Melody

This is why I use SearXNG; locally hosted on a container. It collates and sorts out the crap from all the engines at once. I get a useful list of results normally. My personal instance is configured to shotgun several engines at once and uses Wolfram Alpha or Wikipedia for informational boxes over other engines; if those services present a result.

My experience:

• Infobox (if applicable), Source is reliable; usually Wolfram Alpha or Wikipedia. May not always be immediately relevant but it's usually a close enough match.
• Most relevant results (3 to 7 of them)
• Relevant results containing any terms (Many)
• Less relevant results (Usually on page 2 or 3 by this time)
• Nonsensical results; may be slightly relevant (Usually you're 7 to 10 pages deep by then)

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Typically, using your own VPN should suffice. Depending on your situation you can do other things as well. If you are unable to download these tools on the school network in question; do not attempt to do so again. Use a public or other network connection elsewhere to obtain the tools you need to bypass their crap.

For example, NextDNS could be helpful. By running their client app; ( https://github.com/nextdns/nextdns/wiki/Windows ) you can make sure all your DNS requests are encrypted. Similarly you could simply set up a local DNS server that you point Windows at which can redirect those requests over DNS-Over-(HTTPS or TLS) to a DNS provider of your choosing.

As someone who owns a similar set; I can estimate you're probably dealing with the upsampling issue due to an OS configuration issue. You should try listening to MP3s and FLACs at 44100hz sample rate for your comparison. Not 48000, not 96000.

In general I don't believe you can tell any difference between MP3 and FLAC if you listen to the audio at the intended sample rate.

Meaning that @44100hz with 8 bit samples; you can't tell.

Listening at higher sample rates with higher bits per sample; sure...there's lots of room for unwanted and even audible error. Audio interpolation algorithms are not miracles, not smart, and not even close to being finely psychoacoustically tuned to your ears in most cases.

If you say you can hear a difference...you are lying or you are cheating by playing back the MP3 over an audio pipeline with a higher sample rate and bits per sample. Anyone could hear the difference when cheating like that. Human hearing can span all the way up to 128Khz; but oftentimes most people can't notice a credible difference even at 96Khz.

But if you listen to a 44.1Khz signal via a 96Khz set of equipment; you'll pick out exactly when the audio output shifts between being 96Khz and 44.1Khz.

This is how you can tell when audio is a recording at a lower sample rate. Most hardware is capable of outputting 96Khz so long as you don't put older things in your audio chain (The pipeline from file to your ears, and yes this includes software and your operating system as well).

The problem usually arises when something is upsampled. Going from 44.1Khz to 96Khz is noticeable when you "Compress" the audio signal to boost apparent loudness. Most low-end equipment and unaware software will do this sort of operation automatically when upsampling your audio to make sure the process does not render your audio too quiet to hear. Your ears can hear frequencies being clipped or limited to a certain volume as well; which can also happen a lot to prevent certain issues. Because most people are unable to regulate this hidden software aspect of their playback chain; you can sometimes hear it.

Luckily if you spend some time with proper DSP software and/or hardware, you'll be able to unmuddle/unmix these mistakes in your chain. It does take time and patience; and you'll need a large blend of HQ audio (like FLACs or MQTTs) as well as your standard "downsampled" audio (like MP3s and other lossy tracks), and you'll be able to tweak things so that everything sounds good.

Software packages like Viper4Windows or Viper4Android are good starting points and are often easy to figure out how to use and offer a very wide and diverse range of controls you can use to adjust the audio to your needs and liking.

Because everyone's ears are different; there's also plenty of tools that claim to adjust for your individual ears...and those can be helpful as well in chasing your perfect flat audio response curve and equalizing things to your preferences.

Businesses that do this do not get my visits usually. It's usually pretty evident.

I'm not going to fund that; and they should be demanding that the system stop and be adjusted so that such cases do not in fact happen.

I never advanced from a 10% tip...if I thought the service and establishment justified tipping at all. Otherwise 0% tip.

Tipping is strictly optional; and anyone pressuring you otherwise is an asshat who doesn't need your business.

The CEO is oftentimes a company policymaker; I think it would be foolish to ignore that fact.

I've been boycotting C-f-a for at least 15 years now; and I don't tell my friends or suggest that my family eat there either; except as an emergency uber last resort. The gas station (burritos/sushi/hot-dog-warmer) would be suggested first.

My current partner(s) know and respect my feelings for the company and they feel roughly the same anyways; and so we never eat there.

I'd say the story shows more character than anything.

Meaning "This politician sometimes knows how to realize when they're obsessed with something and will take steps to make sure they back off of it".

I like when politicians have functioning frontal lobes and can self-moderate. Usually it makes them far less extremist, or likely to be extreme in their viewpoints.

Wow.

Even more shocking was the absolutely toxic reaction you got from sycophants.

I love seeing your blogposts about cybersecurity; and I absolutely do appreciate that your blog isn't just about cybersecurity.

The worker is expected to refuse to work with companies insisting on the tipped+subpar pay schema. They chose to enter into the agreement anyways.

In general I don't usually tip because of this. It's not my place to pay them a living wage; it's the employer's job. If more Americans would take this stance and make it impossible for employers to hire at sub-minimum wages; this culture would go away.

I have to receive more than above-and-beyond service to even consider tipping; and then it's only when I have the funds to do so. I don't appreciate tipping pressure either; and I will actively not tip when people are pressuring me to do so; or when the execution of the transaction itself needlessly provides a prompt to tip when there's really no reason to tip anyone who doesn't care or provide more than their basic job in service.

Frequently there's no reason to tip in most service contexts; as there's no additional work being done; or assistance being asked of the employee. In some limited contexts there's justification for tipping; but it's very limited justification, and it really comes down to a couple questions: 'Did the employee provide a service that was far more exceptional than would be reasonably expected of them to perform', and, 'Was that performance given merely because it was asked or needed to accommodate you as a customer and your immediate and obvious needs'?

In some contexts, in some jobs, those opportunities to go above and beyond do exist. In those contexts...tip if you feel it's appropriate. In many other service jobs; the employer has brutally optimized and taken complete management over the efficiency and tasks being performed and; as such; they should assume the responsibilities of ensuring that an employee gets paid sufficiently, but also gets opportunity to get paid for reliable, superb or consistent superior performance.

What the fog is China smoking?

China is delusional here; literally drawing up lists of people it wishes it could kill.

Even weirder is the fact that they cannot accept Taiwan as a Sovereign Nation and keep playing these games with themselves.

Taiwan is not China. It never will be.