Boop

We make jokes that he’s scared of his brother Thor 😹

One of our cats is called Loki. He’s scared of thunder.

Drip. Don’t give companies menstrual data at all ☺️

Obtainium. Aurora Store. Accrescent. Sideloading.

I’m typing this via GrapheneOS and I don’t at all feel like I’m living 10 years in the past lol.

Even if I was, at least the internet would be a less shitty place than it is now, there would be almost no LLM/AI crap, I wouldn’t constantly have to be as vigilant against big corps datamining my privacy as much as I am now… Actually, 2015 was a pretty decent time compared to now. Got a time machine?

My main point is

Android also runs Google play services

is incorrect as a general statement about Android. I used GrapheneOS as an example but there are plenty of other Android ROMs that also don’t come with Google Play Services or any Google at all.

GrapheneOS

Couple this with SLDL which can use Spotify URLs. I haven’t used it (yet) but was recommended to me for the same thing you’re wanting to do.

https://github.com/fiso64/slsk-batchdl

New Zealand still uses SMS predominantly.

I wish I could use Matrix on my phone without it eating my battery 🫤

I essentially did this with Facebook. People still fucking contact me on Messenger.

I’m am ex web dev/des and still maintain some websites for non-profits. I think you underestimate the human stupidity factor. I already have to front an infuriating level of stupid questions and problems that people have caused themselves by not following the most simple of directions. Do I like JavaScript? No. Do I wish I could completely ditch it? 100%. But people are stupid. And without it’s use, I would be handling even more CS than I am now. The average person expects a website to act a certain way and without that they lose their minds.

This is such an underrated comment for such an important point.

And Obtainium for open source apps. I use Aurora only for apps I can’t get via Obtainium.

Replying to this excellent comment on a refurbed (no money to Google) Pixel 7 with GrapheneOS.

Setup was definitely more complex than a spyware android phone (I went from a Samsung Galaxy) but once its set up, it just works and there’s no way I’d go back to anything else.

Silver vine 😊

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_polygama

I’ve been raw feeding for over decade. The health of my cats massively improved. The ones that have been raw fed right from the get go are the healthiest I’ve ever been owned by. One of my cats, the vet said was the “most beautiful specimen he’s ever seen” (yes he used that terminology lol and all my cats are just mutty rescues) and said he was incredibly healthy.

I’ve gotten more food poisoning from supermarket food than I ever have off raw cat food, which is to say never in that time. We use a high quality local business that specialises solely in raw feeding.

With regards to research, just bear in mind that the pet food industry is a multi-billion dollar industry with vested interests in maintaining the status quo. There’s also plenty of evidence to show that, as an industry, there’s a lot of dodgy stuff going on and that its causing huge health issues for pets, including deaths. I believe there’s been several documentaries on it but I haven’t looked this info up in many years.

I’ll edit this with some studies once I’m on my PC and not my phone because it’s annoying to do with a phone keyboard.

Its not just about us using Linux though - it’s also users on the other end that were interacting with. If I handle sensitive information, use encryption and disappearing messages and what have you, that doesn’t mean squat if I have to send some sensitive information to someone using insecure email and Recall. Microsoft, Google and whatever other gods awful privacy invading service and companies the person on the other end now have that data.

And a lot of people just don’t even think about this stuff. They could be the type of person who will promise yo keep your secrets or sensitive stuff and actually do that, but keeping that away from privacy invading companies isn’t even on their radar.

What others have said. With regards to diet and drinking - look into raw feeding.