Consider: The Palantiri, those Big Glass Orbs you can look through and See Some Shit, are not evil in and of themselves. However, like any other "machine" they will reflect the intent and character of their user.

(For context: They also expose you to the wills of the person on the other end if they're also looking at you through a palantir of their own.)

Saruman overused the one he found when he moved into Isengard's Orthanc tower. He became corrupted through his own lack of self control and his arrogance thinking he could go toe to toe with Sauron.

He ultimately used his for control, deceit, and power, and it got his bitch ass brought to ruin, then stabbed by Wormtongue in the Shire. He died, bitter, alone, and his spirit forever left to linger impotent and unable to return to his home in the West.

Denethor overused his palantir to the point that, even though he was able to resist Sauron's will - a very impressive feat - Sauron was able to deceive him into despair. He continued to use it, further obsessed with control in his grief over Boromir, and his paranoia and jealousy of Aragorn. Eventually, when he saw the ships of the Corsairs coming up the river, he gave in to despair entirely - not realizing that the Corsair ships were in fact Aragorn coming with reinforcements.

Peter Thiel, coward that he is, naming his investment firm 'Valar Ventures', and his surveillance/AI bullshit 'Palantir' is in my opinion an unprecedented and stupifying level of billionaires' lack of self-awareness.

The sheer arrogance, the hubris of it, is fucking astounding.

One of the MAIN THEMES in Tolkien's ENTIRE body of work is that those who seek power will inevitably be corrupted by it; that the intent to seek power, control, dominance, is in itself a corrupting force and nought but a blight upon the world. And finally, that those who have power, ought to use it to PROTECT and STEWARD the world and those living within it; to be willing to give that power up when the time comes to do so.

Okay so for the purposes of this tutorial we'll be working with @teekalu's Eye Shine Remover, which was confirmed no longer compatible with Alien sims after EA updated a tagging system for Alien sims. I will be working with the UNMERGED package, since this is the easiest way to keep track of files when they break.

These files were just downloaded today, and as you can see have a last modification date of 2024 with the exception of the Fairy version she added in 2025. Now when I go into the game the eye shine remover works fine for me, so you might want to see if deleting + re-downloading the unmerged version works for you, but if you find it doesn't -

Download and install Sims 4 Studio

Place the items you've found broken and only those files in a folder, then use Content Management > Batch Fixes > CAS > The Sims 4 Patch 09/05/2023 Fix Alien Tags

When the dialog pops up, use the Browse buttons to indicate the folder containing the files you want to fix, and if you like, a different location for the Batch Fix backup. (NOTE: a batchfix creates a copy of the file which is updated, and moves the original file to the backup folder. if you find the batchfix breaks the file more you can revert to the original by deleting the copy and pulling the file back from the backup.)

Select RUN.

Load the game and test. If successful, you should see the change as soon as you enter CAS. If not, you may want to check deeper in your folders to see if you have something else conflicting/overriding.

heart locket gif maker

minecraft advancement maker

minecraft logo font text generator w/assorted textures and pride flags

windows error message maker (win1.0-win11)

FromSoftware image macro generator (elden ring Noun Verbed text)

image to 3d effect gif

vaporwave image generator

microsoft wordart maker (REALLY annoying to use on mobile)

https://github.com/laylavish/uBlockOrigin-HUGE-AI-Blocklist

Install this blocklist using the instructions on the GitHub page. For Firefox, you will need to install uBlockOrigin for this. Google Chrome no longer allows the uBlockOrigin extension, so I'm assuming you're at least primarily a Firefox user - or about to be (see browser alternatives below).

For Google Chrome or mobile browsers, this will work with uBlacklist. See the GitHub page for full details on compatibility.

Remove AI Widgets:

If you go to your uBlockOrigin Filter lists page, you can select to filter out AI Widgets - this should completely remove the 'AI Mode' widget/button from your Google search page, in addition to the work done by the Huge AI Blocklist.

