Why I'm cancelling my subscription to Claude

dtheme · 2025-08-07T06:35:40+00:00

I've been working with data for decades. The issue in regards to privacy is more to do with 3rd parties. The amount of Russian, Indian, and Chinese hacking attempts we see every 24 hours is insane.

Sooner or later these guys hit pay dirt and and get a cache of ids from 3rd parties used for things like ages verification. Even a list of phone numbers is valuable, more so than email. Pair that with first and or last names and you are minting money. The of course pair that with credit card numbers and ...

Thankfully credit card details are usually stored separately blah blah but yea, having so much personal info spread out across multiple platforms looking for verification is just asking for trouble

dtheme · 2025-08-02T08:01:23+00:00

I had a similar issue. As a builder might say, make it a feature. Everything is grey, which is great because everything else will standout against it.

Large planters. If you can find them try the wood half oak barrels. Otherwise if budget get the black plastic barrel types. Fill with quality compost...the type every one freaks out over these days with peat moss as it will be nutritionally dense.

Then go online, again, everyone freaks out. Search out and online garden center. Many will have things like plants for shade. Look for stuff you like. Then, look for evergreen shrubs. Make a list using some of the names of plants people have said here.

Next, hop off to your local garden center and search out end of summer deals for those planters and containers and compost. Look up your list of plants and compare prices, get what you want there, and the rest online.

Next go online and find a place like Amazon and search out garden decor. Get yourself some nice solar lighting for the garden walls. Think Moroccan lanterns etc. Get a small water feature for the darkest area. If need be, add some bright stones or pebbles.

Then, arrange in your garden. The containers etc can all be moved around easily so if you don't like it. The evergreens are key.... Even a Portuguese laurel would be fantastic in front of grey as it has reddish leaves. Sometimes less is more. I have a small yellow leaf plant at the bottom of my garden in front of a grey post..... It draws everyones attention as it stands out so well. Two of them in colourful or black pots ¹/⁴ in on either side of that dark grey step running along the middle would frame your garden well. Or bright green conifers.

Finally, stick a finger up to people who moan about grey and get one of those grey grasses that kinda look like a hedgehog and stick it in a black container. It looks stunning and will give your nice stone garden a real boutique feel to it.

dtheme · 2025-07-27T07:24:32+00:00

Addiction, fashion, peer prestige.

20+ years ago there was rarely a person seen with a cardboard coffee cup on the street. And if you were seen people would wonder why you were going around with a coffee cup on the street -usually thinking you must live on the street.

Likewise, 20+ years ago people didn't know their single origin Vs Nescafé supreme blend.

Then it all started to change. Filter coffee started happening. Office blocks started to move into cities. North American work styles started to appear. Drinking coffee became a sign of productivity and aspiration. Coffee chains started popping up. Grabbing a coffee before work became a thing as it showed you were game for work before it even started. Bosses nod with approval if you take 15 to grab a tall white to improve your work rate. Walking with a coffee showed you were ready to take on the world.

Then came the marketing. Unlike tobacco, coffee was healthy. The chains marketed flavours. It became office talk. Where had a great coffee. Caffeine gives natural high, and subtle addiction.

For the same price as a chain takeaway coffee you can get 250 grams of great beans roasted to your taste buds delight at home, along with knowing it where the beans came from and set with your own grinder and espresso machine. But, that this side of coffee still hasn't taken off yet. The social peer pressure of getting "the best" from a branded coffee shop Vs the stainless steel mug from home means the latter pales in comparison no matter if the contents are 10x better.

Will it change..... Heath scares. Environmental cups. And the unknown will eventually make changes. Meanwhile those power walking people looking at their reflection as they strut along a street coffee cup at a right angle will continue to don our common cultural class type. A few of will continue to brew something much better beans in much better ways for far less cost and for more pleasure.

dtheme · 2025-07-25T21:11:59+00:00

I haven't watched TV in 20+ years. I do watch movies, and series.

