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    1. This Week in Drum & Bass / Jungle | New Releases + Mixes

      I love it here on Tildes, so I figured It's time to give back to this community in the best way I know how...through my obsessive love of niche electronic music! SO HERE WE GO! Kicking off a...

      I love it here on Tildes, so I figured It's time to give back to this community in the best way I know how...through my obsessive love of niche electronic music!

      SO HERE WE GO!

      Kicking off a weekly post series to bring you 10 of the best (note: in my humble opinion and in no particular order) new Drum & Bass + Jungle music from across the scene! Tildes is a great place for discussion and discovery, so I thought hey, why not get the community going myself ;)

      Don’t want to read all this stuff? TL;DR - You can find the songs shared here on this Spotify playlist. Follow for new stuff every Monday. Have no clue what Drum & Bass is? Start here!


      Hugh Hardie + In:Most & KOJO - RWTS [Soulvent]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      Hugh Hardie returns with another sublime slice of jazzy, throwback Drum & Bass that’s equally great for sunny days or hazy nights, with a lovely vocal performance from Kojo that soars over Hardie’s as usually excellent drum work.

      Nia Archives + Off Wiv Ya Headz [Island]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      Jungle revivalist Nia Archives cracks another one out of the park with her clattering, rattling and oh so addictive ‘Off Wiv Ya Headz’, channeling the ghosts of Remarc and Congo Natty to reformat them for the new millennium.

      Basstripper - Left Me Bleeding [Self Released]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      DNB Allstars alum Basstripper is on an unstoppable tear lately, with ‘Left Me Bleeding’ keeping it classic with neon bright hardcore flavour and a bouncy bassline that’s definitely got the energy.

      Jonth - Even The Stars [Discover]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      Firmly flying amongst the stars, this trance-flavoured peak hour tune is overflowing with energy and emotion.

      Jam Theives - Disco 45 [Technique]

      Listen: SPOTIFY

      Jam Theives are back with another deep and dirty little dub on Bassline Smith’s Technique Recordings. Hypnotic and pneumatic in equal measure, this is another itchy little number who’s clipped, metallic soundscape almost forces you to move your body.

      Phibes - Bang Bang [Phat Planet]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      Phibes are on a roll lately with another uptempo tune on their own Phat Planet imprint. Much like their previous release ‘Bassdrop’, this one’s packing a rapid-fire, wobbly bassline that gets under your skin, paired with a big ol’ breakbeat that propels this one into prime time.

      The Sauce - Hypnotic [TSR]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      DNB Trio ‘The Sauce’ return with another self-released DJ tool that’s definitely due for some attention with it’s addictive kick-step rhythm and buzzing bassline.

      Levela x Eksman - Zone Out VIP [LVL]

      Listen: SPOTIFY

      Levela bringing the throwback energy on this one, with some classic Renegade Hardware style sirens and a rough and rugged vocal from the legendary Eksman. Definitely not one for the summer picnic.

      Toronto Is Broken ft. Natty Lou - Altered States [FiXT]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      A nasty little number with an unabashed punk / industrial influence proudly on its sleeve. Great vocal from Natty Lou and some crunchy drums play off TiBs sonic warfare for another big tune from LA’s FiXT camp.

      DNMO ft. Wolfy Lights- Bombalaya [UKF]

      Listen: SPOTIFY | APPLE

      Rounding out our wrap-up (or wrapping up our round out?) with the short, sweet and oh-so sublime ‘Bombalaya’ from DNMO on the mighty mighty UKF imprint. Pairing jazzy influences with heavy bass, not disimilar to Camo & Krooked’s SMASH ‘Sientelo’, this is another Latin-flavoured Ear Worm that wont live your top tracks all summer long.


      SO what are YOU listening to this week? What do you think of the songs above? Share what DNB you're into below and let's keep the vibe alive...

      27 votes
    2. Any homebrewers/winemakers here? If so, what have you been making recently?

