Link Round-Up

[ewt]

As usual, I can't remember who sent me all of these links.

Why I am self-employed. Because otherwise, people would be Stealing My Life. This is also why I try to support businesses where all 'employees' are partners and so have some role in running the company (eg John Lewis Partnership).

Childhood Trauma Contributes to Mental Illness in Adulthood. Adults who experienced multiple traumas are much more likely to have poor mental and physical health.

Every 6 minutes somewhere in the world a woman dies needlessly as a result of illegal, unsafe abortion. In response to this violation of womens human rights and medical need, Women on Waves operates a mobile clinic on a ship that sails to countries where abortion is illegal.

Some good emergency kit lists. I think I got the link off Making Light.

Very Shiny Thing. Want. I do wonder how big it is though; it says the package weight is 1kg, surely the device itself isn't that heavy? Ah, the FAQ says it weighs 145g. Okay. WANT. Um. Probably shouldn't get though. I mean, if I wait, they'll come out with one that holds a lot more than 2GB of music. You can get thumbdrives that hold more than 2GB these days... I know the storage isn't the limiting factor on the thing at the moment but really, people...

I wonder if the new Tate & Lyle boiler will make Greenwich and Isle of Dogs less stinky. Probably not, they probably aren't changing the thing that makes the horrible yeasty smell. Anyway in two years I won't even be at Trinty any more unless I go on to do a Master's there.

Feeling dry? Get used to it.

Personal Finance How-To Library.

Neuroscientists Propose New Theory of Brain Flexibility.

Behavioral Therapy Most Effective for Social Phobia.

Also, Meditation May Be Comparable to Exercise in Alleviating Depression. I really need to do more exercise and more meditation...

There has been a massive fustercluck in UK Physics funding, which you can read more about on purplecthulhu's journal. There is a petition here to sign to reverse these decisions.

The Make Lounge sounds really neat. ali_anarres, didn't you have an idea along these lines at one point? Hmm. I'm half-tempted to do a stuffed animals workshop or something, but I suspect this is just distraction eating my brain...

The Lakota Indians have withdrawn from treaties with the US and wish to become an independent country. Serious wow. Apparently it's not quite that simple, though.

Stripping the Gurus. Haven't read it yet; not sure I will as I don't tend to do the getting-suckered-in-by-gurus thing in the first place. Hmm.

I was reminded again of (secret lentil). And I'm thinking... I'll use the £50 Long Tall Sally voucher that I have, and I'll continue buying socks and some underwear as and when I need them (particularly as I can't crochet any more), but no more new clothes for me. From now, I'm going to make my clothes when I need new clothes. If nothing else that should stop me 'needing' so many new clothes... it's so easy to justify buying new things when it consists of exchanging bits of paper for shiny fabric. Okay, a lot of the clothing there looks a bit raggedy... but I'm a bit of a hippie, as well as congenitally incapable of looking tidy for more than a few minutes at a time, so I may as well embrace it... and I can sew smarter things for concerts, if I must.

I've been thinking about making some of my own ones of something like this, and possibly offering them in mp3 format, free of copyright, for others. Ideas? Suggestions? I mean, yeah, it might all be bullshit, but I'm not going to lose much by taking the time to put something together and listening to it a few nights a week or when I'm on the Tube or something, and if negative brainwashing works I don't see why positive brainwashing shouldn't.

Comments

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

Also add two or more pens, spare socks and underwear, lose the anti-chafing ointment and quarters but possibly substitute talcum powder. Handkerchief.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I think the idea with only having 250mL of water is that the first thing you do is drink it and refill it, and then every time there is a chance to refill you drink and refill. In urban situations there are generally at least some chances to do this or to buy more water.

I'm substituting lip balm for anti-chafing ointment because it can do many things, including moisturize itchy bits of me; I might try to find one with zinc in as that is even better. Talcum powder has tendency to get everywhere. Handkerchief probably counts as "what you have in your pockets" but isn't a bad idea; mine will contain probably a bandanna and a handkerchief. I'm putting in a Sharpie (writes on near anything), a pencil (works when it's cold, can be sharpened with knife if no sharpener available), and I'd LIKE to put in a grease pencil or chinagraph marker but they're awfully hard to come by these days (yay for eBay but I mustn't spend all my money there). Um. I set a lot of stock in being able to write things down, and I've had writing instruments fail on me far too often.

In winter my kit will include scarf (can be worn as hat) and gloves and arm/legwarmers, in summer it will include sunblock (perhaps one of the solid ones to avoid spillage, but again these are difficult to find in the UK, there are usually some in the baby section though) and a hat (probably a folding one).

I'd probably go with 50p coins instead of quarters, but given the b0rkedness of most vending machines it might be better to have a combination of those and 20p coins. Heavy, but more versatile than water.

Also, my radio, flashlight (actually headlamp; I find that in almost all situations where I want a flashlight, a headlamp is more useful as I have both hands free) etc. all use AAA instead of AA. Battery life is shorter but the batteries are smaller, so I can carry more spares. My PLN is to cycle the ones in the machines with rechargeables but keep a pack or two of quite long-life disposables in the bag for emergencies.