I’m here from reddit, and thank you for these recommendations. Time for my neuroplasticity to kick in so I can learn how all this works.

Algorithms that try to suggest me content are universally bad, and all searches should provide results based solely on the terms, syntax, and language entered. Same with anything that tries to provide me content based on data harvested about my location or demographic.

Come on, now. I’m new to Lemmy, and you already want the German communities to ban me? :P

I wish us users had the ability to block entire instances. I don’t buy the argument that people are “too sensitive,” nor do I buy the argument that defederation from instances that platform things like Nazis (exploding-heads, shi.itjust.works) and/or bestiality/pedophilia (burggit) is a bad thing. If we want a platform for all, then there are certain worldviews that are just not compatible with that.

Do we really want another reddit? Reddit sucked. Bad.

In every comment thread about the importance of supporting Firefox, there’s always at least one comment claiming Firefox is slow, even while I repeatedly see the data say otherwise.

Anecdotally, I’ve used Firefox, Waterfox, and Librewolf on PC, and none have been slow.

I’ve used Firefox, Firefox Beta, and Fennec on Android, and if anything they seem faster and easier to use than Chrome (and they actually tend to work like an actual internet browser).

I’m not saying these commenters are all Google sockpuppets, but maybe they’re parroting misinformation, or maybe they’re using an Apple OS iOS, where Firefox is basically Safari.

It’s just really perplexing to me.

It just clicked for me why Marx called religion “the opiate of the masses.”

…a salve to pain while not changing any behavior that causes the pain in the first place

As a recovered addict/alcoholic, this rings true, because it’s exactly why I used alcohol and opioids on a personal level. I’m convinced it’s this same addict’s logic that religious people use to handwave not just war, but climate change, bigotry, abuse, slavery, poverty, and a host of other things that are killing us all, and that we could potentially fix if we actually addressed the problems rather than hiding in religion.

I don’t trust Brave one bit. Its whole approach reeks of a bait-and-switch (think “we won’t share or sell your data” pre-9/11 Google). Its founder is a massive homophobe and crypto-bro, and I have a massive learned distrust of homophobes and crypto-bros.

Moreover, I see no reason to use it when we already have far superior options (Firefox).

There are mattress places in my town in locations that have to cost a significant sum to rent that are “by appointment only.”

I never see anyone go in or out, and I’ve not known a single person who would schedule an appointment just to buy a forking mattress.

Adblock Plus is not recommended as by default it allows certain promoted ads to show if it deems them unobtrusive. I think they actually receive profits from ads, which is asinine for an adblocking entity.

On the other hand, uBlock does much more than just block ads. First of all, it blocks all ads, and it blocks other trackers and annoyances from Facebook, Google, as well as having the ability to add custom rules for bypassing certain types of popovers, and to clean up tracking data that often gets appended when you click a URL.

A pi hole is great, but I don’t believe it’s effective against YouTube ads because of the way they’re delivered