• Activity
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • New
  • All activity
    1. What are the best websites/programs for creating mood boards / image collages / 'visual lists'?

      Hullo! I'm very much a list person, but I'm also very much a visual person. So, I've found that simple grids of images work really well for me when I want to plan and organize information,...

      Hullo! I'm very much a list person, but I'm also very much a visual person. So, I've found that simple grids of images work really well for me when I want to plan and organize information, aesthetics, etc. However, I've struggled to find my ideal website or program that allows me to do this.

      My wants:

      • To upload images with minimal clicks. (My workflow would likely be to find an image somewhere, get the image's URL, navigate to a page, and upload via URL, without necessarily needing to enter form fields or save an image locally first.)
      • To display medium resolution images as clear thumbnails (e.g. anywhere from 200x200 to 500x500). Enough for detail, but not necessarily "HD".
      • To offer the ability to crop (or even just display) images as square thumbnails (for the purposes of a neat and uniform grid) without me having to go through https://squareanimage.com (real website!) for every single image.
      • To categorize images into groups (i.e. to display a set of images as a coherent little grid/gallery). I'm not picky about whether this is done via fixed category pages, or tags + filtering.
      • To maybe add extra information attached to each image (e.g. descriptions, links, etc.) without necessarily cluttering the grid.
      • As for whether the service is public or private, cloud-based or local, I don't really mind!

      Some of the options I've tried:

      • Wordpress: Really nice grid-based themes, but the "blog post"-based system feels cumbersome for what I'm trying to do (images only). So many clicks to add images and make new posts.
      • Tumblr: Lovely for content discovery, the quick reblog feature saves a lot of clicks, and tagging is flexible. But, this has many of the same downsides as Wordpress (lots of clicks to upload your own images, post-based system), and Tumblr as a platform is so much more than what I'm looking for (don't want/need social features).
      • Pinterest: 10/10 for content discovery -- their image similarity algorithms and image search are unmatched. Wonderful for quickly spinning up a collage of themed pictures. But, horrid for uploading new pictures, given that they'll become public pins with comments/links/etc. Too many clicks + unnecessary fields. I worry about attribution for artists with Pinterest specifically -- I don't want to perpetuate a lack of attribution with publicly re-shareable images. Also, the collages are very busy with ads and unnecessary text. Plus, it's kind of cumbersome to reorganize images between boards if you want to change your board scheme.
      • Pinry: Open source, self-hosted version of Pinterest. Was a bit too rough around the edges the last time I tried to use it, but maybe it's good enough now?
      • Are.na: A bit too... New York trendy? For my tastes. Also, the social elements aren't really my thing... Also, costly!!!
      • Google Keep: Surprisingly good? Perhaps the best option I've tried? For image notes, it's very flexible with regards to grid-based layouts, tagging, adding optional details, adding multiple images to a single note, etc. My main criticisms are that uploading images and tagging notes does take quite a few clicks; the grid stops being aligned the moment your notes begin to differ (e.g. add images of varying size, add titles/details, etc.), so it can start to look a bit visually cluttered; the UI doesn't seem to be designed with many tags in mind; the default layout shows all notes (I never want this).
      • Local files and folders: Dead simple, but with very few features. Thumbnail views in file explorers are really space inefficient compared to grid-based image galleries.
      • Random photo organizing software: Largely geared towards actual photos taken with an actual camera (real life subjects, camera EXIF data, organizing by date taken, etc.). Too many unnecessary features for my needs, not enough features geared towards digital non-photo images (e.g. graphics).
      • "Speed dial" new tab pages for browsers: Helps me organize bookmarks! I like being able to see the icons, like a desktop for webapps. I will use image grids for everything.
      • Artwork grids in media libraries / tracking websites: Plex, MusicBee, Letterboxd, Goodreads, Anime-Planet... you are heaven to me.

      Here is a gallery of screenshots for websites/services I have tried, to give you an idea of how I use these services. The first one (tumblr) is the closest to visually ideal (dense + uniform grid), but Keep is the closest to ideal feature-wise. Surely there is a website or service I'm missing that could be the best of both worlds!

      10 votes
    2. I just switched to an iPhone, what should I do to make the most of this change?

      Basically the title. I've been an Android user since 2012, but have have an iPad and a Macbook that I really like, especially how well they work together. My pixel 5 was on its way out, so I...

