My wattpad, where the story currently resides: https://www.wattpad.com/user/MosantheMason
(Keep in mind this link will eventually change to a link to buy the book when it’s finished, so read it while it’s still free and see if you like!)
My twitter (might not be used as often, but you can still follow me there if you wish): https://twitter.com/mosan_the_Mason
My Youtube, where I have some of my old 3D animation stuff from collage and where I’ll hopefully be posting more animations if I make any more: https://www.youtube.com/@mason_the_mosan9193/featured
hey uh. google now saves images (I.E./including reverse image search), videos, audio (including voice recordings in search and translate. and "Search Live" but that's an AI thing.), and files you use to search and ALSO SCRAPES THEM to feed ai.
Double-check your privacy settings.
Yeah. Yiiiikes. They also moved some settings from Web and App Activity settings to uhm. I don't know I think it's to the new Search Services History settings where the media saving setting is.
[Transcript:] If your saved media is used to train our AI models, it is disconnected from your Google Account. This training data will be kept for up to 4 years, even if you delete the original activity. [End transcript. ]
Oh great I have no control over it haha that's great /sarc
Google also has this to say (from this article):
[Begin quote:] We take your privacy seriously and take steps to protect it when using your Search Services History data to train our AI models. For example, data is disconnected from your Google Account before it is used to train our AI models or reviewed by our trained service providers. We will seek your permission before sharing your media with these providers for human review as part of the model improvement process. We use filters designed to automatically remove a broad range of identifying info or sensitive personal information. We are constantly working to improve our filtering and safety systems to better protect your privacy. When Search Services History is off, your future activity won't be used to train Google’s generative AI models, unless you provide feedback. [End quote. ]
:/.
Thankfully, you can turn this off. Under the cut is a tutorial for doing this, as well as more (I'd say rather important) info about this media-saving feature. If I've missed anything (especially since the wording on Google makes it seem to me that this may be one of several new features), do feel free to add onto this!
Go to 'My Google Activity'.
Click 'Search Services History'
Once your click it, I think it should show you your history by default (the heading should say 'Search Services History'), but if you're in 'Search Services History Settings', click 'View and delete saved history'.
From there, look through the different sections and look for images, audio, videos, files, etc. If you find any, delete them. This feature seems pretty new (as of writing), and the article is from June 10, so I don't think you have to go TOO far back.
Google's article about Save Media says this:
[Begin quote:] Some activity, like AI Mode or Ask Maps threads, contain links to the product where you can view interactions that include media like file uploads. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] My Activity may display thumbnails of images or videos you've viewed on Search services. These thumbnails aren’t considered your media and so are not covered by your Save Media subsetting. [End quote. ]
After you're done deleting media, click the button that says 'Your Search Services History setting is off/on'.
If 'Save Media' is on, uncheck it. IIRC, it should be already off if you have search history off, otherwise it's on by default.
This will display some disclaimers. I recommend reading the disclaimers (including what's under the 'Learn More' which is pretty much a read more) if you're able to. It's where I found that thing about the training data being kept for up to 4 years.
Anyways, to turn off Save Media, scroll to the bottom of the disclaimers, and you should see the 'Turn off' button turn clickable. If you click it, you've now turned off Save Media! Woohoo!!!
Here's more info about how Save Media works (from this Google article again):
[Begin quote:] What your media includes
Your saved media includes your images, files, and audio and video recordings from your interactions with Search services. This includes things like Google Lens images, recordings from Search Live or Translate speaking practice, content you upload, and voice searches.
Saved media doesn’t include media that you generate or modify with AI. It also doesn’t include media you share publicly on Search services, like photos added to your reviews.
If your media is saved when the Save Media subsetting is on, it’ll be shown in your Search Services History. You may need to expand an activity event or click a link to the original thread in products like AI Mode or Ask Maps to see full details.
You can stop saving your media with your history at any time. If you stop saving media, your existing text-based history, transcripts, and generative AI media responses will continue to be saved to your Search Services History. Learn how to find and delete your Search Services History. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] When the Save Media subsetting is on
When the Save Media subsetting is on, Google can save media from your interactions to your Search Services History. Learn more about what your media includes.
If you use your device without an internet connection, media may be saved in your Google Account once you go online.
If you previously opted-in to donate your image search history to improve Google services with the help of human reviewers, image donation will continue. Learn more about image search history donation. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] When the Save Media subsetting is off
When the Save Media subsetting is off, Google won’t save media as part of your Search Services History. Media from your future interactions with Search services will still be used to respond to you and help keep Google safe, but will not be used to train Google’s generative AI models, unless you provide feedback.
