Yeah, I work in a making very high end scientific equipment. Almost almost the whole operation runs on Linux. All laptops are refurbished Thinkpads, and most desktops are pretty old and slow from a maimstream POV, but they are just fine for the task, and then some. My “new” laptop I got last summer is a 2018 laptop which cost 300€ refurbished.

If I can do decent science on that, I’m not sure what everyone else needs a 2000€ machine for.

I’m sure someone does, but I expect really they’re few and far between.

It’s almost enough to look at his account name…

I understand that Brave is a very good browser, from a technical standpoint, but it just feels annoying. For one, the constant crypto advertisement is a real turn off.

Firefox is also the only real mobile browser that lets me have extensions, so I can use stuff like uBlock or BypassPaywall.

Most Europeans don’t hate Americans and those who do are not worth being around anyway.

On the other hand… Yeah, your leadership’s right now really sucks.

But if I had to wait for presentable leadership of my country to show my face abroad, I’d still be living at my parents…

Source: am Italian, grew up during Berlusconi’s heyday.

I can decide to not use Google (I have indeed stopped), but it becomes harder to avoid all websites that run google stuff.

Resistance is obviously not futile (or Google wouldn’t be doing this). But resistance will have to update.

At least there’s a chance this crap is illegal where I live. And if so, there’s a small chance they’ll care.

Except, it is irrelevant whether or not you decide to use Google.

Observation 1: we are seriously here discussing which big tech platform people use to listen to the maybe the last truly decentralised media.

Observation 2: the discussion makes sense in the context.

We really fucked up this internet thing, didn’t we?

Correct

Mortadella Bologna is the PGI (IGP) version.

I personally have an Instinct 2.

It basically has most features of a smartwatch, but it has no color or touchscreen. I get notifications, I can stop my podcasts, check the weather forecasts, track my sleep or heart rate, it even has a moonphase complication.

It’s all handled through the buttons. The UI is brilliant, considering the limitations, the sensors are great, and battery really lasts me longer than two weeks.

It gets all information from the phone (though Gadgetbridge, via BT). I install the official app to manage the Garmin Pay features, and uninistall right after.

The payment function does not even depend on the phone. It just copies some of the card data inside the watch.

Every now and then (at least once a day) I need to enter a 4 digit PIN, which is annoying to do using the buttons.

Great watch.

in the US bologna is a sausage.

When they don’t write it baloney. I know, I know.

There’s plenty of meat and food there, but no bologna sausage.

Ackshually, there’s the original Bologna sausage.

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

In some parts of Italy they use the name Bologna to refer to the mortadella (e.g. “un’etto di Bologna”), in the same way they’d use Parma or San Daniele for the respective hams. It makes me cringe a little when they do, not gonna lie.

Do bear in mind that not all banks and/or cards are supported. Out of my 6 payment cards, over 3 banks (I know, ridiculous), only 3 are compatible. One bank is not compatible at all, the other one supports the debit card on Garmin Pay but not the credit card.

I knew that before hand. Garmin has a list… Somewhere.

Only thing I could figure out (except maybe looking into Chinese payments systems which… No. Just no) is Garmin Pay.

Once set up, works with the smartwatch and does not use the phone, or the internet, at all.

I know it’s not exactly what you asked, but its what I managed to do. Garmin watches also work pretty great with Gadgetbridge :-)

AFAICT currently Tolino is just a rebranded Kobo.

I can empirically say, that just switching from stock to a degoogled ROM gave me a significant battery boost. I have no idea what that thing was doing in the background, but it’s already doing a lot less of that.

For microG… Until UnifiedPush becomes more widespread the choice between having your notifications go through FCM and halving your battery life is going to be a tricky one.

And you think degoogling offers no obvious benefits in terms of privacy?

GrapheneOS wins, but whether iOS is more private than CalyxOS or /e/OS I think is very gray, and depends on the threat model, and on most devices they are going to be a significant improvement in privacy, and often security, over stock Android.

And privacy may not be the only consideration when choosing a device.

Since my threat model includes mainly surveillance capitalism (and no evil maids or targeted attacks) I don’t particularly feel like trusting a big tech that’s running their own targeted advertisement system.

I have read this several times, and still have no clue what you’re trying to say.

That seems like an overly black and white position over something that can be either quite valid or entirely nonsense depending on the situation and/or threat model.

And for some reason, to this day, I still end up accidentally calling it OpenOffice two out of three times.