024-07-02 10:13:15

Girl I’m talking to has never eaten Taco Bell before (there are very few locations in Japan). She says to me:
“I don’t know why but I don’t have a healthy image of Taco Bell.”
Correct.

2024-07-01 22:33:54

Making a mixtape for someone else is actually kinda hard these days. Definitely not a tape. A CD? Maybe I could burn one, but they better have a CD player. Apple Music? Needs a subscription. Same with Spotify.

2024-06-26 04:15:20

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@npub1q5n…vwcn Wikipedia is worse. They won’t let you edit at all, even when you’re signed into an account.

2024-06-22 21:47:19

Looking back at these Adobe Creative Suite 6 icons I made from *twelve years ago* it is kinda shocking how little Adobe’s branding around each app changed in those twelve years. They used to change fairly significantly almost every year.
https://lmnt.me/blog/icons/creative-suite-6.html

2024-06-19 10:52:11

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@npub12u6…xwkz No, it’s like— since ...Snow Leopard? It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to have large icons in the sidebar there.

2024-06-18 22:28:29

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@npub1y8c…ycms I don’t think this matches my experience. Increasingly, I find myself buying media (music but also movies) that I can’t find on a streaming service.

2024-06-18 21:37:21

It’s incredibly funny to me—in a sad way—that streaming video has become the de facto method of film distribution.
We used to be able to—I know this sounds crazy—lend a movie to a friend. And now we can’t! That’s just something you can’t do anymore. Even if you bought it digitally, you can’t lend it out. And you know, fuck that. That’s stupid.

2024-06-15 06:23:50

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6 hours. Love that In-N-Out Burger Tokyo, Japan receipt. Tastes great. Really wish they let me buy two after waiting that long.
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/619/200/509/097/114/original/67a8203596619daa.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/619/200/671/504/326/original/fb7277284ed6627e.jpeg

2024-06-15 04:36:04

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Five long hours. The sun has gone behind a building and save us. Though the line movement is glacial. It’s hard to stay excited. And I can sense that from everyone around me too. It’s… just hard to still want this. Sunk cost fallacy and all that.

2024-06-15 03:31:53

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The four hour mark. Gosh. It’s 12:30pm, and I still have too many people in front of me. I may have never waited in line this long for anything. I’m beyond the point of what I’ve trained myself for. I’m hungry and angry. This might be the most delicious burger I’ve ever had in my life. At least, it better be.

2024-06-15 02:46:04

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Three hours have passed. It is 27C/80F and sunny. It still looks like a while more.
I am going to die here. I can only hope that I will get one bite of that delectable Double-Double® before I perish and move on from this world.

2024-06-15 01:48:35

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It’s been two hours. I’ve made some progress through this line …there must be several hundred people here. They opened 45 min ago. I hope I can eat in the next two hours.
Trying to remember this is quicker and cheaper than getting a Double-Double in California.

2024-06-14 23:32:06

You guys. You guys. 🍔 🇯🇵
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/617/581/666/681/368/original/541283c26409a1ca.jpeg

2024-06-10 22:14:27

I don’t understand why they need to add “train support” to Apple Vision Pro.

2024-06-03 22:11:22

Can Apple get over themselves and finally add a restart function to iPhone? I hate babysitting my phone while it shuts down just to turn it back on again. I know they think their phone is so good that you’d never need to do this but sometimes you do.

2024-05-28 09:31:59

So my housecleaner does this thing where every visit she leaves behind something. Something for me. A gift? I don’t know how to describe it.
The first time it was like cat-paw chair-leg ...socks? You know, so I don’t scuff the floor when I move my chair around. Useful, silly. Out of nowhere.
Today, my spices are all in a little caddy that I’ve never seen before. Just... out of nowhere.
Does she just see a need in my home and take action? I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

2024-05-25 22:43:19

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@npub1k0j…e8k9 https://pdx.social/@louie/112479117150502002

2024-05-21 04:19:50

I really don’t understand people who can use Safari but don’t.
Like how do you use Chrome when Google is so awful? How can you use Firefox when its page rendering is often so poor?
How do you live without iCloud Keychain? It’s all just insane to me. Safari is an incredible browser that lots of people love to not use. I don’t understand.

2024-05-21 01:44:25

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@npub12h0…e7sz
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/476/544/230/533/437/original/9045891711f4436e.png

2024-05-18 03:07:15

this is my life now apparently
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/459/882/861/611/782/original/b7c38239a659a412.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/459/882/964/238/365/original/69ace34089b6805a.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/459/882/973/482/246/original/d06cd1258122bfdc.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/459/882/978/024/649/original/6eb0c5f489b8579f.jpeg

2024-05-12 11:24:19

Links are the coolest things that were ever invented.

