gt24's recent activity
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Comment on How to pass the time when you have nothing to do at work and just your phone? in ~talk
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Comment on How to pass the time when you have nothing to do at work and just your phone? in ~talk
gt24 Link ParentIf you are from the United States, you can get a Library card and then you can (most likely) use the Libby app. That app lets you borrow a digital book from Amazon Kindle and then read it on your...If you are from the United States, you can get a Library card and then you can (most likely) use the Libby app. That app lets you borrow a digital book from Amazon Kindle and then read it on your phone using the Kindle app. Amazon will handle returning the book at the end of the loan period or you can return it early if you prefer.
Each library offers different services so you may have to look around to find one that allows you to receive Amazon Kindle book loans. At the very least, it is a free way to read books and pass the time.
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Comment on Is Google doing its darndest to squeeze out Firefox or other browsers? in ~tech
gt24 LinkFirefox isn't Chrome. Firefox may need configuration to work more like Chrome. Below are a few of my experiences... DNS over HTTPS will encrypt your DNS requests and send them to a DNS server of...Firefox isn't Chrome. Firefox may need configuration to work more like Chrome. Below are a few of my experiences...
DNS over HTTPS will encrypt your DNS requests and send them to a DNS server of the browser's choosing. Different DNS servers act differently. Chrome uses Google DNS and Firefox uses Cloudflare DNS. Still, you can configure each browser to use different DNS servers of your choice.
(The following is based on what I read from Reddit long ago and I cannot easily find a source to verify this information. You can still experiment with this option below.)
Google DNS likes to let people know where you are location wise. Cloudflare hides your location. If your location is known, you will be provided with web servers (CDN servers which mirror web content) located closer to your location so that the internet is faster. If your location is not known then you will be given a generic server which may be generally overloaded. However, to get that closer server, your location is known to others... so it is a speed and privacy tradeoff. Regardless, the two CDN sources may behave differently so you may want to figure Firefox similar to Chrome to see if that speeds things up.
This tended to be an issue with Youtube in past (as far as I recall) and I'm not sure if it is still an issue now.
You can change this in Firefox Settings, in Privacy, you can sent DNS over HTTPS to increased protection which allows you to specify the DNS over HTTPS server you prefer to use (for example, https://dns.google/dns-query is for Google's HTTPS over DNS server). The default protection setting only uses Cloudflare's service.
(Below is based on experience.)
Many folks wonder over to Firefox now because Ublock Origin will soon not be supported on Chrome (Ublock Origin Lite will work but it isn't quite the same thing). What you may not know is that Ublock Origin is slightly more powerful on Firefox and may be configured differently than what you expect. It should behave the same when the settings are the same as what you used in Chrome.
In Settings, in the Privacy section at the top, are 4 check boxes... One of those check boxes was never available on Chrome. There are i icons at the far right to explain each option.
When enabled, the last option (Uncloak canonical names) can cause Firefox to behave significantly worse (notably, this option is not available in Chrome).
When enabled, the first option (Disable pre-fetching) can cause Firefox to start slower. Ublock Origin is able to stop Firefox from doing anything until Ublock is ready to block ads. This means that Firefox can start a bit slower and that this checkbox will work if enabled. Chrome, on the other hand, won't wait for anything and may load some ad related stuff in before Ublock can come online. Chrome starts faster due to that. However, this checkbox doesn't quite work in Chrome because Chrome sometimes just pre-fetches things anyway.
You can configure the other options as you see fit.
The summary is that Firefox and Chrome are different and the same extension on both browsers also behaves differently. It seems, from my experiences, that the differences tend to favor Firefox being slower but also protecting your privacy more. You can configure the browser to your tastes and recover the speed you are used to.
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Comment on Hey, monthly mystery commenters, what's up with the hit-and-runs? in ~tildes
gt24 LinkI'm likely not a "mystery commenter" but I will provide my two cents since that seems to be requested. I grew up reading books and I quite like reading books. Most of the interactions I have with...I'm likely not a "mystery commenter" but I will provide my two cents since that seems to be requested.