      Basically the title. I've been an Android user since 2012, but have have an iPad and a Macbook that I really like, especially how well they work together. My pixel 5 was on its way out, so I finally took the plunge and bought an iPhone 15 Pro earlier this week. I'm still getting everything set up, and I'm particularly excited to play with the different focus modes and shortcuts. I'm curious what apps and features should I be using to make the most of this switch?

      38 votes
    3. Help me ditch Chrome's password manager!

      I've been trying to reduce my reliance on all things Google, and one of the big ones is password management. I've tried several times to make the jump, but every time I start researching options...

      I've been trying to reduce my reliance on all things Google, and one of the big ones is password management. I've tried several times to make the jump, but every time I start researching options I'm overwhelmed by the selection. There are a lot of popular options out there, and I really don't have the time/energy to endure a misstep. So without a clear idea of which manager will check all of my boxes, I end up bailing on the process and keep using chrome's built in option.

      So to start, here's what I like about Chrome:

      • Automatically offers to store passwords without extra clicks
      • Autofills automatically where it can, and gives me an easy choice when it can't
      • Works everywhere I need passwords. (basically everywhere I browse the internet since chrome works everywhere)
      • Minimal overhead. This is hard to beat since Chrome just includes it, so I'm fine with a little extra setup if necessary.

      I used to use keepass portable on a thumb drive (I want to say circa ~2009ish), but it became really inconvenient as my usage shifted more to mobile devices.

      I see this as a first step to also reducing my reliance on Chrome so I can start to consider other browsers. Right now I feel locked in to Google's ecosystem, but I know I can break it up if I don't get too bogged down by choice. Much appreciate any help. :)

      34 votes
    4. Kagi recently changed their dark mode, fix inside

      Since I know quite a few tilderinos use Kagi (far higher percentage than the standard population) I figured this might interest some of you. Kagi pushed out a new Dark theme that is not dark. It's...

      Since I know quite a few tilderinos use Kagi (far higher percentage than the standard population) I figured this might interest some of you.

      Kagi pushed out a new Dark theme that is not dark. It's possibly even worse than Googles non-dark official Dark mode.

      Here is a CSS fix you can throw in your custom css section in settings that I whipped up for some people in the Discord, should be useful.

          :root {  
        --custom-bg-color: #090c10;
      
        --search-result-gap: 20px;
        --search-result-gap-mobile: 10px;
        --app-bg: var(--custom-bg-color);
        --search-result-title: #fff;
        --primary-visited: #aaa;
        /*! --quick-search-bg: #000; */
        --color-search-input: var(--custom-bg-color);
        --result-item-title-border: rgba(255,255,255,0.25);
        --search-result-date-bg: rgba(255,255,255,0.15);
      }
      
      .__sri-time {
        font-size: 12px;
        border-radius: 2px;
        margin-right: 3px
      }
      
      .__sri-desc {
        padding-top: 3px;
      }
      
      .__sri-title {
        margin-bottom: 5px;
      }
      
      .__sri-url .__sri_url_path_box {
        margin-top: 0px;
      }
      
      @media screen and (max-width: 1300px) {
        .search-result, .sri-group {
          padding-top: 0px !important;
          padding-bottom: 0px !important;
          margin-bottom: var(--search-result-gap-mobile) !important;
        }
      }  
      

      This fixes the colors, padding, and some other general weirdness they introduced. They also don't follow their own variable specs so I introduced two new ones in there so you can modify to your liking (namely padding between links on mobile and desktop).

      26 votes
    5. How do you organize your phone's home screens and apps?

      I've noticed that my phone's home screens have become a bit cluttered and figured it's about time to clean it up. So I tried searching online and found tons of recommendations and suggestions, but...

      I've noticed that my phone's home screens have become a bit cluttered and figured it's about time to clean it up. So I tried searching online and found tons of recommendations and suggestions, but figured I would ask users here if anyone has any tips for productivity or efficiency, or just something that works for you. Might give me some good ideas to try out, and hopefully can benefit anyone else reading this thread.

      Do you have tons of home screens or just one with a ton of folders? Do you use many widgets or not at all? Do you organize apps by how frequently you use them? Or how similar the apps are to each other? By color of the app icon? Or something else entirely?

      Seriously, any help/suggestions/ideas would be appreciated.

      39 votes
    6. Thinking about quitting the Internet

      This is an off-the-cuff, stream-of-consciousness post, so IDK how much sense it'll make. This idea of quitting the Internet is not new for me, but it's also never been a serious,...

