#Generate Youtube API

[rexoweb0]

How To Generate YouTube API

Are you looking to improve your YouTube experience? Generating a YouTube API can be a great way to get more out of your YouTube experience. In this blog, we will discuss what a YouTube API is, the benefits of having one, the prerequisites for generating a YouTube API, the steps to Generate a YouTube API, and common errors and troubleshooting. By the end of this blog, you should have a better…

[izicodes]

Just learnt how to turn HTML to Image

Friday 6th October 2023

Yeah just figured out how to turn HTML tags into an image you can download and save! The idea popped up because I came across a image generator from the user inputting the text and images and the generator would merge all of that into a .png file for you to save. So, I thought "mmmh I could do that?" (^^)ｂ

･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* and I did *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Now I'll use this for future project ideas! Especially a similar project to those "Code Snippets to Image" generators I use to share code on my blog! I'll make a proper post of how I did because it took me forever from an API with limited conversions to an outdated tutorial with broken links 😖

art used @fraberry-stroobcake 🌷

⤷ ○ ♡ my shop ○ my twt ○ my youtube ○ pinned post ○ blog's navigation ♡ ○

[starmod]

500 mods? LETS PRAY WE DON'T CRASH!

Welcome to the blog where I document my stardew more mods then needed journey,

Give me recomendations for mods to add btw!!!

(also, yes this is the second time I made this list, I fucked up the first time lmao)

the mods:

stardrop, required to actually keep the updates regurally scheduled and to ensure you know what the names of mods are (half the mods are linked to dateable clint)

the google drive link to the full 1.84GB mod download folder

where to watch the playthrough:

twitch, live aproximatly every wednesday. unschedules due to me not being on a schedule in general.

youtube: vods and properly edited videos, these will appear an undetermined amound of times after streams

[emon-khalid]

The Evolution of Web 2.0

The Evolution of Web 2.0: Transforming the Internet Experience

The internet has come a long way since its inception, and one of the most significant milestones in its evolution is Web 2.0. This term, first coined in the early 2000s, represents the shift from static web pages to dynamic, user-driven platforms. With the rise of social media, user-generated content, and interactive online services, Web 2.0 has revolutionized the way we connect, communicate, and create.

What is Web 2.0?

In simple terms, Web 2.0 refers to the transformation of the web into a more interactive and collaborative space. Unlike its predecessor, Web 1.0, which primarily consisted of static websites where users could only consume content, Web 2.0 allows users to actively participate in the creation and sharing of information. This paradigm shift has led to the rise of social networks, blogs, wikis, and other platforms that encourage collaboration and community building.

Key Features of Web 2.0:

User-Generated Content: Platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Wikipedia have made it easier than ever for users to create and share their own content, whether it's videos, articles, or social media posts.

Social Networking: Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are prime examples of Web 2.0's emphasis on building online communities where people can connect, share experiences, and collaborate.

Interactive Interfaces: Technologies like AJAX and APIs enable more dynamic, responsive web pages that allow real-time updates without refreshing the page. This has greatly enhanced the user experience, particularly on social media platforms.

Rich User Experiences: Web 2.0 applications are designed with the user in mind, making it easy to navigate, interact with, and personalize their online experiences.

The Impact of Web 2.0 on Digital Culture

Web 2.0 has empowered individuals to have a voice in the digital world. Blogs, forums, and social media platforms have democratized content creation, giving anyone with an internet connection the ability to publish their thoughts, ideas, and creations to a global audience.

For businesses, this shift has created new opportunities for engagement with consumers. Brands are now able to interact with customers directly through social media platforms, fostering a sense of community and loyalty.

Moreover, the rise of influencers and content creators on platforms like YouTube and Instagram has changed the landscape of marketing. People trust recommendations from peers and influencers more than traditional advertising, and brands have quickly adapted to this new form of communication.

What’s Next After Web 2.0?

As technology continues to advance, discussions around the next phase of the web—often referred to as Web 3.0—have begun. While Web 2.0 focuses on user interaction and community-driven content, Web 3.0 promises to take things even further by incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and decentralized technologies like blockchain. In this new era, the web could become even more personalized, secure, and user-centric.

Conclusion

Web 2.0 has truly transformed the way we interact with the internet, bringing about an age of collaboration, connection, and creativity. As we look forward to the future, it's exciting to imagine how the web will continue to evolve and shape our digital experiences.

What are your thoughts on the future of the web? Share in the comments below!

