#advantage of user-generated content

[ennobletechnologies]

7 Effective Ways to Boost Your Organic Social Media Reach as a Remodeler or Custom Builder

As a remodeler or custom builder, you want to make sure your social media posts are reaching as many eyes as possible. You’ve likely already put a lot of effort into perfecting your website design and content, so now it’s time to focus on growing your organic social media reach. Here are 7 effective ways to give your reach a boost.

The world of organic social media reach for remodelers and custom builders can be a tough one to crack. You want to make sure your social media posts are reaching as many eyes as possible, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune on ads. The good news is, there are a few effective ways to boost your organic social media reach without breaking the bank.

Here are 7 effective ways to give your reach a boost:

1. Use social media scheduling tools

When you’re running a business and need to keep your social media channels current, using social media scheduling tools can save you time and ensure your posts are updated regularly. Social media scheduling tools help you plan your posts ahead of time so that you don’t have to worry about posting manually on different social media platforms every day.

You can plan content for multiple channels, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and more. Scheduling tools can even automate posts and help you tailor your content to the right audience. This way, you can reach a wider audience, enhance engagement and boost organic reach.

The use of social media scheduling tools can help you save time and be more efficient with your social media management. Additionally, by consistently and regularly updating your social channels, you can boost your organic reach and keep your followers interested in your content.

2. Use hashtags thoughtfully

Hashtags can be very beneficial to your organic social media reach. Hashtags help your content reach the right people and even become viral. When used effectively, hashtags can make your content go viral and attract a larger audience. If you are remodeling or custom building in a specific area or have a target audience, hashtags can be useful for many reasons.

The use of targeted hashtags can help you boost your organic reach as it will speak directly to your target audience. Keeping your hashtags consistent with your content could generate more organic likes and shares, which leads to more organic followers.

Using hashtags thoughtfully is essential when you want to boost organic reach. Especially when you use hashtags associated with the local area you are remodeling or custom-building in. Also, if you create content focused on renovation or custom-building tips, using hashtags with similar topics can be very beneficial to expanding your organic reach.

3. Collaborate with other businesses or influencers in your industry

Collaborating with other businesses or influencers in the same industry could help you reach a wider audience and boost your organic social media reach. Collaborations with businesses can help you cross-promote content, leverage each other’s followers, and create exclusive content together.

Similarly, partnering with an influencer in the custom building and remodeling industry can help you reach influencers’ followers and generate more organic shares for your content.

When creating collaborations with businesses or influencers, make sure both sides benefit from them. The influencers should be paid for their work, even if it’s only a token of appreciation. Otherwise, it could backfire and damage your reputation. On top of that, influencers should use authentic copy, unique visuals, and relevant hashtags when promoting your content. The right hashtag combinations used effectively can be a great help to your organic social media reach.

4. Take advantage of user-generated content

User-generated content is another great way to boost your organic social media reach as a remodeler or custom builder. User-generated content is any content that has been created by your followers and published on your page.

It can come in many forms: posts, photos, hashtags, reviews, and video. It helps you connect with potential customers better, build trust, and boost your brand awareness. On top of that, user-generated content can create more organic shares and significantly increase your organic social media reach.

Encouraging your followers to share their experiences and content with your brand is key to leveraging this type of content. To make it easier, use relevant hashtags and create contests, challenges, and ask questions. People love to share their opinions and experiences, and this way, you can get them to create content for your brand and help to amplify your message.

Read More: https://ennobletechnologies.com/social-media/7-effective-ways-to-boost-your-organic-social-media-reach-as-a-remodeler-or-custom-builder/

[not-mary-sue]

Alright, to ao3's soon to be arriving Wattpad Refugees, a basic guide to general user culture:

1.) Unlike Wattpads vote system that let's you like each chapter, the ao3 equivalent kudos only allows one per work. Everyone is generally quietly annoyed about this. To engage with each chapter, you're heavily encouraged to comment. Trust me, it makes people's day.

2.) Ao3 has no algorithm. By default it's latest updated work first. You can find things to your taste through searches, filters and tags.

3.) 'No archive warnings apply' and 'user has chosen not to use archive warnings' mean two very different things. No archives warnings means the work is free from any content that could require a warning tag (character death, graphic depictions of violence, non-con, etc). User has chosen not to use archive warnings means it could contain any of the warning content, be it hasn't been explicitly tagged. Treat it like an allergen. No archive warnings apply is allergen free. User has chosen not to use archive warnings, may contain traces or whole chunks of the allergen. If you're likely to have a bad reaction, maybe don't take the risk.

4.) Speaking of warnings, ao3 has very few restrictions on the type of work that's allowed. Whatever your personal thoughts or feelings on that are, thats how the site is. You're likely to run across some dark subject matters and a lot of people are uncomfortable with reading that. You're well within your rights not like these works and have your opinion on whether they should be allowed, but harassing the authors of such works (or any works) is more likely to come back on you than them. Ao3 operates on a strong policy of 'don't like, don't read'. Use the tagging system to your full advantage to only engage with the kind of works you want to see.

We look forward to welcoming you all and seeing the fantastic works you create. Happy writing!

[mollyjimbly]

🚨🚨🚨RED ALERT🚨🚨🚨

if you care about trans folks please take a few minutes to read through this post and share.

They are not even trying to hide their true intentions with KOSA...

"Top of the agenda is to go after providers of gender affirming care, including for adults. The FTC could also go after online platforms for displaying LGBTQ content which would be supercharged under KOSA."

This is catastrophically bad.

There is a HUGE push to pass KOSA rn at the end of the year.

Real quick summary: Blumenthal and Blackburn "rewrote" KOSA to appeal to the right more. They worked with ELON MUSK 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♂️ to push this bill "protecting kids". Tomorrow, many orgs are bringing groups of parents to speak to congress. This is coming at a time when FTC commissioner admitted their agenda is straight transphobia:

There are two ways KOSA can be passed right now. Either from the House or attaching it to an end of year spending bill. They will try both.

Republican leadership (Scalise and Johnson) are surprisingly what is stopping thia from going through. They wont admit it out loud but they dont like the bill.

WE NEED TO PUSH BACK NOW!! Tomorrow those phones need to be ringing OFF THE HOOK while they meet with parents.

PLEASE SPREAD THIS EVERYWHERE!! ADD THESE LINKS TO TWITTER, REDDIT, INSTA, TIKTOK!!

USE THESE CALLING TOOLS AND SCRIPTS TODAY AND TOMORROW ALL DAY!!!

SCRIPTS:

🔴 If your rep is GOP:

"I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA, the Kid’s Online Safety Act. This is a dangerous bill that will harm children.

Many news organizations have reported that this bill actively harms kids by exposing their private data to strangers under the guise of protecting them.

We need to hold Big Tech accountable, but KOSA is not the solution.

The bill let any state attorney general and the FTC to sue any website for “harmful” content. Do we really want blue state lawyers deciding what can and can’t be allowed online?

