I have gotten the "there doesn't seem to be anything here" error message a couple of times. Might be due to blocked or removed instances or posts (in my case at least).

Some lemmy apps (on Android) have different ways to handle things. I have been using Eterniry on and off after the recent update it got and I can tell it's much faster than Jerboa for loading images and posts but the overall UI seems slower. I tried mulitple apps as well in the past and they all have their own sets of issues which is to be expected.

The rate limiting error may also be due to you logging onto multiple devices/apps at once. A few days ago I had the same issue when I logged off and logged back in with Jerboa and Eternity within a small interval of time.

If you suspect your ISP, test with proxies and wireguard obfuscation within the mullvad app on your phone (and desktop as well if you want more accurate results, like that you can have more than just one result from one device). Try also to change your country to one that is closer to you to see if you might see some difference. It could be that you get timed out by the servers you're trying to reach with the VPN tunnel that you're using.

I haven't tested many microphones since I quickly settled on the current one I have, the Blue Snowball. Like I saod previously, it's cheap and does well for everything I need. It comes with a small stand making it easy to transport and quickly set up. Only downside for what it is would be the shape. A round ball isn't very practical while packing up.

I cannot help further on the model of the microphone. If you go to a shop on-site they may let you test some of them. If they do, chances are you can also see how much noise around you gets picked up. You could also look at some reviews and buy online by some big marketplace like Amazon where you're sure to be able to return the product if you're unhappy, without having to spend extra for returning it. By experience, you won't get in any trouble if you buy and return a few of them right after.

In the case of your laptop and microphone together while being on the go, a "small" microphone and somewhat cheap would indeed be best like I said previously. If you're outside, I wouldn't bring some equipment that attracks too much attention to you for sure.

As for in-ear earbuds, the only good options I'm aware of do not offer any microphones. The cheapest and only ones that I can think of are the old (now retired) apple standard earbuds. However the mic isn't that "good" per say and I doubt many places still have a stock of them.

It is a solution. I prefer to know exactly how my software is doing things and prefer to set every settings myself. While that isn't something I recommend most do due to time constraint, I also forgot that those tools are implemented in a lot of big applications making use of video/audio calls. If it suits your needs and find no issue using them, go for it. It will indeed help tremendously. The tips to dampen the noise in the room you are in still applies. Noise cancelling tools like so need to distort the audio the more ambiant sounds there are and the volume they're at. The louder an environment is, the more your audio will be distorted and the worst the quality will get. Nowadays, we are at a point where it shouldn't matter too much because of how well those tools processes the audio so it should be fine. Just keep it in mind.

In the end that wasn't all that useful but I hope you'll manage to have good calls with an audio that fits your needs and liking.

While browsing a few years back, I found myself buying the Blue Snowball. While many headsets now include good microphones, I chose this one because it was (and still is) cheap and of good enough quality for regular use.

As for the input settings, that might be tough if you have no experience with it. Depending on your laptop's OS and the wide range of software it might be tough.

Before any audio settings in place, test out your audio with:

• a microphone,
• a physical filter (some uses socks, its not recommended but it's just to give you an idea of what it is),
• a room with as much noise reduction as possible (thick curtains/room with a good amount of furniture/sound absorbant panels, all of those can help).

Chances are, the noise will still be too much and you will want some artificial changes from softwares afterwards, but the more you dampen the noise, the less tweaks you will have to do in the software making it easier while also not ruining the audio too much with software filters.

If you're willing to tell me what OS you will use with that laptop I can try and see what could potentially work on there without just telling you xyz software and giving you random values you have no informations on. Sometimes, simple OS audio configurations can do as much as some advertised software.

As blackstrat said, a commentator headset-microphone might be the thing you need if you ever have the money to spend on it. I could give you a good recommendation if you need one but the headset without anything else costs around $3k US iirc. That's without the needed cable and DAC. Think around $5k US for the whole thing. It is really impressive because no matter how much shouting or loud noise there is right next to you, you cannot hear it if you want to filter it out by decreasing the noise gate.

Do you need to have such a high end headset-microphone? Probably not. A good microphone, adjusted audio input settings and mixing should be well enough. However, if you do feel like you really need a luxurious microphone then tell me and I'll find the referrence for it in a bit.

Thanks for the info, I'll keep this in mind. Also, I'm glad to hear your friend got better.

My birth was a pretty big event that changed my life drastically. I wish it never happened..

Indeed. You can laugh about anything, but not with everyone. At least, that's how I see it.

(Of course laughing here is meant as laughing at a joke and not laughing at the misfortune of others).

A lot of organisations accept clothes and other belongings as donation for those in need.

I am in no position to tell yourself what to do or not with your life. I know that telling you "things will get better" is just a nice way to try to get you to endure it further. As good or bad as it is, people are mostly clueless on how to handle such situations but try to be supportive. The only things I can do is be here to listen if you need someone to talk to.

I am quite confused. Can someone please explain why there seems to be hate towards those who like "dark humor"? I can understand that some try to hide behind the name when in reality they just want to bad-mouth minorities or their views, however I don't see a problem with dark humor by itself.

I may be missing something since a lot of the comments and the post itself mentions US politics where there is a lot of tensions.

Some great apps have already been mentioned here so I'll share a last resort if you need: GMaps WV (Google Maps WebView Wrapper). It's Google maps in a restricted sandbox made by the Divest OS dev and app is on FDroid.

When I used it on a more regular basis a year ago it didn't have ads and after installing it just now to test and share this, I haven't found any either.

Privacy wise it's not as good as omsand~ or Open Street map but you could use it on another profile in your phone if you have android if that is a concern.

More info can be found here along with the source code of the wrapper: Https://divestos.org/pages/our_apps#gmapswv