Useful Products and Services

Additional Browser Extensions

These extensions are linked to and for Firefox, but they or similar versions can likely be found on other browsers. Some of these are pretty overkill; these are just the ones I have installed. Here is a Firefox collection for all the extensions. My favorites and the ones that I especially recommend you to check out are in bold. All are free, open-source, and on most desktop and mobile platforms unless otherwise noted. Also see the Blocking Ads and Internet Privacy Extensions.

Emulation

Emulators are systems that are capable of replicating the function of a device on another. Many exist for retro and modern video game consoles, allowing you to play console games on PC or mobile. Often, emulators allow for a better and more accessible gaming experience when compared to the original consoles or other methods that corporations intend for you to utilize, like ports, while being available on more devices. Below are some emulators I recommend, all of which are free and open-source:

Nintendo Switch Emulation

Ryujinx was an emulator for Nintendo Switch on PC, before it was taken down after the team was contacted by Nintendo. Despite its discontinuation and unfinished state, it was capable of playing most Switch games better than an actual Switch can. Note that you need a pretty powerful gaming PC to be able to play these games well. Free and open-source. Available on most PC platforms. To get Ryujinx set up on your device:

1. Download the latest version of the emulator from here (for 64-bit Windows, download "win-x64.zip").
2. Move the extracted folder somewhere you'd like to keep it.
3. Get the prod.key file and the firmware update zip from your hacked Switch.
4. Get the "Amiibo.json" file with your amiibos.
5. Create folders to store your games, updates, and DLCs somewhere you'd like to keep them.
6. Open Ryujinx.exe. It will open a command prompt window, and then the UI menu will open.
7. In Ryujinx, navigate to File > Open Ryujinx Folder.
8. Navigate to .../Ryujinx/System and place the prod.keys file there.
9. Create a folder called "amiibo" at .../Ryujinx/system/amiibo and place the Amiibo.json file there.
10. In Ryujinx, navigate to Tools > Install Firmware > Install a firmware from XCI or ZIP.
11. Select the firmware zip file.
12. In Ryujinx, navigate to Options > Settings > User Interface > Game Directories.
13. Add your game directory there.
14. Once your games are loaded, add the updates and DLC to each game that has them by right-clicking the game > Manage Title Updates/Manage DLC and adding the update/DLC files from where ever you stored them.
15. Check out the settings at Options > Settings.

Other Things

GitHub and GitLab

Sites like GitHub and GitLab look scary at first if you aren't a techy person, but they aren't as threatening as they look. If you ever come across something you really want to use that's only on one of them and you don't know how to use it, first check for any guides on the project itself. Most projects contain a Read Me section that you can see by scrolling down on the main page. This Read Me section normally contains instructions on how to use the program. If the Read Me section isn't there, check the files for a file labeled as read me. If you still can't find it, look for the Releases section for any released versions of the program. Depending on the program, what you're looking for will often be there.

Grayjay

Grayjay is a unified feed for lots of social media platforms, with an emphasis on user control. You can block ads while only seeing the content you want to see from people you want to see, preventing you from falling into the trap of doomscrolling. Free and open-source. Android only. Also see ReVanced and NewPipe.

Kiwix

Kiwix is a service that allows you to download offline versions of many critical and crucial online resources like Wikipedia, Project Gutenberg, iFixit, MedlinePlus, Khan Academy, the Minecraft Wiki, and much more, from their library then access them using their readers. You can download all of Wikipedia for just over 100 gigabytes. If you have an extra storage drive lying around, why not make use of it by backing up information in case of an internet outage? Free and open-source. Available on most mobile platforms, most PC platforms, most browsers, and from any browser.

Neocities

Neocities is a service that aims to bring back "the fun, creativity and independence that made the web great" (Neocities). You can use it to host your own personal site, for free, to help you get away from the centralized nature of social medias and platforms owned by billion-dollar corporations. I used it to host this site. You can use their tutorials to learn how to create your own site.

RSS

RSS is a web feed that allows you to get a curated feed of things like news and updates. You can follow any given RSS feed using a reader. I use Folo (open-source, available on most mobile platforms, most PC platforms, and from any browser) to follow all the news services I enjoy and get notifications for a feed curated to me without needing to open a social media app or a designated app for each service.

• Many sites by appending "/feed", "/rss", or ".rss" to the end of the normal URL (for example, ".rss" on Subreddits or with "/feed" on Substack)
• Any email newsletter by converting it using Kill the Newsletter!
• Pretty much anything you can think of by setting up RSS automation with Zapier

Syncthing

Syncthing is a service that essentially allows you to have files on more than one device in a specific file location by synchronizing them. This can be used to back up files, as a free alternative to cloud storage that allows you to keep your files on your own hardware, or to sync things you want to access from multiple devices that need to be in a specific file location, like game save data. Free and open-source. Available on most mobile and PC platforms.