Yep. Not even always ads exactly, but just dummy notifications to make your dumb brain keep opening the app or website (which is kind of a self ad).

Most apps I have to disable or heavily tone down notifications in some way to get them to stop yapping about nothing. Even then, sometimes you can’t get notifications you do want without junk.

Yes. ❤️

I remember going on a trip when I was younger, and my (also young) friend was driving. At one point we got onto a stretch of highway and he met speed with a slow or speed limit vehicle like that, kept going for miles.

I don’t remember what prompted it, maybe an aggressive driver we encountered somewhere and were able to block in, maybe just because it’d be funny. But I do remember he’d tell that story for years, and we’d laugh about traffic being backed up further than we could see. Looking back, such a jerk move. I didn’t argue against it at the time, but now I’m half surprised we didn’t get a ticket. It’s kind of a safety hazard.

Come to think of it, that was around 15 years ago. >.>

To tack on - if you’re still pretty early, beginner textbook style lessons will be the most helpful at the start. If your main goal is to communicate with folks in a the short term, memorize set phrases and common verbs (along w/ basic conjugation rules).

It’s surprising how much you can get by with when you have limited vocab and speed, but know how to ask someone clarifying questions or ask if they can slow it down.

Picking up a 2nd (or more) language is just going to be hard. There’s not a magic shortcut, or anything you can buy or course to take that will make you fluent in a month.

That out of the way, there are lots of resources out there!

Look up comprehensible input channels on YouTube (eg, Dreaming Spanish). You can find something at your level, even down to the point where they’ll mostly point at pictures and say words. Eventually add in things like cartoons, news, podcasts, or social media when you feel up to it.

There’s debate about whether you need anything besides input. I’m partial to a mixed approach, so I’d say get a good textbook too.

Anki is great for vocab flashcards (but you’ll have to find decks, which can be annoying). Apps like Duolingo can be a good supplement too.

Make a habit through the day or thinking about how to say things in Spanish. Repeat your sentences in your head, or think about what the Spanish version would be of signs you see.

It’s just a long term goal though, to get anywhere meaningful. Engage with your target language every day.

Yes. Having centralized ownership (to whatever extent) is a concern for sure, but it’s a hypothetical concern in and of itself: “what if the leadership does bad things?” Is different from “the leadership is currently doing bad things.”

Decentralization helps. But if the networks effects aren’t behind it, jumping from platform to platform when things DO get bad is also viable.

Yep, that’s the right train of thought.

I used to also dislike them, due to their limitations vs cash. But eventually realized that I liked having the excuse to go out of town to a fancy restaurant, or splurge on games I might otherwise decide I don’t need right now.

Strictly speaking, cash is better, yes. But gift cards can influence people to do things that might make them happier than typical rational or habitual decisions.

I thought Insidious was good, and not annoyingly gratuitous with the violence.

The great thing from their perspective is that even if they can’t make you be onsite, you can still have to work on snow days.

I think this is a really good answer. Just search for a focus playlist on whatever platform and let it run.

If I’m picking out music more specific, I find myself thinking about that, and what it’s like, and if it’s helping, and maybe I should hey this other album or artist.

Don’t let picking the music distract too much from focusing on what you want to do.

I get this. Loved Tri and Freedom Unite, played a decent amount of 4, some of World, and barely started Rise.

They’re always exciting, and I don’t dislike any of the games, but it’s just a lot to get going, really invest the time, and get the value out of these.

I really like that cd command. :P

And I mean, there’s still time now. Switching browsers isn’t that bad. Export+import some bookmarks and adjust some settings, good to go.

I think FF has been a good option for a while. But the second best time is now. I can totally get it if people didn’t want to switch until they had more of a concrete problem.

There’s not much distinction between currency and product is there? Most products are just other forms of currency - eg, goods can be sold back for money. Services usually save you time. So when you say product, you just mean what is time exhanged for?

The most common product of time is probably money, the next most ubiquitous type of currency. But then there are also more abstract things like enjoyment, knowledge, rest.

Found Row’s channel from a similar thread years ago: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo6n98yEksXx0kHT4TA8_hQ

This guy does runs of the Pokemon Stadium games blindfolded. And I don’t fully know why, but it’s just super chill and enjoyable to watch these videos casually.

He’s right at 1000 now. Though I don’t see any recent uploads, hope he’s not done.

Just like Reddit’s changes last year, seems like a clear and reasonaly expected consequence of the ‘our text is so valuable because AI’ idea.

The web will probably continue to become more gated and more fragmented as a result of that, plus trying to get more control to force ads.

Sounds normal to me.

I find when I’m busy that I let go of lots of little hobby projects or side-goals that I hadn’t had time to make a habit of. And I end up forgetting about them once I do have time. Maybe there are some things like that for you to get into. Or maybe it’s just time to set some new aspirations.

But hey, hanging out playing video games and awaiting vacation sounds pretty nice on its own. 😃

Thanks for updating it! Newer version is all around much better.

Only nitpicky wishlist item I have left is for an undo button on the match screen. (Though it’s not really needed since you can reset an item’s stats.)

Is there? I might be blind, or the F-droid version might be behind. Either way, not a big deal, but I don’t see it.

Another would-be-nice - a button to sort the list alphabetically, so I can see what’s already on it.