Reject Convenience Forum

Latest Videos :: Re: What if you can't reject convenience? :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-02T14:04:54+00:00

Great video! I'll be sharing it with a few communities that need to hear the overall message! Keep it up!

Latest Videos :: Re: What if you can't reject convenience? :: Reply by angly

2025-03-02T17:02:48+00:00

Web browsers for social media apps mentioned!! Said this before and I'll say it again, web versions are a fairly functional intermediate between reducing the addictiveness of Instagram, and interacting with creators and friends.

Introductions :: Re: Hey, I'm Q! :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T02:01:44+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 7:54 pm Welcome from me to!

Love seeing new People jumping into Linux.
As Seasnail puts it people love to argue about what Distro is better and who does stuff the right way. It's often just an Ideological Fight between Nerds . What ever Works for you is the Right Choice. If you ever want to distro hop I recommend doing it on a Second Device or have a Stable Device as Backup if possible. So you can still jump back in an Emergency.
I remember when I started to majorly Distro hopping and only had my Desktop as a PC, oh boy the amount of rushed reinstall I had to do, because X thing I need didn't work on Distro I wanted to try out and now had to use X thing. What a pain, but Informative.

As somebody who loves tinkering with Software and Hardware doodads I love modding and hacking stuff. I hate it how Company have made their Hardware more Closed of so you can't mod it or even Repair it as well. I am lucky I have access to the local CCC to use their Workshop when messing with a particular Nasty Hardware pieces.

Hey there Rooster! Good tips good tips, thanks so much!
Got the drive I mentioned earlier in the thread. It has 2TB and I'm planning to partition it 50/50, so I do have a way to backup my stuff if I do wanna try something new... but I think that will just consist of me running a live install off a USB for a day tbh
too scary to think about accidentally wiping my stuff clean, aaaa!

Totally agree with you, it's so annoying trying to meddle with new tech without voiding a warranty or whatever. I'm learning a lot from family members who are also into this kind of thing, so I'm not entirely in the dark, but yeah, right to repair all the way! Especially when companies don't offer any help after a device gets discontinued (except, somehow, Nintendo in certain places? Who can quote you a price for repair parts for the 3DS and ship them to you? It was weird to heard about, need to look into that).

CCC = Chaos Computer Club; looked into that, sounds like an awesome group with great people

Introductions :: Re: Hey, I'm Q! :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T12:07:08+00:00

Making the move to Linux is a whole learning journey that I'm sure you wont regret even if for some reason you don't stick with it, you seem to have the right mindset going into it though so you'll probable be in it for good!! I my self have suck with Arch Linux for a couple of years now and I don't think I'll be distro hopping any time soon, the way Arch works and just expects us, the users, to set up our system how we want it to be and manage it ourselves is exactly the king of agency I was looking for after leaving Windows and the kind of changes that Microsoft constantly does to it, that being said it is a lot of work to keep it working well for most people (but as a pretty big nerd I really enjoy it ).

And like others said don't let anyone pressure you into jumping into any other distro becayse it is "better", they are all good, they just operate in different ways that might fit better or worse into your workflow and preferences, so explore at your own leisure and if something is not working for you in a particular distro's default configuration chances are you can tweak it or outright change it without hopping to a different one.

It is pretty smart of you to have a separate partition for data you want to keep in case you decide to hop (I wish i thought of that when i was first starting on Linux ) just be careful to not wipe the whole drive if you do decide to try some different distro, I would also recommend you invest some time in learning the basics of QEMU/KVM virtual machines to try quickly try out different distros in a risk free virtual machine if you are curious about some specific aspect of some distro like a different package management or maybe even a different desktop environment without messing up your own configurations.

I also want to agree, Right to repair all the way!

Introductions :: Re: Hello! I'm Sola! :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T12:25:23+00:00

Sola991 wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:57 pm I have tried installing Bazzite on my Pavilion but it had problems with the install and being unable to boot once it was installed on the hard drive so I swapped over to Ubuntu because I know they have steam support. I also want to get a few desktops from the late 90's and early 2000's. Like one or two. One to run 98 and the other to run XP.

I've personally been running Steam on Arch Linux on my main computer for years and I'm still constantly surprised by how much out-of-the-box it has been. Turns out that there is a thing called "Steam Runtime" that to me seems like a part of an Ubuntu filesystem that includes a bunch of libraries and devs can use to build games in, and when you download a game that was built using it Steam also downloads it so the game should run the same (compatibility wise, not accounting for wine/proton) no matter the distro which is pretty cool.

I also am a sucker for old tech (you might be able to tell by the CDE styling on my website ), I do have a desktop computer form (I believe) 1997 running Windows 95 that I sometimes play around with, and It always makes me sad when I use it because despite the very limited hardware of the time period it is still a respectable office machine, it still runs the old Microsoft office suite like an absolute champ and in a lot of cases faster than the modern PC I have to use at work, it makes me wonder what would be of modern Windows it it didn't turn into the corporate data gathering spyware that it is today (along with most of the web).

Introductions :: Salutations everyone :: Author SergioEduP

2025-03-02T11:50:10+00:00

Heya I'm Sergio, and I just realized yesterday that I never got around to create an account and introduce myself here even though Reject Convenience was the channel that actually pushed me to start this journey of creating my own website and, well, rejecting the convenience (and constant tracking) of big tech in December last year.

I am a pretty big nerd and a maker from Portugal who also has a couple of hobbies (maybe to many hobbies) of which include:

Gaming,
Sketching,
3D modeling for 3D printing,
Designing and making things that I use like furniture or accessories,
Coding,
Reading,
Photography,
Learning (currently learning to play the drums and Japanese)

As of right now I'm doing my best to fight my anxiety and reduce my dependence on big (mainly American) tech companies, among other small projects, and I'm posting about those things on my web blog on my own website if you want to read more about it.

I fully endorse the use and creation of Free and Open Source Software, mandatory "I Run Arch BTW™" for a few years and being forced to use Windows at work makes me more sure every day that I'm not going back to in on any of my personal machines. And even after the PR team of Mozilla pulled a bit of a stunt that eroded the trust that we as a community had on them recently I still stand by Firefox as a software (at least for now) even though I can't really say the same for Mozilla themselves, but we can only hope that the changes in the TOS don't also mean a change on how the company operates as a whole (as they do make sense for some of the services that they provide, just not for the browser itself IMO), never the less I've been exploring some forks and I'm sticking with Zen as I really like the way it looks and it also stands for a cleaner and more private way of browsing the web.

Anyway I think that is about it for my little introduction, I will also be making some other posts in a bit on other sections of the forum but for now I want to thank Reject Convenience for being that little push that I needed to start making my own website and freeing myself from the self-imposed shackles of modern social media and big tech.

Introductions :: Re: Salutations everyone :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T12:36:27+00:00

Hey there Sergio, welcome to the forum

lol your hobbies are kind of like mine! Lucky you having a 3D printer, they’re so cool… and props to you for learning Japanese, best of luck!
What kind of games do you play and what do you like to draw?

Heck yeah, FOSS rules I’m trying to hunt down some software alternatives for my Linux move but I don’t think I’m going to be able to swap over from everything due to my window of tolerance, like Spotify. It has its flaws (like massive massive flaws) but I’m gonna be staying for a little longer unfortunately because I haven’t found a decent alternative that’ll still benefit artists, besides buying what I can from Bandcamp. What FOSS programs do you use?

I’m with you, I’m not sure how I feel about Mozilla as of late with the update we got, but I’m not entirely inclined to switch browsers again, not yet. I really don’t want to lose what I already have with them despite the new wording, even if it sucks :/
How is Zen? Do you get a lot of customisation and extensions?

Can’t wait to see you around here more, will definitely keep an eye on your website

Introductions :: Re: Salutations everyone :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-02T15:49:44+00:00

Servus Sergio and welcome to the Forum,

It is nice seeing you here! I love reading your Posts and you Journey to fight Anxiety, but you know that already .
I hope this week went great for you with your Projects.

I agree with the Mozilla thing, but the ToU sadly is directed at Firefox, and while nothing technical in Firefox exist to gather a worrying amount Information. The Legal Aspect is just to broad and shouldn't be Accepted that way it Is.
I have been using Zen for the past half Year, and it has been very Good Experience, but changed a lot in that time. It is now in the Beta, so less major change, but it is still changing a lot. So be careful.

Introductions :: Re: Salutations everyone :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T16:01:43+00:00

Heya Q!
I'm thankful to be in a position where I can afford to buy cool toys like my 3D printers, it never gets old to watch them print something that I designed it's almost hypnotic!

As of right now I think my game collection is over (or at least close to) 600 games across multiple platforms ranging from the Sega Genesis/Megadrive to last gen Xbox, but the ones I find myself coming back to regularly are Minecraft, OpenTTD, Pistol Whip, the two Portal games (my favorite games of all time), BeamNG Drive and Factorio. But I play most kinds of games, especially if they are multiplayer since there is a lot of possibilities to just mess around with friends.

As for drawing so far it's been mostly geometric slightly abstract shapes and simple objects and simple concept sketches of the things that I want to 3d print to get a sense of proportions and sometimes scale before jumping into CAD, but more recently as I started to read a bunch of manga and watching more anime I've gotten more interest in the styles and content of those series that I'm enjoying, I'm not particularly good at drawing from imagination yet but I'm happy with how I'm improving

Just looking at my favorite pins on my start menu I have Blender, OpenSCAD, FreeCAD, QCAD, Inkscape, Krita, GIMP, Librespite and Code-OSS installed right now, I can also think of Godot, 0AD, OpenTTD, Audacity, Firefox/Zen, not to mention the entire desktop environment and countless tools that are part of KDE/Gnome projects and command line tools that I've got so accustomed to use that I don't even think about them anymore (some might have more permissive license than others but as far as I'm concerned they all seem to fit really well into the whole FOSS philosophy). And like you I've also been looking for an alternative, in my case to YouTube Music, but I'm not too bothered with using it since YouTube Premium also sends some money towards creators that I enjoy watching and I've managed to reduce a lot of the things that annoy me on YouTube.

And I'm really liking Zen so far, extensions wise it's based on Firefox so pretty much all of the same extensions seem to work, I say pretty much all because Zen changes the UI a bit so those might not work but they added their own "Zen Mods" for the UI so it still offers a great deal of customization by the community, I am personally using Zen's compact mode with the tabs on the left side of the screen, it's taking a bit of mental effort to move the mouse to the side of the screen instead of the top (Breaking over two decades of a habit is not easy) but I really like how clean it looks and works.

I want to wish you the best of luck with your Linux journey! I would be happy to help you with it if I'm able to, as the old saying goes "the more you know, the more you realize you don't know", and after over a decade using Linux regularly, and about 6 years "full time" on my personal computers I understand that I only scratched the tip of the iceberg.

QueriesNTheories wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 12:36 pm Hey there Sergio, welcome to the forum

lol your hobbies are kind of like mine! Lucky you having a 3D printer, they’re so cool… and props to you for learning Japanese, best of luck!
What kind of games do you play and what do you like to draw?

Heck yeah, FOSS rules I’m trying to hunt down some software alternatives for my Linux move but I don’t think I’m going to be able to swap over from everything due to my window of tolerance, like Spotify. It has its flaws (like massive massive flaws) but I’m gonna be staying for a little longer unfortunately because I haven’t found a decent alternative that’ll still benefit artists, besides buying what I can from Bandcamp. What FOSS programs do you use?

I’m with you, I’m not sure how I feel about Mozilla as of late with the update we got, but I’m not entirely inclined to switch browsers again, not yet. I really don’t want to lose what I already have with them despite the new wording, even if it sucks :/
How is Zen? Do you get a lot of customisation and extensions?

Can’t wait to see you around here more, will definitely keep an eye on your website

Introductions :: Re: Salutations everyone :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T16:09:30+00:00

Heya Julian, happy to see you here too ,

I just don't want to jump into conclusions with Firefox and Mozilla, as long as they stay open with the code and the community can keep an eye on it I'll still be happy to use and recommend (even if with some caution and warnings) it but if they start to make more aggressive changes with proprietary blobs and data collection I will fully abandon them. They would be no different than Google and Chrome.

I started using Zen about two weeks ago and I'm really liking how it looks and works, I'm not afraid of change and I'm fully aware that it is almost certain that a Beta software will change, but as long as it respects the users I'm happy, and judging by their website they seem to have a pretty clear goal of what they want their browser to be so I'm staying with it at least for now.

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 3:49 pm Servus Sergio and welcome to the Forum,

It is nice seeing you here! I love reading your Posts and you Journey to fight Anxiety, but you know that already .
I hope this week went great for you with your Projects.

I agree with the Mozilla thing, but the ToU sadly is directed at Firefox, and while nothing technical in Firefox exist to gather a worrying amount Information. The Legal Aspect is just to broad and shouldn't be Accepted that way it Is.
I have been using Zen for the past half Year, and it has been very Good Experience, but changed a lot in that time. It is now in the Beta, so less major change, but it is still changing a lot. So be careful.

Introductions :: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Author jbriones95

2025-03-02T14:02:23+00:00

Jose Briones here. I make videos on dumbphones and love interacting with communities that are hoping to regain their privacy, sanity, and well-being. Glad to be a resource for people if they have questions about basic phones

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T15:00:39+00:00

Hey Jose, welcome!
Cool little website and tool you've got there, very cool looking
Can't wait to hear more from you, your channel looks pretty informative!

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-13T15:44:02+00:00

Yahallo Jose, I'm interested to see your videos about dumbphone, do you upload it to youtube? If you could link it here that would be nice

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-16T10:29:32+00:00

Welcome ! We definitely more "dumbphone" reviews out there !

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-18T01:04:25+00:00

DedRoll wrote: Thu Mar 13, 2025 3:44 pm Yahallo Jose, I'm interested to see your videos about dumbphone, do you upload it to youtube? If you could link it here that would be nice

Yes. Here is a link https://www.youtube.com/@JoseBriones

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by MikeGs

2025-03-24T23:42:02+00:00

Hi Jose! I've been following you for years now, glad to see you around here!

Btw, your dumbphone finder tool is great, you should be posting about it ^^

Introductions :: Re: Hello! Dumbphone enthusiast here :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-27T00:47:27+00:00

MikeGs wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:42 pm Hi Jose! I've been following you for years now, glad to see you around here!

Btw, your dumbphone finder tool is great, you should be posting about it ^^

Appreciate it . Glad I can be helpful!

Introductions :: Re: Introduce yourself! :: Reply by thequadehunter

2025-03-03T01:18:10+00:00

Hi there. It's been a long time since I used an actual forum.

I'm Zach. I've been wanting to get rid of my smartphone for a while now, but had all kinds of excuses. I know for a fact I am addicted. In fact, I've been prettymuch addicted to computers since I was a kid, for better or for worse. I remember in 2003 as an 8 year old I used to daydream about having a device where I could be connected to the internet all the time. Now I'm looking to be disconnected more.

I had the same excuse for selling my car a few years ago. I live in a big city but people generally still prefer to drive here. I remember having all kinds of excuses about transit timing, my work situation, etc until someone at work who doesn't drive finally said "why don't you just try it for a week and see how it goes?"

It turns out, it was great. It is less convenient, but I was way less stressed all the time. I wasn't driving in traffic, and I actually got some walking in every day. It took about 45 minutes to get to work compared to 30 by driving. It was really, really hard to justify paying thousands of dollars to save 30 minutes a day. It's not even 30 minutes saved anyways, since I am able to catch up with people and actually enjoy my time on the bus.

Same thing happened with switching to Linux. I made all kind of excuses until I decided to just give it a shot, and it turned out I loved it.

Now I'm hoping to do the same thing with my smartphone. It's a way bigger problem than those other 2 things and I genuinely believe it's turning me into a worse person. I deal with security incidents at work, so I made the case that I should have a work phone for cybersec reasons and got approved, haha. I'm going to need that for MFA and email and all that stuff. Maybe GPS too. But...once I have that, I'm saying goodbye to my iPhone. At this point I've learned that life is a lot better when you reject the American idea that everything has to be as personalized and convenient as possible.

Anyways, I'm glad this forum exists. Thank you Reject Convenience for giving a voice to our concerns. These past few years of taking control of my life and health have been great.

Introductions :: Re: Introduce yourself! :: Reply by 11ofcups

2025-03-04T19:57:05+00:00

Hi yall! I'm 11ofcups but if you really want you can call me Sadie. I'm a full time power chair user and a lesbian, and I spend a lot of my time making zines and doing cross stitch. I'm in my mid-20s and will hopefully be going back to uni soon to study English Lit. Due to my health issues I do spend a lot of time online but I'm working to be more mindful about how I do it, and it's been really rewarding so far :] I'm hoping to make a simple website to be able to showcase my art online! It's nice to meet yall!

