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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: August 29th, 2023

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  • I was skeptical of them at first when looking for 2nd-life OS’s. There were a lot of sketchy looking and not really “user-friendly” sites/forums (postmarketOS being one of them) that I avoided but decided to try it anyways. It’s been fun and I’ve enjoyed having a decent OS to tinker with and see what capabilities I can get out of defunct equipment.

    If I could get a secure smartphone use out of them I’m gonna be ecstatic. Been staring at phones and GrapheneOS for the past two years but glad I didn’t jump onto something yet.


  • I feel so proud of postmarketOS! I’ve been using them for 2nd life uses for phones, tablets, and chromebooks with very minimal problems. It’s like having an obscure band you follow all of a sudden getting mentioned everywhere and I couldn’t be happier for the project (like the 3rd time on Lemmy this week alone I’ve seen them mentioned).

    If you have some scrap equipment throw it on and report your findings! There’s a lot of testing that needs done and information needs to flow. I’ve done a “recipe” notebook with an old chromebook, a tablet for easy video viewing I can send videos to (instead of making my partner come to the comp), and like 3 other devices that I haven’t finished with but pmOS will be a part of it.

    Join their testing team if you have devices that aren’t listed! Unlike most requirements, if it’s not listed that just means it probably hasn’t been tested…not that it doesn’t work on your device. (they could probably also use some editors for their text instructions, it’s quite back and forth with links trying to find proper instructions).


  • That sounds completely awesome and seems like a fulfilling goal to have in life! Please make sure though to set up some type of arrangement for if something happens to you with such a large and incredible collection like that. I’ve been involved with estate sales and have seen personal loved ones just completely overwhelmed with the amount of things to process after a relative’s death. Getting rid of things just isn’t on the table sometimes, things will sit and rot because of love and loss.

    That 3k+ of books could completely transform a public library and continue to touch the minds of generations to come if you set it up properly now (and won’t be a future burden on a loved one).






  • Here’s my dilemma:

    • Been without cell service since the pandemic (eventually stopped using the smart phone altogether)
    • All my digital needs are satisfied, devices and functionality in every room for every purpose I need
    • Have multiple forms of solid and satisfactory communication channels (don’t need a cell number)

    I’ve thought about buying a model I could jailbreak, but again it’s just to use a system that’s abusive. “Download our app!”, “Use our digital coupons!”, “Link your phone number!”, “Scan our code!”, “Let us track your location for your convenience!”.

    I’m really a niche subgroup though, I already need other devices while at work that a phone wouldn’t suffice for. I kinda see more people going this route though. If your transportation has a computer, then what’s the endpoint in carrying a phone? If your job requires digital devices, the phone is basically reduced to a large brick of a communication device. I see more and more equipment being specialized and having added communication aspects for more complicated machinery, cell phones are not going to keep up with it in a general sense.

    tldr: cell phones are just a fad with an abusive system that will die out one day and be remembered like rotary phones. They’re generally subpar for any specific task and are only a place holder till we figure out better systems.



  • You know, I had the shitty thought that at least back before chat communication, a robber baron (or it’s equal kind) had to actually hire thugs and henchmen to cause local chaos. Now it’s just some tech oligarch with some bots or a paid anonymous service causing disruption.

    We really got fucked over on this one. I’m really not sure how America pulls itself out of this one with the state of education and political polarization. The federal part of our government definitely isn’t offering up any solutions.


  • This reminds me of a semi-friend I knew in highschool, dude really thought he was a cool guy and everyone was always up his ass even though he was a huge jerk all of the time (like a wannabe Tosh.O kinda style). For some reason I let him borrow my WC2 Battle chest and after a few months I asked for it back and got only one disc that was so thoroughly scratched it never even registered.

    Started hanging out with him like a decade later when he moved next to my bestfriend, got to tell him I thought he was a piece of shit in school because of how he treated my stuff but doubt he actually cared or really remembered.

    Interestingly, had a meth head who was visiting my roommate for some drugs (had taken shit from our place in the past) who borrowed one of my vhs sets while I was at work (was thoroughly pissed thinking it was gone forever), he brought it back the next day and had even wiped down and fixed the broken flap on the box. I try not to judge people borrowing stuff because of that and only let people borrow items I’m ok with losing and wouldn’t sour a relationship over.







  • idk, I find the coupon thing to be super easy. Just takes one search and maybe two clicks if you have ad blockers on. Mostly the only time is if I’m ordering something like pizza for a get together where no special applies. There’s a local chain in my state that had a coupon code for half off my order that wasn’t listed on their site (they might’ve given it to me if I called but who knows). Been using that for the past year and it allows me to convince everyone to go there instead of a national chain. I’ve also been lucky with some manufacturers coupons for products I’m ordering straight from them, it’s more rare though so it’s hit or miss sometimes.





  • I’m torn on affiliate links. I’ve worked with people in sales before and it’s usually scammy unless the contract is done right (flat rate commission, no bonuses for selling “certain” items). I’ve seen really hard working and informative workers that are actually impossible to replace because of the knowledge of products and handling the customers needs without flair or extra cost. Will inform them of cheaper methods like how easy it is to purchase and install a cable versus paying someone $100 just to plug something in and flip a switch basically.

    In those instances, I think the affiliate/commission is warranted. Same with some awesome youtube channels I’ve ran across where they test the shit out of several products in a category (Torque Test Channel is a good one). If I need the product and I’m buying it off their recommendation I will gladly use their affiliate link if I think about it beforehand.

    Now, there are some channels that I’ve just taken the affiliate link to be basically a form of sponsorship and promotion. Sadly a lot of construction/trade channels end up falling into this eventually. Matt Risinger is probably one of the worse ones, but even lower end guys like The Stud Pack just become a “new product showcase” channel instead of DIY or instructional videos.