What You've Done Today - Don't do today, what you can get someone else to do tomorrow

[Malcador]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:58 PM, Gorth said:

My mother died last night. I'm, way too far away from Denmark to participate in any funeral arrangements, so I'll have to follow it from afar.

Before anyone says condolences or similar, I mourned the death of my mother 3 years ago, when I realized, that she had for all intents or purposes that mattered "died" back then and no longer recognized my dad or any of her children. Her brain had deteriorated almost to a vegetative state long before Covid was a thing, so I'm sort of "over it" and resigned myself to the fact that she was "dead" back then and knew I would never speak to her again. It was just the empty shell of a body that got the memo a few years late. I might still get drunk tonight and pull out some old family photos

Belated condolences

[LadyCrimson]

It has been over a year....maybe 1.5 years...

*Win10....check for updates...Restart*

*PRAYS*

Edited March 28, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[Sarex]

I do it on the regular.

[LadyCrimson]

^ I was hoping that this would be the last time I'd care, since with Win11 means Win10 updates will now be largely security stuff, not "feature changes" or whatever. But it'd been long enough for me that maybe there was still a bit of "feature" stuff (eg, that games might care about?) involved. No clue.

Anyway, it seems to have updated, didn't go haywire. Sadly, no method (powershell, cmd) to uninstall Edge has worked. I'd like it gone if it was possible because I don't like fluff I don't use installed, but it's no biggie. I think everything else about my much modified Win10-Pro looks the same, at least on the surface.  >.>

[Malcador]

Following up on webcomics I used to read, apparently the guy behind Sinfest is some QAnon-type now ? I know he changed in like 2010 to make the comic all about social justice and such, but that's wild.

[Bartimaeus]

2 hours ago, LadyCrimson said:

^ I was hoping that this would be the last time I'd care, since with Win11 means Win10 updates will now be largely security stuff, not "feature changes" or whatever. But it'd been long enough for me that maybe there was still a bit of "feature" stuff (eg, that games might care about?) involved. No clue.

Anyway, it seems to have updated, didn't go haywire. Sadly, no method (powershell, cmd) to uninstall Edge has worked. I'd like it gone if it was possible because I don't like fluff I don't use installed, but it's no biggie. I think everything else about my much modified Win10-Pro looks the same, at least on the surface.  >.>

I was able to uninstall it and it does seem to actually be gone, but a broken/ghost shortcut remains in my Start Menu, and it doesn't seem to be easy to remove based on what I've read online.

I think this bothers me more than just having it installed. My primary PC uses Windows 10 LTSC 2019 which didn't come with Edge at all, but my secondary PC uses LTSC 2022 which did. Hmm. Winaero Tweaker and ShutUp10 (both of which I highly recommend both for reverting and changing various Windows settings/behaviors) come with settings to at least prevent Edge from invisibly loading and prefetching crap automatically (even if you literally never use Edge), but no actual proper uninstall.

(e): Running this short and clean-looking .bat seems to have done the trick for me, though I know not what other consequences might arise from it throughout the rest of the OS, and it seems to be targeted specifically at post-2019 LTSC versions: https://gist.github.com/ishad0w/d25ca52eb04dbefba8087a344a69c79c/27e1e32a40c82f5dc46a81dca87ba8842616ae03#file-microsoft_edge_uninstaller_21h1_ltsc-bat A comment at the bottom suggests this .bat has been superseded by the linked "Aveyo" Edge Removal .bat.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[LadyCrimson]

That bat file seems the same directory locations and cmd/powershell strings all the articles I saw all mentioned. I could see all those things in cmd and trying to force-uninstall commands etc did nothing. The more current method link seems to be much more registry altering which since I don't understand what it's doing - outside of also putting in that "don't install on update" tweak as well - I'd be more leery of unwanted affects.

My Edge install seems to be build 111.0.1661.54 and I'd say that's why the force-uninstall etc. stuff would not take/work.

I actually tried to delete all the Edge directories in the Programsx86/Microsoft directory (I backed them up first ofc) - and the darn thing still opened/functioned peachy-keen when I clicked on the start-menu shortcut. Not even an error message (what I was sorta expecting). It must have multiple install locations where the one you can see is a ghost/duplicate or some weird tech thing I have no clue for.  >.>  I think the integration of Edge to the O/S mainly affects MS "apps" - which I pretty much got rid of most or never use/open, but if one did like using a lot of those, it might be 'bad.' Not sure tho.

Not that it matters but I have the Start Menu set up so if I click on it initially all that shows up is C drive link, and I never use the "all apps" view or start programs from it (I always tell programs not to put a shortcut in the start menu), I just type to pop up what I want, or use my taskbar shortcuts, so am not visually bothered.

Edited March 28, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[Raithe]

Still puttering away on the cosplay stuff, still being stalled in parts by bad weather.

