Pssst if you have ublock: https://github.com/laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-Blocklist

Me: oh yeah, if you think school photography is hard now, try imagining doing this with film.

The new girl: what's film?

Me: ... film. Like... film that goes in a film camera.

New girl: what's that mean?

Me: ... before cameras were digital.

New girl: how did you do it before digital?

Me:... with film? I haven't had enough coffee for this conversation

New girl: I need you to show me how to format the usb.

Me: format?

New girl: yeah what do I do?

Me: you... put the usb in. Then you make a new folder on it and rename it with (name, date, location)

New girl: but how do I do that?

Me: ... they dont... teach you this anymore, do they?

The lack of computer skills is becoming a problem. Like there was a period of time where the older workers in office jobs had to be brought up to speed on computers, but now a lot of the newer workers have the issue too.

There's a lot of assumed technical literacy because we had a whole generation brought up on desktop computers, but now it's one that was brought up on phones, tablets, and chromebooks. Phones are easier to use, but that means the users have never had to work around the daily problems presented by most desktop environments.

But our systems are still set up assuming the kids are "digital natives" who just already know this stuff. So no one teaches them. So a new employee walks into the office... and they just don't.

30-something here. And this is frightening for a few reasons.

Much of the back-end architecture will soon be more difficult to maintain, as those with the expertise retire or when the one guy volunteering to update a niche corner of some minute software function that holds up 1/4 of the computer world dies.

While products are made to be “easier to use” now, which has made them more accessible, they aren’t made to last, contributing to tech pollution / e-waste. Many consumers don’t know how to upgrade or repair their own tech…if they are upgradeable.

Which brings me to my next point.

I bought a new low end laptop recently. Not chrome book, but actual Windows PC laptop. I haven’t had a personal computer for a while and with a lot of expectation to “return to the office” because COVID’s over, right? *heavy eye roll*, I wanted something cheap and portable. I found a deal because a lot of low end laptops are being discounted because school children aren’t remote now. I was actually looking for refurbished but found what I wanted cheaper new, sadly.

Finding one that I knew would run the software I needed or that wouldn’t be bogged down just with Windows? A challenge. You’ve got to know what RAM, HDD vs eMMC vs SSD, cores, age of processors, and all those specs mean.

Finding one that wasn’t Windows in “S mode,” a bullshit mode that locks you into the Windows app / store for ALL software (where they take a cut of each purchase)? Even more challenging.

When I booted it up…I imagine most people just click yes through things because why not, just want to get right to it, right?

The amount of privileges I had to decline because of targeted data collection, for ad preferences and other nefarious reasons; the number of easy-to-miss “no thanks” options to decline enrollment in bloatware; the number of things that wanted me to launch the free trial, where they could automatically enroll me into a monthly PAID subscription and could report failure to add a credit card to pay for it to credit agencies (!); many of these presented as the “recommended” or default option… ASTOUNDING.

And then I still had to go into system settings and turn off additional data tracking that they didn’t even present during set-up, along with bloatware bullshit programs they wanted to always run at start-up. Because I knew where to go and find that stuff. Don’t even get me starting on fucking Cortana.

Technology has gotten bad. Even 10 years ago, it was a couple simple agreements not to pirate, using software at your own risk, etc. and that was it.

Now? Waiving rights, arbitration, hidden terms that could leave you owing money if you don’t uninstall it, data collection to link accounts and literally track every move / your exact location / your usage, attempts to personalize ads through your specific searches, inability to block cookies unless you download a Google app!?, four pop ups for every website, as the default?

It is scary how much tech that was designed to increase productivity and make life easier has become yet another way for corporations to track us, sell to us, and sell their data on us, even potentially incriminating us.

Oh, and heaven forbid you know what you’re doing and try to upgrade or repair your equipment yourself. Warranty voiding? Should be illegal, may be illegal in some areas, but they still tell you it’ll void your warranty. Good luck finding the parts. Using non-OEM parts will void the warranty too…by design.

I did not survive Windows Vista era to deal with this bullshit.

I did not survive

Windows Vista era to

deal with this bullshit.

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

Anyone have any resources for technology literacy for beginners?

Yes! @aquadraco20

General basic safety

How to avoid ransomware, malware, hacks, and how to maintain good data privacy.

https://www.getsafeonline.org/

^ this has intermediate information (as well as beginner info) that I think people who grew up on the internet benefit most from (so it won't tell you what a phone is, or how to press the power button to turn on a computer). I recommend all sections the personal section under the top drop down (except the one aimed at children).

