#Free Online Toolbox

[a-tools]

Financial Calculator is a free web app that can help you estimate the future value (FV) of your investments, the number of compounding periods (N), the interest rate (I/Y), the periodic payment amount (PMT), and the present value (PV).

[sturionic]

Your post "Activism is Not Cold-Calling" came across my dash. The point about building community to persuade makes a lot of sense to me.

You mentioned several trainings you've taken and taught as a volunteer labor organizer that discusses the specific nuts and bolts of it. I am wondering if there are resources you'd recommend for someone wanting to add tools to the toolbox. I'm not organizing labor; I'm a parent interested in improving equity in the local schools. But I think at least some of the strategies should transfer well, and I'd like to learn more.

Thanks.

Hi there! Your instinct is very, very correct: a lot of the organizing principles used in union drives transfer well to different forms of organizing. Things like structured organizing conversations and workplace mapping are incredibly useful skills.

Personally, I think the best comprehensive top-down view of effective organizing for a beginner is Jane McAlevey's works. Jane passed away this past summer. We really lost a true titan, an absolute force of nature; but she's left behind a wealth of invaluable materials - books, articles & other writings, interviews, speeches. The first few pages of No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age rewired my brain and made me think about organizing in a whole new way, and I've read that book practically to death, it's barely hanging on lol. You can find McAlevey's works here: https://janemcalevey.com/

Of course, McAlevey's oeuvre is very union-focused and goes deep. If you're just looking for some quicker concepts, Labor Notes has tons of study guides, handouts, and other bite-sized materials that explain organizing concepts. You can buy them on the site (support them if you can!), but they're mostly also pretty easy to find online, or modified versions other people have made. Labor Notes also runs regular online trainings which are excellent.

Lastly, I know you said you're not specifically doing union stuff, but on the off chance anyone reading this is interested in unionizing their workplace: check out Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. You can contact EWOC directly and they will help you organize your workplace, and they also have their own excellent resources and run regular trainings. You can also get involved by becoming a trained organizer (like me!) and volunteering for them. (EWOC is, of course, American; if any other Canadians are reading this and interested in organizing, feel free to DM me and I can put you in touch with people.) EDIT: I'm seeing people in the notes of my post recommending IWW's materials, and they are so right! Look up "IWW Organizing Manual" and "IWW Organizing Basics." They are great & digestible reads, and IWW has many more resources on their site and archives. (If anyone else has resources to recommend, have at 'er!)

[sergeifyodorov]

hi! i have a small request. i've spent the last few hours trying to find a program online where i can mock up a hockey kit concept and remembered that you've made a few of those in sort of a pixel style! can i ask how you did those? thank you!

haha yes! unforch i didn't do anything fancy or have a Toolbox. i went to the wikipedia page for an nhl team and downloaded the embedded image with the kit from the infobox

so for ex the image on the right of this screenshot.

uhm and then i use the drawing software i have (krita, it's free! i don't think it's as good as photoshop but also i like it and my piracy abilities stop at illegal streams), open the downloaded image, and go ham with the fill bucket + rectangular select. <- this is why none of the kits i did have logos because i don't have that kind of patience lol

[ugly6astard]

system toolbox ☘︎

dealing with dissociation, coping, and self-care

what is a coping mechanism

how to identify your triggers

99 healthy coping skills [3]

⌒warning! there is a brief mention of religion in this document [3]

there are 7 pillars of self care: mental, emotional, physical, environmental, spiritual, recreational, and social.

don't know where to start?

the new yorker- 2024's best books PSSST! if you're a student, you may be able to access the new yorker free or 50% off!!! [1]

online jigsaw

self compassion prompts

---

how to create a better sleep routine

changing sleep habits with insomnia

how to form good sleeping habits with ptsd

how to start exercising

how to start exercising as a disabled person

10 easy exercises

exercises for wheelchair users

how to exercise with chronic pain

free pill and medicine reminder app

---

what the freak is a daily gratitude

daily gratitude prompts

youtube channel focusing on meditation and calmness

youtube channel focusing on meditation and mental wellbeing

meditation 101 for neurodivergent folks

meditation for kids/littles

⌒warning! some of the reccomended books deal with sensitive topics, such as identity, pregnancy, racism, etc. [1]

identifying and communicating with parts

a common way to identify switching and different "parts" emerging is journaling! this doesn't have to be consistent, pretty, or detailed. sometimes it can be sticky notes about how you felt kind of angry with the date scribbled in the corner, and sometimes it can be full on documentation about what you believe was a switch. putting these diary entries together can feel like putting together a puzzle. (for example, i met jade because they would frequently scribble down, "this body stinks, im taking a shower now." when no one else would. also, there may be noticeable changes in handwriting or speech patterns to look out for!

parts, alters, personalities, fragments, headmates, whatever

journaling 101

journaling technique (bullet journaling/bojo)

journaling technique (the vomit system) [4]

what to write in your journal

⌒warning! this video talks about vomit. [4]

[degenezijde]

Free course on online gender based violence. It aimed at educators but as they're teaching educators about the strategies young people can use online, you, a young people, can also use it to get to those strategies.