Introductions :: Re: Introduce yourself! :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-05T19:08:19+00:00

Hello hello! I'm Ray. I found Reject Convenience's channel, and this forum very recently through his latest video, and I thought this place looked really cool!
I'm currently 22 (though not for long) and I didn't have internet access until the 2010s, meaning that rather than forums and personal websites, my first experience was that of platforms and, later on, social media. I've never participated in a forum before, so I'm excited to learn what this experience is like.
What else can I say? I'm Argentinian, I'm a furry, I love Star Trek, videogames and ska (my current favorite bands are WDK and Skabidean), and I'm autistic.

For quite a while now I've cared about internet privacy, and despised the direction that software and the internet have taken, but I don't know much more about protecting my privacy than the average person. My big "awakening" moment happened around September of last year when I made an Instagram account (a bunch of local businesses and venues operate ONLY on Instagram), and found keeping up with another social media app extremely overwhelming. Then, on a trip with my family, my phone broke down and being left completely disconnected from all the distractions and stresses associated with my phone was such a gift that even now that I have a new one, I'm taking steps to minimise its usage as much as I can.

Glad to be here ^^

Introductions :: Re: Introduce yourself! :: Reply by Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-29T18:01:23+00:00

11ofcups wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 7:57 pm Hi yall! I'm 11ofcups but if you really want you can call me Sadie. I'm a full time power chair user and a lesbian, and I spend a lot of my time making zines and doing cross stitch. I'm in my mid-20s and will hopefully be going back to uni soon to study English Lit. Due to my health issues I do spend a lot of time online but I'm working to be more mindful about how I do it, and it's been really rewarding so far :] I'm hoping to make a simple website to be able to showcase my art online! It's nice to meet yall!

As long as they don't break the rules of this forum, I would love to see some of your zines.

Self Promotion :: Q's Internet Trinkets :) :: Author QueriesNTheories

2025-03-03T11:45:43+00:00

Hey all,

Figured I'd make a little thread to promote my massive list of Stuff I've collected, but I'd also like your help with pulling it away from where it's hosted. ;w;

My site, Q's Internet Trinkets, is full of 280 links of useful sites and tools and games that I like/make use of/recommend to others, as well as suggestions/things I've found from friends and family. Where one data-hungry utility exists, there's probably something on this site that could replace it, so as to get away from the hellscape that is our increasingly monopolised internet. I try to make sure most of the links are free to access, cause if you're already paying for internet every month I don't think you should be forking out more money just to be making it liveable for yourself.
In short, we deserve better as netizens, and people are out there making things that prove just that (like what Anthony is doing with the channel and this forum).

Now here's the part where I need some help.
The whole thing is hosted on Notion. I'm planning to sit down and take the time to evaluate its privacy policy soon, but with its AI being a baked in thing on the site (it's not even useful for building the site for me, not unless I give them money) I am less and less inclined to keep the site there forever. My HTML experience is rusty at best, let alone anything like CSS, hence why I went there in the first place... but do you reckon moving everything to a NeoCities page is the best option?

My alternative (albiet lazy) idea was to rebuild the site from the ground up on StrawPage with a new email, but I don't want to do that either. The whole site on Notion is essentially a database with a hat on, with Notion taking everything from the stuff in the database and outputting it into those little boxes you see on the page. I really don't want to have to redo my entire database that I've been working on for *checks watch* six months...

What do I do here? And on that note, any suggestions for new links to add?
I was planning to scoop up a few links from the Cool Websites subforum but I feel weird doing that. I'm instead going to mark this forum as a "Site Like This" where people can go look at the subforum if they feel inclined.

Self Promotion :: Re: Q's Internet Trinkets :) :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-03T14:18:11+00:00

Thats a Really cool Project, have to dive deeper to explore all the Links. But I have already seen some cool ones

As it looks Notion offers an Export to HTML, it most likely won't be styled nicely, but can be a good starting Point to convert your Project to a Website.
Another Option is Exporting it to Markdown and CSV, to have it in a way where you can somewhat easily reorganize and in the Future use an SSG (Static Site Generators) to get a basic site rendered from the Files.

On the Hosting Side I can't tell you much, the only thing I can recommend you is to stay with a Standard Format like HTML, Markdown etc. So you can easily get up and move it to a new Platform. And don't get Vendor Locked in

Self Promotion :: Re: Q's Internet Trinkets :) :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-15T17:41:20+00:00

Yess, I love this !!! Websites that curate art/other websites are my absolute favorite.

The problem isn't that there aren't enough things on the internet imo, it's that cool things have become too hard to find.

I especially like that you made use of the notion tag system, so much info at a glance ! I already discovered a lot of cool websites at a glance. Love it love it

Self Promotion :: Just finished rebuilding my website :: Author SergioEduP

2025-03-17T22:43:59+00:00

I finally stopped procrastinating and finished re-building my website to be more responsive (by using less, see none, iframes/frames), it was fairly straight forward since the general design is still the same.

And as a nice little bonus I can finally link to individual pages properly now so here is my blog

https://sergioedup.com/blog/

I will be writing a blog post about this rework and what else has been going on but right now it is already too late so I'll have to go get some sleep.

Self Promotion :: Re: Just finished rebuilding my website :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-18T02:35:54+00:00

Ey, I like your website!! Not much I have to say about it, other than I really like the style, and I took the computer geek quiz linked to in your About section and got a 50 :b

Self Promotion :: Re: Just finished rebuilding my website :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-18T11:41:03+00:00

Nice! I see that you're going with more simpler design now, not in a bad way. It does look more organize!

Currently i'm having trouble understanding the css/html. It doesn't do what i have in mind and i don't have all day to try figuring it out.

Self Promotion :: Re: Just finished rebuilding my website :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-18T19:58:42+00:00

Ray Karr wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 2:35 am Ey, I like your website!! Not much I have to say about it, other than I really like the style, and I took the computer geek quiz linked to in your About section and got a 50 :b

DedRoll wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 11:41 am Nice! I see that you're going with more simpler design now, not in a bad way. It does look more organize!

Thank you both! I also like both of your websites and art!

DedRoll wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 11:41 am Currently i'm having trouble understanding the css/html. It doesn't do what i have in mind and i don't have all day to try figuring it out.

Shortly after turning off my PC I noticed that my website is also not working as expected on mobile, so I'm by no means an expert (there is sooo much CSS and HTML stuff). What I do is use my browser's dev tools to mess around with CSS values like position and sizes then I write them down on the actual files. And also as a bonus tip, avoid using absolute units like "px" if you intend your website to be seen on different displays (it is what is causing issues on my website and apparently is not good practice unless you know for certain the size and density of the display that your pages will be on)

Self Promotion :: Re: Just finished rebuilding my website :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-18T20:03:12+00:00

SergioEduP wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 7:58 pm avoid using absolute units like "px" if you intend your website to be seen on different displays

ooooohhh, I hadn't thought of that! I've just been using the media query and manually testing stuff

Self Promotion :: my neocities site! :: Author bellito

2025-03-01T23:23:04+00:00

its pretty bare bones and fairly outdated right now, I need to lock in and actually flesh out the pages lol

but here it is !
https://bellito.neocities.org/

I just wanted a place to be able to plaster the things I like somewhere, you know?

Self Promotion :: Re: my neocities site! :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T12:22:52+00:00

Awww, this is such a cute little website! Love the sparkly cursor effect in particular, and your bible corner is so sweetly put together <3 love the colours

Can’t wait to see how it develops and to learn about your OCs!!

Self Promotion :: Re: my neocities site! :: Reply by artielas

2025-03-02T16:55:12+00:00

Oh this is so cute!! I agree, the gifs, and sparkly effects on the custom cursor, are such fun touches, this is adorable! Honestly reminds me that I need to work on a custom cursor for my site, this is well put together for a starting site :D

I also need to flesh out my site more too, can't wait to see what your OCs are like :o

Self Promotion :: Re: my neocities site! :: Reply by MSpaint_Bunny

2025-03-23T07:48:03+00:00

Very cool! also very nice CD collection tons of great albums

Self Promotion :: Re: my neocities site! :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-25T13:38:41+00:00

omg!!! a cd collection section!!!! What a lovely idea!
now I wanna make something similar on mine...........

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-13T12:57:32+00:00

I love how messy and rudimentary it all looks. Really bursts with personality !

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-13T13:30:05+00:00

I love this goober

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-14T21:18:59+00:00

had a really good time on the website- i used the name quinn (good luck beating 72 everybody)
i'll be honest though, i got to number 2 on the leaderboard before i asked my pals for help which got me to number one, so full credit to my friends Taylor (not the taylor mentioned in that question) Ellie and Snooz for being my phone-a-friend passes for like three questions

the physics questions suck though oh my god. my god you are either very smart or i have zero braincells xD

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by kwek

2025-03-19T12:19:28+00:00

QueriesNTheories wrote: Fri Mar 14, 2025 9:18 pm had a really good time on the website- i used the name quinn (good luck beating 72 everybody)
i'll be honest though, i got to number 2 on the leaderboard before i asked my pals for help which got me to number one, so full credit to my friends Taylor (not the taylor mentioned in that question) Ellie and Snooz for being my phone-a-friend passes for like three questions

the physics questions suck though oh my god. my god you are either very smart or i have zero braincells xD

Wow oh my god you completely annihilated the quiz. I've never seen someone so dedicated to beat it, wow. Thank you for spending so much time on it :). I am so happy someone finally figured out that you can find the answers to more than half of the questions by literally just reading my site. Thank you so much for this lmao I had a lot of fun reading through your answers :). I am very curious about which questions you needed your friends for. If you want to you can hit me up to talk about it :)

The physics questions are just things I learned during my electronics bachelor, so dw about having zero braincells. (Pretty sure you are the first person to actually use their brain on this quiz lol. Excepting maybe Troy, the previous 1st place holder, he's pretty good at it as well)

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-24T12:30:24+00:00

kwek wrote: Wed Mar 19, 2025 12:19 pm Wow oh my god you completely annihilated the quiz. I've never seen someone so dedicated to beat it, wow. Thank you for spending so much time on it . I am so happy someone finally figured out that you can find the answers to more than half of the questions by literally just reading my site. Thank you so much for this lmao I had a lot of fun reading through your answers . I am very curious about which questions you needed your friends for. If you want to you can hit me up to talk about it

The physics questions are just things I learned during my electronics bachelor, so dw about having zero braincells. (Pretty sure you are the first person to actually use their brain on this quiz lol. Excepting maybe Troy, the previous 1st place holder, he's pretty good at it as well)

that's what happens when you give someone with too much free time a pointless quiz lol
i'll DM you on discord

Self Promotion :: Re: My website :: Reply by Offline

2025-03-28T00:16:39+00:00

Neat site

Phones :: Re: Thoughts on the Punkt MP02? :: Reply by Kolev

2025-03-02T23:46:30+00:00

I'm tempted to get one, if I weren't already invested in my SIP home phone! The interface is gorgeous. Physical buttons and clean (almost Zune-like) UI.

I see it supports Signal. Does it support XMPP? My primary messaging is XMPP.

Phones :: Re: Thoughts on the Punkt MP02? :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-03T00:35:11+00:00

No XMPP. I did end up getting the phone a couple of weeks ago. I'll write a full review on this forum once I feel I've had enough time with it.

Phones :: Re: Ringtone and UI sound discussion :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-03T10:30:16+00:00

Tried to use Zedge with an old iPhone once... didn't work out :/
I used the "download your sound then put it into garageband then export to ringtone" method lol
I have a penchance for chiptune sounds and the old-school Nokia ringtones personally!
Espionage pops up in my head every now and then

Phones :: Re: Thoughts on LineageOS? :: Reply by gquirt

2025-03-07T08:49:17+00:00

I highly recommend /e/OS. It's a fork of Lineage OS that focuses on even further degoogling, privacy, and usability by non techy people. I've been using it for over a year now and it's been great. Banking apps and other usual pain points work out of the box. (I don't use any Google apps though.)

The bliss launcher it comes with is a little too like iOS for me, so I installed Lawnchair. I also got a version of the Google Pixel camera app that was ported to my device (Asus Zenfone 8) and it low key takes better photos than the stock app.

The community in their forum is also super helpful. I ran into some pretty significant snags with my install and there were people there to help me out. Just a few weeks ago I posted about a minor issue I had and someone even reported a bug for me.

That being said, I haven't ever actually used Lineage OS. I switched from the stock rom to degoogle and /e/ OS is better in that respect by all accounts, so there wasn't really a contest for me.

Phones :: Re: What phone are you using? :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-02T14:11:22+00:00

Light Phone 2 for personal. Jelly Star for work.

Phones :: Re: What phone are you using? :: Reply by gquirt

2025-03-10T02:04:58+00:00

I'm using an Asus Zenfone 8 with /e/ OS.

I needed a small phone (screen size > 6 in.), with at least midrange performance, that has a headphones jack. This was the only thing on the market at the time that fit those two qualifications. Since then, an unlockable bootloader has also become a must. As far as I know, there aren't any phones on the market at the moment that meet my meds. (If you know otherwise, please enlighten me!) Asus took away the ability to unlock the bootloader on this phone after I unlocked mine, so I can't even replace it if it breaks.

It's been a great phone. Blazing fast, quality cameras, and surprisingly good battery life. I refuse to ever use a dumbphone because of how insecure and non-private phone calls and especially texts are.

Email, music, navigation apps, and a good camera are a must have for me. I certainly waste time on YouTube, but I'm pretty good at being productive with my phone otherwise.

Phones :: Re: What phone are you using? :: Reply by drmollytov

2025-03-12T10:45:06+00:00

I currently have a Sony Xperia 10iii running Sailfish OS. I considered switching to a dumbphone, but I travel enough and have weird enough dietary needs to be uncomfortable not having access to search in my pocket. This also allows me to change my tickets on the go if I need to (and I often do).

Sailfish is by far the best custom ROM I've ever used, in terms of UI. I haven't attempted or yet read a meaningful comparison of security measures.

I love it so much I actually looked up writing apps for it. Two weeks ago I would have sworn I had zero interest in writing an app! Sailfish offers a purpose-built IDE for this and an active community of people who are as in love with this OS as I am.

It will run .apk files if you install them as admin, so I can have any app that doesn't absolutely require Google Play in order to run. So far, I've found two apps that claim they need Play access but don't and one that won't even launch without it. The one that won't launch without it gives access to all the same info on its website, though, so that's just less clutter on my phone.

Also, there's a terminal on my phone. Lynx and tilde server access on the go? yes, please.

Phones :: Re: What phone are you using? :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-16T10:54:29+00:00

I'm currently daily driving a OnePlus 12 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage), and I absolutely love it.

I've had a OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 8T, and now a OnePlus 12. Each phone has lasted me about 4 years each. I really like the longevity of OnePlus batteries, I could easily push the battery to last 2 days if I wanted to (I have).

The "High Battery Saving Mode" gives a dumbphone-esq mode that limits you to 6 apps and only has the bear necessities.

However, the phone's screen is also nearly 4k when needed, and can push to very high fps, but the phone can adapt depending on what you're watching/playing.

Lots of other features I love, like the screen unlock & fingerprint sensor below the screen...

Cherry on top for me is the physical side button to switch between ring, vibrate and silent mode.

Apps: Okay, so my favorite and most used app EVER isn't available anymore, and I'm super mad. Spren notification manager is an app that's basically a tray/buffer for your notifications. I hate getting notifications I don't want, and now, social network apps harass you with irrelevant notifications when you stop using their apps, even if you already turned them off. Thing is, I don't want to just shut off insta notifications, because I still talk to friends on there. Spren is the PERFECT solution, because now, notifications that are judged not "imperative" are, by default, sent straight to the spren tray, that I can see at a glance at any time. The app is not available on the store anymore, but I can confirm that downloading the apk from an apk site and installing the app still resulted in it working perfectly. Just make sure there's no virus beforehand.

I also am running the Smart launcher. I remember seeing a video like a decade ago about how to easily reduce your phone time, and I haven't been able to find it since. But the jist of it was the "One Page Principle", something like that. Basically, keep your apps page only as your main phone page. If you need more space for apps you can create folders, but that's it. I get that this might be harder to do on Iphones, but on android, you just have to turn off "automatic icon creation" when you download an app.

Phones :: Google secretly download this app to your android phone! :: Author DedRoll

2025-03-18T12:15:40+00:00

So Google secretly install Android System SafetyCore without you knowing and can scan all your photo

Sneaking this "Safety" app to your phone without your permission is already a red flag! Please check your android phone.

Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgtH58FLEkY

Phones :: Re: Google secretly download this app to your android phone! :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-18T12:55:02+00:00

So various outlets say different things about this.

Fact is that this is being installed on Android 9+ devices with 2+GB of memory by the Google Play Services and is being classified as a system service.
Here is what Google has to say: Google Security Blog Documentation

I don't want to reiterate speculations by others what this really does on your phone. Depending on the sources it is either meant for scanning content and filtering/warning users; flagging illegal content; or providing the underlying "AI" models for various other tasks including the above.
Some opinions and commentary to consider:
Graphene OS developers (Warning link to Ex-Twitter)
The Hacker News
Dedoimedo
Protectstar

Phones :: Re: Google secretly download this app to your android phone! :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-20T07:17:40+00:00

So I checked and this is on my phone.

I'll be honest, I don't want to fuel conspiracy theories, but I also just don't trust a company that can't keep it's "don't be evil" mantra. If their intentions were good, why would they not announce this change in a more open way? Why didn't I get a notification.

I'll let the tech analysis be done by people more skilled and knowledgeable than me in that aspect, but I really REALLY don't like it

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-02T14:03:42+00:00

I'm excited about it. It will be the first mainstream dumbphone for tons of people and I think it can help in bringing more competition to the space.

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by g349

2025-03-23T02:55:55+00:00

Personally, while I am optimistic about the Light phone 3 it is still missing some key features for me.

I'm a big fan of the metal body on this model, and the previous points about the ease of repair are a huge plus. But I can't get over the fact that there is no Whatsapp or Discord compatibility, and no current modding solutions as far as I can tell. Discord I can sort of understand but not having Whatsapp just kind of kills the point of having the phone for me, as I want to primarily use it for communication and I have family abroad. I do understand their decision to leave these out because of data privacy concerns, but I still think it should be the user's choice.

The rest of the phone looks awesome, which makes this deal breaker sting a bit more.

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-27T00:46:59+00:00

After using the device for 1 week, I can tell you that they knocked it out of the park. Very good phone for those whose lifestyle aligns with it. Excited to see how it benefits people. Review and livestream dropping tomorrow

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-30T18:29:55+00:00

I recall some people asking whether a $20 flip phone would do the trick instead of the LP3. Here is a video comparison of a LP3 with a $20 device: https://youtu.be/qdNw0tkSdxo

I think people need to choose what works for them and analyze which tools work best

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-31T20:26:36+00:00

jbriones95 wrote: Sun Mar 30, 2025 6:29 pm I recall some people asking whether a $20 flip phone would do the trick instead of the LP3. Here is a video comparison of a LP3 with a $20 device: https://youtu.be/qdNw0tkSdxo

I think people need to choose what works for them and analyze which tools work best

Something that a $20 flip phone did for me is let me dip my toes into not having a smartphone. That was a massive experience for me and also allowed me to learn what I wanted in a minimal phone. For me, I think the lightphone 3 checks off all those boxes.

Phones :: Re: Light Phone 3 :: Reply by jbriones95

2025-03-31T22:01:40+00:00

Stefen_Maxwell wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 8:26 pm
jbriones95 wrote: Sun Mar 30, 2025 6:29 pm I recall some people asking whether a $20 flip phone would do the trick instead of the LP3. Here is a video comparison of a LP3 with a $20 device: https://youtu.be/qdNw0tkSdxo

I think people need to choose what works for them and analyze which tools work best
Something that a $20 flip phone did for me is let me dip my toes into not having a smartphone. That was a massive experience for me and also allowed me to learn what I wanted in a minimal phone. For me, I think the lightphone 3 checks off all those boxes.

Very true! The $20 experience allows you to test the waters and notice what's important and what's not crucial to have.

Cool Websites :: Another videogame webpage :: Author December_W_Wolf

2025-03-04T10:42:31+00:00

Some time last year I stumbled across the r/badUIbattles subreddit, where people posted their take on the worst UI possible, as implied by the name. One such submission was a webpage called Unsubscribe - The Game, with the objective being to unsubscribe from some service. As you can probably imagine from the simple fact that it's a game, it's quite the task: https://h-juck.github.io/Unsubscribe/start.html

Cool Websites :: A website dedicated to naming and categorizing bread bag clips :: Author zonk

2025-03-06T18:16:16+00:00

The Holotypic Occlupanid Research Group (HORG) is an online archive of the little (usually) plastic bread bag clips (occlupanids) found ubiquitously in supermarkets, written as though compiled and categorized by real zoologists studying a strange lifeform.

The website was first created in 1994 and is a shining example of old internet culture that thankfully still stands to this day.

Cool Websites :: Re: A website dedicated to naming and categorizing bread bag clips :: Reply by Kolev

2025-03-06T21:53:24+00:00

Wow.

This site will actually give me practice on pronouncing my Latin in English. I've been practicing the traditional English pronunciation of Latin as of late.

Archignathidae: ahr-kihg-NATH-uh-dee.

Ampullaenigma thermastris: am-pull-ee-NIG-muh thur-MASS-triss.

https://www.horg.com/horg/?page_id=2506

[Edit: Found this post on IRC on #inconvenient on Rizon.]

Cool Websites :: Cool website game I found :: Author Ray Karr

2025-03-05T20:10:56+00:00

I've only played this a little bit, but it's a pretty interesting story, with a really cool visual novel/point and click style.
https://corru.observer/

Cool Websites :: Re: Cool website game I found :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-07T07:44:05+00:00

Damn this is fascinating!

Cool Websites :: Re: Cool website game I found :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-07T08:18:20+00:00

What a cool game, have to bookmark it right now to continue maybe later.

Cool Websites :: Re: Cool website game I found :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-08T17:59:20+00:00

Fascinating and unlike anything I have ever experienced, and it even has an 88x31 button so this will definitely go on my list of cool sites!

Cool Websites :: SpaceHey :: Author Piers_MCR

2025-03-12T05:24:39+00:00

ive been using this alternative social media called spacehey. it seems pretty well made and ive heard that the privacy is good but im not really sure what it means (im VERY new to this stuff) can somone help me and point out what it means? it just seems so confusing to me (again im sorry if this is a stupid question)

SpaceHey TOS: https://spacehey.com/tos

Cool Websites :: Re: SpaceHey :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-12T08:40:40+00:00

What areas in the ToS are you hung up on, I know they are usually written in a very Hard way to read. But if you can Point out some Segments I could try Explaining them for you .

Cool Websites :: Re: SpaceHey :: Reply by Piers_MCR

2025-03-13T02:47:33+00:00

its mostly parts 4, 5, 7, 8, 9. thank you!!!!! ive been struggling a bit

Cool Websites :: Re: SpaceHey :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-13T10:33:06+00:00

Part 4
This section is telling us about how they are not liable for any Third-party Links and Ads that appear on the website. If for example somebody posts a Link to a Virus and you download it and run it. And it Destroys all your Data. SpaceHey is not at fault for this and you cannot sue them for it.

Part 5
This Part tells us that they do use Cookies including local site tracking Cookies. Not much more as they state what they collect on their Privacy Policy.

Part 7
These are two Disclaimers. Both pretty much tell us that SpaceHey is serves as i, meaning if the Website changes or disappears that you have no warranty on it.

Part 8
If you lose money or Data bacause of SpaceHey, for example they go down. They are not liable at all and you cannot sue.

Part 9
This Part says that Content like Images and etc on the Website can be false or out of date and that SpaceHey is not liable for updating them. Also they Reserve the right to change any content with no Notice.

If you need any further Clearifications, please feel free to ask

Cool Websites :: Re: SpaceHey :: Reply by Piers_MCR

2025-03-14T03:03:52+00:00

thank you!!!! i finally understand it now!!! you've been such a big help i cant thank you enough!!!

Cool Websites :: Ytoo!(classic Yahoo but more indie) :: Author MSpaint_Bunny

2025-03-15T04:28:04+00:00

Ytoo!
Its pretty cool and list a lot of revival sites that I have fun exploring

Cool Websites :: Re: Ytoo!(classic Yahoo but more indie) :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-16T11:12:04+00:00

This is so much cooler than I thought it would be !

Cool Websites :: Re: Ytoo!(classic Yahoo but more indie) :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-16T12:11:39+00:00

Yooo.. Such a cool site!

They should put Reject Convenience to forum section

Cool Websites :: Defense Against Dishonest Charts :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-18T10:28:12+00:00

Learn about how statistics can be (ab)used to manipulate you and others.

An interactive site by FlowingData showcasing and explaining various ways that charts and publications can mislead you.

Cool Websites :: Re: Defense Against Dishonest Charts :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-18T12:10:41+00:00

oooooo this is so cool!!
I love useful visualisation tools, plus fiddling with sliders is so pleasant :3

Cool Websites :: Re: Defense Against Dishonest Charts :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-20T07:13:24+00:00

Very very interesting and well made site. I'll definitely pull it out when I want to talk about data manipulation to someone. I really like the interactive nature of the site, I feel that that really drives the points home.

Cool Websites :: Pretty cool game :) :: Author MSpaint_Bunny

2025-03-12T08:52:22+00:00

One Shot In The Dark, Now I'm Dead is a pretty cool game inspired by psxLain! Haven't actually beat it yet... BUT I like to hop on and play when bored.

Cool Websites :: Re: Pretty cool game :) :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-18T12:43:18+00:00

Wait, before i proceed further. Is this horror game?

Cool Websites :: Re: Pretty cool game :) :: Reply by MSpaint_Bunny

2025-03-20T17:14:36+00:00

DedRoll wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 12:43 pm Wait, before i proceed further. Is this horror game?

It’s definitely a stressful and emotional game but I wouldn’t call it full on horror. So basically it has the potential to be scary but that’s not the focus the experience!

Computers :: Re: Radial menus on desktop :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T02:04:18+00:00

Seen a couple videos using Kando in the past, but didn't know what it was at the time...
Looks like a fun way to use your computer, I'll give it that! Might give it a try someday

Computers :: Re: Radial menus on desktop :: Reply by axolotls_

2025-03-02T04:45:07+00:00

I was just learning about radial menus/fitts's law in my college class- this tool is really interesting! I don't know if I have a personal use for it but it does make me happy.

Computers :: Re: Radial menus on desktop :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T17:01:20+00:00

That looks pretty cool, but I'm so used to my keyboard shortcuts and mouse navigation mix that I don't think I could give this a fair shot, I could also see this be great for using with a game controller/joystick or maybe even in VR/XR, and that "Be Fast" demo on their website is impressive for the people that are willing to spend the time to configure and learn how to use it.

Computers :: Re: Radial menus on desktop :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T17:22:51+00:00

SergioEduP wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 5:01 pm I could also see this be great for using with a game controller/joystick or maybe even in VR/XR

ooooh that's a good point! I can imagine pairing that kind of navigation with SteamOS would be really good for navigating a Nintendo Switch-like setup at home with the Deck/similar consoles...

Computers :: The Cloud Firewall extension for Firefox is funny (but not) :: Author drmollytov

2025-03-02T21:19:32+00:00

I installed the Cloud Firewall extension for Firefox today. It allows you to block sites that come from Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, Google, Facebook, and/or Microsoft. (you can toggle which in settings)

...It broke like half my bookmarks. Which is funny, but also not, since it indicates just how much of the Web runs on these companies' architecture.

I'm keeping it. I have alternate browsers for stuff I absolutely need to access, like my bank's website (Cloudflare!). I'm going to look for alternatives to the others, though. No sense giving Big Tech more of my time, money, attention, or data than I absolutely have to.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... -firewall/

Computers :: Re: The Cloud Firewall extension for Firefox is funny (but not) :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T21:30:48+00:00

If I didn't have enough reasons to move my website away from cloudflare pages already, I never though that people would be willing to block these services entirely, it is insane how much of the modern web relies on cloudlare content distribution, amazon web services and google services alone.

Computers :: Installed Linux Mint… now what? (recommendations) :: Author QueriesNTheories

2025-03-05T09:32:28+00:00

Hi all!

Managed to get Linux Mint Xia installed and working on my external drive last night, after lots and lots and lots of reading about how to partition my drive correctly, and where should my root and home should go, and how much swap do I need and all that other stuff. I would be a fool to say I hope I don’t need to reinstall, I know I will at some point, but I still hope I don’t need to!

Had a brief scare when booting up without my Linux drive connected today as GNU Grub turned up instead, but I learned I just needed to enter “exit” and I’d get back to Windows (and the delightful Bitlocker screen, joy (sarcasm)). I’m assuming if I had the drive plugged in I’d get the bootloader instead?
Probably should have made a system restore point from the Windows side before I started… oh well, hope that doesn’t become a problem later! ^u^;

Anyway, any recommended things I should do now I have the system going? Checked for updates and drivers already, not sure what to do about an antivirus/similar protection system over here either, and how often should I back up/what do I back up… mainly just wondering about recommended programs/applets and other good practices, especially for security.

Thanks in advance

Computers :: Re: Installed Linux Mint… now what? (recommendations) :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-05T12:36:32+00:00

The main thing that new users coming from Windows need to learn is that software generally doesn't come from websites but from the package repositories for your distro. You should use the package manager that comes with your system to install software and resort to web downloads only when it is not available from the repositories.

Software in the repos is vetted by the package maintainers for your distro, patched for better compatibility with your system, and cryptographically signed to ensure no funny business happens during transmission. It is for this reason that most GNU/Linux users don't even bother with antivirus. If the software in your distro's repositories is compromised, you are in any case doomed.

As for what software you ought to install, my personal philosophy is not to install things until I need them. Less is more, and simplicity makes it easy to rebuild if for some reason you decide to jump to a different distro or need to reinstall your OS for some reason, so unless there are specific things you want to do and you're looking for recommendations, you shouldn't go looking for programs to install unless you feel a need to solve a certain problem.

Computers :: Re: Installed Linux Mint… now what? (recommendations) :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-05T14:55:11+00:00

Why was it so difficult to install and Partition the System? Doesn't Mint offer a Partitioning Wizard in their Installer? or was there a different Issue?

With Security on Linux there isn't much to do. As long as you, as zonk put it, don't Install things from Untrusted Source. And primarily Install the things from your Distros Repos or Flathub. You shouldn't get any Malware when you keep to that rule.
Also, a recommendation don't copy Commands from the Internet without knowing what they do. As they might want you to remove the French Language pack. And you wouldn't want that .

For Backuping the same rules as on Windows apply. Backup your Important Files that you defiantly don't want to lose. And maybe the .config folder, as that includes the Settings of most Programs. So you can easily restore your Settings at least. For Backup Software I would refer to this Blog Post

For Programs explore, there are many Tools that you might find Interesting. Go through you Software Center and click on what catches you eye. And Install what you find neat or useful.

Computers :: Re: Installed Linux Mint… now what? (recommendations) :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-05T16:11:55+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 2:55 pm Why was it so difficult to install and Partition the System? Doesn't Mint offer a Partitioning Wizard in their Installer? or was there a different Issue?

It's not that it was difficult per se, it's just I needed to be absolutely 100% sure what I was doing when I did it ahaha ^u^;
It's a new 2TB drive; I wanted to be certain I wasn't gonna mess things up y'know? So I just took my time reading and learning about what Linux really needs to run, and what's just good system practice. As far as I could gather, root and swap were essential, and a separate home partition just made sense. Everything else to me seemed either optional/the system would take care of it/i'll just generally figure it out later.

For Backuping the same rules as on Windows apply. Backup your Important Files that you defiantly don't want to lose. And maybe the .config folder, as that includes the Settings of most Programs. So you can easily restore your Settings at least. For Backup Software I would refer to this Blog Post

Noted! I like the sound of Pika Backup, will give it a go

zonk wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 12:36 pm Less is more, and simplicity makes it easy to rebuild if for some reason you decide to jump to a different distro or need to reinstall your OS for some reason, so unless there are specific things you want to do and you're looking for recommendations, you shouldn't go looking for programs to install unless you feel a need to solve a certain problem.

Keep it lightweight, keep it simple, got it.

Thanks for the advice guys

Computers :: Re: Installed Linux Mint… now what? (recommendations) :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-07T07:50:21+00:00

I don't have anything to add just gonna observing this post from the corner 'cause i'm also planning to dual boot linux mint

Computers :: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Author Ray Karr

2025-03-07T14:16:23+00:00

I've been stubbornly holding onto Windows 10 for a while now, and I plan on continuing to do that until the very day it stops being supported. I already find it a little annoying, though that was mitigated after getting used to it over the 10 or so years I've used it for, but the more I learn about Windows 11, the more irritated I am by its looming presence...