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/internetsafety/

Same deal as above, with quizzes and additional topics.

https://www.digitalliteracyassessment.org/

^ this one is mostly video and audio which some people might helpful

HTML

https://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp

W3schools is a well known free resource for coding. I recommend HTML because it gives basic website building capabilities, so you can create a neocities website for example or even edit your Tumblr theme. You can also learn CSS (used with HTML to make prettier websites) and Python (used to make programs).

Touch typing

Touch typing is using the home row on keyboards. It allows people to type faster than pressing individual keys one at a time, like on a smart phone.

https://www.typingclub.com/

This site has lessons, and honestly looks much nicer than the program I learned to use touch typing with.

https://www.how-to-type.com/touch-typing-lessons/how-to-type-home-keys/

This site has lessons and practice tests and speed tests to measure progress. In middle school I was taking a practice test about three times a week and a speed test once a week for about fifteen minutes each time, if that helps.

---

These three areas are the main things people were taught in computer literacy courses.

I also recommend checking your local library or other educational resources (like local colleges, your current college/highschool/middle school etc, the college you graduated from). These can have in person instructors which can be super helpful. Feel free to send me any questions and stuff, if I don't already know I'll try to find out and share where I found it!

Helpful things I've done with my windows computer to make it safer/more efficient:

I hope this helps :D

The tiktok-ification of tumblr is just 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢

Where the FUCK is the tag system search tab!!!!! I’m gonna chew off someone’s entire ARM and BEAT them with it. Violence

Okay so, much like tiktok, the search tab has been entirely consumed by what is now the video/livestream tab (fuckin ew). Can’t tell if this’ll turn out like the group chat feature and have so few people use it that it gets deleted, or if it’ll be the Blaze feature where we all abuse the fuck out of it for laughs while inadvertently making them money and driving efforts in the wrong direction- effectively making the app worse despite taking the piss out of it.

They’re trying to compete harder and earn more money, and it’s becoming less and less recognizable so like. Yeah, I’m a lil worried abt Tumblr man.

Sorry to be spamming my own RBs on this post but IMPORTANT IF YOU WANNA OPT OUT OF SEEING THIS FEATURE AND HAVE NORMAL ACCESS TO THE SEARCH TAB:

So uh. Didn’t realize they were using the term “snooze” LITERALLY, why the FUCK include an option to turn off a feature for ONLY THE NEXT WEEK?? I don’t want to see it at ALL fuck OFFFFFFF

Reblog this version, it has the most context

How to protect yourself during stampede

this isn’t the usual thing I’d share on my stupid nerd blog, but this is SO important. I was nearly crushed in a crowd like this once. It was terrifying because you have NO control over the panicking mass of humans around you. you are just at the mercy of all this chaotic force. this is a real thing that can happen very suddenly! it did happen in the news recently! My situation was, the olympics was happening in my city, I was on my way home from school, and a crowd of people suddenly flooded into the street around me. in seconds it went from, busy-city-street-crowded, to, wtf I can’t even move crowded. I was so pressed against the backpack of the man in front of me, my feet lifted off the ground a moment. People were climbing lamp posts, signs, bus shelters, trees, everything to get up out of it. it was like the street became an ocean of people, and all the people’s survival instincts were making them dumber. everyone was yelling. no one knew how to solve it. police, fire fighters and medics saved us by breaking the locks on the inside of the mall we were trapped next to. a huge group flooded into the building, releasing a bit of the pressure on the people outside. I was in that group that got in.

We were trapped in the mall awhile. Because the olympics was on, they had big screens in a few sitting areas of the mall that would normally be showing the games. but now the coverage was focused on this crowd surge. They showed a helicopter shot of the building we were now in, totally surrounded by colorful dots. a solid mass of humans with no space between.  I know someone was partially trampled and needed medics, because I saw that, but i don’t know the statistics on who else was hurt, hopefully no one killed! I don’t know if these methods can definitely save you, but they might give you a better chance. so watch and share!

Sharing to my own stupid nerd blog for the same reason, this is SO IMPORTANT. Human crushes are one of the most unexpected ways to die. People go out to a show or a sports game, and make it there, but they never come back. Other strategies include staying away from large obstacles (like fences) that you could get crushed against, and doing your best to stay above the crowd. Try to climb onto something if you can.

And also — not to get nitpicky with deadly tragedies, but they’re called “human crushes,” not “stampedes.” It’s an important difference in description and also in respect. The deaths usually happen because the victims are pinned together in a tight space, they can’t breathe (as in the video) and they suffocate. “Stampede” doesn’t convey what actually happened to those people. The crush that happened in Seoul recently wasn’t because people “stampeded,” it was because they couldn’t move at all and they suffocated. But calling it a “stampede,” you’d think it was the people themselves that ran over each other, like wild animals. It’s disrespectful and untrue.

