u/Dr_Jecky1l

So, let me preface this with before I started taking privacy seriously, I still used a VPN. It was before the craze of ads flying across YT. As someone who grew up in the 00’s , I have always had legitimate use for them, and I went with a company that, did the job… now that a 4 year subscription has ran its course, it’s time to reevaluate everything I learned along the way, not to mention introduce some new players that I never even heard of…

A few months ago in preparation for this, I would normally have said Mullvad was the only provider I’d consider - and they are still at the top but I have to say there are some other companies that have me intrigued, and as well as other projects that incorporate mulvad - you have Mozilla that has the eye roll free-tier, but if your a Mozilla person, they route their paid tier through mulvad (which you makes you question why bother but I digress)…

Mullvad unfortunately doesn’t support port-forwarding which is something I require… They have an immaculate record with being diskless , no logs policy, Swiss based etc etc…

But there are new players and ones I never had on my radar that share some similarities with Mullvad (no identity registration, payment in crypto/cash, no logs, own their entire infrastructure- something mulvad can’t even claim)

Obscura, And Aizire are two companies I just learned about. I was wondering what the community had to say if anyone has used them in the past or currently. Also IVPN I hear is a good company…

Let’s talk about privacy (obviously), but speed, functionality (port forwarding, torrenting, unlimited devices, protocols etc) and price are all factors, not to mention open-source and platform availability.

I know it’s been out for a week or so now, but I just finished it. I gotta say I’m really impressed!

I never finished the first game - it felt half baked. It probably was decent in its own right, just wasnt polished enough in comparison to other games.

Even though it’s technically beta - it feels like the full vision of the game the first should/could have been.

I’m very happy we got to see a beta in the first place as well… that doesn’t really happen anymore, especially in the soulslike space, which says the devs are open to hearing community criticism and opinions so they it can be received well…

What about you guys?

So I am a guitarist first and foremost. I have a very improvisational approach to playing. I play and mix many variations and combinations of genres and styles - including ambient, EDM, rock, jazz etc.

I like the “dawless” approach - I don’t like showing up to a gig with a computer…

So far, my gear is my guitar, into one of a few multi-fx/amp sim (Mooer ge300 in this case. Doesn’t get a lot of love but I like the synth engine it has), and I use a boss rc10r to loop and play over its drums…

For a long time I have was very satisfied with this - except, although the drum part of the boss rc10r has many kits and beats, the rhythm converter software is terrible IMHO (very cumbersome to create your own drum patterns).

So I was looking into drum machines, or groove boxes that I would expand my rhythm parts of my improvised songs…

To be honest, outside of videos, I haven’t had much hands on experience with groove boxes, and the like…

I landed on the Polyend step - which I thought might be the answer. Although I love it, it’s pricey bit of kit (not that it doesn’t deserve it)! I really like it, and what really sold me was that since it was sample based, I could load in custom .wav samples and make drum, or atmospheric backing type scenes behind my guitar playing… it isn’t exactly designed to that - that is to say, putting larger samples like melodic soundscapes, or loops are possible, but absolutely not ideal.

So in hindsight, what I require is a piece of kit that I can play over into a looper, that I can either make, or preload drum loops via sample, and perhaps make my own through an onboard step sequencer.

I am out of my element when it comes to what equipment meets the criteria I need, and I’m aware there are other workflows that would allow me to do this…

For instance , the boss rc 505mk2 is around the same price and I could use its 5 tracks to add whatever loops and samples I need and preprogram that to play over, and add more equipment later?

Please tell me what you guys think, it’s very appreciated.

I’d like to stay under the $600 budget mark.

Hey all - just purchased the Polyend step and I can see that this is a supremely underrated piece of kit.

I’ve been looking at videos and tutorials etc, and haven’t found any info on the following :

- I know you can change/mix and match samples/drums from different kits. Can you do it on a per note basis?

Ex. Let’s say I’m in track 1 (kick) - instead of changing the kick for ALL the kicks in the pattern, is there a way to change the type of kick multiple times? (Like first kick plays 909, second kick plays one from the garage genre just as an example)

If it’s possible, how is that done, as I only have had it for a day, and can only change the kick to the same one.

- 2nd question : is there any way when in track mode to only play that track (mute the other tracks?) Being able to do this, lets you focus more on developing the sounds you want without listening on the entire song… for now, I have to delete all the notes on the step sequencer for the other 3 tracks (which is annoying)

- 3rd question : are you limited only to the SD card to importing samples/kits etc? Can it be done over USB-C? Is there software do it, even third party maybe?