      This is an off-the-cuff, stream-of-consciousness post, so IDK how much sense it'll make.

      This idea of quitting the Internet is not new for me, but it's also never been a serious, "consider-the-pros-v-cons" plan, either. Just a kind of knee-jerk reaction to seeing things online that remind me (more and more often, these days) that the 'Net is not what I hoped-and-wanted it to be, and it is becoming less like it, daily.

      But in recent months, for me, I find myself thinking about it more, more often, and more seriously.

      For a bit of context, I am a software developer (I guess), 20+ years in the field, more back-end than front-end, but quite a lot of web development, too. And I've been burned out in my field for the last several years, working occasionally, but mostly just living off of savings ... watching them dwindle, while I try to figure out what else to do with my life.

      I also think there is some kind of burgeoning groundswell towards some similar ideas ... many people becoming more and more disgusted with what corporations and governments have done and are doing to it, trying to find some way to walk away from it w/o completely severing themselves from the modern world. The latest generation of AI and the new magic word, "enshittification" are certainly making more people realize that the 'Net is not headed in a good direction.

      I could so easily go into a long-winded rant about "this isn't the Internet we were promised", and yada ... but whatever. It is what it is, and many people are happy with it, and many, many more are just quietly resigned to it being a necessary part of life.

      For many, many years, I have explored online alternatives, the dark web, assorted distributed-network ideals like Hyperborea and IPFS. I keep seeing potentials, but nothing that ever coalesces.

      Again, just stream-of-consciousness here ... anyone else ever find themselves seriously considering this, or something similarly drastic?

      47 votes
    7. What are some of your daily use/most important apps?

      I just got a new phone, and I opted to download all the apps I usually use manually, rather than having them transfer over automatically. It's like a nice cleanup thing that I get to do every...

      I just got a new phone, and I opted to download all the apps I usually use manually, rather than having them transfer over automatically. It's like a nice cleanup thing that I get to do every couple of years. I feel like I partially should just have a list somewhere of the apps I usually use and was wondering what people would download first (plus if I forgot anything)

      For me, this was my process yesterday:
      Password manager - Bitwarden - mostly so I can copy/paste my logins for everything
      Authentication - Not listing these but ya know
      VPN - MozillaVPN - just something for hostels and travelling
      Browser - Firefox Beta or Nightly - for downloading my new wallpaper and general use (including Tildes!)
      Sleep + Alarm - Sleep as Android
      Car things - My car app, EVGo/Electrify America - getting around and things
      Rideshare - Uber and Lyft - When I'm in a new city!
      Food - Doordash, Grubhub, asian specific food apps - to eat when I'm lazy!
      News - Boston Globe, AP News, BBC - Kinda obvious what they're here for
      Todo - TickTick - Checklists and all that
      Fitness - Fitbit, my smart scale app, and my gym app - general fitness stuff
      Language Learning - Duolingo and Lingodeer!
      Banking + Investment + Payments + Insurance - not listing these but yeah!
      Music + Podcasts - Spotify
      Streaming - D+, Netflix, Vudu, Peacock, Max, Movies Anywhere, Dropout, Hulu, Prime Video, Twitch - General Streaming
      Books - Kindle and Audible
      Messaging and Social Media - Signal, Beeper, Messenger, Discord, Slack, Instagram, etc. - just daily entertainment and connections
      Games - Slay the Spire, Dead Cells, Nonograms, Don't Starve, Cards of Terra, Bloons, etc.

      Bonus Q: I've been thinking of trying to add Obsidian to my general day to day, how? Might ask a question about this later though!

      49 votes
    8. Any RSS feed recommendations that aren't news?

      Just recently started getting into rss feeds. Have set up a feed reader and some feeds for my favorite sports team and some news sites and blogs that interest me. But whenever I look up some...

      Just recently started getting into rss feeds. Have set up a feed reader and some feeds for my favorite sports team and some news sites and blogs that interest me. But whenever I look up some recommendations for new feeds to follow, I'd say 90%+ of the recommendations are news sites like the BBC or NYT as well as tech news sites.

      Does anyone have any feed recommendations that aren't just news websites? Maybe an interesting blog or something entirely different? Thanks.

      I'll drop an interesting one that I found right here on tildes a few days ago, about life in Antarctica: https://brr.fyi/

      60 votes