u/zephito

I wasn't sure what to flare this but I thought this was interesting to see. I have diagnosed night terrors/trauma induced nightmares that I take medication for. It works to a point, but last night was particularly stressful. I'd never had my watch wake me up with heart rate alerts before. If it becomes a pattern I'll try to see someone about it, with not much luck, probably, haha.

Finch has millions of users and is marketed as a mental health app centred around self-care, kindness, and self-expression. A huge part of the app is customizing your birb (how they spell bird).

What has become increasingly difficult for me to ignore is the lack of representation for Black users.

Last month, Finch partnered with DC for a Supergirl themed month, and introduced wigs. The options were a Supergirl-style wig and a Lobo-style wig, both designed around straight, white hair. This month, with the 1950s diner theme, the hairstyle options are again overwhelmingly white-centric, with no textured hairstyles or styles that reflect many Black users.

People have also pointed out that the birbs featured throughout Finch's advertising are consistently light coloured. On top of that, multiple good-faith posts about these concerns on the Finch subreddit appear to be removed or heavily moderated instead of openly addressed.

What makes this especially disappointing is that Finch clearly does think about representation in other areas. The app includes Pride clothing and items inspired by different countries and cultures. That tells me inclusion is already part of the design philosophy, and it makes the continued absence of Black hairstyles and representation even harder to understand.

I'm not claiming to know the developers' intentions, but impact matters. When a company with millions of users repeatedly overlooks the same community while making visible efforts to represent others, the message many people receive is that their inclusion wasn't given the same priority.

As someone who isn't Black, I'm not trying to speak over Black voices. I'm sharing this because I believe people should know where their money is going, and because I expect a mental health app to make everyone feel seen.

For that reason, I've cancelled my annual subscription. If Finch meaningfully addresses these concerns in the future, I'd be happy to reconsider. Until then, I can't justify supporting an app whose approach to representation feels so incomplete.

I also wasn''t sure the best tag for this post. I considered discussion, health and wellness, and racism and settled on discussion (but am happy to correct it).

I found this in one of my mom's photo boxes. It's likely Canadian in origin, *possibly featuring an intersex performer? It seems to be two images of the same person overlapping into a composite.

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I'm not sure what all to include, since I really don't have any other information, but if anyone has any leads I'd be most appreciative!

Just got these kuhlis (plus others not pictured) on the weekend, and I think at least one is female! Currently they're the only tank inhabitants in a 45 gallon, so I'm curious to see if any fertilization happens if/when they're laid.

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They're such silly little characters, I get caught up in watching them so often.

Three of my new kuhlis have been doing this. The two others are much more chill. Tank parameters: ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 5ppm. It's a heavily planted 45g, they're the only residents. The tank has been cycled for a few months.

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Is this something to worry about at this stage, or should they settle in soon?

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Edited to add we will be getting more as soon as possible, this was all the employees at the LFS could catch/find when we went.

I originally posted this as a comment but I'd really like to get other people's opinions.

I thought that this shot of the interior of Blip A reminded me of the vintage music cylinders. They have little raised bumps that rotate along the cylinder and when it's turned, the keys play specific notes to form a recorded message or melody.

I wonder if these tablets or pieces could be played and heard by the Eridians in the way that they hear? In which case these could be recorded history, media, ship instructions, etc.

If this has come up in the book, and I'm late to the show, I apologize! I'm only on chapter four of the audiobook right now.

I've been trying to sex my snails for months, since they've been mating in various configurations but I haven't had any eggs yet. It's been difficult to get a good look up into their mantle, but I think I finally got confirmation for these two?

As the title says. I was a huge reader as a kid (and still am, arguably to a lesser extent) and this was one of the Scholastic offerings. It's a fictional novel from the perspective of a young orphan girl who was brought to the Romanov household.

Obviously it takes creative liberties, but even going back to it as an adult I found the depictions of the family to be both respectful and true to their individual personalities. It does not have a happy ending, and seemed to, throughout the story, show the disconnect between the ruling class and the citizens.

This was my first real introduction to the Romanov family and has obviously seeded a lifelong interest.

I'm curious as to how everyone else here found the family and/or the time period, and what made you captivated by it?

Reposted due to a messed up title!