Laura "Tegan" Gjovaag ⛈ 🐸

Writer exiled in Eastern Washington state. Over-opinionated and often wrong. Trying to survive lupus.

I do NOT consent to any of my words being used to train AI. Don't run my writing through AI, don't summarize me with AI... just don't. No Plagiarism Bots.

Public Key

npub17p3fnrpf6yk5acz62ua2qlx8gn0uawxv7kwstzw4g2zfv689mx0sqas4vf

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realtegan@wandering-shop.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs0qc5e3s5azt2wupd9ww4q0nr5fh7whrx0t8g938259pykdrjan8cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerfw36x7tnsw43qzxrhwden5te0wfjkccte9eekummjwsh8xmmrd9skc4nyjuk

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relay.ditto.pub

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Last Notes

2026-10-03 14:57:49 UTC

When he's right, he's right... @nprofile…ugpy once again lays out the choices we missed and the possibilities that exist, and I admit I'm angry at how we fumbled the ball on this one.
But we *could* make a better future. Let's hope the current generations can do it. And us olds need to encourage this thinking in the youngs.
https://pluralistic.net/2026/10/03/full-employment/#make-sarsaparilla

2026-08-20 19:11:33 UTC

A lovely thread about communication, and how it involves more than just the information in front of us.
#nevent1q…acs7

2026-08-18 20:45:42 UTC

Hey, maybe this could be my next phone:
https://www.wired.com/story/you-can-finally-buy-a-fairphone-a-sustainable-repairable-smartphone-in-the-us/
The initial price is high, but if they make a version that will work on my network and runs GrapheneOS, I think I'd probably go for it.

2026-08-18 18:19:18 UTC

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@nprofile…gvek
It claims to be opt-in, but the opt-in is software controlled. Therefore, they could turn it on without you even knowing.
I don't want any of these routers in my home or anywhere near me.

2026-08-18 15:55:53 UTC

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@nprofile…pfuj
I've considered how useful an information model trained with data *I* want to include in it would be for me. The problem is finding a framework that isn't hyped up as "personal AI!" which isn't really what I'm looking for. I don't consider LLMs to be AI.
The key is in what you feed it. I want control over my dataset, and I *don't* want to feed it on stolen work.
As you say, it would be a personality-free advanced document retrieval, search engine, spellcheck and grammar check.

2026-07-30 18:45:19 UTC

I already hate flying to the point where I believe I will never get on a plane again, but this... this is beyond the pale.
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/christian-preachers-are-turning-airplanes
"Christian preachers are turning airplanes into unwanted worship services
Evangelists are exploiting captive audiences who can’t walk away—and broadcasting it online"

2026-07-29 19:29:44 UTC

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@nprofile…k95v @nprofile…kz2r
Oh, that is neat... *spends a little time watching the large crescent of cloud headed straight for me*

2026-07-14 17:31:04 UTC

The Cyclosporiasis outbreak is hereby dubbed the "Trump Diarrhea" or the "Trump Explosive Diarrhea" outbreak due to the fact that it was Trump's administration that made surveillance of the parasite optional and gutted the CDC's response to such outbreaks.

2026-07-01 16:26:48 UTC

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@nprofile…8mxe
That is good to know. I still dislike any use of them at all, since it encourages people to feel it's fine to use plagiarism bots.

2026-07-01 16:21:44 UTC

I have a colleague on a forum who likes to use "AI", but only because he thinks the results are hilarious. He doesn't cut and paste the answers because he doesn't want them being repeated - he'll take a screencap of the AI response and make fun of it.
I dislike that he's using it at all, considering the cost in energy and water, but I kind of approve of how he's doing it if he's going to use that crap at all.
What do you think?

2026-06-28 19:05:55 UTC

I do think a major problem with society today is that a lot of people really do not comprehend the concept of "consent" in any way.

2026-04-11 23:11:18 UTC

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@nprofile…eqsh
"What're you in for?"
"Oh, sticking a dildo in a fence hole."
*other inmate moves away cautiously.*

2026-04-08 19:41:27 UTC

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@nprofile…qvan It hides the post and any replies from your notifications, but doesn't otherwise alter the post or responses.
I had to mute one of mine because I was getting replyguys on it. A small infestation, but irritating nonetheless.