For more details on the history and significance of Web 2.0, check out these sources:

The History of Web 2.0

Understanding Web 2.0 Concept

[whatsapp-cloud-api-botsailor]

WhatsApp Cloud API Setup For Botsailor

Integrating the WhatsApp Cloud API with BotSailor is crucial for businesses seeking to enhance their customer engagement and streamline communication. The WhatsApp Cloud API enables seamless automation, allowing businesses to efficiently manage interactions through chatbots, live chat, and automated messaging. By connecting with BotSailor, businesses gain access to advanced features like order message automation, webhook workflows, and integration with e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce. This setup not only improves operational efficiency but also offers a scalable solution for personalized customer support and marketing, driving better engagement and satisfaction.

To integrate the WhatsApp Cloud API with BotSailor, follow the steps below for setup:

1. Create an App:

Go to the Facebook Developer site.

Click "My Apps" > "Create App".

Select "Business" as the app type.

Fill out the form with the necessary information and create the app.

2. Add WhatsApp to Your App:

On the product page, find the WhatsApp section and click "Setup".

Add a payment method if necessary, and navigate to "API Setup".

3. Get a Permanent Access Token:

Go to "Business Settings" on the Facebook Business site.

Create a system user and assign the necessary permissions.

Generate an access token with permissions for Business Management, Catalog management, WhatsApp business messaging, and WhatsApp business management.

4. Configure Webhooks:

In the WhatsApp section of your app, click "Configure webhooks".

Get the Callback URL and Verify Token from BotSailor's dashboard under "Connect WhatsApp".

Paste these into the respective fields in the Facebook Developer console.

5. Add a Phone Number:

Provide and verify your business phone number in the WhatsApp section.

6. Change App Mode to Live:

Go to Basic Settings, add Privacy Policy and Terms of Service URLs, then toggle the app mode to live.

7. Connect to BotSailor:

On BotSailor, go to "Connect WhatsApp" in the dashboard.

Enter your WhatsApp Business Account ID and the access token.

Click "Connect".

For a detailed guide, refer to our documentation. YouTube tutorial. and also read Best chatbot building platform blog

[tuwann]

social media is pushing their luck lately on all fronts. even when you understand their mindset these changes are risky - mainly operating under "social media is like a slot machine" kind of mindset, since thats effectively the same thing.

my point is: the best thing they can do is make it as easy as possible to use the website and develop addictions, any friction hurts this and this is why selling data is their strongest practice, *its invisible to the user*. ads, like promoted posts and such, are less intrusive. theyre just another post. ads, like how youtube does it, are very intrusive and frictional. ads still need to exist for data collection to be worth anything to the corporations, but from a social media companies perspective data collection weighs more on the scale.

but recently, theres been a few interesting developments. its not like ive been to shareholder meetings and can predict exactly what the baby eating ceos are thinking, but - i think they believe the addiction the average person has is so powerful over them that they can get away with putting more friction (or theyre just fucking stupid). the examples im talking about right now are twitters "$1 subscription" and youtube waging war on adblockers. twitters seems like just a fucking stupid descision but youtubes seems more calculated, but its still some big friction.

seriously the twitter thing is unbelieveably stupid friction if youve ever been like... on the internet without access to a credit card you know the difference between free and not free VERY well. the subscription idea will probably get dropped but if it somehow does go through like. every kid will not use it for certian, anyone who... yknow... evaluates the worth of the thing theyre buying even SLIGHTLY will quit, like... the only people that will remain are the blue checks who are not beating the nonsentient allegations. anyway.

i dont know how "normal people" use social media. i surround myself with people who are quite aware about the mass gangstalking of users and are generally above average in tech-proficiency. i dont know the social media habits of jimmy age 25. maybe jimmy will just deal with the friction, but the people i know are fairly averse to the friction and are just... using the sites less because of it. there doesnt really seem to be a stopping point in adding this friction until the site owners get burned somehow (unless youre twitter lol theyre gonna keep doing shit until the servers cant afford to be paid they have NO brakes). i guess we just have to see how much it takes for the lowest common denominator to get too annoyed with social media before sites stop their nonsense

uh, anyway, im gonna take a break from youtube until theres a way to use an adblock on it. a week? a month? never? well, thats fine. i quit reddit basically for good after the API change i can drop a site again if i need to

[lady-azarashe]

I miss the old Internet.