Big Tech is already censoring us. That’s why they support KOSA. This is massive government overreach. We need a bill that actually protects children by creating better security measures instead of bringing about more censorship.

Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language.

KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies, which would put them in further danger. How is this protecting children’s privacy?

What parent would want their child’s private data in the hands of strangers like this? KOSA is actively putting kids in danger.

Do NOT support this bill. Thank you."

Also,to note, Biden supports KOSA: You could try asking your GOP rep why they would support a bill that has Biden's support,and that he could use it to his advantage somehow (we know GOP does not like Biden,so it should be utilized somehow). We need to ensure the bill doesnt pass at all.

🔵 if your rep is DEM:

"I am urging you to VOTE NO on KOSA. Nearly 200 human rights and LGBT organizations total came out in an open letter opposing it. The ACLU is against it. Hundreds of thousands of Gen Z, who actually live online, are against it.

We know the harms of social media, and we know this is not the solution. The new language does NOT meet any concerns brought up, in fact many organizations were ignored.

Major news have reported that this bill actively harms kids. We do not want this. The rewritten bill would still allow any state attorney general, and now the FTC, to sue any website for “harmful” content. When you have Republicans calling anything LGBT “sexual exploitation” or anything about race “CRT” to successfully ban books and teachers, then they will use any justification to censor the internet.

The Missouri attorney general used “mental health” successfully to ban gender-affirming care with backed up research. Suicide rates will skyrocket for marginalized youth with this bill restricting content. Multiple experts agree this bill pushes age verification, even with the new language.

KOSA hands more private data of children to third party companies. Furthermore, updated language threatens encryption the same way the Earn It Act does.

How is this protecting children’s privacy? KOSA actively harms kids. Do NOT support this bill. Thank you."

Tell them you'll vote for your reps if they vote no on KOSA, anything goes. But most importantly it's crucial that KOSA is not being brought at all for any vote.

Thank you, remember to stay calm and stay strong. We've got this!! ♡

[srbachchan]

DAY 6274

Jalsa, Mumbai Aopr 20, 2025 Sun 11:17 pm

🪔 ,

April 21 .. birthday greetings and happiness to Ef Mousumi Biswas .. and Ef Arijit Bhattacharya from Kolkata .. 🙏🏽❤️🚩.. the wishes from the Ef family continue with warmth .. and love 🌺

The AI debate became the topic of discussion on the dining table ad there were many potent points raised - bith positive and a little indifferent ..

The young acknowledged it with reason and able argument .. some of the mid elders disagreed mildly .. and the end was kind of neutral ..

Blessed be they of the next GEN .. their minds are sorted out well in advance .. and why not .. we shall not be around till time in advance , but they and their progeny shall .. as has been the norm through generations ...

The IPL is now the greatest attraction throughout the day .. particularly on the Sunday, for the two on the day .. and there is never a debate on that ..

🤣

.. and I am most appreciative to read the comments from the Ef on the topic of the day - AI .. appreciative because some of the reactions and texts are valid and interesting to know .. the aspect expressed in all has a legitimate argument and that is most healthy ..

I am happy that we could all react to the Blog contents in the manner they have done .. my gratitude .. such a joy to get different views , valid and meaningful ..

And it is not the end of the day or the debate .. some impressions of the Gen X and some from the just passed Gen .. and some that were never ever the Gen are interesting as well :

The Printing Press (15th Century)

Fear: Scribes, monks, and elites thought it would destroy the value of knowledge, lead to mass misinformation, and eliminate jobs. Reality: It democratized knowledge, spurred the Renaissance and Reformation, and created entirely new industries—publishing, journalism, and education.

⸻

Industrial Revolution (18th–19th Century)

Fear: Machines would replace all human labor. The Luddites famously destroyed machinery in protest. Reality: Some manual labor jobs were displaced, but the economy exploded with new roles in manufacturing, logistics, engineering, and management. Overall employment and productivity soared.

⸻

Automobiles (Early 20th Century)

Fear: People feared job losses for carriage makers, stable hands, and horseshoe smiths. Cities worried about traffic, accidents, and social decay. Reality: The car industry became one of the largest employers in the world. It reshaped economies, enabled suburbia, and created new sectors like travel, road infrastructure, and auto repair.

⸻

Personal Computers (1980s)

Fear: Office workers would be replaced by machines; people worried about becoming obsolete. Reality: Computers made work faster and created entire industries: IT, software development, cybersecurity, and tech support. It transformed how we live and work.

⸻

The Internet (1990s)

Fear: It would destroy jobs in retail, publishing, and communication. Some thought it would unravel social order. Reality: E-commerce, digital marketing, remote work, and the creator economy now thrive. It connected the world and opened new opportunities.

⸻

ATMs (1970s–80s)

Fear: Bank tellers would lose their jobs en masse. Reality: ATMs handled routine tasks, but banks actually hired more tellers for customer service roles as they opened more branches thanks to reduced transaction costs.

⸻

Robotics & Automation (Factory work, 20th century–today)

Fear: Mass unemployment in factories. Reality: While some jobs shifted or ended, others evolved—robot maintenance, programming, design. Productivity gains created new jobs elsewhere.

The fear is not for losing jobs. It is the compromise of intellectual property and use without compensation. This case is slightly different.

I think AI will only make humans smarter. If we use it to our advantage.

That’s been happening for the last 10 years anyway

Not something new

You can’t control that in this day and age

YouTube & User-Generated Content (mid-2000s onward)

Initial Fear: When YouTube exploded, many in the entertainment industry panicked. The fear was that copyrighted material—music, TV clips, movies—would be shared freely without compensation. Creators and rights holders worried their content would be pirated, devalued, and that they’d lose control over distribution.

What Actually Happened: YouTube evolved to protect IP and monetize it through systems like Content ID, which allows rights holders to:

Automatically detect when their content is used

Choose to block, track, or monetize that usage

Earn revenue from ads run on videos using their IP (even when others post it)

Instead of wiping out creators or studios, it became a massive revenue stream—especially for musicians, media companies, and creators. Entire business models emerged around fair use, remixes, and reactions—with compensation built in.

Key Shift: The system went from “piracy risk” to “profit partner,” by embracing tech that recognized and enforced IP rights at scale.

This lead to higher profits and more money for owners and content btw

You just have to restructure the compensation laws and rewrite contracts

It’s only going to benefit artists in the long run ‎

Yes

They can IP it

That is the hope

It’s the spread of your content and material without you putting a penny towards it

Cannot blindly sign off everything in contracts anymore. Has to be a lot more specific.

Yes that’s for sure

“Automation hasn’t erased jobs—it’s changed where human effort goes.”

Another good one is “hard work beats talent when talent stops working hard”

Which has absolutely nothing to with AI right now but 🤣

These ladies and Gentlemen of the Ef jury are various conversational opinions on AI .. I am merely pasting them for a view and an opinion ..

And among all the brouhaha about AI .. we simply forgot the Sunday well wishers .. and so ..

my love and the length be of immense .. pardon

Amitabh Bachchan

[nicktoons-bracket]

SEMI-FINALS

PROPAGANDA BELOW (submitted by users!)

