cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/11049489

The article provides a comprehensive overview of the risks associated with targeted ads and malvertising. It offers insights into the different ways malvertising can be carried out and how it can appear on any advertisement on any website, including popular ones. It cites examples of high-profile malvertising cases involving major companies and platforms. The article also highlights the dangers of malicious scripts that can be downloaded without user interaction and discusses the potential risks of scams and phishing.

The article provides clear and actionable advice on how to mitigate these risks, such as blocking ads and associated scripts, using adblocking software like uBlock Origin, and employing DNS resolvers capable of blocking malware and ads.

It also offers guidance on what to do when blocking ads is not possible, emphasizing the importance of avoiding clicking on displayed advertisements and being cautious of too-good-to-be-true offers.

Overall, the article is well-researched, informative, and provides a resource for understanding the risks of targeted ads and malvertising.

The app gives a score out of 100 for each product scanned based on how healthy or harmful it may be and offers alternative products which may be healthier. The developers do not sell ads or user data and have a no influence policy which prevents brands from paying to place their products in the app. There is a premium version which is sold on a sliding scale (pay what you want) and it offers the ability to search for products or save the data to search offline and a few other things but the free version is totally functional for checking products at home or at the store.

The article lists settings to change on Android 14 and iOS 17.

According to the author:

Recommended setting changes reduce the amount of data submitted to device manufacturers, cell carriers, or app developers and improve device security against common threats, such as those posed by nosy people who find the device unattended or by common malware.

By enabling all of these settings, you are significantly reducing the amount of tracking and data collection these devices perform, but keep in mind that you are not completely eliminating it.

Because if it ices over, your furnace will stop working on the day^1^ you most needed it.

Flushing it out from the outside with a bucket of hot water and a pump similar to this one ^2^ will melt the ice and open up the drain and you will get heat again.

^1^ Day because if your freezing weather lasts much longer than that, your homebuilder probably engineered a house that could handle the cold. Unfortunately my house was built by southern rednecks who'd never heard of insulation.

^2^ Not an endorsement of any brand or retailer. Just make sure it has a long enough hose. That's what made it work better than some of the things I tried first.

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Prisoner's dilemma is a problem commonly featured in game theory. Each player is given an option to be either nice or nasty. Each combination of player plays multiple number of rounds. When tested against different strategies, it is found that the best performing strategies are :

• nice first ( they don't start the provoking),
• retaliatory (when opponent is nasty they also resond nasty),
• forgiving (they don't hold grudges),
• clear (their strategies are clear for opponent to interpret) and
• generous (when the opponent has been nasty, they do not retaliate 10℅ of the time )

When a potato cooks, the starches contained in each cell are released as the cell walls break down. These starches absorb the potato's internal moisture and swell and soften. These two processes are what transform a raw, hard potato into a cooked, softer potato fit for mashing.

If you cut your potatoes up before boiling them, the starches absorb the internal potato moisture as well as the water in which they're being boiled. If they boil for too long, they absorb too much water and your mashed potatoes will become gummy. The difference between perfectly cooked potato pieces and soggy pieces can sometimes be as little as a minute or two.

An easy workaround is to boil potatoes whole. They'll take a bit longer to cook but you can leave them in the hot water after boiling without undesirable effects, keeping them warm until it's time to mash them. I start my potatoes boiling as soon as I begin cooking and mash them immediately before dinner.

If they need more moisture, you can add a bit of hot potato boiling water or another liquid. This way, you have more control of their moisture content.

It's refreshing to see a major news outlet discussing collateral damage and not just resistance. Over the past decade, 99% of the time antibiotic overuse is covered and warned about it's always only in regards to resistance.

It's a good article that also doesn't spread the common misinformation of "just take some probiotics and fermented foods after antibiotics and you're good to go".

Swallowing an antibiotic is like carpet-bombing the trillions of microorganisms that live in the gut, killing not just the bad but the good too, said Dr. Martin Blaser, author of the book “Missing Microbes” and director of the Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers University.

“I think the health profession in general has systematically overestimated the value of antibiotics and underestimated the cost,” Dr. Blaser said.

No shit. And it has spread like a virus to the general populace as well. The majority of people seem mentally addicted to antibiotics and think they're going to die if they don't get an antibiotic for every minor issue.

• Find out if you really need an antibiotic.
• Ask for the shortest course.
• Rethink probiotics.

I appreciate the NYT for finally helping spread this.