2024-05-08 01:09:50

make it make sense
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/402/798/176/302/996/original/15dfc08144b9c2f6.png

2024-05-07 22:10:58

“And the Neural Engine in M4 makes iPad Pro an absolute powerhouse for AI.”
“take dramatically better document scans enhanced by AI.”

2024-05-04 01:45:53

What’s your favorite smell? Mine might be black pepper. Should I make a favorite smells page on my website? Hm.

2024-04-28 12:19:07

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Is it actually possible to use social media to share feelings and not be judged for them? To express unhappiness or something unpleasant? Is it alright to express yourself publicly in a venue where you subject yourself to the world like that?

2024-04-28 12:16:10

Is it possible to be vulnerable in a place like this? Or do people not want that? I kinda get the sense that they don’t.

2024-04-16 05:12:12

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@npub1mkd…hqdh You do know that for years I designed Facebook's emoji set, right? Like this is an area I have years of experience in.

2024-04-16 04:15:57

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Emoji of humans are highly desirable and mean a lot to people because they have to do with identity, but they still don’t get used a lot. Lots of people *want* them and place a ton of importance on them without considering utility.

2024-04-16 02:05:39

I think the human emoji category was a mistake. (👷👩‍🚒🦹)
Like— they are the highest-effort category of emoji to make, but they’re not used that much.
Some of the fantasy ones get used out of novelty (🧜‍♀️🧞‍♂️🧚), but I think the profession ones are just barely useful.

2024-04-11 02:52:04

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Boooooooooooo
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/250/317/678/741/128/original/961f79158393d9d5.jpeg

2024-04-11 01:15:05

As a reminder, *all* of my wallpapers are available in 6K resolution, even the older ones were upscaled from their source files. https://lmnt.me/blog/wallpapers/

2024-04-06 22:43:40

I know I have no influence over this at all, but I really wish people would link to an archive.org cached version of an article that they know is paywalled.
I’m tired.

2024-04-03 03:49:34

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@npub17s2…l39j why would it

2024-04-03 03:26:50

Since moving to Kanto, I have looked under every kei truck in the hopes of finding Mew. I think this rumor is bullshit.

2024-03-30 00:40:35

Do you ever love something so much, so you introduce it to someone else, but they give no fucks at all about it? 🥲

2024-03-29 13:25:00

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nevermind me, just out here making what itunes ping could’ve been

2024-03-28 03:03:19

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@npub10y3…ewt5 I dunno, demoing it? Showing new employees how easy it is? It could’ve worked the other way around! But it was always $1 to Jack.

2024-03-28 02:46:54

One really weird part of working for Square is that every new employee paid Jack Dorsey $1 using the device during new employee orientation.
This fact gets weirder every time I think about it.
I want to get that money back, plus interest. He can afford to give everyone who did that a good chunk of cash.

2024-03-26 04:33:07

i may have gone overboard yesterday with the american food
but it was so good
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/160/117/754/334/483/original/ef196573ecb10234.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/160/118/068/228/198/original/ebbb8e1df8b8487c.jpeg

2024-03-26 01:25:28

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@npub1pj2…5lvg I don’t actually want it to wrap. I just want the container it sits in there to become narrower with the page.

2024-03-26 01:13:28

anyone got any hot tips here? i've been struggling with this for hours.
i think the issue is that the long lines of text, even if the overflow is hidden, are preventing the page from being narrower.
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/159/332/998/833/699/original/fdc85db277f2e31b.png

2024-03-24 03:51:56

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@npub1jjq…ksgt @npub1eee…e209 what are you guys even talking about

2024-03-24 01:47:05

Hot take, they should've called the series “Mando” rather than “The Mandalorian”

2024-03-20 23:18:36

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@npub1jjq…ksgt are they just reeaaaaaally trying to balance out the width of the left side? Man, it’s pretty dumb!!

2024-03-19 09:56:56

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We can literally talk about *anything at all,* and yet most people talk about exactly the same thing. Boring.

2024-03-19 09:13:29

Went to go look at what trends in the News section on mastodon.social, and—
Trump
Israel Detained a Journalist
Trump
Trump
Trump
The Planet Is Too Hot
AI Is Hurting Us
Trump
Trump
Trump’s Son-In-Law
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/112/121/584/375/238/375/original/00f1095715a08f06.png

2024-03-18 07:05:47

I feel like I should tell you this.
Japanese Cheetos are different than American Cheetos.

