Onii-Chan

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

It's a good day to be a Mullvad user. Switched over from Surfshark a while ago, and I love it.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

I never had any real issues with speed using Surfshark, the reason I made the switch was largely about trust. As another user said, as soon as I saw Surfshark start their YouTube advertising spree, and start to bloat their client with unnecessary features, I started looking for alternatives.

I'm iffy about any VPN company that uses YouTuber marketing as it is, and while my threat model isn't overly paranoid, I believe the VPN company someone chooses to use should have paranoid business practices. After I saw the news on Mullvad's raid, the authorities subsequently finding nothing, and the fact that a user's account is merely a string of numbers, I decided it was the VPN for me.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

"We're sorry we shot you in the head and the angst it may have caused you, but hey! We're about to take the lead out for FREE."

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

While you're correct, my own anecdotal evidence says that it's still uncomfortable as fuck, and I'd rather have a smaller phone. I miss my Nexus One from way back in the day.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

I'll stick to InnerTune. Got rid of Spotify over a month ago, don't miss it at all.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

This is happening in Australia, a country almost universally controlled by the 'left wing' Labor party on both federal and state levels. The sooner you realize that literally no politician gives a shit about their people, the sooner we can move on from this bullshit left vs. right shitshow and start directing our anger at those responsible for the state of the world (hint; it's every politician with any amount of power and any large enough corporation. The cunts are all best mates, left wing or right wing.)

Never forget who the real enemy is. We're playing so fucking effectively into their little game, and they know it. If only we did.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

Coles isn't small. They're part of what is essentially a duopoly in Australia.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago)

Nightly drinking. At this point, I don't know what life was like before I started, and as much as I know I'm shortening my life, I actually really enjoy the daily stress relief - I'm weirdly happier overall these days as a result, although I do keep my intake low.

I don't smoke, vape, trip, weed is a no go, as it triggers psychotic thought patterns, and I don't take anything else (unless caffeine counts, in which case, I'd rather fucking kill myself than give up coffee.) I enjoy having something to lean on. We're all dying, some of us slightly faster than others by choice. I don't think a couple whiskeys a night is all that bad, all things considered. The world is moving in a direction I'm not compatible with on a deeply personal level anyway, so fuck living until 80.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago (edited 9 months ago)

I have been thinking about giving cannabis a go again lately, but I'm honestly pretty frightened of the stuff nowadays. I was fine with it for years, but it slowly started manifesting thoughts of existentialism, consciousness, the nature of reality, and solipsism, among other deeply-unanswerable questions. It got to the point where almost immediately after the effects came on, I'd become paralyzed with fear over the fact that anything exists at all, but I kept using it because it helped my insomnia better than anything else.

I've only recently come out of that existential crisis after really having to work on myself to get back to where I was before that, which for the most part, I am. The only lingering change is that my firm atheism was shattered and I now find myself seeing the universe, consciousness and death very differently (largely in a good way.)

I want to get along with weed, but it's just too much for me. I have ADHD, and all it does is make me think even more than I already do, as one errant thought will always send me down a cascading sequence of increasingly more terrifying philosophical possibilities about the universe and nature of infinity. Alcohol manifests itself as pure bliss and anti anxiety. It allows me to actually switch off for a few hours and then sleep.

Trust me, I wish I could love cannabis, but I just don't think it's worth the risk for me personally. I've never had a drug fuck me up so hard mentally (and I've previously experimented with psychedelics and dissociatives as a younger guy.) There's something about THC specifically that fucks me up.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

Corporate dystopia, total government control over privacy and autonomy, climate crises, mandatory state-issued ID required to access a highly-restricted internet, 'subscription plans' infecting nearly every industry to destroy the concept of individual private ownership, personal finances with 'expiry dates' via the use of CBDC's and subversive savings taxes...

Yeah, I'll take the 1960's, thanks. The future is bleak. I don't intend to live long if freedom, privacy, and individualism are the first liberties on the chopping block, which worryingly seems to be the case.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

Yeah, fuuuuuck that. I use Signal for a reason.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

"You will own nothing and be fucking miserable, peasants happy."

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

32 here, so definitely not your age, but I just want to let you know that you're not as alone in this as you think. I've also degoogled my life, I don't use any social media outside of kbin and reddit (just to keep up to date on my city via its subreddit), use Signal as my messenger, Proton for email, NewPipe for YouTube, InnerTune instead of Spotify and GrapheneOS with aggressive app permissions instead of Android, all sitting behind Mullvad VPN and a privacy focused web browser.