I've experimented with Linux Mint and I loved it, but I can't really use it for my day-to-day because I work with a remote desktop on the same PC I use for myself, and the company only wants us using the Windows App, which is only available for Windows and Mac... sad. I could dual-boot, but I'd be using Windows 90% of the time anyways. I could also try to run it through Wine or a VM but for that, I'd want to research how well it runs first, and researching "windows app" with any search engine is a pain lol

So, I recently learned about Windows 11 LTSC. AFAIK it has no Copilot, no telemetry, almost none of the default apps I've never needed, and most of the default apps it does have are the Windows 10 versions. I've tested it on my beat up 2019 laptop and it runs pretty alright. I'm not happy about how much memory it uses to just exist, but I can only dream of how much the bloated standard version uses in my most infuriating nightmares. But hey, it runs the apps I need, I can get used to the worse UI over time, and I can look for workarounds for drivers that STILL don't work right with Windows 11.

Have any of you guys tried Windows 11 LTSC or IoT LTSC? If so, what do you think about it?

Computers :: Re: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-07T14:49:38+00:00

I have not tried anything like Win 11 LTSC since the Win 7 days.

However I had a similar situation to yours a while back and for my case a Windows Server 2022 install had everything I needed with pretty much Win 10 UI (it looks like the same goes for Server 2025, but I don't have this usecase anymore so I haven't tried it). It needs some configuration, because it is obviously set up to be used as a server initially. Some functionality and apps are not officially supported, but for me everything worked fine out of the box.
Remote Desktop and VM stuff is easier to get running than on desktops (obviously) both as a client and host. Back then I was using MS Office (complained during install, but worked fine) and Adobe CC, Audacity, everything else I had running was officially supported on servers anyways.
They all have evaluation editions so you can test it out for free, but activating them to a full license requires some command line/powershell shenanigans, if you don't want to set them up from scratch again.

Computers :: Re: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-07T14:51:47+00:00

I don't know much about Windows LTSC, the most I know about it, it that it is an Enterprise Desktop Windows solution.
So in general there shouldn't be any Issue, but the No Telemetry is probably not right. I had the misfortune to Work with Windows Server 2025 recently, and there It was a pain in the ass to disable Telemetry, and that is THE Enterprise software from Windows. So having a Windows Desktop Version distributed by Windows without any Telemetry feels wrong to me.

The biggest concern tho, would be Licencing. This is an Enterprise Application, unlike the standard Editions. Enterprise things by Windows usually aren't as forgiving when not having the Appropriate Licence. Like full on locking you out until you Provide a Licence. And Windows Enterprise Licences aren't Cheap, and I think also not Perpetual.

About the Linux thing with your Work. The Windows App, formally Windows Remote Desktop App, just does RDP as far as I remember so shouldn't you be able to use any Remote Desktop App for that? Or is there a Restriction add to it by your Work?

Computers :: Re: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-07T18:26:26+00:00

So in general there shouldn't be any Issue, but the No Telemetry is probably not right. I had the misfortune to Work with Windows Server 2025 recently, and there It was a pain in the ass to disable Telemetry, and that is THE Enterprise software from Windows. So having a Windows Desktop Version distributed by Windows without any Telemetry feels wrong to me.

Oh, I see! I wasn't aware of that. Guess I should research some more, I don't wanna go around recommending stuff based on wrong info ^^"

About the Linux thing with your Work. The Windows App, formally Windows Remote Desktop App, just does RDP as far as I remember so shouldn't you be able to use any Remote Desktop App for that? Or is there a Restriction add to it by your Work?

We haven't been explicitly told not to use any particular remote desktop program, but stuff like the remote desktop web client doesn't work because of the screen capture protection.

It needs some configuration, because it is obviously set up to be used as a server initially. Some functionality and apps are not officially supported, but for me everything worked fine out of the box.

Yeah, I'm ok with fiddling with it to add whatever I need that didn't come pre-installed, it's way better than fiddling with an OS to remove the extra stuff I don't want. That even allows for finding better alternatives to the default apps.

Computers :: Re: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-07T18:51:56+00:00

Ray Karr wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 6:26 pm Oh, I see! I wasn't aware of that. Guess I should research some more, I don't wanna go around recommending stuff based on wrong info ^^"

You could be completely right, I don't know anything about LTSC. I am just speaking with experience of Different Windows Solutions and how the handle Telemetry.

Ray Karr wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 6:26 pm We haven't been explicitly told not to use any particular remote desktop program, but stuff like the remote desktop web client doesn't work because of the screen capture protection.

I hate Azure Desktop. You are entirely right, you can't use any OS but Windows or macOS as that is the Policy. And because its Azure Desktop and not a Machine with RDP it's not possible, at least without Hacks.
Another Recommendation is to have a separate Machine for Work, maybe they provide that?

Computers :: Re: Thoughts on Windows LTSC? :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-07T19:56:14+00:00

Another Recommendation is to have a separate Machine for Work, maybe they provide that?

One idea I've been considering is keeping the laptop for work only and the desktop PC for gaming only, and adapting my desk to accommodate for both. A stripped down version of Windows would be even more apt there, since I would literally use it for one thing only.

Computers :: Re: I use arch, btw :: Reply by rose_buddy

2025-03-01T23:56:02+00:00

Stefen_Maxwell wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 6:17 am What did you use it for? I think the POS I used when I worked retail had suse on it. I am still rocking openSuse which is weird. I'd thought I would have hopped off it for arch or pop!_OS but I haven't yet.

I worked there as a cashier. The POS system and the employee computers (used for training and clocking in) used openSUSE. They booted fast and didn't have any issues, it was great.

Computers :: Re: I use arch, btw :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T16:34:53+00:00

rejectconvenience wrote: Sun Jul 28, 2024 9:28 am That's not true, I use pop_os, but what's your favorite distro?

HERESY!

I use Arch, BTW

(And also Bazite on my old secondary PC)

Computers :: Re: I use arch, btw :: Reply by mimi

2025-03-10T04:17:46+00:00

I started using Linux (around end of 2023 beginning of 2024 ) with Pop_OS, and even with the difficulties of someone who has only used Windows all their life, it wasn't hard to get used to the new workflow. Pop_OS was awesome and met everything I needed :D

When I started to get more comfortable and experiment with window managers it seemed more convenient to migrate to Arch (middle to end of 2024), where I could find the packages I wanted more easily. The installation script gave me a good basis for what I needed from the system without the scary parts of the manual one, and for now I'm using Hyprland with Gnome DE as fallback and it's been great.

like @rose_buddy, I also haven't had any problems so my opinion may change in a few updates haha

Computers :: Re: Backups :: Reply by gquirt

2025-03-10T02:13:03+00:00

I'm running a Linux distro with BTRFS, so on device backups are completely automated. For other backups, I've got an old computer running CasaOS and Syncthing. Getting the docker containers pointed to a secondary drive can be a pain if you don't know what you're doing. But there is a guide on the CasaOS Discord/forum.

I highly recommend both CasaOS and Syncthing if you want a home server without having to learn enough to be a sysadmin.

With Syncthing, my documents are automatically synced between my desktop, server, and laptop. Once it's set up, you just let it do it's thing in the background.

Computers :: Re: Backups :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-10T09:57:52+00:00

@gquirt I would be careful using syncthing as a Backup system. Because when you delete something off of one Device, you Delete it of off all Devices. Therefor you are not keeping a Backup. Syncthing is a Syncing tool not a Backup tool. A trick around that, is to have one of the Syncthing Devices, for example your Server, Periodically take a copy of the Syncthing folder and Store it somewhere.

I sadly lost already Files to Syncthing Syncing.

Computers :: Re: Backups :: Reply by mimi

2025-03-10T18:35:13+00:00

do you guys have any tips for someone who can't afford a complex backup system atm? :p

Computers :: Re: Backups :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-10T19:21:43+00:00

mimi wrote: Mon Mar 10, 2025 6:35 pm do you guys have any tips for someone who can't afford a complex backup system atm? :p

Depending on the Data Amount, having them in a OneDrive and Local should be sufficient. If they are too sensitive to be put in a SaaS solution (GDrive OneDrive etc) you could Encrypt them or use an External Drive or both. As long as you make reliably Copies it is sufficient.

Computers :: Re: Backups :: Reply by Kolev

2025-03-22T19:50:29+00:00

My backup routine is all over the place. I have several issues with it. I cannot automate it right now, and I have trouble doing off-site backups. I also have a MySQL database that might not be properly backed up, as you probably have to stop the database and do an export, to properly back it up.

Currently, I back up my home directory on my laptop over SSH to an external drive on my home server. My home server's whole filesystem gets backed up to that disk as well.

My external disk is 1 TB. My laptop is 150 GB. My server is 1 TB but doesn't have too much space used.

I need help.

Also, I can't afford offsite, online backups, so I'll have to make do with backing up offsite only once a week, when I can physically transfer the backup disks to another household.

More details about my backup thoughts: https://calebh.top/2025/03/15/the-plan/

Gaming :: RuneScape 2 (2004) preservation server :: Author zonk

2025-03-04T15:31:12+00:00

I recently discovered Lost City, a preservation project for the 2004 version of the classic MMORPG RuneScape. The server has been reimplemented and released as free (open source) software. 2004 is the year I started playing RuneScape back in the day, so this has been very exciting and nostalgic for me.

There is only one major issue I've found so far: due to some unfortunate incidents with account security, the admin/lead dev decided to require new users to register using a Discord account. I opened a thread on their forum to complain and request to be able to sign up without Discord and was instructed to reach out to the admin, which I did, and who did set me up with a legacy account as requested. Still, I think this process is quite less than ideal, so if you care about this I'd encourage you to join the forum and make it known (but don't be annoying please).

I would also encourage those interested to make a local mirror of the source code in case Jagex decides that this project competes too greatly with Old School RuneScape and starts taking legal action to bring it offline. Jagex seems not to be very hostile to these sorts of preservation projects, but I recall a 2007scape server being taken offline around the time that OSRS was launched.

Otherwise, if this sounds fun and you decide to sign up, feel free to add me! My in-game name is Jimothy.

Gaming :: Alternatives to D&D :: Author pingaspostal

2025-03-02T16:19:07+00:00

i'm hunting for alternatives to Dungeons and Dragons, and so far all i've found is Pathfinder and BRP. if any of you happen to be ttrpg nerds, please let me know what some good alternatives to D&D might be! lots and lots of bonus points if you write down why it's good

Gaming :: Re: Alternatives to D&D :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-02T21:24:10+00:00

I have never played real D&D, but last year I started playing Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition), and I really like it. Its mechanics encourage the GM to design a "cinematic" story, where the action happens in meaningful scenes rather than going through the mechanical motions. There's even a whole section of the book dedicated to chase sequences!

For example, combat is not an attrition game with hitpoints. Instead, you're rolling against a Parry rating to decide if the attack hits, and then rolling damage against a Toughness rating to see if it was hard enough to matter. If the hit was just good enough, then the defender is Shaken, meaning they cannot fight until unshaken (which can be accomplished by another dice roll), and the next time they get hit, they are Wounded. Enough wounds will KO a combatant (which may or may not mean they're dead or permanently injured). These Wounds also have a corresponding penalty to all skill rolls, so the more wounded a character is, the worse they perform at everything, rather than an HP system where 1HP is enough to still be fully functional and 0HP is dead.

Skill levels are very simple. The levels are just which die you roll for them, and the target number to roll for a skill check stays the same (with certain exceptions). There is an "exploding dice" mechanic to allow low skill levels to still roll high numbers: if a die lands on the highest number, you roll it again and add the result (and this process can repeat infinitely).

The simplicity of the system lends itself very well to basically any story setting, unlike D&D which basically pigeon-holes you into medieval fantasy with pre-specified character classes. If you are used to D&D, SWADE might take a little getting used to, but in my opinion it is worth getting over the learning curve if you want your game to be more about creating an exciting story than about crunching numbers.

edit: I forgot to really get into why these mechanics encourage cinematic scenes: the exploding dice and combat mechanics mean that every combat is dangerous (any enemy could take you from 0 to dead with a lucky roll), so the players will try to come up with solutions that don't involve fighting, and so the GM needs to think of lots of solutions for the players to try rather than just setting up a combat encounter. The games I have played in and run really do feel like part of an adventure movie rather than a strategy board game. Even when combat is unavoidable, we are looking for unconventional paths to victory rather than just letting the numbers decide.

Probably the main downside I can think of is that there is not very much supplemental material like adventure modules compared to D&D, but I take that as the chance to do my own worldbuilding or just steal stories from other popular media because it doesn't have to be original to be fun!

Gaming :: Re: Alternatives to D&D :: Reply by pingaspostal

2025-03-03T02:52:08+00:00

zonk wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 9:24 pm I have never played real D&D, but last year I started playing Savage Worlds (Adventure Edition), and I really like it. Its mechanics encourage the GM to design a "cinematic" story, where the action happens in meaningful scenes rather than going through the mechanical motions. There's even a whole section of the book dedicated to chase sequences!

For example, combat is not an attrition game with hitpoints. Instead, you're rolling against a Parry rating to decide if the attack hits, and then rolling damage against a Toughness rating to see if it was hard enough to matter. If the hit was just good enough, then the defender is Shaken, meaning they cannot fight until unshaken (which can be accomplished by another dice roll), and the next time they get hit, they are Wounded. Enough wounds will KO a combatant (which may or may not mean they're dead or permanently injured). These Wounds also have a corresponding penalty to all skill rolls, so the more wounded a character is, the worse they perform at everything, rather than an HP system where 1HP is enough to still be fully functional and 0HP is dead.

Skill levels are very simple. The levels are just which die you roll for them, and the target number to roll for a skill check stays the same (with certain exceptions). There is an "exploding dice" mechanic to allow low skill levels to still roll high numbers: if a die lands on the highest number, you roll it again and add the result (and this process can repeat infinitely).

The simplicity of the system lends itself very well to basically any story setting, unlike D&D which basically pigeon-holes you into medieval fantasy with pre-specified character classes. If you are used to D&D, SWADE might take a little getting used to, but in my opinion it is worth getting over the learning curve if you want your game to be more about creating an exciting story than about crunching numbers.

edit: I forgot to really get into why these mechanics encourage cinematic scenes: the exploding dice and combat mechanics mean that every combat is dangerous (any enemy could take you from 0 to dead with a lucky roll), so the players will try to come up with solutions that don't involve fighting, and so the GM needs to think of lots of solutions for the players to try rather than just setting up a combat encounter. The games I have played in and run really do feel like part of an adventure movie rather than a strategy board game. Even when combat is unavoidable, we are looking for unconventional paths to victory rather than just letting the numbers decide.

Probably the main downside I can think of is that there is not very much supplemental material like adventure modules compared to D&D, but I take that as the chance to do my own worldbuilding or just steal stories from other popular media because it doesn't have to be original to be fun!

and how number-crunchy is it? i prefer less crunchy because if i want something like a unique monster/character, i don't want to spend an hour figuring out what its stats are, which is one of the reasons i'm not satisfied with D&D, pathfinder, or BRP. as a GM, the more i can spitball, the faster i can spitball, and the higher quality of spitballing, the better

Gaming :: Re: Alternatives to D&D :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-03T13:32:23+00:00

pingaspostal wrote: Mon Mar 03, 2025 2:52 am and how number-crunchy is it?

Hardly at all. There is a tiny amount of calculation for the derived Parry and Toughness ratings. The rule of thumb is that a d6 skill level should represent the ability of the average adult, so a random NPC will have d6 in whatever random skill you need to check them for, and you can adjust up or down if it makes sense for their character.

The target number for skill rolls is always 4 (the only exceptions being the Parry and Toughness ratings). For easy or hard checks, the GM may apply a bonus or penalty to the skill roll (and there are mechanics and character Edges which affect bonuses/penalties). For example, say you are in a chase sequence and a player wants to jump from their car to the enemy's car. The player will roll the Athletics skill, with a -2 penalty for Unstable Platform (the moving car they're in). The player rolls the die for their character's Athletics skill level, applies the penalty, and if the number is greater than or equal to 4, they succeed. If the number is 4 higher than the target number (so usually 8), this is a Raise which is like a critical success, so the GM might say they not only clear the gap but also manage to bring their foot down on the enemy's gun, or something.

So yeah, the extent of number crunching is calculating the derived stats during character creation, which are easy to calculate anyway, and then during gameplay you just roll the die it says to roll, apply bonuses, and compare it to 4.

If you're playing fantasy, the Fantasy Companion has a pretty decent bestiary you can use for guidance on the strength of a custom monster, but really I think the intent is that you just do whatever you feel like is the most exciting and dramatic. If you want to make a monster with a Strength level of d12+4 (which is likely to kill players in a couple of hits or less), that's fine. Just make sure to give your players a chance for alternate paths to victory, and give them signals that it is unwise to face it head-on.

