Asklemmy

What search engine do you use?

I’m looking for something that just gives good results with their own engine, not proxying google or yahoo, without LLMs being involved.

I’ve used startpage and have my own searxng instance self hosted. But both use mostly google results with just a nicer frontend.

I was looking Kagi as an alternative. But they seemed to move to become another AI company, bundling their subscription to the search engine with a subscription to an LLM, so I’m not paying for that.

can anyone recommend an English to Taiwanese Mandarin translator with pinyin or bopomofo as well so I learn both the characters and its pronunciation?

with Taiwanese Mandarin I mean 臺灣國語, also called 華語.

All I find online, given how relevant China is today is the simplified script and PRC vocabulary, not the vocabulary used in Taiwan.

Even translators advertised as offering Taiwanese Mandarin translate into Chinese Mandarin.

What is one of those: oh my god, I wish someone had explained THIS system to me when I was younger moments that really sticks out to you from your experience?

how do you boil prawns?

don’t want to stir fry them because I don’t want to make a mess with my kitchen.

don’t have an oven, so the easiest way to cook them is afaik boiling them.

Do I add salt and pepper while boiling or AFTER?

Do I peel em before boiling or boil them WITH the shell?

Do I need to boil them if I choose to prepare a soup with leeks and maybe potatoes?

Any Lemmings in Sapporo? Visiting this weekend/next week.

Hey all, I’m visiting Sapporo through August 5 (solo trip, driving around Hokkaido) and figured I’d test whether the fediverse has enough density here for an IRL meetup.

About me: maker, business systems, homelabber. Happy to talk travels, crafting, technology, nightlife, or whatever over beers.

Proposal: Beer Inn Mugishutei (Minami 9 Nishi 5, a basement beer bar), [8/2] at 7pm. I’ll be the white guy in a beanie. If that doesn’t work for you but you’re around, comment or DM and we’ll figure something out.

If literally nobody is in Sapporo, feel free to use this thread to tell me what I should eat while I’m here instead.

What is the best way to learn a second language in 2026?

I’d like to have books to study out of and maybe some types of slideshows. Something with a clear outline of the path ahead would be nice.

Why news channels use background music?

Why all the news channels we see today uses background musics and flashy animations instead of directly telecasting the news to it’s audience?

Is there any advantage on putting specific background musics on each clips they telecast? Isn’t a direct telecast without any added things is a more clean and direct way to broadcast news to the audience?

We all know of the subs like "You Should Know," but what something you SHOULDN'T know?

Should I go into freelance web development in 2026 in high-cost country?

I am thinking of doing freelance web development for money, but also at the same time I’m not really sure about it because, why would they hire me, a human in a high-cost (high cost of living but I don’t even think it looks like a 1st world country anymore and the conditions only seem to be getting worse) country rather than use AI to do most of the work for either cheaper or for free or hire someone in a low-wage/low-cost country like India or Pakistan?

I mean, I’ve even noticed that most of my “local” businesses are doing something similar - instead of hiring local people, they literally go out of their way to hire immigrants (to the point where the locals feel like they have no chance of getting a job, especially Gen Z), just simply because the government has made it cheaper for companies to hire these immigrants instead of the locals. I don’t think they even care about the fact that ever since they started doing this, their quality of service has gone down. Nothing against these immigrants themselves, but I’m just saying.

My father wants to pay for a family tomb so that when I die, I can be buried there as well. Do I let him or try to stop him?

my father is religious, I’m not and I don’t care what happens to my body after I die. Burn me, use me to feed stray cats.

To me, wasting money to buy a plot of land so I may be buried with them when I die is a stupid idea.

It is, however, his money. Who am I to disagree with him?

What are some things on preventive healthcare that you think more people should be aware of?

I saw an article on Cuba’s healthcare recently. It pointed to how they have very good life expectancy and low infant and maternal mortality rates, even subjected to decades of brutal blockade.

Thought about preventive healthcare

What's your most used reaction image?

I’m making a signal sticker pack of reaction images I and my friends use, and I’m looking for some to steal

App suggestions? Planner app with family sharing, iOS

My wife and I’s app of choice for sharing and storing is dying. The dev team was bought out by some corpo/VC and as a result their side project of a usable planner app is going sideways.

We currently use it for the following, and importantly they are updated on both our devices when one person makes a change.

• recipes
• needed groceries
• vehicle maintenance info
• to do list for home maintenance, such as changing air filters or cleaning gutters, etc.

What are some good keyboards brands?

Can anyone recommend a good keyboard brand? I’m looking for one that’s comfortable and has color and character and not boring. I saw some keyboards from a brand called Yunzii but I’ve read some mixed reviews on them. I also want to make sure I get a keyboard that doesn’t collect or share data, since everything collects data now. Doesn’t have to wireless, wired works.

Who is old enough to remember after 9-11 the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the possible usage of such department?

If my partner (biological-female) comes out as a trans-man. Wouldn't still being attracted to him make me (biological-male) homosexual?

Please be civil in the comments.

new here :)

ah I’m a new one here and I’d like if someone explains how this site works and how to use it cuz I feel lost :)

Any good couch co-op game recommendations?

Title. I’d like to play more with friends and family, and I’d like to do that IRL. It’s gotta be available on PC, though, I don’t own a console.

Were did the title 'czar' come from in current media?

Ai czar, border czar, health czar…

I see it mentioned all the time in the US media but also elsewhere recently, where does this come from?

Czar is historicly the title of Russian rulers. Which these people clearly aren’t, so why the use of this term?

Is it some sort of right wing dogwistle?

massively hyped up durians to my folks for their trip but they don't know about the smell. should I tell them or surprise them?