Why YSK: Your signals alert other drivers as to what you're doing; a signal bulb costs a few bucks and is usually a quick and easy repair to do yourself (consult YouTube); and any place that regulates motor vehicles probably requires you to have working turn signals. So knowing when and how to replace a burned out signal bulb can save you an interaction with law enforcement.

Adding: You can diagnose which bulb is out by turning on your hazard lights and checking all four corners of your car. It'll be the one not flashing.

This is also probably a good time to check your brake lights. Put something heavy on the pedal or have a friend hold it down and check that all three brake lights illuminate. Replacing a burned out brake light is also usually pretty cheap, quick, and easy.

(the link again in case the clickable title doesn't work on all instances: https://sketchtoy.com)

Have you ever tried to explain something over the internet that doesn't translate well into words (like a specific route on a map, the layout of a building etc.) and you also can't find a good picture on the internet showing what exactly you mean? Then just use that site to doodle a sketch. It is free of charge, doesn't require a registration/verification/whatever or extra software, and the sketches seem to stay online forever.

I have an online roleplaying group that relies solely on chat / texts and this site has helped me numerous times to demonstrate the layout of a tavern, camp or dungeon, to show what in-game items look like and/or how big they are, and to add easy-to-understand visuals to in-game puzzles that would otherwise be hard to describe verbally.

This drives me nuts when I see it done wrong, but it's actually kind of complicated because English is orthographically deranged.

Lead (/liːd/) [verb, present tense]: to guide, etc. I asked them to lead us in a rousing revolutionary anthem.

Led (/led/) [verb, past tense]: as above, but past tense. Later, we were led to a blank concrete wall.

Lead (/led/) [noun]: A soft, poisonous metal. Bullets are most often made of lead.

Just to make it confusing...

Lead (/liːd/) [noun]: kind of like "leader". Officer Johnson was our lead on this operation. (Note: it also means "leash"; e.g., I clipped the lead to Bowser's collar.)

Lede (/liːd/) [noun]: The first bit of a news story, often the first sentence. I didn't read the full article, but the lede suggested the protesters were decimated by police.

Leeds [proper noun]: A Town in England. Leeds is the worst place to stage peaceful protests.

And finally...

LED (ell ee dee) [noun, abbr.]: Abbreviation for light-emitting diode. For the love of any gods you might believe in, fucking capitalize it. Electronics hobbyists I'm looking in your direction.

More Examples

• Wrong: I was lead into the woods by a stranger.

• Right: I was led into the woods by a stranger.

• Wrong: The lead in an ad about cheap bulk led lead me to lede my leed dog to Leides on her led lede.

• Right: The lede in an ad about cheap bulk lead led me to lead my lead dog to Leeds on her LED lead.

(The last example is stupidly confusing, but it was fun to write.)

I learned about this many years ago and the difference after I started using only SLS-free toothpaste was night and day. I used to get canker sores any time I would bite the inside of my cheek, hit my gums with the hard parts of my toothbrush, etc., and this completely stopped a while after I switched to SLS-free.

SLS is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, by the way, and it's a detergent. From what I understand, the only reason why it's added to toothpaste is to make more foam when you brush. But the SLS-free toothpaste I use makes plenty of foam, so I have no idea why they add it. It's one of those things about the modern world that makes absolutely no sense. The ads and packaging should say in big letters: "now with even more canker sores!"

Unfortunately, the vast majority of toothpastes on the market (at least in the US) have SLS. I can only seem to find SLS-free toothpaste in natural food/supplement stores. It's extra difficult to find toothpastes that are SLS-free but that keep fluoride too. The difficulty (and price? I haven't compared) is completely worth it to me though.

TL;DR: The SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) in most toothpastes is unnecessary and causes canker sores (painful sores in your mouth and gums). If you have this problem, you will likely benefit from SLS-free toothpaste (some still include fluoride) that you can usually find at natural food stores.

Why YSK: Trackers don't do good for anyone except the platform, and they're not necessary to view the content in the URL.

It's courteous to not subject the recipient (most likely your friends and family) to this tracking. You're already sending them to the platform, which is tracking them in other ways. But you can help reduce that tracking by removing everything after the ampersand in the URL. Here are some examples.

Twitter example

URL: https://x.com/CookieSlayers/status/1623712884902567937?s=20

The s=20 is a Twitter-specific parameter to show that the tweet was copied from the web app. s=46 is iOS, and I can't remember what Android's code is. This is a relatively clean link, but there are some links that'll concatenate unique identifiers, like: https://x.com/CookieSlayers/status/1623712884902567937?s=20&t=Fn47fnSDJUD74bd9.

