A rascal with a question

Google is going to start scraping all of their platforms to use for AI training. So, here are some alternatives for common Google tools!

Google Chrome -> Firefox

If you’re on tumblr, you’ve probably already been told this a thousand times. But FireFox is an open-source browser which is safe, fast and secure. Basically all other browsers are Chrome reskins. Try Firefox Profilemaker, Arkenfox and Librewolf! Alternatively, vanilla Firefox is alright, but get Ublock Origin, turn off pocket, and get Tabliss.

Google Search -> DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo very rarely tracks or stores your browsing data (though they have only been known to sell this info to Microsoft). Don’t use their browser; only their search engine. Domain visits in their browser get shared. Alternatively, you can also use Ecosia, which is a safe search engine that uses its income to plant trees! 🌲

Google Reverse Image Search -> Tineye

Tineye uses image identification tech rather than keywords, metadata or watermarks to find you the source of your image!

Gmail -> ProtonMail

All data stored on ProtonMail is encrypted, and it boasts self-destructing emails, text search, and a commitment to user privacy. Tutanota is also a good alternative!

Google Docs -> LibreOffice

LibreOffice is free and open-source software, which includes functions like writing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, formula editing and more.

Google Translate -> DeepL

DeepL is notable for its accuracy of translation, and is much better that Google Translate in this regard. It does cost money for unlimited usage, but it will let you translate 500,000 characters per month for free. If this is a dealbreaker, consider checking out the iTranslate app.

Google Forms -> ClickUp

ClickUp comes with a built-in form view, and also has a documents feature, which could make it a good option to take out two birds with one stone.

Google Drive -> Mega

Mega offers a better encryption method than Google Drive, which means it’s more secure.

YouTube -> PeerTube

YouTube is the most difficult to account for, because it has a functional monopoly on long-form video-sharing. That being said, PeerTube is open-source and decentralized. The Internet Archive also has a video section!

However, if you still want access to YouTube’s library, check out NewPipe and LibreTube! NewPipe scrapes YouTube’s API so you can watch YouTube videos without Google collecting your info. LibreTube does the same thing, but instead of using YouTube servers, it uses piped servers, so Google doesn’t even get your IP address. Both of these are free, don’t require sign-ins, and are open source!

Please feel free to drop your favorite alternatives to Google-owned products, too! And, if this topic interests you, consider checking out Glaze as well! It alters your artwork and photos so that it’s more difficult to use to train AI with! ⭐️

Helpful internet stuff!! ✨

Remember to use Glaze and Nightshade. Protect your styles. Poison their datasets. Make it dangerous for them to steal.

https://glaze.cs.uchicago.edu/

George Grosz , Pandemonium ,1919

The Gibson family has taken thousands of striking shipwreck photos, from the late 1870’s through the 1970s. See more of these amazing photos here.

BAFTA 2024

Castle district, Sopron, 1970. From the Budapest Municipal Photography Company archive.

i always thought of transphobia as a short hand for bigotry and not an actual phobia phobia, but this guy legit ran away from a child

[ID: A video clip showing a Black person in a green coat interviewing an elderly white person holding up a flag, with more protesters in the background displaying Palestinian flags.

The interviewer asks, "Why is it important for you to be here today?"

The protester responds, "Well, uh, I'm Jewish, I'm Israeli, my parents were the only survivors of their families from the Holocaust. They both survived Auschwitz. I'm not going to support genocide am I?

"I'm here with the Palestinians, and we are here with Palestine, because we don't believe that what the British government is doing is correct. The British government is supporting this genocide! It's arming Israel, it's financing Israel.

"BBC and the other media here is supporting genocide. This is illegal. This is immoral. We don't agree with it, we will never agree with it, and as Jews -- and myself as Israeli -- I am totally against it, and we will continue to be against it.

There are now more than 60 such events in the whole of Britain, uh, people don't want to support this. They are against this government on so many other issues, but especially on this one."

Another elderly white protester next to the first joins in, leaning forward to add:

"And, also, this didn't start on October the 7th. In 1948, Palestinian villages, hundreds of them --"

Another elderly protester interjects specifically, "500 of them".

The second protestor nods and continues, "were demolished, thousands of Palestinians, innocent men, women, and children were slaughtered, and seven-hundred and fifty thousand Palestinian refugees were created. That's when it started, and it hasn't stopped since!"

End ID.]

Feed The World, Starve The Rich. Hulme, Manchester, 1986. Photo © Beezer Photos.

Cécile Berrubé (@cecile_illustrations)

Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland

By Jim Richardson

Unknown Photographer. A lamplighter lighting a gas lamp in a street in Glasgow, Scotland, 1955.

@amtrak-official

This is so me, I really really want good cities and high speed frequent transit