A Fedi instance requires a time commitment, there are some good suggestions in here but I recommend some alternative frontends.

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When using the official Mastodon app (as suggested in the “guide”) “instances” are not a factor at all (unless the user specifically goes out of their way). A new user could have never even heard of the term “instance” and the above steps would work fine.

You don’t just download the app, create an account, and go.

Actually with Mastodon this is literally how it works.

EDIT: I should say this is how it works now, it didn’t always used to be this way. The official Mastodon app used to ask the user to pick an instance, but for a number of years now it defaults every new account to mastodon.social unless they opt out. There was a big brouhah about centralization but the Mastodon devs felt it made for easier on boarding.

I visited once and it is really funny how you drive through normal looking suburbs thinking “there is no way we are anywhere near Mintaka III” then suddenly there it is.

TikTok → Reddit → Lemmy → …grass?

This is my not-safe-for-Reddit opinion but I thought the S1 Klingons were great, interesting and impressive.

Turns out good web design skills does not always translate into other skills.

If an instance has a lot of spam, admins tend to notice and block it. In the future it’s likely admins will have more tools too, but for now the system works pretty well.

Redlib is browser based and will work on Windows. Here is a list of instances.

This is so true. Indie games are legitimately better these days. AAA titles can have a good game at their core, but it always feels like you’re fighting with the game itself to enjoy it. From custom launchers and meaningless boring “side quests” and “achievements” to pad them out. Indie games are much better at cutting right to the point of what makes the experience rewarding.

That is correct and echoes what I said

The Remote Watch Pass is only needed if neither you nor the server owner have a Plex pass: https://support.plex.tv/articles/requirements-for-remote-playback-of-personal-media/

When using an affected platform to stream personal video content remotely from a Plex Media Server, then one of the following needs to be true:

1. The admin account for the Plex Media Server has an active Plex Pass (which also allows remote playback for any other user streaming from that server)
2. Your account has an active Plex Pass
3. Your account has an active Remote Watch Pass

The remote playback restrictions do not apply to streaming music content to Plexamp or photos to our Plex Photos app.

I agree with your overall sentiment but also literally 100% of BlueSky users are on one instance.

BlueSky is not federated. Also German users have outsized representation on Mastodon but most of the network is outside Germany.

I love the moments when it’s demonstrated that Ferengi can be actually very astute when it comes to diplomacy/interplanetary relations… their culture just has a completely different set of values.

Yeah it’s certainly not the worst series of episodes and as you implied it does some good world building. It just doesn’t do it for me the same way that “why is everyone treating O’Brien like he’s shady?” does.

Those look like a forbidden snack! I also didn’t know about that book thanks for sharing.

Back in the day Nike was fashion-non-grata due to their well known child labor practices. The fact that they reinvented the brand to the degree that they actually became aligned with punk/skater culture still blows my mind. Advertising is a powerful tool.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike_sweatshops

People are talking about privacy but the big reason is that it gives you, the owner, control over everything quickly without ads or other uneeded stuff. We are so used to apps being optomized for revenue and not being interoperable with other services that it’s easy to forget the single biggest advantage of computers which is that programs and apps can work together quickly and quietly and in the background. Companies provide products, self-hosting provides tools.