#VPN improvements

[virtualizationhowto]

pfSense CE 2.7.0: New Features and Upgrade Steps

pfSense CE 2.7.0: New Features and Upgrade Steps @vexpert #vmwarecommunities #100daysofhomelab #pfSense #pfSenseCE2.7.0 #pfSensePlus23.05.1 #FirewallUpgrades #NetworkSecurity #VPNImprovements #pfSenseFeatures #FirewallConfiguration

Open-source firewalls are a great solution for home lab environments and production use cases. Certainly, there isn’t an open-source firewall that stands out any more than pfSense. The pfSense firewall solution is excellent and provides many capabilities and features. Netgate has just announced the release of pfSense CE 2.7.0 and pfSense Plus 23.05.1 with new features. Let’s unpack the new…

[askshivanulegacy]

Huh. Weird.

*continues enjoying Adblock*

Do we seriously have to skip both ads on YouTube now. Like we press skip on the first then we have to wait five more seconds to press skip on the second. Are you actually fucking kidding me

[specialability]

Private Browsing Mode isn't Secret Spy Mode. It doesn't save where you go into your browser history and turns off your add ons. That's it. Every website you visit still knows exactly who you are from your IP address and browser fingerprint. Your ISP/mobile data provider still knows exactly what sites you went to (and will happily tell any law enforcement agency who asks). It is for if you're worried about a parent or abusive partner checking your devices, not doing illegal shit online.

[ranidspace]

there's a lot of fear mongering around the new firefox terms of service and privacy policy and most of all of it is bullshit and, just fear mongering. One thing that is concerning however is the following:

Your use of Firefox must follow Mozilla’s Acceptable Use Policy, and you agree that you will not use Firefox to infringe anyone’s rights or violate any applicable laws or regulations.

Before this would only apply to mozilla services such as the matrix chat, firefox send (rip), the vpn, or whatever, but now they are saying it is applied to the browser as well.

And one of the things you shouldn't do according to the policy is, you guessed it:

Upload, download, transmit, display, or grant access to content that includes graphic depictions of sexuality or violence

So mozilla (perhaps accidentally, companies love to do this but also mozilla is kind of stupid), just said you cannot use firefox to browse porn. If it is intentional and they double down on this (which I'm really not sure if they even can, firefox is a program running locally on your computer, it's not a service they can just ban you from or anything like that, again, mozilla is a bit stupid), it's not a reason to use chromium. In the terms of service they also write:

These Terms only apply to the Executable Code version of Firefox, not the Firefox source code.

"the Executable Code" is vague, like does it count if you build it locally on your computer, or is it just the mozilla packaged versions of it downloaded from official sources or whatever idk.

But i think it would make sense forks don't count as the terms apply to "Firefox" and not anything else. So here's some alternative browsers which aren't firefox, but are firefox based:

Librewolf: just firefox, all the crap removed, and lots of privacy features turned on as well. Google is disabled in the search bar, but you can enable it again with a bit of a hack, and by default, history and cookies is cleared when you close it. You can turn that off easily. Basically identical to regular firefox otherwise, it's what i'm currently using.

Zen: Very new but gaining popularity quickly. kind of buggy due to it's recency, but people seem to love it. Main focus is customization, but with improvements in privacy, and speed. Pretty different from other browsers, but that might be what you want.

thats. basically the main two rn. i dont think anything else really would be good for most people and even as someone who really likes to get into things deep with privacy and security and shit i think librewolf is just fine. there's lot of other options but they're kinda all in the categories that these two cover.

While nowhere near in a state to be used as a regular browser, i would keep your eyes on Ladybird which is undergoing the insane challenge of making a web browser from scratch; it's not based on chromium or firefox. The first alpha version is projected to come out next year and it seems very promising.

