Over 150 million people use Discord, based on a Quartz report from July (unfortunately, the report’s paywalled). Imagine tapping into that 150 million people, stealing their data and using it for malicious purposes.
Just today, VTuber Kitsui Akira had her Discord account stolen without her noticing. Taking into account that she doesn’t click on anything malicious and all, her account’s still stolen.
PSA I have been logged out of my Discord & I can't log back in;; And even if I reset password, it says the email doesn't exist. Apparently my account is online right now. Please ignore it if it sends you any messages;; I'm really scared rn, that acc is really important to me..
Secure your account by choosing a secure password and enabling two-factor authentication (I’ll add some extra tips to this at the end of this post).
Set your privacy & safety settings so that Discord an automatically scan and delete every direct message you receive that contain explicit media content.
Follow safe account practices by continuing to not click on suspicious links without knowing it’s safe; by reporting any accounts who claim to be Discord staff to its Trust & Safety Team, and by never giving any account information that can identify you and your account which makes you much prone to socially-engineered theft.
Block other users when needed, especially at the first sight of their phishing DMs.
Nuclear Option: Just don’t let anyone send you anything
As an added bonus for fellow paranoids like me, I am adjusting my privacy settings so that I won’t receive any message from any server ever. I’ve received unsolicited DMs from bots I don’t know, with malicious links on it, which leads me to choose the nuclear option.
I’m also setting my Discord account’s privacy settings to only allow me to add friends. By this, I mean your friends can’t send you friend requests. This will make you more accountable on the Discord friends you add on your list.
Scroll over these privacy settings on your Discord, and if you want to take one step further, just disable all options there.
I suggest keeping these settings for now, especially in these times where rampant coordinated socially-engineered phishing cybercrimes committed by computer crackers are the talk of the town.
Discord can’t do this on their own: It takes two to tango, and as users we are accountable to do our reps ourselves.
Now, if you’re that paranoid and these options don’t work, tell your trusted friends that you will no longer use Discord. I don’t kid you, you’ll probably need another messaging app, as Discord is meant to be IRC on steroids (as described by a Redittor).
Gone are the days when you won’t mind how your site loads. Google has just made Website Optimization a priority.
Google has this measurement called Core Web Vitals. This is Google’s unified guide to a better user experience. Core Web Vitals guides webmasters what they need to improve upon.
On my end, I stumbled upon this measurement called Lighthouse. It’s on Microsoft Edge too, a Chromium-based browser. It tests the site’s performance – how fast it loads, and does it bode well with search engines and screen readers.
Luckily for me, I’m using a theme which has a child theme and plenty of customization features. Since yesterday, mobile users will be seeing the AMP-flavored keepsakes., devoid of custom fonts as well as images on the homepage.
For those on Desktop, you can still see keepsakes. as usual – I just made it faster.
One cause of websites loading slow is the loading of JavaScript and CSS side-by-side with the loading of the web page. JavaScripts help in adding function to the site, and CSS gives it certain styles.
After further tweaking, I decided to change how my site is being optimized. The result: Results went very well.
If youâre a sucker for watching great anime, whether itâs because of the intricate storytelling, the beautiful art style or even the lore in the anime, anime has got that special something in it that just happens to tickle any anime fansâ fancy.
Image courtesy of Nick Romanov on Unsplash
It doesnât matter whether you are a huge fan of Hayao Miyazakiâs work or whether you are more into Satoshi Konâs work. Anime doesnât discriminate as there are plenty of genres that will fit your liking.
Speaking of anime, wouldnât it be great if there was somehow a list of TVs that would be able to display all those amazing visuals and fascinating narrative that anime is so well known for? Well, lucky for you, here is just one of those lists. Sit back, relax and read on!
1. LG OLED 77W9PPA
Image courtesy of LG
If youâre looking to splurge on the latest and greatest in TV technology, then having an LG OLED77W9PPA will do you just right.
It has a rather impressive looking 77-inch screen so you get to enjoy all those breathtaking scenery in animes like Your Name and In this Corner of the World on a massive widescreen TV to get that immersive feeling.
Also, colors will be more lifelike thanks to the OLED technology. What you get with OLED is having true black levels and infinite color contrast. This means amazing visuals which will be as close to the cinematographerâs artistic vision as possible.
2. Sony A9G
Image courtesy of Sony
This premium level TV from Sony is a wonderful addition to have in your living room or home theater where it will enhance the overall anime watching experience through a number of nifty little features which will definitely come in handy.
One of the major improvements that Sony has made with the launch of the Sony A9G is in the sound department. Oftentimes, TV buyers would have to fork out additional money to spend on soundbars, audio/visual (AV) receivers, bass systems and what have you to make up for the lack of audio punch that is sorely missing from todayâs TVs. But with the Sony A9G, youâre getting a premium quality TV with premium quality sound, so essentially you are getting the best of both worlds.
3. Samsung Q60T
Image courtesy of Samsung
Weâre not forgetting some of those anime fans out there who are price-conscious. The Samsung Q60T offers great visuals for its class and comes in a wide range of sizes and prices so that you can find one thatâs perfect for you.