Just yesterday people on Lemmy were cheering about AI discovering new antibiotics. When I shared info about the concerns of collateral damage, the responses were more unintelligent and close-minded than on reddit. Extremely depressing.

For more info on this subject there's a wiki and forum at https://humanmicrobiome.info.

Tldr; Wet newspaper dipped in ashes.

So, the other day I had to clean out the fireplace, and ofc the fireplace window(glass) was rather dirty. Tried for a while to get rid of it with paper, then scrubbing it off with a one-time-use sponge etc.. nothing gave any good results.

Then, I came across this random video online of a woman who said to use wet newspaper dipped in ashes from the stove, and start scrubing - This works like a charm! Forget all expensive chemicals and soaps to do this job, just KISS! Keep-it-simple-stupid.

Please give this a go next time you have to clean your wood-burning stove.

Due to the nature of fediverse, you can't just do a "site:lemmy" search as you'd do with reddit (site:reddit.com). I was searching for ways to do it on my firefox browsers and I came to a solution that searches 21 different instances simultaneously, which I consider to be a big part of lemmy (I also include kbin instances). I am using firefox with DDGO (which has a 500-character limit per search query).

There's gonna be a text you will have to copy, I'll just write it once here hidden inside the spoiler:

Replace it when I ask you to write the "URL string".

There are different processes, depending on the type of device/OS (computer, mobile/android etc.). I will list some of them and you can pick the one you want:

• Firefox Android: Go to search settings->manage alternative search engines->add search engine. Pick a name you want (eg. Lemmy) and on the search string URL paste the "URL string" I've written above. Now next time you want to search Lemmy, just select "Lemmy" as your search engine.

• Firefox Computer V1: Create a bookmark with a name you want (eg. Lemmy search). In the URL field paste the "URL string" I've written above. In the keyword field add a keyword to use as a prefix to your searches (eg. @l). Now to search Lemmy, you can type @l "random search" in the address bar.

• Firefox Computer V2: Open a new tab and type about:config in the address bar. In the search box type: browser.urlbar.update2.engineAliasRefresh Click on the little + symbol on the right. Go to firefox Settings->Search or enter this in the address bar: about:preferences#search In the "Search Shortcuts" section you should notice a new "Add" button. Just like on android, press "Add", insert a name (eg. Lemmy), add the "URL string" from above and once you're done you can add a keyword (eg. @lemmy). If you want, you can now go back and disable browser.urlbar.update2.engineAliasRefresh (press the trash can icon) (I don't know if this will crash anything).

I really wanted to search lemmy, but not being able to do a simple site:lemmy detered me from doing so.

So there you have it! The added text is 412 characters which leaves 88 characters for your searches. You can change the url to add/remove instances you want. If anyone can improve it please (like shrinking the url or if you manage to search all instances) it will be appreciated.

Credits:

• The idea came from this site (which I found on lemmy): https://fedi-search.com/ I asked it to search lemmy on ddgo and gave me a similar string to the one I have above, only limited to fewer instances.

• I found the biggest instances I wanted to include in the search using the csv from this github page: https://github.com/maltfield/awesome-lemmy-instances/blob/main/awesome-lemmy-instances.csv

• Lastly, I found the computer process from 2 answers on this stackoverflow question: https://superuser.com/questions/7327/how-to-add-a-custom-search-engine-to-firefox

When I search for something and open a Reddit post with recommendations, I might select some text (ex. the name of a recommended thing) and drag/drop them into the new tab area to look each one up.

Reddit blocks this when you are not logged in. I don't want to be logged in, especially when I'm on incognito or a firefox container since I'm shopping.

Here's the source of the fix: https://www.reddit.com/r/uBlockOrigin/comments/14h098f/reddit_desktop_embed_button/

Here is the specific UBlock Origin filter you can add (click the popup --> click the gears for Open the Dashboard --> My Filters tab)

www.reddit.com##+js(aeld, mousedown, isSelectionOutOfRange)
www.reddit.com##+js(aeld, mouseup, shouldShowButton)

"Systematic reviews of controlled clinical studies of treatments used by chiropractors have found no evidence that chiropractic manipulation is effective, with the possible exception of treatment for back pain.[8] A 2011 critical evaluation of 45 systematic reviews concluded that the data included in the study "fail[ed] to demonstrate convincingly that spinal manipulation is an effective intervention for any condition."[10] Spinal manipulation may be cost-effective for sub-acute or chronic low back pain, but the results for acute low back pain were insufficient.[11] No compelling evidence exists to indicate that maintenance chiropractic care adequately prevents symptoms or diseases.[12]"

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/