Gaming :: Re: Alternatives to D&D :: Reply by 11ofcups

2025-03-04T20:09:05+00:00

pingaspostal wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 4:19 pm i'm hunting for alternatives to Dungeons and Dragons, and so far all i've found is Pathfinder and BRP. if any of you happen to be ttrpg nerds, please let me know what some good alternatives to D&D might be! lots and lots of bonus points if you write down why it's good

I might have recommendations but I'd be able to help more if I know about what kind of game you're looking to play! (Genre, combat focused, cinematic vs gritty, dungeon crawler, etc).

Gaming :: Re: Alternatives to D&D :: Reply by pingaspostal

2025-03-04T21:11:59+00:00

11ofcups wrote: Tue Mar 04, 2025 8:09 pm I might have recommendations but I'd be able to help more if I know about what kind of game you're looking to play! (Genre, combat focused, cinematic vs gritty, dungeon crawler, etc).

preferably something numbers-light and universal, but i'm also interested in sci-fi stuff. less wars and laser guns and power armor and more world-hopping adventures with scrappy spacers

edit: for context, the campaigns that i run are on the more light-hearted and goofy side

Music Players :: Re: :: Reply by rose_buddy

2025-03-02T01:12:19+00:00

I bought my iPod off of eBay a couple of years ago (because of Dankpods). I replaced the battery and I upgraded the storage to a 1TB micro SD card. I run Rockbox on it so I don't have to rely on iTunes.

Attachments

Black iPod Video with a paracord lanyard and earbuds. The iPod is on and it is displaying a now playing screen.
IMG_0813.jpeg (491.93 KiB)

Music Players :: Finding New Music :: Author g349

2025-03-22T14:32:53+00:00

Hey! First post here.

How do you find new music after switching away from streaming services like Spotify?

I’m looking to get a modded Ipod classic to transition away from music streaming. But since I’ve been using Spotify all my life, I haven’t really developed the skill of finding new music.

Thanks for your advice!

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by December_W_Wolf

2025-03-22T14:48:56+00:00

I don't particularly tend to look for new music actively so hopefully my suggestions will help, but ultimately I'm not sure. I'll chip in what I can anyway:

If your friend sends you some meme or video or... anything really, and a particular piece of music catches your fancy, look to see if it's listed in the video or description or wherever's appropriate. If not, you can search up the lyrics or use software meant for finding songs with either difficult to decipher or even absent lyrics (assuming you're comfortable with using those things). This also applies for any content you may stumble upon yourself. It should be easier in the case of films, since they often list the songs used and the composer/artist(s) in the credits, and they'll usually appear in the soundtrack of the film itself.

Ask family, a friend or otherwise close person for music recommendations, specifying the genres you like if you so wish.

Look at the artists you already have in your playlist and just give their other stuff a listen.

Listen to the radio every so often. If you don't have a device capable of tuning in, do some research on decent online alternatives. From my experience, they usually tend to mention the name of the song and the artist either before or after the song itself, but if you either miss it or they simply don't say anything about the song's origins, follow the steps regarding media sent to you by someone.

Have any spare tapes, vinyls or CDs lying around the house? Give them a listen, or search up the songs if you don't have a suitable player.

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-22T15:30:49+00:00

I also don't make a regular habit of actively searching for new music, but I will take any opportunity to recommend Bandcamp. You need to have some idea of what sort of music you like to start looking, but there are some good artists on there, and anything you buy can be downloaded so you can put it on your iPod.

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-22T21:04:47+00:00

Zonk and December_W_Wolf already summarized my goto's when it comes to this.

I have a few Artists I really like, and so I keep tabs on those if they release new Songs, but to find new music I get it either recommended via YT, in my case, or there is a good song on TV or in a Movie. Once I find them I use tools like Audil or Shazam to maybe look them up If I can't find a Name or can't Spell it. After that usually MusicBrainz Database comes in handy with finding all sorts of links to that Artist including Bandcamp or similar where you can Buy the Music.

Other Avenues I have found is ListenBrainz Music Recommendations. I don't have an iPod and therefor listen to my Music from files on my Smartphone. There I have Scrobbler that sends the Music I listen to, to ListenBrainz which first of all Publicizes what I listen to, for anyone who is interested to what I currently listen too, but also generates a Recommendation Playlist based on my Listening habits. This of course shares a lot of Info about your Listening habits and Taste to the Public, but you know what you Share and have Control what you put there.

I don't know how good you can Integrate that into a Classic iPod, but there is the Option to manually add Listens and Define songs you (Dis-)Like to give the Algorithm something.

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by MSpaint_Bunny

2025-03-23T11:12:53+00:00

One thing I like to do is go to a place that sells CDs, vinyl, tapes and so on. I don't buy anything I just take pictures of what looks cool and when I get home I find them online! I can find new and old music of many different genres by doing this!

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by drmollytov

2025-03-23T12:29:11+00:00

I have long relied on college radio stations for this. My current favorite is WIDR, which comes out of Western Michigan University and recently won a bunch of awards:

https://www.widrfm.org/

There's also Radio Garden, which gives you access to radio stations from around the world:

https://radio.garden

I like radio stations for discovering new music because I can pick one and just let it play while I do other things. I also use Bandcamp and Soundcloud when I'm in the mood for something new in a particular genre.

Music Players :: Re: Finding New Music :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-25T12:46:44+00:00

I recently got a CD sound system and since I had only one CD a friend gave me, I've started going to a local music store a few blocks from my home. I know there's a few ones close to my uni but they're horribly overpriced.
But still, I recently went into one and picked the first disc with the word "ska" on it that caught my eye and that's how I first discovered The Selecter!
Other than that, I have several friends with whom we just send each other music unprompted, though that's usually through YouTube and Spotify links... still, it led to me discovering splendid bands like WDK and Gli Ultimi.

Online Privacy :: Privacy Policy worst practices :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-05T10:25:16+00:00

I was just reviewing the privacy policy of a tool a user at work requested access to.
I don't want to talk about this tool specifically since it's rather niche and just used for some quality of life for people working on SEO. Don't get me started, I don't eve nuse Google myself, but since this was a request from that team at work... what can I do. So for your reference: https://www.conductor.com/legal/privacy-policy/ (I also made sure to keep proof)

I just thought this was a good place to start a conversation about the worst kind of practices and "red-flag" standards that at a glance can tell you that a company really doesn't care about your privacy.
In this case under "3. INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU" I was greeted with a screenshot of a table for the types of data they collect and how they use it. By it's formatting this seems to be about 3 document pages filled with block text that is completely not searchable and they even referenced other policies that are linked within the text they screenshotted, but obviously the link address is not visible and they did not place the same link on the image or paste a reference below that image.

This felt like a middlefinger to users in a similar way as the privacy policy for "DeleteMe" that was only visible with tracker blockers disabled.

Online Privacy :: Re: Privacy Policy worst practices :: Reply by December_W_Wolf

2025-03-05T11:04:11+00:00

Yikes, I can certainly imagine why you see it the way you do. I've never seen a privacy policy upload screenshots of the collected information data before, I can imagine it does wonders deterring people who don't want to read the policy cover-to-cover because of impatience or simply lack of time.

I take it the team that use this tool aren't that anxious to look for alternatives? Or would it be possible for them to change to different SEO-related software once concerns about the privacy policy are raised?

Online Privacy :: Re: Privacy Policy worst practices :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-05T12:03:04+00:00

December_W_Wolf wrote: Wed Mar 05, 2025 11:04 am I take it the team that use this tool aren't that anxious to look for alternatives? Or would it be possible for them to change to different SEO-related software once concerns about the privacy policy are raised?

That is not really an issue, they can work without this tool and have been doing so for a long time. It's just one of these cases of regular users who just request access whenever they see something that might be interesting (and usually quickly forget about it). I am pretty sure they don't think about the circumstances or the possible consequences of using these things. For them it's just an inconvenience that there is that annoying guy in the way. And why couldn't we just give them admin access and all permissions, at home they can use it without any issues... And I just had to issue a security warning in an all-hands this week, because of... reasons.

Online Privacy :: Re: I no longer trust Firefox. :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-03T10:34:17+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sat Mar 01, 2025 10:02 pm I want to believe that Mozilla has the Best Intentions, and just a stupid leadership. But it is getting harder to belive that day by day.

Also something I forgot to Mentioned in my initial Post, they're Acceptable Use Policy. Guys and Gals and Non-Binary Pals, you can't watch your P***n or Violent anything (Movies, TV, etc...) on Firefox Anymore. It's just not acceptable. What a Joke of a Policy. How are you even going to Enforce it.

Totally with you there, there's no way to enforce that policy unless you go against the very thing you stand for, which is the privacy :/
I can understand why they'd do it in a way? But it's as useful as a cardboard cutout.

Online Privacy :: Re: I no longer trust Firefox. :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-05T22:22:45+00:00

My Biggest Issue with Firefox's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy are that It doesn't Need it, It didn't need it for the last 20 Years. It doesn't need it now.

Firefox is not a Service, it's not a thing which Runs on Mozilla's servers or requires a certain connection to an online Service. It's a Browser, a simple Program. It doesn't need to share any Data to them.
What makes Firefox Private, is not that they don't collect Data, as Chromium doesn't do that either, but that they Implement tooling that prevent Websites to collect too much data.

There is no reason to have a ToU and/or a Privacy Policy, as there is nothing that should be sent to Mozilla. There is currently nothing that is being sent to Mozilla that warrants a Privacy Policy or ToU.

Online Privacy :: I'd like to auto-delete cookies monthly :: Author Afterglow

2025-03-04T08:18:17+00:00

The most recent Reject Convenience video convinced me of the importance of regular cookie deletion. My tolerance window is different and I'd like to go for a medium option, where I delete cookies every... month, let's say. I think that would be a good compromise between "every time I close the browser, making all my preferences in websites constantly vanish" and "any time I remember to delete them because something bad happened, which is rare."

Jumping to the point: the video says "most browsers offer options on when to clear them automatically," but I've been unable to find this on both Brave (Chromium) and Firefox. Both offer an option where it deletes cookies upon browser-closing, but I'm not seeing anything about regular intervals e.g. monthly. So I'm asking for some help/advice on this. If this isn't possible natively, an extension would be fine too (I've already searched for extensions on my own but, again, I struggle to find anything with a monthly option).

Online Privacy :: Re: I'd like to auto-delete cookies monthly :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-04T14:53:00+00:00

I found a StackExchange thread talking about it here. Apparently It can be done natively in Firefox, but only via the about:config screen. Which is a bit unintuitive. The Info is a bit old, but nothing says It had been removed since then.
Here is a short summary on how to do it:

1. Go to about:config (in the URL Bar)
2. In the search bar type network.cookie.lifetime.days select Number and press the +
3. Set the Number to 3 and Press Checkmark
4. Type again in the Search bar network.cookie.lifetime.days
5. Select Number again and set the Number to the amount of Days You want to keep them (Needs to be a full number)

I have enabled it today and set it to 1 Day, I will report back Tomorrow if it worked as Intended or if it dident.

Online Privacy :: Re: I'd like to auto-delete cookies monthly :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-05T20:18:07+00:00

It works, my Cookies were gone after 1 Day. Now I am going to incease it to myselft, but good to know that that still works.

Online Privacy :: Re: I'd like to auto-delete cookies monthly :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-07T11:27:31+00:00

A few years ago, before I knew better, I used to have an extension for this purpose where I could also set whitelisted sites that would not get their cookies deleted automatically. I can't remember the extension and wouldn't recommend it, since extensions come with their own load of issues and privacy concerns.
If you decide to use an extension for this purpose (in the case of Chromium) I would recommend to use something like "CRX Extension Source Viewer" to review the source code yourself. And also have something like "Under New Management" to get notified when anything about the author/owner of an extension changes; this should help you avoid trouble in case they sell out and delete the extension before whoever took over can make problematic changes. Beyond that I would use CRXcavator and/or spin.ai 3rd party risk assessments before installing any new extension.

And here my very low tech solution: Just set a reminder to delete them manually once a month. I mean it's not like automating this would save you a lot of time and sometimes I just prefer to have manual control, because it also keeps me aware of these matters and lets me notice possible changes.
In Brave you could also use custom scripts (developer options) but I am not sure whether it would be possible to set this kind of timer or check the age of each cookie individually.

Online Privacy :: Re: I'd like to auto-delete cookies monthly :: Reply by Afterglow

2025-03-09T05:44:47+00:00

Reviewing the source code won't help for me because that's greek to me.
CRXcavator is under an "extended outage" as they put it
Funnily enough, "Under New Management" gets a poor score on Spin.ai's browser extension checker. A 36/100. So do most of the extensions I already own. Even uBlock Origin! 41/100! This calls into question for me how reliable Spin.ai is?

Now I'm wondering if I should use about:config for Firefox and keep asking for help with Brave (Chromium), or if I need to do it manually like Pearl recommended. I'm hoping there's still something I can set and forget
P.S. I considered moving to Arc browser, just in case that has better options, but I've been lacking the motivation to make the move

Online Privacy :: Re: A really big list of privacy policies I want to read on stream :: Reply by axolotls_

2025-03-09T15:27:22+00:00

Hi Mr Reject Convenience,
I recently needed to file my US state and federal taxes, and I was told to file through a third party trusted filing website. There are a total of 8 of these websites, and I thought maybe their privacy policies would be of interest. You have to give them A LOT of information in order to file and I wonder what, if anything, they are doing with it.
Websites:
https://apps.irs.gov/app/freeFile/browse-all-offers/

Online Privacy :: Re: A really big list of privacy policies I want to read on stream :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-10T00:47:45+00:00

I'm surprised I don't see Telegram's privacy policy in here. I'm recommending that :b

Online Privacy :: Re: A really big list of privacy policies I want to read on stream :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-16T13:24:16+00:00

I am missing the Notion Privacy Policy on this list.
The app is really popular, even a bunch of people here use it and link to Notion sites, but they have some questionable practices or at least leave themselves the option to do questionable things with your data.

Online Privacy :: Re: A really big list of privacy policies I want to read on stream :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-17T10:09:21+00:00

When it comes to location data and AR scans of pretty much everywhere I think Pokemon Go's privacy policy might be interesting. Especially given Niantic's recent sale to a state backed investment fund.

Online Privacy :: Browser comparison :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-18T10:23:53+00:00

This might be more of a "Cool Website" mods please don't spank too hard

"avoidthehack" compared 38 different browsers that are known for or said to have good privacy features.
It's a comprehensive table that imo gives a good overview especially for anyone looking for a good option for their personal usecase. Keep in mind that this comparison doesn't cover (security) update support and adoption (market share), so with the lesser known ones you might run into issues and not get any support or even a community that can help.

Edit: "One thing I am missing on this list is Vanadium." Irrelevant, thank you @zonk

Private Browser Comparison Tool
GitHub

Online Privacy :: Re: Browser comparison :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-18T10:38:41+00:00

The thing about Vanadium is that it isn't really a privacy-focused browser. It's a security-enhanced Chromium that only works properly on GrapheneOS (it relies on some underlying security enhancements in the OS for performance, so it is actually less secure than vanilla Chromium on any other OS).

Online Privacy :: Re: Browser comparison :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-20T07:09:32+00:00

Pearlple wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 10:23 am This might be more of a "Cool Website" mods please don't spank too hard

I think it fits. But yes, this could also be under cool websites.

Also, there's a cool browser I've come across called Zen Browser. It's very new, but from what I've seen, it appears to be a privacy focused sort of "arc browser" (I really don't like Arc). I'd be interested to see how it ranks. Also, unlike Arc, Zen's beta is already available in Linux and Windows !

Online Privacy :: Re: Browser comparison :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-20T16:08:22+00:00

I use Zen, it's really cool. Sometimes it has some weird Issues, but I think they Integrated all of their Modification really well into Firefox. Also, they have Sane Privacy defaults I like. So not going as overboard as LibreWolf but not as weak as Firefox.

Online Privacy :: Re: Browser comparison :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-31T17:03:32+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 4:08 pm I use Zen, it's really cool. Sometimes it has some weird Issues, but I think they Integrated all of their Modification really well into Firefox. Also, they have Sane Privacy defaults I like. So not going as overboard as LibreWolf but not as weak as Firefox.

