The calendar on the wall is reminding me to remind you that if you like a (dailyish) #affirmation to support you and your spirit and mental health– I run automated, parallel Mastodon and Bluesky bots for that purpose. Feel free to follow and share, if you care to:
“Totems”: Trollface and Heart-hands
I grew up in the 20th Century.
Because of that, I suspect my first experience of the word “totem” was probably in a piece of fictional media (television, probably) where the word “totem pole” was used.
That usage was likely not respectful to the Native Americans depicted in the fiction. see Reel Injun
That doesn’t matter, but I think “totem pole” still pops up in my head first when I think of that word.
Next in my head is the term “totemic.” And then “avatar” and “iconic.”
This post is a response to IndieWeb Carnival July 2025: Totems. The provocation for this month:
I’m the host for this month’s IndieWeb Carnival, and the theme is totems: items of great personal, spiritual, or religious meaning, which may serve as the emblem or symbol of a group of people.
The IndieWeb itself is a living totem that we indie-website-havers create with every post. What’s your totem? What does it mean to you? How did you acquire it: purchase, creation, trade, gifting, theft? Is your totem connected to the Internet, perhaps? Is it something you look at every day?
Today I’m thinking of the paper sign I made of the “trollface” icon.
A physical print out mounted on foam core. I made it on impulse in response to Dr. Matt Lee.
I met Matt at XOXO and his ability to communicate with smarts, and also sarcasm, immediately appealed to me. It was in IndieWeb Zoom gatherings that I noticed how adroitly he could turn a phrase with snark.
And so I made the sign, as a way to punctuate the meetings. I would hold them up to emphasize or highlight his commentary–silently.
And that was many months ago. I deploy the sign very infrequently. It’s a sign that could be mistaken for insulting, or passive aggressively, or mean. And I would never deploy it that way and I would feel bad if it was taken that way.
But I also have been musing, as it sits on my desk, that I need a counterpoint sign.
What’s the opposite totem to the trollface?
Tantek and gRegor both said the opposite would be the heart hands emoji: 🫶.
I will not use these much, but I like bringing a yin/yang balance to the punctuational feel of my desk.
It’s important to me to be understood. Being misunderstood is hard, and hurting the feelings of others is very much something I don’t want to do.
I will probably not use these very often.
But I think they will find usage every so often.
Having them both visible to me on my desk might remind me of the two poles of conversational spirit available to me to deploy.
I have no idea what this all adds up to. I was glad of the opportunity to think about totems.
Thanks for reading.
GONK. #robotselfie #SDCC In the next few days I’ll blog about the show. But I’m walking away from this inspired.
Day 1 San Diego Comic Con 2025 #robotselfie is with a LEGO K2SO at full height. It is an astoundingly large privilege to get to come to this event.
Something Reagan did right: he repudiated the KKK and white nationalists
Back in 2016 I was using Twitter far more than I used this website, to my own detriment. Today while talking about politics, centrism, and Republicans with Thomas I thought of an old tweet of mine from 2016, which was a citation of a quote from Ronald Reagan:
Civil Rights Concerning the President’s Views on the Ku Klux Klan
April 30, 1984
Dear Morris:
While in China, I have been distressed to learn that some individuals back home have questioned whether my views on the Ku Klux Klan have somehow changed since 1980. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In 1980, I said that I have no tolerance for what the Klan represents, and would have nothing to do with any groups of that type. If anything, my feelings on this subject have only grown stronger. The politics of racial hatred and religious bigotry practiced by the Klan and others have no place in this country, and are destructive of the values for which America has always stood. Those of us in public life can only resent the use of our names by those who seek political recognition for the repugnant doctrines of hate they espouse.
I firmly believe that there is no room for partisanship on this question. Democrats and Republicans alike must be resolute in disassociating ourselves from any group or individual whose political philosophy consists only of racial or religious intolerance, whose arguments are supported only by intimidation or threats of violence.
We must, and will, continue our unified rejection of such elements of hate in our political life, for while there are many issues which divide us, it is fundamental principles such as this which will always draw us together.
Sincerely,
Ronald Reagan[The Honorable Morris B. Abram, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 1121 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20425]
Via The Reagan Library.
New Toys Page
Today I’ve been playing with a page with my web toys. It’s pushing me to consider what other toys I might build, too. Particularly ones which allow people to play and create.
Alas, Quote of the Day
«Ceux qui peuvent vous faire croire à des absurdités, peuvent vous faire commettre des atrocités». Voltaire, 1765
“Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”
Spirals! Slideorama Pinwheels
The other day in answer to a CodePen Challenge, I created a thing I call Slideorama Pinwheels. I initially put it on CodePen and submitted it to the challenge / contest. And now it’s also on my Lab: Slideorama Pinwheels.
Other entrants to the challenge are on CodePen: Collection: #CodePenChallenge: Slide Interactions
It’s been very gratifying to envision an idea and create it, and then put it out into the world and get feedback on it, and improve it incrementally. And that I can make the code available for inspection and feel good about it is also terrific.
This is the internet to me.
But I find myself not sure where or how to share little things, and also not quite sure how to find other such things outside CodePen or lucking across them.
The problem of “discovery” remains one that’s unsolved.
Anyway, thanks for reading. If you liked the toy, leave a comment below or on CodePen.
I like making stuff, still, and I’m considering what toy I’ll make next.
Wave shape let me get fast today. More like this please.
Getting kids hooked
AARC Opposition Statement On the FDA’s Authorization of Juul E-Cigarette Products:
Respiratory therapists are dedicated to treating patients with chronic respiratory diseases, many of which are directly linked to tobacco and nicotine use. Respiratory therapists see firsthand the long-term consequences of addiction that often begin in adolescence. The decision to allow these products on the market contradicts the FDA’s mission to protect public health and will make it harder for families and health professionals to reverse course on youth vaping.