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

:D

FUCK THE POLICE <3

[elftwink]

"nobody is even buying things because of ads" factoid actually a statistical error, tumblr users on firefox browsers with ublock origin and a VPN installed are outliers and should not have been counted

to preface this post i am anti-advertising i think we should explode the entire industry but it's sooo funny when you people make posts like "and they don't even work!!" like. sorry to be the bearer of bad news but yes they do. that's why we have to put up with so many despite everyone hating them and thinking its annoying. because they actually work really well and make a shit load of money

[gay-wrongs-activist]

Random Pit Babe s2e1 thoughts:

Oh god I want more

I love Babe but man, sportsmanship also means not getting fucking angry at every person that happens to win against you

Pooh's acting has noticably improved, nice

Assuming Chris is his own person and not a mole or actually Way - man, he's patient with this bunch of confused, desperate men

The awkwardness between Sonic and North feels way too real

Poor Jeff, please someone give that man a break

Good for you, Kim, as much as it sucks to see you leave, that's 100% a fair decision - I don't know if it's normal for racing teams to just support one person as the one to win

That was a lot of bonking for a first episode, and damn, is it delicious

Pete, my man, listen, I love you with Way but how did you fall in love that quick and that hard

The way things are going I wonder if Babe actually ever told the team about the attempted SA on himself. Like I get that it's easier to forgive a dead person but the others (besides Charlie) just seem completely unaware

God I feel so fucking bad for Kenta, please someone save him

Did they fucking shoot Dean omg??? But I hope that at least means Team X Hunter can find him and pamper him back to life& the wet cat deserves some peace and quiet :(

The preview definitely looks like shit is going to go down next episode already

I fucking hate that the show isn't available legally in Europe, not even when using a vpn. I wanna contribute to the show's viewcount and not have to struggle through dailymotion to find a version with proper sub titles

Extra point:

I do very much appreciate the fact that we got scent gland gnawing already in episode 1 and Charlie is very much gonna be able to smell someone else on Babe next episode so 😌👌 scent stuff is one of my favorite things about omegaverse so I very much appreciate all of this

[milf--adjacent]

*entertainment video that's actually just a VPN or boxer-brief ad*

*video ads at the gas station*

*a TV in the dentist's office that only plays ads between segements of home improvement shows (which are themselves ads for things like specific paints and furniture brands)*

*Ads on my reciept from buying the meds that keep me alive*

*Ads between songs on the app I paid for*

*Ads lining the street, some beamed from 12 gigawatt TVs that emit enough light to block even the brightest stars.*

*Advertising on the PVA-laced paper that holds my chicken sandwich*

*Ads in government emails telling me I was rejected from medicaid again*

*Ads inside of video games I paid for already*

[szkin-art]

Obligatory reminder for those who’ve just finished Witch from Mercury, the compilation movies for the original 1979 series are currently freely available on the official GundamInfo youtube channel! They’re also on netflix!

I don’t think they’re a perfect replacement for the original show personally, but if you want an easy way to get into earlier gundam, they are a great starting point, and have some improved animation.

The full series is available on Crunchyroll, along with the sequels, Zeta Gundam and ZZ Gundam! Plus like a ton of other AU series like GWitch - Wing, G Gundam, 00, SEED etc

GundamInfo also has the entire first season of G-Witch rn - and I believe if you’re in SEA/have a VPN you can watch Season 2 there as well.

[cuthbertimus]

anyone else completely unable to access presale tickets for the uk dropout improv tour?

like no button for tickets ever appeared after the countdown ended, only a loading wheel? I tried different devices, tried turning off my vpn, and got nothing...? just wanted to check if it's just me?

[moistmailman]

I’m glazing fromsoft a lot but just let me yap.

Elden ring look so amazing because the game look’s strikingly similar to it’s concept art. The game is one giant painting that you can easily look at in awe.

This is the concept art of one of the areas

Looks really cool, right? Looks like a beautiful painting that you might find in a museum.

Now this is how it looks like in the game

It still looks amazing.

Not only that but they will occasionally improve on the concept art.

Concept art:

In game:

This looks fucking amazing.

This is why so many people praised this game’s graphics.

Credit to Bonefire VPN for these pictures comparison.

[tequitoclown]

List of programs and stuff I use

[pt: List of programs and stuff I use ./end pt]

Disclaimer: This is in no way trying to say I have the best setup of all time or anything. The point of this post is mostly to introduce people to cool things they may not know about, or a place to point to when someone asks what I use!