Using the uBlockOrigin Huge AI Blocklist filter has made my Google searches look like they used to, and gives me genuine search results.

Look at this. It's beautiful. It's informative. It's not a heap of burning trash bloated with fake information made up by a hallucinating chat bot.

We can go even further: return to the old school search results.

Now, the above results are great and should be free of generative AI junk, but some people would rather not see any of the summary widgets or 'people also ask' box at all. Fear not! You can remove all that by using the 'Web' mode in the Google search bar. Click the 'More' drop down menu and select 'Web'.

Huzzah! Incredible. It's like a functional search engine again.

You can make this the default Google search mode in Google Chrome using Method 1 from this page (https://allthings.how/how-to-turn-off-ai-mode-in-google-chrome/). Unfortunately, I don't know if there's a way to do this in Firefox too. This is why for the most part I still use DuckDuckGo (see below) as my default search engine, and only use Google to supplement my searches on the rare occasion I'm just missing something.

Extra filters (optional):

I've also added four filters (their order doesn't matter) to the My Filters page. Full disclosure: I'm not sure they still work, or may only work on Chrome, but I'm keeping them anyway, just in case.

From https://www.reddit.com/r/uBlockOrigin/comments/1i7kg83/comment/m8lllwr/: see which solution in the list works for you, it seems to be different for everybody.

google.*##div[jscontroller]:not(:has(div[jscontroller].YzCcne)):has(.YzCcne)

From https://allthings.how/how-to-turn-off-ai-mode-in-google-chrome/:

www.google.com##.Beswgc

www.google.com##.olrp5b

www.google.com##.hdzaWe

Make sure you hit the apply changes button when you add filters.

Browser alternatives: escaping Google Chrome.

If you haven't jumped ship from Chrome yet, I'd recommend doing so. Sometimes Chrome outperforms Firefox for niche purposes or because a website doesn't bother to fully support non-Chrome browsers, but the days of Chrome being the superior browser are long gone — by about 10 years. If you're trying to escape Chromium browsers, beware that a lot of the popular Chrome alternatives are just Chrome in a different hat.

Firefox has been the most popular non-Chromium browser for years, and for good reason. However, the company running Mozilla Firefox has annoyed their users, me included, by refusing to take an anti- generative-ai stance, and even included AI features in the Mozilla Firefox browser. Most Firefox users specifically use it because they hate Google's enshittification and want a privacy-focused, clean browser that doesn't hog their RAM and CPU for no reason. So, you can imagine that Mozilla's attitude has pissed us all off recently. You can turn off the AI features in Firefox with the built-in settings, but the company has recently steered straight into the burning garbage heap by saying they want to make the browser based on AI.

Waterfox and LibreWolf:

There are really good alternatives based on Firefox (open-source) which are not affiliated with Mozilla (the company), if you don't like how it operates. Waterfox and LibreWolf are even more trimmed down and privacy-focused than Mozilla's Firefox, and don't use AI. Anti-ai statements: Waterfox and LibreWolf.

From this page: https://programming.dev/post/42546774

In short: LibreWolf is for those who want a “locked-down” fortress out of the box, while Waterfox is for those who want a privacy-conscious browser that still feels like a normal, convenient daily driver. Choose LibreWolf if: You want the highest level of privacy without having to manually edit config files, and you don’t mind occasionally “fixing” a broken website or re-logging into accounts. Choose Waterfox if: You want a privacy-respecting browser that supports Firefox Sync, has an Android counterpart, and handles streaming sites/logins without any extra friction (it supports WideWine out of the box, which lets you stream DRM protected content (netflix, hulu, disney, etc). — [email protected]

I've heard good things about both of these browsers and will investigate them further to decide whether to personally switch from Mozilla Firefox.

DuckDuckGo:

I would also recommend installing the DuckDuckGo extension to your browsers and setting it to be your default search engine.