I've never felt so free of corporate bullshit, and the 'convenience' I've given up hasn't affected my life anywhere near as drastically as I thought it would. I just wish everyone could realize how easy it is to ditch the surveillance machine and still retain an easy, convenient digital life.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

I know this will be a very controversial comment, but I actually can't stand the combat (extremely unfamiliar with the genre as a whole, and I've also never been a fan of turn-based systems), but love the game to death. As a result, I'm using a trainer to essentially trivialize combat encounters, because my BG3 addiction stems from the characters, their stories, the incredible world and the exploration it offers, the side quests, the lore, the insane detail in every corner of the map. I also work 80 hour weeks and want to spend the little time I get with the game doing what I love most, which is exploration and delving into my characters' stories.

I've just gotten through Moonrise Towers (and have done all I can find to do in each area so far, although I already know I'll be doing multiple playthroughs), and it's one of the most immersive and enjoyable gaming experiences I've ever had, despite the fact I'm quite literally cheating my way through combat encounters. I'm basically playing it as a very interactive 'choose your own adventure' novel, with weapon and armor pickups being cosmetic-only in nature, and the focus of my playthrough being on exploring the world and delving into its inhabitants' backstories and the mysteries they hold.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

I initially started on easy, but just found it far too complex of a system to get my head around, and when my work hours can see me going days between play sessions, any knowledge I do pick up often isn't retained. I also just don't enjoy turn based combat at all, so when I enter combat, I just throw on god mode and infinite turns to get it over and return to the story or quest more quickly (I'll often alter things depending on what's happening in the game at the time though. For example, I did the Gauntlet of Shar with Shadowheart on her own, as it felt like something she needed to tackle solo, even if I wasn't in any genuine danger.)

I guess tl;dr - even easy was a bit too much for me to take in given my work schedule, as well as the combat taking a lot of time away from the aspects of the game I love, namely exploration and stories.

Onii-Chan, 9 months ago

A politician pretending to give a fuck again. What else is new?

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago

I find my old Pixel 4 charges quite fast through USB C to USB C, but it definitely isn't sub-30 minutes 0%-full. I got home with my phone at 25%, and it's at 80% now after charging for 25 minutes. I'd love to experience genuine fast charging, but for now, this is quick enough for me.

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago

DeArrow has been a fucking godsend. What a top shelf extension.

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago

Motherfucker ate datura seeds or something, because that wasn't acid.

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago

Gotcha. I'm definitely not about to fire up qBittorrent right now and use it, because that would be illegal.

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago

It's times like these I'm glad that in my country, while these companies CAN sue individuals for piracy, they can only sue for the amount it'd cost to purchase the product in its physical form from a store, so they just don't bother (this is assuming you don't seed, so ymmv depending on your torrenting etiquette.)

Onii-Chan, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

There's no way they can realistically police it, but I believe legally, they determine case-by-case if the seeding was for the purposes of distribution or not. Forgetting a download and letting it seed overnight is not likely to cause any issues.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

These people are addicted to such a degree that they're functionally on the same level as literal junkies, just without the physical damage. Social media was such a fucking mistake, and I don't think we're ever going to recover from it within our lifetime.

Ted Kaczynski was right.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago)

I mean, yeah. The only 'social media' I have is kbin, and I check it once or twice a day. If it went anywhere, I wouldn't really give a shit, as I left all the major platforms years ago and adding one more to that list wouldn't bother me. Don't group me in with Twitter (x?) users because I called them out on their addiction, when I've already done what they seemingly can't.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

I have to be honest, as much as I've degoogled my life, Maps is the one app I've yet to find good competition for. Every single alternative I've used has fallen short in some way, especially in terms of business details and street view, which are critically important for my work.

Maps is just too good, and it is the only Google product I still use (albeit through GrapheneOS with heavily restricted permissions and a dummy account.)

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Holy fuck, that's a fantastic comparison. Re-reading that quote in Dwight's voice fit far too well.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Fantastic. Now do this everywhere and begin the first steps of dismantling this surveillance capitalist bullshit we've all allowed to go on for far too long.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Extremely excited for the western release. Miyazaki's films are some of my most treasured stories, particularly Spirited Away and The Wind Rises.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

For me, it manifests in being annoyingly early a lot of the time due to me overestimating how long something will take and being terrified of disappointing people.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

What a crazy fucking read. Thank you for posting that.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

I dream of a world that again exists without big tech, but you know, it's a dream.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Yep. Pixel, GrapheneOS, be harsh and restrictive with permissions, and intuitive with the apps you install. Simplify your digital life - it's much easier and less of a hindrance than you'd think.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Genuinely wouldn't be surprised if this was the truth. The tactics these companies employ are both putridly-covert, yet brilliantly executed - especially so if it also saves a few cents.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Spotify is literally the only subscription service that I haven't cut ties with, because as much as I hate its horrific data harvesting, I'm running it on GrapheneOS with legitimately next to zero privileges in a sandbox, and for what I'm paying, I truly do feel I'm getting my money's worth. I use it every single day, and while I have all my music stored locally (as in legitimately scraped and downloaded, not 'downloaded'), I only did so as a precaution just in case Spotify decides to fuck things up and I also choose to cancel it as well.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

That actually sounds fantastic, cheers for the recommendation!