Horrifyingly, the victims of many human crushes have been blamed for their own deaths, which are usually purely accidental or due to criminal mismanagement from authorities. If you’re in a mental place to read about tragedies and police corruption, check out the Hillsborough Disaster, in which 97 people died due to the incompetence of the police, who then blamed everything on the victims: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_disaster

from the article linked above:

“Many uninjured fans assisted the injured; several attempted CPR and others tore down advertising hoardings to use as stretchers. 

Chief Superintendent John Nesbit of South Yorkshire Police later briefed Michael Shersby MP that leaving the rescue to the fans was a deliberate strategy, and is quoted as saying “We let the fans help so that they would not take out their frustration on the police” at a Police Federation conference.“

anyway, ACAB

hey quick PSA:

please do not post a ton of porn and get your account banned until the actual full rollout has taken place and the guidelines are updated, it will be very sad for you

The protests in Iran may have started against the mandatory hijab law and wanting justice for Mahsa Amini's death but now it has turned into a protest _ a war dare I say _ against the whole regime. People are just fed up with the dictatorship of Ali Khamenei and want him gone! They are chanting things like "death to the dictator" and "death to the Islamic Republic" in the streets. And it's not something new it's just for the first time we've been able to raise our voices and make the world listen. The mahsa amini tag has been trending on Twitter for days and Iranians are still trying to keep it trending so please be our voice and spread the news. Let the world know the real face of our government.

Credit: @marcosbudt

if you’re a new tumblr user from tiktok or IG or something and only like posts and dont reblog them yeah people will think you’re a bot and block you but you will also make this website actively worse. they want “algorithmic” users like you, served recommended posts through likes, not people who just follow each other and respond to the direct chronological feed. there is a reason this website is still better than the rest, even with all its problems, do not ruin this

ok i need to make this clearer: if you do not reblog posts and only like them you are contributing to this site actively getting worse and becoming like all the apps you hate. keep likes to things you just wanna keep off your blog. reblog everything else. ESPECIALLY fanart, which always needs a reblog.

and FYI: what i’m saying here is backed up by tumblr themselves. they admit this publicly.

if you want a good RECENT (as of the end of February 2022) overview of what is going on behind the scenes at tumblr, it is basically what i’ve been saying for years: the core staff is tiny, constantly not being listened to when they advocate for us, the community, and working there is a nightmare:

Reblogging to encourage people instead of only liking is really not that fucking hard if you dont want people to be discouraged cuz their stuff get zero interactions and 99% useless likes and be driven off the Platform.

Likes are how you store posts you want to look at later (articles you don’t have time to read at the moment, videos you can’t play because you’re out in public, etc)

Reblogs are how you show you like something

This is how Tumblr works and why it’s not as miserable as other social media

Everyone should know the international sign for Help Me. Let’s make this famous!!

Interesting; I didn’t know this was a thing.

It’s apparently a thing, but it’s a very new thing, so it may need some help being known.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_for_Help

BOOST

It works so im going to reblog it again

A signal like this becomes a thing when enough people know about it. Don’t just spread it on social media - share it with people you know who don’t use social media (especially the Boomers in your life)

For this to work in more cases it depends on the average person knowing it and knowing how to help.

Speaking of which, the video makes it seem like you immediately call emergency services, which is not what’s recommended by the Canadian Women’s Foundation that created and promoted the signal.

In some cases that may be the answer, such as if the person is being taken somewhere or has an obvious injury. But if you have the opportunity to talk to them, the recommendation is that you try to get more details about how you can help.

Helping may look like finding them a shelter (they may not want to google one on their phone or home computer if the abuser checks their history), calling someone for them, or even picking them up to take them somewhere safe. And yes, if they want you to you can call the police.

The signal was originally created for use in video calls. If you see someone use it in that context and you know they’re wearing headphones (aka the abuser can’t hear what they’re hearing, but may be able to hear what they’re saying), you can ask “yes or no” questions to get more details. You can also ask if they have a different method of communication that the abuser can’t access.

Here’s their page with more info:

4. If the car pulls up to you run in the opposite direction.

5. Walk with your keys in your hands and keep a key between each finger

6. If they put you in the trunk kick out the headlights

7. If you get lost find a woman with a child. Never ask a man for help (this one was drilled)

That scream fire piece of advice is literally life saving

8. Watch your shadows and reflections, especially if someone is walking behind you. A split second notice is better than none and will help you.

