Background:

I've recently gotten a new (used) Pixel 7a—upgraded from an iPhone X.

Problem:

I must have short thumbs or something because on my new Android phone, I'm constantly having to swipe multiple times for a gesture to "take." For example, swiping up to unlock or get to home, swiping left/right to cycle through image carousels in the app store—in all use cases, the screen starts sliding over, but when I lift my thumb off the screen, about 50% of the time, the screen slides back to its original position instead of sliding the rest of the way to the next screen.

I understand the need for a threshold to prevent accidental swipes; however, the native swipe lengths are just a wee bit too long for me, and the constant need to swipe multiple times to do what I want is significantly affecting my overall experience. I never had this problem on any of my iPhones.

What I've tried so far:

• I've poked around in the Settings and done a few internet searches. Came across this Google forums thread from 2018, to which the only reply was essentially tough rocks.
• In another post, I received the advice that I don’t need long gestures if I make them faster, and I have noticed different results depending on the speed of my flicks, but still find myself having to make multiple flicks to get it to do what I want. Somebody else suggested reducing the “Window Animation” or the “Transition Animation” speed (in developer settings), but alas, there are no such settings in GrapheneOS (I tried the search bar).
• I've installed an alternate app launcher (PieLauncher), but this is only a partial band-aid solution. I still have the issue w/ left/right swipes on image carousels.

I'll keep exploring apps that allow me to customize gestures, but has anyone else had this problem, and how did you solve it? Or if anyone has any suggestions for apps available in the F-Droid store that might help with this problem, I'd appreciate it. Thank you!

Background: In my quest to migrate from iOS to Android, I’m searching for a way to watch YouTube on my phone, with SponsorBlock (no ads or sponsorship segments), while also signed into Google so that when I switch from android device to desktop computer or SmartTube on my TV, videos I’ve already watched are marked watched.

On my smart TV, the SmartTube app checks both boxes—incorporates SponsorBlock and enables me to sign into my Google account, with usability enhancements to boot. On my desktop computer, Firefox w/ SponsorBlock extension meets my needs just fine.

From digging around android forums, I gather there are several apps that incorporate SponsorBlock (e.g. various invidious/piped clients), but do not have the ability to log into Google. I understand the premise is to protect users’ privacy from Google, but in my case, I actually want to be signed in.

On my android device I’ve tried various Firefox forks with SponsorBlock extension (Fennec, Mull), but in all cases, the SponsorBlock extension does not pull any segments even though I know they exist (verified on another device).

Has anyone else gotten sponsorblock + signed into google working on an android device? If so, how? Thanks in advance!

Been lurking for a while, finally pulled the trigger on this today while it's on sale. Can't wait to check it out.

Check the price history.

I want my next phone to be "unlocked" so I can use it w/ any carrier - Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Mint, etc. I'm based in the US, but if I travel internationally, it would be nice to be able to just pop in a local SIM card and continue using my phone like normal.

What gives me pause is, I see used phones listed as "US Version," and reviewers claiming the phone was not unlocked (for example, this Pixel 7a on Amazon).

Questions:

1. What am I missing here? Do these reviewers just not know what they're doing, or are they buying from shady resellers?
2. Does "US Version" imply I would not be able to use the phone internationally by just popping in a local SIM card?

Thank you!

Inb4 "analytics" is a bad word in the fediverse, understandably so, but I ask because for one of the communities that I moderate, I noticed the banner image and icon image were nearly 20 MB each, so I replaced them with smaller versions (<1 MB each). On desktop w/ a fast wired connection, it's no biggie, but it's good practice anyway to minimize page weight, if for no other reason than to make the site more usable for people on slow or cellular connections.

I tried searching for traffic data about Lemmy, and the best I could find is this page on similarweb.com, which shows traffic broken out by country and referrals, among other things, but a breakout of mobile vs desktop appears to be locked behind a paywall.

Do we have any analytics on mobile vs desktop traffic for Lemmy?

