I made this Zelda Breath of the Wild dice tower for my friend's birthday and I'm so happy with how it came out!! The blue parts glow in the dark and it's my favorite thing
Hey y’all! I finished the pattern for these little guys and you can find it on my etsy now. I put a lot of work into making it detailed with clear pictures, so it should be super easy to follow! If anyone tries it, I’d love to see what you make. And if you have any feedback on the pattern, that is much appreciated too. Link in reblog & comments :)
i hate seeing people now making fun of those who care about privacy online. i've seen people saying things like "well they already have your data. what are companies going to do with it" and it's like, that's not the point. it's that companies /shouldn't/ be able to have my data and sell it. am i aware they probably already have my data? yes, absolutely. but i'm still going to try and keep them from monetizing it any further, why are we defending companies selling data they shouldn't have to begin with though?
Adguard adblocker for firefox, for everything that gets past Ublock
Mullvad VPN, one of the most reliable, cheapest and safest VPNs at the moment
DuckDuckGo android app that blocks trackers for every app on your phone
DuckDuckGo for firefox for blocking trackers and the likes
SponsorBlock for firefox, skips the sponsor segments of youtube videos
Adaway Adblocker for android (works much better with root access but doesn't require it)
Is there any benefit to using multiple ad blockers at once? I honestly don't know, but I haven't seen a single ad on the internet in ages and I get to use this image:
I hate when I say things like "oh I want an ipod classic but with bluetooth so I can use wireless headphones" and some peanut comes in and replies with "so a smartphone with spotify?" No. I want a 160GB+ rectangular monstrosity where I can download every version of every song I want to it and it does nothing except play music and I don't need a data connection and don't have to pay a subscription to not have ads and don't have popups suggesting terrible AI playlists all over the menus.
Gimme the clicky wheel and song titles like "My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade- Blood (Bonus Track)- secret track- album rip- high quality"
Okay, for real: What people making these posts want already exists, and it's not 3D printed off Kickstarter. It's called a DAP (digital/dedicated audio player) and the one I use cost 75 USD.
Many DAPs are drag and drop, almost all modern ones use USB-C and huge capacity micro SD cards, and most have some kind of physical buttons or wheels. Mine has a couple of physical buttons for playback control and a small touchscreen for navigation, kind of like the 7th gen ipod nano.
The Tangara is (in theory) nifty, but it's a tinker's toy. Its novelty is in its take-apartability, which is grand if that's what you want, but it's not unique for being an MP3 player in 2025.
Forget 160GB. Most mp3 players these days use flash storage via microSD cards. So, theoretically unlimited storage. There’s a limit on how much they can do at once (mine has a 256GB limit), but you can easily swap cards if you need more space.
This thing has been out of print for like, 26 years and some of us want to make chubby classic pikachu so uh... I figure it's okay to share bc it's kinda hard to get your hands on the remaining physical copies.
Bonus points: Aelith made some embroidery/applique files for it too
This is FREE, please don't pay for the pattern.
Only the EMBROIDERY is paid.
Remade by AeilithArt so that we could use the pattern without like, destroying it. It's not exact since it's trace, but it's p much the same
unironically i think we need to bring back computer labs because APPARENTLY some people WERENT taught basic computer literacy and internet safety in school
things about computers/the internet i think kids should be formally taught in schools because theyre important to know and the amount of soon to be grown adults i know who know NOTHING about any of these is quite frankly almost all of them (and resources to learn if you dont know these things, because its never to late to get better with computers)
how to troubleshoot by yourself when you have a technical problem
what common file types are
some very basics on how to use ""developer tools"" on your computer (because i cant think of a better way to refer to them) like task manager and command prompt (and their mac equivalents, terminal and activity monitor ofc)
how to read and understand a privacy policy and what your personal data is, as well as what it being collected actually means and steps you can take to keep it private
how to understand terms of service
(hey. if you have trouble with reading legalese and worry about being able to understand these policies anyways, here's a site that gives basic summaries of privacy policies and ToS)
what a cookie actually is
internet privacy and your digital footprint!! seriously i dont know why we stopped teaching people that they shouldnt be putting their entire real identity online in a world where your online actions can ruin you irl
basic safety measures like antivirus software (and why you should use it or if the built in one on windows or mac is enough for you) and backing up your computer (also a mac guide)
common keyboard shortcuts (and on mac)
as an additional note: things i think everyone should know on computers and the internet but schools may bit hesitant to teach about for whatever moral/legal standards schools pretend to operate on
vpns and adblockers! (btw for most of these where you can pay for things im purposefully not recommending any specific software but seriously just use ublock origin for an adblocker)
how to not get a virus while pirating something
what a temporary email is and when to use one
red flags that you shouldn't trust a website (and how to quickly check the security of a site)
what javascript on a website does and how to disable it to get around paywalls
ok one last addition! if you want to take it one level higher, i think learning the very basics of at least one programming language is good for people. it makes computers less scary and it makes you feel very cool, and a lot of people get discouraged about it because it seems overly complicated and hard to learn outside a formal classroom setting, so heres some resources for learning the very basics of python (because i consider it the easiest language to learn and knowing one language will make it easier to learn others)
an online compiler so you dont need to download anything or worry about running code directly on your computer if that makes you nervous
a basic video guide to introduce you to python and walk you through beginner steps
a guide to some syntax and commands you should know (this was literally my lifeline in my first CS class)
some performance tasks to give you things to code to practice and assess yourself
Hey guess what?