Back when I was younger I frequently visited dozens of different websites. There were countless forums and websites worth spending your time on, and clickbait wasn't a thing as much as it is nowadays. A decade ago my browsing habits were much more varied: Cracked, Gaia, Youtube, ICanHazCheezburger, TGWTG, Instructables, at least four different forums, game/animation portals, etc. I only hit F5 whenever I was waiting for someone's forum reply or for something to be uploaded.

Nowadays stuff is so centralized (and so much stuff from back in the day has either disappeared or gone bad) that my Internet browsing habits are a loop of Tumblr-> Youtube (mostly for music) -> Reddit -> Reddit again -> Tumblr-> Youtube -> Reddit. Doesn't help that most social media seems to be composed of screenshots of the other social media sites. Back then I felt like a digital adventurer, discovering new places by following leads found in random places and that felt genuine. I remember discovering Neopets when I was a kid and I was over the moon because I had discovered something so amazing to me. Or small forums where, after posting for a while, everyone was like family. Now I feel like a disinterested tourist, accompanied by a mass of thousands of users indistinguishable from myself, who is carted around by whatever shows up on the front page; and whose group arrives, mindlessly consumes the content, and leaves feeling mildly entertained yet profoundly unfulfilled.

And this isn't even counting the amount of bullshit we gotta deal with these past few years, such as

manipulative practices from our content providers and their algorithms,

insane amounts of "enshittification" that's hitting every single social media site,

megalomaniacal CEOs constantly screwing over their own users in the name of ego and shareholder profit,

active and passive privacy loss,

the whole clusterfuck of AI-generated content,

astroturfing and manipulation to pit people against one another for a myriad different reasons,

and more!

I had spent over a decade on Reddit and left after the dumpster fire of last year's API changes and subsequent blackout. I feel like Tumblr's current state of affairs will push me out as well eventually. I don't think I'm going anywhere else after this, I'm just gonna join the ranks of the offlines.

Back when I was younger I felt like I had "a home on the Internet", as well as an identity. But now that I don't belong to any online community anymore, and now that I'm slowly withdrawing unto myself and keeping only nostalgia as company, I feel more alone and adrift than ever before. Hell, I'm not sure that's 100% nostalgia there. That's just straight-up loss.

[music-industry-updates]

Legal Issues Facing Discord Music Bots: What You Need to Know

In the world of Discord, music bots have become a popular way to enhance the user experience by allowing server members to listen to music together in real-time. These bots can play songs from various streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and SoundCloud, making them a central feature for many communities. However, the use of these music bots has not been without controversy, especially concerning legal issues surrounding copyright and intellectual property rights. In recent years, several high-profile music bots have been shut down due to legal pressures, raising important questions for both users and developers. This article delves into the legal challenges that Discord music bots face, the implications for users, and what the future may hold.

Background on Legal Challenges: Discord music bots like Groovy and Rythm were once among the most popular bots on the platform, boasting millions of active users. These bots allowed users to stream music from YouTube and other platforms directly into their Discord servers. However, their popularity also caught the attention of major record labels and streaming platforms, which led to a series of legal actions that culminated in the shutdown of these bots.

The Rise of Music Bots:

Music bots first gained traction as a fun and easy way to share music in group settings. Their ability to pull audio from platforms like YouTube made them a go-to choice for community servers.

Bots like Groovy and Rythm became ubiquitous, often installed on thousands of servers, offering features such as playlist creation, queue management, and high-quality streaming.

Legal Notices and Shutdowns:

In 2021, YouTube issued cease-and-desist letters to both Groovy and Rythm, citing violations of their terms of service. The main issue was that these bots were pulling audio from YouTube videos without proper licensing or permission.

Groovy was the first to shut down, followed by Rythm shortly after. These shutdowns sent shockwaves through the Discord community, as many servers relied on these bots for their music needs.

The legal notices highlighted the importance of adhering to copyright laws, even in seemingly informal settings like Discord servers.

Understanding Copyright Law:

Copyright law protects creators' rights over their original works, including music. When music is played publicly or shared, it generally requires a license from the copyright holder or a performing rights organization (PRO).

Platforms like YouTube and Spotify have agreements with PROs that allow them to stream music legally. However, when a bot extracts and plays this music on another platform (like Discord), it can violate these agreements if proper licensing is not obtained.

