monovergent

@ monovergent @lemmy.ml

Posts

76
Comments

776
Joined

3 yr. ago

1mo ago

The locking-down of Android: why I had to 'hack' a banking app just to get it running
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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago
It is bad. We should fight against the corporations and agencies that want to strip us of our privacy, and avoid using services that insist on invasive measures whenever possible. But the way things are going, especially living in the US, does not exactly inspire my optimism and my mind wants some certainty against all the what-if scenarios. Perhaps I should frame the separate device solution as my stopgap if we reach "rock bottom"?
I won't pretend to be an expert on how much isolation a separate device provides over a user profile, but it does give me peace of mind in the case of my work phone, which I only have powered up at the workplace and never connect to the same network as my other devices. Not everyone has the privilege, but I repurposed my old phone which otherwise would have sat idle for this purpose.

1mo ago

The locking-down of Android: why I had to 'hack' a banking app just to get it running

Never thought to consider that an app can know what keyboard is in use! I can imagine that not going well if someone is using a niche input method for accessibility.

I'd agree, the day my bank stops offering basic functions through the browser is the day I switch banks.

1mo ago

The locking-down of Android: why I had to 'hack' a banking app just to get it running

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

The kinds of thoughts that keep me up as well. Glad you found a way to make the app happy for now.

It's no doubt good to campaign and put pressure on banks, corporations, institutions, etc. but at the end of the day, my mind looks for the ultimate fail-safe. And it keeps coming back to having to use a separate device for such apps. At least I'm used to wearing cargo pants for the day I will need to carry 3 phones.

1mo ago

With people increasingly expecting constant stimulation, are we culturally heading toward a point where silence and pauses in all media become intolerable?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

As much as I have ideals for my technology use, I will admit that

I have some audio in the background playing half of my waking hours
If I'm tired of words, I'll put on music, vice versa
If there's an unanticipated pause, I first check if it's still playing correctly
Yes I am afraid of being stuck with my own thoughts when I go to bed
I think of the time spent waiting in line as nothing but wasted unless I use it as an opportunity, perhaps to read a saved tab on my phone
All of this might not be the cause of it, but it definitely doesn't help my mental fog and fatigue

1mo ago

CalixOS or AOSP on Fairphone 5 ?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

AOSP even without Google Play will still ping Google servers every now and then. Unless you're being targeted or installing apps of unknown provenance, the chance of being hacked due to the Calyx hiatus is still very low. But I think you'll need to reinstall from scratch once Calyx updates resume since their bootloader keys will be generated anew at that point. I'm biased towards fewer pings to Google over the latest in security, but that's just my own threat model.

Apologies if you've already seen it, here's the big table I consulted: https://eylenburg.github.io/android_comparison.htm

1mo ago

Looking for alternative SMS app

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

I've been using Fossify Messages. Pretty bare-bones, but does the job since I don't use SMS too much. I'm glad that it can intercept the Class 0 messages that my carrier uses for billing so it doesn't occupy my whole screen every time I call or text.

1mo ago

Do you get sick when travel via plane?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

I don't, but there's always someone else in my family who's getting sick whenever we fly together. I've worn masks to the airport ever since the pandemic. Also tend to fall asleep shortly after takeoff, so I'm well-rested upon arrival.

1mo ago

How big is your bookmark list in browser? Do you check them out regularly or too scared to revisit the pile?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 1mo ago

Excessive. Spread across several devices and countless bookmarks.html exports from old system installs. I am too busy to revisit or even curate them.

In my mind, I assume that I will be given notice of the day that the internet will be closed off, when Youtube ads will be completely unblockable, and I will rush to download every last article and video in those bookmarks, then live happily ever after off-grid.

2mo ago

If there were a Lemmy.i2p instance, would you use it?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

I would be too lazy to, unless I eventually encounter my 'gateway drug' to i2p.