      I have 3 gal of blackberry wine aging on oak cubes in a carboy right now. Relatively new to the hobby but my best so far have been elderberry wine (full bodied and tannic, kind of like a...

      I have 3 gal of blackberry wine aging on oak cubes in a carboy right now. Relatively new to the hobby but my best so far have been elderberry wine (full bodied and tannic, kind of like a Cabernet), and apple wine from store-bought juice (dry and crisp). This fall I'm planning on sourcing some locally grown Pinot Noir and trying my hand at making a "real" wine for the first time.

      15 votes
    3. Looking for beta testers for my Tildes.net iOS app!

      Happy Friday everyone! I'm making a post to see if anyone wants to beta test my Tildes.net iOS app Backtick. Background I've been wanting to create a Reddit app for quite a while, and just when I...

      Happy Friday everyone! I'm making a post to see if anyone wants to beta test my Tildes.net iOS app Backtick.

      Background

      I've been wanting to create a Reddit app for quite a while, and just when I got started, the API change chaos happened. Thankfully, I remembered signing up for Tildes.net a few years ago and decided to pivot to make an app for this site instead! The app is still a work in progress, but I believe releasing early and getting as many eyes on it during development results in a better end product (and it's more fun for me 😊).

      Features

      Here are the current features of Backtick:

      • Light mode/dark mode
      • Login to Tildes.net (suports 2FA)
      • Front page feed with sorting support
      • View, vote, and comment on posts
      • Reply and vote on comments
      • Collapse comments
      • View notifications
      • Full markdown rendering
      • Text-to-speech for posts and comments

      Here is a video demo of the app in its current state (updated for v1.8.1): https://youtube.com/shorts/iukQJyJbtw8?feature=share

      I know there missing features, but as I mentioned before, I would love to get as many people in as early as possible to help shape Backtick's future.

      Testing

      If you're interested in testing the app as I continue to work on it during my free time you will need:

      • An iOS 16 device
      • TestFlight (Apple's testing app)

      You can access the beta here: https://testflight.apple.com/join/gNH18NE9. If you have any issues please DM me your Apple ID email and I will send you an invite manually.

      Thanks, everyone! Have a great weekend.
      - Ash

      Edit:
      Getting some great feedback! I'll be tracking bugs and potential features here if anyone is curious: https://chatter-brick-3d3.notion.site/Backtick-Tracker-888150b641ae4c0ab39dc0345783bc50?pvs=4

      Edit2:
      I created the Discord server to help facilitate better collaboration with those who wish to be more involved. It will be a place for discussion around potential features, bugs, and general chat. I will still be taking in feedback via TestFlight and Tildes.net, so it's perfectly fine if you don't want to join.
      Join here: https://discord.gg/aah7nkfpBY

      194 votes
    4. Exciting, unlikely, or weird applications for AR-in-VR

      I'm really excited for the release of the Apple Vision Pro since this seems like a major shift in how we might be interacting with computers in the future. On the mundane things, I'd like to be...

      I'm really excited for the release of the Apple Vision Pro since this seems like a major shift in how we might be interacting with computers in the future.

      On the mundane things, I'd like to be able to browse the web and read articles and books while walking my dog, without craning my neck down or being oblivious to my surroundings.

      However, I've had a couple ideas where the tech might go or unexpected use-cases.

      1. HUD and computer interface while driving with an emphasis on voice control and navigation. This would be far superior to touchscreen center consoles. If apple ever launches a car, I would expect the Vision to be the primary interface.
      2. Changing the "time of day" of the environment, like a sunrise alarm clock on steroids for helping those on night shift with nonstandard circadian rhythm.
      3. Altering your appearance perceived by others. Could be as subtle as wardrobe changes, presenting as a different gender, or a persona that's not human (like a fursona).

      What other cool use cases can you think of, in a world where you can seamlessly manipulate the visual and auditory world around you?

