Babs

So as we all know, it is impossible for man to soar through the heavens as a bird does. Any attempt will lead one to be struck down from the skies for their hubris. It can't be done, Boeing is proof of this. So what if I wanted to do the next best thing?

I've heard the words "Learn to hack, learn to drone" echoed around these parts a few times. I've tried learning programming again and again, but it seems I'm just not that Type of trans woman. Instead I got really into CAD and 3d printing and remote control vehicles, so the "learn to drone" part really appeals to me. Problem is, I don't know where to start. Do I just buy a $300 DJI drone before they get banned? Do I learn how simulators work and practice a bunch first? Do fpv and bigger camera drones share a skillset? How do I not fuck up when I'm living in a big city? If I already have a transmitter, is that a cost I can save or do drones generally come with their own?

I'm also interested in reading about the ways people use drones for revolutionary purposes, for lack of a better term. I know local orgs have a need for good protest footage, but flying a drone downtown is probably super duper illegal and the new Remote ID rules would make me copbait if I were to say, sit in the bed of a leading truck and follow a march from above. Drones are super cool, but less so if a cop just shoots it down with his scifi radio gun and then tracks me down and arrests me.

By the way, has anyone ever built a drone? I already have a 3d printer and a transmitter I use for robot combat. And I'm pretty familiar with drone parts - motors made to spin propellers can also spin blades, and tiny receivers and batteries made for weight-limited flying vehicles are great for weight-limited fighting vehicles. I just don't understand flight controllers or cameras or propellers or how to pick parts or anything. It would also (with dubious legality) avoid the Remote ID issue and my homebrew drones wouldn't be banned for being Chinese spies.

So hey sickos, how do I learn to drone?

still posting in dunk tank cause it's but I was really surprised to see this thread get out of zionist control and have people actually talking about israeli war crimes. maybe this refugee camp bombing is a turning point???

I most often play Pathfinder, with a mostly-canon Golarion setting. I almost always play a woman - sometimes I make her trans, and sometimes I don't. Her trans status is usually based on the rest of their characteristics, and whether I feel it "makes sense" for my character to realize she's trans.

When I played a brash, independent sorceror, or a young noblewoman with resources and connections and a supportive family, it made sense to make my characters trans because they were in a position to figure that out and had the ability to do something about it. In my current Pathfinder game, my character was raised in a militaristic cult that isn't a good environment for deep introspection, so I made her cis.

When I made my character for Baldur's Gate 3, she was a self-insert alongside my BF's self-insert, so she was transfemme and it was an easy decision. I'll generally prefer to make trans characters, but only if I can make up a good justification to do so.

I recently spoke to a friend who primarily makes cis woman characters as part of the whole "power fantasy" that comes with roleplaying, and her experience was a little different than mine, so I thought I'd ask here. Trans Hexbears, are your RPG characters trans?

Like a lot of us here, I'm trying to learn Mandarin Chinese. I've been casually doing apps for a while now (Duolingo sucks, HelloChinese seems better, language exchanges are fun but scary) but I recognize some serious limitations to my methods. My reading and typing is getting better, as is my listening, but I still suck at speaking and tones are still hard to remember sometimes. This seems directly related to my learning methods - lotsa reading and listening exercises mostly, not as much talking. If I want to actually be able to speak this language, I'm going to need some more varied education I think.

My first thought was to check the local community college - we have a large Chinese population here so the classes are probably good, but the scheduling doesn't work well with my boring adult 9-5. I do well in a classroom environment though. One-on-one tutoring might not be a bad option, but I'd prefer to go through the embarrassment of learning a new language as a group, you know?

Anyone else in the same boat? What do you use to learn?

May I offer you a cutesy pop song in these trying times?