Could you explain it more about LibreWolf going overboard? I plan to move to that browser or maybe i use Zen too if it's better comparison than LibreWolf

Online Privacy :: Re: Browser comparison :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-31T20:17:37+00:00

DedRoll wrote: Mon Mar 31, 2025 5:03 pm Could you explain it more about LibreWolf going overboard? I plan to move to that browser or maybe i use Zen too if it's better comparison than LibreWolf

Primarily I am referring to their Data Storage Default. They dont store Cookies at all, which as my Primary Browser can be annoying (It can be changed in the Settings, as most things can). I get the Security Reasons but contrair to this forum there is some convenience that Persistent Cookies bring that I would like to keep. Also, other Privacy Changes/Features they Implement, which are good don't get me wrong, but also break websites I visit. As Private Browser it is as good as they come, but Privacy comes with the cost of Convenience. I draw my line at Persistent Cookies, meaning that LibreWolf is just a bit to Inconvenient for me.

Other Tech :: I'm considering renting a server :: Author SergioEduP

2025-03-02T17:41:20+00:00

Over the last week I've been looking into renting a server from hetzner, with everything that has been going on globally I've been gradually trying to move my data and services that I use (were feasible) to alternatives that give more control over my data, and I found out about a lot of cool self hosted stuff like forgejo and nextcloud, but the problem is that I'd like to access these services outside of my own local network and I don't fancy opening a bunch of ports to the wide net (and don't have a fixed IP since it is a residential network), and perhaps most importantly don't currently own a machine that would be able to at least have two drives for redundant storage and is decently fast and power efficient.

And while searching online for options I stumbled across Hetzner dedicated servers, more specifically the AX41-NVMe, the price seems reasonable to me and being a full dedicated server means that I could in theory run a bunch of other services in it, like I could move my website from Cloudflare into it and gain a lot more flexibility, I also considered hosting my own Mastodon instance to be more conformable with sharing my pictures and thoughts in a place where I am mostly in control of my data and not bothered with hogging up space in someone else's server with huge photos. And I could also move my private Minecraft server there and host my temporary game servers in it too,

Again to me it seems like a good compromise between cost and control, for the monthly cost of that server it would take me 2 years to buy something comparable and that's not accounting electricity and internet cost, while also giving me full control of the software stack running on it. I would like to hear some opinions, experiences and suggestions when it comes to this type of thing since my only experience with self hosting is a couple of raspberry PIs and a jellyfin instance running on my personal PC.

Other Tech :: Re: I'm considering renting a server :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-02T22:03:57+00:00

That is quit the Powerful Box you are getting yourself for a Start.

If you want to move all your Stuff there, It is a reasonable Offer. But I would start maybe with a Shared vCPU server and a Storage Volume for Nextcloud Specifically and your Web server.
And get extra Boxes for stuff you only run on occasion. This makes you a bit more Flexible, is a bit less bang for the Buck, but you still get Cheaper as you might not need all that Performance.

For the Self Hosting Stuff, there are a lot of old Systems you can get from Recyclers or on Marketplace Services. And Places like ServerPatsDeals you might be able to acquire fairly Cheap Recertified Drives (they even come warranty).
Also with the Port thing, as long as only you and People very close to you need the Service you can Set up a VPN, some Routers include it as an option. But I also am a Fan of Tailscale which is easily Setup.

My Home Lab is my old Desktop with an i7-6700 with 16GB RAM and 2x 2TB Drives in RAID1. And it can easily Run a Nextcloud for 4 People, a Jellyfin, a Bitwarden, SSO solution, RSS Aggragator (FreshRSS), HomeAssistant and a Language Tool Server. It is a bit of Sweaty server, but It can handle that Workload. A Minecraft Server might be slow on it.

Other Tech :: Re: I'm considering renting a server :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-02T23:56:25+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 10:03 pm That is quit the Powerful Box you are getting yourself for a Start.

I tend to go a bit overkill whenever making purchasing decisions

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 10:03 pm If you want to move all your Stuff there, It is a reasonable Offer. But I would start maybe with a Shared vCPU server and a Storage Volume for Nextcloud Specifically and your Web server.
And get extra Boxes for stuff you only run on occasion. This makes you a bit more Flexible, is a bit less bang for the Buck, but you still get Cheaper as you might not need all that Performance.

I did take a look at those vCPU offers Hetzner has, and although they seem perfect for running a bunch of lower requirement services, or if I was spinning services up and down all the time, but specifically for the storage aspect it didn't seem to make much sense (at least for me), lets say I grabbed the cheapest option, the CX22 with 40GB of storage for 4.66€, that is very cheap, with an additional 100GB volume for 5.41€, 140GB might be enough for just me right now, but I would like to keep using it and also, since I manage the tech stuff for my parents, I would also like to move their stuff over there. and here is the problem, the next step to the volumes is the 500GB which would be plenty, but at 27.06€ is way more expensive per GB than the dedicated servers where not only it starts with two 512GB NVME drives (for redundancy so only 512GB usable) and I could add a 1TB SSD for 9.84€, so by adding two for redundancy it would still be cheaper, and even if I went with faster NVME drives it would still be cheaper (If I didn't care for redundancy it would be even cheaper), it is very unlikely that I need all the processing power of the full server (even though minecraft and openttd seem to be on the fairly heavy side when it comes to server processing requirements) but for being able to run all of the services in one machine and sharing on the cheaper storage it seems worth it to me the slightly higher upfront cost that I wont immediately benefit from. Maybe there are good reasons to not do this, and I'd be very happy to hear about them, I will still keep thinking about this for a while.

Crazyroostereye wrote: Sun Mar 02, 2025 10:03 pm For the Self Hosting Stuff, there are a lot of old Systems you can get from Recyclers or on Marketplace Services. And Places like ServerPatsDeals you might be able to acquire fairly Cheap Recertified Drives (they even come warranty).
Also with the Port thing, as long as only you and People very close to you need the Service you can Set up a VPN, some Routers include it as an option. But I also am a Fan of Tailscale which is easily Setup.

My Home Lab is my old Desktop with an i7-6700 with 16GB RAM and 2x 2TB Drives in RAID1. And it can easily Run a Nextcloud for 4 People, a Jellyfin, a Bitwarden, SSO solution, RSS Aggragator (FreshRSS), HomeAssistant and a Language Tool Server. It is a bit of Sweaty server, but It can handle that Workload. A Minecraft Server might be slow on it.

I also tried using my old PC as a local server, nothing too fancy, simple network storage, octoprint for my 3D printer and a Minecraft server, it was just a test that I ran for a while and it was struggling (and honestly not very power efficient since it is pretty old), so I replaced the octoprint part with a raspberry Pi and put everything else on various online services. I also got a used GPU for that old PC which is now serving as a light gaming machine/HTPC on my bedroom.

I am also pretty disappointed in the way that people and companies in my general area seem to operate when it comes to replacing their tech, they either let it sit and gather dust until it's so old only collectors could be interested (I have got an unfortunately non-functional Sun server and a Generic PC from the mid 90s that way), throw it into actual garbage that most likely ends up in land fills, or the few that ends up in "recycling" centers is scraped for metals and the parts that are not worth money are most likely either compacted or shredded.

Every once in a while I see a machine that looks promising but so far those always end up either being too expensive or too old and slow, if I scavenged around for long enough and on the right places I could probably build a respectable desktop and use that, but the time investment and risks of buying used parts with no warranty don't seem worth it to me. (And it doesn't help that I'm very picky when it comes to noise and the only place I would be able to put such a machine would be in my workshop/office where the constant noise from certain types of fans would drive me nuts).

Either way I'll keep an eye out for hardware on used marketplaces as I've been for the last year or so. Thank you for the links for ServerPartsDeals and Tailscale, I will keep those in mind for if I do find some machine that I like, right now I'm using cloudflare tunnels to be able to access my HomeAssistant from out of home (and even from home as I barely turn on Wi-Fi on my phone using mostly mobile data) but again I am trying to reduce my dependence on big tech companies and FRP seemed like a good replacement for it to me, I'll have to take a better look at Tailscale.

Other Tech :: Dealing with POINTLESS Tech and FAKE Convenience | Youtube :: Author Felid131

2025-03-02T21:23:12+00:00

Sometimes it's not about rejecting convenience, but avoiding inconvenience. This video talks about tech that seems more convenient on the surface, but in reality causes headache and problems that wouldn't otherwise occur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv5LFfwbBZE
Downward Diary

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Other Tech :: Re: Dealing with POINTLESS Tech and FAKE Convenience | Youtube :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-03T11:47:48+00:00

The illusion of progress, reinventing the wheel as a triangle, etc.

Good video, really makes me think what other useless technological implementation is there and i remember like month ago me and other people on the bus can't get off the bus because there's problem with card reader thing and they don't take cash payment anymore.

Other Tech :: Grammarly alternatives :: Author Afterglow

2025-03-04T08:08:09+00:00

In a Reject Convenience video from last year, I learned about the data collection Grammarly has been doing. So I've just turned off that extension.

I'm in search of a replacement, and there are plenty of options, but I'm having difficulty discerning which one of them is legitimately privacy focused. I've been duped before: I was pretty sure Grammarly was privacy-focused at the time I installed it, ages ago. So I'm looking for recommendations, if you wouldn't mind

Other Tech :: Re: Grammarly alternatives :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-04T14:28:35+00:00

A tool for Spelling and Grammar Correction I use is LanguageTool. I can't say anything of their Subscription and Data Collection Practices for the Online Tool. On a Technical Scale they get everything you write, that's the Nature of the Tool. But I don't know what they do with that data. I know they share Data with Third parties, including usage Data, but I do not know to what extent.

But they do offer an easily Hostable solution that is perfect for me. It also detects a change in Language for the Multi Lingual here, but that is a bit Buggy at times, especially when you switch Language often in the same Document. So with a bit of Technical know how you can get it up and running on your local Machine/Network. And as far as I am aware It doesn't send your Data back to them.

Other Tech :: What would be a good alternative to an Email for Account Creation :: Author Crazyroostereye

2025-03-07T14:36:55+00:00

So a Post I read recently here asking why Email is required for Registration made me think. Why is Email required. Everyone does it, but why actually do we need it and are there any alternatives?
So I thought about it and discovered 3 Aspects such an Alternative has to Achieve to be considered.

Reachability - to Reach the Person
Authenticate-ability - as an Alternative Auth, for example forgot Password.
Accessibility - It should be something everyone already has and can get.

The First 2 Obvious Ideas were Telephone and Address. These both fulfil all the Requirements. But they aren't better when considering Privacy as they are even harder to obscure or redirect. So I added Privacy as Concerned there.

Another One I remembered later is OAuth, something you most likely have seen in places already. This is when you use a different Party to authenticate. For example Google or Microsoft. But that suffers under the Issue of Accessibility as not everyone has an account with the Particular OAuth Provider the Admin chooses. And most OAuth providers resort back to Email. I wasn't able to think of any other Factor.

Does anyone here have any Idea?

Other Tech :: Re: What would be a good alternative to an Email for Account Creation :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-07T15:09:22+00:00

I would amend your Accessibility criterion to be defined by a more important consideration: it's something everyone can have, whether or not they do already, without the approval of a third party. The important characteristic of email is not merely that it is well established and everyone is likely to already have one; it's the fact that email is completely decentralized and anyone with a computer can create a mailbox for themselves without having to create an account with any third party (if they know how).

Most people don't do this, because setting up a mail server from scratch is a huge pain, but it is possible, and even for those that don't know how, they still have the choice of providers, as opposed to, say, authenticating through Google, of which there is only one.

Other Tech :: Re: What would be a good alternative to an Email for Account Creation :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-07T15:29:07+00:00

I think "Reachability" is the only real problem for the whole thing. Everything else can be solved.
(Email should always be an option for account creation.)

For example my current VPN provider is very privacy focused and allows account creation with just a username (maximum Accessability) and offers quite anonymous payments using Monero and such. (They used to allow cash via physical mail as well but it had too much administrative overhead for the number of users and might be illegal in some regions.)
Recoverability is obviously an issue here, but that can be solved in a similar way to your backup for 2FA methods. Just have a set of single use codes to recover your account. Of course you could lose those as well, but users who are so privacy conscious that they opt out of using email would usually be organized enough to keep such backup codes in a safe place, like a password vault or do some fancy cryptography stuff with it for fun. Otherwise they might just not care and accept they might lose this account. Alternatively this could be solved with an authenticator app or a physical security key/token. Each of them have advantages and drawbacks, but all have open standards and can be used in various ways, so letting users choose one or even multiple of these options should provide good accessibility and recoverability.

backup codes

authenticator app

security key

Then the only issue remaining is "Reachability". How this is handled depends on the reasons why it might be needed. If this is about ToS and the option to issue warnings for example, it could be solved by simply making users accept that if they do not provide their email, any breaking of the rules will lead to an immediate permanent ban.
I can't come up with any other reasons than that and recovery, why users might need to be reachable outside of the platform. Anything else (except maybe announcing a shutdown of the site) could be handled by a message on login.

Other Tech :: Re: What would be a good alternative to an Email for Account Creation :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-07T16:20:01+00:00

zonk wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:09 pm I would amend your Accessibility criterion to be defined by a more important consideration: it's something everyone can have, whether or not they do already, without the approval of a third party. The important characteristic of email is not merely that it is well established and everyone is likely to already have one; it's the fact that email is completely decentralized and anyone with a computer can create a mailbox for themselves without having to create an account with any third party (if they know how).

Yes I actually did add that to my Consideration but forgot to write it down, amended It, thank you.

My goal here is not to actually find an alternative. As I find Email is for this task the best. But I found it quite the Mind exercised thinking of systems that could replace email in that role. Another Idea I had been for example a Messaging Identity like Matrix or similar as they would provide the same Abilities except being less common. And therefore less Accessible.

Other Tech :: Re: What would be a good alternative to an Email for Account Creation :: Reply by PossiblyAxolotl

2025-03-13T05:54:18+00:00

One thing I've seen that I find kinda interesting is IndieAuth where you can authenticate your login through your own webdomain, either through oauth or any other means provided that can return a value to it, though it would still require people to own domains which seems to be less common in the average person.

Other Tech :: Re: RSS Readers? :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-15T07:13:40+00:00

seasnails wrote: Fri Feb 28, 2025 4:41 am If you enjoy the terminal, there's newsboat.

I have been trying out Newboat over the past few Weeks now, in conjunction to my return to Hyprland. And I really like it. The easy integration into other tool, like mpv is really easy. My only Pain point with it, is the Integration with FreshRSS, it does Sync that's not an Issue but the adding of Feeds I can now only do via the Page instead of the Client. But well it bugged on RSSGuard too every now and then so it was Pain Point there too. I think I'm going to stay on Newsboat for a while.

Other Tech :: New Pebble watches & general smartwatches :: Author PossiblyAxolotl

2025-03-19T06:35:56+00:00

I'm not sure if you all have seen but since Google open sourced the Pebble OS earlier this year the original creator of the Pebble watch has been working on bringing them back. Personally I've found the Pebble to be the only "smart" watch that's really felt good, I think things like the Apple watch are way too obtrusive and I really like the always on e-ink. I have tried the sqfmi watchy which is nice cause it's basically just an ESP32 in a watch form factor which means it's totally independent (for the most part), but I've really missed the community around the Pebble and a lot of the apps and faces since mine stopped working. I've also found the watchy to be a little fragile without a screen cover, but it's really pleasant once you've loaded a good face on it through the Arduino IDE. Anyway, thoughts on the new Pebbles, old ones, or other smartwatches?

Other Tech :: Re: New Pebble watches & general smartwatches :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-20T07:23:36+00:00

I'm waiting to see what they do with it to be honest ! But the idea sounds good. I don't understand why watches like the apple watch nowadays release and have to be charged every day. That's bonkers to me. My smartwatch is a Venue 3, basically a glorified vibrating alarm, I have to charge it every week (and a half) and I wouldn't want to charge it any more frequently.

An e-ink watch, or a watch like the pebble sounds VERY interesting, and after seeing a couple videos on it I think I'd like it, but to be frank, it's owned by Google and I just do not trust that company.

Other Tech :: Re: New Pebble watches & general smartwatches :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-20T15:30:35+00:00

Linkard wrote: Thu Mar 20, 2025 7:23 am An e-ink watch, or a watch like the pebble sounds VERY interesting, and after seeing a couple videos on it I think I'd like it, but to be frank, it's owned by Google and I just do not trust that company.

Well the Pebble is dead, so there is no real buying of them any more.

But with the Open Sourcing of the OS and the Fork of the rePebbel Project has done makes me vary happy, I really want to buy one, but also I can't justify spending 250€ on a 1st Generation Device, that hasn't been tested yet. But maybe in a few Months when it gets tested and reviews exist of it.

Other Tech :: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Author Ellie_Taglietelle

2025-03-11T22:40:24+00:00

Does anyone have experience with Smart TVs and making them less... terrible?