(Last updated: 6/28/24)

Browser

[pt: browser ./end pt]

Firefox (Windows/Linux/MacOS/Android/IOS) - Obviously I recommend Firefox above all else, especially with chromium-based browsers moving onto manifest V3.

Bitwarden (Windows/Linux/MacOS/Android/IOS) - Good password manager! Used it for years with no complaints!

AdNauseam (Firefox/Chrome) - My adblocker. It's built upon uBlock Origin and has all the same features, but it actively clicks on the ads to waste advertiser money. If that's not up your alley, uBlock Origin is fantastic too!

Wayback Machine extension (Firefox/Chrome/Safari) - Allows you to make snapshots of pages, or view old snapshots if a page isn't loading correctly!

XKit ReWritten (Firefox/Chrome) - Pretty much a must-have for Tumblr. Has a ton of features to make navigating this site much better. Full feature list here!

Discord

[pt: Discord ./end pt]

Vencord (Windows/Linux/MacOS) - A modified Discord client that adds support for plugins and themes. Basically allows you to install plugins from a massive list that improves Discord. (Technically against ToS. Basically, don't post that you're using it in big servers, and turn off your themes before sharing screenshots.)

Bunny (Android/IOS) - If you miss Vendetta for Discord, Bunny is an actively maintained fork of Vendetta! Basically the same as above, but for Android/IOS instead of desktop. Same warnings about ToS apply.

Aliucord (Android) - Miss the old Android app feel, and still want to have plugins/themes? Pretty cool but has a less impressive theme/plugin selection. Same warnings about ToS apply.

Bluecord (Android) - Another Discord modification without the new Discord UI!

Youtube

[pt: Youtube ./end pt]

Freetube (Windows/Linux/MacOS) - A desktop Youtube client with adblock and sponsorblock built in. Still in beta, but very good.

Sponsorblock (Firefox/Chrome) - Pretty much a must-have for watching Youtube these days. Automatically skips over sponsors, self-promos, interaction bait, outros, intros, etc. Highly configurable!

Dearrow (Firefox/Chrome) - Haven't used this very long but I love it. Gets rid of vague or clickbait titles/thumbnails and replaces it with descriptive and more accurate thumbnails. Also built into Freetube now!

Newpipe (Android) - Lightweight Youtube client. I haven't used it myself much but people swear by it!

ReVanced (Android) - Modded Youtube client with Sponsorblock, Return Youtube Dislike, and Youtube Premium features. Doesn't support Dearrow as of 6/25/24 :( (PLEASE BE CAREFUL INSTALLING THIS. If you don't know what you're doing, you can cause some damage!)

Spotify

[pt: spotify ./end pt]

Spicetify (Windows/Linux/MacOS) - Spotify modded client. Has adblock, themes, etc! Think Vencord, but for Spotify.

Misc.

[pt: Misc ./End pt]

Obsidian (Windows/Linux/MacOS/Android/IOS) - Basically a personal wiki for notetaking! A bit of a learning curve. Fanfic writers and worldbuilders... go feral.

Notepad++ (Windows) - A must-have text editor. Might be on more platforms but can't confirm?

Mullvad VPN (Windows/Android) - The only VPN I can 100% recommend. Cheap, fast, and really cares about your privacy. It's a little under $6 USD a month!

NVDA (Windows) - A free screenreader I use for reading large blocks of text. (Notice: I am not visually impaired to the point I rely on a screenreader to navigate my PC. I use it on occasion to read text to me because I have a hard time reading. If you're looking for advice on screenreaders for the visually impaired unfortunately I'm not a good source! Maybe check out the #visually impaired, #blind, or #accessibility?)

Syncthing (Windows/Linux/MacOS/Android) - Lets you sync folders across devices. It's especially good with Obsidian.

"Tequito, I didn't find what I wanted!"

