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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   3118 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for August 11, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I have direct links to several YT videos that I can no longer find via search, even by typing the exact title of the video. Many of them aren’t even political, like Yundi Li’s performance of Beethoven sonatas.

I think it’s mostly because search today doesn’t even bother to do a search, it just spits back to you whatever slop Google feels like feeding you.

It’s sorta like how the thermostat in the office isn’t connected to anything; it’s just there to give the employees some illusion of control.

EDIT: in case anyone wants to try, here’s the Yundi Li performance I’m talking about. Nothing I type in search will bring up that video in the results.

A few tips for making searching the internet more legible. The first is Yandex, the big Russian search engine. They've none of the political biases that Google bakes into their results, nor the ad revenue driven mission. Do keep in mind that some of the stuff Google blocks, and Yandex doesn't, are honest to god scammers and criminals, so always be cautious with results on Yandex.

Additionally, in situations like described above where you know the exact name of something in a Google search, after performing the initial search on Google, click on the Tools link on the top, then the down arrow besides All Results, then click Verbatim. While this isn't a perfect fix, it does seem to filter out some of the worst changes to Google search of the last decade.

The first is Yandex, the big Russian search engine. They've none of the political biases that Google bakes into their results

I am going to bet they have different political biases, with small if any overlap with Google biases.

Which, for the purposes of the modal resident of the West, means they're basically neutral.

Well, if you are interested in say situation in Ukraine or Russia then I would not assume that Yandex is without any bias.

That video has been blocked in my country (the USA) on copyright grounds. I wonder if that’s why Google deindexed it.

Who knows. YT shows me content I can’t watch all the time—I’ll click on result and get “you can’t watch this bc copyright.” Well then why did you fn recommend it to me, YT?

Anyway, I have other examples that I’m pretty sure have no relation to copyright. I think their system is just so laden with schizophrenic, contradictory rules that it ceases to function entirely for all but the daily slop from Approved Producers.

clicking on your link, i get: This video contains content from UMG, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds (i'm in the usa)

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