Many of you know how much I like doing #GoodBadScience and I often like doing polls. Unfortunately, mastodon doesn't do polls and images in the same post. So I'll be attaching the related poll in a response to this one (the post you are currently reading).

Among the people that are able to see my posts, how many of them are interested in rail networking? Specifically in two contexts:

1. Rail networking for trains, etc
2. Rail networking for railing me

What is the overlap, and how many know what this device is?

Disclaimer: This is a hypothetical scenario at this time

Hover to show content

Alright, I've created responses as simple yes/no to three dimensions

Trains: Yes means you like trains, railway networks and may have a special interest (even if it's mild)

Kat: Me, h3mmy, BewilderedKat, for short to meet field length restrictions. Yes means you'd be interested in rails and me. You may elaborate in comments if you'd like

Machine: Yes means you know what the machine in the picture of the parent post is, and what it implies. If you are sort of sure, then consider it a yes.

#GoodBadScience #Poll #Machines #Rails #Suggestive

@h3mmy

@SaucySwampHag
It's probably a coincidence that the full moon is a week away, right?

@h3mmy Trains (no), Kat (no, respectfully), Machine (YES 😜)

@weyward_sister

@weyward_sister
Oh my goodness, I completely missed that as a poll option!

@h3mmy I thought that the picture was a 3D printer at first lol ngl. I’m like 90% sure I know what it is now, though. the alt text gave me a very big hint

@kasdeya I love that so much. It is sort of like a 3d printer if I think about it.

@h3mmy when the subconscious mind is right on …track.

@h3mmy also I am definitely interested in this machine, and you, and this machine being used on you :P

@h3mmy Where's the poll? Yes to all <3

@kasdeya

There are some implicit bits of information in the poll. I am functionally a switch (in both sexual and non-sexual contexts) and often take the role of a stone top. So, the interest implies that people are able to imagine me in more of a bottom role (not necessarily submissive though), and that people may actually want to imagine it. That is both a self esteem boost for me, and helps quell some form of imposter syndrome that can happen.

@h3mmy ohh I see! that definitely makes sense. also I had never heard the term stone top before but that sounds like an interesting dynamic to have in a sexual or kinky context

but yeah just to be clear I’m definitely really interested in seeing you in a bottom role or a top role or anything tbh. I always love the pics that you post or the posts that you make in general

@kasdeya
Apparently us stone tops aren't super common but we're not rare either. It is mostly used in a sexual context because there is an implied expectation of "reciprocity" as in "I'll do you, then you do me" (very common, especially in the queer community). Stone tops don't usually want to be done by others, and there's variability there too as to how much contact is okay.

It's like scheduling "Do dates" where one person is doing the doing the vast majority of the time (by choice/preference)

In a kink context, the "stone" part is often superfluous because there's no implicit expectation there in my experience. And most things are pre-negotiated to a more detailed extent.

There I go infodumping again...

I'm glad you like my posts and I love how enthusiastic you are about potentially seeing me in a role. 💖

@h3mmy ohh that makes sense! I was thinking that the concept of a stone top only made sense in a sexual situation, but I didn’t want to assume. I’m glad that I was right!

and I really like your infodumps, too. I always learn something, and usually learn a lot 💙

@h3mmy based on other comments my supposition about the machine was correct and I am very interested in it but I said no because I was was 40% uncertain it was some rail network thing (never seen that light on one 🤷‍♀️)

@Oof There are lots of different ones. I kinda like the light. It gives a certain vibe. And it changes colors based on mode and speed.

A certain appeal of the machine is the unyielding, unforgiving persistence, the aura of inevitability. It demands some amount of surrender. The light adds to that vibe somehow

@h3mmy I have no special interest in trains, but I would submit to the machine and you 🥺

@nicolexyz

@h3mmy very curious about the machine. I'm so confused about it

@queenofsquiggles The machine is a hismith 3. It converts beeps and boops to linear movement.

@h3mmy ohhhhhhhhhh

So I could just.... Do this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-ryos-Xbks

@queenofsquiggles Theoretically, yes. Also theoretically you could sync it to the audio track and let it do it for you.

@h3mmy EVEN BETTER.

(But what if I recorded myself reading some erotica and programming it to be an immersive experience ? 🥰)

@queenofsquiggles I believe that _should_ be possible. I haven't actually fiddled with the programmable aspects much, so I'm not clear on the exact implementation

@h3mmy I love programming things. Might have to take a look. Especially since I want one of those machines for myself now 🥰

@queenofsquiggles In case it's helpful, it has a hardwired control as well as the ability to connect via an app. The one that seems best so far is the xtoys app which is very "hook-in-able"

@h3mmy the question this begs is is the machine in question any good? #AskingForAFriend

@not_a_label Yes, the frame is rock solid, it's easy to make small mechanical adjustments on the fly. This might be difficult for the person who needs the adjustment if they're otherwise occupied, but any nearby observers/spotters/co-conspirators can do it with minimal guidance. It's also adjustable to be completely vertical for more use cases.

There is a good amount of torque, which is essential for some folx, especially if they've been able to basically halt lower grade motors by simply "bearing down." And the fact that it's compatible with third party apps via a local API is a selling point. I haven't explored this very much on account of time and lack of drive, but it's on my list for science

@h3mmy A tempting poll for the 🧑🏻‍🔬 I am (mixed qual./quant. methods) but, elaborating my choice (III) w/o crossing a line of someone I recently started following turns out challenging for my neuroflavour, so pls bear w/ me if I do.