Firefox's creator, Mozilla, is considering whether to integrate an AI button/feature into their browser.
If you, like me, use Firefox and wish to offer feedback, here is the thread: https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/discussions/share-your-feedback-on-the-ai-services-experiment-in-nightly/td-p/60519
Mozilla changed their ToS to something really broad and vague (emphasis mine): “When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and interact with online content as you indicate with your use of Firefox.”
Or as someone on slashdot put it "a very disturbing "You Give Mozilla Certain Rights and Permissions"
Mozilla, which touts being privacy-focused (and used to respect users), removed the guarantees of their not capturing, recording & using our browsing data.
And they might start using your data to train AI (which they've denied), and the AI chatbot is now apparently enabled by default (I haven't updated Firefox yet so haven't noticed), which was what many, many users said they didn't want in the above thread.
If you're not a fan of Mozilla/Firefox following the enshittification route of the internet, I'd recommend switching to Librewolf, a fork of Firefox, but opensource and focused on privacy features from the get-go (recommended by my geek sibling, and other users I've seen on the above thread).
(There might be others, like Brave, but that's chromium based and I haven't tried it so can't speak to that.)
I wish there was more empathy and understanding extended to transmasculine people who don’t feel like DIY is an option for them, rather than the same unhelpful or discriminatory comments made about how we’re all fake trenders and Real trans people would gladly put their health and safety on the line to physically transition, how it’s not actually that unsafe and we should just “man up” and do it already or whatever else. Speaking as someone currently taking T through official pathways, there’s a lot of risks involved especially with prior family history that I don’t want to mess around with and want monitored by a doctor. And I’m educated enough to know that anything I put in my body that hasn’t been subject to an official regulatory body (and even then I’m careful) is putting me at risk, and I’m personally invested in survival and the survival of my community members above all else. If you’re okay with those risks that’s up to you, but if you’re going to throw a fit that people are deciding not to and educating others about those risks and dismissing them as “fearmongering” it just reeks of privilege. Not all of us can afford to play with our health to get the body we want, and that’s on society’s restriction of access to HRT, not on us.
also some of us are fucking racial minorities. some of us know that the risks of having an illegal substance are FAR greater for us than they are for white folks.
Hey i’m a fashion design student so i have tons and tons of pdfs and docs with basic sewing techniques, pattern how-tos, and resources for fabric and trims. I’ve compiled it all into a shareable folder for anyone who wants to look into sewing and making their own clothing. I’ll be adding to this folder whenever i come across new resources
Updated just now with new hand sewing resources (mainly buttonholes) and textbook pdfs on fashion history, fashion illustration, and thinking through designs!
As more and more people are being forced to switch to Windows 11, Microsoft's most AI-malware-ridden OS yet, I've been putting together articles and links for how to undo the damage and save your battery, your RAM, your disk space, your privacy, and your sanity from this bullshit.
FIRST:
The easiest way to get rid of the majority of the bullshit that Windows is forcing on us, as of October 2025, is this one-stop-one-click debloat solution from a modern day hero:
A simple, lightweight PowerShell script to remove pre-installed apps, disable telemetry, as well as perform various other changes to customi
It's very easy, even if you're not tech savvy or get scared of pop up windows saying "ARE YOU SURE?" Yes, you are sure, I promise. This program takes maybe two minutes and will save you SO MUCH pain, time, and money (and exploitation).