2026-04-08 00:03:31 UTC

Well, a civilization died tonight.
It was ours. Congress didn't step up and stop him. No one in power invoked the 25th Amendment to remove him. We failed, utterly, as a civilization.

2026-04-07 19:47:00 UTC

The thing I like about doomscrolling on Mastodon is that I get the news I feel I need to get - but in between there are photos of cats, moss, and beautiful old trees, discussion of repairing and reupholstering old chairs, lockpicking discussions, out of context comic book panels, various pieces of artwork, really horrible dad jokes, and sometimes just surreal stuff that makes me smile.
So, yeah, you all are keeping me sane. Keep it up.

2026-04-07 00:29:10 UTC

Absolutely appropriate. Swearing on the Constitution - an oath to uphold the Constitution - should be the standard. Anyone who thinks that is a bad thing should have nothing to do with governing other people.
#nevent1q…angt

2026-04-03 15:54:48 UTC

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@nprofile…8snd
When school lunch programs throw out the "who deserves to get free lunches?" and just provide for every child, the entire program is cheaper due to the lack of an enforcement layer, all children get fed, and children learn more and pay attention better.
Being overly concerned that someone might get something they don't "deserve" usually ends up screwing over the ones who need help most.
We're supposed to "promote the general welfare" of the public - not gate-keep who gets help.

2026-04-01 17:35:52 UTC

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@nprofile…s8xx
My god, this is such a good idea! For any convention - not just fan ones. Offering STI testing is simply an awesome thing that makes perfect sense when large groups of people get together for a weekend/days of fun and mingling. Why doesn't every convention offer it?
Oh right. Puritan moral values among the American public. Bleh.

2026-03-01 19:30:34 UTC

Is there a way to set up a Mastodon feed to read RSS feeds I subscribe to, allowing me to use Mastodon as a feed reader?
I admit, it might sound pathetic, but I suspect I'd read more of my RSS feeds if they showed up in a Mastodon list.

2026-02-06 18:56:05 UTC

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@nprofile…u76z
My husband says there's a compelling argument to make for Mary Poppins as well.

2026-02-06 18:43:25 UTC

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@nprofile…u76z
Oh, come on. We've known both Oscar the Grouch and James Bond were Timelords for years now.

2026-02-02 17:05:07 UTC

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@nprofile…2wsh @nprofile…mhtr
He mentioned he's done one on heat pumps, and I looked through his videos and didn't see any with that title... but I'd like to learn more about heat pumps and he explains things well. Any idea which one I should be watching?

2026-01-27 19:39:52 UTC

Just to make this clear - the people in Minnesota aren't "protesting" ICE... they are PROTECTING their community from violent thugs intent on causing terror.
They are protectors, not just protestors.
Pretti was murdered because he was trying to protect a neighbor, not because he was protesting.

2026-01-06 23:32:48 UTC

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@nprofile…pfuj @nprofile…hcjy
Wait... wait... wait...
Meowth is supposed to have a New York accent????
Mind. Blown.
I thought it was just "made up cat accent."

2025-12-29 20:08:16 UTC

Even if you don't have an hour to spare, go watch this talk by @nprofile…998y
EVERYONE should watch this.
https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-a-post-american-enshittification-resistant-internet

2025-12-13 16:12:19 UTC

This actually sounds... accurate.
Though I saw a genuine news article in which Ferguson was quoted as saying "It's a fluid situation" and I just about spit out my drink at the unintentional (I hope) pun.
#nevent1q…rnhs

2025-11-30 05:16:16 UTC

I have no idea where this clip originates, but it's made me laugh repeatedly tonight so I'm sharing it with you in the hopes it will give you a little joy as well.
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/115/636/934/849/794/481/original/33fe8d011b86684d.mp4

2025-11-23 01:51:17 UTC

Loved this essay by @nprofile…998y about how difficult it is to make good decisions when everything around us is so utterly messed up.
Learned a great word: "schismogenesis" - when you decide how you feel about an issue based on who supports it.
https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/25/black-boxes/

2025-11-16 19:56:33 UTC

Is there a Patreon-like system for the fediverse?