Yes this last one really saves lives y'all I do it all the time

girls have to learn to view the world like international intelligence agents just to be safe walking down the street. smh.

guys pls pls pls reblog and girls pls pls pls be safe out there. terrifying and so sad that we have to worry about this on a daily basis

(I’m an enby, but, frankly, this is helpful for anyone.)

- always tell someone where youre at and an approx time when youll be back

Add text replacement words in your phone if possible. Something short and memorable that you can send quickly to people in moments of emergencies.

E.g.

I f ing hate that we need to reblog this, people suck, but this will save lives.

DO NOT SCROLL PAST

Being female fucking sucks but yes this shit is important for everyone

This wasn’t a government stunt to try and avoid doing something meaningful, but a coming together of community artists who did it for free. Which is why it’s the best.

And it’s not even finished in that shot!

It really is stunning art. I hope they keep this block closed to vehicles for a long time.

I love how the right wing is all “It’s Anarchy! It’s terrorism! They’re burning everything down! They must be stopped! Send in the military!”

Meanwhile the moment people are allowed to do what they want, the first things they do are…

Make art and plant a garden.

[ID: 1) An overhead video of Black Lives Matter painted down the middle of a public street in Seattle in large letters. Every letter is a separate brightly colored piece of colored art. 2) A Tweet by James Saint-Franc @sirjamesa12 “Every single letter was designed by black artists from the Seattle area.” 3) A still shot of the same street art completed. It is even more brightly colored.]

hey y’all, atlanta protestors have been arrested en masse and they really need funds right now. please donate if you can. link goes to their bail fund on the action network. 

edit: it happened again. hearing of at least 30 arrests tonight.

as of June 14, 2020, they need more funds.

TRAYVON MARTIN was walking home with an iced tea and Skittles. He was shot by George Zinneman, who was found not guilty.

KEITH SCOTT was sitting in a car, reading. He was shot by a police officer, who was not charged.

ATATIANA JEFFERSON was looking out her window, and was shot by a police officer, who is still under indictment for murder.

JONATHAN FERRELL was asking for help after an auto accident. He was shot twelve times by police, case ended in mistrial.

JORDAN EDWARDS was riding in a car and was shot in the back of the head by a police officer, who was found guilty of murder.

STEPHON CLARK was holding a cell phone, and was shot 8 times, 6 in the back. The officers were not charged.

AMADOU DIALLO while taking out his wallet, 41 shots were fired by four different officers. They were all acquitted.

RENISHA MCBRIDE after an auto accident, she knocked on someone’s door for help. The homeowner was found guilty of second-degree murder.

TAMIR RICE was playing with a toy gun, and was shot by police officer arriving on scene. Officer was not charged.

SEAN BELL was hosting a bachelor party. 50 rounds were fired by police officers who were found not guilty of charges.

WALTER SCOTT was pulled over for brake lights, and was shot in the back by a police officer who pleaded guilty to civil rights violations.

PHILANDO CASTILE was pulled over and told officer he had a legally registered weapon in car. Officer acquitted of all charges.

AIYANA JONES was sleeping and was accidentally shot by an officer in a raid on wrong apartment. Officer cleared of all charges.

TERRENCE CRUTCHER needed help when his vehicle broke down. Was shot by a police officer who was found not guilty of manslaughter.

ALTON STERLING was selling CDs, and was shot at close range while being arrested. No charges filed.

FREDDIE GRAY was beaten to death by officers while being transported in police van. All officers involved were acquitted.

JOHN CRAWFORD was shopping at WalMart, holding a BB gun that was on sale—police officer was not charged for his murder.

MICHAEL BROWN was shot twelve times by an officer, including in the back. No charges filed.

JORDAN DAVIS was killed because he was playing loud music. Shooter found guilty of first-degree murder.

SANDRA BLAND was pulled over for traffic ticket; was tasered and then arrested. Suspicious “suicide” while in jail. No charges.

BOTHAM JEAN was fatally shot in his home, which female officer ¿mistook for her own? (Which I’ll never understand.) Officer found guilty of murder.

OSCAR GRANT was handcuffed and placed face-down, officer then shot him in the back. Officer found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

COREY JONES was waiting by his car which was broken down, and was shot three times by police officer, who was found guilty of murder.

AHMAUD AUBREY was jogging. He was shot by two racist men who claimed they suspected him of burglaries. Both men were charged with murder and aggravated assault.

GEORGE FLOYD was suspected of alleged fraud. He handcuffed and pinned to the ground by an officer’s knee. He begged for mercy and he was ignored.

