thelarisb

[thelarisb]

Kalsada & His DeLorean

Finally! A new art piece! I've missed making art for myself and I figure making more OC art is a step in the right direction. Anyway, here's my fun demon OC Kalsada, his bowl companion Bizkitt, and his spiffy DeLorean. I've always wanted to draw this for a while now, and while I was bored one day I suddenly realized "Oh yeah I should draw this thing." It went pretty swimmingly and just 1 day later I had this. I'm pretty proud of this actually. It's art I made for me and only my enjoyment. Which I guess is what art is all about. Image attribution: Cars in Cleveland (37333602500) by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 DeLorean DMC 12 (1981) by Tim Green, CC BY 2.0

Posted using PostyBirb

[thelarisb]

Pictograms! :)

some doodles I made for my friends on the Pixel Worlds forums! [1: RetNos, 2: Greenwolfe, 3: Tumppi]

Posted using PostyBirb

[thelarisb]

Hey folks; Laris here. I'll begin posting art on here - I'll be using Postybirb for that. So you guys should see some new stuff pop up here every now and then! :)

[thelarisb]

Hi again! It's me, Laris. It's been a while since I haven't been on Tumblr; might consider revisiting Tumblr someday. Anyway, since Cohost is on its way out the door, I'll be archiving the few posts I made there. Here be dragons! Cohost doesn't seem to include date metadata, so I'll just be adding the important bits here. Most blurbs will not be archive.

Very Supremely Important Announcement That Is Of Sheer Unrivalled Importance That Is Not To Be Ignored

Just a quick update, I'm listening to house music right now house music are so great they can be all kinds of subgenres like tech house funky house disco house even acid house there might be more subgenres no one knows They're so great they are fantastic and danceable and DEFECETED RECORD why dont people like house music if I were a youtuber I would log on and do a shoutout to house music (french house) because they sound really nice the french one is really good because it has a funky something to it which i like it sounds like you're listening to a party behind a wall the acid or tech ones not so good but I love more people should find out about house music they come in different sounds and lengthe you can listen to the radio edits (BORING) or listen to the super long extended mixes (shoutout Pete Heller's Big Love) but it depends on the length of the song (see previous statements) i had house music but they were too generic probably they were EDM singles from famous pop artists like Coldplay or something not shoutout to generic pop house should out to house music mmm i love house mudic paypal me euro to buy Pete Heller's Big Love vinyl for my sad frail family with no nutrience put Pete Heller's Big Love in the record player for a fresh tip and a fresh sound i love [house music House Song of the Day - Circulation - White (Mix B) (2000)

One of my newest additions to my playlist, White (Mix B) is perhaps one of those gleaming gems you don't notice until you peek further within! As a huge French/funky/filter/whadevayawannacalllit house nerd with a crippling Pete Heller's Big Loveaddiction, this track is, honestly pretty darn great. I especially do quite like the guitar loop that's just supremely catchy - oh, and also, the breakdowns are supremely great!

I give White (Mix B) a rating of...7/10!

House song of the day - Peggy Gou - It Goes Like Nanana

as you all may (or may not) know, I am a huuuuuuuuuuuge sucker for house music from the 90s! this one isn't from the 90s (actually super recent, it came out 4 months ago as of this writing) but holy fuck it sounds-and feels-like a track straight out from the 90s. i love this! it's a little mainstream (I heard it's popular on TikTok, which I don't use) but honestly, it deserves to be. it's great.

i discovered this song while out and about on a trip. this song was too good I had to shazam it immediately LMAO. great job peggy, maybe you can go make more stuff like this (this is because i am a little too obsessed with golden-era house, like, erm, pete heller's big love)

I give It Goes Like (Nanana) a rating of...9/10! It's pretty darn great. —--

Shout-Out to...

1. Shout-out to...Rabbert Animations

Rabbert Animations is a YouTube channel and Instagram page run by an animator named...you'll never guess: Robert! Rabbert Animations features the adventures and misadventures of the titular character Rabbert and his spider friend Nestor. I especially love this one because it takes a special skill to combine animation and real life so seamlessly.

2. Shout-out to...The Duplex A86

I'm a sucker for road infrastructure! I mean...there's something cool about roads, not gonna lie. Nothing is more cool than the Duplex A86, a two-deck tunnel all packed neatly into one tube. It's also one of the longest tunnels in France, as the tunnel is 10 kilometers long. Since the tunnel consists of one tube split in half, as a result the decks have extremely low vertical clearances (just 2 meters up!) The vertical clearance in this tunnel is so low, in fact that they had to engineer brand new road signs that could be readable but take up the least amount of vertical space.