Working between two countries, trains are a second home to me, sigh, and there I can imagine more invigorating activities other than reading/writing theory like … Railing I guess depends on the driver & route taken & whether one-way or returned (all puns intended). That device is … familiar but visually only. Admittedly, the 3D printer appearance and WS2812 kinda lighting doesn't stir me as the toys I prefer do, but, surrendering to what you describe as »the unyielding, unforgiving persistence, the aura of inevitability« certainly does.

And yes, I too am all in for kinky info-dumps … thank you 💛🤍💜🖤

@BabyFn0rd I do like me some mixed qualitative and quantitative surveys. There are definitely implicit bits of information baked into the questions. I typically will do a summary of takeaway after my polls conclude as well. You are doing great at not crossing any lines. This specific hypothetical is me soliciting information so you can feel free to express your thoughts. My disclaimer is intended to make it clear that there is no hidden expectation built into the poll, so the boundary is clear.

The lighting isn't particularly noticeable when running. I'm not usually staring at the machine when it's use Unlike WS2812 lighting which is far more attention grabbing in my opinion. If it helps to lookup the hismith 3, it can give you a better idea of what it looks like. I'll often have a wand or two within reach in the hypothetical uses, usually it's me placing one within reach of the subject at the time they need it. Or just barely out of reach so they have to try and use their mouth words or reset their position. And of course, as you noted, part of the appeal is the »unyielding, unforgiving, inevitability«

I do have a chain of some of my kinky infodumps pinned to my profile. I'm glad you are all in for them because there's only going to be more of them from me.

@h3mmy thanks for the review - I've looked at / tried others in the past and not been impressed so it's good to get first-hand knowledge. Also, thanks for doing the science - science is important :)

@not_a_label Totally understandable. Some years ago, a smaller much weaker model was used for a pilot study and the outcome was that torque is a critical factor regardless of what bits folx have. Good science also means testing things out on a diverse sample population, and I can say the 3.0 model should be considered the minimum requirement based on data points I've collected _so far_

@h3mmy

Trains yes, kat no (I love you and your pics / work, remote control doesn’t kinda work for me, all my adventures are f2f psych based), machine oh yes!

@tempusfelix Totally understandable!

I've been running under the presumption that those that have a "Kat (no)" simply don't want to do any remote railing without ascribing any additional implications to the response. I do appreciate the extra context because it helps with later interpretation of the data. And people telling me they like my work is very motivating for doing more of that work

@h3mmy realizing I wanna change my vote from yes, yes no to yes, yes, yes. Not that that's an option I think?

@queenofsquiggles No, I don't think it's easy to change responses afterwards unless I reset it. But since it wasn't recognized at the time of the poll, it's what I'm trying to capture. I am keeping track of how many people are mentioning that they figured it out after the fact to gauge how to interpret the final numbers so that's useful!

@h3mmy Did some digging now that I'm on a PC instead of my phone. Buttplug.io (https://buttplug.io/) supports most Hismith devices. It would be trivially easy for me to make a customized application for driving it. In case you ever want something custom ❤️

Right now I like the idea of making an app with a "beat map" for audio sources kinda like what is done for Beat Saber. Except for sex toys mapping to erotic audio

Also there's tonnes of existing applications out there if you've never encountered the project: https://github.com/buttplugio/awesome-buttplug?tab=readme-ov-file#applications

@queenofsquiggles I feel like the mapping would be tricky. But I also have zero first hand experience.

It does look like a lot of simple libraries too. I've looked at butt plug.io stuff before when a partner asked if I could hook into baldurs gate 3 and do things based on the game events (like make an led strip change patterns) and the answer was, yes. Overwolf can hook into game events and even publish events to home assistant (webhook).

I've been experimenting with adding some of my serialized "stories" to twine. I wonder if I can make use of similar hooks. I'm not sure how many people would even find that usable since my stories usually leave the explicit bits as an exercise for the reader.

#applications

@queenofsquiggles @h3mmy I havent played with actuators yet, but buttplug.io is vary nice and easy to work with. The creator is actually on fedi btw

3 days left on this #Poll and 50 votes so far. Not bad in my opinion, but #GoodBadScience is often better with bigger sample sizes.

Thanks to everyone who responded to this poll and/or boosted it for visibility! I deeply appreciate your contribution to #GoodBadScience

Alright, summary of this poll about rail networking

n = 91

First I'll break down the percentages by items. The apparent discrepancy will come from the "Other" section where I'm manually adding the relevant categories

81% of respondents like trains

75% of respondents have some sort of interest in a hypothetical scenario where they are controlling the machine while it's connected to me. I left this open for voyeurs that wouldn't necessarily want control but would be interesting in observing but most people did not interpret it that way.

68% recognized what the machine was to some extent. Those that read the alt text were much more certain.

There's a lot of inferences to be made here, with the note that it applies to a fairly small but active sample of people.

One of the inferences I was hoping to make was whether people would even be able to imagine a scenario where I wasn't acting as a stone top. Based on some comments and DMs, some people interpreted the Kat category as me being on the control end of things so I can't really conclude what I thought I might.

I'm glad that I've enlightened more people as to what this machine is, and happy to note that a large number of respondents have at least some interest in regular predictable mechanical systems.

10% of respondents answered the poll solely for the interest in trains.

14% were interested in me and/or the machine but not trains.

I know there's more inferences to be made, but I feel like I will need a follow up poll to feel confident about them. Stay tuned for that!