hey netizens! i'm not sure how many people are aware, but youtube's been slowly rolling out a new anti-adblock policy that can't be bypassed with the usual software like uBlock Origin and Pi-Hole out of the gate

BUT, if you're a uBlock Origin user (or use an adblocker with a similar cosmetics modifier), you can add these commands in the uBlock dashboard (under My Filters) to get rid of it!

reblog to help keep the internet less annoying and to tell corporations that try shit like this to go fuck themselves <3

Tumblr Migration 2: Reddit Boogaloo

We all know about the Twitter immigrants, but there seems to be radio silence on what's happening now with Reddit users from certain subreddits doing a similar thing.

What's happening?

Reddit is restricting their API later this month and killing off third-party apps. An AMA (Ask Me Anything) with the CEO Steve Hoffman was held and it was clear that he would continue with the changes.

In protest, thousands of subreddits across the site are planning to go dark for 48 hours on June 12th. Some are planning to continue indefinitely until the changes are reversed.

Okay, so how does this affect Tumblr?

Some subreddits (mainly queer and left-leaning meme ones, don't worry too much about Reddit Atheists™ overrunning us) are encouraging their users to jump ship to our beloved - and beloathed - hellsite. There will be another influx of new users and many will be unfamiliar with how the site works.

What do us Tumblr users do?

Show them how to use the site; introduce them to the site's culture, tell them to reblog shit and curate their dashboard. Sorta like how we welcomed Twitter users back when they flocked here. Kungpowpenising optional.

I'm new from Reddit, what do I do here?

CHANGE YOUR PROFILE PICTURE AND BANNER TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN DEFAULT BECAUSE THIS SITE IS FILLED WITH BOTS AND YOU MIGHT BE MISTAKEN FOR ONE. This is the FIRST thing you should do after getting a blog.

Other folks can help you with stuff like curating your dashboard or creating sideblogs (or you can look shit up) but please, PLEASE just give yourself an icon and reblog some stuff so people don't mistake you for a bot

This is one of the first posts I've seen after trying to look at Tumblr again, so I've decided to head their advice and reblog this. I don't even know what a reblog is but I'll find out in time. It's a learning process

a reblog is what you just did! it's similar to a retweet on twitter and it's the main way things spread on tumblr

Yeah !!!!! Firefox truly is the superior browser

Don't download anything from Curseforge or Bukkit.org today

More info: If you have downloaded anything from Curseforge since May 20th or Bukkit since April, PLEASE read the link above.

Windows Users: The best and simplest check is to open Explorer, and type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft Edge in the top bar. If this folder exists, you have likely been compromised. Kill all Java processes running on your machine from Task Manager, delete the folder you just viewed as well as these:

Make sure to change all of your passwords, especially any that are currently saved in your browser's autofill, as well as Discord passwords and Microsoft account passwords.

Note: If you have show hidden files enabled and are infected, go to the Microsoft Edge folder and upload libWebGL64.jar to https://wormhole.app, then email the link it gives you to fractureiser.investigation@opayq.com to help the people investigating learn more about this!

NEW UPDATE

If you were infected, copy all Minecraft saves you want to keep somewhere else, as well as anything that is not a .jar file, and reset Windows entirely.

Do not open Minecraft, especially do not open modded Minecraft, and especially especially do not download any mods.

The final stage of the malware appears to have .jar infection capability according to the live research document. While it's not known if this code would ever run or why, it is better to be safe than sorry.

I'm very sorry to bring you this info.

this is confirmed to not be specific to curseforge and could be spread through any source of downloading minecraft mods—whether that's another platform like modrinth, or your friend on discord.

Current advice from the fractureiser investigation team is to not launch minecraft at all, including vanilla minecraft

The research has moved over to github, also. You can keep an eye on there to see when it's safe to play minecraft again.

You can only reblog this today.

I.D. A screenshot of the show Adventure Time showing Finn in front of the Candy Kingdom. The subtitles read "May 17, 2023. That's a Wednesday."

Download Firefox

Install uBlock Origin

If you use Chrome, Firefox has a feature to import your bookmarks, passwords, and other data when you switch.

You deserve software that doesn’t hate you, switch to Firefox <3 🦊

Other good extensions:

Privacy Possum is an anti-tracking extension that not only blocks commercial trackers, it also fucks with them by generating nonsense data.

Forget Me Not is a cookie management tool that lets you choose whether/how sites can store cookies on your computer on a site-by-site basis.

Bypass Paywalls Clean does exactly what it says: allows you to bypass paywalls on news sites and the like.

SponsorBlock uses crowd-sourced data to block sponsored segments on YouTube videos. Now you never have to hear about NordVPN or Raycon ever again!

Breakthrough Twitter Login Wall is another “what it says on the tin” extension. It stops Twitter from trying to force you to log in, so you can browse anonymously in peace.