In this case, you'll notice there's also a &t= parameter, which is a unique identifier to the person who shared it.

The only part of the URL you need is https://x.com/CookieSlayers/status/1623712884902567937.

Instagram example:

URL: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzP877du2EB/?igshid=MzRlODCFWFlZA==

The only part of the URL you need is https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzP877du2EB.

TikTok example

URL: https://www.tiktok.com/@inthepaintcrew/video/7301348328602717482?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7302915057791436331

You'll notice TikTok's is a lot more readable in terms of what the URL contains.

The is_from_webapp parameter is self-explanatory, as is the sender_device, and then there's the identifier that's unique to you. In this case, 7302915057791436331.

The only part of the URL you need is https://www.tiktok.com/@inthepaintcrew/video/7301348328602717482.

The best route^1^ would be to use privacy-respecting frontends, but if you don't, simply deleting everything after the ampersand goes a long way.

^1^The best route would actually be to not use/reward platforms that are literally destroying humanity, but we're not there yet, so... in the meantime, let's just try to decrease the tracking and stop subjecting our friends and family to it as much as possible.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/9208209

On these types of forums it’s easy to jump into an argument about the technicalities or a post or comment.

You should know, though, that there is a theory called Ways of Knowing which defines Separate Knowing and Connected Knowing. It’s been a part of my masters program I’m taking.

Separate knowing disconnects the humanity and context from what’s being said and tries to only argue the “facts”. But facts, and the things people say, don’t just occur in a vacuum. It often is the case when people are arguing past each other, like on the internet.

Connected Knowing is approaching the thing someone said with the understanding that there is a context, humanity, biases, different experiences, and human error that can all jumble up when people are sharing information.

Maybe even just knowing that there’s different ways to know would be helpful for us to engage in a different level of conversation here. I’m not sure. I just wanted to share!

https://capstone.unst.pdx.edu/sites/default/files/Critical%20Thinking%20Article_0.pdf

Built by a dutch non-profit, Medito is a meditation app that is completely free without ads, supported by donations from the community. The new update brought a completely new interface and new content.

The source code is on GitHub and the app is available for iOS and Android. Sadly the F-Droid version didn't receive the update yet.

I'm not affiliated with Medito, just a meditator who has used Medito for 3 years now. It helped me a lot, and maybe it can help some of you too. Have a nice day.

Why? In their words:

The New York Times reports on stories all over the world, and our reporting is read by people around the world. Some readers choose to use Tor to access our journalism because they’re technically blocked from accessing our website; or because they worry about local network monitoring; or because they care about online privacy; or simply because that is the method that they prefer.

The benefit to you, o Western reader, is that you get to read the paper for free. No paywalls. Whether you respect the Times is irrelevant to this post. I'm only spreading awareness.

You will need Tor. Once you have it, their onion is found here:

https://www.nytimesn7cgmftshazwhfgzm37qxb44r64ytbb2dj3x62d2lljsciiyd.onion/

Why YSK: It's a really cool challenge where each day people post their map interpretations of the theme of the day (points, lines, etc. - see graphic). You can learn a lot and see cool and unexpected data. The challenge is happening on all social media platforms, but I'm specifically mentioning Mastodon for obvious reasons... follow #30DayMapChallenge on there!

More about the challenge

You should know that the issue with many communities on other Lemmy instances that you subscribed to showing a "subscribe pending" status has mostly been resolved.

I looked in my subscribed communities list, found all the pending ones, opened them, unsubscribed (clicked the yellow "subscribe pending" button) and resubscribed. After that, I refreshed the page and I was now fully subscribed to them, regardless of which Lemmy instance hosts the community.

The only exception, unfortunately, was with kbin communities. All the kbin.social ones still showed subscribe pending for me even after following the same procedure. Still, this is a big improvement over having a bunch of half-subscribed communities.

I know that the pending status didn't have much of a negative effect on my end because I would still get those in my subscribed feed, but I hoped for the communities' subscriber numbers to fully reflect the actual number of subscribers.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a ~~harmless~~ (EDIT: please check at least https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylcysteine for possible side effects) compound which protects your liver, you can buy after searching like for 10 seconds

I ve been taking it for a week (1 pill, 600mg per day) before noticing that drinking doesn't do anything. Went to a party, drank 3 pints of beer, one after another, with absolutely zero effect. Usually, just 1 pint is enough to get socially talkative, 3 pints of beer i am supposed to be very obviously drunk.

Another time, drank a third of a bottle of wine (at my place, so it cannot possibly be watered down), the only effect was nausea (which never happened before), again, zero drunk-ness effect.

