More ads for YouTube Premium Lite subscribers incoming

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

YouTube users who have enough of the seemingly ever-increasing bombardment with ads on the site have two official options to deal with it. Subscribe to YouTube Premium, which costs more than a Netflix subscription per month, or pick YouTube Premium Lite, if available.

YouTube Premium Lite is less expensive, at about $8 per month. For that, subscribers get less ads on YouTube. Up until now, that meant no ads in most videos. The notable exceptions were music videos and while searching for or browsing videos on the site.

Google is sending out emails to YouTube Premium Lite subscribers currently that informs them about a notable change coming to their subscription.

From June 30th, 2025 onward, subscribers will also see ads when they watch YouTube Shorts on the platform. Shorts are shorter videos that resemble videos on TikToks, Instagram and other mobile platforms.

Most videos on YouTube remain ad-free, however, according to Google’s email.

Closing Words

More ads for YouTube Premium Lite subscribers makes the plan even less attractive than it is right now. While it may not change much for many subscribers, as Shorts are a love or hate kind of type of videos, it still reduces the attractiveness of the subscription.

Subscribers may cancel at any time. Some might go back to watching YouTube with content blockers instead. It is free, and it improves privacy and security.

Google and other providers continue to test their limits. Years ago, when you paid a service for an ad-free experience, that usually meant entirely ad-free. Now, more and more services continue to charge you for a subscription and still show you ads. YouTube Premium Lite, Netflix, Disney+ and many more have introduced plans that do just that.

Now You: what is your take on all of this? Do you have a YouTube Premium subscription or another subscription that still shows ads to you when you access content?

Captain Commando

Play classic Capcom games like Street Fighter II, Magic Sword, or Ghosts’n Goblins for free

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Even if you did not grow up during the Nintendo SNES and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive era, you have likely heard about classic games like Street Fighter that revolutionized video games at the time.

Some game series get new releases regularly still, others have remained classics. Many of them are playable as virtual games on consoles and even on Steam, or, if you prefer to sail the seven seas, via emulation.

Capcom, one of the great game developers of the time, created a new arcade website to celebrate its 40th birthday. There you can play a few classic Capcom games for free, directly in the browser.

Games are available in Japanese or English, and some even support multiplayer. Here is an overview of the games that you can play there currently:

  • Street Fighter II The world Warrior (Japanese and English)
  • Street Fighter 2010 (Japanese and English)
  • Magic Sword (Japanese and English)
  • Rockman 2 (Japanese and English,)
  • Captain Commando (Japanese and English)
  • Ghosts’n Goblins (Japanese and English)

Each game comes with a short description, its manual, and even a photo of the original module for the game console it was released on. The games support joypads that you connect to your PC or device, which is useful, as keyboard controls are rather fiddly.

More games, but only with a trick

The selection of games includes a few classics, but it is rather weak, considering that Capcom has created many more games.

If you open a snapshot of the Capcom Town website on the Internet Archive, you are greeted with more games. Highlights include Final Fight 1 and 2, Breath of Fire I and II, Super Ghouls’N Ghosts, or Mega Man X.

Many of the games are all-time classics, some of them hard to find, if you want to buy them for the original consoles or virtual systems.

Now you: what is your take on this? Do you play classic or modern games from time to time? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

YouTube Shorts

Brave: it takes a few clicks to get rid of YouTube Shorts once and for all

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

The rise of TikTok has saw established sites and apps like YouTube or Instagram scrambling. On YouTube, one response was the introduction and promotion of Shorts, a short video format that resembles TikTok’s own.

YouTube Shorts seem to split the user base. Some like it, others dislike it with a passion. If you fall into the second group, you may like the idea of removing Shorts from YouTube altogether.

If you use Brave Browser, that is handled with just a few clicks. Note that you can also do that in other browsers, which I explain later as well briefly.

Brave Browser's Anti-Shorts video to block YouTube Shorts

So, if you do use Brave Browser, do the following to get rid of YouTube Shorts:

  1. Load brave://settings/shields/filters in the browser’s address bar.
  2. Click on “show full list” underneath the Filter lists section near the top.
  3. Check “YouTube Anti-Shorts”.