Current Legal Status of Music Bots: The shutdown of Groovy and Rythm was a wake-up call for both developers and users of Discord music bots. Since then, the legal landscape has become more complex, with new bots emerging that attempt to navigate these challenges while staying within legal boundaries.

Emergence of Legal-Compliant Bots:

After the shutdown of major bots, developers began to explore ways to create music bots that could operate legally. This has led to the emergence of bots like Hydra and Chip, which use APIs provided by streaming platforms to play music in a way that complies with copyright laws.

Some bots have adopted a freemium model, where basic features are free, but advanced features (like high-quality streaming or playlist management) require a paid subscription. The revenue from these subscriptions helps cover licensing fees.

Platform-Specific Bots:

Some music bots are now designed to work specifically with platforms that offer API access and licensing agreements. For example, bots that pull music from Spotify do so through Spotify's official API, which ensures that all music played is properly licensed.

These platform-specific bots often come with restrictions, such as requiring users to link their personal accounts or limiting the number of tracks that can be played from certain artists or albums.

Risks for Server Admins:

While newer bots strive to operate within legal limits, server admins must still be cautious. Using bots that do not comply with copyright laws can expose the server owner to legal risks, including potential fines or the shutdown of their server.

To mitigate these risks, server admins should only use bots that explicitly state their compliance with copyright laws and avoid using bots that scrape audio from platforms without permission.

What This Means for Users: For the average Discord user, the legal issues surrounding music bots can be confusing. However, understanding these challenges is crucial for making informed decisions about which bots to use and how to use them responsibly.

Choosing the Right Bot:

Users should look for music bots that operate transparently and within legal boundaries. Bots that use official APIs from platforms like Spotify or YouTube are generally safer to use.

Avoid bots that offer suspiciously unlimited features for free, as these are more likely to be operating without proper licensing, putting both the bot and the server at risk.

Understanding Your Rights and Responsibilities:

When using a music bot, users are indirectly involved in the public performance of music. While this might seem trivial, it falls under the purview of copyright law.

Users should be aware that even if a bot is free to use, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s legal. Always check the bot’s terms of service and any disclaimers provided by the developers.

Potential Consequences:

Using illegal music bots can result in the bot being shut down, leading to the loss of playlists, queues, and other features. In some cases, Discord itself may take action against servers that consistently violate copyright laws.

It’s also possible that continued use of illegal bots could lead to broader legal action against server owners, especially if the server has a large following or generates revenue.

Future Legal Considerations: The legal landscape for Discord music bots is likely to continue evolving as both developers and copyright holders navigate the challenges of digital music distribution. Here are some potential future developments:

Stricter Enforcement by Platforms:

As streaming platforms like YouTube and Spotify continue to crack down on unauthorized use of their content, we may see even stricter enforcement measures. This could include more frequent shutdowns of non-compliant bots or legal actions against developers.

Platforms may also develop more robust tools for detecting and blocking unauthorized bots, making it harder for illegal bots to operate undetected.

Development of Licensing Solutions:

There is potential for the development of licensing solutions specifically for music bots. This could involve partnerships between Discord and major streaming platforms to offer legal, licensed music bot options.

Developers could also explore ways to integrate more direct licensing options, allowing server owners to pay for the rights to stream music legally within their communities.

AI and Music Bots:

As AI technology continues to advance, we may see the development of music bots that can create or curate music in real-time, reducing reliance on copyrighted material. AI-generated music could offer a legal alternative, though this raises its own set of legal and ethical questions.

AI could also be used to monitor and manage the use of copyrighted music, ensuring that bots remain compliant with licensing agreements in real-time.

Conclusion: The legal issues facing Discord music bots highlight the complexities of digital music distribution and the importance of respecting copyright laws. While bots like Groovy and Rythm brought joy to millions of users, their shutdowns underscored the need for compliance with legal frameworks. As new, legally compliant bots emerge, users and server admins must be vigilant in choosing and using these tools responsibly. By staying informed and adhering to legal guidelines, Discord communities can continue to enjoy the benefits of music bots without the risk of legal repercussions.

[cai-tan]

YouTube Multi-Streaming Announcement

Standard Greeting Protocol, Toaster Frickers! I'm going to start experimenting with using Restream to hit YouTube as well as Twitch. That being said, Twitch is still considered the "primary" channel in which streaming is taking place, with YouTube being more or less secondary and for general convenience and extended VOD storage.

I'll have a dock that can still see YT chat, but the stream-embedded chat will be solely Twitch, unless I have a really good reason to stick YT in there somewhere.

