The info given above is incorrect. Normally, you’d need to forward ports on your router, but if you’re on a VPN your router doesn’t come into play. The VPN creates a tunnel directly from your PC to the VPN provider’s server, and whatever ports are open from that server are then forwarded to you, assuming they’re allowing port forwarding.

I used Nord a couple years ago and didn’t renew after they were breached and failed to disclose it to their users. I then tried Mozilla, but it regularly crashed when torrenting too fast. Slowing my torrents down to under 100mbit worked but sucked when I have a gbit connection. Then a family member passed away with an active expressvpn account so I used it and it was pretty fast for normal browsing, and just as good as Nord and better than Mozilla for torrents.

Now that ExpressVPN is expired, I just switched to proton and HOLY COW it is so much faster for torrents. Just check the button for port forwarding, and you’ll be assigned a random port. Plug that into qBittorrent and you’ll connect and start downloading so much faster it’s insane. Also go into the advanced setting in qBittorrent and you can set it to only use the ProtonVPN network connection, then if proton disconnects, qBittorrent won’t keep downloading on your normal ISP connection.

Ah, didn’t realize this. I never connected mine to WiFi

Ah, didn’t realize this. I never connected mine to WiFi.

Akshully, get the Paperwhite Kids. Like $10 more than the ad supported version, no ads, free cover/case, 2 year accidental protection warranty instead of just one year manufacturer warranty. Just be sure to cancel the free trial of the kids service.

You’re not wrong, it’s kind of like nuking from orbit. But there are definitely things you can do to help, like only spraying the house and immediately surrounding areas. Focus on spraying thick, decorative shrubs and not flowers where bees are likely to congregate. Spray at times bees aren’t out looking for food and mosquitoes are most likely hiding in shrubs during the heat of the day.

There are lots of other great suggestions in this thread, and I’d recommend the bait and zappers if OP only had the occasional mosquito in the house, or DEET if OP is temporarily outside, but bait doesn’t work on a large scale and deet is really bad for synthetic clothing/fabrics and wearing it all day in the house is a terrible idea.

The biggest thing everyone can do is clear out any standing water (buckets, tools, etc… mosquitoes will even lay eggs in a teaspoon of water given a chance), but op has already done that.

Call an exterminator, preferably a small mom&pop shop and not a big Orkin or Terminex or whatever, and have them come and and do a mosquito treatment. They’ll spray a chemical on the outside of your house, under the leaves of your trees/bushes, etc. Then they’ll spray inside, but just the corners for other bugs. You’ll need to keep your dog out of the chemical inside for about 10-20 minutes, and out of the chemical outside for probably an hour. After that it’s dry and non-toxic to mammals but will get soaked up by insects. Be sure to double check that with the exterminator, times vary depending on the chemical used.

Good treatments should last a solid 2-3 months, which ought to be enough to get you through the worst of mosquito season, unless you’re in Florida or something.

It feels really weird to go to one website and enter my credentials for another website. How secure is that? I guess whatever app I’m using could be storing credentials instead of using an API, but the fact I can see a URL and enter the wrong creds from my password manager feels off.

Looking for something physical? Try Disc Golf! Most courses are free to play and you probably have one at a public park near you. See https://dgcoursereview.com for lists and maps.

Same basic rules as normal “ball” golf apply: throw a disc (basically a frisbee) from a tee to a basket in as few throws as possible. A normal cheap frisbee you already have might work OK on a small short course, but just like golf clubs there are disc versions of putters, mid range, and drivers, including ones that are more likely to “turn” to the right (if you throw righty backhand) or “fade” left at the end of the flight.

I’d recommend picking up a starter pack from Innova or Discraft (two of the big disc golf brands) which can be had for about $20 on Amazon, or buy individual discs on discgolfcenter.com or a local store that sells them so you can get some tips and tricks for playing. The starter pack usually has lighter weight discs that are easier to throw. They are also generally “slower” and “float” more. Don’t believe the marketing about “super fast long range drivers” - they only go farther if you have the arm speed to throw them properly, and if you don’t you will probably throw your mid range or fairway driver further, so start with those discs for now.

Also search for local clubs in your area. Despite the reputation for DG players being stoners and hippies (lots of us are! 😉), we are also a generally friendly and helpful crowd. Find out when a club is meeting for a friendly round or family night (or maybe even a paid tourney), or ask at a local shop that carries discs if they know when and where the club is playing. Show up, find someone who looks old and in charge 🤣 and introduce yourself and tell them honestly you’ve never played and show them your discs and ask them if you can join. They’ll probably invite you into a group. If you find a group playing doubles or “Captain’s Choice” that’s even better - you and your partner both get to throw, and you take the best shot (probably your partner’s) and you won’t get as frustrated at 50-60 terrible throws as you would at 100 terrible throws playing by yourself.

Remind them you’ve never played and ask for help for everything, from what disc to throw to how to throw it. Most importantly, TAKE CRITICISM AND ADVICE WITH A SMILE. That old guy may not be amazing, and he may sound gruff, but when he suggests a different stance or disc, he’s got your best interest at heart. Maybe what you were about to do might work, but he know percentages and that a different shot will more likely work better. Or maybe he knows from experience you’re going to destroy your knees or elbows with a certain form, and you can get by with it as a teenager but you’ll regret those decisions in 20 years.

Once you get practice at the course a little bit, you won’t even need to go and play rounds all the time. A local empty football or soccer field or an empty lot can make a great driving range for practice. Tie some rope around a tree in the back yard about the distance between the bands of a disc golf basket and now you have a place to practice putting. If it’s raining and you have a big garage or open room, you can buy a collapsible indoor basket to practice putting or you could even aim at a piece of paper or pie plate taped to the back of the couch.

Finally, just have FUN! Disc golf will be super fun when you have low expectations. As you finally start to figure it out again couple of rounds you’ll get some beginner’s luck, then you’ll try to replicate that and get super frustrated. Just chill and remember: you’re still a beginner and I’ve played for 15 years and still can’t shoot under par consistently. 😂

Don’t stay at a shitty job just because you’re scared of new things or because you think it’s good pay. Put yourself out there and interview. Some interviews will suck, some job offers will be insultingly low, but eventually you’ll find something better. And guess what? Maybe that one will end sooner than you’d like, but you’re already practiced up and know how to interview and write a resume, so you can just dust yourself off and move on.

Also, if you get a huge pay raise, try to live at the same expense level as the old job. Maybe get a treat here and there, maybe fix that problem in your house or car you’ve been putting off, but don’t blow all the extra money. Save some in case that new job ends and it takes a little longer to find more work than you’d like.

@rrpeak@feddit.de linked one reddit post while I was searching for this one, so here it is anyway:

https://old.reddit.com/r/RedditAlternatives/comments/13zl7s1/fediversetips_i_do_not_recommend_lemmy_i_have/

And here’s the OG mastodon post from fedi.tips:

https://mstdn.social/@feditips/106835057054633379

Make sure to “Show More” on each post in the thread, including the replies. I thought it was all spamming the same post for a minute, lol.