      16 votes
    5. Apple Vision Pro and Vision OS Review Megathread

      I figured it'll be easiest to consolidate discussion of all these in one place. As you find more good, thoughtful ones feel free to comment it and I'll edit them into this list. Overall...

      I figured it'll be easiest to consolidate discussion of all these in one place. As you find more good, thoughtful ones feel free to comment it and I'll edit them into this list.

      Overall impressions seem very positive. LTT, in particular, tends to be pretty comfortable being critical of Apple and even he seems impressed (though I think his is the only review that doesn't have a hands-on component.

      The Bloggers:

      Daring Fireball: https://daringfireball.net/2023/06/first_impressions_of_vision_pro_and_visionos
      Nilay Patel: https://www.theverge.com/2023/6/5/23750003/apple-vision-pro-hands-on-the-best-headset-demo-ever

      The Vloggers:

      iJustine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtCEGztr8cw
      MKBHD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFvXuyITwBI&t=917s
      Linus Tech Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqB0lUcqFbA
      Snazzy Labs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUblFIaZKIk
      Norman Chan (via Adam Savage Tested): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0HBzePUmZ0

      30 votes
    6. Resources and help for setting up a Tildes dev environment

      I've been trying to set up a dev enviornment for Tildes, mainly so that I can actually test my MR (!136), and I've been running into a few issues. However, since we also have a new influx of...

      I've been trying to set up a dev enviornment for Tildes, mainly so that I can actually test my MR (!136), and I've been running into a few issues.

      However, since we also have a new influx of people who might be interested in contributing to Tildes, it seems like a good time to collect resources on setting up the dev environment, as well as helping anyone running into issues.

      So, if you have issues or advice, post them here! I'll be adding my questions in a comment shortly.

      Relevant wiki pages:


      Edit: A more recent post on setting up the dev environment on Apple Silicon / M1 Macs

      36 votes
    7. Should I be using a passkey?

      I saw all the hype about Google's new passkey rollout on Hacker News and Ars Technica in the past month, and have even read an article stating that, paraphrased, "I should start using passkeys...

      I saw all the hype about Google's new passkey rollout on Hacker News and Ars Technica in the past month, and have even read an article stating that, paraphrased, "I should start using passkeys immediately, even if the tech is not all the way there yet."

      Some questions:

      • Are you using passkeys currently? Which provider?
      • Is there a fear of vendor lock-in (looking at you, Apple) or ditching the product in the future (looking at you, Google)?
      • Any other concerns I should be aware of, e.g. what happens if my phone gets run over by a bulldozer?
      25 votes
    8. Any retrocomputing fans in the house?

      First and foremost: I'm not certain whether this belongs in ~hobbies or ~comp. As I consider this a hobby, this seemed like the more appropriate spot, but I'm more than happy to move/repost in...

      First and foremost: I'm not certain whether this belongs in ~hobbies or ~comp. As I consider this a hobby, this seemed like the more appropriate spot, but I'm more than happy to move/repost in ~comp.

      So for the past few years, I've really been hit by the computer nostalgia bug. It originally started as me just wanting to dive back into MUDs, and the whole retrocomputing fascination probably came from me wanting to recreate the "good ole' days" where I would pull up the Windows 98 terminal app and connect to my favorite MUD.

      Now I've got a room in my house dedicated to this old, esoteric hobby that happens to take up a lot of space. Admittedly, I don't know a TON about hardware but I've been having a blast tinkering around on old machines. It's even more fun to see how I can push the limits of the computers given a few modern tweaks here and there.