[pt: "Tequito, I didn't find what I wanted!" ./end pt]

I'm sorry. :( If you're looking for a program I have personally mentioned using in the past, feel free to shoot me an ask or DM! Or hey... maybe try searching the letters "FMHY" and having a look around? *wink*

[nopanamaman]

(I had a huge realization that my asks might not ever be sent bcs I am using a VPN, so I will just. Post it here again. Just in case) I've been following you ever since the false disposition and 1) you are improving so much!! (while the old stuff is still amazing) and 2) you are one of my very favorite vocaloid creators. Thank you so much for sharing your music online. (also, I was shocked when I found out you ALSO make manga, like damn just how cool are you!!)

Ough that's so sweet, thank you...

Though I wouldn't say I'm really making a manga - I just wanted to adapt a part of the story into a short comic, but severely underestimated the number of pages that would require lmao

[quietwingsinthesky]

i’m the only one writing minecraft creepypasta in 2025.

I’d wanted to get back into Minecraft for a while.

I remembered playing it as a kid, but it had been years since I’d picked it back up. Seeing my friends making accounts, watching everyone on the internet praise the game, even the occasional build impressing me as I scrolled online; all of it felt like a sign to return to a place I’d once called home.

My old account was long gone. Even if I could remember what email address was connected to it, I’d missed the window for migrating my Mojang account to a Microsoft one by a few years. Learning that combined with staring at the thirty dollar price tag for a game I only paid fifteen for back in the day forced my hand. I turned away from the official channels and went looking for another source.

It took a little digging, at least five or six minutes of scrolling through r/Piracy before I found a torrent link that seemed to work. The account that had posted it was an obvious throwaway, probably just someone trying to lure more seeders in. Not that I planned on helping them. Someone else would always come along for such a popular game. They could handle one leech. I went through the motions of setting up my VPN, grabbing the torrent, and watched as the slow trickle of data filled up the bar on the bottom of the screen.

(Maybe they really did need seeders, I thought, not that I was changing my mind. I checked and found only one active. If they were dedicated enough to be the only one, they’d probably stick around for someone else.

It took several hours. I intermittently checked on my laptop to make sure I was still receiving data. That other seeder stuck around, feeding me the game little by little. Anticipation was growing inside me. I already had plans, what to build, where to go, what new features I’d missed the past few years that I wanted to explore. As soon as I had my copy of the game, I cut the connection. I immediately ran it through my antivirus. No taking chances.

The computer stalled for a moment, the mouse flickering out of view. Before I could react, the antivirus came back with a clean bill of health. It must’ve been the file size that stressed my computer out. Seventeen gigabytes seemed a little excessive, but it had been a long time. Who knew how much stuff they’d added since I last played? I’d heard there were turtles now.

Opening the game didn’t hit me with the wave of nostalgia I was expected. My eyes skipped over the splash text, “Don’t dig straight down!” I sat there for a minute, confused, before realizing what was wrong. Where I’d expected the familiar soundtrack, I was instead greeted by my laptop whirring loudly and nothing from the game.

Even after I turned it up to the maximum, the game wouldn’t hand over a single note. Annoyed but accepting, I muted my laptop again. An illicitly obtained copy was bound to have a few quirks.

I could always get the music from somewhere else. It was the game I needed.

I created a new world. It loaded quickly, barely enough time for me to blink. Suddenly, I was back.

Just seeing the old familiar textures filled me with a sense of relief. The game looked exactly the same as I remembered. Hard to improve on perfection.

The silence still threw me off. Some part of me was disappointed not to hear the thuds as I cut down my first tree.

I fell into an old pattern. My first tree. My first crafting bench. My first tools.

My laptop chugged furiously to keep up with the game, growing warmer under my hands.

More trees. More wood. A little house in a forest.

I would need food soon. My hunger was chipping away, bit by bit, and I knew it would be better to grab it before the sun set. I set out with my first day’s supplies, making note of which direction my home was in.

I swung my point of view towards the sky to check how long I still had in the day. The sun hung low in the sky. I wasted more precious hunger sprinting through the woods until my character finally refused to do so.

Starving. I checked my difficulty. I didn’t want my recklessness to be a death sentence.