If you're interested in the Duplex A86 infrastructure, this PDF contains a lot of technical information that's worth reading!

3. Shout-out to...@al_pansi

Never underestimate phone artists. Especially someone like al pansi, a Twitter digital artist who is known for drawing on an extremely broken phone. Just how broken? I'm talking dead pixels covering at least 20% of the display, cracks all over, and screen discolorations.

Apparently, according to al, their phone turned out this way when al's mom got angry at them for missing the bus and proceeded to throw their phone really hard. Dang.

Also, apparently al does commissions. Absolute insanity. So, if you want to get al out of their phone-induced misery, maybe you can go commission them!

4. Shout-out to...etymologynerd

if you haven't heard of etymologynerd, please PLEASE please give this guy a watch! he makes reels on Instagram detailing his often random and downright bizarre analyses of language and etymology. He has done many bizarre things, including, but not limited to transcribing Minecraft mobs, analyzing keysmashes, and my personal favorite, translating the entire Navy Seals copypasta into his bird whistle language, topped off with him staring intenty at the camera and how it gets even more chaotic from then on

5. And last, shout-out to...popbob, prolific griefer in the oldest anarchy server in Minecraft

[FitMC voice] In the oldest anarchy server in Minecraft, there exists no rules. No guidelines. Just pure, unadulterated chaos. One of these people contributing to the immense chaos is Minecraft griefer popbob. Known for backdooring 2B2T twice, using thunder exploits to locate and desecrate bases, popbob is perhaps one of the most prolific griefers, and perhaps one of the most prolific Minecraft players overall.

Oh, and by the way, did you know popbob was trans? Amidst the pandemic in June of 2020, popbob changed her Minecraft skin to one that prominently features the transgender flag, as well as changing her preferred pronouns to she/her. Now that's what I call awesome. We stan a prolific transgender Minecraft griefer.

——

DaVinci Re-suffering: Dumb Simpleton Attempts To Comprehend Professional Video Editing Software (Updated Daily)

Day 1

Just installed Davinci Resolve. I've had enough of Alight Motion not having a Mac port and Capcut being unintuitive (and having goofy effects), so I'm stepping up my game. I'm downloading Davinci to free myself from this video editing purgatory.

[Installs DaVinci directly from Blackmagic's website]

Oh. Lovely. It installed a bunch of stupid other crapware I don't need. Fantastic!

[opens up Davinci and attempts to edit]

Oh my. That's a shitload of buttons. I NEED TO USE NODES!? OH GOD... wait...I NEED TO LEARN NODES TO MAKE LONG SHADOWS!? AND 3D EFFECTS!? Hey, at least that's something Capcut doesn't have...

I CAN'T PINCH-TO-ZOOM!?

Day 2

I did nada ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Day 3...I think

Watched a shit-ton of YouTube tutorials on doing 3D text in DaVinki Resolve. And you know what? I'm starting to understand the Node editor. It's confusing, yes, but, quoting DB Boulevard: It's easy from another point of view!

I've also exported my first thing - a test 3D render. It's very rough and totally not passable by LarisB™ standards - but everyone starts somewhere, I guess :)

That's all of my fairly important posts from my Cohost account that will be forever gone in a few months! I don't like lost media and i'm pretty sure my posts are rather worthless but RIP eggbug. You will fly high.

[thelarisb]

oh my god I fucking hate the tumblr community the new layout is better and I will die on this hill FULL STOP.

[thelarisb]

FUCK YOU.

[thelarisb]

The way the submarine thing is being talked about online is bizarre also because I've seen soooo many posts talking about how the passengers deserved it but like. comparatively little direct hatred towards the company that put them in this situation lol

[thelarisb]

NEW. REVAMPED. OC. REF. SHEETS. EXCLU

so a while back i had made a couple of reference sheets that were, to say the least, not exactly good. Well, what do you know, it's July and I figured why not give them a revamp? I also introduced new OCs, namely Sal Moonman and Marjorie Baxter (Marjorie was already an OC in my world back then but I just forgor to give her a ref sheet lol)!

So alright. Here goes.

Now go. Draw them. Admire them. Defect your records on them. Who knows?