      Here's what I've currently got sitting up in the Upstairs Museum of Retrocomputing:

      • A Compaq Prolinea 5/75 Pentium - this was given to me by a friend who had it sitting in the basement. To my surprise, everything was still in working order and it fired right up (Windows NT 4.0!) on the first try. Of course, I ripped out the old barrel clock battery and put in something safer. I'd say I tinker with this one the most on the software side, while still trying to keep the hardware as close to original as possible.
      • A Compaq Prolinea 3/25s 386 - I just picked this bad boy up and am working on getting an OS installed. It had some damage from a leaky clock battery but I don't believe anything was irreversible. I'm not too confident in the whopping 4 MB of memory, but I'm planning on installing Windows 3.11 on this one.
      • A Tandy TRS-80 CoCo 2 - It works, but I haven't spent a ton of time with it because I don't have an old TV or monitor with a coax connection. I'd love to figure out how to create my own cartridge with a homebrew version of Zork or Adventure.
      • A Power Mac G5 - It's not ancient, but I think it's still worthy of being in the museum. I haven't had a chance to play around with it yet because I don't have the right video cable. I'll get around to it eventually.
      • A Generic Pentium 4 - I actually found this one at a Goodwill store. This one fired right up and had a copy of Windows 2000 installed, including all of the old work files that the person left intact. This one has been the easiest to mod because it's somewhat closer to modern and uses a common form factor. So I've plugged in a new OS, new ethernet, etc. At some point the technology starts to blur and you start questioning why you aren't just using a modern computer.

      What's next on my list? I'd like to start playing around with computers/OSes that I'm unfamiliar with. I grew up in a DOS/Mac OS 7-10/Windows world, so I'd love to get my hands on a NeXt, BeOS, etc. or even an Apple II.

      But first I need to get the damn 386 running again.

      14 votes
    9. What whisky/whiskey have you been enjoying, and what's your opinion on them?

      What have you been drinking, sipping and enjoying, in the world of whisky/whiskey spirits lately? Discussion about Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, international whiskey, bourbon, etc. are all...

      What have you been drinking, sipping and enjoying, in the world of whisky/whiskey spirits lately? Discussion about Scotch whisky, Irish whiskey, international whiskey, bourbon, etc. are all welcome. Please don't just make a list of titles, give some thoughts, reviews, and tales about the spirits if you like!

      I myself was thoroughly surprised at a whisky bar today with the Hatozaki 12. I went to the bar to try out my first Japanese whiskey's and found Hatozaki 12. It was absolutely lovely, bottled with integrity and at a fair price ($8/oz). I was not expecting such fruity and floral notes. I tried out a few from Nikka and Suntory and was not impressed. The Nikka Yoichi tasted off and a wee bit musty. The Suntory felt too light and like it belongs in a highball. I am looking forward to continuing the journey of exploration with Japanese whisky in the future. It is a stark change from the Islay Scotch whisky I drink regularly.

      • Hatozaki 12 - Small Batch - Umeshu Cask: 87/100
        Owner: Akashi Sake Brewery LTD
        Region: Kaikyo Distillery, Akashi City, Hyogo, Japan
        Nose: Vanilla, honey, floral, cream, red apple, fresh fruit
        Palate: Vanilla, toffee, cherry blossom, peaches in cream, lavender
        Finish: Vanilla, floral, lavender, cream linger for several minutes after
        Note: Non-chill filtered, Natural Color, 46% ABV, speyside feel with some added bonus

      My grading chart:

      • 98 – 100 (A+) = Booze Nirvana.
        This is the promised land where every sense is satisfied and, unless it’s a perfect 100, you have to search and nit-pick for what’s wrong instead of what’s right about this whiskey because it’s so on point.
      • 93 – 97 (A) = Exceptional – Superior in every way
        These are the best of the best and within spitting distance of Nirvana. They embody everything that category is about and then elevate it to another level. These are ones I HIGHLY recommend.
      • 90 – 92 (A-) = Excellent – want to buy a case
        Whiskeys that hit this rating are extra awesome. They’re delicious and complex Daily Drinkers and even though they are not quite best-in-class, they’re among my favorite whiskeys and I would wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone at any time.
      • 87 – 89 (B+) = Great – always want to have a bottle
        These are whiskeys that as soon as you taste them you say, “I want to own a bottle” and if you already own the bottle, you just smile because it’s yours. It’s not a record breaker by any means, just a good solid delicious whiskey.
      • 83 – 86 (B) = Good – not a “must”, but a nice-to-have
        The majority of my baselines are found here. This range is where the “daily drinker” status starts to emerge and where I find whiskies that’re good to drink but may rotate in and out of my collection. They’re not something you’d miss when it’s out, but good enough to give a moment’s consideration when at the liquor store.
      • 80 – 82 (B-) = Not-too-bad – no major flaws, worth tasting
        This is the stuff I’d recommend you try at the bar or at a friend’s house before buying a bottle. There’s nothing really wrong with it, it’s just not… quite… there.
      • 77 – 79 (C+) = Average – not good, not bad, just is
        There might be some minor flaws, all-in-all it’s not offensive, but it might be boring. There’s just nothing at all noteworthy about this whiskey. Would recommend to starters.
      • 73 – 76 (C) = Below average – drinkable, but better as a mixer / party booze
        It’s not like you or I actually WANT to drink this stuff, but sometimes you’re at a wedding or a shitty bar and it just happens to be there, and a beer just doesn’t sound great, so you grin and bear a glass or, when possible, ask for it in a cocktail. If the bartender sucks, you might even take a bit of solace in the knowledge that they didn’t ruin a good whiskey with their terrible cocktail.
      • 70 – 72 (C-) = Not good – nearly undrinkable, wonder why the hell they made it
        When I drink this stuff, I wonder if the Master Distiller is actually proud of what they’ve put out or if it’s something they just shove out to make a quick buck. I then wonder about the person who habitually buy it and wonder what admirable qualities they find in it that I can’t.
      • 60 – 69 (D) = The only thing this should be used for is making Jungle Juice, and even then, Seriously, I start to wonder if it’s even safe for human consumption at this point. - It’s just plain vile.
      • 59 – 0 (F) = Horrifically flawed – the worst
        This is when I call the FDA because I’m pretty damn sure it’s not safe to drink this swill.
      35 votes
    10. Among the three major operating systems, which one cares the most about their user's privacy?

      Here are my views on this: Windows: The Windows attitude towards privacy isn't good with their telemetry and other data collection increasing gradually from 8 to 10 to 11. In fact, most geeks...

      Here are my views on this:

      • Windows: The Windows attitude towards privacy isn't good with their telemetry and other data collection increasing gradually from 8 to 10 to 11. In fact, most geeks across the support forums think that 7 is probably the safest and most privacy friendly Windows version but MS is doing everything it can to ensure that newer software doesn't support 7 and it just goes into obsolescence.

        The "default" state in which a W10/11 laptop comes today is so privacy unfriendly that it sends all kinds of data like contacts, location, etc. to Microsoft and their "trusted partners". You can't turn off this data unless you've visited power user forums and know exactly where to find those settings, and basic telemetry still won't be disabled of course.

        As ironic and unintuitive as it sounds, Microsoft Windows was probably much better in privacy department during the bad old days of Gates and Ballmer compared to the good "open source and geek friendly" days of Satya Nadella!

      • Mac: Apple systems should ideally be privacy friendly considering the amount of premium they charge to their products and services. But how well does that work in practice? I've never used an Apple product but those who use them seem to have the impression that they're no good in this department compared to others.
        Logic tells me that a more capitalist devil should be no different than the less capitalist one, they're probably all the same when it comes to throwing user's privacy in the bin!

      • Linux: Linux used to be the holy grail of users who cared about privacy many years ago but does that still hold good today? Ubuntu was also in some data collection controversy or other many times in past, but how are the state of things today? And what about the derivative distros, are they good too?

      13 votes
    11. 2023 Golden Globe TV nominations

      Best TV Drama Better Call Saul The Crown House of the Dragon Ozark Severance Best TV Comedy Abbott Elementary The Bear Hacks Only Murders in the Building Wednesday Best Performance by an Actor in...