I've had DuckDuckGo installed on my browsers, Chrome or Firefox, for like 10 years now. It is a good search engine, it's unobtrusive, and blocks trackers, cookies, and does not save any data about you. I've also used it as my default mobile browser for years, along with Firefox mobile, which you can add the AI Blocklist to (see again the GitHub page). I haven't tried the DuckDuckGo desktop browser yet, but I imagine it works just fine like the mobile version. I think DuckDuckGo's browser is also Chromium-based, at least indirectly. I use Firefox with the DuckDuckGo extension so I can have a widely-supported, non-Chromium browser, but include all of DuckDuckGo's anti-tracking features.

Note: DuckDuckGo has included AI in its browser product, however you can opt-out of all AI features with the built-in settings and they will not push it on you like Google does. I hope they remove AI features entirely in the future, but for now I am comfortable with the barriers in place to keep AI out of my face. Firefox also has AI features like Chrome does, which you can turn off with the built-in settings.

There's also noai.duckduckgo search, an alternative version of its normal search engine which removes AI-generated images and turns off AI results/assists by default. Even though DuckDuckGo's inclusion of any AI features annoys me, its policy to make these features 100% optional builds trust with this browser/extension/search engine.

You can always use Google search if you need to, but with uBlockOrigin and the AI Blocklist filter added on, at least you shouldn't have AI-altered search results or the AI overview anymore.

Other browsers exist, probably:

There are certainly more non-Chromium alternatives out there, but Firefox, Waterfox, and LibreWolf are the top three recommended to me. That link to alternatives, plus this ComputerCity page are the best lists I could find in a brief search. If you google "non-Chromium browsers" you'll get a lot of mixed results which require a bit of digging to realise they're not really recommending you what you looked for at all.

I've heard about Ecosia over the years, and while I like the idea of a search engine that plants a tree for each query, I don't think that's actually what happens — at least, that's what they used to be reputed to do, but I believe that's an unsustainable business model which has likely changed. In 2026, Ecosia says it uses 100% of its profits for the planet and runs its search engine off clean energy. That's cool! It's still Chromium-based. And it also uses generative AI for chat bots, so I don't trust its principles on environmentalism. I need to do more reading on this to form a stronger opinion about it.

I hope this post has helped at least some of you have a better experience browsing the web and googling your questions.

Have you ever noticed that the Color Sliders mod by thepancake1 removes the thumbnails in the eyebrows category? Well, there's a fix for that thanks to @peachibunnii! The original tutorial can be found here, so all credits go to her for figuring this out, and all of the screenshots below belong to her as well! I'm only sharing it so it can help reach more people for those that don't have Twitter and weren't aware :)

this is just a quick tutorial on how to use mc command center’s copy/paste setting, which is extremely useful when you’re playing the game and want to use a cool makeover of an eaxis townie you saw on the gallery/tumblr, but you don’t want that sim your replacing in game to lose their relationship progresses, skills, etc. well, this handy tool allows you to just change their looks and without having to load into create-a-sim!

tutorial below

alcohol prep pads are also known as alcohol wipes. they are used to disinfect skin and medical equipment (among many other uses), most frequently in medical settings like hospitals, care homes, blood draw centers, anywhere some kind of medical thing goes on or into some kind of skin. these wipes are supposed to be sterile and safe to use directly on punctured skin. so you typically do not want to find life-threatening microbes in there.

pro tip: alcohol prep pads work great for disinfecting anything capable of taking isopropyl! such as (certain types of) phone cases, remote controls, doorknobs. think hand sanitizer but without the extra ingredients. just make sure the surface in question gets thoroughly wet and you know which objects and materials are damaged by isopropyl alcohol, like a ton of fountain pens.

the recalled alcohol wipes are large 70% webcol by cardinal health, which are contaminated with paenibacillus phoenicis. which can kill you. and unfortunately, as it turns out, is not killed by 70% isopropyl alcohol. recalled lots are at the bottom under the cut! really long list. over 300 lots are being recalled, cardinal health waited almost 3 weeks to publicly announce the recall despite reaching out to major customers on march 2nd, and it is fairly difficult to even find the recall on cardinal health's website. overall, this recall is not a good look for cardinal health and webcol, and they could be trying a hell of a lot harder not to harm people with their own contaminated products.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / DUBLIN, Ohio, March 19, 2026 – Cardinal Health has issued a voluntary recall for select lots of Webcol™ Large Alcohol Prep Pads (70% isopropyl alcohol) to the consumer level. The product is being recalled due to microbial contamination identified as Paenibacillus phoenicis.