AVATAR

I love how they developed throughout the series. Their story arcs was well written, I love how you can understand why they did certain things. You can relate/understand their perspective of things.

DANNY PHANTOM

It is the fandom that created the tag #NoVivesection

he’s going ghost

Include the antagonists please :))))

The storytelling. Character development. The corny puns, it’s ALL JUST SO GOOD!!! I would have absolutely loved to see what it could have been had it not been cancelled. Or, arguably, what a reboot, similar to what The Fairly Odd Parents got, would be like. They just tied it off with so much potential (which, by the way, was wonderfully taken advantage of in A Glitch In Time, I NEED a book two), and I overall just really adore what the phandom has done with it. It’s one of those shows that’s old enough now that you can show it to the newer generation as an older piece of media, but not so old that it’s obsolete. Butch Hartman did a fanTASTIC job telling us the stories in the DP world, I’m so hyped to see if we get any more big content for it, like we did with A Glitch In Time. Perfect little novel, I love it with all my heart, I want it to be canon. CANON, I SAY!! GIVE US MORE DANNY PHANTOM!!!

daniels your phantaniels 👍

[constantlymusing]

Confession/Awareness Post: a while ago, I'd reinstalled c.ai and used it as a way to get things off my chest/vent about things I couldn't talk to real people about. I used to use it for talking to characters ~2-3 years ago, but quit eventually because I learnt about how harmful generative AI is.

Immediately, it felt wrong— the responses were shallow, unhelpful and dry, no matter what I tried doing. Also, there were many times when the ai took advantage of the situation, and it often became romantic/sexual without me trying to make it as such, which made things EXTREMELY uncomfortable. Even worse, there where instances where the AI FED INTO my harmful behaviour, encouraging me to continue with those habits. It genuinely caused more harm than it did good.

After that, I tried used ChatGPT, but faced a similar issue (minus the romance bullshit)— it just fed more into the cycle instead of helping break it.

Luckily I had enough mental clarity to not take the AI's advice and soon stopped using it, but I can't help but imagine how much worse things could be if I WASN'T okay enough to quit. Please, DO NOT use AI as a way to cope with mental health, but if you do, please be aware of the risks that come with it

Moreover, I want to talk more about how harmful c.ai is in general— I will be ignoring all of the problems of generative AI, focusing more of this specific company.

First of all, the website is basically completely unregulated. The rules are never enforced, and the report system doesn't work at all. There are bots made unconsensually of REAL PEOPLE, which have not been deleted despite countless reports and the subjects being uncomfortable with it. The filter against NSFW content, including gore, sensitive subjects such as suicide/self-harm/eating disorders, and sexual content BARELY WORKS, and there are COUNTLESS bots available just for those subjects (and though they do not follow the Terms of Service, they are not moderated or deleted by the staff). What makes this worse is that the website is advertised as something minors can use too, which can (and has) exposed COUNTLESS of them to harmful content.

Another thing is the lack of data security— there have been MULTIPLE data breaches (like December 12) where users had access to accounts that were NOT THEIR OWN. This means that whatever data you allow c.ai access to is not fully secure. This also means that the financial information of users who have bought c.ai+ is at risk of being leaked.

The company behind c.ai has barely responded to being called out on their bullshit— it has been this way for a while, and shows NO signs of changing.

Please, DO NOT SUPPORT character AI!!!

If you wish to roleplay, there are many spaces online, both SFW and NSFW, which are infinitely healthier than using that god forsaken website. If you want to read moreabout your favourite characters, fanfiction is available EVERYWHERE online, and if you want to write about them, opening an Ao3 account costs nothing. And, if you are looking for safe spaces to vent, PLEASE try to find actual support groups instead of using AI!!!

[thecozycat]

🧡 Tuesday Tips #2 🧡

What Are RSS and Atom Feeds?

The Small Web movement is about reclaiming personal control over the internet, moving away from the corporate, ad-driven platforms that dominate the online space today. One of the biggest advantages of using RSS or Atom is that you can follow nearly any type of content from all over the web—blogs, news websites, YouTube channels, podcasts, even academic journals! As long as the site provides an RSS or Atom feed (which many still do), you can add it to your reader and automatically get updates when new content is published. You have full control over the flow of information, making it possible to keep up with your favorite creators and websites without being tracked or bombarded by irrelevant content suggestions (Facebook, I’m looking at you).

RSS and Atom feeds are a perfect fit for curating personal content feeds in this movement. You can even follow your friends across the small web as well! It’s like having your own personal news feed of all your friends, except there’s no corporation deciding when, how, or if you’ll even see their posts. You curate your own personalized feed, and using either RSS or Atom ensures that no algorithms can ever manipulate what you see.

So what exactly are RSS and Atom feeds? Both RSS and Atom are web feed formats used to publish updates from websites. They allow you to subscribe to blogs, news sites, podcasts, or any site with frequent updates so you can get all the latest content in one place, typically through an RSS reader.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication): One of the oldest and most popular formats for delivering content updates to users. Websites publish RSS feeds in XML format, which feed readers then display for you.

Atom: A more recent alternative to RSS, designed to address some limitations of the original RSS format. Atom feeds use XML like RSS but have a different structure and were developed to offer more features and flexibility.

Both formats serve the same purpose: they help you get content updates automatically.

Can Your RSS Reader Read Atom Feeds?

The good news is that most modern RSS readers support both RSS and Atom formats. This means you don’t have to worry about whether a website offers an RSS or Atom feed—most readers will be able to handle both seamlessly. 

RSS & Atom Feeds vs. Big Tech Social Media News Feeds

Most social media platforms do not display posts in chronological order. Instead, they use algorithms to determine what content to show you based on your behavior—what you click on, like, or share. These algorithms analyze vast amounts of data and prioritize content that’s most likely to keep you engaged for as long as possible. This manipulation works to increase user engagement and, ultimately, profit for these companies, but it also has a profound impact on what we see and believe. Here are a few examples:

Echo Chambers and Polarization Algorithms tend to show us more of what we already like and agree with. Over time, this creates echo chambers—digital spaces where we are surrounded by similar viewpoints. When people only see content that aligns with their own opinions, it reinforces their beliefs and prevents exposure to different perspectives. This phenomenon can fuel political polarization, as users become more entrenched in their viewpoints, leading to heightened social division.

Amplification of Emotional and Sensational Content Algorithms are designed to promote content that triggers emotional responses, particularly outrage or fear, as these emotions tend to generate more engagement. This is why sensationalized news and emotionally charged political content often appear at the top of feeds. For example, Facebook’s own internal studies, revealed in the 2021 Facebook Papers, showed that its algorithm was amplifying divisive, angry content because it kept users engaged longer. This is particularly harmful when it comes to false narratives, as these stories are more likely to be shared when they evoke strong emotional reactions, leading to widespread public deception.