2024-03-16 22:38:52

Tbh every mastodon app I’ve just downloaded has some pretty god awful UI decisions. Not sure where to go from here.

2024-03-16 21:22:41

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@npub1t8h…y5al did you start reading it without recognizing it was you? Of so, how long until you realized? Also, did past you help current you?

2024-03-16 09:52:27

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@npub1pj2…5lvg Sure, maybe. I'd check your agreement with Apple rather than the EU regulation, as it's for them, not you. But even then, it's worth asking what the penalty from *Apple* would be for getting this answer wrong. It may be nothing. And it still would require a formal complaint that someone filed that your contact information wasn't available or something? It's a series of improbable things that probably bear very little consequence. But again, not a lawyer. Best if you talk with one.

2024-03-10 07:11:39

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@npub1vme…wj6u and so did windows, but this is irrelevant to what I’m talking about.

2024-03-10 06:47:06

It is my expert opinion that Apple’s lack of standardization (even internally) for its icon sizing across platforms is a huge embarrassment.
macOS started with 16, 32, and 128. And over the years, we only got new sizes that made sense with that (64, 256, 512, and 1024).
But iPhone started with 57, then changed to 60/120/180 (with a variety of unrelated sizes). I feel like had it started with 64 instead, we could’ve been on a decent track.
But the trend continues today with watchOS and tvOS.

2024-02-21 10:50:57

It has become time for me to say something that will inevitably upset people, and it frankly upsets me to say it, too—
I think Walt Disney World is the weakest of all the Disney resorts worldwide.

2024-02-16 10:11:04

I can’t quite get past the idea that none of these three next-generation social network services are thinking differently from Twitter. They’re all taking pages out of Twitter’s playbook. They’re all designed similarly. They may have slightly different functionality in some spaces, but most of that seems temporary. All three teams have indicated they are building things that get their product *closer* to Twitter, rather than further away.
And no one seems to be asking *why.*

2024-02-12 23:04:34

Saw this at McDonald’s yesterday. That’s all.
https://cdn.masto.host/pdxsocial/media_attachments/files/111/921/008/945/708/272/original/38e99e9ad07c4c06.jpeg

2024-02-11 23:50:06

Good morning, pals.

2024-02-10 05:18:08

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@npub1rl0…vh4q @npub1jx7…0jmm I notice this same kinda thing on mine here. I don't fully understand this, and I don’t know how anyone else wraps their head around it. It doesn't feel like it’s well understood by anyone.

2024-02-07 11:52:19

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@npub1a24…dkqm framing content moderation as a "debate" also equates the idea of “oh maybe we should allow nazis" to "we should definitely not allow nazis" and i think like— why would you do that?
this is not a debate amongst people. it's something tech people have trouble with bc they love money no matter where it comes from. that's not a "debate."

2024-02-01 13:02:50

If you're ranking Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain, what order do you put them in? Which is the strongest? Which is the weakest? Pick whatever version of each you want, I don’t care what region they’re from.

2024-02-01 05:58:01

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A few weeks ago I stated that I have no interest in making paywalls or subscriptions for things on my website. That remains true. I want to keep self-publishing my artwork.
Making it all donation-based is... not ever going to be lucrative without mandating it though.
That’s such a stupid problem. If I made a subscription or paywall, I could probably make money! But if I say "please send me money" even on every post, After a month I will make $10. And that feels so stupid.

2024-02-01 05:56:57

I’ve gotta be honest about this: it’s stupidly hard to get money from people who like my things.
Clients? That’s different.
but when people tell me they’ve used my wallpapers for *years*, I think oh, neat. Cool that it was free I guess.
And like, I want it to be free. I don't want there to be a barrier there.
But I also think that more people should consider sending cash for art they like.
This is not a part of our society so I totally get why art isn’t funded like this.

2023-12-18 09:28:29

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@npub1a33…axpd I'm gonna be honest with you, this looks absolutely nothing like what I'm suggesting.

2023-12-18 04:32:53

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I don't know if I can be more clear, but I'll try: I want an app that functions *both* as an RSS reader *and* a feed generator that publishes to an FTP directory.
If an app only is an RSS reader or only a publishing tool, well that's not it.
I'm explicitly saying that—for some reason—no one is making an app that does both.
From my perspective, any app that only does one of these things is inherently missing *half* the product.

2023-12-18 03:47:23

I think the crux of what I want is basically: I want an RSS reader *and writer* in the same app.
I want one solution for RSS. The problem I see (that absolutely no one* is solving) is that RSS readers and RSS generators are completely separate apps or services or experiences.
No one* is making this combined into one app. Blows my mind.
*There may be someone. If so, show me.