So, what is the OGL and why are DnD creators thoroughly screwed?

Tumblr has not been doing a great job at talking about this, but:

With OneDnD, Wizards of the Coast has decided to update the Open Game License (OGL). Said license is what allowed people to create homebrew DnD content and sell it, and even larger companies to use certain sorts of content. Pathfinder, for example, is built on said OGL. This also allows streamers and artists to exist and benefit from said content.

With OneDnD (sometimes called “dnd 6e”), WOTC wants to create a much more restrictive OGL, which will, amongst other things:

It’s important to note that OGLs are supposedly irrevocable. They were planning to use it for OneDnD initially, but they want to apply it retroactively to 5e, somehow. Which is illegal, but lawyers have mentioned there’s a chance they may get away with it given the wording.

This means that anything you make based on DnD (A homebrew item? A character drawing? Even music, according to them?), can get taken and used as they deem appropiate.

These news come from a leak of the OGL, which have been confirmed by multiple reputable sources (including Kickstarter, which has confirmed that WOTC already talked with them about this), and was planned to be released next week.

Speak against it. Share the word. Reblog this post. Let people know. Tumblr hasn’t been talking much about this matter, but it’s VERY important to let people know about what is WOTC bringing. 

Boycott them. Do not buy their products. Do not buy games with their IP. Do not watch their movie. CANCEL your DnD Beyond subscription. (Btw, they ARE planning to release more subscription services too!). They do not care about the community, but they care about the money. Make sure to speak through it. 

And maybe consider other TTRPG systems for the time being, Pathfinder’s Paizo has been much nicer to the community, their workers are unionized and are far more healthy overall

It’s that retroactive thing that really fucks people over. The original OGL is the basis for huge amounts of the last 20+ years of tabletop RPGs, including Pathfinder 1e, Mutants and Masterminds, and the entire OSR movement. If Hasbro tries to shut down older offshoots, a lot of independent producers and small companies won’t have the resources to fight them, and bigger companies (like Paizo and Green Ronin) might spend years tied up in the courts.

A note to younger users or anyone who might need it:

-Advance Paycheck Loans are a SCAM

-Rent-a-Center and rent-to-own stores are a SCAM

-The lottery is a SCAM

All of these business target low-income neighborhoods and prey on those who need money the most. They are traps. None of them will benefit you.

HOWEVER

GoodRx is NOT a scam and can legit save a lot of money on prescriptions

Reblogging again. Firefox is an excellent, safe and fast browser and everyone should consider using it.

Don’t just consider it. If you have the ability to switch to Firefox, this is your official notice to do it.

Stop everything you’re doing and go download and install Firefox.

If you’re saying, “well, I need Chrome because I need such-and-such extension for my job”, the computer will not explode if you install another browser. Use Chrome ONLY for work tasks and use Firefox for everything else. If you’re concerned about losing your bookmarks, Firefox can import your Chrome bookmarks.

[ID: Firefox Library window. The “Import and Backup” panel is expanded, displaying the option, “Import Data from Another Browser”, which is also circled with a red MS Paint ellipse. ID end.]

And, don’t forget to install uBlock Origin while you’re at it.

Forgot a thing. Subscribe to Mozilla VPN for bonus points. It’s basically the only truly secure VPN service in the world right now.

For $5 a month, you can completely conceal your online activities from your ISP in a manner that isn’t just immediately monetised or turned over to the cops. No, it’s not free, it does cost money, but the money doesn’t go to line a billionaire’s pockets.

I wonder how much of this is because of work/school from home forcing people to use Chrome so all their stupid monitoring softwares and platforms can work.

This is also your reminder that you don't have to use just one browser. You can use chrome for all the monitoring bullshit your office wants you to run and use firefox for everything else.

Be sure to add the multi account containers extension to your firefox, which allows you to be logged in to multiple accounts on the same website at the same time in the same window but in different tabs.

look on my five open tumblr accounts (not sideblogs, accounts!) ye mighty and despair.

Firefox is super good, folks. It's good in a general "google shouldn't own everything in the entire fucking world" sense AND in a "this is an actual good product that does lots of cool shit" sense.

ALSO make sure to add the Ublock origin extension on Firefox - I haven't seen a youtube ad in five years and you don't have to either.

While you're at it, why not add the Wayback Machine extension so that if you go looking for a page that has been taken down the wayback machine will automatically offer you an archived version instead; also handy for documenting people's shitty takes and winning arguments after they delete the original post!

Worried that Firefox is going to slow down your computer? In benchmarks, modern versions of chrome and firefox are pretty much the same speed but you can still install the auto tab discard extension ANYWAY so that it will snooze unused tabs in order to keep your computer running faster. Set it to sleep, discard, close, and store tags at your discretion!