2mo ago

Laptop Hardening advice for Windows?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

In any case, minimize the number of parties that will have their hands on your data. Uninstall anything that's unnecessary, compartmentalize personal work in a privacy-respecting browser and office suite, and avoid unofficial Windows ISOs.

If your school is going to install monitoring software on it, consider the laptop compromised. Only do coursework, accessing things licensed through the school, exams, the bare necessities, on the Windows laptop. Start saving up for a (refurbished) laptop to learn and use Linux without risk to your work laptop.

If now is not the time to buy another laptop, consider installing Linux on a second SSD, if a slot is available, or even a USB 3.0 drive, if you're allowed to boot from one. Just back up and if possible remove the Windows SSD before installing so it's not overwritten by accident.

Be judicious with debloat scripts as they can interfere with some more invasive programs (e.g. Adobe suite, Autodesk) you may need for your studies. Consider making full disk backups before doing anything drastic. Anyway, if you can't or won't use LTSC, the yearly Windows updates can and will undo your hard work debloating and ticking privacy checkboxes.

At the end of the day, Windows is closed-source and we can't be completely sure what it's doing behind our back. It's fine for a dedicated work device, but the time spent on taming it for personal privacy could also be spent getting another machine and getting to know Linux.

2mo ago

Does this explain why there are no bullet trains in the USA?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

How odd (and maybe disheartening) to consider that it can be cheaper to fly and expend all the energy need to lift a big metal tube up into the air and back down, than it is to travel along the rails.

2mo ago

After 90 days we may not see Session on our app stores again

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

Pardon my ignorance, why would those be suspicious?

2mo ago

Olives in egg salad

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

I'm particular about the temperature at which I eat eggs. Personally couldn't do cold egg salad at all.

2mo ago

What's the cheapest you can afford buying (or already bought) that you consider as luxury?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

A bottle of Fiji water for 1.25 USD

2mo ago

[Shitpost] Nooo... Lost my last unregistered SIM-card 😢

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

Are you able to source "IoT" cards without ID verification?

2mo ago

Which Phones are Easier to DeGoogle?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

From what I've read, Xiaomi is decent, just make sure people have documented the bootloader unlocking process (often on XDA forums) for the model you are looking to buy. Granted, I've yet to use a Xiaomi phone myself.

2mo ago

Which Phones are Easier to DeGoogle?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

Whatever you do, don't buy ~~Huawei or~~ Honor for degoogling. I wasted a whole day trying and failing to unlock the bootloader on mine.

edit: modern Huawei phones don't include Google services. Still nigh impossible to unlock the bootloader on them if you want a ROM without Huawei's equivalent of Gapps.

2mo ago

Do you close doors when you live by yourself?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

Always did in apartments. Closing the bedroom door gives me another layer between the neighbors and street traffic. I added rubber door sweeps and seals to further dampen the noise. In a detached home, I'd leave the door open during the day but close it when I sleep for added fire safety.

I used to have a downstairs neighbor who stomped loudly and my pleas didn't work. So I got a subwoofer and played some low-frequency white noise when I needed to drown it out. After reading your comments, I'd highly recommend this if you can't move out yet.

They seriously need to build more apartments and condos with concrete instead of thin wood in the US. I miss my old apartment when I was in Germany. Nice sturdy concrete walls so my neighbor could blast music all day without bothering me at all.

2mo ago

Permanently Deleted

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

Got a job at a BYOD workplace, so I ended up having to repurpose my old devices as my work devices. Fortunately I had many from my hoard to choose from. Still get taken aback when I realize that most of my coworkers have all their work stuff connected to their personal devices without a second thought.

2mo ago

How do you setup swap when installing Linux if the system has SSD?

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monovergent @lemmy.ml 2mo ago

For desktops, zram with no swapping to disk. Hasn't given me any trouble yet, except for the rare news website (it's always news websites) with a horrific memory leak.

For laptops, zram plus a low-priority swap file for suspend-then-hibernate. My old laptop drains a fair bit in sleep mode and my new one doesn't have proper S3 suspend because microslop is pushing manufacturers to only support S0 idle.