You can get a certificate but you can also ignore all the quizzes and just get the infos.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a critical issue that has evolved with the rise of digital technology. As young people increasingly interact in online environments, it is important to understand and explore how GBV manifests in these spaces. Are online instances of GBV similar to those occurring offline? Where do they differ? How does GBV present itself in the digital spaces where children and young people are growing up? What are its causes and consequences? Understanding these aspects is crucial, as GBV affects not only women and girls but also disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, including young people, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and even men and boys. This course will empower teachers and educators to initiate discussions and explore issues and experiences related to GBV with young people, using the Ctrl+Alt+GBV Toolbox created as part of the menABLE project. By building a solid understanding of these issues, educators will be better equipped to provide young people with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate and address GBV effectively.

[boltdxbblog]

The Ultimate Guide to Cost-Effective Property Maintenance in Dubai

Welcome to the comprehensive guide to cost-effective property maintenance in Dubai. Whether you're a long-standing homeowner or a fresh face in our bustling city, staying on top of property upkeep is essential. In this guide, we'll explore top-tier strategies and insights tailored specifically for property maintenance in Dubai.

Understanding Needs: Before diving into maintenance strategies, assess your property's unique needs. Identify areas that require immediate attention and prioritize tasks accordingly. This proactive approach not only saves time but also prevents potential costly repairs down the line.

Choosing the Right Service Provider: When it comes to property maintenance in Dubai, partnering with the right service provider is key. Look for companies with a track record of excellence, responsive support, and competitive pricing. Customer reviews and testimonials can also offer valuable insights into their service quality.

Efficient Appliances and Fixtures: Investing in energy-efficient appliances and fixtures is a smart way to cut down on maintenance costs in Dubai. Opt for products with high energy ratings, as they not only reduce utility bills but also require less frequent repairs and replacements.

Regular Inspections and Maintenance Checks: Regular inspections and maintenance checks are the backbone of cost-effective property management in Dubai. Schedule routine visits from professionals to assess your property's condition, identify potential issues early on, and perform preventive maintenance tasks.

Budget-Friendly Tips: Not all maintenance tasks require professional assistance. Embrace budget-friendly tips to tackle minor repairs and upkeep tasks around your property. From fixing leaky faucets to repainting walls, a little DIY effort can go a long way in saving costs.

Identifying DIY-Friendly Tasks: Begin by identifying maintenance tasks that you can comfortably handle on your own. Simple tasks such as replacing light fixtures, cleaning gutters, or caulking windows are excellent starting points for DIY enthusiasts.

Maintenance Schedules: Create a maintenance schedule for tasks based on seasonal needs and the condition of your property. Regularly inspecting and maintaining areas like plumbing fixtures, HVAC systems, and outdoor spaces can prevent major issues and costly repairs.

Equipping Your Toolbox: Invest in a basic toolkit with essential tools like a hammer, screwdriver set, pliers, measuring tape, and a utility knife. Having these tools readily available can empower you to tackle various maintenance projects around your property.

Educational Resources: Leverage online tutorials, guides, and instructional videos to enhance your DIY skills. Platforms like YouTube and websites offer step-by-step guides for a wide range of home maintenance tasks, making it easier for you to execute projects efficiently.

Safety First: Prioritize safety when engaging in maintenance. Always wear appropriate safety gear such as gloves, goggles, and masks when handling tools or working on projects that involve chemicals or dust. Familiarize yourself with safety protocols to prevent accidents or injuries.

Community Support: Engage with local communities or forums to exchange tips, seek advice, and share experiences with fellow DIY enthusiasts. Networking with others who have similar interests can provide valuable insights and support for your DIY endeavors.

Mastering cost-effective property maintenance in Dubai is all about proactive planning, smart investments, and regular upkeep. By following the expert tips and tricks outlined in this guide, you can ensure that your property remains in top-notch condition without breaking the bank. Here's to hassle-free maintenance and a thriving property in the dynamic city of Dubai!

[tirsynni]

I was just reminded of something and thought I should share, although I feel like I’m inviting wrath by doing so:

Always remember that when it comes to mental health, there’s no singular answer to anything. Also remember that, when it comes to mental health, you’re not looking for something which is going to SOLVE your mental health: you’re looking for tools which can help you deal with it. As such, those tools tend to be highly individualized, because mental health is, by nature, highly individualized.

Medication is helpful because it can have a direct impact on neurological/chemical/etc. issues. For some people, it’s a literal life saver. However, for some people, it can be tricky to use or obtain. In many instances, it can help only partially, especially if you are limited regarding what medication you can take and use and access. 

When it comes to mental health, just think of everything as tools in your toolbox. Everyone’s toolbox will look different. I remember a while ago on tumblr (and honestly, it might still be a thing, but I’ve worked hard to avoid unnecessary online stressors) that there was a furious backlash regarding people suggesting things like exercise and meditation to help with mental health issues. Part of the reason for the backlash was idiots pushing these things as a cure, like that fucking meme showing a picture of a forest as medication. There have been so many studies on how being in nature can greatly assist physical and mental health. In some cases, if the mental health issue isn’t because your brain hates you but because your life circumstances suck, changes in lifestyle and being out in nature and such can dramatically help. However, not only is it not an option for people, it is an insane simplification of an issue and ignores the diversity of neurological issues.

(For some people, they reacted so angrily about it because they wanted to minimize their participation in their own mental and physical health. Claiming that medication and medication alone was the answer is a great way to avoid actively addressing the issue. It’s a type of protective helplessness: if the problem can’t be solved or can only be solved in one singular fashion, then they are free from the responsibility of changing their actions/lifestyle/etc. You also see this in people who complain about their phones being monitored but want to keep Facebook/Instagram/Tiktok/etc. apps on their phone because it’s easier. If it’s just how it is, then they are free from personal responsibility regarding the problem.)