      Best TV Drama

      Better Call Saul

      The Crown

      House of the Dragon

      Ozark

      Severance

      Best TV Comedy

      Abbott Elementary

      The Bear

      Hacks

      Only Murders in the Building

      Wednesday

      Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama

      Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”)

      Kevin Costner (“Yellowstone”)

      Diego Luna (“Andor”)

      Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)

      Adam Scott (“Severance”)

      Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama

      Emma D’Arcy (“House of the Dragon”)

      Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

      Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”)

      Hilary Swank (“Alaska Daily”)

      Zendaya (“Euphoria”)

      Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

      Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)

      Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)

      Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”)

      Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”)

      Jean Smart (“Hacks”)

      Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy

      Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)

      Bill Hader (“Barry”)

      Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)

      Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)

      Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”)

      Best Supporting Actor, Television

      John Lithgow (“The Old Man”)

      Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”)

      John Turturro (“Severance”)

      Tyler James Williams (“Abbott Elementary”)

      Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

      Best Supporting Actress, Television

      Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”)

      Hannah Einbinder (“Hacks”)

      Julia Garner (“Ozark”)

      Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”)

      Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”)

      Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

      “Black Bird” (Apple TV+)

      “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” (Netflix)

      “The Dropout” (Hulu)

      “Pam & Tommy” (Hulu)

      “The White Lotus” (HBO)

      Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television

      Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”)

      Colin Firth (“The Staircase”)

      Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”)

      Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)

      Sebastian Stan (“Pam & Tommy”)

      Best Performance by an Actress, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

      Jessica Chastain (“George and Tammy”)

      Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”)

      Lily James (“Pam & Tommy”)

      Julia Roberts (“Gaslit”)

      Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”)

      Best Performance by an Actress in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

      Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”)

      Claire Danes (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”)

      Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Under the Banner of Heaven”)

      Niecy Nash-Betts (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)

      Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”)

      Best Performance by an Actor in Supporting Role, Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television

      F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”)

      Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”)

      Paul Walter Hauser (“Black Bird”)

      Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”)

      Seth Rogen (“Pam & Tommy”)

      1 vote
    12. Year in Review: Music of 2022

      Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay are out. Soon we'll start being deluged with annual Best Of lists like this one. It's that time of year! What were your favorite listens this year? What new finds...

      Spotify Wrapped and Apple Replay are out. Soon we'll start being deluged with annual Best Of lists like this one. It's that time of year!

      What were your favorite listens this year? What new finds did you unexpectedly love? How did your tastes change/evolve (if at all)? What do you consider the best albums of the year? What did the critics get wrong?

      Discuss any and all end-of-year music stuff here. Share your Wrapped/Replay/Last.fm/Listenbrainz summary if you'd like. Hype up that hidden gem you think deserves more attention. Anything goes!

      13 votes
    13. One month with Kagi search

      Toward the end of August, I signed up for a trial of Kagi -- a privacy-focused search engine. You get 50 free searches, and then, if you want to continue, you can convert to a paid account at $10...

      Toward the end of August, I signed up for a trial of Kagi -- a privacy-focused search engine.

      You get 50 free searches, and then, if you want to continue, you can convert to a paid account at $10 a month.

      I mentioned here that I wasn't planning on converting to paid, as $10/month felt very steep and I didn't think I could make it my default search on my iOS phone, but @pallas's comment here ultimately made me want to give it a try.

      Thus, I dropped the $10 bucks to turn the free trial into a paid one-month trial.

      I'm very glad that I did.

      The free trial itself was actually not very convincing to me. Knowing that I had limited searches and not wanting to run through them more than I needed, my searches were in the single digits each day. I was very judicious about what I searched and how I typed it. Furthermore, I kicked myself if I instinctively typed something like "imdb everything everywhere all at once" into Firefox's search bar instead of going to imdb.com and then typing in the movie title, as that meant I'd wasted 2% of my allotment on what wasn't technically a search but more of an internet navigation optimization.

      On the searches I did I felt like I got good results, but I wasn't sure if that was because of the quality of the service or if it was because I'd simply thought more about what I was actually typing in. Also, the trial made me way too aware that I was searching with limited queries to really make me feel at ease about actually using the service.