I grew up reading books and I quite like reading books. Most of the interactions I have with places such as Tildes is to read the various commentary posted by others which gives more value to a submission than the parent article itself. Stepping into that sort of conversation means that I feel that I have something useful to provide towards it and I typically feel that my contribution would not be all that useful.
Others tend to post whatever thoughts I have and tend to do so with more eloquence than I feel I could provide. Still, quality aside, there was likely a conversation that sparked from that comment that went in whatever organic direction it wanted to go. It seems a bit disruptive to reply to an earlier comment in that chain with a different point of view since it implies that I want to derail the ongoing conversation. Regardless, it seems like a lack of replies just reinforces how my commentary wasn't all that interesting or helpful to anyone reading along.
Posting anything in a typed manner can expose grammatical issues. I can tend to repeat myself or repeat comments stated ad nauseam by many other people. Such literary weaknesses can be pointed out by others and used by them to attempt to destroy the intentions of my comment. I do understand to a degree - reading something with literary issues can be a bit annoying. The issue is more myself than others, at least I think. I read what I type, judge it harshly, and choose not to post anything in the end.
Getting back to the original topic, that of the "mystery commenter", I theorize that the internet provides an easy out for them to duck out of any conversations. In real life, you are physically in a conversation and have to find some way to exit the conversation when desired (usually by creating a made up thing that requires your immediate departure). On the Internet, you can just vanish. It is easier with platforms such as this because you will tend to not know who I am (since my username is barely noticeable at the top of this topic anyway). It was harder on forums since my user information tended to have a forum signature, profile image, and other easy to notice identifying marks. I could "become known" to the community and feel more at ease when I notice other familiar people. Here... it is just random blue usernames above a see of seemingly anonymous comments.
Regardless, if I find some apparent way to contribute then I may send in a comment. If this were a forum then my long winded narrative would become legendary. However, since this is more of a Reddit like place, I tend to try to keep my comments brief and terse. Hopefully this longer comment serves to spark a bit of thoughtful contemplation.
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Comment on The Steam Winter Sale has begun (Dec 21st - Jan 4th) in ~games
gt24 Link ParentI have purchased and am having fun with Time Wasters. You are in a space ship in a singular area of space trying to fend off an alien invasion. Your ship will generally automatically shoot at the...I have purchased and am having fun with Time Wasters.
You are in a space ship in a singular area of space trying to fend off an alien invasion. Your ship will generally automatically shoot at the nearest thing but you can control where it shoots as well (and some weapons work far better if aimed). The key is that your ship can boost in a direction and you will really want to do that. There are things in space which you can fly over to get a beneficial effect. The "time cubes" (or whatever cube like thing you find) can be traded in for level upgrades or is used for currency on the main menu for unlocking things. You will fight some larger boss ships as well which breaks a few things up.
You fly as a specific captain of the ship but if you upgrade that character enough then you can "recruit" them to be on your ship (where "recruit" means "select them during a level upgrade"). If your captain (or a "recruit on your ship") has a high enough level, you can upgrade their associated specialty weapon to its' "super level" (kind of like how weapons in Vampire Survivors can be upgraded to a "super level" as well with other weapons).
Regardless, that finished game is certainly worth the $4 it costs right now during the Steam sale.
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Comment on Unity reveals plans to charge per game install, drawing criticism from development community in ~games
gt24 Link ParentThere was a time when DRM meant that you could only reinstall your purchased copy of a game only a few times (for example: Spore could only ever be installed 3 times). This era of oppressive DRM...There was a time when DRM meant that you could only reinstall your purchased copy of a game only a few times (for example: Spore could only ever be installed 3 times). This era of oppressive DRM meant that games always needed the ability to internet verify the installation and that legitimate games may eventually not work anymore because of installation limits.
Unity's plans encourage developers to reintroduce that sort of thing again...
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Comment on Retired Maj. David Grusch tells Congress the US is concealing ‘multi-decade’ program that captures UFOs in ~society
gt24 Link ParentTime is even more "brief" than most people realize. We had an effort to reach out and try to contact alien civilizations (SETI) by either listening for signals or sending one of our own. From...Time is even more "brief" than most people realize.