Medication for some people can actually solve a problem, depending on what that caused that problem. For many other people, it can be a tool. Exercise for many people, especially individuals with ADHD, can be an excellent tool. Meditation? Diet changes? Yoga? All excellent tools. When someone recommends something like exercise, don’t snap at them immediately. Find out their thought process. If they’re recommending it as a tool, cool! Maybe they’ll have more insight! If they recommend it as a cure? Try to be brave and not smack them. (Unless they have a Nazi tattoo. Then knock them the fuck out.)

As these are tools, though, they can only be helpful if you can use them. For some people with ADHD, running is fantastic. ADHD brains love it! If you have a physical impairment, though, it’s a useless tool and needs to be discarded. Find individualized tools which work for you. Find good resources which offer objective suggestions for tools. My doc recommended the book ADHD 2.0 for me and it was amazing for offering different tools and why they were helpful. Make sure the person isn’t pushing for something, though, and that the person actually knows what they’re talking about and isn’t some variant of a Titktok influencer. 

Does being surrounded by plants help you relax? Great! They’re a good tool! Knowing you need a certain amount of alone time to recharge? Excellent. Add it to the list. Exercise helps but you can only do limited kinds? Figure out what kinds. Gardening? Writing? Whatever. Know what tools work for you.

Also, know what tools, no matter how popular they are or how well they work for others, don’t work for you. Having a healthy diet is awesome! But it’s far too easy for people to make it into a noose. It should be about giving your body (and mind and mood and whatever) what it needs, not as a form of punishment or self-harm. If having a healthy diet helps but you have a history of eating disorders? Then in the end, it’s more harmful than helpful. My body hates medication, so people love suggesting things when I can’t even take Nyquil. There are also times when something is a helpful tool but you have to be careful about abusing it. You need alone time for your mental health? So do I! Having too much alone time opens you up to depression, anxiety, etc.? You need to monitor it.

If possible, try to figure out how much of your mental health problems are based on external factors. Right now, many people are struggling with depression and anxiety, among other things, due to external factors. In some cases, you might be able to address it. For example, is the problem caused by a toxic person you can cut out of your life? Good time to explore how to do so. Is it an economic issue? Might not be as easy of a fix, but at least recognizing the source is helpful. There might be solutions or helpful paths but they’re more long-term than short-term. Recognizing that something is a long-term problem and won’t be solved immediately is a helpful mental health tool: it lets you remind yourself that yes, it’s going to hurt you today and tomorrow and next week and such, but you know that and you know to prepare for it and you won’t be as badly hurt tomorrow when the problem is still there tomorrow when you really hoped that you would wake up in the morning and it would be gone. It lets you build resilience, which is one of the most important mental health tools of all.

Personalize your toolbox. What works for you might not work for others and vice versa. Keep your toolbox up-to-date, as a tool that previously worked might not help now. Be wary of when a tool becomes more harmful than helpful. It is also helpful to make sure you have back-up tools and a good understanding of your resources, just in case. Always remember that just because something is trendy, popular, etc. doesn’t mean it’s helpful. For example, the sheer amount of people who damaged their internal organs, endangered their lives, and endangered the lives of their loved ones because they were anti-vaccine but pro-horse medication.

[wastelandhell]

Sorry if this question is too broad or imposing but I'm trying to get into modding Fallout 4 for the first time, mostly to make armor skins. What're the best tutorials? I've tried searching online but a lot of the tutorials are outdated. (Would also love to know how to bash existing skins together though modelling my own would be fun too). Again sorry for this ask I'm just so lost about how to get into modding lol.

Ahhh do not apologize for asking me about modding fallout. I could talk about the guts of this stupid game all day ahhh

modding grip^

Unfortunately I...don't know any good tutorials. I think a lot of Fo4 modders came over already knowing skyrim or FNV. Most of what I know is based on outdated guides, old loverslab threads, my existing graphic design knowledge, and trial-and-error. I think armour is the best place to start because there are so many tools available (thanks tittymodders!), and you don't have to worry about needing 3DS Max for collisions or animations.

This is the only modding tutorial I've ever watched. It's old, but good to show you a proper workflow and how to set up your files. They use creation kit, but if you're just making armour its way easier to use xEdit. I don't even have the ck installed, I do everything in xEdit.

This is an excellent guide to outfit conversions. It gets pretty in depth, but you really don't need to bother with the dismemberment section if it's just for you. It's for FG reduced but you can use it as a general guide for weighting anything for any body and getting your modded outfit game ready.

Texture edits and outfit conversions are where I started and are probably the easiest. The best thing to do is just poke around mods you like and see how they do it.

Some tools:

xEdit: Plugin editor for creation engine games. If you're doing any kind of modding you should learn how to use this. Esl-flagging, running complex sorter, making bashed patches and making your own compatibility patches are skills you need if you want to run a heavily modded game.

Icestorms texture toolbox: the best texture tool, i use the "batch processing" tab at the end to convert .png (no alpha) and .tga (alpha) files to .dds.

Nvidia texture tools exporter: lets you open .dds file in photoshop with the alpha channel intact. You don't need a nvidia card, I'm all team red. Don't bother using this to export unless you have to, its slow as fuck.

Sagethumbs: Gives .dds files thumbnails in windows explorer.