Obviously wishing Dakota the best in his recovery.

Excerpt from the article:

Dakota Joshua, a forward for the Vancouver Canucks and former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick, revealed that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer over the summer. Joshua then underwent successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor and is now recuperating and healing.

Read the full article | Archive.org | Archive.today

Excerpt from the original post on Paradox Forums:

The two Creator Packs — Modern Architecture and Urban Promenades — have been completed by their creators. While the Economy Patch, Detailers Patch, and Decorations Patch are all part of our commitment to improving the base game, we are well aware that the Asset Editor is one of the most crucial remaining features in fulfilling our promise to make mods fully available in-game. To ensure we don’t split our focus, we’ve made the decision to push the release of the Creator Packs to Q4. This will also affect the upcoming release of Bridges & Ports Expansion that will instead come in Q2 2025. We will continue dedicating our efforts to the base game before shifting focus to paid content. Our goal is to ensure the community is satisfied with the state of the game, and once we’ve achieved that, we’ll be excited to release these amazing packs to you!

View the original post on Paradox Forums | Archive.org | Archive.today | Xitter thread (privacy friendly)

Hello, I would like to request to be added as a mod for !rva@lemmy.world. I don't know if it's best practice to keep the (inactive) original mod on, but the current mod hasn't posted or commented since November of last year, nor have they responded to any of my DMs. I don't have any grand plans, I just want to help monitor for spam, potentially find another co-moderator to carry the torch in case I get hit by a bus, and hopefully grow it into a more active community. I currently co-moderate two other small communities - !caps@lemmy.world and !asoiaf@lemmy.world. Thanks!

Potential new player here (it's on my wish list). From lurking on social media, I gather that the devs have released several significant updates recently, among them an overhaul of space stations ("Orbital"). I get that they are procedurally generated, which means that no two should be alike, but... how different are they?

I ask b/c, while this might sound silly, during my time in Elite Dangerous, one of my favorite things was approaching stations, lining up my ship with the entrance, avoiding collisions, dealing with all the different axes & what not, and then setting her down on the landing pads. (and then I wish I could get out of my ship and explore on foot)

With space stations being procedurally generated, do they still feel pretty same-y or are they unique enough to keep someone like myself entertained? The wiki page for the Orbital update promises a variety of space station interiors, just wondering if actual players would agree.

Also, does NMS have any sort of "advanced flight mode" where I can enjoy the challenge of steering my ship through the obstacles or is it basically fly within the vicinity of a space station and press X to auto dock?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Thanks in advance!

Excerpt from the article:

The opening day of Rookie Camp is September 11 and Training Camp is set to begin on September 18.

Opening Night rosters are due on October 7, the night before the Florida Panthers kick off the regular season with their banner-raising night against the Boston Bruins.

This year’s holiday roster freeze is set from December 20 through December 27. For the Christmas holiday, the league is breaking completely with no practices allowed from December 24 through 26.

The 2024-25 season will pause 11 days for the 4 Nations Face-Off from February 10 through 21 where NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States will compete against each other.

The NHL’s Trade Deadline will be on Friday, March 7 at 3 pm (EST). The last day of the season is April 17 and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are set to begin on April 19.

Read the full article | Archive.org | Archive.today

I have the T.16000M FCS HOTAS (throttle and stick) like this one linked on Amazon. When I search Amazon for "dust cover for hotas" I get listings that say "for Thrustmaster Warthog." Does anyone have the T.16000M, and if so, can you recommend a dust cover for those? Doesn't have to be custom fitting, any generic dust cover will do, my main concern is keeping dust from collecting in the ball joint of the stick and the rail of the thrust slider. Thank you!

EDIT: I'm thinking about getting this or this, or just going cheap with some clear plastic bags.

In this six minute video, Robert Miles explains public/private key cryptography in layman's terms. As a non-expert in this field, I find Miles' explanation very accessible, and I've come back to this video to brush up on this concept several times since the first time I watched it. Enjoy!