We had an effort to reach out and try to contact alien civilizations (SETI) by either listening for signals or sending one of our own. From Wikipedia, it seems like we sent a signal out in 1974 (which will be our generic example). We will assume the signal was sent to a nearby star (since the original signal was sent to something about 25,000 light years away). We will assume the star is a more reasonable 25 light years away.
It takes 25 years for the signal to arrive at the example star (we will assume has alien life). The life there has to be able to receive the signal and so happen to be listening in at the time. They also have to be able to send a signal back and have the appropriate will and desire to do so. Also, they would need time to prepare and send the signal. They send the signal for about 25 minutes constantly.
It takes 25 years for the signal to travel back. It has been 50 years since the signal was sent. Back on Earth... it is likely we are not listening. For examples, we aren't listening to "that specific star", the political will has changed and defunded the program, the radio telescope that would listen to such things does not exist anymore (in other words - Arecibo Telescope), and maybe the equipment just had a scheduled maintenance cycle where it was turned off for about an hour.
Regardless, we only had 25 minutes to hear the signal and it would have arrived 50 years or a bit more after we sent the original signal. Missing that signal means that two civilizations never contact each other. In other words, that brief moment of time was only a very specific 25 minutes. When we were sending a signal in 1974, we sent it to something 25,000 light years away. While it isn't impossible, I highly doubt that anyone will be sitting around here 50,000 years in the future listening for a response.
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Comment on A political gap in excess deaths in the USA widened after COVID-19 vaccines arrived, study says in ~health
gt24 Link ParentThe article mentions Ohio. Notably there, when requesting to vote on a specific day you are asked if you want a ballot for a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent (issues only) ballot. What...Wait, can you not vote freely among all available options?
Can you register towards more than one available party to keep your options open at election days?
The article mentions Ohio. Notably there, when requesting to vote on a specific day you are asked if you want a ballot for a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent (issues only) ballot. What you request will determine your "political party" but how you vote is secret. This is only for certain elections so this only comes up periodically if you opt to vote every single time.
You are able to make a different decision each time you go to vote in one of those certain elections and I think it updates your "party" to match the last requested ballot type.
Regardless, the party is wanting to hold an "internal vote" to help decide how they want to proceed in a future election (meaning what candidate is going to be "their candidate" for that future election). They have government assistance in carrying out that vote (meaning that their questions are put on an official election ballot) but what they do with those results is up to them. While this may have a negative association where the government endorses certain political parties, this does keep the voting action inside that party as something more credible than if the party figured that out on their own.
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Comment on Nostalgia -- what programs do you miss? in ~tech
gt24 Link ParentGoogle searching away, it seems like they were able to rescue the old source code for Neko and that person just straight compiled it for other newer targets like 64 bit Windows. The app does seem...I wonder if they are still a thing...
Google searching away, it seems like they were able to rescue the old source code for Neko and that person just straight compiled it for other newer targets like 64 bit Windows. The app does seem to work on my PC but has bugs in regards to my multiple monitors (likely related to not understanding that the 2 monitors run at different resolutions). More info is at the link below and the github source code is at the second link.
https://virtuallyfun.com/2010/03/27/neko-x64/
https://github.com/neozeed/neko98
Neko also has their own Wikipedia page.
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Comment on System Shock remake discussion in ~games
gt24 LinkThe game was good. It brought the older System Shock into the modern era but it still felt the same as the old game in regards to the level design and general asthetic. The updated graphics made...The game was good. It brought the older System Shock into the modern era but it still felt the same as the old game in regards to the level design and general asthetic. The updated graphics made the levels easier to understand when compared to the older game.
The game had some interesting bugs that seems to hint that the staff may have had issues testing or coding the game. The game feels a bit more janky than it should and also has some oddities in the gameplay that people seem to find annoying as well...
Some Bugs and Oddities - Minor Spoilers
Bug (fixed) - Medbays being "occupied" after you use them so you couldn't use them again. I think this tied in to quick saving and quick loading which, if you see the "BOOM - DIE" part below, is something that you would be doing a ton of.
Bug (fixed) - Reactor self destruct "already activated". Apparently, when you complete that bit of the story, an achievement is unlocked. If you have the achievement, you can NEVER do that part of the story again (because you already done it) meaning you cannot reload older saves or restart the game.
