Colorblind glasses

What if you and I see different colors? Like when I see red, it’s the same as when you see blue and vice versa? A classic Deep Thoughts thought experiment that isn’t actually that deep, because everyone thought of it when they were like 15. If we each saw different colors, there would be no way to know. End of thought experiment.

But here’s a deep thought. The fact that we see different colors is just a true fact about the world, and we have a way of knowing that it’s true. Because when I see red and green, they’re on opposite ends of the color sensory spectrum, while for other people the difference between red and green is much more subtle. We do have ways to compare private experiences! Take that, Wittgenstein!

Anyway, colorblind glasses. This is a product that supposedly helps colorblind people see color. I learned about them from a video by Anne Reardon. Reports on effectiveness seem pretty mixed, with some saying the it makes the colors look more vibrant, some saying it helps them perform better in color tests, and some saying it doesn’t make much difference at all.
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Origami should take a page from music

I’ve been really busy this month, so I’m feeling some casual blogging. Question: why don’t origami books take a page from music books? It’s a pun, because I’m talking about book bindings.

Music books are designed to stay open, because you can’t very well hold the pages open while performing. Origami is likewise an activity that requires the use of hands while also looking at the page. You see what I’m saying? Origami books pose a problem that has already been solved in music.

Music books come in a few different varieties. There are small books that are essentially stapled together. Larger books come with rings or spirals. And of course there’s the classic solution, no bindings at all, just put them in a trapper keeper, or stuff them in a folder, or leave them lying around in loose disorganized stacks. Problem solved?

But blogging has ruined me in a particular way. I can’t just ask inane questions anymore. I have to do my due diligence and actually look up answers to inane questions.

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Link Roundup: November 2025

I’m later than usual with this link roundup.  Not apologizing, just observing.

Last month, on The Asexual Agenda, I published “From definitions to motivations“, which argues the importance of explaining the motivations for why people identify the way they do.

The Ace Community Survey also published its report on the 2024 survey.

Why TERFs don’t like Asexuals either: An Analysis | venatrixlunaris – In case you didn’t know, TERFs are quite consistently anti-ace too, reusing a lot of the same arguments they use against trans people.  This post includes an extensive collection of examples of TERF/GC comments about asexuality.  I do not recommend reading any more examples than you have to to get the point.  If you ever wonder, “What are asexuals fighting for?” one answer is simply trans rights.  Trans solidarity is important.

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Origami: Radiant Star

Radiant Star

Radiant Star, designed by Madhura Gupta

This weekend, I’m at PCOC, the Pacific Coast OrigamiUSA Conference.  The funny thing is, I picked this photo and scheduled the post ahead of time, but when I got to PCOC I found this exact model in the conference booklet!  I swear it was a coincidence.

This model is made from four units, of successively smaller size.  Each star is inserted into the hexagonal pocket of the next.  I like it!

2025 California Special Election position

California has a special election this year, and I’m following my routine of discussing my choices, with the intent of normalizing the voting process.  It won’t be too long this time, because there’s just one proposition.  Well, there’s also a local measure, but I tend not to discuss those.

Proposition 50: Yes

This is pro-gerrymandering legislation, and counterintuitively, I’m in favor of it!

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Review: The Fifth Head of Cerberus

The Fifth Head of Cerberus, by Gene Wolfe is a work of anticolonialist science-fiction published in 1972. Personally, I am suspicious of anti-colonialist fiction of that age. Books may inadvertently take on certain colonialist assumptions and perspectives even while attempting to reject others. (Of course, we continue to do this today.) I was interested to see how Gene Wolfe’s first major book fared.

The book is structured as three novellas taking place in the same universe. There is a pair of twin planets, Saint Anne and Saint Croix, colonized by humans a few generations ago. It’s said that there was an indigenous population on Saint Anne (the Annese). However, there is barely any trace of them left. What’s there is veiled by layers of folklore, hearsay, and charlatanry.
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No Kings, October 2025

I just came back from the No Kings protest.  Last time, we went to the San Francisco protest, which was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen.  This time, we went to a more local protest.  Every one of the suburbs seems to have its own separate one.  Our resistance is fractal.

Where the San Francisco protest blocked off a whole street for a mile and a half, the Fremont protest occupied the sidewalks for about 5 blocks.  I’d estimate there were several hundred people.  You could stand at a corner and basically stay stationary the whole time, but we walked back and forth several times.  Because we weren’t blocking the road, cars were driving past us, and constantly honking in support.

Like before, we brought our big US flag.  My husband wore a shirt with a rainbow US flag, and I borrowed one of his shirts that said “Make Treason Wrong Again”.  We met up with another friend and took the opportunity to socialize–not just talking about politics, but also the usual.

All sorts of signs, ranging from the simple “NO 👑”, down to more specific fuck-yous to ICE or RFK Jr.  There was not one but two bands–one small brass band, and one saxaphone quartet.

If you google “how to prepare for a protest”, I think the advice is overly cautious, preparing for the worst.  But the median protest is entirely safe.  I recommend bringing a bottle of water, sun tan lotion, and a friend.  These protests are an environment of joyful resistance.  People are angry, but there’s an inherent optimism in the activity, seeing all the popular opposition.  I fully recommend participating.