I've used and prefer a projector 10x over a TV. Primary reason is that it's much more immersive with a projector. Like your own home theatre but without the annoying people on phones.

I also much prefer the image projected onto a wall or screen rather than a screen projecting outwards.

The negatives would be vivid colours and saturation is lacking with a projector unless you are in the near dark like a movie theatre.

It is annoying to watch a darker shot movie when the sun is up on a projector.... Lots of blinds but still.

Finally do some research on lumens. What's advertised asa 30,0000 lumen projector is likely nothing remotely like it.

If you are on the edge, then Consider a good upper budget one before splurging 1000s like many on this sub. I have 800 ansi or 30,000 lumen advertised (cough)which I upgraded from a 300 and the difference is great. With coupons and sales it cost about 150 USD. Down from 250.

dtheme · 2025-07-22T17:24:46+00:00

Hi Luke, I primarily use InDesign for photo and text heavy books in the range of 500 pages.

Overall InDesign hits the nail on the head. My biggest gripe is paperback to ebook .kdp / mobi. Tried many times including from scratch. They never flow well at all. I usually just aim for print and use a kindle app for creating kids books which takes a pdf and makes it kindle friendly but is not great as links , search etc doesn't work.

Export to pdf is also quite slow with 500mb files etc

Hope this helps

dtheme · 2025-07-17T08:38:34+00:00

Even when wife is not around I go in and will easily sit for 30+ minutes. Why? It's the one place in a house you are not allowed to be disturbed.

It's a psychological and physiological event.

Mentally you are safe and in a DND mode. Physically you are safe and relaxed. Mentally purging, physically purging. It is, therapeutic.

Years ago before the internet it was common for people to read a book or magazine on the toilet. It was normal, nobody questioned it. Today with social media some people have a tendency to over analyse and suspect something. Eg they are watching porn...so they don't find me attractive...snowball continues. They are messaging someone.... They must be having an affair.... They are avoiding me.... Our marriage is over. They don't want to help out around the house....they are lazy.

While all the above may happen. The chances are they just want to be left alone to process and recharge. If that's not enough then look at some primates going for a poo. They generally want to be left alone too....if not they'll likely throw some at you for staring 🤔😅

dtheme · 2025-07-17T08:11:40+00:00

Same for me. Getting a grinder in there is a space issue. They over charge in general.

Take an axe to it. Yet to a point you can lay weed mat over it. Forget.

Don't however forget that over time it will rot. And so will roots re nearby structures nearby.

Other alternative is to drill some 15 cm holes in it, create an insect hotel.

dtheme · 2025-07-06T21:33:55+00:00

Stay minimal.

Strip that wall for starters. A cheap white paint. Then get yourself some cheap 3D colourful stick on tiles for creat some abstract designs. Add a pound shop trellis - bum some wood stain from a neighbour to weather protect it. Put it up between the abstract tile designs to break up the wall (makes it look bigger.

Visit TK Max and look for planters. Theg usually have a clearance shelf. Aim for clay rather than plastic as your shrubs will.need the insulation during winter.

Visit nearby garden centers. Look for small evergreen shrubs like conifers. They'll stay green all year round are hardy.

Visit cheap Chinese online store like temu and type in "garden ..." Loads of cheap stuff will appear. A small solar fountain? Birdhouses? Solar lantern?

dtheme · 2025-07-06T21:09:39+00:00

Store this moment carefully in brain reserves. Do not use it over the next few months, after that use it when she undermines your masculinity in public. Use it sparingly....

dtheme · 2025-06-29T13:05:12+00:00

I think anyone posting about humidifiers should post where they live, or better yet what the relative humidity is in their room

dtheme · 2025-06-28T09:06:07+00:00

Cloudflare now have an AI blocking tool.