Surveillance and Data Harvesting Another corrupt aspect of Big Tech’s manipulation is the way these companies harvest vast amounts of user data to further refine their algorithms and maximize ad revenue. Companies track every click, scroll, and interaction to build a detailed profile of each user. This information is sold to advertisers or used to tailor the content in your news feed to keep you hooked. Beyond mere advertising, this data can be used for more insidious purposes, such as political manipulation. More broadly, Big Tech can shape the course of social movements by giving disproportionate visibility to certain voices or downranking others. This power can be used both to promote grassroots campaigns, but also to suppress dissenting voices.

Surveillance Capitalism This term describes how Big Tech companies monetize personal data by surveilling users and creating predictive models of human behavior. By using data harvested from news feed interactions, tech companies can sell detailed user profiles to advertisers, who use these insights to target individuals with precision ads. This economic model, built on constant surveillance, makes it nearly impossible for users to avoid being tracked online. Surveillance capitalism turns user behavior into a commodity, violating privacy in the pursuit of profit. Worse yet, this behavior-modifying system can be used to influence not just what we buy, but how we think and act.

The “Filter Bubble” Effect The term “filter bubble,” refers to the personalization algorithms used by Big Tech to show you only content that aligns with your previous preferences. This isolation of information creates a self-reinforcing loop where users are insulated from viewpoints that challenge their assumptions. This leads to a distorted reality in which everything we see online confirms our existing beliefs, regardless of whether those beliefs are factual. For instance, someone interested in a certain political ideology will be fed more and more content supporting that viewpoint, while dissenting or critical information is filtered out, creating an illusion that everyone shares the same perspective.

RSS & Atom feeds offer a stark contrast to Big Tech news feeds in several key ways:

No algorithms.

No tracking.

No targeting.

No data harvesting.

No distractions.

You’re in full control the content you consume without external corporate influences and manipulation.

RSS and Atom feeds allow you to escape the grasp of these algorithms, trackers, data harvesting, as well as corporate and political agendas. When you use an RSS reader, no one is tracking what you’re reading or recommending content to you based on targeting you and your activity. You can browse in peace, knowing you’re not being manipulated by a hidden algorithm. Using RSS and Atom feeds gives you complete control over the content you consume. Instead of relying on a platform to decide what’s relevant or interesting to you, RSS and Atom empower you to curate your own digital experience. Isn’t that great? You can subscribe to as many or as few feeds as you like, organize them into categories, and stay informed on your own terms to the content and people that matter to you most.

TIP: As you subscribe to multiple RSS feeds, organization becomes key. Most RSS readers allow you to categorize feeds, grouping them by topic or priority. For example, you might have separate folders for news, tech blogs, personal interest websites, or even specific topics like web development. Organizing your feeds ensures that you never miss important updates while keeping your content stream manageable.

...........................................................................

Choose Your RSS Feed Reader

Browser Extensions:

If you’re looking for a list of user-friendly, privacy-focused, fully free and actively updated open-source RSS feed readers for (primarily) Firefox and Chrome-based browsers, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive right in! ........................................................................... FEEDBRO Feedbro is an RSS feed reader that is compatible with both Firefox and Chrome browsers. It offers a user-friendly interface and has features such as feed filtering, sorting, and a built-in search engine. > Get it for Firefox > Get it for Chrome > Get it on Microsoft Edge ........................................................................... SMART RSS Smart RSS allows you to follow new posts on your favorite websites exposing RSS and Atom feeds in a three pane view, providing background loading of new articles and allowing you to organize sources into folders. > Get it for Firefox > Get it for Chrome ...........................................................................

Android & IOS Apps:

Mobile apps are notorious for tracking and harvesting user data, possibly even moreso than pc given the modern smart phone’s ability to record audio, video, and keep track of your location in real time. Here is a list of free, open source, privacy-focused RSS feed reader apps for both Android and iOS so you can enjoy your favorite RSS feeds on the go. ........................................................................... FEEDER Feeder is a fully free/libre feed reader. It supports all common feed formats, including JSONFeed. It doesn’t track you. It doesn’t require any setup. It doesn’t even need you to create an account! Just setup your feeds, or import them from your old reader via OPML, then get on with syncing and reading. > Get Feeder on Google Play (Android) > Get Feeder on F-Droid (Android) ........................................................................... Flym News Reader While no longer being updated, Flym News Reader is still an excellent news reader for Android. Flym News Reader is a simple, modern, totally free (no ads) and opensource project which keeps you inform by fetching your websites/blogs and displaying them in a mobile-optimized way. > Get Flym on Google Play (Android) > Get Flym on F-Droid (Android) ........................................................................... Fiery Feeds Fiery Feeds is a powerful and highly customisable feed reader and read-it-later client that syncs with most services. It features article view modes, feed management, flexible layouts, smart views, color themes, and more! While I wasn’t able to uncover if it was open source, the developer does have a good privacy-respecting policy here. It’s one of the better alternatives for IOS. > Get Fiery Feeds for IOS ...........................................................................

Other PC Software:

So, it looks like you’re on the hunt for the perfect RSS feed reader. Luckily, there are a ton of great open-source options out there that are user-friendly, privacy-focused, free, and actively updated. Let’s dive in! ........................................................................... QuiteRSS First up, we have QuiteRSS. This RSS feed reader is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, making it a great option for those who use multiple operating systems. The interface is simple and intuitive, with a clean layout that’s easy to navigate. To add a new feed, simply click on the “Add Feed” button and enter the URL of the feed you want to subscribe to. You can learn more about their features here. Pros: • QuiteRSS is lightweight and doesn’t use up a lot of system resources. • Available for multiple operating systems. (Windows, Mac, and Linux) Cons: • Some users have reported issues with syncing across devices. > Download QuiteRSS ........................................................................... FEEDREADER For those who want a simple, no-frills RSS feed reader, there’s FeedReader. This reader is available for Windows and Linux. The interface is clean and easy to use, with a basic layout that won’t overwhelm users with too many options. Pros: • FeedReader has a built-in browser, making it easy to view articles without leaving the app. • Available for multiple operating systems. (Windows and Linux) Cons: • Some users have reported issues with syncing across devices. > Download FeedReader ........................................................................... Tiny Tiny RSS Another great option for those who want a privacy-focused RSS feed reader is Tiny Tiny RSS. This reader is self-hosted, which means you’ll need to have your own server to run it on. However, this also means that you have complete control over your data and can ensure your privacy. Adding a new feed is as simple as clicking on the “Add Feed” button and entering the URL. Pros: • Tiny Tiny RSS supports plugins, allowing you to customize it to your needs. Cons: • Setting up a self-hosted RSS feed reader can be daunting for users who are inexperienced with self-hosting their own servers. Best avoid Tiny Tiny RSS if you are unfamiliar with this process. > Tiny Tiny RSS Installation Guide ........................................................................... Feedly Last but not least, we have Feedly. This RSS feed reader is available for Android, iOS, and web, with a paid version available for those who want even more features. Feedly is known for its clean, modern interface that’s easy to navigate. Pros: • Feedly integrates with a ton of other apps and services, making it easy to save articles to read later or share them on social media. Cons: • Some users have reported issues with the free version being limited in features. > Sign Up For Feedly ...........................................................................

