Asklemmy

Everyone seems shocked at this. I personally felt a lot less shocked and more like I'd been waiting for this shoe to drop for 20 years. I've been waiting for people to notice the tools of the Iraq War being turned against American citizens for over a decade now.

I spent the better part of 2001 and on arguing against the PATRIOT Act and its codification of terrorism as a crime. Lots of people were against it (we were in the minority, obviously), pointing out how the PATRIOT Act would consider the Founding Fathers terrorists. They committed violence to achieve political ends.

Did everyone just forget that at one point there was actually a nascent conversation on why this was a bad idea, especially considering people warning that they would soon use these laws against their own citizens?

Why did these conversations stop? More importantly, now that Mangione is being charged with terrorism, why aren't the conversations beginning anew?

Well, to sum up the story, I was part of a community on Reddit that was extremely poorly moderated, but also because most of the users were very rude, right? And that blessed system of Karma, created a separation of classes between them, you understand, which is ridiculous. But since it is a very controlled and moderate environment, and the intellectual level of the people here is much higher, I'm thinking about recreating this group. What kind of rules should I put in the description to avoid confusion?

If I'm in a room with people I know and I plan to leave the room for a long time, I tell them where I'm going. If it's for a short time I do not.

What (if anything) is an appropriate time scale to leave a room without announcing when/if you'll be back?

My phone takes pretty good videos but the filesize is absurbd. Using handbrake on desktop can make them far smaller at almost the same quality but my phone storage fills up rather fast and this requires me to move them off device.

Is there an app which keeps track of non transcoded videos in my camera folder and can transcode them on my phone while I am asleep?

Edit - y'all are awesome! I'm gonna check out all of these - thank you!!

--

A family member is moving out of country and convinced the best way to keep in touch is with WhatsApp. I really don't want to install any Meta shit on my phone.

Any recommendation for a FOSS or other alternative from a company that's less of an ethical dumpster fire?

It can be low effort, passive-aggressive, insulting or derogatory towards your convictions.

Subjective situations welcome

Want to read more than just the wiki and thought people may have good recommendations 😊

Short disclosure, I work as a Software Developer in the US, and often have to keep my negative opinions about the tech industry to myself. I often post podcasts and articles critical of the tech industry here in order to vent and, in a way, commiserate over the current state of tech and its negative effects on our environment and the Global/American sociopolitical landscape.

I'm generally reluctant to express these opinions IRL as I'm afraid of burning certain bridges in the tech industry that could one day lead to further employment opportunities. I also don't want to get into these kinds of discussions except with my closest friends and family, as I could foresee them getting quite heated and lengthy with certain people in my social circles.

Some of these negative opinions include:

• I think that the industries based around cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies have always been, and have repeatedly proven themselves to be, nothing more or less than scams run and perpetuated by scam artists.
• I think that the AI industry is particularly harmful to writers, journalists, actors, artists, and others. This is not because AI produces better pieces of work, but rather due to misanthropic viewpoints of particularly toxic and powerful individuals at the top of the tech industry hierarchy pushing AI as the next big thing due to their general misunderstanding or outright dislike of the general public.
• I think that capitalism will ultimately doom the tech industry as it reinforces poor system design that deemphasizes maintenance and maintainability in preference of a move fast and break things mentality that still pervades many parts of tech.
• I think we've squeezed as much capital out of advertising as is possible without completely alienating the modern user, and we risk creating strong anti tech sentiments among the general population if we don't figure out a less intrusive way of monetizing software.

You can agree or disagree with me, but in this thread I'd prefer not to get into arguments over the particular details of why any one of our opinions are wrong or right. Rather, I'd hope you could list what opinions on the tech industry you hold that you feel comfortable expressing here, but are, for whatever reason, reluctant to express in public or at work. I'd also welcome an elaboration of said reason, should you feel comfortable to give it.

I doubt we can completely avoid disagreements, but I'll humbly ask that we all attempt to keep this as civil as possible. Thanks in advance for all thoughtful responses.

