Small Glowbug Tweak
I love the automated post functionality I have on this blog. But I hated seeing the times when my homepage is entirely those posts because I take some time off posting. So now what I do is it puts the most recent automated post on the homepage, and then it skips further automated posts.
Those automated posts are available on that day's archive page.
Colbert is brilliant
I really enjoy this interview and Colbert has a lot of great nuggets in it.
My favorite quote about chess comes from Mikhail Tal:
You must take your opponent into a deep dark forest where 2+2=5, and the path leading out is only wide enough for one.
January 13th, 2025
Automated Archives for January, 13th 2025
This post was automatically generated.
Chess For the Day
Record: 2-0-3
Net Elo Change: -5
Games Played
Blog Posts On This Day
- January 13, 2024 (1 post)
- January 13, 2023 (6 posts)
- January 13, 2022 (1 post)
Will and Harper (2024) - 5 of 5 Diamond Earrings
This has been on our list to watch since it came out. We finally got to it, and it was even better than I hoped it would be. What a touching look at friendship and stark look at being transgender.
January 12th, 2025
PrivacyGuides.org
Privacy Guides is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run project that hosts online communities and publishes news and recommendations surrounding privacy and security tools, services, and knowledge.
This is a fantastic resource with lots of recommended tools and information on how they work.
My Firefox Addons & Plugins
I think it's perhaps a good time for me to share my current Firefox plugins. You don't have to use these, but I'm sharing it as a reference in case others need them. (Also, it's useful if I get a new machine and need to find my plugins quickly.)
Bitwarden - My password manager of choice. Please, use a password manager. I wrote about them in "Hacked 101," an older post about security.
Privacy
I have a set of plugins which I use to try and minimize trackers and other 3rd-party data gatherers. They can be annoying sometimes as they will sometimes interfere with page functionality, but if you regularly visit new pages and corners of the internet, this sort of privacy is excellent.
DecentralEyes - This tool is dedicated to trying to prevent tracking from sites which utilize data-gathering content delivery networks for things like Javascript, etc.
Privacy Badger - Run by the EFF, it blocks invisible trackers on pages.
uBlock Origin - Again, it blocks problematic elements on pages, as well as ads.
While not a Firefox extension, and thus not part of this post's central theme - I do utilize a PiHole for the house which also blocks ads and trackers for our entire network.
Extra Functionality
Containers - Containers is a functionaltiy offered in both Firefox and Chrome. I don't know if Edge provides it. But essentially it lets you segment your internet usage. I do the vast majority of my web usage in the primary container, but sometimes I will open a new container, or as you'll see, some sites are cordoned off.
Container Bookmarks - Allow me to set bookmarks to open in specific containers.
Facebook Container - This extension puts all of Meta's properties into their own container, greatly hampering Meta's ability to track me across the web.
Sticky Window Containers - With Containers, my primary use-case is for differentiating work and personal web browsing. This plugin opens new tabs in the same container as the first tab in the window.
TamperMonkey - Once upon a time there was a plugin called GreaseMonkey. It allowed you to write scripts which were executed on pages which matched settings. So you could automatically hide things on websites, or add additional functionality, etc. Greasemonkey is no longer maintained, but there are a number of forks, such as this one.
MarkDownload - Markdown is a text-only syntax which provides formatting of text, such as bold, etc. The back end of this blog is written in markdown, and I maintain a personal library of markdown text in an Obsidian MD vault. This plugin makes it easier for me to pull text from the web into this blog, or into Obsidian.
Reddit Enhancement Suite - Yes, I still use Reddit. Yes, I still use the old template on Reddit. RES provides a multitude of functions on Reddit which make the site usable for me. I hate the redesign and rely on RES.
Simple Translate - A quick in-browser context menu-based translation plugin.
Unpaywall - If I come across an academic paper I want to read but which is pay gated, this tool quickly checks to see if that paper is available for free elsewhere on the web.
Media
BetterTTV - A staple for many who watch Twitch. It adds functions and emoji to Twitch chat.
Return YouTube Dislikes - YouTube hides the dislikes of a video now within their API. This plugin re-adds it to the videos (when able.)
Save WebP as PNG or JPG - WebP has a lot of upside for websites, but it is not yet fully embedded and useful when downloaded on desktops. This plugin allows me to easily download a webp into a more usable format.
January 11th, 2025
"The Ministry of Time" (2024) - 3.5 of 5 little cats
From the book listing:
A BOY MEETS A GIRL.
THE PAST MEETS THE FUTURE.
A FINGER MEETS A TRIGGER.
THE BEGINNING MEETS THE END.
ENGLAND IS FOREVER.
ENGLAND MUST FALL.
There are several ways to tell a story.
I finally finished this book, taking my sweet time doing so (I blame Balatro for that at least some, but not entirely.) Truth is that the story did not grab me until the final act. There, it swept me in, and I quickly tore through the final pages.
Looking back, I had found a handful of turns of phrase which I highlighted. Most are spoiler-laden so I won't share them here, but here are a few choices ones.
In a discussion about religion:
Belief has very little to do with rationale. Why demand a map for uncharted territory?
Next is a line that I thought this was an interesting social observation.
Most friendship quartets don't function in squares but in lines
And lastly this line:
Most things don't happen. Mostly the universe is parking space
Inside Out 2 (2024) - 5 of 5
As I've documented before, Inside Out represents a genre I deeply enjoy, and this sequel is no exception. I greatly enjoyed the movie and look forward to watching it again.
January 9th, 2025
The next big growth in email functionality is going to be when they enable you to reveal the email distribution but limit who gets replies. I don't BCC to hide the distro list (usually) from the recipients, instead it's almost always to avoid folks getting spammed with replies.
