Rec
the privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has the idea of "Bangs". throwing !g at the end of a search fires it over to google, !w to wikipedia, !r to reddit etc. there are thousands of these, and it lets you get very intentional about where you want to search for information; not just relying on one tool for every job.
outside of the bangs feature, well, ddg is... fine. it's not immune to spam, but at least it hasn't implemented an AI that lies to you. yet.
Mar 24, 2025

Comments (1)

Make an account to reply.
image
didn't know that about bangs but that's very helpful! the issue i was seeing when i tried ddg was that it was showing kinda limited results but the bangs would probably help with that. and ofc i'd rather take the spotty results than ai and tracking any day
Mar 24, 2025

Related Recs

Rec
πŸ¦†
Been using it for quite a while now. I saw somewhere that most of the results are from Bing, but without the spying. It has ai, but it's easy to turn off. It's rare that I need to use another search engine (reverse image search on Google, f'rinstance). As for Google, if you're using a personal account you can opt out of ai stuff (it is impossible on my business accout). It's easiest on desktop. Go to Gmail, click the gear at the top for settings, click again for all settings, and disable all the smart features.
Jul 3, 2025
Rec
recommendation image
πŸ”Ž
I'm a current duckduckgo user, but I may give Kagi Search a try β€”Β it's a premium search engine with a monthly subscription.
But you are paying for privacy, no ads, no tracking. It lets you sit the rules instead of just riding the waves of the latest version of the you-are-the-product algorithm.
Mar 24, 2025
Rec
⭐
Doesn't track or store data
As a result much more impartial results and no persnalized ads
Jan 23, 2025

Top Recs from @colm

Rec
recommendation image
🌐
the simplicity of exploring around on Google Earth meets the infinity of local radio from every single pocket of the globe. the thrill of the hunt and the joy of just hanging out. it doesn't get better than this folks
Dec 4, 2024
Rec
recommendation image
πŸ’»
it's only like 11Β°C outside in Dublin right now but the sensation of sunlight helps to elevate the cruel existence of Computer Work. so, fuck it! balcony season! allowing the Macbook to experience its true natural habitat of Somewhere That Isn't My Desk has made me a bit more appreciative of its possibilities. last summer I took the idea to its logical end point and brought my cheap usb dj controller out on the balcony with me, recording DJ sets for nobody in particular on my headphones as the sun sets. those days approach once more. now if only I could solve the glare problem
Mar 10, 2025
Rec
recommendation image
🎷
sometimes it's just one of those days man
May 26, 2025