Now, depending on people that anti-alcohol protection might be an advantage or drawback. I just found it interesting, so sharing here

Edit: as one comment points out: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30019966/

That's a lazy solution without installing Peertube/Piped/Invidious etc,,

"The term natural gas does not explicitly convey the fossil origins of such gas, leading to potential misunderstandings and hampering policy-making,"

When there is a heated, with a lot of strong and exaggerated arguments on both sides, and I don't know what to believe, or I'm overwhelmed with the raw information, I look at Wikipedia. Or even something that is not a current event, but the information I found on the internet doesn't feel reliable.

I'm sure some would find flaws there, but they do a good job of keeping it neutral and sticking to verifiable facts.

Some of the many articles about it:

• https://wolf.org/headlines/44265/

• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-the-alpha-wolf-idea-a-myth/

• https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/mammals/theres-no-such-thing-as-alpha-males-or-females-in-wolf-packs/

The notion that wolves fight amongst each other and the strongest becomes the "alpha" and the weakest is the "omega" and all that, is a misconception that has been debunked ages ago, and even the author of the study who called them "alphas" in the first place is pleading with his old publisher to stop printing the dang book already so this misconception can finally die out.

Wolf packs are more or less just families. One "breeding pair" and their pups, which often stay with their parents way into adulthood.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/6080744

The sun is not yellow or orange as we see in books and movies. It emits all the colours in the visible spectrum (also in other spectrums as well) making it white!

This is aparently good information fit for here, but the original post had a flame-war-starting tone and was in an inappropriate community, so I asked GPT-4 to rewrite it in a better tone and I'm crossposting it here.

The original is here: https://lemmy.world/post/4309331

Trash Management: More Than Just an Environmental Cause

A common misconception regarding garbage disposal is that advanced techniques are exclusive to a few top-performing countries in recycling and waste handling. This post is aimed at debunking such notions by emphasizing the equally remarkable potential and economic viability of modern waste management strategies. You might be surprised to learn how technologically achievable and profitable it can be!

Sweden's Approach - Turning Trash to Treasure

In Sweden, we subscribe to the school of thought that trash has value. Here, only a meager 1% of waste ends up in landfills. The rest is processed effectively - we recycle about 47% and incinerate approximately 52%.

Addressing Concerns: Is Incineration Environmentally Sound?

You might be alarmed to hear that we burn so much waste, raising questions about the environmental implications, like air quality. Here's where technology steps in. We apply advanced methods to clean the fumes effectively. Further, the residue from incineration is either repurposed or responsibly disposed of in strictly controlled landfills.

Moreover, we convert the energy from waste into a substantial power source. Burning 4 tons of waste generates an amount of energy equivalent to burning 1 ton of oil. Consequently, this method heats a million homes via district heating and powers 250,000 homes.

The Reality of Plastic Recycling

Let's discuss plastic recycling, a topic often laden with misconceptions. Contrary to popular belief, it is indeed possible and profitable to recycle nearly all types of plastics.

In Sweden, "Swedish Plastic Recycling AB" undertakes the majority of our plastic recycling. As we speak, they are constructing the world's most extensive plastic recycling facility, Site Zero. This largely automated system will handle the entire country's plastic waste and categorize and recycle multiple types of plastics, including PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET trays and bottles (colored and transparent), PP film, EPS, PS, PVC, two grades of Polyolefin mix, metal, and non-plastic waste.

Let this shared information serve as an eye-opener - not only to change how we perceive waste, but also to herald a fresh perspective on its management. I invite you to delve further into the topic, find more sources, and voice stronger arguments to contribute to enlightening discussions about waste management. Let's spread the word whenever the topic of trash comes up, and together, we can drive the change we need to see on a global scale.

In the U.S.A. there are two types of accreditations.

Regional accreditations: These are schools that have been a accredited by a regional body based on location. https://www.chea.org/regional-accrediting-organizations-accreditor-type

Regional accreditations are the BEST in the US. The best colleges have one, credits can be transferred freely between all schools, and they have the most respect in business and academia.

National accreditation: Schools with this are considered inferior. They are regulated, and generally are considered "FINE". But, you should ONLY pick one of these schools if you have a good reason. If a school has National Accreditation, but is charging as much as a regional school, pass it up and go to your community/state college. These schools should only be on your list if they are cheaper or offer a program that you can't get in any other way. An example in my state was that to get your Veterinary Technician license the only place in state had national accreditation.

Credit transfers are more difficult. There is no guarantee credits you earn at a school with National accreditation can be transferred to regionally accredited bodies. Some schools have agreements with other schools to accept credits regardless of the accreditation, but there is no promise.