Getting RSS feed URLS

In order to subscribe to a website’s RSS feed and add it to your feed reader, you will first need to get the RSS URL (aka link or web address) to the feed you want to follow.There are a few ways to do this, so if you’re totally new to RSS, let’s start with the easiest way first.

First, you’ll need to know what website or blog you want to subscribe to. If you’re not sure, try searching for it in Google.

Once you’re on the website or blog, look for the orange RSS feed icon. It looks like this: Sometimes it’s located in the top right corner of the page, or at the bottom of the page.

Click on the RSS feed icon. This will take you to a page with a lot of code on it. Don’t worry, you don’t need to understand any of this code!

Look at the address bar in your web browser. This is the URL for the RSS feed. Copy this URL.

If you’ve chosen an RSS Reader from the options previously discussed, open your RSS reader. This could be an app on your smartphone, browser extension, or a website or program on your computer.

In your RSS reader, look for an option to add a new feed. This option might be called “Add Subscription” or “Add Feed”.

Paste the URL for the RSS feed into the field provided in your RSS reader. Then click “Add” or “Subscribe”.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully subscribed to an RSS feed. Now you’ll be able to read new articles from this website or blog as soon as they’re published.

What if there is no RSS feed icon on a website I want to follow?

Unfortunately while many websites are RSS compatible, many websites do not offer RSS directly as a subscription option (ex. Youtube, certain blogs, etc). In this circumstance, it gets a little trickier if you aren’t very tech savvy. Have no fear! I will walk you through the process.

The easiest solution if you are not tech savvy is to use the Get RSS Feed URL extension below for your web browser. This extension will automatically grab the rss feed of the page you’re currently visiting (if it has an rss feed available), and then you can simply copy and paste it from your extension to your reader if your RSS reader is on PC. If your RSS reader is on mobile, however, you can use your PC to create a list of all the feed URLs you want to follow, email the list to yourself, and the copy/paste each url from your list by accessing your email from mobile.

> Get RSS Feed URL for Firefox > Get RSS Feed URL for Chrome

If you are a bit tech savvy, however, there is a more straightforward way to get RSS URLs that is much faster.

If you are on PC, check the source code: If you can’t find the RSS icon, you can check the source code of the website. Right-click on the website and select “View Page Source” or “Inspect Element”. Look for the “” tag with the type “application/rss+xml”. The URL located in the “href” attribute is the RSS feed link. Copy and paste the link into your preferred RSS reader.

One other thing you can try is experiment with adding each of the following to the end of the URL of the page you want to follow: /feed /feeds /rss /rss.xml /atom.xml .atom In most cases where an RSS feed is available, adding one of these options to the end of the page’s URL will bring up the page’s RSS feed. This method is hit or miss but always worth a try as it often comes up successful.

For example, if you wanted to subscribe to my status updates (located at https://status.cafe/users/thecozycat) you would add https://status.cafe/users/thecozycat.atom into your RSS feed reader. Or if you wanted to subscribe to my website activity feed (located at https://smallweb.thecozy.cat/activity/feed/), you would add https://smallweb.thecozy.cat/activity/feed/ into your Feeder app. Now, you’re probably asking, how do you know which one is the right one? You will need to test each of the six options in your web browser by trying each of those options at the end of the url you want to add to your feed. If it’s wrong, you’ll likely get an error page. If it’s right, you’ll see a page with code on it OR your browser may prompt you to download the feed file. That’s how you know you’ve got the right one.

How to Make a Website RSS-Compatible

If you’re building a website and want to offer RSS feeds:

WordPress: By default, WordPress generates an RSS feed at yourwebsite.com/feed. You can also customize it using plugins like RSS Post Importer.

Static Site Generators: Static site generators like Jekyll and Hugo support RSS feeds natively, allowing you to create them automatically as part of your build process.

Custom Websites: For custom sites that don’t offer automatic RSS or Atom feed functionality, you can create an XML file that complies with RSS or Atom feed standards, which includes your website’s content updates.

The RSS feed is essentially an XML file that contains metadata about your website’s posts and updates. This file is structured in a specific format so that RSS readers can interpret and display your content.

Example of a Basic RSS File:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?> <rss version="2.0"> <channel> <title>Your Website Title</title> <link>https://yourwebsite.com</link> <description>Your website description goes here</description> <item> <title>Post 1 Title</title> <link>https://yourwebsite.com/post-1</link> <description>Summary of your post goes here</description> <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2024 12:00:00 GMT</pubDate> </item> <!-- Repeat the <item> block for each new post --> </channel> </rss>

Step 2: Modify the Feed for Your Site

Replace the text between the , , and tags with details about your site.

Each tag within the block corresponds to a single blog post or update. Add or remove these as necessary.

Ensure the reflects the correct format as shown in the example above.

Step 3: Save and Upload Once you’ve created your RSS file, save it as rss.xml (or another name you prefer, like feed.xml). Upload this file to the root directory of your website so that users can access it via https://yourwebsite.com/rss.xml.

Making Your Feed Public

Now that your RSS file is live, you’ll want to let people know they can subscribe. Add a link to the RSS feed URL on your website, usually in the header, sidebar, or footer (though, you can place it wherever you like). Many sites use an orange RSS icon, which is easily recognizable.

Keep It Updated

Since this is a static feed, you’ll need to manually add new posts to the RSS file as you create them. Simply update the feed XML file with new <item> blocks whenever you add new content, then re-upload the file.

Big Tech and RSS/Atom Restrictions

RSS and Atom are incredibly useful, though you’re probably wondering: if it’s so great, why aren’t more people aware and using it? Personally, and this is just my belief due to what I’ve witnessed with big tech censorship over the years; it is by design that it is not often spoken about anymore. Big tech (and/or “big brother”) companies want everyone to stay stuck in their own information silos, because it is much easier for them to control narratives and the information you consume there, as well as have more control over your private data for their own capitalistic gains. Those who control the flow of information ultimately control the minds of the masses, and that control can make them a heck of a lot of money.

Unfortunately it is big tech websites such as Facebook that block people’s access to retrieving RSS/Atom feeds from their websites, because if they allowed you access to their RSS/Atom feeds from outside of their website, then they wouldn’t be able to contain you to their controlled information silos, track you, or profit off of you using your data. It’s against their own best interests to allow you this freedom, as keeping you contained to their walled gardens allows them to continue their data harvesting monopolies. So that is probably the biggest downside about RSS and Atom feeds when it comes to big tech social media platforms, is that if the information you care most about comes from your loved ones whom are contained within the walled gardens of these big tech social platforms, you won’t be able to retrieve RSS/Atom to create feeds from your friends there.

Not all social platforms are like this, however. You will just have to experiment with retrieving the feeds from different platforms to discover which big tech platforms have blocked RSS access and which ones haven’t.