And while you're at it: install Firefox as your mobile browser for android and add those extensions to your mobile browser! Mobile adblock is here, baybee, save your data and enjoy a better mobile experience! And install it on iOS! iOS can't add extensions, but at least it's better than safari, and if you want a somewhat more private iOS browsing experience try firefox focus for iOS (which is also available on android but you can accomplish the same thing with extensions).

Anyway, firefox is good.

Also: in January 2023, Chrome is making some changes to plugin architecture that effectively neutering adblockers.  If you want good adblocking, you won’t have it in Chrome.  Use Firefox

(In fairness, some Chrome-derived browsers like Vivaldi and Opera have openly parted ways with Chrome about this, and more power to them, but Firefox is the way to go.)

Longtime Firefox advocate here. @ms-demeanor has extremely solid add-on recommendations, including a few I've never heard of but will be trying out immediately (particularly auto tab discard; I'm a tab hoarder and my poor computer's memory suffers dearly for it). Dear readers, Ublock Origin is a MUST.

I would also like to suggest Unpaywall if you're an academic-type. I know we all love sci-hub but this is quicker and cleaner in most cases!

And yes, while Firefox on iOS does not have add-on support (yet), it's still better than Safari or Chrome! If you make your Mozilla account and log in on all your devices you can even pass tabs between them. Terribly convenient.

normalize hand tattoos for people with boring, normal careers 2023

Very hot of her

This was incredibly easy

resources for staying safe online

always important, but i feel like especially recently. particularly stuff that’s a bit more than just the usual “don’t post personal info”

feel free to share this post on twitter or anywhere else, staying safe is important

note: very slightly updated, reblog this version instead

For those who want to know what the hell is happening

Rusty Quill posted the following image on twitter: 

[I.D: A green cassette tape, written on it is the code “U3RhdGVtZW50IFJIbWFpbnMK”. End I.D.]

In Bas64, this reads “Statement Remains”. And so, the tma fandom went insane. Then, a patreon post appeared with the text “rzo5PoNfALU”, leading to this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzo5PoNfALU. Analyzing the spectrogram you get the following message: 

[I.D: A spectrogram showing the code “evsmnuafdnbpvwgsdeir”. End I.D]  

This code has been making everyone gone insane, but today there has been another message from the patreon:

[I.D. A grainy green text over black that reads “Go Back to the Start; YYYYMONTH”. End I.D]

So! By using Coded Caesar with the key 2016, MARCH (first episode) on the evsmnuafdnbpvwgsdeir message, we get…

themagnusarchivestwo

(I.D by @klavier-gavins-lesbian-boyfriend​ . thank you!)

Here's a reminder to kill this fucker with no hesitation if you see them!

For context: this is a spotted lanternfly, it is highly invasive in the US, and causes damage to crops and plants. If you see them please report the sighting here and kill on sight.

More info

heads up to firefox users using the “I don’t care about cookies” extension: if you haven’t seen the popup yet (it came up quite late for me) the dev sold out and it now belongs to Avast - the spyware bundled onto laptops everywhere which uses browser extensions to aggressively collect and sell user browsing data! delete it now.

Heres the thing you gotta understand about statistics. 

“Increases your chances by 80%” does not mean “there is now an 80% chance”. 

If your chances were previously 10%, your chances are now 18%, not 90%. 

if your chances were roughly 1%, they’re now just slightly less than 2%. 

thats how that works. 

Wow I don’t understand math at all

‘if you have a baby after 35, the chance of deformities goes up by 100%’ is a line I hear alot.

It goes up from .5% to 1%

I think my brain just stopped working

100% is just another way of saying twice more likely. So 100% more basically means multiply the number you do have by 2.

Imagine how many woman are scared to have kids because of that statistic

This is why I took stats instead of calc. Because I don’t build engineer bridges in my everyday life but I sure do read studies that affect how I might live my life if I misinterpret them.

I’m terrible at numbers and math but I knew this and I really take it for granted. The average person definitely assumes, quite understandably, that “600% INCREASE!!!” must always mean a whole lot even if it literally only means that one of something is now six of something. Politicians probably take a shitload of advantage of this confusion.

just remember that increased BY and increased TO are very different things.

Oh god I didn’t even think about that whole other layer of confusion. Yeah if you’ve got 100 people and one of them is sick, that’s 1% of them who are sick, so if it “increased BY 100%” then that means now two people are sick. If it’s “increased TO 100%” then all 100 people are sick.

Reblogging again for that last addition.

Tech companies are funding commercials against this. If you see something with a whole lot of fear mongering about prices and no more 2-day shipping from Amazon and finishing with "tell Senators Such-and-Such to vote no on S.2992!"...that's this bill.

^Also claims that antitrust "threatens national security"