Sam

On the flipside the apple and I presume android eco systems have a lot of great functionality to help manage and monitor screen time and indeed other online activity. It's certainly not going anywhere so it's about education and ensuring proper, sensible usage in my opinion.

Thanks for sharing. My cats also get a bit skittish and FYI that link it's working, the video is unavailable!

Support Forums has moved to a more complete community platform that makes it significantly easier to offer a modern, feature rich experience whilst also allowing us to scale for the future. I will continue to tweak over the coming weeks, and if you can't login then a password reset should solve the issue. Any issues let me know.

Argan oil for sure!

Laptops are just not great, that’s the fact - if possible spend a similar amount even on an entry level desktop PC and it’d be better in my opinion.

We’re excited to invite you to join our discord. We have no plans to integrate the website and discord together as we feel that presents privacy and security challenges. There isn’t any inherent risk with Discord itself, but it’s a third-party platform outside of our control and therefore we don’t want to expose your information, account details or messages (especially safe space discussions) to something that we have no control over. Discord provides some really unique features that we think will enhance our community engagement. Each member can decide whether they’d like to join our discord, and indeed it is your choice if you would like to link your website and discord personas together. For those that do, manual verification and special discord server roles are available, contact a member of staff for more information. Thanks all.

Consolidation loans can be tricky because ultimately you likely won’t be able to double your debt profile to consolidate everything, especially if you have high debt and low credit. There’s no guarantee that you’ll use the money to pay off your existing loans so it’s a risky and at least in the UK irresponsible lending decision that the bank/company would be fined for.

My Apple TV is a buy I don’t think I could live without now. No more smart TV with 20 different channel apps etc + the ability to use my phone/siri/keyboard etc to navigate is a game changer.

rainn Good point. As with anything - the harder you say no or make something the more teens usually want to do it.

Remember though, there aren’t many VPN providers, especially large/well known ones that don’t retain usage logs. From a privacy perspective most VPNs will not anonymise you meaning that your internet activity can still be snooped through or accessed by the relevant authorities upon request.

I am not a parent, but I am interested to hear from those of you who are, regarding the UK’s online safety act. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-act-explainer/online-safety-act-explainer As a technologist, to me this is pretty clear cut censoring and monitoring dressed up as “protect the children” and a massive devastating data breach waiting to happen. If this is about the youth of the UK accessing pornography too early, I think all this act does is drive them deeper in to the internet to find sites that aren’t complying with the legislation. These sites are likely far less moderated and are likely to have extreme content. I would argue that it’s the parents job to be aware enough of what their children are accessing online, and if necessary use the parental blocks that already exist and of course have conversations about sex, relationships and pornography etc - as you can know they’re going to see it regardless. Thoughts?

she58 Can’t go wrong with an XPS imo. Check out latest deals though to find some great savings.

I think the VR headsets for example WHF meetings might catch on but it’s all very cost prohibitive at the moment.

techburner Your images are broken, FYI.

techburner Super confusion. I’ve cleared things up.

techburner Welcome, we are always looking for high quality content and contributions in the spirit of making things easier for people. Invite your friends, share content and let us know if you need anything!

I still find myself mostly forgetting to use the “smart” features that I have. Siri as a good example, but the ability for example to use voice recognition on almost everything just doesn’t come natural to me and I often forget.

techburner Thanks for sharing, welcome contribution!

If it’s safe to do so, cats will get a lot of benefit from outside and in my experience it’s difficult to change that. One my cats loved the outdoors, and would beg and beg if he couldn’t go out. We moved, closer to a busier road and it would have been cruel to make him an indoor cat. Unfortunately he was hit and killed but although devastating he had a fantastic, natural life outdoors that made him very happy and the years he did have were the right ones for him. On reflection now, and after that loss we have two other cats who could make the adjustment easier from outdoors to indoors because they didn’t really care much. Because of the road, we’re keeping them in - but also the older one who used to spend a few hours outside very few days we take out on a harness and he mostly enjoys walking around the garden. So it’s the best of both worlds really and the safest option for us now. We’re seriously considering building a catio as well linked to a window which means they can safely choose to go outside.

Great, post - good advice as always @rainn

kara All simple yet powerful things. We’re social creatures!

kara Agreed, music for me is a massive escape. Sitting, doing nothing but listening to a full album.

For sure! My partner has reminded me several times it’s Squid games tonight.

she58 Hey there, I really appreciate you starting this conversation about emotional and mental health support. It’s so important to acknowledge that we all go through tough times and sharing our struggles can make a big difference in how we cope. Personally, on tough days I find that taking a walk outdoors or listening to calming music helps me clear my mind. Balancing physical and emotional self-care is crucial, and I make sure to check in with both aspects regularly. I’ve also found talking to friends or family about what I’m going through to be a huge source of support. Mind-body practices like meditation and yoga have been really beneficial for me in managing stress and anxiety. They help me stay grounded and present in the moment. I agree with you that sharing our experiences in a non-judgmental space can be really comforting and reassuring. We’re all in this together, and by supporting each other, we can make a positive impact on someone else’s journey. Thanks for opening up this discussion. Sending you and everyone else lots of positivity and strength to get through the tough times! 🌟💕

Welcome! Thanks for joining.