      Now that I've paid for a month, however, I've just used it as a stand-in for how I used to use DuckDuckGo -- "wikipedia steam deck"-style searches and all.

      Kagi doesn't track your search contents, but they do track your number of searches. I have completed roughly 400 searches this month, which Kagi says costs roughly $5.00 out of the $10.00 that I paid them. I don't know nearly enough about any of this to know whether this is an accurate accounting of actual costs or overstating things, but I will say that the $10 price that I initially felt was steep has looked a lot more worth spending after a month on the service.

      Kagi generally finds what I'm looking for within the first link. If it's not the top link, it's in the top 3. Furthermore, it seems to dredge up less junk. With DuckDuckGo, I loved that I wasn't being tracked for the purposes of advertising, but it felt like DDG had no problem serving me pages that were built specifically for that purpose. I'd often look up product reviews and get re-routed to sites that appeared to be nothing more than machine-generated lists of recommendations with Amazon affiliate links. I've had to deal with less of these while on Kagi. Some of them still come up, but they're either further down the rankings or they're put into their own "Listicles" section.

      Where Kagi really shines though, is local searches. Pretty much the only time I would bang through to Google from DDG was for local stuff. I don't know if it's my location in particular, but DDG is not great about giving me things that are specific to my area, often preferring to give me a smattering of things that are from similarly named locales from elsewhere around the world. Kagi, on the other hand, gives me the kind of local results I get from Google.

      Most local searches of that type tend to come from my phone, and this also helped me understand that better search on a phone matters WAY more than better search on desktop. The smaller screen and limited view means that it's significantly more important for the top result to be the one I want on my phone than it is on desktop. As such, Kagi is winning me over because it's made mobile searching frictionless -- something I couldn't say for DDG. That aspect alone is probably going to be what keeps me on the service. I'm planning on paying for at least another month, though after that I might go back to DDG for a month to see how I feel in comparison.

      I mentioned earlier that I didn't think I could make it a default search on iOS. I mistakenly thought Apple had that locked down? Turns out it's actually possible through an app. Also, Kagi apparently has an entire browser for macOS/iOS. I tried it out and it works quite nicely, though AdGuard+Safari seemed to do a bit better ad-blocking than the stuff they'd built into Orion, so I've stayed on Safari.

      There's actually a whole lot of cool looking power-user stuff on offer from Kagi (you can individually prioritize and de-prioritize specific domains across your searches, for example), but I'm not the kind of user that needs significant search depth, so I can't really speak to anything other than the standard search experience.

      What I can say is that I've been very happy with that experience so far.

      Also, it should hopefully go without saying, but this post isn't sponsored in any way nor was I requested to post it by Kagi. This is me choosing to give my own experiences with the service because I thought people here might be interested.

      26 votes
    14. iPad recommendations

      After reserving a Steam Deck twice, and letting it drop, trying to get FTL running acceptably with touch controls on my old generic Windows Tablet, and doing the bulk of gaming and leisure time...

      After reserving a Steam Deck twice, and letting it drop, trying to get FTL running acceptably with touch controls on my old generic Windows Tablet, and doing the bulk of gaming and leisure time with my phone, I wonder if the best solution to my varied tech needs might be just to bite the bullet, turn in my Android cred and take a walk on the iPad side. I haven't used an Apple device regularly since my iPod touch from ten years ago and ever since that was stolen, I was all Android, all the time. But if I want a device to read comics (PDFs, Kindle/Comixology, Hoopla), watch streaming (Netflix, Prime Video, Youtube), try out games (Apple Arcade, Xcloud Web) but have the option to go back to my old reliables (FTL, Binding of Isaac), should I consider dropping $200 on an older iPad and see if it fits my needs? Should I do it now, or wait on rumors of new ones in October? I know they're supported for longer then the average Android, but at the same time, I don't want to pick one up just in time for it to be a security risk either.

      7 votes