swelter_spark
@swelter_spark@reddthat.com
- Comment on What does it mean to ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ all cookies, and which should I choose? 6 hours ago:
I use uMatrix to control exactly which cookies I accept, and only accept what I need.
- Comment on Audible unveils plans to use AI voices to narrate audiobooks 19 hours ago:
No, I think it’s great to be able to get rid of shitty voice work with the click of a button. Wish I could use it on my bf’s Brian Sanderson audiobooks. That guy’s simpering, exaggeratedly high pitched female voices are so unpleasant to listen to.
- Comment on Audible unveils plans to use AI voices to narrate audiobooks 6 days ago:
Imagine not liking the voicing of a book, so you just pick a different one.
- Comment on VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom 6 days ago:
Yeah, I don’t prefer that. But with some things I feel like it’s barely a downside, and I’d put Boxes into that category. It’s useful and well-designed enough in terms of functionality that I’m willing to overlook the Gnominess.
- Comment on Usernames using randomized nonsense 6 days ago:
I use random websites that don’t require Javascript, tbh, and manually paste the name into KeePassXC.
- Comment on Usernames using randomized nonsense 1 week ago:
My Google and Microsoft accounts are the only ones I ever get random spam on, tbh. I’ve never had any amount of unasked for mail with a paid provider or ISP’s email.
- Comment on Usernames using randomized nonsense 1 week ago:
It used to be common.
- Comment on Usernames using randomized nonsense 1 week ago:
I always use randomly-generated user names. I try to avoid strings of random numbers and letters, but coming up with reasonably nice-looking random names is time-consuming, and some people might not care that much.
- Comment on VMware perpetual license holders receive cease-and-desist letters from Broadcom 1 week ago:
Boxes is very well-organized and easy to use.
- Comment on The first nonverbal patient to receive Elon Musk's Neuralink shares a video he edited and narrated using his brain chip 1 week ago:
Not worth the horrific suffering it’s caused, imo.
- Comment on Point-and-click urban thriller Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer launches May 20 1 week ago:
The plot, characters, art style. I love stories where you’re solving a mystery, and having the main character be a person I could relate to made it more engaging. Then there’s that freaky red field at the end…
- Comment on I have a shamefully dark question for firefighters. I'm sorry but I'm just too curious to not ask... It's about the smell and how that affects life. 2 weeks ago:
I think it depends on the diet and body composition, as well as how long they’ve been dead and under what climate conditions. Some smell sweet or fruity. Some smell, like, dusty. The way an old crypt smells. Some have a sour or rancid smell.
- Comment on Point-and-click urban thriller Kathy Rain 2: Soothsayer launches May 20 2 weeks ago:
Nice. I loved the first one.
- Comment on The YouTube Alternative Nobody's Talking About ! Peertube 2 weeks ago:
There may have been a relative increase in the numbers of creators on YT after monetization was introduced, but it wasn’t on a scale that one person could perceive. Even before monetization, there was more content, of every type and subject, than one person could possibly ever watch. Videos starting to look slick and professional was the most visible result, but I don’t feel that this corresponded to an increase in quality. Professional Youtubers post constantly, even when they have nothing to say, to stay visible. Because Peertube’s space and bandwidth are paid for by server owners, who are mostly average individuals, I think it would be bad for them to attract that type of creator.
- Comment on The YouTube Alternative Nobody's Talking About ! Peertube 2 weeks ago:
YT became popular before monatization existed. It was a hobby and a form of socialization for many people. I’d rather see Peertube be that than what YT has become. Monatization is what ruined it, imo.
- Comment on Consumers make their voices heard as Microsoft's huge venture flatlines in popularity 3 weeks ago:
Win 2k was my favorite. Ran well and gave the user total control over the system.
- Comment on Perplexity CEO says its browser will track everything users do online to sell 'hyper personalized' ads | TechCrunch 3 weeks ago:
I use it for the encryption and IP hiding just to make casual surveillance more difficult, more than trying to be 100% anonymous. If I can’t use a site with Tor, I’ll add an exception for it if it’s something I really need. Otherwise, I find an alternative for whatever I was trying to do, and I don’t really care.
- Comment on Sony Music Among Parties Pushing To Cut Off Internet for Pirating Customers — Supreme Court Asked To Intervene 3 weeks ago:
Same.
- Comment on Windows 10 LTSC – the version that won't expire for years 3 weeks ago:
I agree. I had frequent problems when I used it, which could take days to figure out, and even then might only be solved by a full reinstall. Linux has had significantly fewer problems for me, and those problems are solved much more easily. My bf is a huge Windows fan, but it seems like he’s struggling with some problem he can’t figure out every other month. Half a drive left as unallocated space instead of being included in a partition, causing constant “disk full” messages, was the most recent issue. On top of bad updates. I don’t bother suggesting he switch, because I know he’s happy with it, but Windowt definitely isn’t problem-free.
- Comment on What are some FOSS programs that are objectively better than their proprietary counterparts? 4 weeks ago:
Dnscrypt-proxy has no comparison, IMO. DNS encryption, caching, IP & domain blocking, local DoH. It’s so useful.
- Comment on What are some FOSS programs that are objectively better than their proprietary counterparts? 4 weeks ago:
People call Tiktok brainrot, but I feel like Windows has had the same effect on people.
- Comment on What are some FOSS programs that are objectively better than their proprietary counterparts? 4 weeks ago:
They have open source versions that run on Linux. I’d say they’re better than VSCode.
- Comment on What are some FOSS programs that are objectively better than their proprietary counterparts? 4 weeks ago:
I use PDF Arranger for that.
- Comment on There’s AI Inside Windows Paint and Notepad Now 4 weeks ago:
It used to be common.
- Comment on Bluesky has started honoring takedown requests from Turkish government 4 weeks ago:
I though Mastodon had a search engine.
- Comment on Are there any Lemmy/Mbin instances by women for women? 4 weeks ago:
I think there’s also We are women on lemmy.ml and Women on lemmy.world?
- Comment on Florida’s New Social Media Bill Says the Quiet Part Out Loud and Demands an Encryption Backdoor 5 weeks ago:
There is no safety without the guarantee of privacy. One is fundamental to the other.
- Comment on DeepSeek and chip bans have supercharged AI innovation in China. 5 weeks ago:
I use it for translations regularly, and also tts. It works well.
- Comment on UK police chiefs call for ban on social media for under-16s 5 weeks ago:
I agree completely. The healthiest our online ecosystem has ever been was when parents were required, and empowered, to make decisions for their own children about appropriate internet usage.
- Comment on Microsoft has now fired the employees who publicly protested the company supplying AI tech to the Israeli military 5 weeks ago:
I haven’t used Lightroom, so I can’t comment on how similar they are either. But there are enough good options that hopefully anyone switching can find one that meets their needs. :)