IrfanView: For quickly viewing texture files without launching photoshop. Also an excellent general image viewer.

Bethesda Archive Extractor: Crack open those .ba2 files and get to the goods.

Material Editor: What it says on the tin, lets you edit Fo4 and Fo76 material files. These are like containers that have the paths to all your textures and how they are to be shaded to attach to .nif files.

NifSkope: View and edit .nif files. Dev 7 is the recommended, but Dev 8 can open Fo76 meshes if you want to backport those.

Outfit Studio: Even if you don't use body replacers, this is an incredible tool for editing and weighting meshes. If you're making armour you need this. This is also where I make most of my mashups: you can pull parts from different outfits, slap them together, and export them quickly and easily.

Blender: It's free and it works. Learning to navigate this is going to be your biggest hurdle but it's worth it, trust me. Thankfully blender has a huge community and hundreds of tutorials. This is where I make my hi poly models and do all my retopo/uvs. I also prefer to use blender to edit meshes because it has more robust editing tools.

PyNifly: What I use to import/export .nif files from blender.

Fo4 is made in the 2013 version of 3DS Max and the havok content tools but i haven't bothered to pirate that yet. You don't need it for armour anyways.

I'm sorry this is so long and rambly. If you have a more specific question I might be more helpful ha.

[etceterabd]

THE 6 FREE MARKETING TOOLS EVERY MARKETER NEEDS TO USE

Are you aware of the top marketing tools out there that not only help you get your job done better, but are completely FREE? There are a number of excellent free marketing tools, and we’ve compiled some of the top in the categories that help you master your marketing. Whether you add all or a few to your marketing toolbox, you’ll reap the benefits of these resources right away and work smarter, not harder.

Project Management: Trello

Lead Generation: Hubspot

Design: Canva

Content: Answer the Public

SEO: Google Free Business Profile and Google Analytics

Social Media Management: Buffer

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: TRELLO

This highly visual organization tool is a master at project management. It lays everything out intuitively on “boards” reminiscent of an old-school desk blotter and designed to manage projects, workflows, and tasks, from the big picture down to the finest detail. With the free version of Trello, you can create unlimited boards that contain a project or process, lists encompassing all tasks and divided into “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done” (or your own custom process), and smaller, movable “cards” with the information you need to accomplish these tasks, tied to deadlines and assigned doers. 

Trello helps you boost your productivity. It keeps everyone moving, with spaces to comment on the cards, and add files and checklists. It also integrates with Slack, Dropbox, Outlook, Gmail, Salesforce, and more, with “power-ups,” or plug-ins, that expand your capabilities. The free version gets you unlimited cards, built-in automation, due dates, mobile and desktop apps, unlimited activity logs, templates, and unlimited power-ups. Then if you find you’re needing more, it’s a reasonable jump in monthly rate for more robust options.

LEAD GENERATION: HUBSPOT

Hubspot is known for many things to many marketers. It’s a robust CRM platform with highly effective marketing, sales, and service tools. The software is king at lead generation. It helps marketers attract potential visitors and leads through inbound marketing, ushering them through the buyer’s journey, and converting them into customers. 

While HubSpot’s capabilities are wide-ranging and complex, you can take advantage of its CRM tools in a free suite that includes email marketing, live chat, forms, pop-ups, ads, landing pages, reports, and more. This version has some very helpful features; marketers can add more information about incoming leads with data gleaned from the internet, populating charts with social profiles, job titles, where they came from online, and what they viewed before they filled out their form. You’ll be able to track these potential customers when they return to your site as well, and since each action is mapped, you can track timing too. The free version of HubSpot also provides analytics so you know which of your pages, offers, and traffic sources are pulling the highest conversions. You’ll see the number of visits before customers buy and identify other trends in site navigation so you can optimize your site. 

Hubspot also offers paid subscriptions, but these free capabilities are highly effective, so you can always add on later if you’d like:

DESIGN: CANVA

In the way that self-publishing content through social media has revolutionized the media industry, Canva has similarly given people a free platform with which to create beautiful brochures, business cards, banners, infographics, cards, logos, designs for promotional items, social media images, posters, newsletters, videos and so much more. Started in 2013, the platform offers many tools for free, including 250,000+ templates, 100+ design types (social media posts, presentations, letters, and more), free photos and graphics, additional team members, and 5GB of cloud storage, plus access to easy tutorials and other great resources, including a robust blog for marketing, design, and branding. You can level up to Pro and Enterprise for more features, which are free for classrooms and nonprofits.

Canva offers excellent tools for laying out and designing professional-looking  pieces even if you’re not a professional designer. With this design tool, you can create postcards for your upcoming sale, Instagram images for branding, or a flyer with your services. Its intuitive interface has made good design more accessible for all of us.

CONTENT: ANSWER THE PUBLIC

This content-generating tool is so simple that you’ll want to play with it for hours. It makes a great party game too, especially since it’s powered by a perky robot. The premise is simple: just enter the topic you’re interested in covering for your content strategy, and it will (within seconds), deliver an elegantly charted image containing more search terms than you can possibly use. The way it works is by collecting the autocomplete data from the 3 billion+ daily Google searches and mapping them out into “what,” “how,” “where,” and more.

You get an unfiltered look into the minds of searchers, to learn the information that they’re really seeking—and sometimes it’s surprising. You can leverage this content to create the next headlines and search terms for your blogs and social media posts. If your audience feels like you’re reading their minds, it’s because you pretty much are.