We have a smart TV but have grown increasingly dissatisfied with it. It's a samsung QLED and I'd love it if I could swap out the firmware and keep the TV itself (because my partner is not willing to sell) or at least do something about the terrible UI that tries to upsell obscure TV channels

We don't watch TV, We use it for youtube and as a monitor for a legally obtained media PC.

Let me know if you know anything !!1

Other Tech :: Re: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-12T07:51:00+00:00

It very Unlikely that there is a custom Firmware to flash, you could disconnect it from the Wi-Fi and set the default Output to the Media Box. Preventing the UI to pop up too much? But further than that I doubt it. There is maybe a way of taking out the Processor without interfering with the Display, but I wouldn't even know where to start there.

Other Tech :: Re: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Reply by Pearlple

2025-03-12T10:40:52+00:00

I don't know much about Samsung TVs in general, mine isn't Samsung and I just set the default output to one of the HDMIs with a local media server attached.

But overall there are some smart home devices that I haven't found (or haven't had the time for) good DIY replacements for. I just put them in a group on my Pi-Hole (local DNS server/sinkhole), and set them up so that only whitelisted services I am actively using can be reached. There are alternatives to Pi-Hole (e.g. Technitium and Adguard) some of which don't require extra hardware and can be set up on your router itself.
For Smart TV specifically, if you don't want to fiddle with whitelists, I can recommend curated blocklists like: The Block List Project - Smart TV List

Other Tech :: Re: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-18T22:29:44+00:00

I've lost count of how many times I've wanted to throw my Samsung "smart" TV's off of the roof of my house, Samsung's TizenOS is absolute garbage and even after disabling/uninstalling apps and functionality they end up popping back up like "hey we are still here, how about you give us a try again". It's a shame because the TVs themselves are quite good, it's just the garbage OS that makes the whole experience a nightmare, I have not had the chance to spend much time with other smart TVs so I can't talk for all of them, but next time I need to buy a TV I'll just buy a computer monitor instead, there are plenty of big monitors now and most don't come with any smart crap.

Other Tech :: Re: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-20T15:22:49+00:00

SergioEduP wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 10:29 pm but next time I need to buy a TV I'll just buy a computer monitor instead, there are plenty of big monitors now and most don't come with any smart crap.

There are TV Companys that do sell Good Dumb TVs, just they are always a bit more expensive because of Price.

Another thing I found is a Reddit thread about how you can call the Manufacture and just ask.
https://www.reddit.com/r/BuyItForLife/c ... t_options/
Maybe telling them a Bullshit story about Equipment it interferes with.

Other Tech :: Re: Dumb-ifying TVs? :: Reply by MikeGs

2025-03-24T23:30:58+00:00

I think it's Sony's Bravia lineup that you can dumbify during initial setup. It needs to be a Google TV compatible model.

As far as I know, if you reject license agreements, at some point, the setup is going to ask you if you want to setup your TV as a "Basic TV", disabling all smart features. The TV is still going to give you options to setup Google TV in some menus, but you can simply ignore it.

Tech News :: Very funny Blog Post about EOL CVEs :: Author Crazyroostereye

2025-03-12T12:03:21+00:00

https://opensourcesecurity.io/2025/01-c ... d-of-life/

For everyone who doesn't know what a CVE is, it's the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, and is a system where Vulnerabilities are Tracked. The way your Anti Virus for example knows one of the Software you are using is Dangerous is because it looks at the CVEs for that Software and checks the Version.

The Blog post goes about the Topic of using CVEs to mark End of Life Software, which is not done currently. But it is written in such a wonderful way, it made Laugh properly out loud several times.

Tech News :: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Author Speb

2025-03-06T15:27:22+00:00

"First of a kind" legal challenge.

https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/05/ ... /?td=rt-3a

Context: The UK requested Apple give them a backdoor in private, this was then leaked, Apple refused to do it, however they did stop people in the UK from using their Advanced Data Protection feature, so the UK kind of got what they wanted, until now.

I'm a UK resident, and slowly have been learning more and more about how it is a baby surveillance state and it seems to get worse and worse every year. Without trying to get political, this problem has been advancing year on year regardless of the party in charge. Once again the UK proves why we need all of the encryption and privacy tools it's trying to undermine, and that we have always been the baddies

Props to Apple for sticking up for user privacy, once again.

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-06T17:00:04+00:00

I hear about that a while ago. Every place trying to do that really, the UK is not the only place.

The EU attempted to pass the Chat Control Act and almost succeeded, luckily it didn't. Which would have required Companies like Apple and Google to add a State Trojan into your Phone to scan for illegal content, even on your encrypted Chats and systems, as it would have access to your Phone/Computer Screen. Completely negating E2E.

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by December_W_Wolf

2025-03-06T17:52:54+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 5:00 pm I hear about that a while ago. Every place trying to do that really, the UK is not the only place.

The EU attempted to pass the Chat Control Act and almost succeeded, luckily it didn't. Which would have required Companies like Apple and Google to add a State Trojan into your Phone to scan for illegal content, even on your encrypted Chats and systems, as it would have access to your Phone/Computer Screen. Completely negating E2E.

You know what, at this point we may as well all get DS'es and just use PictoChat to communicate (I suppose it's a bit of a half-joke, in the sense that everybody buying a Nintendo DS to use PictoChat is a tad ridiculous, but if governments do manage to pass those kinds of laws then people will have to resort to more far-fetched alternatives to skirt around the scanning and documenting of their personal files, chats, data, contacts etc.)

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-06T18:28:11+00:00

The Issues is that the vast majority of People won't care. I know so many People that say they don't care. That will always be the case. As long as it doesn't affect ME directly there is no Issue. The People only care when it is actively and perceivably hurting them and only them.

A quote that Is tan gently aligns the Issue of only carrying once it affects you is from Martin Niemöller. An Initially Nazi sympathiser that, once the Nazis came to Power had issue with them messing in the affairs of the Protestant Church. And became Vocal critic until he was eventually arrested.

Martin Niemöller wrote: Als die Nazis die Kommunisten holten, habe ich geschwiegen; ich war ja kein Kommunist.
When the Nazis came for the Communist, I was quite; as I was not a Communist
Als sie die Gewerkschaftler holten, habe ich geschwiegen, ich war ja kein Gewerkschaftler
When they came for the Unionist, I stayed quite, as I was not a Unionist
Als sie die Juden holten, habe ich geschwiegen, ich war ja kein Jude.
When they came for the Jews, I stayed quite, as I was not a Jew
Als sie mich holten, gab es keinen mehr, der protestieren konnte.
When they came for me, there was nobody any more who could protest

This is an extreme example, but still encapsulates the Issue. We only start to speak up when It affects us negatively and Privacy Issues don't affect us that Negatively. People in general don't get Prosecuted by the Company with the Data they collect until they are, but then the others dont care.

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by Speb

2025-03-07T13:17:18+00:00

Crazyroostereye wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 5:00 pm Every place trying to do that really, the UK is not the only place.

You're right, France is going at it as well.. Pretty scary stuff.

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by Speb

2025-03-14T23:40:59+00:00

Updating this thread with a relevant Wired article, it is pay walled if you have viewed one of their articles recently.

TLDR: The UK, France and Sweden are all taking measures to undermine E2E Encryption, the European Union plan to scan private chats and India passed a law in 2021 that requires 'traceability' to all of its messages being sent in the country which threatens WhatsApp.

Despite countries reccomending the use of E2E encrypted services, they are now switching up and trying to undermine them by demanding backdoors or introducing legislation against it.

There is now evidence supporting the fact that the UK asked Google to implement a backdoor also.

All of this goes directly against what agencies like CISA, the NCSC and the FBI, and even the Whitehouse, reccomend.

Tech News :: Re: Apple Takes the UK Government To Court :: Reply by Crazyroostereye

2025-03-15T06:36:15+00:00

Most Information Services, CIA, FBI, BND, MI6, recommend E2E encryption as this does Prevent Spying from Foreign Parties, but they also want access to your Communication as well, as it brings Results. Anom for example, where they sold a Crypto Phone on to the Underground Market. Which gave them access to all Communication of Users using these Phones "E2E" services. Leading to the biggest Sting Operation in History.
Having that sort of access makes every Inner Security Agency Wet.

My Personal Issue with the Backdoor thing is, you aren't only giving Your Government a Backdoor, you also give them the Responsibility to keep your Communications Secure. And well my Government at least sucks at that big time. Because maybe an Employ use the nice Password Password to the Portal that has access to the Backdoor. Also, Privacy when I want to communicate Privately I have Constitutional Right to do so. This also includes on the Internet.

Tech News :: Amazon does a '1984' :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-17T09:33:15+00:00

Amazon has announced that starting March 28th, even for users who have previously opted out, all processing of audio for Echo devices will be cloud based. There is no longer an option for on-device processing.
This applies to every single interaction with the speaker and is being rolled out in advance of the Alexa+ subscription functionality. *no way this could possibly be them wanting your data to train their models for free/have you pay for it*
Even if you don't want to use any of the new features, on device processing is no longer supported.

It sounds like the device will not be completely bricked if you disable the recording altogether, but it would be severly limited; and at that point why have a smart speaker anyway!?
Now I have to say I do not own an Alexa device and did not receive this email myself. I briefly had one during the beta when I was more naive and all for new fancy tech with very little awareness or concern for privacy.
I don't like any of these "smart" devices for a lot of reasons; in addition to privacy concerns, they also put a filter in front of your interaction that is out of your control. Of course they can be convenient, but going down this road you slowly lose your critical thinking and the abilitiy to really do anything by yourself. Also who knows what the company, who owns the software and therefore functionally owns the device, wants you to know/think or more importantly what they want you to not know or think about.

My sources here are Cory Doctorow (Pluralistic), the author, activist and journalist who coined the term "enshittification"; and Ars Technica

Tech News :: Re: Amazon does a '1984' :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-17T12:57:51+00:00

Thanks for this info and the precise sourcing.

That is really disturbing. Another reminder that these big companies don't let you actually own anything you buy from them, and steal not only from artists, but also from you specifically.

Hopefully this will deter people who don't have an echo from buying one. The more that companies push cloud-based SaaS on us, the more I go back to simple computing systems, and 'dumber' technology

Tech News :: The resistance lives :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-18T09:27:04+00:00

I would imagine that just like most people out there YOU also don't like MS Copilot!?

Neither does the underground resistance of sensible people who have infiltrated Microsoft and are rolling out some updates to fix the mess that MS has made of their products.
Or it might just be a bug, but in any case, the March update for Windows (KB5053598 for Windows 11 24H2 and KB5053606 for Windows 10 22H2) uninstalls the Copilot app.

Reported on BleepingComputer

Tech News :: Re: The resistance lives :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-18T10:32:08+00:00

I don't see or never seen anyone actually like Copilot, i'ts another bloatware/spyware microsoft shoving to our throat so they can steal more data from us!

Tech News :: Re: The resistance lives :: Reply by December_W_Wolf

2025-03-18T22:19:24+00:00

First nobody used Cortana, now nobody likes Copilot; hopefully they remove it from Windows 12 if that ever becomes a thing. And cool little update as well, now Windows users can try to experience life with just a little less spying on Microsoft's end

Tech News :: Re: The resistance lives :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-20T07:05:43+00:00

If anything, I think it's also a reminder of the fact that they don't want you to own or be able to modify your own stuff. How can an update uninstall an app on your computer like this ? That's wild.

For me, the combo Linux Mint + Debloated Windows 10 is wonderful. It's incredible how much faster windows becomes without all of its bloat.

Tech News :: Open Technology Fund in jeopardy :: Author Pearlple

2025-03-26T08:53:56+00:00

The OTF is being run by the US Agency for Global Media, said agency has just been incapacitated as they lost virtually all funding.

Among others the OTF provides funding for:

OpenVPN
Let's Encrypt
Tor
Quad9-DNS
F-Droid
Mailvelope (OpenPGP encryption for Webmail)
Tails (portable OS with censorship/surveillance protection)

It remains to be seen for how long they can keep up support and crucially keep up security updates. Let's hope this is only temporary and someone notices that the little funding they get might be worth it. Or have some other funding source step in. Sadly the EUs FOSS isn't looking much better, having lost to the AI and crypto hype.

Tech News :: Re: Open Technology Fund in jeopardy :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-31T08:56:42+00:00

Fuck AI and crypto!

Why are they stop funding something useful instead they're funding something practically useless

Art :: Re: Art Share Thread :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-07T22:11:31+00:00

Oh my god, all of these look amazing!!
@Softlywool I love your style, it looks soft but also pretty crunchy!
@seasnails Always love to see people use old simple software to draw. I use Tux Paint sometimes for small doodles, I had no idea something like MacDraw II existed :0

This is one of my most recent drawings I'm super proud of (made with Clip Studio, not Tux Paint lol).

riolu skank v2.png

I also did my profile picture, though I had to re-make most of it because the size limit was 90x90

This one below is the original I adapted

starfleef.gif

Attachments

riolu skank v2.png (379.32 KiB)

starfleef.gif (7.4 KiB)

Art :: This was meant to be a quick doodle :: Author SergioEduP

2025-03-02T16:48:03+00:00

Once I saw this post by Mr. Convenience https://bsky.app/profile/rejectconvenie ... 3rdejay22r I knew exactly what I had to do, it was meant to be a quick sketch that I was going to do yesterday afternoon to then create the account here and post it (since I don't have a bluesky account to reply to the post in question), but after a couple of hours and and almost forgeting to sleep, then today deciding to color it in, here it is:

Project (20250302110241)~2.jpg

I'm not particularly good at drawing yet but I'm very happy with the result, I quickly traced over the general shape from a freeze frame from Nichijou's Helvetica Standard skit "1 Million Yen" to save time figuring out proportions and prespective (again this was supposed to be a quick sketch), and used a bunch of reference pictures from Bocchi The Rock! (Both anime and Manga) to try and get Ryo Yamada and Ikuyo Kita to look recognizable.

Attachments

Project (20250302110241)~2.jpg (243.09 KiB)

Art :: Re: This was meant to be a quick doodle :: Reply by DedRoll

2025-03-02T18:29:52+00:00

Hahaha get lock in and forgetting sleep is so relateable when it comes to drawing.

Hey, the drawing turns out pretty good!

I noticed it's a referece from Nichijou(?) but yea you draw the character from Bochi the rock. Hope he see this!

Art :: Re: This was meant to be a quick doodle :: Reply by rejectconvenience

2025-03-18T18:17:45+00:00

THIS IS AMAZING I love Ryo so much

Art :: Re: This was meant to be a quick doodle :: Reply by SergioEduP

2025-03-27T22:36:47+00:00

Thank you both for the nice comments

rejectconvenience wrote: Tue Mar 18, 2025 6:17 pm THIS IS AMAZING I love Ryo so much

Really love the whole band, the 4 girls are so different yet they all fit together so well! Have not been able to get vol. 6 yet since it isn't available on my local book stores and I refuse to buy from Amazon, but when I do get my hands on it I will probably read the whole thing in one sitting.

Art :: Re: This was meant to be a quick doodle :: Reply by rejectconvenience

2025-03-30T16:50:01+00:00

SergioEduP wrote: Thu Mar 27, 2025 10:36 pm I refuse to buy from Amazon

Hell yeah!

Books :: Favourite quirky "feature" in a book? :: Author December_W_Wolf

2025-03-03T23:10:39+00:00

I've read many books throughout the course of my (nearly quarter-length) life, and while most of them are simply printed in an ordinary, standard manner, there have been a few I've picked up that used something I'd never really seen in a book before in terms of layout and structure. I could give the example of my particular copy of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, where the left page is in English and the right page is in Italian, but I feel the books that take the cake for most interesting layout are the Charlie and Lola series.

Yes, I know, these are children's books, which means they aren't as pressured to conform to a certain standard, but even among children's books they stand out. Looping sentences (and by that I mean literal looping sentences), words turned into staircase steps, font and size changes, the list goes on. And all of this really helps the reader, however young, to hear what tone the speech is being talked in and how the characters are saying what they're saying... I just find it really cool, props to Lauren Child.

So, anyways, any particular quirks you found in a book that stood out to you? A formatting style, a pop-up... anything.

Books :: Re: Favourite quirky "feature" in a book? :: Reply by axolotls_

2025-03-03T23:51:32+00:00

Well, everyone is going to say it, but I guess I get to be the first! I really love house of leaves which is famous for being an unusually formatted book! But it's not just the formatting the story and themes are excellent and the formatting is used to enhance them.

(sidenote... does anyone know how to set image size so I'm not posting giant images?)

Books :: Re: Favourite quirky "feature" in a book? :: Reply by drmollytov

2025-03-03T23:59:42+00:00

Not sure it's exactly what you mean, but for me it has to be The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/book ... -bj-novak/

It is, as advertised, a children's book that has no pictures. The humor is entirely in the delivery. It's my absolute favorite icebreaker - it even works on teens. (I'm a librarian.)