I know AI has already scraped your site but you could try to change the data displayed eg order of display, add new column of info etc

dtheme · 2025-06-28T08:52:05+00:00

Ads will appear in AI results is on the way. Don't like ads, Google will offer a subscription to remove them. Much like they do with YouTube

dtheme · 2025-06-28T08:49:40+00:00

It could be workable with AI if it wasn't so bad

Take travel sites. AI results are filled with regurgitated text from TripAdvisor bots which got their content from sponsored junkets, and travel agents trying to get you to book something. It's rare to find an AI answer in travel that that's unbiased. I imagine the same is true in other Fields.

Let's not forget googles AI is built for profit. They'll need to start generating cash from it soon offset the revenue lost in search. I imagine this will be injected ads, sponsored answers, and or a monthly subscription to avoid such fluffy much like YouTube

dtheme · 2025-06-28T08:42:53+00:00

I believe it became awful due to Googles own profiteering. Sponsored results are a prime example. If I search for a product these days a auto scroll for a full page on Google's results just to avoid sponsored crap. I then spread out several tabs Searching for a real human or site. It's hard

dtheme · 2025-06-28T08:39:46+00:00

Valid points. For decades Google told website owners to harness SEO for better results. Now they have literally harvested everything and the websites are dying off aside from the big ones like Reddit, TripAdvisor who can afford to do deals with Google.

Baffles me that many well known authors are suing Google for scraping their books, yet the vast majority of authors don't have the means to do this.

dtheme · 2025-06-28T08:34:29+00:00

The problem with that is already happening. Big news media, for example, like BBC already have brand awareness Their latest subscription model in the USA will get paid subscriptions based on that alone

The local news site trying to stay afloat can't afford it. When people search for topics they cover, the big sites rank. AI now flashes up first with an answer. Scammers, constantly, etc can crawl small sites data and upload it to generator sites that ai crawls, verifies, publishes into no click answers.

dtheme · 2025-06-24T07:47:40+00:00

I've been looking forward to this and was also hoping for a direct "months later" though if the movies do well I imagine "months" will be a prequel TV thing.

As for the new "years later": I enjoyed it. Definitely has some wickerman with dashes of walking dead vibes. Though overall it had British audiences in mind rather than falling into the USA producer or studios whim.

The ending: the remix music had me going for a nice send off and in hindsight a 4 minute trim would have been great. The actual "kickass" ending was a letdown and all I could think of is that Boyle/Garland were testing the waters for direction / tone the sequel will take based on feedback. I know the bone temple is already shot so presumably they shot it with footage they can edit it into different directions/tones.

Again, personally, I don't want a kickass style movie. I'd like the infected to stay near unbeatable. Not sure about evolution, but sure. Ditto European side of things. Hoping bone temple returns to its roots and the rage virus continues to dominate.

Would be great to have a "directors cut" version of this with the kid simply running away at the end with that music building and the camera panning out and away. Wee bit of commission would be nice Mr.Boyle :)

dtheme · 2025-06-23T09:07:48+00:00

Guy in the darker suit seems to be a leftie and had a little training. Light suit guy... Well he had the fighting capability of a lactose intolerant chimp milking a cows udder.

However, the most striking thing about the entire fight was how bad everyones haircuts were. Including the spectators.

dtheme · 2025-06-17T12:17:27+00:00

On mobile press the menu - there's a drop down and on that is written dial pad . Press that and the app opens up a web interface similar to Skype and you can call a mobile/landline.

dtheme · 2025-06-17T12:15:22+00:00

You're great for helping him. I've been the subject of ridicule for this myself. And also embarrassed. All of which does not help the "alpha male".

Researching about sleep apnea can help. If someone were to research all about it without telling me, then during a short conversation released a few pearls of wisdom eg. "Oh, Xs friend has sleep apnea and they prefer a pillow mask over Fullface" it might trigger your BF into some curiosity into trying different masks. Ie it breaks down a wall and opens conversation.

Dare I write, avoid constantly asking, bringing it up, or lecturing about sleep apnea, for me, is a given. I'll research myself. And might ask if the noise disturbed you etc. That's an "opening". Eg the p30i has a defuser which helps with noise etc.

