Finally have some free time to start moving away from a Gmail email address. Can anybody recommend a fully hosted email service provider? I can pay. Something like Fastmail, with the ability for aliases, and a clean, HTML, designed interface that isn't trying to be an app in a browser? But the ability to view messages as plain text. I'd use Fastmail but they don't work with my VOIP mobile numbers and constantly engage in union busting so want something else. #Email #AskFedi #privacy
Windows #LibreOffice experts, how can I actually check grammar? In Microsoft Word, you can check grammar, but it’s very aggressive and it’s also very wrong at times, so I want to compare the LO grammar checker, but can’t figure out how to enable it, nor check for grammar when I’m checking for spelling errors. Can someone send me a written tutorial? I know YouTube tutorials exist, but I find them parsley useless because I use a screen reader. #AskFedi
At this point, Mozilla is a parody of itself. Here's an idea. Quit trying to revolutionize the internet and just make a goddamn browser. #Mozilla
I find it amazing how #RSS and quietly powerful internet spaces and such is dead to most mainstream people. Longer post later, but for now, my initial thoughts. Is tech detox good and healthy? Absolutely! For the first time, though, I felt like this episode was missing something. I just listened to the tech won't save us episode about basically detoxing yourself from smart devices/smart phones and it struck me as immensely strange that not once did she mention exploring quiet internet spaces, personal blogs, quiet forums, more intentional apps, such as an RSS reader, to get news, as an example, but digital literacy is at an all time low. Like I said previously, we all were taught how to use the technology but not have a clue how the technology works so I kinda feel these anti-tech perspectives from folks to be the exact right idea, but there's an air of missing a few points? Like I get it. Absolutely nobody should learn what XML code is, but like, I found myself thinking, if you read personal blogs, as an example, you'll never get the superficiality found in mainstream journalism. If you use tech to read alternative media, you'll never deal with social media news ever again. This is the first time I found myself actually thinking like, actually? the best parts of the web are fantastic and nobody is seeing it, at all. Nobody is experiencing it. Nobody's experiencing this fantastic corner of the web. https://techwontsave.us/episode/278_the_case_for_a_digital_detox_w_casey_johnson #Internet #Tech
AI rip-offs targeting sapphic books #AI @bookstodon group #PSA #Books
Other audiobook readers, this happened to me on 3 different apps now so I wanted to alert others of this. As I usually do, I look up what new books my favorite narrators have narrated. Now, when I click on the narrator name, I am treated with audiobooks with their AI clone instead of their human narration. I already checked. That narrator is alive and still is recording audiobooks. Always listen to audiobooks before you make a purchase/borrow. Even now, it is incredibly obvious which ones are AI and which are narrated by the original human. This has happened to me on Hoopla, Libby, and on Audible so far. I know the audiobook narrator I looked up works for Recorded Books. It would not surprise me if they claim that they will never produce AI narrated audiobooks and then turn around and exploit their narrators without them knowing about it. I took the liberty of emailing the narrator about this. This was his reply. Robert, Thank you very much for alerting me about the clone of my voice. As a Black narrator, this deeply troubles me, especially since I did not make this clone nor did I authorize it's creation. I will be extra vigilant as to what publishers I work with in the future and will make my displeasure very clear. I cannot thank you enough for your advocacy and for alerting me. In a hostile world that's more than willing to embrace this technology, we desperately need more people such as yourself. Thank you again, my new friend! #AI #Audible #Libby #LibbyApp #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Library #libraries
The current drama in the book world consuming all of my attention is this Britt Andrews Kickstarter. Her supporters gave her a total of, well, more than $95k for a Romantasy book and she buys a restaurant. Ahem! Just wow! I just don't understand why she didn't hire a ghostwriter with all that money if she didn't wanna write the book. I can't find any good blogs covering this, so here's a channel with videos about it. Like, for real! If you didn't wanna write the book, hire a freaking Ghostwriter instead of buying a restaurant! This is my guilty pleasure when I should be writing. :) https://www.youtube.com/@bookloverlaura #Books #Authors #Author @bookstodon group
My new golden rule. If I spot one AI anything in your work, and yes, I can tell. I'm never financially supporting you, ever, Authors, if you can't be bothered to write it, why should I pay for it, let alone read it? #IndieWriter #IndieAuthor #AI #AIHype
One of my #BookTube guilty pleasures is watching YouTube channels like this one that cover scandals and book and author drama/controversies. Anyone have a podcast equivalent? I find #YouTube to be hostile to use and that’s being nice https://youtube.com/@bookloverlaura @bookstodon group #Podcast #Podcasts
Hey readers, I know I'm not the Sun Times publishing fake books to read, but if you want books to read that actually exist, instead of listening to #Journalism pour out #AI Slop, I do a monthly recap of interesting things I've read/watched every month! #Books #Journalism #AISlop @npub1y56s...9pyd @bookstodon group @reading group #Reading