The largest screen that the Samsung Q60T offers goes all the way up to an incredibly massive 85-inch screen! Imagine watching a wall-sized Studio Ghibli film, that would be a sight to behold.
Besides that, the Samsung Q60T offers a handy little feature that would allow you to watch all your beloved anime collection without running the risk of screen burn-in thanks to its Quantum Dot Technology.
For the unaware, burn-in happens when an image gets imprinted on the screen due to prolonged use but with the Quantum Dot Technology, thereâs no need to worry about that.
These are some of the TVs that we recommend if you want the best anime viewing experience. You only need access to the latest anime wherever available. Thank you for reading, and look forward to more recommendations soon!
Ever since this whole quarantine period has started – there should be a counter on the sidebar that tells you how many days it has been – cashless payment systems are gradually being integrated in our “next normal” lives.
I’m going to narrate my stories and experiences about cashless payments, and I hope you get a thing or two from what I’ll share to you.
Transport
I got introduced to cashless transport through beep, the payment system which started from the light rails to e-shuttles and is now integrated with convenience stores like FamilyMart and MiniStop as well as Wendy’s among others.
With banks adding the ability to reload these cards through possible means, I believe this has proven itself useful for the commuting public. Various card designs are available although you can probably stick something on it.
Of course, there’s other systems such as EasyTrip and RFIDs for tollways, but that’s for another story since I don’t drive a car.
Fastfood
We have a recently-built McDonald’s here which is one of their NxtGen stores. This means that they have this touch screen kiosks where we can skip the line and wait for our food.
The kiosk has options to pay through cards – and luckily for me, I use my prepaid card to tap away. This was just before quarantine, mind you.
It’s a hit-or-miss thing though: Sometimes the transactions work well, but most of the time there’s an error between the kiosk and the card terminal, which leads to me approaching the counter.
Now, there’s a newly-built KFC around the area, and I this time, I use PayMaya to scan the QR code and get a cashback for using PayMaya’s QR service, which they launched to convince people to go cashless.
One time I was craving for some Marugame Udon, and I’m happy that they accept GCash. As soon as I am allowed to get in, it was easy to ask for my food and pay for it.
Soapbox: Cancelled Orders and the fear of wasted efforts
This is different from, say, on-demand food deliveries like Foodpanda or GrabFood, where stupid people cancel orders halfway through for all unacceptable reasons. Take time to read my soapbox in the next paragraphs or move to the next section.
I don’t accept any justification as to why some people have to cancel orders halfway. I make it a point that once I committed to an order, I will push all the way through.
Just a few days ago I asked to have a box of food supplements delivered to me. Grab tagged its car-driving partner to fulfill the task, who told me that he needs to park his car first, which I don’t mind.
Unfortunately, my specific requested supplement is not available at that branch, so I asked the clerk to know which branch is it available. “What if there’s no available stock,” the driver asked me. “Let’s get the alternative if that’s the case. You’ll have something delivered to me, don’t worry,” I replied.
In the end, they found what I was looking for at another branch nearby, and I gave the driver a tip.
Funny thing is that the driver missed keying in the cost of the supplement so I sent the payment through GCash, which is a struggle because that’s another top up. Also, don’t ever dare to transfer your GrabPay credits back to your bank account – they have not yet returned my cash even if it says it’s been deducted in my GrabPay account.
I’m not the one who easily cancels orders. Besides, while the driver has fears of having his efforts wasted because of an oopsie, I also have the fear of being shamed publicly – online, just like the others.
While Grab has asked its users to use the app responsibly, the gall of some asshats (including a so-called “blogger” who stole a photo from someone, used it as his own, and told the rider “it’s a prank”) still prevail, which leads groups such as Order Hero to rescue the riders and the food which cannot be returned.
Bear with me as I’ll put a heavier soapbox before we move on: Bruh, you stop using the “blogger” and “prank” tags as an excuse to trample on others who have done nothing wrong to you at all. That’s inexcusably committing a crime.
I’m sick and tired of the “blogger” title getting bastardized ever since Fake News, Political Leaning and Click Farms have escalated in this post-truth era. Tagalugin ko: Pagod na ako mahiya na sabihing blogger ako kasi may mga hayup na bumastos sa titulong ito.
I think I’ve never told this at length before, but I had my own double movie date on the first Sunday of quarantine, March 15th. I was not planning to do it but the Violet Evergarden side-story film is being screened that day. So is the Konosuba Movie.
I thought I can’t make it to the last screening of Evergarden but I checked the GMovies app inside GCash if I can book a ticket in advance. I’m happy that it’s there!
I just bought the ticket to the Konosuba Movie at the counter with GrabPay afterwards.
Groceries
Prior to the quarantine, I have often used either PayMaya or GCash to pay for stuff at the nearby Mercury Drug instead of cash. It has become my usual routine to get stuff there before going to work, like a canister of Berocca or a bottle of Red Bull, among others.
I’ve been using cards instead of cash to shop for groceries at the supermarket. To me, doing so won’t give me any way to have spare cash which I will eventually spend along the way.
