I've been searching online for some trinket/budget gifts but couldn't find anything interesting. The person I have in mind for the gift is in his 60's, into tech and a geek, although the gift doesn't necessarily need to cater to his geeky side.

I'm just dropping the question here since Lemmy has a solid geek/tech userbase, and maybe some of you have better ideas than me.

TIA

And if yes, what are the implications? Are times changing for piracy in this regard?

I'm asking since I've been noticing headlines every odd day or so about different streaming sites getting shut down. I don't know if this is because people are sharing these types of news more now, or if it's because in fact the tides are turning significantly and now companies and governments have more control and power over the web.

Is it just me getting fear mongered with these headlines or is it for real? Any veteran pirates out there that can share some thoughts?

I want to know. I don't care if it's a fancy artisan gelato or just your regular soft serve at McBurger's. Do you have a flavor you like? Perhaps a brand? Perhaps you make it yourself? If you're getting scoops, do you have a preference for which flavor goes on top of the other? Do you like wafer cones or are you a cup person? Any toppings?

I always prefer gelato, and some of my all time favorites are sabayon, mascarpone, anything with rum/berries/sultanas, and choc chip mint. I prefer cup to cone. When I was a kid I used to love the soft serve cones but as I grew up they started making me sick so I avoid them now.

go easy on me guys this is the first time I ever have something like a showerthought

I used to be good at time management and very motivated in my career. Then about two years ago I lost a close friend over a strong disagreement and then lost my job.

Slowly but surely I became a bit depressed and had some physical health issues. I'm seeing a therapist already, and a few months ago I finally managed to get a plebe job at a retailer, but when it comes to doing my personal work that would open doors in my industry I just can't seem to find the time and motivation to do it.

Don't get me wrong. I got plenty of time available, I just find myself being ridiculously avoidant or distracted or tired, you get the idea. And, no, I don't use social media much, I don't videogame or binge shows. I just get distracted with house chores or simply overthinking.

I've already tried lists, planning and goal setting ( all this comes naturally to me), but it makes no difference.

I've tried reducing the expectations and goals, no difference. I still don't do anything.

I tried apps to keep track of my progress; also useless.

I've even considered finding a life coach, but I get the feeling they're a scam. Unfortunately I don't have any friends or relatives that can help me stay on track with my goals.

TLDR I'm getting a bit desperate here. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Just out of curiosity. I don't have a real need for this.

So I've been trying to find info on my great-grandparents but after snooping around in ancestry.com and familysearch.com I realise there are no records for any of my parents, grandparents or great grandparents online. At least not on those sites.

And so I'm here wondering, what happened with those records? Anyone had any luck searching elsewhere? I've tried googling the names and nothing comes up either. Hooray for privacy I guess?

I'm not too bad at casual writing but when it comes to sales, especially to sell my skills, I keep feeling like I lack a certain grace or flair with words.

Chat gpt can help with suggestions but I always find anything I write with its assistance feels, well, robotic in a way. Awkward.

So I'm reaching out to you for your inspirational word material out there. English isn't my native language so I'm hoping to improve it further with your suggestions. Authors? Websites? Perhaps eloquent YT creators I can learn from transcribing what they say?

Thanks

Turns out I have a disc bulge between two of my cervicals and it's pinching a nerve, which is very very painful and weakening my arm and finger sensitivity.

I'm not here asking for advice, rather to get an idea of what's down the road for me depending on the type of treatment I'll end up following. I am seeing a doctor, I have an appointment tomorrow. I also had a CT scan done.

So basically if you've had something similar anywhere on your spine I'd appreciate to know about it. Did you recover fully? How long did it take? What treatment did you follow? Did you complement it with anything such as specialized exercises, acupuncture, massage or else?

There is this guy I like, I have reason to think he may like me too but we're both playing dumb, or maybe I'm just imagining it all.

Yes, that's how immature I am. Now please help me.

We've known each other for years and we seem to get close to each other, then we take distance, then close again, repeat, repeat, repeat.

I'm terrified of losing him as a friend for trying to be more than just that. I've already lost people for showing my interest and I've also had to burn the bridge with guys who wouldn't give me space or kept hitting up on me repeatedly. This happens.

I would like to create a consistent, regular conversation going on. I'm afraid of overwhelming him so I don't even know what's a good frequency to reach out.

Personally the biggest challenge for me is finding ways to deepen our conversations. Things tend to stay pretty much on the surface most of the time, even though we can talk of almost any topic openly. Another barrier is our very different interests, we have almost no shared media in common (different music, different shows watched/liked, different videogames liked etc).

Usually when talking to other friends, conversations tend to naturally steer towards more meaningful topics. I don't know if I'm inadvertently holding myself back with him, or if finding meaningful topics has always been a thing started by the other person and I've never realized it.

So, any tips?

Have you got ways to deepen conversations?

Guys, have girls ever impressed you positively and how?

Thanks

Seen this in many houses, people upgrade their lighting setup and install a dimmer. Which works. But usually it also makes the lights flicker unintentionally, which is super annoying IMO.

Now, my understanding of electrical engineering is pretty rudimentary so I'd appreciate more something that explains the concept in a way that Cavewoman Mothra can understand rather than something technically accurate.

Thanks

Many times I've received enquiries through Artstation which are obviously fake.

The ones that puzzle me are always some RandomUnremarkableName + Number saying they're thrilled about my work and want to purchase it. No links, no job offers, no nothing.

Real people always give context as to which piece they want and why or something. I just ignore these weird generic fishy ones and move on.

So what's the deal with this? Are they just hoping to get my email address so they can sell it as part of a spam mailing list? Or is there something else?

Please go easy on me, I'm not very tech savvy. So I got a new android phone, and everything is ok except the audio. This is using the same headphones I used with my old phone, so I'm not talking about improving the phone's speakers or headphones, but the quality of the sound as it is processed in the phone itself.

There is an equalizer (Dolby Atmos) but after trying every preset and option available I give up. They all sound tinny or kind of muffled. My old phone had just a basic "Moto Audio" and it was great. Both phones are Motorola and I'm disappointed to see this downgrade.

So the question is, can I install something to fix this and if yes, what type of app am I looking for?

Thanks