Tip: you can also add more, e.g., YouTube Mobile Distractions or YouTube Mobile Recommendations, or any of the other filter lists displayed on the page.

When you reload YouTube now or open the site, you will notice that Shorts are gone. No more Shorts content when you search for videos on YouTube. Shorts is gone from the sidebar, and when you browse recommendations and suggestions, it is also gone.

Now, if you use a different content blocker, like uBlock Origin, then you may add the instructions that Brave uses to it as well. You find Brave’s list here on GitHub. All you need to do is add the instructions as custom filters in uBlock Origin. Any other ad-blocker that supports this filter syntax will work as well.

Now You: What is your take on Shorts on YouTube? Great entertainment and value, or so mundane that you’d rather watch grass grow? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Mozilla finally makes it easier to add Search Engines to Firefox

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Firefox users have a few options to add new search engines to the browser. The entire process is not as straightforward as it could be though, especially when you compare it to how search engines are added to Chromium-based browsers such as Google Chrome.

The two main options are to add the new search engine from the address bar or search bar of the browser, or by installing it. The settings, for instance, are a place that that you can’t add new search engines from.

With Firefox 140 comes a change that adds two new option to the process.

The first allows you you to right-click on any search field to add that search engine to Firefox. Some users may find this new option more natural, especially when compared to the current status quo regarding search engines in the open source browser.

Firefox's new "add search engine" option

So, simply right-click the search field and select “add search engine” . This opens a prompt that gives you the option to change the name of the search engine and assign a keyword to it. Activate the “add engine” button to add it to Firefox.

The search engine is available now in Firefox. You still need to go to the Settings to make it the default, but you can select it right away when running searches in the browser.

Search Engines in Settings

Firefox Add a new search engine in Settings

The second option is available right in Settings. Open the Settings in Firefox and switch to the Search group to get started.

There you find the new Add option to add a new search engine to Firefox. You do need the search URL for this one and use the %s placeholder for your search terms. The two other options let you pick a custom name for the search engine and add an optional keyword.

There you have it, two new options to add search engines to Firefox. This improves the feature significantly.

Now You: how do you add new search engines to your browser of choice? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

How to sort files in Windows using two parameters, e.g. type and size

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

It is easy to sort files in Windows’ File Explorer. Just activate one of the displayed column headers, e.g., type or size, and Windows will sort all files using the selected value.

Select size and files will be displayed from largest to smallest. Click again, and the sort order is reversed.

Did you know that you can add a second sort parameter to this without breaking the first sort order? This can be useful, for instance by sorting all files by type and by size.

This keeps files grouped by typed, e.g., PDF documents, images, videos, while still sorting each individual group by size.

To do so, simply sort files like you always do. Click on a column header to sort by type. Hold down the Shift-key then and click on another header, e.g., size.

You will notice that files get sorted again without breaking the first sort order.

This can be quite useful, for instance when you want to check the largest files of multiple file types.

Now You: have another tip that is a time-saver on Windows or other devices that you use? Feel free to leave a comment down below to share it with everyone.

The Browser Company drops Arc Browser in favor of Dia, its new browser

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

When the Browser Company announced its Arc Browser, it got favorable reviews on a lot of sites. Yes, there were critics as well, but if you read the likes of Lifehacker or The Verge, you’d believe that it would soon overtake every other browser out there.

I have to admit that I did not like Arc Browser from the very start. I said so much last year when I reviewed it. My main concern back then was not the minimalistic approach, but the lack of features, e.g. extensions, and the clear intention of turning a profit with Arc by introducing subscription options.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with earning a living from your hard work, but a paid browser is a hard sell in a world where all major browsers are free.

Today, The Browser Company sent out a letter to Arc members letting them know that it made the decision to discontinue the Arc Browser to focus fully on Dia.

Here are the key points made in the long letter:

  • Arc was “too different” with “too many new things to learn” for “too little reward”.
  • The browser felt like a very specialized tool while the company was aiming to become a mass-market consumer product.
  • Arc was complex, and many of its core features, those highlighted by reviewers, were not really used by the majority of users.