Also, YouTube obviously doesn't have channel points. KTDash integration with YouTube API is a planned feature, but it will be mostly for relevant notifications such as new followers and good ol' Soup Chats, whenever those happen. However, for the current moment, during this transitory phase, integration will not work. (I mean, you're all probably already following both channels, right...?)

That being said, another important takeaway is that RAPPORT Progression will still be linked directly to Twitch accounts first and foremost. There are no plans to link YouTube accounts to RAPPORT profiles (why the heck would you, anyways????).

Have a fantastic day, Toaster Frickers!

[not-radioshack]

Writeup: AOpen i945GMm-HL shenanigans

AOpen i945GMm-HL - The Retro Web

Welp. This board is weirder than I ever thought it'd be. Not the board in general, but the specific one I bought.

To begin, it turns out that my particular board, and likely many others of the same model, are OEM-customized boards that AOpen provided to a little company called RM Education. They make all-in-one PCs for the UK market.

...And they are using evaluation BIOSes (in other words, BIOS software that's normally only meant for prototyping and... well, evaluation) in their retail boards.

My specific board contains BIOS version R1.08, which is actually R1.02 apparently. There is evidence of an R1.07 existing as well from a reddit thread on the r/buildapc subreddit, but I doubt that it's been dumped anywhere.

Moving on to the original point of this writeup, I got this board because I wanted to build a system that pushed the 32-bit Core Duo T2700 as far as possible, meaning I needed a mobile-on-desktop board. AOpen built a reputation for doing this sorta stuff in the 2000s, so I went ahead and picked one of their boards for use (although I would've much preferred using the top of the line AOpen i975Xa-YDG instead if it were being sold anywhere. That's a VERY tasty looking board with its full size DIMM slots and SLI-compatible dual PCIe x16 slots and ability to crank the FSB all the way to 305MHz).

Slightly surprisingly, the Core Duo T2700 is quite the overclocker! It's able to push from 2.3GHz all the way up to 2.7GHz with some FSB overclocking using the SetFSB tool. It's multiplier-locked to a range from 6.0 to 14.0, so I can only push it through this means.

The board I'm using, the AOpen i945GMm-HL, supports running the FSB up to 195MHz. It's okay-ish in terms of stability, but crashes when running Aida64 benchmarks unless I loosen the memory timings from the 5-5-5-15 settings that it uses at 333MHz to 5-6-6-18, which is just the tiniest bit faster than its stock settings for 400MHz operation by SPD. With these settings, it's much more stable and is able to run the benchmarks, though unless I lower the FSB from 195MHz to 190, it will consistently crash Chrome when trying to play Youtube videos on integrated graphics. I'll likely experiment some to see if adding a card capable of handling the video playback in hardware helps.

For now, this is all for this blog post. I'll follow-up with more details as they come in reblogs. As follows are the specs of the system:

AOpen i945GMm-HL (OC'ed from 166MHz FSB to 195MHz, 190MHz for more stability)

Intel Core Duo T2700 @ 2.7GHz (OC'ed from 2.3GHz)

2x 2GB Crucial DDR2 SO-DIMMs @ 5-6-6-18 timings

Some random 40GB Hitachi hdd lol

Windows XP Pro SP3, fully updated via LegacyUpdate

Supermium Browser (fork of Google Chrome and the reason why I was able to test Youtube playback in the first place)

Coming up: Installing One-Core-API and Java 21 to play Minecraft 1.21 on a 32-bit system out of spite for Microsoft "dropping support" for 32-bit CPUs.

[pictureamoebae]

Hi! 😄

Trying to use reshade on Disney Dreamlight Valley, and the I’m using a YouTube video for all games as I haven’t found a tutorial for strictly DDV. The first problem I’ve ran into is I’m apparently supposed to click home when I get to the menu of the game but nothing pops up so I can’t even get past that. It shows everything downloaded in the DDV files tho. 😅 never done this before so I’m very confused. Thanks!

I haven't played DVV so I'm not sure if it has any quirks or special requirements for ReShade.

Still, for general troubleshooting, make sure that you've installed ReShade into the same folder where the main DVV exe is located.

Does the ReShade banner come up at the top when you start the game? If so, then ReShade is at least installed in the correct place.

If it doesn't show up despite being in the correct location, make sure you've selected the correct rendering api as part of the installation process. You know the part where it asks you to choose between directx 9/10/11/12 or OpenGL/Vulkan? If you choose the wrong one of those ReShade won't load.