At one time, I tried GrabMart and got my essential items within the day, which is nice. Given that Grab has its own payment system (with a virtual wallet to boot), I just need to top that up.
Upon further assessment, I still find doing grocery shopping on my own as the much better option, but if I’m too lazy to go downstairs (or if the lockdown is stricter), I’d use my Grab app again.
Recently, major convenience store chain 7-Eleven has enabled GCash users to pay using the app, which is really a big help and a major push for the service.
Money Management
There are times that I have to pitch in for local fan-made flower stands or pay in advance but through a different bank, I just top up my GCash and transfer to bank at less to no charge.
This was made possible as GCash is linked to InstaPay, an electronic retail fund transfer service initiated by the local Central Bank. Almost all major banks and e-wallet providers have InstaPay functions enabled. Here’s a primer on what InstaPay is. (PDF)
As soon as my bank got the ability to transfer to any other bank, I eventually used that function as well. This enables me to skip the line and just send a screenshot of the confirmation receipt online.
Airtime Load
As I only rely on my data connection to proceed with my everyday life online, I need to load myself constantly. After topping up, I just load myself away and continue with that I do.
In case of Globe users, you can access GCash even without data using *143# or through the app which you can access even without data load.
Online Shopping and Parcel Delivery
We’re living at a time where we can just get our stuff through Lazada or Shopee. In my case, I make it a point to pre-pay and avoid committing Cash-on-Delivery as much as possible.
Importance of Efficient Cashless Payments
Thank you for reading all the way through here.
Now, to cap off everything, I advocate for efficient cashless payments where I can move my money through basically any platform available at little to no cost.
Going back to my bad experience with GrabPay, their system still has a lot to work upon in moving money from their platform to other platforms compared to the established GCash or even the less-downtime PayMaya.
PayMaya is gradually moving up to be at par with GCash in terms of transferring cash from the app to the bank, but we will not discount the fact that PayMaya is still useful for those who send Smart Padala transactions.
The way PayMaya integrated its current working Smart Padala system is efficient considering that those in the grassroots can still benefit from it.
“According to the LTFRB, the agency is encouraging the use of contactless payments as a means to prevent the spread COVID-19 once operations of these modes of transport resume. To facilitate this, the agency has been in talks with various cashless payment providers. One of the first to tie-up with government for this purpose is GCash.” (May 22, 2020)
“âCashless payment in taxis and TNVS is part of the ânew normal,â and we are glad that our drivers and operators have options such as PayMaya,â noted LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra III.” (Manila Bulletin, May 27, 2020)
Overall, cashless payments are here to stay – and we’re just getting started. You can still keep your spare cash with you for now, but expect to hold lesser and lesser cash in the future.
Beginning January 8, 2019, Free accounts will be limited to 1,000 photos and videos. If you need unlimited storage, youâll need to upgrade to Flickr Pro.
After SmugMug acquired Flickr from Yahoo, this is what the new owners will give to us. As they announced the changes, they stated:
In 2013, Yahoo lost sight of what makes Flickr truly special and responded to a changing landscape in online photo sharing by giving every Flickr user a staggering terabyte of free storage. This, and numerous related changes to the Flickr product during that time, had strongly negative consequences.
First, and most crucially, the free terabyte largely attracted members who were drawn by the free storage, not by engagement with other lovers of photography. This caused a significant tonal shift in our platform, away from the community interaction and exploration of shared interests that makes Flickr the best shared home for photographers in the world. We know those of you who value a vibrant community didnât like this shift, and with this change weâre re-committing Flickr to focus on fostering this interaction.
From this time you should know that Iâm hit by this change.
I checked the pricing for Flickr Pro, and felt that it was not worth it to stay. Good. Now I have a problem.
At first, of course I donât accept what the new overlords believe in, but in the long run, we have to accept the fact that unless we have a terabyte worth of storage at hand, weâre forced to pay for online storage.
Having around 17,000 photos uploaded on Flickr, of course I have to make a decision.
Google Photos can be great, but if I think about it, I donât have that many high-res photos, and by my estimates, I have too many low-res photos that might eat up my whole Google Drive storage because only high-res photos gets the free storage treatment.
Dropbox is also greatâââgood on them to offer 2GB on the free tierâââbut then again I have to pay US$8.25 monthly, which is still quite costly for me too. Yes I am a cheapskate.
I didnât picked both of these services and instead went to a much cheaper option. Good thing I got somehow used to it.
I have hard feelings to Flickr at first, but what I understood is that it wants to improve the serviceâs qualityâââand make it a portfolio for the best photos a person can take.
Until then, Iâll look forward to getting all of my things out of Flickr before it gets renamed SmugMug (donât get me wrong, this is still a possibility).
Iâll add this story from Fast Company for further reading. Itâs an interview of SmugMug CEO Don MacAskill, and he did address the concerns about these changes wellâââvery important for those who monitor the Internet Archive and Creative Commons: Flickrâs New Free Offering Is Better than Amazing: Itâs Sustainable