There hadn’t been a single animal in my entire exploration. The trees went on and on, a never-ending cluster of oak after oak after oak. I cursed the broken volume, sure that if I could hear what was out there, I’d have found something to eat by now. Now, I’d have to walk all the way home. I didn’t look forward to getting caught dead in the night. With no sheep came no wool, and with no wool came no bed, and without a bed, home was meaningless title for a place I wouldn’t even return to after death.

I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find my way to it from my spawn point, either. The trees all looked the same, round leafy heads like a child’s drawing. The sunlight carved through the trunks, not sparing any darkness for mobs to spawn.

I checked the sky again. The sun loomed in the same position as before.

The slog of getting home irritated me. Roses crept into my path. They were the only color other than green or brown, and each time, I’d swing my head to see if the change signaled something useful—an animal, a hostile mob, a lava lake—and each time it was another stupid flower I couldn’t use.

I was about to quit this world and start another one when the terrain ahead of me changed. The grass gave way to a stone hill. Eager for a better angle to locate my home from, I climbed. The dull gray was a welcome change of scenery as I jumped higher and higher.

I looked from the peak of the hill. The forest of oak trees extended in all directions, out beyond my render distance.

My laptop was hot. I took one last look to confirm I couldn’t seen my house anywhere. Just trees. Endless trees. I opened the settings and drew the fog closer. Click by click, it encroached. Invited.

My laptop still burned, despite my meager effort to appease it. I did my best to ignore it. I didn’t want to stop playing.

Another glance around the hill revealed unearthed coal ore. Finally, a stroke of luck. I went to collect it, pickaxe in hand. Each coal collected revealed another. I greedily leapt into the hole I was mining to get more.

I dug it out from around me. I dug it out from beneath me.

I fell into the dark.

I winced as my health dropped to a single, shaking half-heart. My starvation taunted me. My first instinct was to take the coal I’d collected and a few sticks to make a torch before I was attacked.

I lit up the cave.

In the center of the gaping cavern, there was a door. It couldn’t be there. My torch blasted it with light.

I could see past that door. There was another behind it. And another. The darkness swallowed the rest of the cave before the fog could.

I couldn’t understand. I raised my center cursor to the door. I nearly clicked it.

A clack rang out so loud that it made me jump. It took me too long to realize that it was the sound of a door opening. The one in front of me remained closed, untouched. But-

I checked the volume. It was still muted. The volume indicator hadn’t even faded away before another clack broke out of my computer. Another door. My heart was beginning to race.

I didn’t know what to do. I paused the game to catch my breath and think.

My laptop was hissing now in an effort to continue running. The keyboard burned hot under my fingers.

Another clack. The barest flicker of movement accompanied it past the labels of the pause menu and through the windows of the door I stood at.

A pit formed in my stomach. It was the last door. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew I didn’t want it to see me. I knew I wanted more than the door between me and it. I made a split-second decision.

I heard a clack. I didn’t look at the game. I closed it. I was safe.

I didn’t have time to laugh at how ridiculous I was being.

My laptop’s wallpaper had changed behind the game window.

It was the cave. It was the door. It was open.

I slammed the laptop shut. It was scorching. I couldn’t touch it again.

With a whine, it shut itself down. I refused to go near it for a long time. It was a game, I told myself.

You got it in time, you trapped it, came a paranoid thought. I couldn’t trust it. It was nonsense.

It was a mod. It was a prank. It was me working myself up over nothing. A mantra repeated until I believed it. Just a bad download. Just a virus of some kind.

I put a hand on the back of my laptop. It was still warm even minutes after shutting down completely.

Gingerly, I opened it. My attention went to the power button. I needed to prove myself right, that there was nothing wrong with my computer. I pressed it once, I pressed it harder, I jammed it into the computer. It wouldn’t even whimper.

I looked into the dark screen. I couldn’t see my reflection.

My hair stood on end. Goosebumps rose across my arms. I stopped breathing, silent and still.

It was still there.

[thedoubteriswise]

in addition to improving your privacy, using a VPN will usually get you around location-based web restrictions - not just the tiktok ban, but also things like media being unavailable to stream in your country or regional requirements that you provide government ID to access a website. I've used windscribe for years, but I've also heard pretty universally good things about proton's VPN.