You can usually find out the rendering api of most games on PC Gaming Wiki. Here's the page for Disney Dreamlight Valley. It seems to suggest it supports Direct X 10 and 11.

If you're certain everything is installed correctly and the banner is showing up as expected but you still can't open the ReShade menu, you can change the Home key to something else just in case DVV is blocking the use of that for some reason.

Open reshade.ini in a text file and look for the INPUT section.

You'll see a line that says

KeyOverlay=36,0,0,0

36 is the javascript keycode for Home. You can change that to something else.

Check the game's hotkeys to find something that isn't already assigned to a command. For example, a lot of games use F5 to quick save, and F9 to quick load, so you might need to avoid using those. In TS4 at the moment I use F6 to open the overlay, because it's not assigned to anything in the game. You can choose whatever you want. You can find a list of javascript keycodes here. F6, for example, is 117, so you'd change the line to read

KeyOverlay=117,0,0,0

But you can choose whatever you want. Just remember to check it isn't already used by the game.

Note: you can usually do this in the ReShade menu, but since it isn't opening for you at the moment this is a way to change that key manually

Beyond that, I'm not sure what would be stopping the menu from opening. If you've exhausted the options above, you can try asking over in the official ReShade discord server. Please give them as much information as possible in as clear and uncluttered and to-the-point language as possible to increase your chances of someone being able (and willing) to help.

[the-sleepy-archivist]

Favorite iOS Safari Extensions

On iOS (iPhones and iPads), Safari is the undisputed leader of the browsers, primarily because Apple puts very tight restrictions on other browser apps that makes it very difficult for them to offer the same features that Safari does.

Thankfully, you can install extensions to tweak Safari's behavior and customize websites, as long as your device is running iOS 15 or higher. Here are the Safari Extensions I use on a daily basis. Many are free (or at least have a free version), and all work on both iPhones and iPads.

For desktop computers and Android phones, you can also check out my recommendations for Firefox addons)

Last updated March 2025 (fixed broken Bypass Paywalls Clean links, added StopTheMadness)

Index:

AdGuard

Noir

uBlacklist

Userscripts

Sink It for Reddit

UnTrap

Vinegar

StopTheMadness

AdGuard

This addon is free if you just want to use the built in adblocking lists. For a small yearly fee, you can pay for "Pro" features, which allows you to add any custom adblocking list to the app, as well as providing DNS-based system-level adblocking that can block ads and trackers inside any app on your phone. Note that it gives you two options for the system-level blocking, local VPN and native DNS; using the VPN option can drain your battery faster than normal in my experience, so I recommend using the native DNS instead. Between AdGuard and the two YouTube-customizing extensions below, I haven’t seen an ad on YouTube in Safari in months.

Recommended custom filter lists (in addition to the built-in default lists):

Bypass Paywalls Clean (you’ll also need to install this userscript using the Userscripts Safari extension mentioned later in this list for maximum paywall blocking)

Huge AI Blocklist (if you don’t want AI art or AI images of nonexistent chimera animals cluttering up your search results)

Fuck FuckAdblock

Noir

Adds a dark mode to any website. It's using heuristics (fancy guessing) to figure out which website colors need to be changed so that it's darkened, so sometimes it can make mistakes. In that case, it has a built in way to send a bug report to the developer, who is pretty responsive in my experience; he updates the app around once a month in my experience. You can also turn off darkening for specific sites right from inside Safari.

uBlacklist

This addon hides search engine results from specific domains. Example: you can hide images results from AI generator sites, OR if you search for tech support advice and one of those stupid auto-generated sites filled with SEO garbage but no actual information keeps popping up, you can use this addon to hide everything from that website, right from the Google/DuckDuckGo/other search results.

Recommended filter subscriptions:

Huge AI Blocklist

Userscripts

Allows you to install userscripts and stylesheets that customize website behavior or appearance. The addon can check for updates of your userscripts and uses iCloud to synchronize them across devices too, which is really nice. The userscripts I use are:

Bypass Paywalls Clean (removes news website paywalls)

Amazon Sponsored Products Removal (self-explanatory)

Redirect Fandom to BreezeWiki (bypasses ad-filled fandom.com domains for indie wikis or an ad-free proxy site. The link documents 2 userscripts with slightly different behavior; use whichever you prefer).