With Answer the Public’s free version, you can conduct more than 500,000 searches a month; if you need more you can also upgrade to their other plans:

SEO: GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE AND GOOGLE ANALYTICS

THE GOOGLE FREE BUSINESS PROFILE

The Google Free Business Profile is a no-brainer. If you have not yet completed this one-time task, head there right now and get your business set up. This tool will direct all users who find you on Google to the critical information they seek: your phone number, website, address, hours, ratings, description, posts, health and safety measures, women-owned/Black-owned/veteran-owned and other status, and more. It includes a map so users can see your location at a glance and a spot for product and services photos. You can create offers, respond to reviews, send and receive direct messages, and post FAQ answers. Since people will be looking for you on their phones and other devices, this first impression is crucial—and it’s 100% free.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

To track how well your website is performing, Google Analytics is an excellent tool. It measures real-time traffic and lets you set custom goals like purchases or signups. You can delve into revenue, return on investment (ROI) and return on ad spend (ROAS). When you link it to Google Ads, you can track ad performance and use their advanced machine learning capabilities to optimize advertising campaigns, based on cost per acquisition (CPA), ROI, or ROAS. With this information, you’ll learn which channels are performing best, see where your customers are coming from (devices and geographically), and use this information to optimize your site. Not bad for a free tool! 

Related: 6 Metrics Your Boss Actually Cares About

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT: BUFFER

Who has the time to continually post on social media? You do, now that you have a free tool that does it for you! With Buffer, you can schedule your social media posts across social sites in advance, so they’re set. 

Their free option gives you up to three channels and their profiles, with ten social posts per queue (and no monthly or yearly limit), basic publishing tools, and a landing page builder for you to send leads to. They even shorten links automatically to save you characters. Buffer is a great way to manage the posts you’ve been meaning to post but haven’t gotten around to yet. It’s your social media assistant, automated.

If you like working with Buffer (and you will), you can opt for their next available plan, which lets you look at analytics, use their engagement tools, build a shopping landing page, and integrate with other apps:

These free marketing tools are all so helpful, and their paid versions often include even more helpful capabilities. We recommend trying them for free and if you find they’re really working for you, they may be worth an additional investment since they’re providing a strong return. Check them out and let us know how you do!

And if you need help integrating any of these tools or would like more marketing muscle in your toolbox, reach out to our team. We’re suckers for time-saving tools, and we love to help make marketing easier, smarter, and of course, better.

[a-tools]

Air Conditioner Simulator transform your screen into an air conditioner control panel and pretend you’re enjoying the cool breeze right now! By mimicking the functions and sounds of an air conditioner, it creates the illusion of actually using one.

[applejongho]

hey!! I want to start making gifs but i don’t know how, are websites like ezgif frowned upon here in the gif community? do we make them in a specific software?

hi anon!! thanks for asking!

I would say that yes, ezgif is generally frowned upon to make gifs, but if that's the only option available for you then it's whatever works. People frown upon it because the quality of the gif is reduced in ezgif software (converting from mp4 to gif) and there are very limited coloring options. You also can't sharpen a gif because the sharpening software simply doesn't exist on ezgif. I want to reiterate that ezgif isn't like, the worst thing in the world, but it's moreso limiting your toolbox greatly.

There's two paths that you can take: get Photoshop somehow, either paying the enormous amount of money yearly for a subscription, getting it from your school if they offer it, or getting a cracked (not legal) version of it. There are a lot of downloads available here (Tumblr link) and in my tag called #resources.

Your second option is photopea, which is a free online version of photoshop and is similar to Photoshop. I used photopea for years until a friend gave me access to her Photoshop account, and I personally prefer Photoshop over photopea due to the accessibility, the filters available for coloring and sharpening, and the saving options (which I know sounds really stupid, but the exporting options for Photoshop are generally better than those of photopea. IE you can make the same gif from both softwares but photoshop's will just be better quality by nature because of its export, ie when you click 'save as gif'). However, photopea's usefulness and breaking down that barrier for people who want to get into gif making or editing graphics in general when they can't get Photoshop is very powerful and I'm glad that photopea exists, I recommend it highly for people that cannot get Photoshop/aren't comfortable with getting a cracked version of it because it's similar (not the same) to Photoshop.

I have an old photopea tutorial on YouTube if you'd like to use it to learn! It's old not because of the age but because I do things differently now than I did when I made the video and if I could, I would add more to the video, the biggest being cropping and aspect ratios. Here's a detailed post on gif sizing since I didn't include it in my tutorial, and here's my YouTube tutorial on how to make a gif on photopea. There are a bunch of tutorials on how to make a gif on Photoshop, I'm sure, since it's a better known software. Maybe I'll redo my photopea tutorial at some point. That's a mighty fine idea tbh.

Another big tip, if you for some reason have a software related question, you can literally email the CEO and creator of photopea at support[@]photopea.com. I've done it before lol. He's really helpful. That's the perk of a small software, the CEO is behind the support email. He has literally changed the software when I've asked, for example you couldn't upload videos with a frame rate greater than 10, and I made him change it to the frame rate of the video. Lmao.

Sorry for all of these words lol, I hope they helped and feel free to reach out again if you have more questions!

[cokotools]

Independently developed an efficient online toolbox to develop 200+ online tools pure JavaScript files do not leave the local machine 100% to ensure your privacy

[the960writers]

Adding to the web-based list:

Campfire (https://www.campfirewriting.com/) Browser based with an additional app (android and iOS).