2025-11-01 01:10:47 UTC

The neighbors a few houses down have turned on all their Christmas lights

2025-10-22 19:16:02 UTC

A reminder... if you like your server and are enjoying Mastodon, consider donating to the upkeep of the server. You can usually find a donation link on the main page if your server accepts donations.

2025-10-15 04:44:37 UTC

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@nprofile…7ppx
Considering that I currently hate my messaging app (the default one), looking into an alternative is probably a good thing.

2025-10-15 04:41:49 UTC

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@nprofile…7ppx @nprofile…exf3
I almost never actually text or message anyone, but I'll look into it, thank you.

2025-10-15 04:37:42 UTC

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@nprofile…7ppx @nprofile…exf3
I have to confess, I'm not even sure what Signal is. But then, I don't really communicate with people all that much.

2025-10-15 01:42:47 UTC

ICE keeps ignoring court orders. If I were working in one of the occupied cities, I think I'd be wondering why ICE has power to their building. Or running water. Because, you know, accidents happen. And sometimes power and water get shut off by "mistake". I don't think any ICE thug should be comfortable.
But that's just me. Probably a good thing I don't work for a power company or water company or city department with the authority to shut such things off.

2025-10-14 15:28:20 UTC

Yeah... Portland is showing us the way. Make the thugs look like the cowards they are...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw5zxdSObso

2025-10-02 18:07:15 UTC

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@nprofile…mgef
There were citizens. The scumbags entered an apartment complex and took EVERYONE. They were sleeping, it was the middle of the night. They separated parents from children.
Go find coverage of it. Read about it. Then come back and comment.

2025-10-02 17:52:08 UTC

Any ICE or FBI agent involved in the Chicago incident needs to be arrested for kidnapping and torture and held for trial.
All of them.
Their badges do NOT allow them to break into homes and haul children out - naked - into vans. That's kidnapping. Zip-tying the children is torture.
All the instigators should be in prison NOW.

2025-06-18 16:26:11 UTC

ICE is the current administration's Gestapo, and they are criminals just like the originals.
Consider anyone identifying as an ICE agent to be a traitor to all American values and a danger to anyone around them. Every one of them should be in prison. There is no such thing as a "good" ICE agent.

2025-06-11 02:02:12 UTC

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@nprofile…92y4
"Papers, please"
More and more like history repeating every day.

2025-05-25 18:52:12 UTC

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@nprofile…ssyg
My own personal opinion (so you know it's worth less than the electrons you're spending reading it) is that any time one of these fake cases is found in an official legal document, the case should be declared a mistrial, the lawyers who submitted the fakery should be charged with perjury and contempt of court, and it should be announced far and wide what the lawyers did in order to discourage others from duplicating the crime.
Fines and prison time for the AI-users should apply.

2025-04-06 18:02:35 UTC

A reminder: If due process is taken away from "illegal aliens" it is effectively taken away from you, as well.
The authorities can just say, "You're an illegal alien" and how can you prove otherwise? No, you can't just get your papers or whatever - there's no due process, so they won't even look. After all, you're an illegal alien, so you don't have due process.
Due process for everyone protects you.
And don't say they won't use it against you - fascists always turn on their own eventually.

2025-03-17 00:47:02 UTC

I sometimes feel like I'm that poor character in the Monty Python "Spam" sketch, only instead of spam, it's AI.
"It only has a little AI in it!"
"I don't want any AI at all!"

2025-02-15 17:30:07 UTC

I'm not really optimistic about this upcoming fire season, which will start real soon here if the last few fire seasons are any indication of how the future will be going.
https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/114/009/072/965/810/532/original/454f5ca993a72f23.jpg

2024-12-17 16:51:54 UTC

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@nprofile…54xw @nprofile…qz4x
This video is a masterclass in passive-aggressive response. I'm suddenly a fan of this guy.

2024-12-11 17:43:50 UTC

Ya'know, if the Onion sent out a call to ask people to donate $5 to help them buy Infowars, I bet they'd raise enough to blow any other offer out of the water.

