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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 10th, 2023

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  • I doubt there are many Chinese people here. It’s difficult to access sites like this without a VPN, which is illegal to have without government approval. Moreover, the vast majority of people in China don’t know VPNs exist and it’s illegal to spread information about VPNs on social media like Wechat.

    If anyone on Lemmy is Chinese, it’s likely they are working directly for the government or some SOE. I assume there will be people here from CGTN, China Daily, et al., but the platform isn’t big enough yet.

    When I worked at China Daily, my friend ran the social media accounts, which meant he had a special VPN at the office, or used a specific computer in the newsroom, probably controlled and monitored by admins. My office computer had no VPN, so I couldn’t access anything like Twitter or Reddit.





  • I came to Reddit from Slashdot, like, a couple of months before the Digg exodus. It was cool to see it grow so quickly and become the hot new thing, but a lot of the more established users were quick to note the changes in culture. It probably took me those few months just to figure out how the UI worked. It was and is a website of mediocre design.

    I always preferred Slashdot and its moderation system, but I’m far too much of a dilettante for its narrow range of conversation topics. I never cared for Digg. It felt too safe.

    I know Eternal September brings problems but the large user base at Reddit made sure there was always fresh content and all kinds of weird subreddits. Too bad they went corporate.









  • Hiking. It costs nothing and you can create your own meaning from it. You can do the same trail over and over and know the place intimately, or you can make it a goal to do as many as possible and keep track of them all with souvenirs or art or whatever you want. The benchmark for success is what you define. And it’s got a bonus of being good for your body.

    I’d also suggest traditional music, but maybe keep it simple and cheap… ukulele, didgeridoo, or tin whistle. It’s a low bar for entry and it’s inherently social, all about jamming and being inclusive. Didgeridoo is more solitary, if that’s what you prefer. These instruments have almost no ongoing costs and are great for learning the basics of music.

    Instruments arr both humbling and also affirming. You can make noticeable progress and, again, define your own success. All my best friendships came through playing music. It’s an endless source of joy for me. I generally tend toward depression but music keeps The Big Sad at bay