[thelarisb]

forgive my ignorance but is tumblr twitterified now that's nice i guess

[thelarisb]

"don't know how to curate" you follow blogs.................................... you go to a blog, read their about if the have any, check out their archive to take a general look at the kind of things they post/reblog and you decide whether or not you're gonna follow them. you do this until you've reached a satisfactory amount of followed blogs and that's... it.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. hope this helps. i don't want to see you support the kind of bullshit staff forces down our throats again.

I hate you

[thelarisb]

shuffle mode was the greatest invention ever invented

[thelarisb]

hot take but I think this is kind of great. i don't know how to curate my timeline so Tumblr algorithm giving me posts I can pick and choose from to curate my timeline is great

Tumblr’s Core Product Strategy

Here at Tumblr, we’ve been working hard on reorganizing how we work in a bid to gain more users. A larger user base means a more sustainable company, and means we get to stick around and do this thing with you all a bit longer. What follows is the strategy we're using to accomplish the goal of user growth. The @labs group has published a bit already, but this is bigger. We’re publishing it publicly for the first time, in an effort to work more transparently with all of you in the Tumblr community. This strategy provides guidance amid limited resources, allowing our teams to focus on specific key areas to ensure Tumblr’s future.

The Diagnosis

In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience. 

Tumblr’s competitive advantage lies in its unique content and vibrant communities. As the forerunner of internet culture, Tumblr encompasses a wide range of interests, such as entertainment, art, gaming, fandom, fashion, and music. People come to Tumblr to immerse themselves in this culture, making it essential for us to ensure a seamless connection between people and content. 

To guarantee Tumblr’s continued success, we’ve got to prioritize fostering that seamless connection between people and content. This involves attracting and retaining new users and creators, nurturing their growth, and encouraging frequent engagement with the platform.

Our Guiding Principles

To enhance Tumblr’s usability, we must address these core guiding principles.

Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Retain and grow our creator base.

Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Improve the platform’s performance, stability, and quality.

Below is a deep dive into each of these principles.

Principle 1: Expand the ways new users can discover and sign up for Tumblr.

Tumblr has a “top of the funnel” issue in converting non-users into engaged logged-in users. We also have not invested in industry standard SEO practices to ensure a robust top of the funnel. The referral traffic that we do get from external sources is dispersed across different pages with inconsistent user experiences, which results in a missed opportunity to convert these users into regular Tumblr users. For example, users from search engines often land on pages within the blog network and blog view—where there isn’t much of a reason to sign up. 

We need to experiment with logged-out tumblr.com to ensure we are capturing the highest potential conversion rate for visitors into sign-ups and log-ins. We might want to explore showing the potential future user the full breadth of content that Tumblr has to offer on our logged-out pages. We want people to be able to easily understand the potential behind Tumblr without having to navigate multiple tabs and pages to figure it out. Our current logged-out explore page does very little to help users understand “what is Tumblr.” which is a missed opportunity to get people excited about joining the site.

Actions & Next Steps

Improving Tumblr’s search engine optimization (SEO) practices to be in line with industry standards.

Experiment with logged out tumblr.com to achieve the highest conversion rate for sign-ups and log-ins, explore ways for visitors to “get” Tumblr and entice them to sign up.

Principle 2: Provide high-quality content with every app launch.

We need to ensure the highest quality user experience by presenting fresh and relevant content tailored to the user’s diverse interests during each session. If the user has a bad content experience, the fault lies with the product.

The default position should always be that the user does not know how to navigate the application. Additionally, we need to ensure that when people search for content related to their interests, it is easily accessible without any confusing limitations or unexpected roadblocks in their journey.

Being a 15-year-old brand is tough because the brand carries the baggage of a person’s preconceived impressions of Tumblr. On average, a user only sees 25 posts per session, so the first 25 posts have to convey the value of Tumblr: it is a vibrant community with lots of untapped potential. We never want to leave the user believing that Tumblr is a place that is stale and not relevant. 

Actions & Next Steps

Deliver great content each time the app is opened.

Make it easier for users to understand where the vibrant communities on Tumblr are. 

Improve our algorithmic ranking capabilities across all feeds. 

Principle 3: Facilitate easier user participation in conversations.

Part of Tumblr’s charm lies in its capacity to showcase the evolution of conversations and the clever remarks found within reblog chains and replies. Engaging in these discussions should be enjoyable and effortless.

