Spyke

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til about manjaro

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I think the Arch derivatives that are more user friendly than Arch kind of took over the Tumbleweed niche. More compatible, more popular, access to AUR, not tied to a corporation, some bundle proprietary software, etc. I still like Tumbleweed but that's why I left personally.

privacy

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New car suggestions

Something old enough to not have a cellular modem in it, and hope that privacy laws improve before you have to buy again and it's inescapable.

That being said, I was forced to buy new last time. I called Mazda and they were able to deactivate it remotely, and confirmed that this deactivates everything and does not send any data to them moving forward. Does this mean they can reactivate it remotely? Yes. But it's something. I have tried a few times to get the telematic control unit physically removed, but got stonewalled by the dealer. I may try a third party mechanic or a different dealer. I found a schematic that seems to suggest it can be removed kn my vehicle with no downsides. Not all vehicles are like this, it may break something such as audio or other sensors.

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Custom Roms are not the solution!

Sure, but Linux phones are not anywhere close to ready for prime time at the moment. Right now even the best options rely heavily on Waydroid, which is the worst of both worlds since it's still emulating Android, and doesn't even work well in the first place. Someone will have to invest a lot more money & time into Linux phone projects. We can't even get Linux on Arm working well in general in most circumstances yet. Not to mention, Linux distros could learn a few things from Android's security practices. It's already inspired atomic distros, which is a start, but has a few issues in my opinion.

Until all that is solved, GrapheneOS all the way.

memes

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Gabe the GOAT Newell

He isn't perfect but he represents what could work about capitalism if there were proper safeguards. With him, he's governed by his own choices or morals, so the current system doesn't work because most rich people don't care. Gabe:

Provides a good base product

The product is based on being ran on open hardware that you own.

Uses his own money to advance support for a true open standard (Linux) because Windows is going down the toilet for UX.

Creates his own hardware that works with the product to give a walled garden experience if you want that. Or you can install your own operating system on the hardware, or install his operating system on other hardware, he doesn't care.

Doesn't have anticompetitive practices with people that make a similar product, focusing on being the best product.

Incorporates ease of use for other products into his product (PlayStation controllers, adding non steam games that are able to use most of the same features via Steam including Proton).

Treats employees well.

Is generous with the refund policy.

And guess what? Everyone is happy. He's happy and rich AF, his employees are happy, his customers are happy, his competition is happy because he's not purposefully throttling them (though they probably aren't happy he's eating their lunch because customers don't want them). The system can work for everyone if it is fair. We just need to demand these safeguards because even Gabe could change his mind at any time.

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When the Linux user hears an iOS user say they hate Windows

You know, over the last few years, I've gained a begrudging respect for Apple. They really care about UX, Ui, build quality, OS efficiency, battery life, and they're even the best value proposition at several price tiers. I main Fedora and GrapheneOS at home, yes, but I enjoy macOS and iOS at work. macOS has some of those key professional applications that haven't made it to Linux yet.

Apple is a pretty easy 2nd place in most areas, 1st for laptops specifically. Windows & ChromeOS can fight for 3rd but they're miles below macOS and Linux.

movies

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Animal Farm review: Andy Serkis animates a sanitized version of Orwell's classic

I have always been firmly against character/franchise assassination, but this one is especially disgusting. To literally strip the ENTIRE POINT out of THIS movie especially, which is still so relevant today. To make the stand-in for governmental oppression a comedic Seth Rogen character who makes quirky jokes and ultimately isn't a threat at all really and is defeated easily, in a time where extremism is rising more than it has been in a hundred years. I'd go as far as to say it is indefensibly evil. I have lost all respect for Serkis, I can't fathom what he could possibly have been thinking, unless he has completely sold out.

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Are blind people less racist, on average?

I have no data to back this up, but I would guess that no, they are not. It's not that racists are immediately disgusted by the actual skin color or features of other people. Racism is a learned behavior that "others" people that are not in your "tribe". You can also often tell if someone is a different race, by their accent, the way they speak, or the way they act. A lot of racism is based on stereotypes and tribalism, and the excuse of racists is that their dislike is based on their actions and culture, not their actual race. I also suspected that, though many blind people are very social and lead fulfilling lives, on average they are probably more used to being shut ins, or at least limited to a small amount of familiar areas. And the best cure for racism and xenophobia is travel. So yeah, I'd say that balances out the potential loss in racial discrimination based on not being able to actually see the person.