Books :: Re: Favourite quirky "feature" in a book? :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-04T00:06:30+00:00

I bought a hardback copy of Julia and the Shark a few years ago, purely because the illustrations looked gorgeous and I also have an original character with the same name.
What I did not expect was that some of the illustrations would be present on translucent pages! For example, early in the book, there's a map of the route that Julia's family take, from Cornwall to Shetland. When you flip the translucent page over and align it with the map, you can see a line of their route, all the way to the lighthouse they're staying in for the summer with birds in yellow decorated all around it.

There are a few more pages like that, buuut that would be spoilers for the book
Apologies for the massive images below, I can't be bothered to shrink them right now :/

Music :: Re: Give me cds to look for when im thrifting! :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-28T14:13:25+00:00

I don't know what kind of CDs you can find thrifting in Utah, but if you find anything from Ween (I recommend The Mollusk, Quebec or Shinola, Vol. 1) at a reasonable price (apparently, they go for ridiculous prices online), definitely go for it.
Grateful Dead is another one I recommend to everyone, because they're so varied that there's bound to be something for you. I particularly like Shakedown Street, but it's all good.

Music :: Sombrero Club (2-tone ska) :: Author Ray Karr

2025-03-28T14:48:38+00:00

I found this band yesterday, and I love the music, but I mainly wanna write about how I found this band, because it was a lovely experience.

A friend of mine who's also got the ska brainworm recently sent me a playlist of underground Argentinian ska, and one of the bands in there, Skabú Simbel, stood out to me. Their music (which SLAPS btws) feels a little more like a middle point between the classic 2-tone and the 1st wave Jamaican ska, and they're pretty much nowhere (not on bandcamp, not on spotify, barely on any social media sites, and I can only find one EP of theirs.

So, I start digging, see what there is about them online, and I find an old Blogspot from 2007, apparently written by a former member, who writes at the beginning (original, then translation by me):

(...) si uno analiza la edad promedio del público que concurre a los shows de Satélite Kingston y/o Sombrero Club, muy pocos tuvieron la oportunidad de presenciar un show de Skabú Simbel (...)

(...) when looking at the age range of the people that now go to Satélite Kingston and/or Sombrero Club shows, very few of them actually had the chance to witness a Skabú Simbel show (...)

I know Satélite Kingston, they're a lovely ska-jazz and rocksteady band I listen to all the time... and here they are mentioned next to one I've never heard of in my life.

Of course, I look up their music, and it's incredible. The singer has a lovely voice, and it's exactly the kind of mood I'm in right now. And it also made me a little nostalgic. I found this band by exploring the internet, it's something I don't do as often as I did ten or fifteen years.
So yeah, now that band and their music is forever associated in my mind with the experience of having stumbled across them on an ancient blog while looking for something else :3

Music :: Re: Sombrero Club (2-tone ska) :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-30T12:07:05+00:00

Ray Karr wrote: Fri Mar 28, 2025 2:48 pm I found this band yesterday, and I love the music, but I mainly wanna write about how I found this band, because it was a lovely experience.

A friend of mine who's also got the ska brainworm recently sent me a playlist of underground Argentinian ska, and one of the bands in there, Skabú Simbel, stood out to me. Their music (which SLAPS btws) feels a little more like a middle point between the classic 2-tone and the 1st wave Jamaican ska, and they're pretty much nowhere (not on bandcamp, not on spotify, barely on any social media sites, and I can only find one EP of theirs.

So, I start digging, see what there is about them online, and I find an old Blogspot from 2007, apparently written by a former member, who writes at the beginning (original, then translation by me):
(...) si uno analiza la edad promedio del público que concurre a los shows de Satélite Kingston y/o Sombrero Club, muy pocos tuvieron la oportunidad de presenciar un show de Skabú Simbel (...)

(...) when looking at the age range of the people that now go to Satélite Kingston and/or Sombrero Club shows, very few of them actually had the chance to witness a Skabú Simbel show (...)
I know Satélite Kingston, they're a lovely ska-jazz and rocksteady band I listen to all the time... and here they are mentioned next to one I've never heard of in my life.

Of course, I look up their music, and it's incredible. The singer has a lovely voice, and it's exactly the kind of mood I'm in right now. And it also made me a little nostalgic. I found this band by exploring the internet, it's something I don't do as often as I did ten or fifteen years.
So yeah, now that band and their music is forever associated in my mind with the experience of having stumbled across them on an ancient blog while looking for something else :3

Such a cool story ! It's so true that we don't "discover" things this way on the internet as much anymore. But now you'll always remember the band by this investigation that you conducted!

Animals :: not a frog... :: Author 11ofcups

2025-03-04T20:06:48+00:00

No frog pics but I DID see an owl at the park recently

20250216_133259.jpg

Attachments

A picture of an owl sitting on a tree branch. It is staring at the camera
20250216_133259.jpg (3113.12 KiB)

Animals :: Re: not a frog... :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-04T21:59:59+00:00

who?

Animals :: Re: not a frog... :: Reply by Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-17T05:02:06+00:00

Definitely a frog.

Animals :: Re: not a frog... :: Reply by Ray Karr

2025-03-17T20:59:19+00:00

cool dog!!!!!

Good News :: Re: Housecleaning (go clean your room, bro) :: Reply by 11ofcups

2025-03-04T20:03:31+00:00

I did laundry yesterday! It's hard for me because of my health problems but I did it AND I put it all away!

Good News :: Re: Housecleaning (go clean your room, bro) :: Reply by Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-10T07:29:15+00:00

JINSBEK wrote: Sat Nov 23, 2024 5:43 pm Did you make your bed?

Geez, feel so called out lol.

Good News :: Re: Helped my fiancée make her first website! :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-16T11:00:50+00:00

This is so cute ! I really love the website. You even got her a "non-obtrusive" mp3 player and all !

Journaling :: Favorite Pens :: Author Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-29T17:59:44+00:00

What are your favorite pens for your journaling experience? If you can, post some pics. Do you have of a kind fountain pen or do you enjoy a cheap ball-point? Let's talk about pens.

I'll start. I love fountain pens, but I have noticed that a lot of common, cheap paper is too thin for how much ink a fountain pen puts down. I, also, love thin tips which are not easy to find in a fountain pen, while still writing smooth. Lately, I have been writing with a cheap Muji 0.5 push pen, and I am in love with it. It writes so smooth, and, while not as thin as I prefer, still makes some really thin lines.

Journaling :: Re: Favorite Pens :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-30T12:16:25+00:00

Interesting !

My girlfriend and I have taken the habit to write daily in our respective "Leuchtrrum1917 "some lines a day" 5 Years Memory Book" (she got an Instagram ad for it and I couldn't be happier).

I've really loved writing with cheap ball point pens in it. One reason is because they grip the paper in a way that is more enjoyable for me. I've noticed that, surprisingly, my handwriting has suddenly improved over time.

Another reason is, because the pen is cheap, I don't mind using it. I tend to be more self conscious and scared of writing on more expensive journals, or using more expensive pens. A worry of "wasting them", you know.

I'll check out the Muji 0.5, but I think that I prefer when the pen grips the paper a little more. Smooth, but with a bit of uniform friction if that makes sense. For that reason, I prefer random cheaper ball point pens. I love the 4 color ones as well, as they give me the versatility of using multiple colors, which speaks to my brain better visually.

Journaling :: Re: Favorite Pens :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-30T20:13:57+00:00

Linkard wrote: Sun Mar 30, 2025 12:16 pm A worry of "wasting them", you know.

You may not have known, but almost all fountain pens are refillable, so they are arguably less wasteful than burning through cheap single-use pens! There also exist nibs which have higher friction if you like the pencil sort of feel.

Journaling :: Re: Favorite Pens :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-31T07:17:03+00:00

You may not have known, but almost all fountain pens are refillable

I do actually! Here in France (at least when I was younger), fountain pens were mandatory in school. However, between the bleeding on the pages and the leaking that the recharges can do, I don't like them at all. I also journal on my bed, so fountain pens are pretty much completely out of the question.

Journaling :: Re: Favorite Pens :: Reply by zonk

2025-03-31T10:24:35+00:00

I don't want to turn this into an argument thread, but I would like to disagree with my experience. It sounds like you were using cartridges, which I can see potentially getting messy, especially in the hands of children. I refill my pens from bottles, which, so long as you don't knock the bottle over, is quite safe from being messy (at least because you don't need to apply the same force as when you break open a new cartridge).

As for paper, that is a problem if you want to use cheap paper, but there exist many brands of good paper made for fountain pens. One of my favorites is French, in fact: Clairefontaine (though they are on the expensive side).

All this to say: I used to journal in bed with my fountain pen for quite a while and never made a mess. I have heard other Europeans tell a similar story to you, and I don't know exactly what it was like, but my impression is that those poor experiences come from the fact that they were children and that the adults didn't give proper instruction.

Anyway, carry on doing whatever you like. I just felt it needed to be said that the adults I know who use fountain pens have not had your experience, and others reading shouldn't be afraid to try them.

Journaling :: Re: Favorite Pens :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-31T12:04:14+00:00

Oh yeah I get it ! I also know Clairefontaine, they're a really well known brand around here.

About the fountain pens, that's the problem : they're best used with more expensive paper, paper which gives me a mental block because I don't want to "waste it", and given that I just don't like them more than ball point pens, I really don't have a reason to use them. Also I'm very very clumsy, and have dropped pens on the bed on occasion, and a fountain pen would stain for sure.

It's awesome if you prefer them ! And I completely get your reasoning. Some people prefer higher quality stuff to journal, but weirdly, I'm actually the opposite!

Other :: Re: ENA: Dream BBQ chapter 1 discussion :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T02:08:38+00:00

I'm so hyped for Chapter 1!
Definitely going to be a highlight of this quarter for me, most excited to learn about all the new characters and sink my teeth into the nitty gritty of ENA's world ^u^

Other :: Re: What is your least favorite advertisement? :: Reply by QueriesNTheories

2025-03-02T02:16:52+00:00

100% agree with all the mildly NSFW ads and the AI and crypto...
My personal grudge is with getting non-stop ads for Monzo and Revolut on YouTube mobile. -_-
I've heard bad things about both, I don't care how many times you show off your one-time use cards at me or show me those weird staged "I'll pay you back" style ads, I am not opening an account with either of you goddamn it >:[

Other :: Re: What is your least favorite advertisement? :: Reply by drmollytov

2025-03-02T21:12:21+00:00

There's an ad I hear on the radio now and then for an app that offers "cash back" when you buy gas.

Every single time, I end up yelling at the radio, "And what are you getting out of it? Nobody just hands out free money to people running daily errands!" Whatever data this app harvests has to be more valuable to its creators than however much it pays the people who use it. That's just business.

It's somehow even more offensive to me than online gambling/sports betting ads (which are my second least favorite, bumping "pharma ads" to #3). At least gambling ads are clear that you are gambling. This ad is very "ignore the man behind the curtain."

Other :: Bullet Journaling & Fountain Pens :: Author Kolev

2025-03-09T00:09:59+00:00

Does anybody bullet journal? I've found adding an index and timeline to my journal has made it much more navigable, and allows me to add lots of stuff to it that I wouldn't otherwise. It's a good alternative to a laptop or phone for when I don't have power, and lets me use my fountain pen more.

Currently I am using a Rhodia Webnotebook (orange) with a black Pilot Metropolitan, with Sailor Studio 143 (blue) ink. My journal setup is very basic, with no drawings. Just text.

Other :: Re: Bullet Journaling & Fountain Pens :: Reply by Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-10T07:32:57+00:00

I am so upset that my favorite fountain broke. I want to get another one. Been trying to get into journaling but I haven't really tried any system yet. Currently, I just free write what comes to mind into a tiny pocket journal.

Other :: Re: Bullet Journaling & Fountain Pens :: Reply by drmollytov

2025-03-12T10:54:24+00:00

I tried bullet journaling years ago, but at the time it felt both too busy and not robust enough for my needs. I might try it again, though, since I'm in a completely different career/situation now.

I have a bad habit of buying fountain pens "as a treat." My current daily driver is a Lamy Safari. It's not my favorite of the bunch, but it's tough as nails and cheap enough I won't cry if I break or lose it.

Other :: Battle/Patch Jackets :: Author Ray Karr

2025-03-12T19:51:12+00:00

Last year, I learned about battle jackets. For those who don't know, several subcultures adorn vests and jackets with patches, pins and studs as a form of expression. It goes back to motorcycle gangs and, later on, metal and punk scenes, though nowadays they're seen in several subcultures. The most common kind of decoration is band patches, usually of bands the wearer likes, and often sold at live shows (some particularly elitist people claim the only patches should be of bands you've seen live). Of course, it's not just bands; some had political statements, artwork, chains and studs in original patterns, etc.

So, very interested in this, I went out to my local street fair and bought myself a denim jacket in mid 2024. It's a size too small and it looks ridiculous when I close the zipper, but it's a great starting point and I can just wear it open.

And here it is, front, back and Bowser:

20250312_115606.jpg

20250312_115757.jpg

20250312_115711.jpg

So far, there's mostly rock bands here, as well as a few non-band things. I'm sure there's people who'll say it's not a real battle jacket if it's not punk or metal, or confined to a single genre, but I say these are as valid as any other subculture.

I'll talk about the patches individually and, I'll link to my favorite song of every band patch. Do let me know if you like any of them, I love to spread my tastes and brainworms.
On the top-right, I have my first patch: a gorgeous maw design by artist Garoline that I had a friend bring for me from Argentina FurFiesta 2024. You can see that the sewing is clumsier and just worse than all the other patches.
I also have a non binary flag (because of course), a Star Trek combadge pin (particularly, the design used in Deep Space 9 and Voyager, because Deep Space 9 is my favorite Trek show), and a fuzzy patch of my fursona (using the popular lick screen pixel base by SketchMichi) gifted to me by a friend.
Finally, the first band patch in this section, of the Argentinian '80s rock/reggae/post-punk band Sumo.

That round patch below is of the classic Argentinian rock band Patricio Rey y sus redonditos de ricota (often shortened to "Los Redondos"). You'll notice a predominant nationality to this jacket lol

To the left is a kitty skeleton I saw at a gallery that I thought was cute.

At the top-left I have the Outer Wilds patch. Outer Wilds is my favorite game of all time, it brought me to tears of several kinds and changed the way I see videogames forever. I wanted to buy the official embroidered patch, but it was sold out, so I had it printed onto the fabric for me. Below it is a patch of, you guessed it, another Argentinian rock band. This one's called Divididos and it's the only one here I saw live. This is one of the two very well-known bands that formed after the very untimely death of Sumo's lead singer in 1988, and they're still active to this day (the other one is called Las Pelotas, but I don't like them as much).
Below that is Ween, the funniest patch in this jacket in my opinion, by virtue of being extremely out of place next to everything else. Ween is a US band that makes... pretty much every genre, sincerely and ironically at the same time. They're something special, and I could listen to them in pretty much every context.

At the bottom are two 2-tone checkerboard pattern patches because I love ska, and I wanted more ska representation in my jacket. I do have plans for patches of ska bands I like but, for now, those are all the ska I have. I also had a Sega patch there but I took it out because the checkerboards fit better.

Lastly, on the back, a fuzzy patch (by the same maker who did the other fuzzy patch) of my favorite band, Virus, '80s Argentinian pop-rock band that I love dearly. I struggled for a bit with picking just one song because there are several I could call my favorite.

I'd love to see if any of you guys have battle jackets, or if you like applying patches to any clothes or bags that you have ^^

Attachments

20250312_115606.jpg (1161.6 KiB)

20250312_115757.jpg (1157.98 KiB)

20250312_115711.jpg (1480.96 KiB)

Other :: Re: Battle/Patch Jackets :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-16T11:09:37+00:00

Love it, I think my favorite are the Bowser and Outer Wilds patches !

Feedback :: Add a journaling secion? :: Author Stefen_Maxwell

2025-03-10T07:40:26+00:00

I recently have been down the Youtube rabbit hole of journaling videos. A bunch of different styles and methods exist to this highly personal practice, and I thought that adding a journaling section might be beneficial to highlight this often forgotten but resurging skill. Perhaps have a pin thread for peeps to share example pictures of their note-taking/journaling technics.

Feedback :: Re: Add a journaling secion? :: Reply by rejectconvenience

2025-03-12T15:12:28+00:00

I like it, added to "Everything Else" for now!

Feedback :: Re: RSS feed for the forum :: Reply by Linkard

2025-03-15T17:34:42+00:00

Yeah this was a great call !

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