Then had some added fun, in that I got the email telling me the SWC tickets had been shipped on Monday, so I gave it a day or two, checked the tracking notice...  and the Royal Mail says it was delivered and signed for on Saturday.   My name. Not my signature. And no-one delivered anything to the house on Saturday morning at the time they said it was delivered.

Now I've got to try and chase up where the hell my tickets have gotten to and what's going on with it.

[Malcador]

My Youtube suggestions are great lately, Tomo-chan is a Girl clips amongst right wing crank videos talking about how to fight the woke and vaccines and Tupac videos 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Malcador

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

My Youtube suggestions are great lately, Tomo-chan is a Girl clips amongst right wing crank videos talking about how to fight the woke and vaccines and Tupac videos 

That's what you get for looking at the funny thread

[Gorth]

6 hours ago, Malcador said:

My Youtube suggestions are great lately, Tomo-chan is a Girl clips amongst right wing crank videos talking about how to fight the woke and vaccines and Tupac videos 

I get an eclectic mix of Youtube suggestion... "More than a married couple, but not quite lovers" videos, Sky News (Murdochs far right propaganda channel) telling Australians why Labour, Biden, equality, alternative energy and human rights sucks, various incel channels who wants to tell me why women sucks and channels focusing on various myers-briggs type quirks (I'm an INTP in case anyone ever wondered)

Makes me really, really curious how those algorithms works based on your search and viewing history

 

Edit: Which sadly leaves me with the constant task of actively searching for various history channels and new Rammstein videos.

[Raithe]

End of the FY, so work is going through that usual type of thing.

Since all my responsibilities are sorted for it, I'm taking advantage to putter away on my Mando stuff between poking at the work thing.

Currently, semi-optimistic.

In the process of weathering it all appropriately, then I have to worry on the strapping and getting leatherwork done before next Thursday....

On the ticket front, apparently they got sent to the wrong address.. and signed for, and no-one commented it was a different address and a person who didn't live there. Royal Mail have collected it all and got it to me correctly, so I have a shiny lanyard and celebration patch and a 4-day pass ... But the pass was cancelled by ReedPop when I let them know there might be an issue, so I'm going to have to struggle with the Registration desk, with photo ID and confimation of order in the hectic crowds on the day. C'est la vie.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

12 hours ago, Gorth said:

Makes me really, really curious how those algorithms works based on your search and viewing history

I am convinced the algorithm is actually a cruel god that feeds off suffering.

[Sarex]

48 minutes ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

I am convinced the algorithm is actually a cruel god that feeds off suffering.

That is why I use private browsing and non google browsers. I even have youtube channels I watch in private/signed-out because I do not want my feed to be polluted with farming channels, chateau renovation or shoe cleaning (you would be surprised how many there are). The downside is that it does make the feed kind of stale.

[Malcador]

I generally am good about not clicking on stuff I am not interested in, I keep my Youtube account just to favourite videos. Looked at history and I realized the anti-Woke crap was probably due to watching a video on differences between branches of Christianity.  Might be missing something but I find it doesn't really follow with what I'm searching elsewhere.

 

[Sarex]

It doesn't in the yt feed but it does in the google discover feed. The stuff that ends up there is plain spooky. Although I heard it explained through location tracking they see devices that are near each other, but my location is always off...

[Bartimaeus]

I highly recommend the "Unhook" Chromium/Firefox extension for YouTube if you want to modify various YouTube behaviors. I kind of forgot that THE ALGORITHM exists in the first place because I have suggestions completely disabled.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[LadyCrimson]

This talk of YT/algorithms reminds me - re: my updating Win10, I finally noticed that "news/interest" feed icon in the r-corner of the taskbar, when my mouse randomly moved over it one time, popping up some tall sidebar, and I was like "wtf." Got rid of that via Group Policy disable, posthaste. I'd already gotten rid of previous similar before, must be a new version. This is a desktop, not a mobile device, go away.

And...another topic:  I saw a review on the film Tetris. Which made me wonder...is there anyone else who has never, not even once, played Tetris? I mean, I know what it is/as pop culture reference, but like many similar popular/fad games, never played it.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

I kind of forgot that THE ALGORITHM exists in the first place

THE ALGORITHM hasn't forgotten you though, and it will take vengeance upon you in retribution.

[LadyCrimson]

If you really don't want to see THE ALGORITHM, you can just bookmark some random YT URL (or your own account URL) that is not the "home" page and use the search bar all the time instead. Which is what I did forever, until I started using a tablet a lot (I find on a tablet I just don't care so much, vs. desktop).

On the PC it's what I still do, because on PC I'm usually looking for something specific in the first place so I can watch it on the big TV or play a song in the background on loop etc.