Sink It for Reddit

I switched to only using Reddit in the browser after the whole API/third party apps fiasco. AdGuard blocks the ads in the web interface, but there were still a lot of annoyances because Reddit constantly bombarded you with prompts/popups trying to get you to switch to their app so they could track you and sell you ads. Sink It for Reddit removes all of those popups and lets you customize the behavior of the Reddit website too (tapping a post can open it in a new tab, back to top buttons for long posts, and video downloads, among other things). Constantly being updated too, which is nice to see.

UnTrap (USD $1.99)

This extension cleans up the YouTube interface in the browser. You can hide Shorts, Explore, Trending, and multiple flavors of Suggestions (videos, playlists, etc.). It also stops autoplaying videos, and has a content filter you can use to ensure you never see certain channels or even specific videos by ID, username, or keyword/regex. There are over 50 options you can tweak for the video playback page alone, so if you’re looking to remove an annoyance from YouTube in Safari on iOS, this is the addon for you. Note however that this is the first extension I’ve recommended that does NOT have a free version.

Vinegar and Baking Soda (USD $1.99)

This extension replaces YouTube’s custom video player with a standard HTML5 one. This means that YT videos will play back using the standard iOS video player interface, including all of the accompanying benefits: better interface, Picture in Picture/popout videos work, videos continue playing in the background even if you leave Safari, etc.. I was even able to start a YouTube video in Safari, lock my phone, and then continue playing the video and hear the audio over my car’s speakers via CarPlay. These are all normally locked features reserved for YouTube Premium subscribers. You can also set a default quality that it will use so YouTube won’t use “auto” and set you to 360p just because you’re using a phone.

StopTheMadness Pro (USD $14.99)

This app is really only for techies who use mobile websites a LOT; for me the very high price tag is worth it primarily to stop the following web annoyances:

Stops websites from disabling features like copy and paste, pinch to zoom, context menus, or text replacement/autofill

Adds a warning when you’re exceeding the length of a password field (too many poorly coded websites just chopping off the extra characters without telling me and then the password I recorded is wrong)

Stops autoplaying video (looking at you, YouTube and news websites)

I’ll be honest, this app has a LOT of features and the number of options can be overwhelming. It has dozens of things I did not mention, and some of them even overlap with other items in this list. For example, if you have this you probably don’t need Baking Soda or Vinegar because this app has options for enabling native Safari controls on all videos, setting default YouTube quality and subtitles, etc.

[rastronomicals]

hi ! im curious , you made all these post or isome kind of program generates them ?

Hi! and thanks for taking an interest!

I reblog some stuff and manually post some others, but the majority of my posts are generated through php pages I run from the command line on my Windows machine using the Oath protocol and Tumbr's API. My foobar musicplayer is connected to the last FM scrobbler, and I access their API, get my feed, and alter it with my saved commentary and images, then automatically post it to tumblr. I'm also hooked up to Spotify (and they use curl not Oauth) so I can post music links as well. For a while I was doing YouTube videos as well, but pulled it down, as I need to increase the accuracy of their search.

90% of the code I wrote myself, though I'll admit I don't really understand the actual OAuth transfer that well, those sections are straight copied and pasted :-)

[envolvenuances]

On my personal computer and phone I do use Firefox (so I can have Ublock. which is not my only extension or API, but already helps a lot with hiding AI especially on job/freelance search platforms) and DuckDuckGo (has AI, but let's you opt out of it and more).

But since on my job we've been completely sold to Google what I did was set the web search as default. Gets rid of AI, YouTube thumbnails and other platforms in general. It's easy to click "web" after you've already done a Google search, but thw process to set it as default is a bit hidden. Another trick for Google many have mentioned is typing "-AI" at the end of your search.

but of course this doesn't solve the problem of every other platform integrating and AI of their own or bring web 1.0 back. I have a bit of a foot inside digital literacy and post-humanism ethics. and cyber security and rights advocates tend to go a little beyond and advise us we shouldn't demand these features be "opt out". they should be advertised in updates for interested users to opt IN in the first place.

(I'm someone who would never opt in non chronological feed or personalised advertising for once.)

I wish there was a way to completely OPT OUT of AI. Like you could set your ENTIRE Internet browser to NOT shove it down your throat.

When social media was getting big, you could just NOT get a Facebook or a Twitter. It was simple as that. You can't do that with AI.