ERIC GARNER: Stopped for selling cigarettes on a nyc street and choked by a cop in broad daylight. Complications of the stress put on his throat by the hold caused his death; Openly said “I can’t breathe” several times and pretty much died while three other cops watched their compatriot kill a man. Eric was well known for just trying to sell goods as a side hustle and never actually hurt anybody.

DJ HENRY was fatally shot in his car by police officer Aaron Hess in the early morning hours of Oct. 17, 2010. DJ's passengers say they were doing nothing wrong when Hess ran out in front of them in the road. Hess says he only fired because he was in fear for his life. Hess later admitted to lying on multiple occasions after DJ’s death about the shooting.

These were all murders. They were not accidental. All of these innocent people: men, women AND children. Were murdered because they were black. Not because they were violent. Not because they were threatening, but because they were black. Something has to change. We have to MAKE a change. Black lives matter. Black men. Black women. Black children. Non-Binary blacks. Trans blacks. Every single one of their lives matter. Your friends. Your neighbors. Your teachers. Your brothers. Your sisters. We are the change.

——————

ALERT! FACEBOOK IS SAVING INFO FROM ALL VISITED SITES

I only found out about this now, and I want to share in case someone doesn’t know. After the new update, facebook saves all activity you do outside facebook! In my facebook it shows saved info from my anti-virus site and even my bank account.

The default option is enabled, but it’s possible to disable.

I found hard to find the option to turn this off, they sure tried to hide it.

To turn this off, go to settings -> your facebook info -> off facebook activity First clear the saved history and then click “manage your off-facebook activity” -> manage future activity -> turn off that button

Page explaining what the fuck this is: https://www.facebook.com/your_information/

as of 5.29.20 it’s:

Settings and Privacy >> Privacy Shortcuts >> Your Facebook Information >> View or Clear Your Off-Facebook activity  On the side, under a “What you can do” header, it’ll list: - Manage Your Off-Facebook Activity - Clear History - Access Your Informantion - Download Your Information - Manage Future Activity “Manage Future Activity” is where you can Toggle the “Future Off-Facebook Activity” setting to OFF. 

This is Money Marge. Reblog for a miracle of finances to come to you

ALRIGHT. LISTEN UP.

So recently, I got calls from the phone number, (937) 353-8319. They claim to be a job service, and one of their “employees”, Carrigan, is friends with whoever the call recipient is, and that Carrigan has recommended you for this $15.00/h “job”. I also got a text message from (937) 607-1493, claiming to be Carrigan, and that they need stuff to “win a scholarship”. I do not know anyone by the name of Carrigan and I know very well that this is a very dangerous scam. If you receive a call from a number, and they ask you if you would like a job for $15.00/h, HANG UP IMMEDIATELY. If you accept the “job” offer, and you go in for an interview, they will give you a drugged bottle of water and you will wake up somewhere you don’t want to be. These phone calls & texts are from a human trafficking service, and if you oblige to them, you will be sold to people and you will be raped, no doubt about it. So PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER THESE CALLS OR TEXTS. I have listened to the voicemails, and allowed my dad to do the same, and he learned that anyone offering a $15.00/h “job” is a human trafficker. PLEASE SIGNAL BOOST THIS ALL OVER TUMBLR

Okay, I am reblogging this because it is relevant again. I got another call from a 353 number. Not the exact same number, but I know that it is a trafficker because it’s 353 just like the last one. I also want this to signal boost so PLEASE REBLOG THIS.

Why are people deleting the captions though I had to search for what the pictures meant don’t do that

a side note,  because theyre very popular around the DMV, If you ever see a sign with something akin to ‘free debt erasure’ ‘15/h job’ etc and ONLY A PHONE NUMBER, ignore it. tear it down if you can, because those are well known scams and sex-trafficking baits.do not, by any means, call or respond to these messages. do not let your friends do it. do not.

THIS IS IMPORTANT AF THANK Y’ALL HOLY SHIT

Oklahoma is one of the worst states as far as human trafficking, so thank y’all so fucking much. That’s literally my life and the lives of everyone I know that y’all just saved. Thank you. Thank you thank you thank you

*FUCKING SPAMS REBLOG*

guys pls this needs more reblogs

Not Greg related but important

Report it to the police as well!!

Chances are, you aren’t the only one they’re contacting, and someone else may not be as well informed on the situation. It is important to report these numbers to officers who can prevent someone else being harmed!

KEEP YOURSELVES SAFE PLEASE

Idk if this sort of thing happenscoutside the USA, but I’ll still reblog