Now that you've done that, here's the cleanup, to catch the little shit that the debloat might have missed (most of this will already be done by debloat, but hey, it's good to double check).
Microsoft wants to put AI everywhere on your PC, but you can take back control.
Even just reading about some of these features makes me angry. Fucking Copilot and "Discover" AI scrapers are in Notepad. NOTEPAD. And then there's this uncanny valley garbage:
No uncanny valley video calls for me, thanks! (Also, what else is it doing while it scans your face and listens to your calls? What else, microsoft? Because there was a lot of memory being assigned to this program for a simple "smooths your skin" add on).
Tired of Microsoft pushing ads throughout Windows 11? Here are the settings you can tweak to turn them off and reclaim some privacy.
The truly insane number of places they have stuck ads on your own home computer is sickening. Become Unmarketable.
Bonus:
Some background programs you probably don't need that are taking up space and how to remove them (Microsoft forums, 2024)
Your Samsung Galaxy Phone comes with 22 apps you don't need (Android Police, 2025)
How to disable the AI in firefox (still the only browser that lets you do this permanently) (Windows Report, 2025)
I finished the last constellation tonight. All 40 of them are now done! Went through and double checked and every stitch is in place for them and all the beads are in place. Which just leaves the milky way part to do.
Started stitching the Milky Way in. Slowly making progress on it as I am hiding the travelling thread so the back will look nice.
Looks pretty cool and keeps the readability of the other stitches. Very happy with it. Just a thousand or so to do. As they are in a grid roughly every centimetre apart.
Update on the constellation quilt. I have gotten the last Milky Way stitch done now. Which means the quilting part of this project is done. My next step will be to baste the edges down, remove the pattern, trim the quilt square, and lastly attach the binding.
Progress on the constellation quilt has come along quite a lot now. Finished the binding on the quilt over the weekend. I prefer to machine stitch the binding to the front then hand stitch the back side. It gives such a nice finish to the quilt. Took the time to measure it also and it ended up being 72" by 72" (183cm by 183cm).
With that done I could finally start removing the pattern. Which is taking both less time and more time that I thought it would. As it rips really easily so that goes fast, but the tiny corners and removing it under the beads is slow. You can now see the difference in the glow effect with it against the dark front of the quilt instead of the pattern.
Behold the stars of the constellations of the northern sky! I love how this quilt has turned out. It was a lot of fun to work on and the effect is so cool in person. Overall I would estimate it took about 90-100 hours to complete. Give or take 10 hours if you want to count the time I spent custom dying the fabric.
I made sure to get a nice photo of it in daylight. For once I also remembered to get a quilt label on it. The back really shows the difference in readability of the quilting on the ice dyed fabric compared to the solid front. Thank you everyone that has followed this. I am glad you all found joy in it.
Those that are interested, here is the pattern I used by Haptic Lab. I made the large northern hemisphere version, and plan to make the matching southern hemisphere one next year. I also got your back for the less crafty people. Haptic Lab sells finished quilts in this pattern, both as a large quilt and a small one.
I hadn't made a leafkerchief since I made that video tutorial a few years ago, but I've just made another one in rusty brown cotton. This time, instead of joining the veins to the midrib in a straight line, I curved them on that end too. It took a while to do all the painting but I think it makes the overall effect a bit better.
I still need to heat set the ink, so haven't worn it yet.
Do check this out people. I had manually switched all the gemini nonsense off months ago, but when I went and checked just now it was all switched back on.
Important note: Definitely do Method Two. Method One will make the chat feature invisible, but it may pop up again; Method Two will make it go away entirely.
hey did you know??? that if you stop stretching and maintaining mobility in your body then it goes away?? things get tight and you can't move the way that you used to??? and when you decide to try getting a stretch routine going that the first week fucking sucks because you keep going 'damn i used to be able to do this no problem' and then you have to switch gears and be kind to yourself and just focus on getting better from here instead of berating yourself for dropping the good habits in the first place??? and your body never stops aging so you gotta keep taking care of it and sometimes you gotta take care of it extra in certain areas because of things that happened when you were younger and it's boring and sometimes hurts but it's so necessary???
i am yelling this at myself right now i am going through An Experience (trying to get into a routine of body maintenance again for my physical and mental health)
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
tangentwithtanner
pixelskylines
dededos
vaporwave
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
