Go into this completely blind - do not watch the trailer, do not read about it first, just take a deep breath & enjoy the ride
Go into this completely blind - do not watch the trailer, do not read about it first, just take a deep breath & enjoy the ride
My other half has new Ultra, I have an older Ultra model. Stuff i find invaluable that she hasn’t used once:
I try to use my phone as a Swiss army knife. Stuff I rely on that most normal users likely dont realise their phone can do:
And most importantly …using the camera in landscape so images/video can be viewed properly on a TV or monitor. And not using digital zoom in the dark to record an entire concert from row Q
Simplest option is probably speak to sales staff & specifically ask about the set up process. It might be worth phoning a couple of reputable TV vendors as they may have more understanding than the spotty herberts in the sheds at the local retail park.
I last bought a TV outside of your preferred time frame but back then Panasonic made, what for my needs, was the best panel for the price & didnt insist on having internet in order to set it up (no idea whether this has changed with current generation models)
It doesnt help with your hdmi concerns, but what about blocking the TV at router level or restrict it by putting it on VLAN/guest network then disconnecting it from the internet forever once set up.is complete?
mobile Chromium doesn’t have ublock anyway…
Kiwi browser on Android is Chromium based & has had the ability to add extensions such as uBlock for years
Everyone knows the popular ones so here’s a shout out to a few that are perhaps not so commonly known:
My most used can no longer live without app:
Ha I once fell for this same issue with the exact same bars. To be fair they’re so darn tasty I’ve fallen for it again several times since!
Late to the party but just another vote for Nextcloud. I used a paid subscription initially but then took the plunge, bought a Pi 4 & SSD for storage then read up & figured out how to self host.
It was my first experience with Linux, I fell over many times but dont give in as after all the hair pulling & teeth grinding it becomes rewarding & even a little “fun” when you get there & then become confident enough to take on & complete further Pi projects.
The Pi can handle Libre Office (synced through Nextcloud, handled on mobile by Collabora Office).
Whilst you’re at it, why not sync the notes you’ll inevitability make on your self hosting journey through your Nextcloud instance? Try Joplin & do away with Google Docs, Evernote etc into the bargain
Like others I used Liftoff but had to move on when API broke it & dev is getting on with real life stuff.
Moved to Voyager. It’s good but as an android I still find it a bit strange using what looks like iOS interface. I still get a bit lost when uploading a post & usually have to edit it a few times. No biggie, maybe I should post more & get used it it 😃
I still miss the Joey app from the other place.
I tend to go with Panasonic because they make excellent panels. Mine doesnt have ads anywhere in the UI & doesnt have a camera or mic. Our set was originally released in 2021 & still looks great. The menus aren’t great but once its set up we never use them, its turned on/off & thats it. Never connect it to the net. Ours is connected to HTPC & amp
An alternative would be to get a monitor & connect USB TV tuner to your media PC/HTPC
Nothing sophisticated, I just have a note for videos. The note has headings (use the [toc] trick at the top of the note to jump directly to the headings without having to scroll through everything)
You could categorise video links by genre or whatever your preference. I chose to categorise by length, say up 10 minutes, 11 to 20 minutes, 20 to 30 minutes & so on. So i set up appropriate headings.
Thats it. I also set up a heading for “Audio” as some videos are essentially podcasts, audio based talks etc & Kiwi browser allows background play.
Its a few extra steps over tapping “save for later” in YouTube app but it takes seconds to copy title, copy url & paste into a note & it caters for videos from any source. To remove myself from the shitty algorithm it works for me
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My method for android & desktop. I never sign in to YouTube & never use the app. Using Joplin synced through Nextcloud (any syncable note taking app would do the trick) I keep a list of channels (“subscriptions”) & interesting looking videos (“watch later”) which I group by length. Obviously, this way the links can be via Piped, YouTube whatever.
I only ever interract through browser which is never signed in. Kiwi browser on Android, Firefox or Brave on desktop. All of them run uBlock + SponsorBlock + DeArrow.
DeArrow is by the same dev/s as SponsorBlock & gives anti clickbait crowd sourced titles & thumbs. Its become an invaluable tool so I’m glad to have paid to offer some support.
All of the browsers have history/cookies etc cleared once closed.
Voyager searches posts & communities. Looks like an iOS app (not surprising given its lineage) which a few months in is still taking some getting used to but its been a good replacement for the no longer developed Liftoff. Definitely worth trying
Came here since the Reddit 3rd party app fiasco. Initially I blocked a load of non English language communities which at the time seemed to fill the All feed. Kept adding to my subscribed communities list then in my app (Voyager after Liftoff stopped being developed) blocked a load of keywords, essentially Trump/US politics related.
Now my Home (subscriptions) feed has some great content. I check out All from time to time to see if I can subscribe to more communities.
Niche communities are still lacking but hopefully that improves over time.
Gilbert O’Sullivan - Alone Again must rank amongst the saddest & also most beautiful
I dunno, we have a decent Dolby Atmos system I’ve assembled over the years which sounds immense & has a setting to accentuate speech, yet I always use subs for TV & movies. My brain is hopeless putting names to faces, the subs help me with this (plus slang & accents).
I think it’s something to do with how my brain processes sound as I have the same issue with songs - my brain doesnt comprehend lyrics, I don’t know the words to songs I’ve heard thousands of times no matter how well known the song is, maybe a few lines from a chorus but that’s about it
Ah fair enough. This never occurred to me as we dont have a power socket in the bathroom. Also I’m a typical man so didn’t bother to read the instruction manual.
My Philips shaver does not work whilst charging. What’s that all about?
Luckily the battery is good but it gives very little warning when its about to run out. I dont grow facial hair very quickly or very thickly but several times I’ve had to leave the house partially shaved. Doesn’t make any sense. That’s the whole point of electricity, to use stuff whilst plugged in!
I dunno if TV is dead per se as we all enjoy watching shows/movies. Not really interested in gimmicks - we only have 4K as all new TV’s are 4K & we only got it because our previous TV failed & they can no longer be repaired.
All i want is a good quality dumb screen. You can stick all your smart features where the sun dont shine, I’ll handle everything via a separate box that I control thank you. I’ll not be at the mercy of your shitty EULA, you won’t monitor my viewing habits or force ads into the UI or remove your dogshit apps without warning. Our TV has never been online, HTPC with a couple of USB TV tuners, uBlock Origin, an interface of my choosing, remote control & lots of storage handles everything. Still perfectly happy watching SD stuff, the only 4K we watch is YouTube.
People allow their TV to connect to the interpipes? Tut tut, I thought y’all were better than that!