Part one.
These days, the average user’s web search results are tailored to subscriptions, preferences, and history:
Tailoring: The action of adjusting or presenting information to meet a specific purpose or desired outcome is often referred to as tailoring information.
Tailoring means creating communications in which information about a given individual is used to determine what specific content he or she will receive. This enhances the relevance of the information and aims to produce greater desired changes in response to the communications.
In essence, it involves:
- Understanding the target audience or recipient’s needs and interests.
- Framing the message in a way that resonates with them.
- Selecting and presenting information that is most relevant and effective in achieving the intended purpose.
Other terms that might be used in a similar context include targeting or personalization.
Extra steps have to be taken, yadda yadda, but here – we just want access to accurate information, to do so it seems that the current average methods are questionable and not useful in regards to finding indiscriminate information. Nothing beats reading the original source material – and translating if necessary.
We like to use google translate and yandex translate, translating the text in both, and reviewing which translation works best or is more accurate in context – yandex usually provides a more accurate result in our opinion.
There is a heavy presence of misinformation on the web due to everyone having the opportunity to publish inaccurate and un-vetted information:
- Confirmation Bias: The tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs while disregarding contradictory information. In an age of abundant information, it’s easy to seek out and reinforce what someone already thinks is true, even if the information is incorrect.
- Echo Chamber Effect: Individuals are primarily exposed to opinions that reinforce their own, leading to intellectual isolation and a lack of diverse viewpoints. Social media and online algorithms can worsen this effect by curating content that aligns with users’ interests, further entrenching existing beliefs. This can contribute to the spread of misinformation.
- Filter Bubble: A specific manifestation of the echo chamber effect, where personalized search and filtering algorithms isolate users from information that contradicts their viewpoints. This can result in a “personal ecosystem of information” where users are unaware of what information is being hidden.
- Misinformation or Disinformation:
- Misinformation: False or inaccurate information spread without the intention to cause harm.
- Disinformation: False information deliberately created and shared to mislead or manipulate others.
- Availability Heuristic: A mental shortcut where individuals estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples or instances come to mind. If readily available information is incorrect, the availability heuristic can lead to biased judgments.
In summary, the situation can be attributed to a combination of:
- Confirmation bias: Actively seeking out and prioritizing information that aligns with pre-existing (possibly incorrect) beliefs.
- The echo chamber effect and/or filter bubble: Limiting exposure to diverse information and reinforcing existing viewpoints.
- The vast availability of information online: Making it easier to find and reinforce both accurate and inaccurate information.
The situation depends on the degree of intent, the source of the misinformation, and the individual’s role in the process (e.g., seeking out information vs. being exposed to it). Yadda yadda, and so we like to go to the source information if possible.
Here’s a fun one from French to English! The book Agricultural Electricity by Camille Pabst, 1894 – Right from the title, Electric Farming ?? What could this mean, using electricity to grow plants ? Sounds amazing!
Electricité Agricole
Camille Pabst 1894, electroculture
From the Preface
French: Et Cependant, quel immense arsenal de forces utiles a l’agriculture, que cet océan électrique aérienne qui enveloppe le globe!
English: And yet, what an immense arsenal of useful forces agriculture has, that this aerial electric ocean that envelops the globe!
And so, in chatting with AI Gemini 2.5 Pro
Stancious: Curious, was reading the book Électricité Agricole, by Camille Pabst .. can you provide a summary perhaps ?
Gemini 2.5 Pro
Of course! That’s an excellent and insightful book to be reading. Électricité agricole by Camille Pabst, first published around 1911, is a fascinating historical document that captures a pivotal moment in the modernization of agriculture.
Here is a summary of the book’s key concepts, purpose, and significance.
Summary of Électricité agricole by Camille Pabst
Core Purpose:
The book is fundamentally a work of advocacy and a practical guide. Its primary goal was to convince French farmers, landowners, and rural communities of the immense benefits of electricity and to show them how to implement it. At the time, electricity was transforming cities, but rural areas were largely untouched. Pabst, an engineer, saw this as a problem to be solved and an opportunity for a revolution in farming.
Key Themes and Arguments:
- Modernization and Efficiency: Pabst argues that electricity is the key to moving agriculture from a tradition-bound, labor-intensive practice into a modern, efficient, and scientific industry. He presents electricity as a superior power source to steam engines (which were cumbersome and inefficient for small tasks), windmills (unreliable), and animal or human labor (exhaustible and expensive).
- The Versatility of the Electric Motor: This is a central point of the book. Pabst demonstrates how a single, relatively small electric motor could be used to power a huge variety of machines on the farm. This “motor for all work” could drive:
- Barn and Workshop Machinery: Threshing machines, fodder choppers, root cutters, grain elevators, water pumps, and saws.
- Dairy Operations: Cream separators, butter churns, and eventually, milking machines.