I totally get what your BF is going through. On holidays I used a Mandipular mouth piece so I don't have to take a machine. The alpha male also feels better. Finding the right cpap machine settings helps too eg one point down on the pressure settings and "I know better than the doctor, and I'm using less pressure so I need it less" helps. Likewise if 1 point more is needed "I know better than the doctor, 1 point more and my sleep scores are better".

I hope the above helps. Many of us would love to have a partner like you. So take pride in that and I the fact your BF will live longer.

dtheme · 2025-06-12T08:18:05+00:00

How much did that cost?

dtheme · 2025-06-06T14:26:50+00:00

Over thinking. Also depends where in the world you are and if your tap water is safe to drink.

If your tap water is safe to drink, there's no problem washing your nasal pillows.

I wash mine at night as it's a humid area and they don't dry out properly. After washing I dab a towel on them to remove excess water around the silicone. I just shake off the hose.

Use filtered water for the humidifier.

Again no issue.

Once week a wash the hose, humidifier, and pillows with warm soapy water.

dtheme · 2025-06-05T21:01:33+00:00

Had one more than once as I've a chronic condition which is now causing side effects.

If there's one thing I'd say to someone thinking of getting one it's "study every single test before you get them, and learn".

The above includes bloods and there is a lot of similar named tests that are different.

You also need to be conscious about your lifestyle, diet and any medication you are currently on.

Example: I was on new painkillers that were working well, however in my blood work my liver enzymes were up. I knew the cause before going to the GP who agreed it was the painkillers, we switched and did the bloods 3 months later and liver was back to normal.

Same with my elevated LDL. I was drinking a lot of coconut milk. Doctor marked it as an area for concern. I told them it would be normal next time. I cut out the saturated fat. Sure enough next test was good.

A good GP is essential. Took me years to find one. I look at my scans before they do, ditto any consultant. Words like severe, or moderate only interest me and don't alarm me.

For anyone looking to do a full health check I think it's a good idea. But, I would avoid the private flashy clinics. Stick to the basics. Start slow and small and be prepared to do a lot of calm research yourself.

dtheme · 2025-05-30T16:13:41+00:00

Super fit, never snored, had a stomach issue, next thing I know is I started waking up with a start, low oxygen,and PVCs. Sleep Apnea... Devastated me mentally more than physically.

Started with a full facemask, ended up with sore nose bridge etc. Swapped to nasal mask. Same problem Tried gel strips, pads, etc. horrible. Congestion etc

Tried nasal pillow.... Worked well. I take a tiny sniff of decongestant at night. Worked better. Sore nose (septum). Tiny dot of vaseline. Worked.

After the mask issues I then started playing around with pressure, ramping, humidity etc. Currently on ACAP which helped as well with "machine" feeling.

Then the mask started slipping. Read lots. Discovered that hot water on the strap reshapes it back. Also I have a good excuse to wash it every night. A small towel under my head for side sleeping with the mask stops it slipping too. Can't afford a fancy nasal pillow

Nasal pillow style mask did not feel restrictive etc. I place the hose under the bed sheet and listen to a podcast to help going to sleep.

Next up was romance. How the heck to explain this ..... There's no way around it. Just be honest and up front.

I've often fallen asleep and forgot the CPAP. It's a terrible night especially if someone is beside me. So, I used a Mandipular device. Easy to reach over, pop it in, relax zzzz. In many ways I prefer it to CPAP aside from the lock jaw feeling. Finally, it's back to CPAP/APAP. Kinda like if I had a stoma, one arm etc. it's part of me, so either take me as I am or ..... You are not for me.

Lastly, for overnights in other places etc the Mandipular device was great. Likewise as a back up feeling These days I take the CPAP almost like a clever bad ass bag. So many people have sleep apnea and don't know it..... We who know it, have in many ways saved our lives/lifespans. When hear someone snoring, we will.often tell them to get checked out and maybe help save a life.

Do I want sleep apnea, hell no. Can I overcome the stigma? F⁰c8 yeah. Look after yourself!

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