When you turn off the Save Media subsetting:
This doesn’t turn off Search Services History, which can still save your activity on Google Search services. This includes text-based history, transcripts from voice interactions, and generative AI media responses.
Previously saved media that you do not delete can still be used to improve Google technologies.
You can delete previously saved media in your Search Services History at activity.google.com. Saved media that has already been selected to train AI models is no longer connected to your account and is kept for up to 4 years, even if you delete the original activity.
Tip: If you got your Google Account through your educational institution, Google does not use your Search Services History data, including your saved media, to train generative AI models. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] Other places media may be saved
This Save Media subsetting doesn’t affect media saved and managed by other Google services, like:
Gemini Apps
Google Voice
NotebookLM
YouTube
It also doesn’t include media that you post or share publicly on Search services, such as reviews.
Tip:
Media that you generate or modify with AI isn’t covered by your Save Media subsetting and is controlled by Search Services History. [End quote. ]
Here's more from the disclaimers. Some of it is a little redundant, but I thought it made things more specific:
[Begin quote:] Any media that you post publicly, including reviews, info, and any links that you share with others, is not included in this setting. This setting does not affect data that is not part of Search Services History, like data from other settings or features. For example, photos you upload as part of reviews in Google Maps and videos you create with other Google services, like YouTube, are not included. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] Text-based history, transcripts, and generative AI media responses from your interactions with Search services will still be retained and used if your Search Services History setting is on. [End quote. ]
[Begin quote:] This setting does not affect media saved by other settings, like Gemini Apps Activity, or media that you post or share publicly on Search services, including reviews. [End quote. ]
Okay, downloaded and am trying out TyronoBuilder for myself, and the learning curve is so freaking generous.
Where the hell has this thing been my whole life... It's so simple and straightforward that I can easily give it 15-30 minutes a day without any massive headaches.
I'm not promising anything playable soon, but don't be shocked if I drop some goofy ass game in a handful of months.
I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard
Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.
Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.
Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.
Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.
SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.
SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.
Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.
Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.
Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.
Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.
Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.
At the risk of sounding anti-intellectual, I think that college should be free and also not a requirement for employment outside of highly specialized career fields
technically you can, if you don't care about degrees.
Free Harvard courses.
Free Courses from Stanford.
Free Courses from MIT.
Free courses from Yale.
Free courses from Princeton.
Free courses on Coursera.
Free Courses on EDx
Free Courses on Alison
For paid, there's The Great Courses+/Wonderium. 20$ a month for unlimited courses.
When searching, the phrases you're looking for are Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), or you can do a general search of say, "free online college courses."
Oh, and so you don't get surprised like I did, have an avoid: Hillsdale College is a conservative Christian site and not a valid MOOC place. Sign up with them and you will get things like THIS IS WHY THE LEFT IS TURNING YOUR KIDS TRANS AND GAY in your inbox.
I have gotten a (perfectly legal) copy of Tomodachi life.
And I won't say it's not fun, but like.
People spend £50-ish on this? Wow.
You know you can make your own dolls with lollypop sticks right? I'm not saying it's the worst purchase but um. Why not just get a perfectly legal copy?????
I've reblogged this before but I'm realizing a LOT of people think insect mouths are as simple as just a pair of mandibles. As you can see, it is actually a whole device. A complete doohickey. There's a lot of bits to it.
It's tax season in the USA and that means it's time for a yearly PSA for fellow USAmericans!
Don't be fooled by bullshit like Turbotax. If you make less than $89,000 a year (I'd say confidently that's 99% of Tumblr), you are entitled to use the IRS free file tool for your taxes. This page from the IRS lists all the software providers they have partnered with to provide this service. I have only used one on the list, but it was as good as or maybe better than Turbotax, and I repeat, free for the federal tax return. You MIGHT still have to pay a fee to file a state tax return, but it should be nominal. If you don't want to do it online, you can also go to the IRS to print out the forms directly and turn them in.
DO NOT let Turbotax trick you out of money. Drop them like a hot potato. This is a "fuck Turbotax" account.
the nearest depiction of an animal or other sentient fantasy creature to you at this moment comes to life right where it is (i.e. cat photograph, shark plushie, dragon painting, etc)
what happens to you
i am so dead
i need to go to the hospital
maybe a few things to be looked at but i’m fine in the end
i’m totally fine
i’m totally fine and i’m happy
my situation is really really really specific lemme tell you about it
n/a
Voting ended onJan 11
assume it doesn’t know you (unless it’s actually a specific animal you’ve met) and that it’s normal for its species and would do whatever was natural for it. including being too giant for and destroying the room it’s in. as well as dying immediately if its environment can’t support its life