A massive toolbox with elements you can pay for as needed, like a timeline element, or languages, locations, research. There is a free version for one project to test things out, in the paid version you combine the elements you need. Works well in browser, the app looks good for writing but doesn't have all the features. But everything works just as well in your browser on a tablet or phone.

They are also building a section (https://www.campfirewriting.com/explore) for publishing and reading books and webserials online, which also works in the app.

Alternatives to google docs

For various reasons, this is now a hot topic. I'm putting my favorites here, please add more in your reblogs. I'm not pointing to Microsoft Word because I hate it.

Local on your computer:

1.

LibreOffice (https://www.libreoffice.org/), Win, Linux, Mac.

Looks like early 2000 Word, works great, imports all formats. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

2.

FocusWriter (https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/) Win, Linux.

Super customizable to make it look pretty, all toolbars hide to be as non-distracting as possible. Can make typewriter sounds as you type, and you can set daily wordcount goals. Saves in OpenDocumentFormat. Combine with something like Dropbox for Cloud Backup.

3.

Scrivener (https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) Win, Mac, iOS

The lovechild of so many writers. Too many things to fiddle with for me, but I'm sure someone else can sing its praises. You can put the database folder into a Dropbox folder for cloud saving (but make sure to always close the program before shutting down).

Web-based:

4.

Reedsy bookeditor (https://reedsy.com/write-a-book) Browser based, works on Firefox on Android. Be aware that they also have a TOS that forbids pornography on publicly shared documents.

My current writing program. Just enough features to be helpful, not so many that I start fiddling. Writing is chapter based, exports to docx, epub, pdf. You can share chapters (for beta reading) with other people registered at Reedsy.

5.

Novelpad (https://novelpad.co/) Browser based.

Looks very promising, there's a youtuber with really informative videos about it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHN8TnwjG1g). I wanted to love it, but the editor didn't work on Firefox on my phone. It might now, but I'm reluctant to switch again.

------

So, this is my list. Please add more suggestions in reblogs.

[govindhtech]

Etsy’s Service Platform On Cloud Run Use An Hour Not A Days

Deployment times for Etsy’s Service Platform on Cloud Run are reduced from days to less than an hour.

Overview

Popular online business Etsy sells vintage, handcrafted, and unusual items and attempts to give excellent service. Etsy needs more people, technology, and resources like many fast-growing organizations. Over 1400% of its gross product sales climbed to $13.5 billion between 2012 and 2021.

Etsy moved all of its infrastructure from conventional data centers to Google Cloud in an attempt to keep up with this development. In addition to being a major technology advancement, this change forced Etsy to reconsider how it approaches service development. The process resulted in the establishment of “ESP” (Etsy’s Service Platform), a Google Cloud Run-based service platform specifically designed for Etsy that simplifies microservices development, deployment, and administration.

The need for change and architectural vision

The need for technical team to handle more sophisticated features and more traffic in Google cloud marketplace increased along with Etsy’s growth. Etsy developers were able to investigate and use Google Cloud-based service platforms with 2018 transfer to GCP. However, this surge of technological innovation also brought out some new difficulties, such as redundant code and scaffolding and unsupported infrastructure with unclear ownership.

In order to overcome these obstacles, Etsy brought together a group of architects to create a blueprint outlining the direction of the company’s future service growth. The objective was unambiguous: establish a platform that frees developers from the burden of backend complexity and enables them to swiftly and securely launch new services by separating service development from infrastructure.

Transforming vision into reality

The resultant architectural concept served as the foundation for Etsy’s Service Platform, or ESP, and a newly assembled team was tasked with the thrilling task of making the vision a reality. Putting together a dynamic team that could bridge the gap between application development and infrastructure was the first step. The team, which was made up of seasoned engineers with a variety of specialties, contributed a wide range of abilities.

Understanding how critical it was to connect with future platform users, the team worked closely with Etsy’s engineering and architecture. By consenting to embed one of their senior engineers in the service platform team, the Ads Platform Team, which was previously involved in service development, played a crucial role. As part of the Etsy’s Service Platform experiment, they jointly produced a Minimum Viable Platform (MVP) to facilitate the rollout of a new Ads Platform service.

Choosing Cloud Run for accelerated development 

By separating infrastructure and automating its provisioning, architectural vision for a successful service platform would simplify the developer experience. The team realized that the bigger engineering organization’s prospective clients also need a platform that could seamlessly integrate into their workflow. The service platform team decided to concentrate on Etsy-specific elements in order to do this, including observability, service catalog, security, compliance, CI/CD, connection with current services, developer experience and language support, and more.

It was a calculated move to use Google Cloud services, particularly Cloud Run. The team intended to provide value as soon as possible, even if options like GKE were alluring. The team was able to concentrate on core platform functionality because to Cloud Run’s strong and user-friendly architecture, which helped Cloud Run manage the more difficult and time-consuming parts of executing containerized services.

The Toolbox: A Closer Look

Etsy’s Service Platform uses a well chosen toolkit to provide a reliable and effective development and operational experience:

Developer Interface: A specially designed CLI tool to make developer interactions more efficient.

Protocols for standardized communication include protobuf and gRPC.

Supported languages include Go, Python, Node.js, PHP, Java, and Scala.

CI/CD: Use GitHub Actions to provide a seamless pipeline for integration and deployment.

