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public/blog/subs/chains.jpg
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public/blog/subs/chains.jpg
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@@ -41,5 +41,13 @@ import "./MarkdownLayout.css";
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<footer>
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<footer>
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<p class="text-secondary text-center">© 2024 Zvonimir Rudinski</p>
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<p class="text-secondary text-center">© 2024 Zvonimir Rudinski</p>
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</footer>
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</footer>
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<script>
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const a = document.querySelectorAll("a");
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a.forEach((el) => {
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el.setAttribute("target", "_blank");
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el.setAttribute("rel", "noopener noreferrer");
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});
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</script>
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</body>
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</body>
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</html>
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</html>
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#content em {
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#content em {
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@apply italic text-gray-300;
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@apply italic text-gray-300;
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}
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}
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#content a {
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@apply text-secondary underline;
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}
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src/pages/blog/posts/reject-subscriptions.md
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---
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layout: ../../../layouts/MarkdownLayout.astro
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title: 'reject subscription services, embrace freedom'
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pubDate: 2024-07-14
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description: 'An insight into services I use to ditch Spotify and Netflix'
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---
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Do you like content? I'm sure you do!
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But do you like paying every month for it? I'm sure you don't! <small>(Neither do I.)</small>
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## Story time
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I remember when I was a kid, my mom would take me to a kiosk after my dentist appointments, and I would get to pick a DVD to bring home.
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Sometimes I would like the cartoon, sometimes I wouldn't. But it was always a surprise, and I loved that.
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As the famous saying goes, "The cartoon was..."
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QJHUbtR0yI8?si=VduMtIFJom_PdKNa" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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I didn't have a computer back then, so I would watch them on a DVD player I had hooked up to my TV.
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<small>(Thank you mom and dad for paying out of your asses for that!)</small>
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## The Problem
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Nowadays, we have services like Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime Video. They offer a wide range of content, but they come at a cost.
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First and foremost, you don't even own the content! You're just renting it for a monthly fee.
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What happens if Netflix decides to randomly remove your favorite show/movie?
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What if Spotify decides to up their prices?
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You're effectively a hostage and have no say in the matter.
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At least with DVDs and other physical media, I don't have to worry about that. I paid for it, and it's mine.
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Also, according to Netflix, I am not allowed to share my account with my friends. Something I don't have to worry about with physical media.
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<small>(I'm still waiting for my friend to return my copy of "David, el Gnomo")</small>
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## The Solution
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So, what can you do?
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Well, you can always use the DVD player you have lying around, but physical media has its own set of problems.
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You have to store them, they can get scratched, and they can get lost.
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So what do we do?
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# We embrace freedom!
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Now, I'm not saying that you should pirate content. That's illegal and wrong.
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I admit that I have done it in the past, when I was a kid, and my parents didn't quite understand the concept of "dishing out money for something that's free on the internet".
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But I have since learned the error of my ways and have repented.
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I'll share with you a list of free alternatives I use myself but feel free to experiment and find what works best for you.
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## Movies, TV Shows and Music
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For movies, TV shows, and music, I use [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org/).
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It's free, open-source, has a Docker image, and it's pretty easy to set up.
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It has a web interface, Android, iOS and even Tizen apps <small>(though you have to compile and deploy the Tizen app yourself)</small>.
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I won't delve into the details of how to set it up, but there are plenty of guides out there that can help you.
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I have a home server that I use to host it <small>(among other things)</small>, and I can access it from anywhere in the world.
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The only downside is that you have to take care of setting it up and maintaining it yourself, but at least I don't have to worry about my favorite show being removed.
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## Books
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Now, I'll admit that I don't read as much as I did in the past, but when I do, I just open the PDF in my browser.
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I know, I know, you were probably expecting me to say "I use [Calibre](https://calibre-ebook.com/)" or something like that, but I don't.
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I'm a simple man, and I like to keep things simple.
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Hell, even this blog post is just a Markdown file!
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If I have a physical book lying around, I just take it to a photocopy store and have them send me a PDF when they're done.
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Plus, there are plenty of free PDFs out there. Some of these have physical copies, you can buy if you want to support the author.
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Lately, I've been reading [Hypermedia Systems](https://hypermedia.systems/), and I have to say, it's a pretty good read.
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## Extra: Git
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Yeah, yeah, I know. Git is not really a content service, but it's a tool that I use every day.
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I know that GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket are free, but I still like to control my own repositories.
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While I do use all three of them at work, I have a [Gitea](https://gitea.io/) instance running on my server, and I use it for all my projects.
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It's free, open-source and it even supports CI/CD pipelines, which is pretty cool.
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Like with [Jellyfin](https://jellyfin.org/), I have to take care of setting it up and maintaining it, but at least I don't have to worry about my code being removed or locked by GitHub, because some idiot used AI to find a bug, that's not even there.
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## Conclusion
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In the end, you have to decide what works best for you.
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If you like the convenience of Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon Prime Video, then by all means, keep using them.
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But if you're like me and you want to break free from the chains of subscription services, then I hope this list helps you.
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