Brad Enslen

Mojeek has a post about Leaving Big Tech which suggests many alternatives to big tech services. Lots of good suggestions in that post, but let’s focus on USA retail and some good online alternatives.

Books: Bookshop.org - helps get you away from Amazon and supports local bookshops.

eBooks: Bookshop.org now has ebooks. I like Kobo for ebooks. I’m happy with the Kobo ebook reader I have and I like Kobo’s online bookstore because it is uncluttered compared to Amazon.

Movies and TV: MoviesUnlimited. I prefer to buy movies on physical media (DVD or Blu-ray). Movies Unlimited has been around since before the Internet and they do an excellent job. Someday streaming services will pull the plug on you. Buy DVD’s.

Regular Retail: Instacart can be a big help. They have more than just groceries. Many different retail chains are available through Instacart: pharmacies, big box hardware stores, etc. Think about the stuff you order from Amazon and see if you can get it through Instacart and since it comes through local stores it helps keep them open.

I’m not a big shopper so none of this is profound but these are some very good alternatives to big tech. Of course buy local in real bricks and mortar shops when you can, but for shopping online give these a try.

H/T: JohnBrady.

Your Easter is screwed.

1. The price of eggs in the US is sky high and rising.
2. Eggs are being rationed by retailers.
3. Chocolate Easter eggs and bunny rabbits are gonna be high because chocolate prices are climbing so you can’t substitute chocolate eggs for real eggs.
4. Robert Kennedy, Jr. is no help. He wants everyone to eat roadkill and tree bark or something. So he doesn’t care about your eggs.
5. Corporate America sold you out decades ago. So now cookies and other stuff you might substitute are all made in Canada, Mexico, EU or China and Trump’s tariffs will be in effect long before Easter so prices will rise sharply and/or supply might be cut off.
6. President Musk is firing everyone in sight. You may not have a job. And even if you don’t work for the US government, but if your corporate employer sells goods to the government your job might be axed too because there are no gov bureaucrats left to answer your emails.
7. But never mind, you can still go to church on Easter Sunday and worship. Pay no attention to the ICE agents, kicking church doors in and rounding up your fellow parishioners during communion.

I have not used it but Sill Social looks interesting. Sill monitors your Bluesky and Mastodon timelines for links being shared. It alerts you how many times a link is shared so you know what is popular and trending.

I can see where a service like Sill could be useful, because at some point timelines on Bluesky and Mastodon become more than you can keep track of. The more people you follow, the more they post, the harder it is to keep up. So if Sill helps you track the important stuff that’s a big help.

The second thing I like is it’s built around tracking hyperlinks and not things like keywords or simple reposts. Hyperlinks are the heart and soul of the Web. It’s not a perfect measure, but it is an interesting one.

I will probably try this because I’m nearing the point where I can no longer keep up with my Masto timeline in particular. Let me know if you have used it and how you liked it.

Trump’s aluminum tariffs means Coke will switch to plastic bottles. Before aluminum cans we had steel cans for beverages. Steel imparted a slight taste to the beverage but I’m wondering if we now have the tech to eliminate that taste from steel cans? Is there some coating that we could use?

Steel would be environmentally more friendly than plastic and infinitely recyclable.

Pro Tips for Valentines Day:

1. Do not buy chocolates at the dollar store. Go to a proper expensive store to buy her chocolates.

2. Buy those long stem flowers at a real florist too. No cheating at the Walmafrt or Menard’s. She can tell.

3. Go whole hog and take her out to White Castle for supper. Spare no expense.

I know it’s expensive, but just take the hit boy, like a man.

You can buy a six pack for yourself on the way home.

Forget the holiday today. That’s all hype. This is Frozen Pizza Friday and there is no pizza rationing! Yet.

Tonight’s frozen pizza will be my choice of sausage supreme or just sausage, because sometimes it’s good to encounter pizza sausage alone and in it’s natural state. Dessert will be some factory made, no sugar added, cherry pie. Because pie.

I keep seeing headlines taking Canada becoming the 51st US state seriously. Don’t take Trump’s blovation seriously because it is not going to happen. Canadians are quite happy being a separate country. And nobody seems to ever factor the Provence of Quebec in. French speaking Quebec has most of the minerals, and becoming part of the US would weaken their political and cultural position greatly. They are not going to play.

Don’t play Trump’s game and take it seriously, just laugh at Trump, because he hates that.