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Tuesday, October 06, 2020

Stoppard: How to deal with Google’s and YouTube’s aggressive popups


Tom Stoppard’s Luck American Conservative


50 States, 50 Cuisines: The Food Worth Traveling For in Every State Conde Nast Traveler


Thousands defy lockdown as they call for Netanyahu to resign Al Jazeera



 How to deal with Google’s and YouTube’s aggressive popups - ghacks.net: “When you visit Google’s main website for the first time, or after clearing cookies, you get a “before you continue” popup. On YouTube, another Google property, you will get a “sign in to YouTube” popup instead. You need to click on “I agree” on Google’s site or “no thanks” on YouTube to get rid of these popups and start using the sites. Problem is: if you clear cookies regularly, you will get these prompts again. It can be quite annoying to deal with these popups each time, e.g. to inform YouTube for the hundredth time that you don’t want to sign-in to the site. You have a handful of options at your disposal to deal with this. One of the easier ones is to use a different search engine and site, without losing access to Google search results or YouTube videos…”

 



This site has over a dozen free tools to keep you from burning out - Fast Company – “When you’re working from home, it’s all too easy to develop some bad habits. Maybe you’re staring at the screen for too long without interruption, or hunching over your laptop with little regard for posture. Or perhaps you’re just working too much in the first place. A new website called Working Den wants to help with all that, offering a free suite of tools that promote a healthier remote work routine. While there are lots of apps and websites that offer some similar resources, Working Den helpfully puts them all in one place. It’s got playlists of soothing sounds and background music, a list of physical exercises and stretches, a dozen relaxing nature videos, a basic pomodoro timer, a couple of mental health assessment quizzes, and more. The site can even help prevent eye strain, reminding you every 20 minutes to spend at least 20 seconds looking at something other than your screen..”


Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning is an upcoming book in which Tom Vanderbilt teaches himself 5 new skills (chess, singing, surfing, drawing, and juggling) and rediscovers the joy of learning.

The pandemic has revealed the limitations of America's cult of individual freedom (vs collective action), stranding its citizens with few good choices. "Our only liberty is to choose among a menu of awful options."


Tips for avoiding Covid-19 infections indoors: avoid unnecessary exposure, open windows, filter the air, and smartly increase airflow w/ fans. Avoid gimmicks like "air cleaners" and UV lights. "The reality is, it's a time for the basics."


More than 1.1 million people have already voted in the 2020 US general election. In states reporting party affiliation (FL, IA, NC), participation is 54% Dem and 18% Rep (it's usually the other way around).


A new anthology out next week: The Fragile Earth: Writing from the New Yorker on Climate Change.


Andy Baio responds to a reader who's disappointed by the uptick of political content on his personal website. I've gotten many emails like this over the past few years; Andy's response is a good one