The issue is I don’t have mini SD card reader on my laptop… being able to transfer assets over USB-C would make things a lot easier. (We are in 2026 after all) this is my first Polyend piece of kit, and perhaps SD cards are better suited for people who have multiple devices that use them…

Do I have to buy an external SD card reader ?

This thing is very intriguing and intricate. I have a lot of questions, ideas, and thoughts…

I haven’t had a moment yet to look at the entire manual, so I’m sure I’ll find a lot of answers there, but if anyone knows any video tutorials that explain these sort of things, I’d greatly appreciate it!

I purchased it resell from Amazon for $450 - pretty good deal and I’m loving it so far… but the website is a little confusing, after registering the device, I can’t find a link to get to use this download code for whatever sample pack they gave…

Any help appreciated

So I've been working through THM's rooms and I have preferred to use my own VM instead of relying on THM's Attackboxes , as I feel its at least on step closer to a real scenario... For 99% of the time so far, I really haven't had an issue that wasnt either my own mistake, or network related..

That said, my first issue I can't figure out was when I ran into the Metasploit Exploitation room (kali 2026 has an issue with postgresql, which took some problem sovling - thats a newer, separate issue altogether)

TLDR; When I try to run the eternalblue exploit on my Kali VM over openvpn, it wont connect, but works flawlessly on the attackbox.. Everything has worked up until here. I have looked on passed posts on the issue and its come up over the years, with no solution... It's extremely odd... Others have pondered it being network related, or the openvpn related...

I guess it doesnt really matter if the attackbox works, but as I stated before -- the goal is to be able to do these things on hardware in a more real scenario, and It just feels better when it clicks on your own device...

Plus, its ALOT faster than using their attackbox.. I hate the lag doing anything in there.

Anyone else run into this with thoughts or solutions?

Big MGS fan, and was super pupped when I heard it was launching. Many people said the performance was meh on the ps5, so I waited.

Usually tho, they iron out kinks pretty quickly and as a general rule, the better the game, the longer it takes to go on sale (usually)…

Surprised it dropped this low… so I’m happy, but almost skeptical considering how fast it dropped as well.

Yay or nay?

I’ve been a MGS fan forever and I wanted to play this since release… Usually, the better the game, and the better its sales, the longer it takes to go on sale… I didn’t buy it initially because people complained about ps5 edition, and bugs. Usually story nowadays

So at 25$ price point for a physical copy, is it worth it?

I’m really annoyed with THM, especially after the whole MAX tier thing… but in particular, I’ve noticed the ai bot helper (echo? I think it’s called) has disappeared from rooms.

Even if it isn’t in every room, I looked back at rooms it was in, and it’s nowhere.

I didn’t even use or rely on it, but the fact that THM uses it as one of its bullet points for their paid tiers, and then it disappears is ridiculous…

Has anyone else noticed that is gone? If not, what rooms can you actively see it in? What subscription are you on?

THM’s support is another thing - I can’t get in touch with them through the platform, or their support email… I get no response.

Unreal.

So this was one that’s been on my radar since I saw the trailer… trailers aren’t enough, I never preorder - I wait for reviews from channels I trust… I got the “good enough, but not at full price - wait for a sale” vibe…

$20 is pretty baseline, but still, I like to ask people who bought/played what they think, especially now that whatever “hype” a game or may not have had has faded…

TLDR: it’s on sale, and I wana play it, but I want your advice first… Was it good? Great? Waste of time? A play it once and never again? (This part is particularly important, cause I hate buying games that you go through once and never wana touch again even if the first time is a great experience).

Bottom line: worth it, and why??

I had my eye on this one since I heard about it… Seemed pretty interesting… waited for my favorite reviewers to give me their opinions on the game, and to that end I got the “good enough, but definitely not a full price” vibe…

That said, $20 is a pretty base mark, and I figured I’d still ask the community for those who bought and played it, what you guys had to say…

My one fear was that I heard it’s not very long, and it’s a game where once u play it, there isn’t much of a reason to play it again…
Eh, feel free to correct me, cause I rather be sold the game and told “yes, totally worth $20 bucks” than the contrary.

I’ve bought Soo many games that I never bothered finishing — some I barely got a few hours in and never touched again, and I carry that fear for games I’m on the fence on. Usually I’m pretty sold on a game once I see the trailer, but still wait for a review cause I refuse to preorder anything anymore — that’s a burn that won’t happen anymore, especially since physical media is basically coming to an end (different topic)

Speaking of topics, I’ve ranted enough:

TLDR: Is it good? Is it a great? Why?
What was your experience with it, and would you buy/play it again?