Dia came into existence as a result of AI taking the world by storm in 2023. With Dia, The Browser Company hopes that it is getting it right this time. Speed and simplicity are the cornerstones of the new browser, and the main reason why the changes could not be integrated into Arc Browser, according to the company.

Dia focuses on artificial intelligence. I wrote about it last month when a quick tour video of Dia was released by The Browser Company. Core features highlighted in the video included the option to have conversations with the AI about any web content open in the browser and use AI search functionality next to that.

Dia is not out yet. When you visit the company website, you still get an option to download Arc Browser for Windows or Mac. While there is a link for Dia as well, it leads to a basic webpage with no download options. You can leave your email address to stay in the loop, but that is about it.

Is Dia going to be the big thing that The Browser Company hopes it is going to be? I have my doubts. AI will certainly play a bigger role in web browsing and the Internet in the years to come, but all major browser makers are integrating AI into their browsers.

Now You: what is your take on this development? Will you try Dia when it becomes available?

Windscribe

A look at WindScribe’s Build your own VPN plan

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

VPN services are mighty useful additions in this day and age. They protect your data and privacy, and may also help you bypass geo-restrictions. There are numerous VPN services out there that serve different purposes.

Many charge a lot for monthly plans and give you huge discounts if you sign up for a year or more. Some, like NordVPN, seem to offer discounts all the time.

I reviewed WindScribe years ago when the VPN service gave free users 50 gigabytes of data. Currently, free users can still sign up and get 10 or so gigabytes per month for free. Connections are also limited some

I stumbled upon the Build your own VPN plan recently. It sounds interesting. Instead of getting a range of features and server locations, you simply select what you need. The price is then based on that.

Here is how it works. Once you have set up a Windscribe account or signed in to one, you may select the Build your own VPN option from the paid plans section.

Here you make two core choices that determine the plan:

  • Select whether you want unlimited bandwidth (adds $1 to the plan).
  • Pick at least two regions that you want to connect to (each region adds $1).

So, if you just need connectivity to one or two regions, you end up paying $3 per month for the plan. While that limits connectivity, it does not really matter if you do not require access to servers in other regions.

Also, you can edit the plan to add or remove locations from it. The regular plans costs $9 per month or $5.75 per month when paid yearly. They offer a handful of advantages besides unlimited regional connectivity:

  • Only 10 custom rules for the R.O.B.E.R.T. add-on, instead of 1000.
  • No ephemereal port forwarding.
  • Static IP only if you get the unlimited bandwidth option.

It does not really make sense to push the custom plan beyond the price charged for the regular plans, as you get access to all server locations in those. The main advantage is that you pay less, if you limit regional availability to two or three locations.

While $3 may still pale compared to the discounts that companies like NordVPN throw around all year round, it may still be better than the $5.75 that you pay for a regular plan at Windscribe.

My main recommendation regarding a VPN remains Mullvad though. While it costs $5 per month, it is as private as it gets. May not be for everyone, especially if you have different requirements.

Now You: do you use a VPN service? If so, which do you use and why? How much do you per per month or year for the service?

Firefox

Firefox’s address bar is getting a makeover: here is a first look

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla’s Firefox web browser remains a popular choice, especially for open source enthusiasts and users who want as much customization options as possible.

While Mozilla is going through some form of decline, at least when Firefox’s usage share is concerned, it is still used by hundreds of millions of users each month.

Mozilla tried several strategies to turn the tide. It continues to reduce its reliance on Google money through new products, but most revenue still comes from that one search deal with Google.

Recently, Mozilla introduced much-requested features in Firefox. From tab groups to vertical tabs. an improved profile manager and the upcoming link previews feature.

Now, it is the address bar that is getting a makeover.

Tip: check out my guide on enabling compact mode in Firefox.

The improved Firefox address bar

Improved selection of search engines and search data

Image source: Mozilla

Click on the icon at the left side of the address bar to pick any search engine for search. You may also select internal options, such as bookmarks or the browsing history from the menu.

My take: Good addition, but nothing major.

Search term instead of search URL

Image source: Mozilla

A controversial change. When you run a search, Firefox displays the original search term in the address bar instead of the URL. Mozilla says that it is done to give users easier access to change the phrase and to run the search using a different search engine.