There is a reasonable probability that use of the contaminated pads may result in local and systemic infections in at-risk populations; patients with impaired immune response, including patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy or poorly controlled diabetes, may develop life-threatening infections such as bacteremia or central nervous system infections.

The Webcol™ Alcohol Prep Pad is used for external use only and utilized for cleansing.

some emphasis mine.

all the way from dublin...ohio!

these alcohol prep pads, also called alcohol wipes, are contaminated with dangerous bacteria. this bacterial contamination is especially capable of harming people with impaired immune systems, such as from medical conditions or previously having been infected with certain types of illnesses that damage the immune system, like covid-19. infections from this bacteria can kill people or disable them for life.

alcohol prep pads are individually wrapped and are supposed to be sterile and free from germs. they are used to get rid of germs in medical settings like hospitals, make medical procedures safer, and are supposed to be safe to use directly on people with life-threatening medical conditions.

alcohol prep pads can be used on punctured human skin, medical gear, baby toys, basically anything that can take isopropyl alcohol and needs to be cleaned. these wipes are supposed to help prevent microbial infections, they are often used directly on the punctured skin of sick people, and these are often used in place of hand sanitizer before touching eyes, nose, mouth, food, etc. microbial contamination is BAD.

alcohol prep pad pro tip: sniffing an alcohol prep pad / alcohol wipe / isopropyl alcohol in general can help relieve nausea! they are really handy to have around! ones that are actually sterile, at least...

The product was distributed in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Japan between September 2025 and February 2026.

the contaminated product was distributed for around half a year. DO. NOT. USE. IT. having these microbes around you is really fucking bad. you know how paenibacillus phoenicis survives 70% isopropyl alcohol? that means it, like many other germs, survives hand sanitizers and a bunch of other cleaning products.

you are better off washing your hands! make sure you wash your hands thoroughly, under running water with soap, and then dry them thoroughly. wet hands pick up more germs. according to the US CDC, around 30% of diarrhea cases and 20% of respiratory infections are preventable with correct hand washing.

even if germs cannot be killed, they can usually be washed down the drain.

Affected Webcol™ Alcohol Prep Pad lots include the following lot numbers: See Attached Table Cardinal Health notified its customers by overnight mail on March 2, 2026, with instructions to: 1. REVIEW inventory for the affected product code. 2. SEGREGATE and quarantine all affected product upon review of inventory. 3. DISSEMINATE Cardinal Health’s notice to all departments, clinics and external campuses that handle the affected products. 4. NOTIFY any customers to whom they may have distributed or forwarded affected product about this voluntary recall. 5. RETURN the acknowledgment form via fax to 614-652-9648 or email directly to [email protected], confirming receipt of this product action.

Consumers with questions regarding this recall can contact Cardinal Health at [email protected] or call 800-292-9332 Monday-Friday between 8am and 5pm EST.

attached table is a PDF!

this 5 step action plan is actually six steps in the march 2nd vendor mail about this. those six steps were REVIEW, COMMUNICATE, SEGREGATE, DISSEMINATE, DISTRIBUTORS, and RETURN. why are there two different versions of this? was someone embarrassed because DISTRIBUTORS is not a verb? why were they embarrassed about COMMUNICATE? this is really minor but what in the corporate bullshit, cardinal health should really have clearer and more consistent communication for life-threatening recalls.

this recall actually began march 2nd 2026, a public company announcement was made march 19th, and a public FDA recall announcement only happened yesterday, march 20th. why did it take three weeks. was it the verb thing

also missing from this FDA-version recall announcement that was present in the march 2nd version:

