Notices by Anthony Dean (dtgeek@mastodon.social)

Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive | The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/news/660548/firefox-google-search-revenue-share-doj-antitrust-remedies

Lenovo Cuts the Windows Tax and offers Cheaper Laptops with Linux Pre-installed

https://news.itsfoss.com/lenovo-cuts-windows-tax/

Still, maybe should ask: do you have a favorite magic related character or franchise that *isn't* Harry Potter?

Finding alternatives to or avoiding Harry Potter seem to have two major things to fight against:
- Nostalgia. Lots of millennials grew up with it and still like it.
- Warner Bros. It's been a major money maker, and they'd clearly not want to give it up, even declaring it a major "family" franchise.

Mattel, Maker of Pro-Diversity Barbie, Sheds DEI for Investors
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/mattel-maker-of-pro-diversity-barbie-sheds-dei-for-investors

Not even wealth is saving Americans from dying at rates seen among some of the poorest Europeans

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/not-even-wealth-saving-americans-dying-rates-seen-poorest-europeans-rcna198929?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=67ef1678b4a2540001c9487e&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky

@jesse_saenz @scottwillsey and yes, it says the single-team package is out-of-market only.

I get MLBTV via T-Mobile for free...

New post: Instead of putting up with yet another purge of Looney Tunes from Max (and Warner Bros. bean-counters' indifference toward Bugs and company), here's how to watch Looney Tunes on DVD and Blu-ray.

https://www.diversetechgeek.com/how-watch-looney-tunes-dvd-bluray-2025-edition/

#LooneyTunes #WarnerBros #physicalmedia #Max #streaming

Dropkick Murphys Suspended From X, Call Trump a 'Rat and a Coward'
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/dropkick-murphys-suspended-from-x-singer-calls-trump-rat-coward-musk-1236340363/

#Twitter

From August 2024: A look at non-white versions of classic cartoon characters, and why this matters.

Again, I inagine if Elon Musk had his way, non-white cartoon characters wouldn't exist (or only as sidekicks/best friends of starring white characters, or as stereotypes).

https://www.diversetechgeek.com/non-white-versions-classic-cartoon-characters/

#animation #comics #diversity #ThrowbackThursday

Today's the birthday of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman!

(Comic art by Jack Burnley, Ernie Chan, and Win Mortimer.)

#1976DCCalendar #DCComics #comics #Batman #ScoobyDoo

Black Lightning co-creator Tony Isabella comes out as transgender
https://www.comicsbeat.com/isabella-trans/

New post: A list of my recommended Google alternatives (2025 edition), from Firefox (vs Chrome) to DuckDuckGo (vs Google Search).

https://www.diversetechgeek.com/recommended-google-alternatives-2025-edition/

#Google #tech

Google ditches DEI hiring goals | TechCrunch
https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/05/google-ditches-dei-hiring-goals/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=bluesky

Between the TikTok antics, the state of Meta's apps/Twitter, corporate media trying to curry favor with Trump, the Trump administration itself, and the state of streaming services (stuff erased, etc.), it's clear owning your own online presence and media matters.

Creators should have their own website/blog, not just rely on social networks owned by billionaires. Having a spot to point to online that's yours is useful, and will be there regardless of what happens to the social network du jour.

New post: A look at Pixelfed, the federated photo-sharing social network that's picked up in attention (as an alternative to Instagram).

https://www.diversetechgeek.com/pixelfed-2025-edition/

#Pixelfed #Instagram #socialmedia

With tech's obsession with video (as it's more lucrative for ads), you'd think there would be more non-Chinese TikTok clones, especially with the advance notice. Instead, it's the usual apps (Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter) offered as options...

#tiktok

Wonder if Pixelfed can succeed with the general public/non-tech crowd where Mastodon hasn't as much?

Despite "pick a server" being a usability issue, gather new users are just signing up for Pixelfed's main server, thus making for a similar experience to Bluesky?

#Pixelfed

New post: With Meta rolling back its hate speech rules, I look at alternatives to Facebook, Instagram, and Threads

https://www.diversetechgeek.com/alternatives-facebook-instagram-threads/

#Meta #Facebook #Instagram #Threads

I shuttered my blog's Facebook page since it's useless for blog traffic (and I'm not paying to boost posts to a handful of visitors); shuttered Instagram for similar throttling, and scraping posts for AI; and Threads was useless from the get-go. But sure, "virtue signaling" for quitting.

Still have a personal Facebook account for family/online friends not elsewhere, but generally infrequently used.