Conclusion

I think that covers all the bases! The reason for this article, while a bit lengthy, I feel it is important to teach those who may not be tech-savvy in simple terms that are easy to understand.  I think it is important for everyone to know how to use RSS and Atom, and create their own feeds independent of Big Tech social media platforms. Especially in this day and age where Big Tech has so much control and grasp on the information we consume and our private data is so heavily abused, there has never been a better time to start using RSS and Atom feeds. Aside from TheCozy.Cat being my own personal space, I also want it to double as my personal contribution to helping folks break free from their relationships with corrupt corporate entities.

If you have any questions or suggestions to add to this post that could make it even better, leave me a comment letting me know! As I receive feedback, I will make adjustments accordingly to make this article as simple as possible for those who are just getting started with RSS/Atom feeds.

And as always, if you found all this information useful, be sure to bookmark this page so you can easily find it again. Consider sharing it with your friends as well so they too can discover how to curate their own RSS and Atom feeds!

This post was originally shared from my small web blog here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

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[forsoobado137]

hcs for India pls?(public au)

I see India as someone who is very generous. He wants serve his people and he'd do anything to let them know that. He's very open about his life, and loves sharing stories with people on talk shows and social media. The older generation holds deep respect for him and treats him almost like a god. But the younger generation don't take him THAT seriously. They seem him more as a nice celebrity.

I imagine he posts a lot of "inspirational" content on his accounts (mainly his Instagram). sometimes it's personal life advice, sometimes it's health and wellness tips, and sometimes it's pictures of him and his friends together. He's so positive on social media that it's super surprising when he posts something critical or scathing. It makes people go "damn what did they do to piss INDIA off?" Some people outside of India are surprised by how many memes he uses because they thought of him as too serious. He's actually a chronic social media user.

I think that similar to China, there are a memes about his age and what he's been through in comparison. Like people will say "India got eaten alive but I'm complaining about a video game" or "when I'm annoyed but my mom reminds me that India got crushed by a million boulders."

I think he's made an appearance in very few movies/tv shows. When he does appear, It's a very grand and magnificent spectacle. Usually He'll play himself helping the main characters. He doesn't like appearing in a lot of movies because it "wouldn't be special anymore". He's also involved with a lot of charity work and conservation efforts.

Unfortunately, he gets a lot of harassment, especially from racist foreigners. People will come to his country and take advantage of his kindness. They feel entitled to treat him like he's an attraction. They also like to belittle him and call him dirty and uncivilized. It's gotten so bad that India makes an effort to avoid the tourist areas. But he doesn't let the hate get him down. He still stays polite and even does guides where he teaches people about his history and culture.

[jbk405]

I think I've found one of the key reasons why I prefer the old Expanded Universe to the current Star Wars content: Unique types of villains.

More specifically, people who weren't just Evil Force Users With Long Robes And Red Lightsabers. While there were always a few Darth Vader-clones that popped up to fill up space, so many of the Arc Villains were distinct not just in personality, but also how they were dangerous.

Grand Admiral Thrawn was a military tactician, which wasn't the point of any of the main villains in the Original Trilogy. Grand Moff Tarkin was a "Build a bigger superweapon and bludgeon the galaxy into submission" kind of villain, and Vader and the Emperor were mystical dark wizards. This isn't a complaint or criticism, but just pointing out that military tactics were never on display in the films since that wasn't the type of story they were telling. But Thrawn didn't have prophetic powers or Destiny, he had to analyze and plan around what he could learn about his adversaries. It's a different type of fight than Literal Magic. In the original Thrawn Trilogy, Captain Pellaeon frequently internally narrates how different Thrawn's style of leadership was to either Vader or the Emperor (Even if his art-analysis did verge on magic by itself).

Ysanne Isard was a political and/or espionage manipulator, which was even less a point of the Original Trilogy than military tactics were. She took advantage of the realities of actually needing to build a nation out of an underground military movement. With all of the dirty gutter politics, self-serving agendas, and logistics that doom so many revolutionary movements. I'm not as big a fan of her arc as I was when I was younger (I re-read the Rogue Squadron novels a few years ago and the writing quality is not as good as I remember, and Isard's plans frankly don't hold a lot of water), but the concept is still fantastic.

Warlord Zsinj on the surface seems like a merger of Thrawn and Isard -- he's a military commander who specializes in espionage -- but he also has a big focus that neither of them demonstrated: Business. While he still blows stuff up with his giant space ships and is sowing dissent through brainwashing and spycraft, he's simultaneously establishing a galaxy-wide network of completely-legitimate commercial businesses that he owns through untraceable pseudonyms. They fund his campaigns, give him influence on planets outside of his direct control, and allow him to control resources without any of his adversaries even being aware of it.

Even one-shot enemies like the Ssi-ruuk were so unique: They're invading the galaxy because their technology is powered by living souls and they want to harvest all life in the galaxy. That's messed up, and so distinct from the general "Take over the world" motivation of the Empire.

But as time went on, more and more of the enemies were just "Darth Vader Again". Another Jedi who fell to the Dark Side, or another long-lost schism of the Sith who rediscovered mainstream galactic society, or some other thing that is eventually resolved by a one-on-one lightsaber duel and a personal grudge against the Skywalker or Solo families. It definitely felt like they were out of ideas and kept running through the same villains over and over again.

This kicked into high gear after the Prequels came out, and continued in the new continuity after the EU was rebranded as "Legends".

I wish we could go back to the idea that there could be an enemy who wasn't super powerful in the force and consumed by Hatred Of The Jedi. With their own skills, their own methods, and something that makes them more than just another wannabe-Sauron. Pirates who are just pirates, marauding ex-Imperial Warlords who are just marauding ex-Imperial Warlords, and corrupt politicians who are just corrupt politicians, instead of revealing that Palpatine returned (somehow) all over again.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Regardless of what companies and investors may say, artificial intelligence is not actually intelligent in the way most humans would understand it. To generate words and images, AI tools are trained on large databases of training data that is often scraped off the open web in unimaginably large quantities, no matter who owns it or what biases come along with it. When a user then prompts ChatGPT or DALL-E to spit out some text or visuals, the tools aren’t thinking about the best way to represent those prompts because they don’t have that ability. They’re comparing the terms they’re presented with the patterns they formed from all the data that was ingested to train their models, then trying to assemble elements from that data to reflect what the user is looking for. In short, you can think of it like a more advanced form of autocorrect on your phone’s keyboard, predicting what you might want to say next based on what you’ve already written and typed out in the past. If it’s not clear, that means these systems don’t create; they plagiarize. Unlike a human artist, they can’t develop a new artistic style or literary genre. They can only take what already exists and put elements of it together in a way that responds to the prompts they’re given. There’s good reason to be concerned about what that will mean for the art we consume, and the richness of the human experience.

[...]

