Stuff and more stuff.

[silveradept]

Just realized that my schedule may have me doing a bit of dashing about this week trying to make sure that my projects all go off on time. Ah, well. The weekend shift does that to your weekday hours.

A most interesting drawbridge - it folds up rather than just lifting.

Another blow struck at the idea of RFID being really secure: A skimmer is built that can read RFID at 25cm.Cheaply, as in under $100 for all parts, all told. 25cm still means getting close, but basically all someone would need to do to get it at that range is make sure they have the skimmer in a pocket that's closest to the card they want to grab and walk by the mark's card. So RFID for sensitive purposes is still probably bad. For commercial purposes, may also be bad, especially if someone wants to rewrite prices.

The Pentagon may still consider homosexuals to be mentally disordered, a position that mental health professionals abandoned quite some time ago. Might be why "don't ask, don't tell" is in effect... are there regs that state someone has to be discharged if they're mentally ill by military standards?

Two memes:

Raziel

So you need Healing (25%), Knowledge (90%), Inspiration (30%), and Strength (43%)? Archangel Raziel is the Angel of mystery, mystery, and more mystery. Luckily, he is willing to share his secrets with mankind whom he brings the gift of wisdom and knowledge. He inspires us to learn from our experiences as we go through the different stages of our lives, and to work to improve our understanding at all times.

Raziel offers special support to those who seek to learn, and encourages us to ask questions so that we may illuminate our mind and spirit and come to know the truth about the wonders of life. He is a magnificent teacher who helps us grasp complex matters with ease. At the same time, he guards knowledge from those that are not ready to receive it; there is a time for everything, and disturbing the order by rushing and forcing things against their natural flow has seldom done anyone good. That’s why Raziel also teaches us to study with “more haste, less speed.”

Raziel the personification of divine wisdom and the Patron Angel of those who wish to understand esoteric material, engage in alchemy or manifestation, or just going through an especially tough time filled with sleepless nights of studying. Also, Raziel presents us with the ability to unlock our subconscious knowledge and memories through meditation and hypnosis.

A Bit of Trivia:

Raziel is officially known as the Chief of the Supreme Mysteries. He is the legendary author of "The Book of the Archangel Raziel", wherein all celestial and earthly knowledge is set down, which was said to be given to Adam so he may learn all there is to know about life and the secrets of the universe. Raziel appears quite tall and has large sky-blue wings. He is the ruler of the planet Neptune.

Jophiel - Michael - Israfel - Raziel - Ariel - Uriel - Gabriel - Raphael - Zadkiel - Jeremiel

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
You scored higher than 99% on Healing
You scored higher than 99% on Knowledge
You scored higher than 99% on Inspiration
You scored higher than 99% on Strength

The Angel Test written by Nitsuki



You scored as Mystic. You are a Mystic. Practical magic isn't really your thing; you much prefer to take the inner roads to self-development and spiritual evolution. You find ecstasy in meditative silence and commune with the divine without aid of any church or religious leader to guide you. You will seek the light of heaven in your own way, even if that way is not apparent to the casual observer.

</td>

Discordian		80%
Mystic		80%
Otherkin		70%
True Alternative		60%
White Lighter		55%
Aimless Eclectic		50%
Magician		50%
Spiritualist		40%

What Subversive Alternative Paradigm Are You?</table>

One notes, perhaps humorously, that "Mystic" and "Discordian" have the same scores. No wonder I feel like I'm going nowhere fast.

And lastly, I go from issues of mind to issues of body - although in a more general sense than personal, because I think it applies to more than just one person.

bladespark made an astute observation - "...if there's a female in the entire nation that doesn't have some sort of image insecurity of some kind or another, well... she's a rare thing." Most people will read that and nod. After all, some part of the economy revolves around telling women "You're not pretty, but don't worry, we can fix it with our product/service." And there are some mindsets that actively discourage women from feeling pretty or thinking they ever will be.

I think there are just as many guys with image insecurity. I've said that before, with regard to the stereotype of masculine behavior, and probably more, somewhere (my memory, it is like a sieve) about how that applies to the body image. Probably a tirade about how the "beefy-muscular-six-pack-abs!" body image is not the standard and never should be and young boys are being dragged into steroid abuse to get that and such.

Still, the thought remains that both guys and girls are insecure about their own attractiveness. And to some degree, I was fishing for responses when I asked about getting hit on, because I suspect that getting randomly hit on by the right kind of people is a significant part of how people get over that insecurity. It's a pretty easy thing to think through - if someone random finds you attractive, without knowing anything about you other than what they observe or get from a small amount of conversation with you, then there's a good chance that they find you good-looking. With enough of that happening, then either there's significant denial (which needs help), or there's acceptance that the physical body is attractive. For women, who probably get hit on indiscriminately, especially in certain places, the caveat applies, but even then, it's still probably at least a small ego-boost that people keep hitting on you.

For guys, though, the problem gets a little trickier - for one, even with Liberation, the Sadie Hawkins style doesn't seem to be the popular one, at least to me. I feel like there's also a bit of an undercurrent that frowns on a woman who tells guys she finds them attractive, placing her in the company of prostitutes. So it's less likely that a guy's going to get hit on, and instead, has to take initiative. The risk of rejection and such. For a guy who's not motivated enough (by the attractiveness of the target or by whatever other factors may be at play), it's going to be pretty problematic, and it's a bit of a circular thinking of doom (DOOM!). If not secure enough to think they have a chance, well, then they don't really have a chance. Women like confidence, or so I've been told. Most guys, probably like most women, I suspect, don't want a flock of admirers, but it would be nice to be hit on once in a while.