Trying to find a job? It goes straight to an AI filter. Trying to look at art? Here's 100+ ai shit. Trying to look up who was in what movie from the 1980s? GOOGLE GEMINI IS HERE WITH THE COMPLETELY WRONG ANSWER!

Someone PLEASE create a way to allow people to get AI the FUCK OUT of our lives if we DO NOT WANT IT!

[digitushar]

Google Ads Vs Facebook Ads

Any business today must devoid themselves of any rigid strategies to suit the fast-changing digital world when reaching their audience appropriately is concerned. Google Ads and Facebook Ads are two of the strongest forms of online advertising ever to exist. Each one of these two platforms offers its own advantages; which one suits your business? Let us state the differences side by side in respect of target market, pricing, user intent, advertising forms, and when to use which.

Explaining the Platforms

Google Ads

Google Ads is a pay-per-click advertising platform where businesses can present their ads on search results, on YouTube, and to partners on the Google Display Network. Hence, it is best considered as an intent-based marketing strategy that aims to grab users that are actively searching for a given product or solution.

For instance, a search with the keyword "best digital camera under ₹50,000" would display your ad on top of the search results page of Google.

Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads is the advertising space set up by Meta for running advertising and promotional campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and the Meta Audience Network. Not all the time are the users actively searching for your product when shown these ads, as these ads target users based on their interests, behavior, and demographics.

Therefore, this approach is demand creation as opposed to demand capture.

Targeting Capabilities

The two platforms are equipped with generous targeting options but go about them in completely different ways.

Google Ads targets users by keywords, location, device, language, and time. This works great for companies that want to get very specific about the user intent for their targeted audience.

Facebook Ads targeting option is based on interests, and the audience filter can be as wide as age, gender, job title, interests, behavior, and more. Also, you can reach users via retargeting through Custom Audiences and Lookalike Audiences.

Ad Formats

Google Ads

Search: Text ads on Google search.

Display: Visual banner ads on websites.

Shopping: Product listings for eCommerce.

Video: Advertising on YouTube.

App Promotion Ads

Facebook Ads

Image And Video Ads

Carousel Ads: Multiple images or videos.

Ads in Stories and Reels

Ads on Messenger

Lead Ads: Great to collect user info.

Facebook's ad formats are more visually appealing and interactive, perfect for storytelling and engagement.

User Intent

This constitutes a primary difference between the two platforms.

Google Ads: With this one, it mainly targets high intent users who are actively searching for something, thus resulting in higher conversion rates.

Facebook Ads: This is when users are using their spare time to check out content. Awesome for building brand awareness, but conversion may take time unless your ad is highly interesting.

Price Comparison

Costs vary depending on the industry, competition, and targeting.

Google Ads can be more expensive for cost-per-click, especially when big keywords like "insurance" or "lawyer" are involved. Yet these candidates really intent on your offer would still double the ROI.

Facebook Ads, though being less expensive, serve the i.e. we have no intention to buy now.

At the end, not just simply looking at ad costs, but to understand the return-On-Investment (ROI) and hence return-On-Ad-Spending (ROAS).

Performance Tracking

Performance tracking is offered in both platforms.

Google Ads also integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics for more granular insights.

Facebook Ads Manager offers comprehensive reporting, including impressions, reach, engagement, and conversion.

Since privacy updates (like iOS 14), Facebook tracking may require setup with Meta Pixel and Conversions API to get accurate results.

When to Use Google Ads

When you want to find and capture demand from users searching right now.

When providing services with the element of urgency (like plumbing, legal help etc.).

When running an eCommerce store with Shopping Ads.

When you want visibility on YouTube or across the web.

When to Use Facebook Ads

When you want to create brand awareness and mindshare.

When you have a beautiful product or a fancy brand.

You want to retarget website visitors.

Whenever you want to announce the launch of a new product or service in an effort to create a buzz.

Which One Is Better?

There is no one size fits all answer to this; it strictly depends on your goals.

If willing to get quick conversions from users with intent, then go for Google Ads.

If creating a brand, getting user engagement, or reaching a large audience is what you want, then go for Facebook Ads.

For a complete funnel strategy, do consider running both.

Facebook is about creating awareness.

Google captures the user when they are ready to make the purchase.

Final Thoughts

Be it Google Ads or Facebook Ads, both are very strong in their own way. The best will depend on audience, budget, and goals. Start gradually, test out a variety of ad creatives, targeting strategies, and analyze your findings based on the results. Over time, you will realize what suits your business the most.