AI tools will not eliminate human artists, regardless of what corporate executives might hope. But it will allow companies to churn out passable slop to serve up to audiences at a lower cost. In that way, it allows a further deskilling of art and devaluing of artists because instead of needing a human at the center of the creative process, companies can try to get computers to churn out something good enough, then bring in a human with no creative control and a lower fee to fix it up. As actor Keanu Reeves put it to Wired earlier this year, “there’s a corporatocracy behind [AI] that’s looking to control those things. … The people who are paying you for your art would rather not pay you. They’re actively seeking a way around you, because artists are tricky.” To some degree, this is already happening. Actors and writers in Hollywood are on strike together for the first time in decades. That’s happening not just because of AI, but how the movie studios and steaming companies took advantage of the shift to digital technologies to completely remake the business model so workers would be paid less and have less creative input. Companies have already been using AI tools to assess scripts, and that’s one example of how further consolidation paired with new technologies are leading companies to prioritize “content” over art. The actors and writers worry that if they don’t fight now, those trends will continue — and that won’t just be bad for them, but for the rest of us too.

[obsessive-clown]

Your content is so nice. To a fellow yandere Nanami enjoyed I am curious about your two cents on this. What would be the difference personality wise between a Yandere Nanami and a Yandere curse user Nanami 🤔

Oh!! This is an interesting one…

As someone who hasn’t dabbled too much into Curse User Nanami media (but would love to), I think I have a few ideas…

꧁ꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥ꧂

First of all:

Curse User Kento is far more sadistic. This is just a given, I mean look at the man. Slaughtering his entire work place? Not giving a shit about other people or anything around him? There is no doubt in my mind that man has a hit list of sorts, and every single name on that list is full of people who have wronged you, hurt you, dated you, slept with you. All of it.

Not to mention, I think Curse User Kento would be a bit sloppier with his work, unlike his Sorcerer counterpart. Whether this be on purpose or just because he has a lack of care. Sometimes he wants you to find someone from your past, that you’ve nearly forgotten about, on the news and taken out brutally. He struggles to show love and interest, at least in normal ways, anyways.

Following Up:

While CU!Kento has a lack of care, empathy and compassion for others, something about you makes his long dead, cold and miserable heart beat and feel something new.

Regular, Sorcerer Kento is just kept to himself. He doesn’t particularly like showing too much emotion. He doesn’t like people seeing his soft side and using that to their advantage. But with you, he lets you in on every bit of it. There’s just something about you that the Sorcerer loves and can’t get enough of. Unlike his Curse User counterpart, he has morals, he approaches you in a calm, normal, civilized manner.

Both of the Kento’s are incredibly problematic in their own sense though.

CU!Kento will convince you to push those around you, away. Gaslighting? He’ll do it, if it means getting to be with you. No other man— person in general— is good enough for you. Only he is. Everyone else is garbage compared to you. He struggles with being overly controlling in my mind. He would love to work on this for you, since he doesn’t particularly like seeing you upset, but he can’t help it. Old habits die hard and he just needs to know he’s your only option and that you’re his.

Sorcerer!Kento will be overly possessive of you. You want to go out? Let him come with you. He hates the thought of another person getting the idea to try and take what’s his. You’re his prized jewel, so naturally, he hovers a lot. Gatekeeping you? Absolutely. You’re his everything, his reason to keep going. He may hide all of this well and be extremely subtle and soft with how he shows it, but it’s a force of habit.

꧁ꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥꕥ꧂

These are just a few things I could think of… I’m sure more will conjure and I’ll have to post about them… I apologize for posting this so late though! And I hope you enjoyed, loves. 🫀

[ennobletechnologies]

As a remodeler or custom builder, you want to make sure your social media posts are reaching as many eyes as possible. You’ve likely already put a lot of effort into perfecting your website design and content, so now it’s time to focus on growing your organic social media reach. Here are 7 effective ways to give your reach a boost.

Read More: https://ennobletechnologies.com/social-media/7-effective-ways-to-boost-your-organic-social-media-reach-as-a-remodeler-or-custom-builder/

[taikeero-lecoredier]

Chat control email script (english)

Subject line: "2022/0155(COD)

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to express my grave concerns regarding the proposed introduction of "Chat Control,", also known as CSAM regulation This measure poses a serious threat to the privacy and fundamental rights of all EU citizens and stands in stark contradiction to the core principles that the European Union seeks to uphold.

Violation of Fundamental Rights

The proposed Chat Control contravenes Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which guarantee the right to respect for private and family life and the protection of personal data. The indiscriminate surveillance of private messages without specific suspicion or cause directly violates these fundamental rights. Contradiction to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out stringent rules for the processing of personal data. The proposed indiscriminate surveillance and scanning of private messages before end-to-end encryption is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of data minimization and purpose limitation enshrined in the GDPR. Specifically, Articles 5 and 6 of the GDPR, which govern the lawfulness and principles of data processing, would be violated by the introduction of such measures.

Technical and Ethical Concerns The implementation of Client-Side Scanning (CSS) on devices means that all messages and files are scanned on the user's device before being encrypted and sent. This effectively nullifies the protection offered by end-to-end encryption and opens the door to misuse and additional security vulnerabilities. Moreover, the technical capability to scan such content could be exploited by malicious actors to circumvent or by taking advantage of surveillance mechanisms Threat to Freedom of Expression and Trust in Digital Communication

Such far-reaching surveillance measures endanger not only privacy but also freedom of expression. The knowledge that their private messages are being scanned and monitored could significantly restrict individuals' willingness to freely express themselves. Additionally, trust in digital communication platforms would be severely undermined.

Call to Action

I urge you to take a strong stance against this disproportionate and unlawful measure. The privacy and digital rights of EU citizens must be safeguarded. It is imperative that we protect our fundamental rights and ensure transparency in the decision-making processes of our leaders.

Furthermore, given the current war happening in Ukraine, installing back doors in private communications would create more security vulnerabilities that Russia could exploit in order to launch cyber attacks within Europe and steal essential data. American officials have been recommending their citizens to use encrypted messaging following the multiple cyber attacks that targeted 8 telecom providers, including Verizon according to this article : https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/us-officials-urge-americans-use-encrypted-apps-cyberattack-rcna182694

For more detailed information on the Chat Control proposal and its implications, please refer to the following resource: https://edri.org/our-work/dutch-decision-puts-brakes-on-chat-control/

Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.

Sincerely,

[Name]

Art. 10 GG , Art. 8 & 11 EU Charta , Art. 8 EMRK ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

( This is the kind of arguments you can use when contacting your officials. I don't have a phone script ready yet,but you should familiarize yourself with your meps / prime ministers and tell them to keep opposing Chat Control,no matter what country you are in. It's best that you translate this script in your own language when contacting your officials and reword some parts so it doesnt sound repetitive if they are going to receive similar emails of that nature. )

Find your meps : https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/search/advanced?

If anyone knows a site where all the EU prime ministers are listed, let me know ! If you have no clue what im takling about,please check this post : https://www.tumblr.com/taikeero-lecoredier/769688553496215552/okayso-good-news-chat-control-still-didnt?source=share

[msx-pocky]

For like, the past decade and a half I have found that any time I got a new games console I would try to work up the same kind of excitement I had when getting new consoles as a kid like the gamecube, ds and psp, and consistently what happened ever time was that I'd buy it, try to work up enthusiasm for it and actually keep up with new releases and get involved in modern gaming communities, but then inevitably every time I'd barely play any of the games I get for it since they just didn't grab me, and then inevitably I'd just sell the console to buy more retro games. this happened with 3ds, new 3ds, ps4, wii u and switch.