Return of Product and Available Assistance:

CONTACT the appropriate Customer Service group to arrange return of the affected product. Representatives can also answer questions relating to credit, replacement, and suitable alternative products. Monday – Friday between 8:00am - 5pm EST: • Hospital – 800-964-5227 • Federal Government – 800-444-1166 • Distributor – 800-635-6021 • All Other Customers – 888-444-5440

For questions related to this notification and/or acknowledgement form that are not adequately addressed in this letter, please contact the market action team at: [email protected] or call 800-292-9332

basically, refunds are available, but the process seems to be a pain in the ass! this whole recall seems to be a pain in the ass!

on the cardinal health website there is no major apparent acknowledgement of the recall on the front page, and the search gave me (rune) an error when I searched "recall". hey that fucking sucks! you should have a page that pops up when you search recall! but they do have a recall notice up, on the newsroom website and not the main website. this recall announcement is not easy or intuitive for a first time visitor or prospective customer to find on the manufacturer's main website, which is shitty!

important to note: alcohol prep pads are frequently purchased by individuals and not just major medical facilities. I (rune!) am holding a curad alcohol prep pad right now. they frequently get bought and resold in bulk from unofficial vendors, or just sold in normal stores. there is no way in hell everyone with these alcohol wipes knows about this recall, especially considering over three hundred fucking lots are being recalled here. but most medical facilities should have been contacted by now.

Consumers should contact their physician or healthcare provider if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using this drug product.

and if you think you have an infection, consider whether or not you might want to be in the emergency room. because bacteria in the blood can kill you really bad.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Regular Mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

REPORT ADVERSE EVENTS!!! SAVE LIVES!!!

not listed in this recall announcement, for whatever reason, is the comment that no harm as a result of this contamination has been (directly?) reported yet.

Cardinal Health has not received any reports of harm or adverse events.

hooray! except this ultimately means very little because infections from medical facilities are so fucking common that very few would get investigated to the point of being able to identify an alcohol wipe as the source of an infection. if a patient asked "could the alcohol wipe be contaminated" they would probably get laughed at which is just pissing me (rune!!) off. getting mad. end of example

and possibly its lack of inclusion in the FDA recall announcement means adverse events have been reported since march 2nd. basically, chances are, yeah. someone was probably already harmed from this.

What is the issue? The Webcol™ Large Alcohol Prep Pads have been deemed non-sterile following the discovery of a contaminant (Paenibacillus phoenicis) during a routine sterilization dose audit.

judging by the lots dating back to september 2025, it seems to be a ~6 month routine audit. might want to make it every three months...

What is the risk to health? The contaminant has a low probability of detection and may pose a potential infection risk to vulnerable groups such as critically ill, immunocompromised, neonatal, and pediatric patients.

...because apparently this contaminant fucking sucks to find despite being deadly. or maybe they mean that it took this long for this contaminant to be detected using their own audits. maybe they should do better audits. nowhere in these recall communications is actually a promise to do better and enact any significant change. they had three weeks to come up with something better than:

What other actions is Cardinal Health taking? Cardinal Health is currently notifying customers and will complete appropriate corrective actions to recover impacted products.

have you considered having less contamination too? more frequent audits? better testing? or even telling your customers how the alcohol prep pads got contaminated to begin with, and what is being done to prevent it from happening again? nah?? alright

and finally, the list of recalled lots! here we go. LONG LIST BELOW THE CUT!

Being neurodivergent or disabled means masking, and masking is incredibly difficult for the body. It’s also very demanding on the brain.

No subscription. Just program.

On your computer. You got to use it forever and ever and never had to worry about it going away.

Because it was physically on your computer. As a program. That you actually owned. Not because you got it separately, but because it was a standard inclusion with your computer.

I'm sorry but I'll just never get over it. I remember when companies cared about their products being usable out of the box. I remember when our things belonged to us.

the beauty of life