Oddity - To get a desirable inventory perk, you have to play a chess game against the AI. Notably, you have to play a chess game well. The suggestion is that you go to a chess playing website and have the AI there play against the AI in the game... (this may have worked better if a logic probe could have been used to bypass the chess game)
Oddity - Sensaround confirms that there is an item at this location... but the item must have glitched out of the level...
Oddity - Security level entry door locks when you enter preventing you from back tracking. You likely kept some odd "plasma cores" in various crates on prior levels not knowing what to do with them. You get the Plasma Rifle on the Security level but have no way to go back to the prior levels to get the ammo for it (and there is no cargo lift on the Security level either).
An interesting frustrating tidbit is how you are playing the game and suddenly you "BOOM - DIE". Apparently this is done by pretty much silent Autobombs (think of an angry and explosive roller skate). Another enemy (Cyborg Warrior?) tends to throw sticky grenades that you barely notice (by sound and maybe by sight) so you tend to first notice those bombs by "BOOM - DIE". It was especially fun when one of those decided to throw a grenade into a door jam before I entered a room and right before I quick saved... so when I quick loaded from a "BOOM - DIE", I walked in the room only to die again... it was "fun" to try to find that grenade so I can shoot it and blow it up.
Considering that essentially everything else attacking you doesn't instakill you and clearly informs you that they are responsible for you dying, it seems odd that you get instakilled "BOOM - DIE" style in such a way that you have no idea what happened. It emphasized quick saving and quick loading which likely caused some bugs...
Still, the game was certainly worth playing and I am glad it was remade. I hope that they eventually make a System Shock 2 remake as well.
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Comment on DisplayPort: A better video interface in ~tech
gt24 Link ParentI had this problem as well and it drove me nuts. It could be that the affected older Samsung monitor had some sort of lingering design flaw... or the motherboard and video card were disagreeing......I use DP, but it gives me more grief than HDMI. Across multiple devices, cables, and screens, monitors just won't turn back on when waking the PC and it'll force a reboot.
I had this problem as well and it drove me nuts. It could be that the affected older Samsung monitor had some sort of lingering design flaw... or the motherboard and video card were disagreeing... or the cable wasn't quite up to snuff... but I just decided to try HDMI cables when trying to troubleshoot the cabling angle. HDMI works but I never did figure out why display port was such a headache.
Strangely enough, that same monitor was fine with an older computer on display port using that same cable.
The issue with newer "cabling" (that being USB C, display port, etc) is that it is difficult to determine what is the problem when something goes wrong. A person can be frustrated trying to get a USB C to HDMI adapter to work and it isn't easy to prove what is wrong without experimentation. It isn't easy to determine what features a port supports, if the cable would even allow for that thing to work, if the device being plugged in will even work without issues, if some software is causing the issues somewhere, and so on. It just makes troubleshooting a bit too much like "just try everything and hope the problem just goes away eventually".
It seemed, to me, like older ancient ports didn't have such headaches. Then again, I may have simply been lucky enough to not run into problems back then.
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Comment on New users: Ask your questions about Tildes here! (v2) in ~tildes
gt24 Link ParentRelatively new person here so I may not have the most accurate "Tildes" sort of answer... A vote here appears to have less weight than a comment does. Threads will float to the top if a new...Relatively new person here so I may not have the most accurate "Tildes" sort of answer...
A vote here appears to have less weight than a comment does. Threads will float to the top if a new comment is posted is an example of the voting being of less emphasis. Still, the vote function is there and increases the vote count of that specific comment or thread.
The point is that a helpful comment being voted up is a way to "thank" the poster of that comment. This comes from an older concept where certain forum software had a "Thanks" button which works like the vote option here (where it go up numerically as people click it). At the very least, a vote is something whereas no vote and no comment is the opposite.
I'm not saying that the "vote" text should change to being "thanks" but I do feel, at least a bit, that the two terms are interchangeable here.
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Comment on What's something you want to understand the appeal of? in ~talk
gt24 Link ParentYou interact with many people who do not know you at all. As such, they do not know how trustworthy you are when you say that you are in a serious relationship with another person. They want to be...We are married as far as anyone who knows us is concerned.