Hey all, this is a tech issue I hope someone can help we with…

I’ve had this old Lenovo that’s around 15+years old that I found… it came stock with win 10, but i no longer am a primary windows user for various reasons..

As such, after digging it up, I figured I could put it to use if I slapped a Linux distro on it - I tried using it with windows but, being windows (bloated and all), and older, it was extremely slow even after a fresh install. So it just reinforces my wanting to use Linux even more…

It’s going to primarily be a laptop for the bedroom used as a movie/streaming device for my gf who’s at home more than I, and for us to use while we’re in bed and wana watch stuff going to sleep… all this is wel
And good.

I went with Linux Mint for this one cause I wanted something she could use pretty easily. Mint is great out of the box…

TLDR, I was trying to change the brightness and after I hit an fn shortcut, the screen went dim - brightness in either direction isn’t working. Reinstalling didn’t work either… I don’t think it’s an Os issue, or a fresh wipe/install should have taken care of it…

The screen was nice and bright before I finger fudged it… tried resetting bios for shots n giggles, but again no luck.. really appreciate any ideas.

Model : Lenovo Ideapad p400 touch
Current OS : most recent LinuxMint xfce edition.

Yes I tried changing the settings at the software level in various different ways… and fn keys… it just stays at the lowest brightness setting no matter what.

I won’t be silent about this. I am not sensationalizing… I live in South Florida and it started with an uptick in the presence of Flock and similar companies’ devices. I have noticed them crop up along major highways, major roads, and smaller communities…

Recently, “wildfires” started happening in the Everglades. It isn’t new, they happen from time to time in summer… but not like this — the Everglades are a HUGE part of Southern Florida, and when they occasionally occur, they do not happen this close to our highways and power-grid infrastructure… They arent “accidents”. They’re not “outbreaks”. They’re manufactured.

We all have seen the Data-centers popping up everywhere, all over the entire country. The cost doesn’t matter — the environment doesn’t matter — the citizens don’t matter. The servers collect and store all the surveillance data and power the AI needs for the tools they use.

I’m literally watching the surveillance-state being built before my very eyes… and now it’s happening in my back yard..

What would/will you do when it is happening in yours? It’s justified at any and all cost to them… What will you do at any and all cost?

Woah 🤯

Revised version of the KIDS ONLINE SAFETY ACT (KOSA), combined with a collection of other internet bills, reporting requirements and regulations.

This bill is being pushed forward THIS WEEK, in a highly expedited process…

Yet another bill, cleverly worded to “protect children”, that results in anything but, and continues to diminish our rights and privacy on the internet…

I wanted to get a general discussion going about the status of FLOCK and their continued partnerships with government, police, and cities… Chances are most people in this sub need no introduction to this company known as FLOCK safety, and the sheer number and rate of their devices popping up, in urban and suburb areas alike.

The surveillance-state trend this country has been on since pre-Snowden revelations, has only quickened with the wet dream implementation that is Flock safety cameras… Their partnerships with local, state and federal government, police, as well as at the community level are, are in no way slowing down, despite MASSIVE pushback. Some communities that didn’t fully comprehend what they were getting into, are being sued and fined outrageous amounts for trying to simply terminate or pull out of contacts with FLOCK. In many cases, this is occurring in smaller towns, that can’t afford the litigation fees for simply changing their mind…

There are is no shortage of news stories about vandals (or heroes, depending on who you ask), being jailed, threatened and/or sued for removing, or tampering with these devices — the contracts between FLOCK and those that have or haven’t authorized their use has become such a judicial nightmare, that some cities have literally resorted to having municipal workers simply put bags over these poles of self-sustained surveillance.

YouTuber Ben Jordon released a video in late 2025 about Flock cameras, threats they pose, and even a method of countering them should you wish to (highly recommended watching that, you can find it with a quick search)

FLOCK quickly clapped back, and updated a revised ToS (or derivation of considering many didn’t vote or sign up for these in the first place), and threaten legal consequences for anyone using any kind of “obfuscation” techniques, which is really interesting considering the method only affects FLOCK’s LPRs (License Plate Readers), and in no way diminishes the visibility or readability of the actual license plate from normal view. He has since stood in front of City Councils to talk about the threats to privacy, and even demonstrates how easy these devices are to hack, going on to say “it’s so easy, a 12 year old could do it”.

So far some of these threats include:

1. Countless mistakes by their recognition software, leading to false arrests.

Ok, with all of that out of the way, I can assume we’re all on the same page with this totalitarian infrastructure. So the question I pose to you is : what are we doing about it?