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Spent the day recreating my Spotify playlists on Innertune. Thank you SO much for this recommendation, it is exactly what I've been looking for in an alternative. There's even a heap of shit available that I can't find on Spotify.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago)

Same. If kbin joins in, I'm gone. I haven't been here long enough to give a fuck, but I do love it. I want kbin and Lemmy to make the right decision, but won't think twice about leaving the second I see things taking an enshittified turn. Fuck off, Meta - nobody wants you here.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Holy shit, three replies in and someone is already grandstanding as some anti-racist hero by bringing up the crack epidemic.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago)

I personally can't wait to see it all burn. This last year especially has shown me how many people are just getting fucking sick and tired of centralized, corporate bullshit, even if they aren't consciously aware of why (things like issues listing items on Marketplace due to false auto-removals, no way to contact a human being for help with a business issue, spam, bots, unintentional bans/excessive moderation, etc.) At the end of the day, when the average person starts to complain about shitty UI and too many ads, you know a platform has peaked - and it's happening everywhere. Social media has had its time in the sun. I want it to fucking crumble now.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago (edited 11 months ago)

Extreme gallbladder attack. I'd gone through a few in the months prior, and while excruciating, I wouldn't call unbearable. The last one though? The one that put me in hospital and required emergency surgery that day due to risk of rupture? Yeah. I've never felt pain like it. I've been stabbed and had kidney stones before. I'd rather get stabbed and have kidney stones again than EVER feel the level of pain that rotting, inflamed, shard-filled organ put me through (and kidney stones were fucking BAD.) I'm a 31 year old 6ft1" man, and this thing had me writhing on the floor in pain for hours before my wife forced me into the passenger seat of the car and rushed me to the ER.

I later found out that the 'food poisoning' I was hospitalized for around 5 years earlier was actually a gallbladder issue, and the hospital never told me. Basically, this fucking thing had been slowly rotting inside me for 5 years and I had no idea until it almost killed me out of nowhere. I'm still extremely fucking angry about it.

Onii-Chan, 11 months ago

Ah yes, online 'safety' legislation. Y'know, because terrorists and pedophiles are a big enough threat to warrant the end of online privacy for everybody. Surely this has no ulterior motive, such as the ability to monitor and spy on every little thing the people do online. A government would NEVER abuse its power like that. Never.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago

I just... don't care about reddit anymore. I really wanted these protests to succeed, but both the mods AND site admins revealed their true colors, and I ended up here. I fucking love kbin, and wouldn't go back even if reddit fixed its shit. Whatever happens with that site doesn't bother me one bit anymore.

I hope the protests go well, but I'm 100% certain that this is more a case of going out with a fizzle than with an explosion. I almost feel bad for them.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago

Lemmy.ml is a hive of authoritarians. I'll be glad to not have to see their oppressive fascist fantasies here.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago

The very same.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago

Same end result; oppression of the masses, rejection of human rights and personal liberties, concentration of power and corruption. Fascist, authoritarian communist, tomato, tomAto, as far as I'm concerned. Their ideologies all stand directly on the throat of freedom and I want nothing to do with anyone who believes total control of the people is a positive thing.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago)

This guy acting like those in charge at Lemmy being pro-CCP and censoring dissenting opinions isn't a valid reason for not wanting to be involved with them. Fuck Lemmy. Fuck authoritarians.

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago

These are actually pretty cute, but again with the fucking app and online connection. I'd never have one of these in my house, let alone give one to my kids to play with unless I've disabled any network connectivity (but the simplest solution would be to just not buy one.)

Onii-Chan, 1 year ago (edited 1 year ago)

Bingo. If Meta get their foot in the door, then the writing will be on the wall and the Fediverse as we know it today will slowly disappear. These huge corporations have extremely covert and efficient methods of influencing change and instilling their evil values which aren't fully-apparent until it's already too late.

If Meta get involved, personally, I'll be leaving, and will just accept that the internet will never again be allowed to exist in a free state; the system won.

EDIT: I also left all social media over two years ago, and this was largely because Facebook was making me remarkably unhappy and angry. I don't want them in my life full stop and have gone out of my way to rid my digital identity of any ties to corporate proprietary bullshit. I like it here precisely because it has no corporate overlord, and it makes me sick to think that Meta can just waltz back into my life in a space users largely want to be left alone in.