Some new year tech changes:
- get off Facebook
- get off Duolingo and find a better app for learning German
- finally get on Spotify as my MP3 player is giving up the ghost
- start using Bookwyrm
Not really resolutions, more like changes a long time in the making
Edit: thanks for the comments on Spotify. I really don't know anything about it
@TarkabarkaHolgy Considering how badly Spotify is paying/cheating for the use of artists' work, I think you might want to consider a new MP3 player replacement as opposed to supporting that platform
@TarkabarkaHolgy unfortunately the rule is: if corporate assume awful until proven otherwise (and then be skeptical)
@TarkabarkaHolgy I need Facebook bc some events and stuff still use it for updates way before the main site gets them... plus I'm in some fun meme groups XD
Duolingo is useless it seems except for learning ten basic phrases, so good riddance. Hope the bird doesn't kidnap your family though 
(I do love how they run with the memes xD)
Spotify I don't use for music since its annoying without premium, but I do listen to podcasts like 7 hours each workday, ideal for that xD
@TarkabarkaHolgy but also, if you want a new mp3 player specifically for the music, just get this emulation game handheld I just got for 32 euros shipped, it's amazing!
https://a.aliexpress.com/_EwJRCTm
Okay it's 40 now but it does play mp3s, and also anime (in 640x480 anyway, it chokes to death on full hd but recode them and it's great, perfect for old 4:3 anime like Inuyasha with no borders xD)... and of course it's a game handheld that plays like 30 retro systems and comes with 15000 games too!
@TarkabarkaHolgy oh before I forget: if you do get one, immediately replace the SD card it comes with! They're known for being very bad quality and can fail almost immediately and take your games and saves with them (the cards, the consoles are great).
Just backup the roms, flash arkos to a good Samsung sd (instructions in the r36s subreddit), boot it once to enlarge the partitions automatically to use whole SD, and copy back the roms. Otherwise God knows how long it'll work with the stock one!
I'm going to to copy that "App for learning German" 
Or maybe I'll go with Spanish, that's the one I totally quit and I have never forgave myself 
@TarkabarkaHolgy Memrise is lovely for languages, and yeah, I would go Tidal instead of Spotify
@TarkabarkaHolgy i keep thinking about bookwyrm, but haven’t yet reached the stage of bothering to figure it out
@TarkabarkaHolgy Storygraph is my choice for alternative to Goodreads; kinda surprised no one else has mentioned it.
I also use Tidal. No podcasts there, though, so YMMV.
@Starry1086 I am already on Storygraph and I really like it, except the AI recommendations which are kinda crap.
@TarkabarkaHolgy As far as streaming services go, Spotify is objectively the worst for paying artists and it’s recently been revealed that they are padding playlists with AI generated non existent “ghost artists”. I use Apple Music for streaming and buy things I like from Bandcamp when available. Other people have recommended Tidal as well:
https://virpp.com/hello/music-streaming-payouts-comparison-a-guide-for-musicians/
Not sure about their German course, but Busuu was nice for starting some Japanese for me. And a friend of mine finds it to be nice for Spanish.
I got myself a bookwyrm account but I need to read more, when I take time off of Baldur’s Gate 3 
@TarkabarkaHolgy
Pff..
I buy books made of paper,
I own CD's and DVD's and buy them still
I cannot sing but do so all the same.
I can still live in a non binary world
I do not need algorithms.
Digesting millennial pointers and tips I find difficult, since my brain isn't fried to a crisp yet.
All right, I do need my spectacles..
@TarkabarkaHolgy
A year ago I left Spotify for Tidal. App is in some ways more buggy than spoti's and in some - less, but as far as I know, their track record on being less of an ass to artists is way better. If you have mental energy for that, maybe look a bit around before committing.
However, bookwyrm is in my todolist as well 
And FB I left a long, long time ago, feels more peaceful that way