- Field Work (more ambitious): Pabst discusses the potential for electric plowing and systems for drainage and irrigation.
- Improving Rural Quality of Life: The book isn’t just about the business of farming; it’s about life in the farmhouse. Pabst heavily promotes the use of electricity for:
- Lighting: Replacing dim, smelly, and dangerous kerosene or oil lamps with bright, clean electric light was a massive improvement.
- Domestic Chores: Powering laundry machines, irons, and other small appliances to reduce the drudgery of housework.
- This theme was also a response to the “rural exodus” (l’exode rural), the massive migration of people from the countryside to cities. Pabst argued that making rural life more comfortable and less laborious could help keep people on the farm.
- Economic and Social Organization: Pabst understood that individual farmers couldn’t afford to build their own power plants. A significant portion of the book is dedicated to the practicalities of creating rural electrical networks. He strongly advocated for the formation of agricultural cooperatives or syndicates to pool resources, finance the construction of local power lines (often from a nearby hydroelectric source or a central generator), and purchase equipment collectively.
Structure of the Book:
The book is logically structured to take the reader from theory to practice:
- Part 1: The Basics of Electricity: It starts by explaining what electricity is, how it’s generated (hydro, steam), and transmitted.
- Part 2: The Applications: This is the core of the book, with detailed chapters on every conceivable use of electricity on the farm and in the home, complete with illustrations of the machinery.
- Part 3: Implementation: This section covers the economics—how to calculate costs and profits, how to form a cooperative, and the technical aspects of setting up a local grid.
In Essence:
Électricité agricole is more than just a technical manual. It is a visionary blueprint for the future of rural France. It captures the technological optimism of the early 20th century and lays out a clear, practical path for using a new form of energy to increase productivity, reduce labor, and dramatically improve the quality of life for millions of people in the agricultural sector. It’s a foundational text for understanding the history of rural electrification. – Gemini 2.5 Pro
And so, no .. not about growing plants with electricity as the title may imply – but rather, about bringing farming in to the modern age of electricity.
There has been discussion in some communities that electromagnetically charged soil can produce a higher yield at harvest – so a book called Electric Farming from the 1890’s is pretty exciting – but for the purposes of learning, not as exciting as finding accurate and usable information.
And so we search and translate.
Avoiding Tailored Information (Personalized Ads and Content) on the Web:
Several strategies can help you minimize the amount of personalized information (ads, recommendations, etc.) you encounter online. Here’s a breakdown of methods and tools:
1. Adjusting Browser and Device Settings:
- Turn off personalized ads in Google settings: You can control what information Google uses to personalize ads in your My Ad Center. You can either turn off personalization entirely or manage specific topics and categories.
- Enable “Do Not Track” in browser settings: Most browsers allow you to send a request to websites asking them not to track your browsing data. However, remember that many websites might not honor this request.
- Limit app permissions: Review app settings on your devices (smartphones, tablets) and disable unnecessary permissions like location, microphone, and contact access.
- Adjust device-level privacy settings: Beyond browser settings, check device settings (e.g., for gaming consoles, home assistants) to restrict how your data is used for customization.
2. Utilizing Privacy-Focused Browsing Tools:
- Use anti-tracking browsers and extensions: These tools, like Ghostery or Privacy Badger, block trackers and ads and can help reduce the amount of personalized content you see.
- Employ private browsing modes (Incognito, Private Window): These modes prevent your browser from saving history, cookies, and site data.
- Consider a VPN: A VPN encrypts your connection and masks your IP address, making it harder for sites to track you. ProtonVPN is a good option that doesn’t log your activity.
- Use a private search engine: DuckDuckGo and Startpage are examples of search engines that prioritize privacy by not tracking your searches.
- Clear your browsing history and data regularly: Deleting cookies and browsing history helps remove the trails trackers use.
3. Being Mindful of Online Habits:
- Limit sharing of personal information: Be cautious about what you post on social media and avoid filling out unnecessary information on websites.
- Carefully review and decline cookie notices: When websites present cookie options, choose to reject all or accept only essential cookies.
- Consider using multiple browsers: Switching browsers regularly and clearing data between sessions can help limit tracking.
- Be wary of public Wi-Fi: Exercise caution when using public Wi-Fi and consider using a VPN.
- Review app permissions: Be selective about the permissions you grant apps on your devices, especially for location and personal data.
4. Additional Measures:
- Remove personal information from data broker lists: Data brokers collect and sell your information, so request that they remove your data from their lists.
- Use secure email services: Services like ProtonMail offer stronger privacy protections than standard email providers.
- Stay informed about privacy issues: Keeping up with online privacy threats and solutions can help you make informed decisions.
By implementing these strategies, you can reduce the amount of tailored information you encounter online and enhance your overall online privacy.
Continuandum .. to be continued.