Notices by atomicpoet (atomicpoet@atomicpoet.org), page 3

I have noticed a big increase in WordPress blogs connecting to the Fediverse so that’s cool too.

Who was the first pop star ever?

I say it was Claribel.

Now I know what many of you are thinking: “What about Mozart, Schubert, or Beethoven?”

Yes, all those composers were popular but they do not exist in the tradition of pop music – which is distinct from sacred and classical music.

When I talk about pop music, I’m speaking about that tradition of music that stems from the Chitlin’ Circuit, Vaudeville, and Tin Pan Alley.

Specifically, I’m speaking about composers like Lennon/McCartney, George Gershwin, and Scott Joplin.

But before all of them was a woman from England known as Charlotte Alington Barnard who went by the Tennyson-inspired pseudonym “Claribel”.

Now what specifically qualifies her – of all people – to be the first pop star ever? She was the first composer ever to receive royalties from her music.

Back in the 1860s, Claribel was huge. She wrote over 100 songs, mostly ballads, and people were buying them hand over fist. Performance halls throughout the English-speaking world sang her songs.

To put it bluntly, she was the Taylor Swift of the 19th century. And sadly, she died at the age of 39 from typhoid fever. Yet in her short life, she changed music forever.

This, right here, is one of her many hits.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXiHAqfPt7M

This isn’t officially supported but #Akkoma works great on @Flipboard.

And I know this because I’m using it right now with atomicpoet.org. Big thanks to @mike for (unintentionally?) making the best Akkoma client on iOS!

Take a look!

Men are threatened by a beautiful woman because they perceive she has power over them.

And there’s nothing more distressing to men than the threat of a woman with power.

Today’s movie is Black Box starring Mamoudou Athie and Phylicia Rashad.

This is a sci-fi horror film made by Blumhouse, and they have a great track record with horror films. Here’s the description:

After losing his wife and his memory in a car accident, a single father undergoes an agonizing experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

After seeing the trailer, I have high hopes for Black Box. This looks like it could be similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – but scary!

Wish me luck!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nj6JIzrIzxk

RFK Jr. shouldn’t be news anyway.

He ran in order to siphon off Democrat votes. But he’s dropping out because, in reality, he’ll likely siphon off Republican votes if he stays in the race.

As much as I like Star Wars, I prefer Battle Beyond the Stars.

Which, by the way, is free on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/Rn85-MHpP8Q

Star Wars was clearly influenced by Metropolis.

Actually, every sci-fi film was influenced by Metropolis.

My daughter is about to see Star Wars: A New Hope for the first time.

And on the best medium possible: with a VHS on a CRT TV.

CDs are making a comeback—and that doesn’t surprise me whatsoever.

If you want to build a music collection, CDs are probably the best format to start with.

They sound excellent if mixed properly. The artwork is generally good. But most importantly, both disc and players are super cheap.

I’m a big fan of vinyl and tape. They have their place. But if I were starting my music collection from scratch, I’d start with CDs.

https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/08/cds-suddenly-back-demand-thanks-surprising-audience/

In the late 90s-early 00s, there was a lot of interesting and original space opera:

• Babylon 5
• Stargate SG-1
• Farscape
• Andromeda
• Firefly

As time goes on, it’s been getting harder and harder to find space opera that isn’t Star Wars or Star Trek, and I find myself mining B movies to scratch that itch.

I’m not complaining. People can do a lot when they’re not beholden to the likes of Disney or Paramount.

I should also mention what it’s taken for me to see this change. Here’s my typical workout schedule:

• Sunday: heavy weights, running, power walking, cycling
• Monday: running, power walking, cycling
• Tuesday: running, power walking, cycling
• Wednesday: body weight exercises, free weights, light weights, running, power walking, cycling
• Thursday: rest
• Friday: badminton, running, power walking, cycling
• Saturday: running, power walking, cycling

I didn’t start by doing all these things at once. Each month, I incrementally increase my workout load.

A year and a half ago, I started going to the gym. Prior to that, I was suffering from obesity, high blood pressure, sciatica, and sleep apnea.

Here’s the effect the gym has had on me:

1. When I walk, my heart rate is below 100 BPM
2. With strenuous activity It takes longer for my heart rate to increase to 124 BPM
3. My appetite has drastically increased but I haven’t gained weight
4. My legs, arms, and chest have all expanded
5. I now prefer wearing tank tops because my arms feel uncomfortable with sleeves
6. While I still have belly fat, it’s drastically lessened
7. I’m no longer tired at night
8. I can no longer sit still for long periods of time, and constantly feel the urge to take walks
9. Kneeling down or squatting used to hurt my knees but this has gone away
10. Back pain has gone away

Then there are the social effects. People now strike up conversations with me unprompted. I am treated with more respect. Women seem more comfortable around me.

By no means is this easy. Physical fitness demands maintaining good habits and discipline. In many ways, this has become my life.

When I started, I got discouraged because I didn’t see immediate results. However, I couldn’t deny that I felt better. And slowly, over time, my body has transformed itself.

If you’re wondering if a lifestyle change is worth it, it totally is.

When I tell people what I do with my workout, they wonder how my body is even able to handle it.

And the answer is: conditioning.

After awhile, my body just got used to it. It’s at the point now where lifting 100lbs doesn’t even cause my heart rate to hit 124 lbs. Jogging for five minutes barely moves the needle.

However, rest days can be brutal because I desire to move. But I have to rest in order for my body to recuperate.

@evan @Seirdy As an aside, I hope more governments, press, and educational institutions start up their own Fediverse servers.

The problem with the Fediverse is not technological, it’s cultural.

People here say, “Why would you want to federate with Threads when bad people are on there?”

They don’t ask, “Why do marginalized people continue to use Threads instead of joining a Mastodon server?”

The Fediverse can only offer community safety insofar that safety is accessible.

If it’s not accessible, then that community safety is simply the illusion of safety.

If joining a safe community is hard, how safe is it really?

RE: https://atomicpoet.org/objects/39bbc6e2-c53c-4c15-8265-808dcb634f45

Lots of people are trying to “debate” me about which servers I should or should not connect with.

Thing is, I started atomicpoet.org specifically to become the ultimate authority on who—and what—I connect with.

And I pay $105/month for this privilege. It’s money well spent.

Reading this blog post by @oliphant about building an “opt-in” version of the Fediverse.

And you know what? I agree with him. This is the logical next step for what some people (not me) want the Fediverse to be.

If you believe the Fediverse should be “opt-in” then federation itself should be opt-in. Go live on an “island”. Insulate yourself from mainstream servers as well as new servers that just start up.

Again, this isn’t the version of the Fediverse that I personally prefer. But there’s a lot of people who want an “opt-in” Fediverse, and they should be aware that the Fediverse is not actually opt-in—but they can build a version that is.

My only further comment is that I hope the “opt-in” crowd considers that others on the Fediverse want the freedom to be “opt-out” too. Which I’m sure they have.

May we all be respectful of our divergent paths.

https://writer.oliphant.social/oliphant/islands-an-opt-in-federated-network

I am de-federating pkm.social from atomicpoet.org and akkomane.social.

The reason is that I reported a transphobic comment from one of their users and, instead of removing the offending account from their server, their moderator decided to harass me for making that report.

Here are the DMs between @apolaine and I that record this harassment.

If harassment is the price I have to pay for reporting a transphobic comment to pkm.social, then it is simply better that I de-federate that server.

#Fediblock