2024-11-27 18:12:21 UTC

I just watched this impressive 30 minute video about why Republican women look the way they do... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2xS1wEYfeM
It's a surprisingly nuanced look at what drives their style (or lack of) - but starts with an absolutely amazing bit at 1:22 in that almost had me rolling on the floor. "Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Body" and Raskin's reaction are now engraved in my mind.
I found the whole thing worth watching, but at least watch the first two minutes.

2024-11-25 00:34:04 UTC

We do not need potty police checking for "proper" genitalia.
We do not want restroom rangers.
No toilet tyrants.
Just let us pee in peace and leave your ridiculous fantasies at home, you gross old perverts.
I'd rather use a public restroom with 15 transwomen and a line for the stalls than to have to share one with a Republican woman who wants to make sure I'm not a man. I had enough of that as a (cisgender) teenage girl with apparently masculine features.
No TERFs allowed in the toilet.

2024-11-24 18:34:41 UTC

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What gets me, some people (perverts) actually disagreed with this!
Astounding how much some people think they're entitled to gawk at other people's junk.
He's right, though, they are the problem. Not trans women.
2/2

2024-11-24 18:33:21 UTC

Over on Threads, Jim Wright posted rules for using a public restroom: https://www.threads.net/@stonekettle/post/DCwqri5pKj4
"Step 1: Mind your own business.
Step 2: Use the facilities. Don't piss on the seat or the floor. FLUSH.
Step 3: Wash your hands. Put the paper towels IN THE TRASH.
Step 4: Leave while continuing to mind your own fucking business.
If you're in a public restroom and you're attempting to police the genitals of other users, YOU'RE the problem. YOU'RE the creep. YOU'RE the the public danger. YOU."
1/2

2024-11-21 16:06:33 UTC

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@nprofile…kvnh
When I came back from the hospital after my kidney failure, Inkwell the cat became my constant nurse. He would be near me on the bed, and if I groaned too much, he'd go fetch my husband, meowing at him frantically. When I was able to walk, he'd be next to me, purring encouragement. He slept near me on the bed, and if I cried, he'd come over and purr near my ear.
I feel like I owed a lot of my recovery to that wonderful little furball, rest in peace.

2024-11-18 01:15:00 UTC

If you're on BlueSky and want to bridge to Mastodon, follow @ap.brid.gy
That's it. Nothing to install, no terms of service to sign, no complicated garbage. If you want to stop, just block @ap.brid.gy
Details here: https://fed.brid.gy/docs
If you want to bridge your account to BlueSky, simply follow this account: @nprofile…rnyf
Why am I encouraging this? Because when BlueSky inevitably goes bad, people there will have friends in the Fediverse to help them move here.

2024-11-16 03:15:11 UTC

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@nprofile…92y4
As I need hydroxychloroquine to live, I hope NOBODY who doesn't need it tries to take it this time 'round.
People died or suffered severely from complications of lupus when it became rare last time (just before I went on it). Just another set of murders by the orange stain that no one remembers any more.

2024-08-12 17:07:01 UTC

Another lesson in "Don't Use An App for things that should be a Website":
https://news.patreon.com/articles/understanding-apple-requirements-for-patreon
Basically, Apple is going to steal 30% of Patreon's money that's supposed to go to creators. Because... Apple. If it's an app and it's in their store, they will squeeze you for every penny they can get.
Note: Android isn't innocent in this, either. Use the website whenever you can.

2024-07-14 01:01:05 UTC

#uspol Do these fans of the orange stain even pay attention to their own rhetoric? They actively support political violence! They cheer on the Jan 6th traitors who violently assaulted the Capitol.
Now they are pretending horror when some sick idiot does exactly what they constantly fantasize about?
Whatever. Fascists gonna fascist I guess.

2024-05-11 17:34:42 UTC

For Americans looking at people posting in Celsius temperatures: don't try to convert, just remember this...
Zero is freezing,
Ten is not.
Twenty is warm and
Thirty is hot
(And forty is DAMNED hot)

2024-05-10 15:06:29 UTC

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@npub1psd…9sr7
I'm a massive introvert, and I'd LOVE to live in a neighborhood with all those nearby. Wow.

2023-08-14 15:02:34 UTC

If you've ever considered getting a ham radio license, now might be a really good time to start working on that. We may well need the amateur radio network very soon.