Unfortunately, the current way that conversations work on Tumblr across replies and reblogs is confusing for new users. The limitations around engaging with individual reblogs, replies only applying to the original post, and the inability to easily follow threaded conversations make it difficult for users to join the conversation.

Actions & Next Steps

Address the confusion within replies and reblogs.

Improve the conversational posting features around replies and reblogs. 

Allow engagements on individual replies and reblogs.

Make it easier for users to follow the various conversation paths within a reblog thread. 

Remove clutter in the conversation by collapsing reblog threads. 

Explore the feasibility of removing duplicate reblogs within a user’s Following feed. 

Principle 4: Retain and grow our creator base.

Creators are essential to the Tumblr community. However, we haven’t always had a consistent and coordinated effort around retaining, nurturing, and growing our creator base.  

Being a new creator on Tumblr can be intimidating, with a high likelihood of leaving or disappointment upon sharing creations without receiving engagement or feedback. We need to ensure that we have the expected creator tools and foster the rewarding feedback loops that keep creators around and enable them to thrive.

The lack of feedback stems from the outdated decision to only show content from followed blogs on the main dashboard feed (“Following”), perpetuating a cycle where popular blogs continue to gain more visibility at the expense of helping new creators. To address this, we need to prioritize supporting and nurturing the growth of new creators on the platform.

It is also imperative that creators, like everyone on Tumblr, feel safe and in control of their experience. Whether it be an ask from the community or engagement on a post, being successful on Tumblr should never feel like a punishing experience.

Actions & Next Steps

Get creators’ new content in front of people who are interested in it. 

Improve the feedback loop for creators, incentivizing them to continue posting.

Build mechanisms to protect creators from being spammed by notifications when they go viral.

Expand ways to co-create content, such as by adding the capability to embed Tumblr links in posts.

Principle 5: Create patterns that encourage users to keep returning to Tumblr.

Push notifications and emails are essential tools to increase user engagement, improve user retention, and facilitate content discovery. Our strategy of reaching out to you, the user, should be well-coordinated across product, commercial, and marketing teams.

Our messaging strategy needs to be personalized and adapt to a user’s shifting interests. Our messages should keep users in the know on the latest activity in their community, as well as keeping Tumblr top of mind as the place to go for witty takes and remixes of the latest shows and real-life events.  

Most importantly, our messages should be thoughtful and should never come across as spammy.  

Actions & Next Steps

Conduct an audit of our messaging strategy.

Address the issue of notifications getting too noisy; throttle, collapse or mute notifications where necessary.  

Identify opportunities for personalization within our email messages. 

Test what the right daily push notification limit is. 

Send emails when a user has push notifications switched off.

Principle 6: Performance, stability and quality.

The stability and performance of our mobile apps have declined. There is a large backlog of production issues, with more bugs created than resolved over the last 300 days. If this continues, roughly one new unresolved production issue will be created every two days. Apps and backend systems that work well and don't crash are the foundation of a great Tumblr experience. Improving performance, stability, and quality will help us achieve sustainable operations for Tumblr.

Improve performance and stability: deliver crash-free, responsive, and fast-loading apps on Android, iOS, and web.

Improve quality: deliver the highest quality Tumblr experience to our users. 

Move faster: provide APIs and services to unblock core product initiatives and launch new features coming out of Labs.

Conclusion

Our mission has always been to empower the world’s creators. We are wholly committed to ensuring Tumblr evolves in a way that supports our current users while improving areas that attract new creators, artists, and users. You deserve a digital home that works for you. You deserve the best tools and features to connect with your communities on a platform that prioritizes the easy discoverability of high-quality content. This is an invigorating time for Tumblr, and we couldn’t be more excited about our current strategy.

[thelarisb]

I am so confused at how my moots get some of the coolest stuff on their timeline while I'm just standing here completely Unaware of how to even curate their own feed

[thelarisb]

[thelarisb]

Today, one of my second graders was working on shape name recognition, and we got to this picture of a pyramid shape with a wide-ish base. When he saw it, his eyes lit up and he turned to me with a huge grin on his face, pointed at it, and said "When the teacher forgets to assign homework" before bursting out into hysterics, covering his mouth and giggling. I don't understand what happened except this kid CLEARLY knows about the strong comedic and memeable value of mathematical shapes and emotions that I, an old millennial, cannot comprehend I did, however, try to recreate this moment as the meme this child must have seen in his head

[thelarisb]

Trying out a pattern based off of 1997 titanic :3c

[thelarisb]

“It’s been 84 years, and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was.”