This is great news!

For those unaware, Google is continuously enacting policies that are closing down the open environment of Android, and I fear this will significantly harm projects like GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, and others.

If you can spare a couple dollars, please consider throwing some money at PostmarketOS or any other mobile Linux project you like.

Especially over the past few years, this viewpoint seems to dominate over so many leftist spaces, and I believe it's part of what led to Trump winning the election. I don't particularly like the Democrats either, but so many refuse to vote for anything other than an impossible overnight jump to socialism.

My shift was primarily ideologically driven. I was sick of privacy encroachment, enshittification, and feeling like my computer wasn't truly mine. Linux changed all that.

Participating has really helped. I'm still struggling to post, but I try to comment wherever I feel I can add value, however small.

Build the platform you want to be part of.

I'm strongly considering the switch to something like PostmarketOS. Also, I'm trying to donate small amounts to a few Linux phone projects, and am asking others to do the same. Even $5 here and there could be the difference needed to accelerate mobile Linux to a better state.

It's a limited development pool, and they focus on delivering the most secure mobile OS possible, within the constraints that their funding and resources allow.

There are other ROMS, such as CalyxOS that have expanded to a few other devices, and LineageOS which has even broader support.

It's so easy to dismiss Trumpers and conservatives as bigoted, evil monsters. And don't get me wrong, many of them are.

But I have many in my life that are loving, kind people who would give you the shirt off their back. Due to family influence, religion, or other factors, they have taken on some pretty repelling viewpoints on some issues. But they're capable of change. Familiarization and a kind, guiding hand can go a long way.

Have answers prepared for some common interview questions, such as:

• Describe a time you had conflict with a coworker, and how you handled the situation.
• Describe a time, as a supervisor, that you had to make an unpopular or difficult decision.
• What is your greatest strength?
• What is your greatest weakness?
• What is your approach to leadership?

And so on. These are all questions that deserve a bit of thinking. Don't do that thinking in the middle of your interview.

Instances can be created freely, and are free to both associate and disassociate with other instances as they please.

Each instance decides their comfort with content within their instance and outside it. There are left leaning instances, centrist ones, and I'm sure a few right leaning ones. Some are ban-happy, but many will allow you to post all sorts of content, as long as it's not too outlandish.

If the content you wish to see/post is wildly outside the overton window, you can join an instance that allows this or create your own. But other instances are under no obligation to federate with content they don't wish to see.

Congrats!

As a quality of life upgrade, I'd recommended downloading the COSMIC app store. It's still made by the developers of Pop!, but is significantly better than the Pop Shop.

I'm really looking forward to Redox becoming a viable alternative for desktop.

Android:

• Cake Wallet - crypto assets
• CoMaps - navigation
• Cryptomator - encrypted files
• LibreraFD - ebook reader
• Retro music - local music player
• SimpleX - chat
• Syncthing - sync between my phone and computers

My method is much more manual and involved, but fits my needs:

I have my pictures, documents, and music folders synced automatically to a few computers via Syncthing. At the start op each month, I export my contacts, Obtainium apps, and other files to my documents. At this time, I also make backups to the cloud and make a couple copies to external hard drives. It may sound intensive, but it only takes 5 minutes a month.

I restart / update my phone very often for various tests and projects. Whenever I need to do so, I upload these files from my computer or hard drive. Using a guide that I've made myself, it takes maybe ten minutes to have my phone exactly the way it was before.

After using Autotiling from the Cosmic desktop, I can't go back to anything else. I've tried distro hopping to Gnome based desktops for a few reasons, but always wind back up on Cosmic.

Same for trans kids, or gay kids, or anyone that doesn't fit the norm.

I understand that social media can have detrimental effects on everyone, especially the youth. But let's stop pretending like social media is akin to heroin, with no potential benefits. Social media is a great place for some people, teens and preteens included, to find a sense of community and belonging.

The only solution is to just stop using Meta services. This will always continue to happen, because the fines Meta receives are always lower than the profit gained. Vote with your data, and move to platforms that aren't incentivized to steal it.

c/pareidolia@sh.itjust.works

I am a huge fan of SimpleX and their removal of user IDs. I think it's a brilliant solution, and wish that SimpleX was recommended more than Signal.

Article, for those interested.

The only console I had exposure to as a young child was the Gameboy.

At a birthday sleepover with some friends, we all stayed up late into the night playing the original Nazi Zombies map from COD: WAW. Nothing has ever beat the sheer joy and fun I had with that initial playthrough.