Observability: Using Prometheus, AlertManager, Google Monitoring and Logging, and OTEL on Google Cloud services

Client Library: Artifactory has Etsy’s Service Platform-generated clients registered.

Service Catalog: Centralized service visibility via Backstage.

Cloud Run was selected as the runtime due to its compatibility and ease of use.

Navigating Challenges

There were challenges along the way to developing the service platform. Overloading occurred on the VPC connection, and in order to maximize resource allocation, some services needed to be adjusted. Future adopters will benefit from platform-level enhancements brought forth by these difficulties.

Flexibility was given top priority in Etsy’s Service Platform design to account for varied technological environment. Despite the team’s multi-technological experience, it was difficult to develop a platform that could accommodate a wide range of service and client languages and use cases. Based on customer input, Google cloud made the decision to first concentrate on a core feature set and then add incremental capabilities and workarounds.

Important lessons learned throughout ESP’s development influenced both its ongoing operations and its future direction.

Sandbox Feature: Developers were able to deploy development versions of new services on Cloud Run in less than five minutes, replete with CI/CD and observability, with a rapid iteration process provided by a “sandbox” environment.

Known Observability Tools: ESP simplified engineer processes by integrating with current tools, such as promQL and Grafana.

Security Considerations: Working with the Google Serverless Networking team guaranteed safe connection with the old apps, even though ESP preferred TLS and layer 7 authentication via Google IAM.

Encouraging AI/ML Innovation: ESP’s flexibility was shown at a company-wide hackathon when a service that interfaced with Google’s Vertex AI was quickly put into use.

Real-World Success: As client support in new languages became available, the Ads Platform service grew to three more systems. The increasing load was effortlessly managed by Cloud Run’s auto-scaling.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

Etsy’s Service Platform is being steadily and continuously adopted across the company, allowing engineers to be bold, quick, and safe. Collaboration between Google cloud internal GKE team and Google has been sparked by customer needs for workloads beyond the serverless approach. Extending ESP’s tools to accommodate a growing range of services while preserving a consistently high standard of developer and operational experience is the aim.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[siteanalysistool]

SEO Tools: Free SEO Checker Website: Easy and Effective Tools

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the foundation of online marketing that allows a site to achieve a higher rank in search engine result pages SERP. Measurability is one of the main features and for which tools play a significant role in increasing the success in SEO. Most SEO tools with the help of which you can perform a website audit are free, and there are special SEO checker websites where you can find out how successful your website is and how to optimize it. In this article the reader will become familiar with the concept of SEO checker tools and the strengths of free SEO checkers.

What Are SEO Tools?

There are various SEO tools accessible in the market or even available in the web platform itself; they can be defined as the software that could aid in SEO analysis, tracking or enhancement. Common ones usually evaluate factors such as keywords, backlinks, site loading rate, responsiveness, on site optimization and so on. The purpose of having an SEO toolbox is to determine what your web site can do to be better so that it will likely receive a better ranking in SERPs or search engine results pages.

When it comes to the search query, what is an SEO Checker Website?

An SEO checker website is an online tool through which any website owner, digital marketer, or SEO expert can check the health of his/her website. These websites can give a general view of a website’s on-page SEO, technical SEO, and other factors to consider in a website’s SE analytics. SEO checker websites read through your site and offer advice on your content, site maps, title tags, meta descriptions, links, and more.

These SEO checkers evaluate various elements such as:

Page Speed: How long does it take for your website to open in your Internet browser? The faster the content can load on the site, the better the experience is for the user thus improving their standing on the search engine results pages.

Mobile Responsiveness: Will your site adapt to the screen of an iPhone? Mobilegeddon hit in 2015 and since then, Google made mobile-first indexing its standard, which means that the search engine ranks the mobile version of your site.

On-Page SEO: This ranges from keyword optimization, header tags, meta descriptions, image alt text among others, factors that assist search engines in crawling your page content.

Backlinks: A good SEO checker also looks at the quality and number of backlinks pointing to your site which is important for increasing domain authority and increasing organic rankings.

Content Quality: Website evaluations tools like the SEOs evaluate the content on your website for relevance, keyword density and quality.

Why Free SEO Checkers are Beneficial

SEMRush, Moz, and Ahrefs are some of the prominent examples of paid SEO tools, but there are some top free SEO checker tools which also contain basic and necessary data. Here are some benefits of using free SEO checkers:

Cost-Effective: This is always the most apparent benefit of the tool, as it does not cost anything to use them. Starting from small businesses, startups, or someone who is going into SEO for the first time, such tools are ideal because they are free and do not come with the high costs of the advanced tools.

Ease of Use: Most of the free SEO checker tools are easy to use and available for common users as well as for professionals. This is often the case because, as a rule, they do not presuppose any special knowledge from the field of SEO and are ideal for website owners.

Quick Insights: A quick SEO audit is easily available online and the checker will spit out an instant report to you. This can also enable quick feedback that may also assist to improve ones’ SEO results quickly.

Actionable Recommendations: While using these tools is free of cost, some of these tools offer narrow yet accurate instructions on how to optimize your website for better SEO. Such may encompass improving meta tags, new link checking and correction, or content freshness.

Identify Technical Issues: Examples of simple SEO errors that free SEO checker tools can pick include missing meta description, duplicate content or slow site speed. These are some of the issues that if dealt with result in better overall output in your website as well as better customer satisfaction.