My take: Don’t like, as the URL should always be visible.

Search using keywords

This feature is not really new, as Firefox supported keyword-based searches for a long time.

Use @bookmarks or @tabs to limit searches

My take: not really new, but may expose the feature to more users.

Actions to take

Image source: Mozilla

Actions is a new feature. An action is a command that you want Firefox to execute. Options include printing the active page, opening the Settings, viewing the page source, or clearing the recent history.

My take: this one is handy for users who prefer the keyboard over mouse.

Contextual search suggestions

Firefox shows contextual options for some searches or prompts. It may show a shortcut to search the active site or to switch to a specific tab.

My take: sounds like a useful feature, not entirely new though.

No HTTPS:// anymore, but clear warnings for insecure sites

Since most sites use the secure HTTPS now, Mozilla decided to hide the protocol from Firefox. It continues to show warnings if a site uses HTTP or another insecure protocol or misconfigured protocol.

My take: I prefer to see all protocols all the time, so, not something that I like.

Good news is that you can make changes to Firefox’s configuration to alter the defaults. Check out Mozilla’s blog post for additional screenshots and information.

Now You: what is your take on these features? Something that you find interesting or superfluous? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Quick Tip to get rid of AI elements on Google Search

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

If you do use Google Search as your daily search driver or occasionally, you may have noticed an increase in AI summaries at the top of the search results.

Run a search for “what is Windows 11” and there is a good chance that Google displays an AI generated answer to the query at the very top. While that is useful at times, especially if you just need a quick overview of a topic or want something that would require significant manual research, it may at other times be of no use or even relaying incorrect information.

While you could switch to another search engine or install an extension that removes the AI content, you could also use the following to handle this on a case-by-case basis.

All you have to do is append &udm=14 to the URL. Just paste the string at the end of the URL and hit reload. This takes care of the AI overview.

Tip: you may also add a custom search engine to your browser of choice. This is the URL that you need to add: https://google.com/search?udm=14&q=%s

If you want something permanent, the best option is to install a browser extension for that.

Here is a short list of extensions you may consider:

Chromium-based, e.g. Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, or Opera:

Mozilla Firefox:

Now You: What is your take on AI overviews or summaries in search? Do you find them useful, sometimes useful or not useful at all? Feel free to leave a comment down below.

Mozilla is shutting down Pocket and Fakespot

Posted on by Martin Brinkmann

Mozilla announced today that it is shutting down two of its services: Pocket, a long-standing bookmarking and reading service, and Fakespot, a recent acquisition, that can detect fake reviews of products online.

Pocket

Pocket started out as an independent “read it later” service back in 2007. It allowed users to save bookmarks to web resources to keep track of everything from a central location. Mozilla acquired Pocket in 2017 and integrated it in Firefox.

Pocket users have until October 8, 2025 to export their data. The service will enter export-only mode on July 8, 2025 and you may use the service normally until then. All user data will be deleted permanently after October 8. The Pocket extension and mobile apps will also be shut down.

Why is Mozilla shutting down Pocket? Mozilla says that “the way people use the web has evolved” and that it made the decision to channel its resources “into projects that better match” the browsing habits and online needs of this evolved user type.

Paying subscribers will get a partial refund that is based on the time left in a subscription after July 8.

You can check out this support article for details.

Fakespot

The second service that is axed is Fakespot. It started out as an independent service to distinguish fake reviews and ratings of products online from legitimate ones.

Mozilla acquired Fakespot in 2023 and integrated Review Checker into Firefox. This tool is shutting down on June 10th, 2025.

Closing Words

I have to admit that I never warmed to Pocket. While I tried the service, especially in the early days, I never found it particularly useful for my use cases. I know users who have used it for over a decade.

Some were disappointed by some of the decisions that Mozilla made regarding Pocket. Search, for example, some said, got a whole lot worse years ago making Pocket less of a useful tool in the process.

Mozilla does not say, but it is probably throwing dead weight over the board to become leaner and be better prepared for the potential Google breakup and end of the search deal with Google.