Amen to that. I’m not a busy CEO of four companies, I don’t need or want an assistant, digital or otherwise. I want to read through articles and watch videos, I can scroll/fast-forward through myself if I feel like it. And while we’re at it, I don’t really need or want personalized anything - just give me ALL the search results and I’ll sort through them myself. Luddite? Maybe, but I literally cannot think of a case where this would be useful or helpful to me…
A big reason I replaced my old S10+ with a battery that wouldn’t even hold half a day with Xperia 1 VI is that it has both the headphone jack AND an SD card slot. Might be the only flagship left that has both…
They used to have invite threads on Reddit - that’s how I got mine when the API changes were announced. I think it was in Reddit alternatives subreddit? Not sure, haven’t been back since. If there’s still a thread (and if the subreddit even exists still), asking there might work.
I don’t know (or, frankly, care much) about the “why”, and I like Lemmy the way it is, but if your looking for deeper discussion and longer posts I do recommend Tildes, if you can get an invite: https://tildes.net/ It’s not open to the public, so the post volume is quite low, but most responses are well thought out, longer and often thought-provoking. I don’t post much there, but enjoy reading it a lot.
Server doesn’t really matter much (to me), but I’m on toot.community because I’m mentally a child and like the funny name :)
App-wise, I really enjoy Moshidon, been using the nightly version for a while now: https://github.com/LucasGGamerM/moshidon
To be honest, they probably are. My pet theory is that they’re trying to do what do many politicians are doing - drive away everyone but the strongest base electorate that will stay with them no matter what they do. And then, the grift starts. I’m reasonably sure sooner rather than later they’ll start charging a subscription fee to use Windows, and people and companies will bend over and pay it…
I solved this issue by following multiple tags that interest me. People tend to tag their posts on Mastodon it seems, so discovering posts about, say, wine and cacti is as easy as following #wine #cactus #cacti #redwine #oragewine and so on and so forth - it’s working pretty good for me without an algorithm recommending stuff to me, maybe it’s worth a try?
I still play it, even though the console version was basically abandoned ages ago and we didn’t even get the offline mode and seasonal journey PC players got. It’s still really fun regardless and is recommend it to anyone who likes that style of game.
It’s baffling, isn’t it? How can a company just unilaterally decide to not be subject to this or that law, and the courts just… go with it? It’s the same level of idiocy exhibited by sovereign citizens, but somehow, when you’re a corporation they actually let you do it…
I have an idea Elon - how about we bomb your house with you in it? I’m sure after a while some other people will build another house there and move in, so it’s all good, right?
Which means one more screen to show ads - this is why they do it…
I can see why spez is upset about scrappers and search engines - image a company profiting from people creating lots of data, just hoarding it and using it for free, and not paying those people a cent, preposterous, right? :)
The good’ole strategy of “if we cut enough corners we’ll become a circle and circles are perfect”…
No, thanks. Here’s an idea Google - how about you keep your greedy paws off the apps I install from different sources, since I have good reasons for doing so?
You guys! I did it! Like, with an actual woman! And, wait for it, no condom! You guys, I wennt in raw! And I totally came inside! Is your mind blown yet?
Small print, excessive legalese and outright deceptive language in ads, agreements and such. All the “free” (not really free) trials, “unlimited” (not really unlimited) plans, “best value” (according to the producer and their mum) deals and shit like that.
There really should be a law prohibiting that - if reading through terms and conditions for using a damn website or a toothbrush or whatever requires 4 hours of free time, a magnifyibg glass and degree in law, such t&cs should be illegal. Same for disclaimers and such in ads - any 4pt text displayed for 2 seconds on screen should automatically result in a massive fine.
So just like all those “unlimited” phone plans with limits, “free” trials that require a credit card number and “lifetime” warranties that expire after a few years? Cool. Cool cool cool…
I made a live wallpaper using an Android app called Magic Fluids (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magicfluids) that is fully black, but creates a flame effect every time I tap the screen or slide my finger across it. Yeah, edgy and tacky AF, but it really is a pretty cool effect and I’ve been using it for years, so whatever.