Here we introduce several of the most widely used free SEO checker tools.

Google Search Console: Although not exactly a “checker” per se, Google Search Console delivers basic SEO information, including how your site looks in the search engine, if there are penalties against your site and things like broken links.

Ubersuggest: One good example of a tool is Ubersuggest by Neil Patel which provides a tool for conducting SEO checks for free while also offering you with the right keywords to use, traffic estimation and on-page SEO suggestions.

SEMrush Free SEO Checker: SEMrush is one of the most powerful tools that has a wide variety of functions, however, even if one subscribes to the paid service, the basic functions, such as audit reports and keyword research are available in the free version.

Woorank: Woorank is another free SEO tool that analyzes your website for its SEO friendly nature and gives you reports with the recommendations. It also marks an overall SEO score that can help your client to comprehend the performance of their website.

GTmetrix: Plenty of web analyzing services are available today, but GTmetrix focuses mainly on page speed and performance. It gives information on how soon a website loads, what could be the reason behind a slow loading speed and tips on how the speed could be improved, all of which are extremely essential for SEO.

Conclusion

SEO work is not a one time process and utilizing SEO tools inclusive of the free SEO checkers is a strategic way of being abreast with your websites SEO performance. These tools contain a lot of information which can be beneficial for increasing your site’s ranking, visitor’s impression, and the content itself. If you are new to SEO or even if you are trying to fine-tune a current approach for your website, free SEO checkers that exist today are useful tools for the owners of a website that wants their site easily discoverable and easily indexed by search engines.

Read More :- https://siteanalysistool.com/

[bitternest]

/cracks fingers

Hokay, so. You wanna get serious about this? Buckle up, because all of the above is nice, but it’s minor stuff and hey, guess what? Will probably be re-enabled by Windows at some point after an update.

First things first. Make a backup. Or at least a system restore point. I’m not getting into the differences between those. Either way, Google how to do that, its super simple.

Now then, we are going to be looking at a few utilities that do everything above except more, and automatedly. Some things to keep in mind:

Yes, you need to work with Powershell and Github. No, this doesn’t make you a hacker. No, it’s not that difficult. Welcome to the Cyberpunk hell of the future, everyone needs to know how to use a command line. 

You will need to re-run these. There’s no escaping the creep of Big Data’s cancerous bloat. 

All of the following is provided without support. Do your own research, understand the risks and make a fucking backup.

Windows 10 Debloater

Windows 11 is basically windows 10 with a bunch of window dressing and modernization, so this tried-and true tool still works. It is a fairly comprehensive script with some QOL improvements like a GUI if you’re terrified of a command line.

Find it here: https://github.com/Sycnex/Windows10Debloater

But Amid, I hear you say, this is for Windows 10! Yes, and it will miss some things from Win11. Not enough to stop you from using this very simple, no-decision script that you run once and then again after major updates just in case.

Chris Titus Tech's Windows Utility 

Now we get into the juicy stuff. Chris’s winutil is a much more comprehensive tool that you’re basically going to need to play around with to figure out what’s best for you. Its wholly GUI based, which makes it easier to navigate for most people, but I expect most Tumblr users will face information paralysis. Suck it up, go slow and you’ll be fine. There’s a guide available on his website, but its kind of out of date and is missing a bunch of Windows 11 information.

Yes, this utility works on, is developed for and has been tested on Windows 11. Even if it barely mentions that fact. Programmers, I swear to fuck. Find it here:

https://christitus.com/windows-tool/

Windows 11 Ghost Spectre

Annnnd here we are at the endpoint. A completely stripped-down, feature-free version of Windows 11. This is the most work and may turn a lot of people off - it requires completely reinstalling windows. You need to be comfortable formating drives, installing ISOs to USBs, understanding how to get your windows license (or getting a new one). You also need to be comfortable with the fact that this solution does not come with Windows Defender. Yes, people give Windows Defender a lot of shit. They are mostly ignorant - Windows Defender is the basis for every anti-malware and virus scanner. You will also never get an automated update - that’s how stripped down this OS is. If you want security updates, you need to find the ghost toolbox and figure it out yourself.

Ultimately, this is the work of a single Japanese enthusiast/hacker. It is not easy to find - you need to go to their youtube and follow links from there. I think a lot of the shell game they play is pointless in the modern era, but I’m going to respect the process. Download the ISO, dump it on your USB, choose your installation type and be sure to grab the ghost toolbox.

It’s work. It can be a lot of work for a lot of people.

But you’re not going to get a more private, stripped down version of Windows 11.

Install Linux

Look man, I’m a syseng. I’m still getting used to the idea that telling people to install Linux is somehow socially acceptable. Do that thing if you want, its not as hard as some people make it out to be but its not easy either, and good luck troubleshooting stuff when it goes wrong.

Linux for gaming is rapidly becoming the future (minus online games that require kernel anticheat) but outside of some very finely kept gardens (SteamDeck et al), welcome to the hell of trying to figure out why your audio device isn’t working, why your drivers shit the bed, or where the fuck even are the logs from Proton this time.

I got a laptop with Windows 11 for an IT course so I can get certified, and doing the first time device set-up for it made me want to commit unspeakable violence

Windows 11 should not exist, no one should use it for any reason, it puts ads in the file explorer and has made it so file searches are also web searches and this cannot be turned off except through registry editing. Whoever is responsible for those decisions should be killed, full stop.

Switch to linux, it's free and it's good.