With overwhelming negative sentiment surrounding FLOCK cameras, there still is no *real* incentive for the communities Flock has “partnered” with, to willfully terminate their agreements, considering the vast sums of tax payer revenue they are racking in — these cameras scan 20 BILLION license plates a month! Did I also mention they are networked to RING, and their cloud infrastructure??

I know there is a lot going on in the world, and it’s precisely that reason why so many things go either undetected, or get swept up and forgotten in the sheer amount of noise we deal with each and every day. But this is NOT noise people — this is the exact infrastructure they need in place to simply implement a firmware upgrade, and install facial recognition (which may or may not already be underway or in place).

Start by getting involved with your local communities and cities representatives… find out who they are, call them, email them, get some momentum going. We are continuously getting screwed in this country, and there are plenty of organizations and regular people fighting to stand up for our rights more than I’ve ever seen growing up… They have their reasons, and the threat of flock definitely carries enormous weight — but nothing will be done without YOUR help, and participation.

I, for one, am TERRIFIED of living in a country, watching this happening around me and no one doing anything about it like it’s just case of the bar being lowered on our rights…

Is it getting attention? Yeah, I sure hope so - but not NEARLY enough! We cannot let this just become yet another “societal norm”.

So what will you do? What will your community do? Will you bury your head in the sand and hope they go away (they won’t). Will you just passively submit like most until it is just another societal norm, and the issue isn’t even “news worthy” anymore? The time is now, not later — these need to be driven out from every street corner, every community, every highway, every city, and state. NOW.

Or maybe I’m just overreacting…

Take my money… Who else was blindsided by this? This doesn’t feel like a petty “remaster” cash grab, but a full homage remake that started it all for a franchise that changed so many lives… looks beautiful, and I personally can’t wait!

So this is my first blind play through. I’m currently in the area just before the heligtree.. I know I missed and/or screwed up many quests lines but that’s your first playthrough for ya…

I’m lvl 125 and I’m having a tough time from here with my build. I haven’t respected once this entire game, because am used to going STR/dex in DS… I have been using blood hound fang and finally got it to +9… I managed to get this far blind but I feel like I need more options than pure melee…

I have never experimented with anything else, because this weapon and build have gotten me through this far, but now I feel I need some ability for distance… I know I have weapons that are superior to BLF… (moonveil, rivers of blood, tons of other stuff for faith and magic builds…) I also have a very extensive ashes of war list, but again I haven’t experimented.

As bleed is incredibly powerful, I’d like to have a build where I can buff and play melee, but also have some spells or incantations or something to do long range damage when I can’t be close to bosses… essentially I need variety.

Right now my stats are as follows :

-vigor 45
-mind 13
-end 30
- str 60
- dex 35
- int 10
- faith 12
- arc 10

I haven’t spent time researching builds or how they work cause I wanted a true organic experience as possible… as stated before, my normal melee play got me this far, but I feel I wana try something new to have options..

They boss at Yelough Anix Tunnel taught me this over and over - by farrrr the hardest bosss I have attempted…

Side note: is there anything that tells us what a boss is weak to? Anyway to find out their immunity or something without directly looking it up? Having a codex about enemy variety and boss weaknesses would be a great addition … but it’s obvious I need long range to kill this demon bug, cause u just can’t do dmg enough close to him before he is throws u in the air and once shots you, even if I have what her name shooting in the background…

What build should I try? Again I have a very extensive list of weapons and talismans but I don’t wana look up builds or I feel like I’m
Cheating… if that’s what it comes to, oh well.

Thanks

This is my first playthrough of ER, and I spent a vast amount of time exploring every nook and cranny of the map I can without guidance.. looked up a thing or 2 here and there only when I was truly stuck so I could experience my first playthrough as organically as possible, and man it’s been a blast.

That said, I feel like I hit a wall… Ever since defeating Margot and entering the mountain tops of the giants the spike in difficulty was VERY noticeable… However that’s fine and I trucked though and now another spike here, after hoisting the hidden medallion, this area is nuts… Can’t see anything in the blizzard, and then you run into enemies that kill you in 2 hits… So I guess I’m wondering, how to beat tackle this area? My build it’s strength/dex combo, and I’m using BLF +9 . Currently and lvl 95 (many levels came fast since killing Morgot…)

For the first time I’m considering respecing and changing my build just to deal with this area… it feels like I just can’t get through this way.

Idk, could just use some guidance… no need to tell me exactly what to do, as I’d like to figure that out by myself (idk if there’s some puzzle to solve to stop the blizzard or something??)

Thanks fam. Cheers 🥂