You interact with many people who do not know you at all. As such, they do not know how trustworthy you are when you say that you are in a serious relationship with another person. They want to be reasonably certain that the claim is factual.
Government is a trusted entity in this regard. The government can say things such as "this piece of paper represents money and has value" and that thing is considered as factual and accurate for both you and other people. You both trust the government here so they are not required to trust a random stranger. As such, government proof that you are married (communicated by saying someone is your spouse) allows strangers to know that your relationship is serious without needing to trust you at all. The government is the common authority that can be trusted and can convey the information to both parties.
People who you know are also people who trust you. As such, they don't need the government to vouch for the seriousness of your relationship.
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Comment on What's something you want to understand the appeal of? in ~talk
gt24 Link ParentI think the views and money part is pointing to the overall problem of online recipes. People tend to search for a recipe and go to wherever the search engine goes. The act of loading the page...... as do all the lists of recipes that are clearly just articles meant to gain views and earn money.
I think the views and money part is pointing to the overall problem of online recipes. People tend to search for a recipe and go to wherever the search engine goes. The act of loading the page meant that the page has the views and ad money already collected from you before you read the first word. It is likely that the long winded story part of the recipe is to try to encourage the search engine to drive more people to the article.
A book, on the other hand, is purchased by people leaving good review of the recipes within, people being drawn in by the cover, and/or whatever recipe page they glanced at when making their decision. In other words, the content of the recipe is given more value in a book than it would be for a web page trying to be tempting to search engine bots.
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Comment on What are the benefits of using Linux for the less computer competent? in ~comp
gt24 Link ParentI think an interesting point of people originally wanting everyone to use Linux is that everyone is basically using Linux right now. Linux is very good at being reconfigured to run on things other...I think an interesting point of people originally wanting everyone to use Linux is that everyone is basically using Linux right now. Linux is very good at being reconfigured to run on things other than a traditional desktop PC and so Linux is at the heart of all Androids and iPhones. Chromebooks are made possible because their heart is Linux as well. Different companies put their own layers on top (Google and Apple in this case) and so they call those operating systems their own things because of those "special recipe" ingredients being put on top.
Linux tends to come into play, for me, on devices that the original vendors no longer support (such as expired Chromebooks, "incompatible with the current version of Windows" PCs, etc). Linux allows me to keep using those devices which still function perfectly fine. Most people don't mind occasionally replacing their things but I would prefer to find utility in something if that thing still has utility to give.
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Comment on What are your favourite lightweight websites? in ~tech
gt24 LinkThere is a person out there who likes to collect license plates. He made a website showing what license plates looked like from the past until now for the US, Mexico, and Canada. The website is...There is a person out there who likes to collect license plates. He made a website showing what license plates looked like from the past until now for the US, Mexico, and Canada. The website is constantly updated with new content so you reasonably know what plates literally look like today. His website appears to have been unchanged technologically (from a 1998 sort of perspective) so it should load on pretty much anything (and it appears that it is only served as un-encrypted HTTP as well.
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Comment on Microsoft wants to move Windows fully to the cloud in ~tech
gt24 Link ParentIt seems like kids know of their Chromebook ("the computer") as being a thing that can browse the Internet... which their phone can also do. They do not know that "the computer" can run other...My kids may never know windows.... They use chromebooks and ipads in elementary school.
It seems like kids know of their Chromebook ("the computer") as being a thing that can browse the Internet... which their phone can also do. They do not know that "the computer" can run other things (like games, applications, etc.) and so they seem to grow up as people who do not have any computer and just use their phone.
Schools like the Chromebooks because of their simplicity (of only doing limited things and being easily replicable). I think that teaches kids that computers are not much more than their phone with a larger screen...
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Comment on Microsoft wants to move Windows fully to the cloud in ~tech
gt24 Link ParentAs I recall, Microsoft (around Windows 8) wanted to make it so that you can only purchase applications through them which would be a major problem for Steam. At some point, I think Microsoft even...God, I'm happy that Proton in Steam is such a success, and that the Steam Deck exists.