THE ALGORITHM is only for when you're really bored and don't mind video lottery. Because even when it's taking into account your previous watched/interests, it still pops up with some unrelated random thing now and then (hey, watch this 10 year old horsehoe-ing video that has 200 views!), or it's promoted's, or whatever.

...blah blah ... babbling....blah blah... *slinks out again*

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

THE ALGORITHM hasn't forgotten you though, and it will take vengeance upon you in retribution.

 

33 minutes ago, LadyCrimson said:

If you really don't want to see THE ALGORITHM, you can just bookmark some random YT URL (or your own account URL) that is not the "home" page and use the search bar all the time instead. Which is what I did forever, until I started using a tablet a lot (I find on a tablet I just don't care so much, vs. desktop).

On the PC it's what I still do, because on PC I'm usually looking for something specific in the first place so I can watch it on the big TV or play a song in the background on loop etc.

THE ALGORITHM is only for when you're really bored and don't mind video lottery. Because even when it's taking into account your previous watched/interests, it still pops up with some unrelated random thing now and then (hey, watch this 10 year old horsehoe-ing video that has 200 views!), or it's promoted's, or whatever.

...blah blah ... babbling....blah blah... *slinks out again*

My issue is that I'm actually subscribed to a handful of channels that I want to keep up with, and my home page used to be a disaster of utter garbage YouTube was trying to drown me with. If THE ALGORITHM hadn't so consistently recommended me things that have seemingly zero relation to things I have previously watched and/or the five or so people I'm subscribed to, I would be more tempted to let it be - instead, it was always just funnel town for trash clickbait as well as the legitimately insane, so it had to go.

(e): Okay, yeah, I just disabled Unhook for a second and...Adam Sandler, shorts by INFLUENCERS, car news, random musical artists I've never even heard of...what the hell is all this crap? No, absolutely not.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Sarex]

@Bartimaeus But how do you find new channels to follow?

[majestic]

1 hour ago, Bartimaeus said:

My issue is that I'm actually subscribed to a handful of channels that I want to keep up with, and my home page used to be a disaster of utter garbage YouTube was trying to drown me with. If THE ALGORITHM hadn't so consistently recommended me things that have seemingly zero relation to things I have previously watched and/or the five or so people I'm subscribed to, I would be more tempted to let it be - instead, it was always just funnel town for trash clickbait as well as the legitimately insane, so it had to go.

You should see my Netflix recommendations, it keeps telling me to watch Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai specifically because I liked Violet Evergarden.

[LadyCrimson]

Am I the only one that still uses bookmarks vs. "subscribing?" eg, Asmongold Clips - load bookmark every couple days to see if there's anything new of his I want to watch.

But yeah, I'm not one to faithfully follow any channels regardless, or be logged into accounts etc, so probably different for me overall.

[Bartimaeus]

43 minutes ago, Sarex said:

@Bartimaeus But how do you find new channels to follow?

If you mean specifically me, well, all I can say is my dear Sarex...please consider the person who you speaking to! Do I really seem like the type of person that would find any value in automated suggestions? My first subscription to a channel predated YouTube and Google merging, and I previously mentioned that I'm only subscribed to around 5 channels*. Think about how long that is and how picky I am about movies, TV shows, books, music, et cetera. I don't think I have ever, even once, subscribed to a channel that I just randomly came across by way of YouTube's suggestions/related videos - all channels I have come across have either been by searches that I've done or specific suggestions other actual people have made to me. With the way YouTube currently works and the 'quality' of their suggestions, I do not believe it is even possible for them to suggest anything that would be of interest to me.

*This is not quite accurate, but the spirit of it is: I'm subscribed to around 15 different channels, but only five of them have posted anything within the past year. So what I actually meant is that I'm only subscribed to five channels that are currently active. Little different, but more or less the same.

14 minutes ago, LadyCrimson said:

Am I the only one that still uses bookmarks vs. "subscribing?" eg, Asmongold Clips - load bookmark every couple days to see if there's anything new of his I want to watch.

But yeah, I'm not one to faithfully follow any channels regardless, or be logged into accounts etc, so probably different for me overall.

Well, I don't use bookmarks for frequently visited sites. For example, my process for coming here is hitting CTRL+T (new tab...or F6 if I want to edit the current URL) + "obs" + down arrow + enter -> I am now on the Obsidian forums. It's quicker than using a bookmark, I don't even have to touch my mouse. With YouTube, it's easier to be subscribed because that way I don't have to manually navigate to each channel and then go to the videos tab of each person I am subscribed to (because the "home" of each channel doesn't usually even display new videos for some gosh-forsaken reason). As previously mentioned, I am also subscribed to some people who are inactive, and even some of the people who are active only post a video every 1-2 months, so manually navigating to check would be a patently absurd approach.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Bartimaeus