Here are Valid Accrediting bodies: https://www.chea.org/chea-and-usde-recognized-accrediting-organizations

If a "College" is claiming that they are accredited by an organization that is not on that list, then it is a scam and its degree is worthless.

Here is a list of known Diploma Mills, that no one should ever go to: https://www.geteducated.com/diploma-mill-police/degree-mills-list/#/

Ecosia is great in general, they've done stuff like this before for wildfires and such, and they are carbin negative and use 100% of their profits for helping the planet

The search engine is also pretty good too!

Why YSK: It's a free and open source browser extension we have been working on, which might make it easier to use Lemmy & Kbin. This update in particular brings a few features that make the sites a lot easier to use, in particular the ability to jump from a post on one instance to the same post on another. Since the URL doesn't have any identifiers aside from the post ID number, there hasn't been an easier way to do this. Original cross post below:

Hi everyone, I'm excited to announce one more release before I take a short break. I have some other stuff starting up, so I won't be pushing out new features as fast, but I'll still be around to manage the project. (more at the end)

Links:

• Firefox Add-on
• Chrome Extension
• Edge Add-on
• GitHub

⭐ What's new in v1.2.5?

• Redirect posts to your home instance!: Post pages now have a redirect button that will find the same post on your home instance(1). You don't have to hunt it down yourself anymore.
• Posts related to this webpage buttons in popup & sidebar
  • Make a post: You can now create a post from any webpage! Click the 'Make a Post' button in the extension popup or sidebar to generate a draft post with autofilled title, URL, and body contents. Afterwards, just select a community and hit post. (This currently works for both Lemmy & Kbin, but custom frontends are untested while they develop). Try it here: https://lemmy.ca/post/4478560
  • Open Posts: This will find any posts about the webpage/article/video that you are looking at. Use it to see if something has already been posted, or to find related discussions about it. When there are multiple posts, it will ask before opening them all. (see note on risks and why it doesn't count automatically)
• Post an image: You can now right-click on an image, anywhere on the web, and hit "Post this image". It will open a new tab and autofill the title, image link, and add the page URL to the body as "Source: URL". Try it here: https://lemmy.ca/post/1282303
• Reorganizing popup:
  • I fixed the issue where the popup would still display a button after removing all instances from the list.
  • The number of default instances in the popup was reduced to 4
• Added settings:
  • You can now hide onboardining guides to make the interfaces less wordy
• General styling changes, wording improvements, and bugfixes

(1) This is an important feature to me because this little annoyance was part of why I set out to create the extension in the first place. Thanks to some help from @zero_gravitas, I was able to use the Lemmy API to grab the post details, and then run a search for it on your home instance. While most posts should only bring one result, there is a chance that there are multiple posts by the same user, in the same community, with the same title. If this is an issue, I'll make this search more specific.

🗣️ My questions for you:

Improving 'post to Lemmy'

• Right now the 'Post to Lemmy' button does a very basic search in the page meta tags for information. This works for most websites, but it is not perfect. What websites do you usually post from, and is the extension doing a good job of replicating how you format the post? Please share both good and bad examples, so we can fix what isn't working and keep what is.

Improving Post search

• Having the extension automatically count the number of posts and display it in the icon would be pretty nice, since then you would know about any posts for the news article / blog / video that you are looking at. However, there are privacy implications with this since it needs to send the URL to your home instance to do the search.
• I would like to add the option to whitelist specific websites, so the user can choose what browsing data they want to find posts for. Is this something you would list to use? What websites would you whitelist?

Anything else?

Please share any issues that you find. Lemmy and Kbin instances have a lot of variation in how things are structured, so there are bound to be some bugs that I haven't found yet. If you have any ideas for new features, please share them too! I'm always looking for new ideas to add to the project.

💛 Finally

Thank you for all the suggestions and feedback so far! I'm really happy to see that people are using the extension and finding it useful. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with it in the future.

Like I said above, I won't be as active over the next few months in terms of getting new features out. The extension is now in good shape, and it covers most of the important use cases. There's still lots of cool stuff we can do with it, so please contribute ideas and expertise! When I get a chance, I'll pop in and grab a few more issues.

Cheers :)

If you or one of your loved ones is struggling with this its worth knowing and worth asking your doctor about. Article mainly discusses generic anticonvulsants that have proven beneficial, but there are others such as Naltrexone that can also be helpful.

I just discovered this and it works fantastically on any old / unused android device you might have lying around, I was shocked at how easy it was, all the instructions are there, once you have it running all you need to do is set your router DNS settings to your pihole IP address and presto! Ads and trackers are gone!

https://github.com/DesktopECHO/Pi-hole-for-Android