[ruthmarx]

If you're out of touch, then you can monitor sites like torrenfreak that report relevant news and discussion forums that are seemingly legal like r/piracy on reddit.

> it’s almost impossible to achieve an even half-decent experience without significant knowledge and research now.

The thing you have to learn is how to find resources at short notice. That skill is adaptable and should never require significant knowledge and research. Most of what you learned as as 12 year old should still apply.