AernaLingus

By getting off Google and using a mix of search engines and independent sites, you are forced to make an initial conscious decision when you want to find something. You need to think not only “how do I find out this knowledge?” But “where can I find it?”
That’s a fun and fulfilling decision to make. You might still end up searching (on Brave or DuckDuckGo or Kagi or wherever, not Google), but you also may find yourself going directly to IMDB or Wikipedia or Reddit or your local news org or who knows where.
Taking Google out of things has brought me back to the yesteryears of “surfing the web” instead of just “Googling.”
It’s better.

I haven't made much of a concerted effort to degoogle, but I have been defaulting to a Google search less and less and instead going directly to where the information is. The easy stuff is setting up custom search engines: Wikipedia (and other independent wikis), dictionary sites, databases like Discogs and MusicBrainz, and so on. Not only does it cut Google out, it's actually faster and more reliable—Google's just an annoying middleman much of the time. In Firefox, at least, you can even set up search completion if the search engine supports it, so it'll probably be an even better experience than Google because it won't be shoving irrelevant stuff in as suggestions.

But in addition to that, I'm trying to lean on my bookmarks more. So if I'm looking for information about Pokémon mechanics like EVs or catch rate, I know The Cave of Dragonflies has me covered. If I want media criticism, I go straight to FAIR. The longer you take this approach, the more sites you'll build up, and on the personal web side of things you can often discover them via webrings/affiliate badges.

I also recommend pairing this with setting up an RSS reader so you can create curated/ non-algorithmic feeds of news and blog posts and the like. I use a pretty basic FOSS Android app called Read You, but there are fancier self-hosted setups which allow for syncing with other devices and such. One nice thing about RSS feeds is that they allow you to keep up with sites or people that put put high quality stuff infrequently without any real effort.

And hey, if you check out your bookmarks, you'll sometimes find pleasant surprises like the delightfully 90s web homepage that Bulbapedia has set up for Pokémon's 30th anniversary.

spoiler

Ughhhh, I should know better

I know what an endonym is, gosh darnit, but I think my excitement at recognizing alemania overrode the hint.

Given how close "Akrotiri u Dekeliya" is to the English name, you probably just don't know what the place is.

...yup, still no idea even after that description. Ditto for Aksá.

Without looking anything up, here's what I've got (only two required any knowledge beyond "what English name does this look like"):

spoiler

Name	English Name	Comment
Abya-Yala
Afgániya	Afghanistan
Afrika	Africa
Aíti	Haiti
Akrotiri u Dekeliya		I wonder if I straight-up don't know this or if I just can't recall
Aksá		If only I could Latin better...
Alaska	Alaska
Aĺamane	Germany	s/o to español
Alžehi	Algeria	no s/o to français—you know what you did
Andora	Andorra
Aňgola	Angola
Aotearowa	New Zealand	s/o to The Brokenwood Mysteries
Apsni
Aŕentina	Argentina
Aruba	Aruba
Azeriya	Azerbaijan
Aziya	Asia
Azoriya	The Azores

James Gunn did it (still NSFW, but not porn NSFW)

As soon as I saw the title I went, "Oh, this is Lyra, isn't it?" Look forward to the full writeup!

Will we look like bigots to our kids because we don’t recognize their robot love?

Always glad to have an excuse to post the Krazam sketch.

Yeah, I've watched a few interviews with her and she hasn't really dwelt on her father's history when people have brought it up, nor has she brought it up unprompted. I'm sure she's got some brainworms, but she certainly doesn't strike me as an anti-China crusader.

Also, since literally no one is talking about her actual figure skating: please, check out her Olympic free skate^[I think that link will be geoblocked outside of the States, but I'm sure you can find it on YouTube from your local broadcaster]! Has to be the most joyful skating program I've ever seen; she seems to be someone who has genuinely found happiness in skating after rejecting the grueling training of her childhood, coming back to the sport on her own terms, and focusing on enjoying herself and expressing herself rather than on results (which I know sounds like corny athlete PR speak, but if you listen to her and watch her you'll see that it's from the heart). I think she's going to be an inspiration for people from within and without the figure skating world.

[CinemaSins ding] That lyric is actually from "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC

Full resolution version (you can get this by taking the ?resize=1536,1075 off the end of the embedded image URL)

I learned an old-fashioned Japanese word for "abortion" recently ({堕胎|だたい}) and this song immediately popped into my head. All-timer, for sure.

Oops, forgot to respond to this! It's the same model that was already mentioned, the SS-106.

Seconding this! I got some as a gift easily over a decade ago and they're still sharp as ever—leagues better than whatever crappy drugstore ones I was using before.

Full text

Leading chipmaking engineer Xu Zhenpeng said the United States no longer offered the freedom that researchers once expected – a key reason for his decision to continue his work in China.

Xu, who joined Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) as a tenure-track assistant professor in January, left behind a team leadership role at Atomic Semi, a California start-up with high-profile backers that included OpenAI’s venture fund.

Before his departure, Xu led a team that was developing a new kind of chipmaking machine using 3D-printed parts that would be smaller, faster and cheaper than today’s large, costly production equipment.

“In my previous role in the semiconductor sector in the US, increasingly strict policies and corporate compliance requirements limited my international mobility, which became a constraint on sustained research development,” he told the South China Morning Post in an email last week.

Xu said his decision to return to China was motivated by long-term academic goals and a desire for a more independent research environment. “Meanwhile, China’s advanced manufacturing research ecosystem is evolving rapidly,” he added.

While Xu did not specify which corporate compliance rules he was referring to, such policies are typically designed to ensure companies follow government restrictions.

In recent years, the US semiconductor sector has come under tighter government export controls, as Washington has sought to prevent advanced chipmaking know-how from strengthening foreign competitors or being used for military purposes.

In practice, compliance restrictions can limit overseas travel, require approval before working with foreign partners or discourage researchers from pursuing certain topics or international collaborations altogether.

Xu said he chose SJTU for its “internationally recognised strength in manufacturing research and close industry ties” – a combination he believed would offer the ideal platform to build his research programme.

In Shanghai, his work will focus on developing high-precision 3D printing for next-generation electronic devices. Xu said he aimed to produce components that combined conductive metals with specialised materials for insulation or sensing, all with micron-level accuracy.

One research direction he intends to pursue involves developing ultra-lightweight antennas for satellites. In a previous study, Xu and his team achieved 3D printed versions 100 times thinner than a human hair, for use in 5G and 6G networks, wearable devices, and compact aerospace systems.

Xu said he planned to refine the process using more advanced materials and fabrication methods to create antennas capable of withstanding extreme environments, including space.

He is also exploring how to simplify chip integration – the step where microchips are connected to other electronic components. Xu’s approach involves 3D-printing the housings with built-in electrical connections in a single step, potentially reducing manufacturing time and costs.

Ooh, I have some of these! Didn't really get into collecting them because they're just not as cool as actual Pokémon cards, but I got at least a pack or two.

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_the_First_Movie_Trading_Cards

I was confused af until I realized it was a counterfeit...like, wtf is going on with that layout?!