icosahedron

element call is a standalone service (call.element.io) that the client just integrates really well. since it's not actually part of the homeserver deployment, it should work fine even without synapse. that said, it means traffic passes through a third party server unless element call and the client are also self hosted. but yes, you're right that other clients currently do not support calling. luckily, cinny is relatively close to merging a PR that adds it

yes i second matrix. it's different from discord in a lot of ways, but it's still a pretty seamless transition. for anyone who wants to host matrix, i recommend the continuwuity homeserver software. it's much easier to host than synapse and is significantly faster for 99% of use cases

if you're just trying use matrix, i prefer cinny over element for the client. cinny's ui is also very similar to discord's and it handles space/room grouping very intuitively. there's also fluffychat (less feature rich) and schildichat (element fork), among others. however, element is currently the only client which fully supports voice chat

for instances, i recommend choosing something other than matrix.org. right now, matrix is barely decentralized because the vast majority of users choose matrix.org, which isn't great. also matrix.org collects a lot of data and requires more information to register than most servers. some other good public instances are:

• tchncs.de
• unredacted.org
• catgirl.cloud
• calitabby.net

there are also many, many smaller public instances, but it's probably better to choose a relatively big one for moderation reasons. a lot of people think matrix is dead or no one uses it, but there are plenty of active communities if you know where to look

for your friends who refuse to quit discord for some reason, matrix's ecosystem also has lots of bridges. if you're willing to self host, i recommend out of your element. the only caveat is that it doesn't support e2ee rooms

:(

4get is my new favorite

my understanding is that:

• nonbinary: identifies in any way that falls outside the woman/man gender paradigm. this includes but is not limited to agender people, and some other examples are genderfluid, bigender, and xenogender identities
• agender: lacks gender entirely or does not identify with any particular gender

so all agender people are nonbinary, but not all nonbinary people are agender

also colorado here. just rained where i'm at for first time in a couple weeks, still getting above 30c most days

Own a musket for home defense, since that's what the founding fathers intended. Four ruffians break into my house. "What the devil?" As I grab my powdered wig and Kentucky rifle. Blow a golf ball sized hole through the first man, he's dead on the spot. Draw my pistol on the second man, miss him entirely because it's smoothbore and nails the neighbors dog. I have to resort to the cannon mounted at the top of the stairs loaded with grape shot, "Tally ho lads" the grape shot shreds two men in the blast, the sound and extra shrapnel set off car alarms. Fix bayonet and charge the last terrified rapscallion. He Bleeds out waiting on the police to arrive since triangular bayonet wounds are impossible to stitch up. Just as the founding fathers intended.

yeah exactly. i find it really interesting how some people just can't separate understanding a text from internally picturing it. it makes me wonder if there's some legitimate difference in information processing, or if people who can visualize tend to associate understanding with imagining even if they're actually unrelated

as a reader and writer with aphantasia, it's literally never once mattered to me. i love a good fantasy and just don't consider visualizing an obligate part of the experience. though i could definitely understand how it might be helpful

no i don't think this is real. all his truth social posts are archived here, and it doesn't seem to be listed

i like it. helps dilute all the depressing politics in my feed