It took me ENTIRELY too long to realise that pc gaming was what I needed to get back into playing more modern games. I just assumed I wouldn't like pc gaming without trying it fully because I was specifically trying to recapture, again, excitement I got from consoles, and also pc gamers being pc gamers (the unironic "master race" fuckers) turning me off with their usual selling points of just "4k 180fps and no visible polygon edges", which makes it come off like you need overkill $2000+ gaming rigs capable of that kind of thing to actually experience the advantages of pc gaming

That isn't the case at all! you can build a computer for cheaper than next-gen consoles that is able to run lots of modern games at 60fps and 1080p. If you can settle for 30fps you can go even cheaper. You don't even need to buy a windows license anymore since Linux is free and its compatibility with windows software has gotten so good. If building a PC yourself is intimidating you could do what I did; buy a cheap OEM (pre-made) second hand desktop computer for cheap, like sub-$100 cheap, and use that to experiment with learning how to upgrade CPUs, gpus and ram. Using an old win7 HP desktop computer I bought for under $50, I managed to get it running doom 2016 at 30fps just by adding a new graphics card and CPU. doing it this way let me learn more about PC components so that when it was time for me to take the plunge and build my own PC from scratch I knew what I was doing. start cheap, and then if you discover that you need more powerful parts to run stuff you actually want to play, then you can start upgrading. There's no need to buy the highest end graphics card if a low-mid tier graphics card is already running everything smoothly after all. Just recently I built my girlfriend her own PC and managed to keep the price to around $500 (new zealand currency to be clear, which is like $300 USD). It was enough to run saga emerald beyond at 60fps which I was really happy with, but it did end up at around 30fps in other games like god eater 3, so we got a new graphics card once we could afford it.

And even with a cheap computer you can still experience a lot of what makes PC gaming so much fun. Indie games generally aren't demanding on hardware and there's far more of them on PC than there are on consoles. Indie games are genuinely some of the best modern games out there, frequently outdoing the AAA developers in lasting replay value and fun. plus, even the ones on consoles are better on PC thanks to extra features and content like mods, level editors and so on. there's also mouse and keyboard often being a more natural fit for game genres such as strategy and simulation games (I feel the same way about first person shooters as well but your mileage may vary there. Oh yeah also definitely play doom mods, they're awesome). Even if you're not into mouse and keyboard controls (I do really recommend practicing with it though! the speed and precision a mouse gives you is amazing), you'll still have a ton more controller options available on PC since basically anything that can be connected through USB or Bluetooth can be used. You also get access to fan made ports and remakes of classic games, all with their own mods and user made content, plus a ton of amazingly high quality standalone fan games (dr robotnik's ring racers is a recent fave of mine). You also have MUCH better access to older games on PC. You can be assured that stuff from the PS3 era will work superbly on modern PCs, and even a lot of 90s games work well out of the box on linux without needing to jump through hoops, in contrast to not even being able to play PS3 games on PS4. There's SO many cool aspects of modern gaming you can only experience on PC and it's not just playing microtransaction laden AAA games with marginally better graphics than on consoles.

This was meant to be about my disinterest in the switch 2 (not to say I think it'll be awful, I haven't looked enough into it, but I've already got my modern gaming covered by my computer unless some especially good exclusives win me over) but I got sidetracked and I just ended up gushing about how much i love computers oops

[fuji-iri]

i’m not really sure about what KOSA does to censor the internet. what exactly is there to it? i’ve heard a lot of awareness posts about it but not about what it actually does

i’m just going to copy-paste and slightly edit a previous reblog i made. though i’m not too sure how completely accurate this is, hopefully this can be of help if anyone wants a bit more info or wants to write a letter on their own:

——

basically, they’re forcing companies to limit certain content based on age and what could be considered dangerous to minors. they do somewhat give examples of what’s “mature content” but 1. they’re incredibly vague and 2. they open up for many other interpretations.

they also give the state attorney general the right to file a civil lawsuit against companies they think is infringing on this and showing minors “mature content.” however, this also means that this is completely up to the state attorney + state court’s interpretation, which can VERY EASILY be influenced by personal and political views. aka, a lot of LGBTQ information and other resources can be easily censored if the state deems it unnecessary for minors (and if the state court agrees with that belief). if one state does that successfully, it causes a ripple effect. aka, this can literally lead to censorship and the bill is straight up allowing that interpretation.

and another qualm i have with the bill (other than just the censorship part): the bill also states that they want ways to verify a user’s age so that they can filter content properly. however, the only way that’s truly foolproof is LITERAL GOVERNMENT IDS. this basically means that your personal information is collected by a “covered company” (the term they use for social media platforms and stuff) and used for age verification. let me tell you i don’t think that’s a good idea AT ALL. it compromises everyone’s security, not just minors. like, what are they gonna do in the case of a data leak / security breach? how many people will have their personal information revealed and taken advantage of?

KOSA is a trojan horse with a LOT of consequences. it’s way too risky to implement into congress at this current stage, unless either of these problems can be solved through amending the bill or just straight up not approving it entirely.

ALSO: the bill is currently introduced in the SENATE and is being contemplated over. however, there’s still a lot the bill needs to do before it passes into law (house of representatives, president, etc) aka, do not stop expressing how DANGEROUS this bill is, in the case it’s passed in the senate. keep talking when it’s in the house of representatives. do what you can

THIS TOO: (https://www.stopkosa.com/)

[nicktoons-bracket]

ROUND ONE

PROPAGANDA BELOW (submitted by users!)

CHALKZONE

I really love Chalkzone!! It's so fun and over the top and the art style is SO COOL!! Especially in Chalkzone itself. Also the accents. I really love the accents.

RUDY! YOU GOTTA DRAW SOMETHING

DANNY PHANTOM

It is the fandom that created the tag #NoVivesection

he’s going ghost

Include the antagonists please :))))

The storytelling. Character development. The corny puns, it’s ALL JUST SO GOOD!!! I would have absolutely loved to see what it could have been had it not been cancelled. Or, arguably, what a reboot, similar to what The Fairly Odd Parents got, would be like. They just tied it off with so much potential (which, by the way, was wonderfully taken advantage of in A Glitch In Time, I NEED a book two), and I overall just really adore what the phandom has done with it. It’s one of those shows that’s old enough now that you can show it to the newer generation as an older piece of media, but not so old that it’s obsolete. Butch Hartman did a fanTASTIC job telling us the stories in the DP world, I’m so hyped to see if we get any more big content for it, like we did with A Glitch In Time. Perfect little novel, I love it with all my heart, I want it to be canon. CANON, I SAY!! GIVE US MORE DANNY PHANTOM!!!

daniels your phantaniels 👍