nickwitha_k (he/him)

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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: July 16th, 2023

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  • Not a good idea. Such a broth can be used as a pesticide but it’s also dangerous to humans and animals. Nicotine also absorbs through the skin so, anyone trying this (which I can’t recommend but for it’s dangers and general lack of need for pesticides in home gardens) should be extremely careful and use all PPE (durable waterproof gloves, goggles, long sleeves, trousers, and waterproof footwear, as well as respirator if there’s any chance of aerosolizing) when applying. Seriously. While it has been used historically by home gardeners, the toxicity is no joke.

    And, always remember: Proper PPE is sexy.













  • In the US, “anti-DEI” is nothing but thinly-veiled discrimination. It is used primarily by people with the skills, personality, and sociability of a slice microwaved Wonderbread who need something to hide behind to avoid taking responsibility for their failings as well as by literal neo-nazis to try out a facade of legitimacy for their discriminatory actions while signalling their socio-political stance to their fellow neo-nazis.

    DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It’s meaning is approximately:

    Diversity - Efforts should be made to ensure diverse representation in the workplace, especially for groups that have historically suffered from discrimination. To this end, when skills and capabilities are approximately equal, those from groups that have suffered oppression should be favored. This both strengthens the workplace by adding different perspectives and helps to “rebalance” to correct for centuries of discrimination that have robbed these groups of opportunities.

    A diverse workplace is stronger and more effective than a homogenous one, as proven by extensive sociological research.

    Equity - People are different and may need assistance to put them on equal footing when they are otherwise equally capable to those who have greater societal representation. This could be as simple as ensuring that someone who needs glasses to read without eye strain is able to readily able to get them. Or it could mean ensuring that someone who has gender dysphoria (which can cause extraordinary mental health problems like anxiety and treatment-resistant major depression) is able to get the treatment that they need.

    Inclusion - This is about the simplest of the three. Everyone should feel safe and valid in the workplace, regardless of their immutable characteristics.

    When people say that they are “anti-DEI” in the US, they mean that they want a society where the only people with power are white, protestant men. They want a society where white, protestant men are favored over other all other groups and considered the “default” choice for anything. And they want a society where people who are different from them are afraid to participate because they may be arbitrarily punished and/or lynched.

    When they claim that DEI is discriminatory and that they oppose discrimination, they are lying. Being forced to actually compete with others on even ground is terrifying to them and not being held above everyone else makes them think they are being oppressed.





  • Been a while since I was in a lab (I was mainly concerned with squishy, squidgy things like microbes, so not quite OChem either) but, this looks accurate to me with a minor bit of pedantry that I had to validate before mentioning. BPA is not actually a plasticizer but a monomer/co-monomer (it does frequently get incorrectly labeled as a plasticizer in retail products). Notably in polycarbonate, which is something like 90% BPA by mass.

    A big issue with is the incomplete reaction of monomers, leading to things like room-temp leeching of unreacted BPA in polycarbonate (so glad that I took a Nalgene with me everywhere for years when I was younger /s).