Posteo is ridiculously cheap, secure (e2e encryption and the whole works) and just all-around great. Been using it for years without a single issue.

I found some scenes from the movie ‘Amistad’ (1997) deeply disturbing, and they haunt me to this day (as they should any sane human being).

We have never had free or fair elections in this country. Not once. Ever.

I guess we’ll find out. If a viable option that isn’t Android or iOS comes along, I’ll use that. Until then, I refuse to play the game anymore.

Can you point me to an Amazon game that’s a runaway blockbuster success?

I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to stop using Android. I don’t need my phone. Sure, it’s convenient and often helpful, but it’s not something I can’t live without. Fuck these assholes.

I mean, considering what a train-wreck Rings of Power is…yay?

Why the downvotes? Was something I said untrue?

Show me a period in American history when there wasn’t an even split between progress and atrocity.

To be honest, every decade has its share of ‘greatness’ and ‘terribleness’. Every generation has its heroes and villains. Sure, there weren’t kids on cellphones back in the 80’s but your kid would most likely be murdered if they came out as gay in high school. Yes, people weren’t digital shut-ins back in the 70’s, but cops were beating the living shit out of black people on the streets.

It’s all relative. There never was a ‘golden age’. That’s not to say we shouldn’t fight to make things better wherever and whenever we can, though.

“If you don’t profit from it, someone else will, so you might as well get yours.”

Don’t even get me started on how toxic and self-centered this is…

Fluxer appears to be the most promising, though it is still very new and they are working furiously to get it up to par with a tiny dev team that consists of two (three?) people. Most basic features are quite usable now, though.

I agree 100%.

No crisis was ever averted through worry, anxiety or panic.

My library has determined that Hoopla is too expensive and uses Kanopy, instead.

While it does have a decent amount of mainstream films, it does seem to lean toward indie and art house content, yes.

Thanks for the replies, all. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who does this! I find it very therapeutic, and I enjoy being able to really focus on the lyrics and the music itself. My high school band teacher taught us that music is not a spectator sport - if you’re only hearing sounds, you’re missing out on half the experience. :)

Currently using Fluent Reader for desktop. I’ll never not use RSS for news.

This was a really great answer, and I appreciate your perspective. Things aren’t always what they appear to be on the surface (although sometimes they definitely are).

The Fediverse is decentralized, which means that it cannot (or at least it would be very, very difficult) be shut down by anyone. On an individual level, any user is free to start their own instance or community with their own rules in place should another instance or community become undesirable. If there is something you don’t like or that is somehow stifling to you, start your own and make it the way you want it.

If subscribing to one’s own interests is an ‘echo chamber’, then all of us are guilty. If you are going to immerse yourself in ‘diversity and understanding’ by dunking yourself headfirst into the totality of the human condition without any filters whatsoever…well, you get what you deserve, I guess.