Where this is all leading up to, I suppose, is a theory that people who get hit on with regularity don't have as many body issues. There's no bets on anything serious like anorexia or such, but regular (heh, if there is such a thing) "Am-I-pretty?" doubts probably don't show up as often. Shred, provide counterexamples or corollaries at your leisure.

Comments

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

This example is purely hear-say you understand. I have been told by several people who have dealt with anorexia in one form or another that there is a negative impact to being hit on sometimes. For example, girl looses weight and for every pound she sheds, more people tell her how great she looks. So she keeps loosing weight, and they keep telling her how great she looks and the cycle carries on. Same with plastic surgery and so on. The intial glow wears off and they do what got them that glow in the first place and it contiunes like an addiction.

I think there is a lot to haveing a body issue than just being hit on, thought that might have some effects. Partially it's the images around us that show us flat tummys and big muscles (or tits depending on your gender/preferances) are the path to happiness.

[taniwhanui.livejournal.com]

Or conversely, some women who dislike getting hit on a lot gain weight so as to be less attractive and therefore gain less negative attention.

[silveradept]

Well, there is the caveat about it being the right kind of attention - someone who doesn't want to get hit on by hordes of strangers may very well think that it's bad attention - that's not the right kind. The right kind of attention has to be accepted as being both true interest and good interest (which are nebulous, to say the least). Otherwise, it doesn't work.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

I know no woman who would voluntarily gain weight. You kidding me? With society showing us size 2 models?

I really dislike the way the media/society is leaning with body sizes. Isn't it documented somewhere that Marilyn Monroe was a size 12? And she's known as being one of the most beautiful women of her time. Twiggy was referred to as "twiggy" for a reason. I know I read something somewhere that discussed how models used to be a size 12-14 and now they're all size 2's...and it makes the women who wear the 14's think they are "fat" -- even clothing stores are getting into it. I used to buy a lot of jeans from Express when I was in college because they would send those $15 Gift Certificate things in the mail and they almost always had jeans on their clearance rack for $10. I wore a size 14, but I loved the way their pants fit - low rise, made my butt look nice, etc. After college I started hanging with a girl who was I think a size 18? Anyway, she suggested I try pants from Lane Bryant, so I did, and while they fit in the waist, they had too much fabric in the butt area. So, I went over to Express to get a pair of pants...and the saleswoman told me that they don't sell size 14 anymore and they had "re-calculatd the way thier clothing was sized" so an express 12 was now on the equivalent of a department store 10. WHAT? So this way, the girl who is used to wearing a size 2, is a size 4, and starts to feel bad about herself because she's "fat". *sighs deeply*

sorry for the tirade.

[silveradept]

I suppose the size adjustment may actually be women's clothing manufacturers starting to eb honest about what their sizes really are. It's likely that people will think themselves fat, which is why I'd be all in favor of scrapping women's "sizes" and selling clothing like jeans and such as they do for guys - waistxlength.

[silveradept]

That's one of the cases that really doesn't work with the theory, even with caveats - but as you said, it's somewhat like an addiction - the matter's carried out too far, so they swing from one bad body-image to another, passing the healthy point along the way. All things in moderation, perhaps. In a perfect world, people build up a good body-image and then gain sufficient confidence to be okay with their body and not go actively seeking compliments. Maybe that case is classified as a misinterpretation of the goal, and may have to be excluded from the theory.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

I know plenty of women and men who are obsessed with the whole weight loss thing. I even have a friend who LJs about how good it feels not to eat anything and then go to the gym and get a "buzz" -- as in, she gets dizzy and lightheaded, but she thinks it's a good thing. And I know you and I have discussed the LJ groups for Anorexia that instead of being support groups are "zomg yay! I'm anorexic! go me!!11"

I just don't get it at all. I like my body (most of the time), but even when i'm "hating" my body, it's more that i'm upst over something not fitting or looking good on me, and has nothing to do with actually hating myself (but we still hate the digestive system).

I don't know. Do I have confidence? I really never though of myself as such, but then again, I nevre saw myself as "strong" and you and several others seem to think I am.

[silveradept]

When the "buzz" friend passes out, I hope someone catches her.

I know about "pro-ana" groups, yes.

And not obsessing over things like that says you have at least some confidence, or don't really care about it that much. So long as you're healthy, and you feel okay with you, I don't think it matters what weight or size you are.

[annaonthemoon.livejournal.com]

or example, girl looses weight and for every pound she sheds, more people tell her how great she looks. So she keeps loosing weight, and they keep telling her how great she looks and the cycle carries on

That's why I hate it when people I haven't seen for a while tell me "You lost weight! You look good!"....as if losing weight is the most improtant thing in the world. I don't even WEIGH myself, save for when I'm at the doctor's office, because that kind of thing jsut doesn't matter to me. But I can see where if I was the type of girl to gobble up those kinds of compliments it might encourage me to lose more weight by whatever means possible so someone would compliment me again.