As I recall, Microsoft (around Windows 8) wanted to make it so that you can only purchase applications through them which would be a major problem for Steam. At some point, I think Microsoft even flirted with the idea of charging monthly for the use of Windows (like they do for most uses of Office). I think Microsoft really wants to eventually get to those points but is moving slowly. Making Windows something that is "in the cloud" could accomplish both restrictions of how to purchase software and the ability to charge monthly for using Windows.
Valve (who makes Steam) decided, at that time, to pursue Linux so as to make their own gaming platform OS and hardware. Their solution to the Microsoft problem is to simply not rely on Microsoft. Interesting how their efforts towards that point could eventually save their company in the end.
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Comment on Quote-only orphan comments: useful context or noisy clutter? in ~tildes
gt24 Link ParentThis does make the most sense for me. If there was a "pinned to top" comment feature then the site in the background can just automagically pin that comment. In addition, if the need arises, an...This does make the most sense for me. If there was a "pinned to top" comment feature then the site in the background can just automagically pin that comment. In addition, if the need arises, an admin or moderator could pin comments on their own as well.
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Comment on Why are we often hesitant to spend money on digital services? in ~tech
gt24 Link ParentYour example is casting a rather wide net which likely means that any explanation for one thing won't necessarily reply to everything. So, I will address the following... Certain things (ex:...Your example is casting a rather wide net which likely means that any explanation for one thing won't necessarily reply to everything. So, I will address the following...
Okay, but what about consumables?
A latte may cost $5, but it’s gone immediately after. Meanwhile, I could get the Adobe suite for $55/mo. (yes, not a direct price comparison, but I assume you drink more than one espresso drink a month), but that final product is mine. I have complete rights to anything that I create with the Adobe suite.
Certain things (ex: latte) are known to be to be something I will (in almost all cases) enjoy. There is not a risk that I spend $5 and I don't receive that benefit. The benefit is worth the cost.
The Adobe suite, on the other hand, is more of a risk. I may not be able to create the final product that I want in the month time frame. I may not be able to create something that would be worth $55 to me. While I will own the final product, the files I need in order to edit that project are locked to software needing a monthly subscription fee (with a minor possibility that the software won't even be available at some point in the future).
(Software purchasing means that I have "forever" to use that software and to receive value from it. I feel that I am not pressured to figure out all out within a limited timespan.)
I'm not saying the Adobe suite is not worth the price. People tend to make impulsive decisions. Without much thought, people will spend money for something. Items that are more "software as a service" encourages people to think about if it is worth it or not. That thinking removes the impulsive aspect and makes purchasing less likely.
What also snaps people out of "thoughtless impulsiveness" is if something costs more than the person is expecting. A $200 latte is likely to even cause a billionaire to pause and wonder why that drink is so expensive compared to many other examples. With may items on the Internet being free, items that cost money also cause people to think and pulls them out of impulsive consumption/purchasing.
Finally, people have less risk in the real world when purchasing anything. Giving money over involves no risk and credit card fraud at the point of purchase is typically not thought of. The Internet, on the other hand, is considered a risky place where my financial information is more likely to be stolen by "company I never heard of" being hacked or that site just wanting to steal your information. I feel more at ease purchasing from "company I never heard of" when the purchase is being done with "pay with Amazon" since that unknown company will just get the money from Amazon and will never see my financial information.
Thinking isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, there will be a decent amount of people who prefer not to think and would prefer the impulsive actions. That is why you hear such things as "your website has to catch a person's attention within 10 to 20 seconds or they leave". I better rephrasing is that you have 10 to 20 seconds to tickle someone's "impulsiveness" and you are hoping that they ride that emotion clear through checkout.
There are some things you can read on the internet which will take up a large amount of time to get though all the content.
First off is Admiral Cloudberg's articles about plane accidents. A typical article will take 30-60 minutes to read and there are certainly a ton of articles to go through. They are all at https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/
Second is Damn Interesting which also posts long form articles. You have a few hundred you can dig through there. They are at https://www.damninteresting.com/
XKCD (known for their comic strips) has a What If series of articles that they created. They later on made several books. Still, you can read the articles on their website (even though the articles are shorter than the ones I previously mentioned). The first article is at https://what-if.xkcd.com/1/ and each other article can be accessed with the arrows at the top (or by incrementing the number in the URL).