Example.

Been thinking about replacing the current smartphone, as the touchscreen seems to be failing(Screen replacement seems to be not so economic).

Saw different colours being offered. Black, White, Blueish and Greenish colours were common.

Does the external body colour affect the efficiency of the phone? Like, in heat going out or going in? Or the ease of cleaning it? White colours seem to show presence of dust etc?

And are there other places where the colour matters?
I've read that white roofs generally have a lower heat gain than other ones(without infrared reflecting paint).

I remember once reading (watching?) a report about radio communication sniffing equipment hidden in modified silo on ground between two industrial facilities (farms?) going unnoticed for long time because workers of each facility tought it belongs to other one.

So, the wall was selling shirts for insanely cheap prices and I do not understand where they are making a profit.

I got a shirt which should cost 8 dollars for 2.5 and I don't know if I can just wear them without concern.

Are cheap shirts safe to wear? Idk do they use chemicals which are bad for me? They made this insanely cheap and I don't know what gives! It all says 100% cotton and its from a trusted brand but the mystery of the price still remains. I need to know before loading up on these things.

Also, bonus question, is white coloring agent more or less harmful than other colors? (Assume the most frequently used coloring agents)

As someone in the US it’s so easy to see so many depressing issues from the ravages of capitalism, to war, imperialism, and genocide. How can one care about these issues and hope for change without allowing themselves to be affected mentally?

I’ve been considering this for the past week, connecting it with Buddhist compassion towards the world and a need for mindfulness. But it’s so easy to fall into emotionlessness.

I’ve also thought through the world has always had issues and though some are getting much worse some are getting better.

I have gone to counseling before but they just make it an individual problem when it’s the world.

Edit: doesn’t have to be US centric. Just I’m writing from that pov

I recently stumbled upon Lemmy from SimpleX github. This is my first interaction.

Why Lemmy? It seems to be an alternative to Reddit, but what sets it apart? I've explored, participated and built nodes in Nostr, which positions itself as a Twitter alternative, so I’m curious about what makes Lemmy unique and what it needs to succeed?

Who Lemmy? Like Nostr, the community here seems to define the platform. Without algorithms to shape the narrative, the vibe is driven by its users—radicals, dreamers, and wayfarers. Is that a fair read? Who else calls Lemmy home?

How Lemmy? What’s the vision here? How does Lemmy aim to change the social media landscape? Decentralization is intriguing, but what’s the endgame? Escape from algorithms is exciting but from what I see raw and unfilters humans have chaotic thoughts.

Where Lemmy? Where's the Lemmy Lobby? When folks onboard where do they go to connect? The communities Ive checked seem to have a variation of really old posts and infrequent posts. Are we that early or is this platform suffering from slow growth?

What's your perspective on the success of decentralized social media?

I am using a liquid detergent and I use exactly the half of the detergent they say I should use. If a the washing machine requires 1 cup, I do half. Mostly because I don't trust the company to put me over their interests.

Now, what will happen? Will my clothes end up staying dirty? Will it not remove stains which a full cup would have removed? Will surfexcel kidnap me and torture me for not obeying their commands? Help meeee!!

Am I the only one who struggles with online shopping? Like with measurements for example, I don't know what there talking about or if the clothes will be the right size. How does everyone else get around this?

I made a rentry page a week ago, but I want to know

Hi, i have a community which I post everyday, the followers begun to grow until they seem to hit a ceiling for some unknown reason, the last week the number is fluctuating from 149 to 155 and somewhere in between those numbers, so what is really happening with Lemmy?! It's full of bots?

We're fucked. It's as simple as that. The world has fully entered into a somehow unprecedented age of corporatocracy and the future, at least the near future, is nothing but war and economic collapse. All of it, puppeteered by the richest of the rich, who have bought their way into power.

Beyond society as a whole, we all have our personal problems. We wouldn't be here otherwise. I can't speak for you, but I'm poor, dougly and mentally ill with no hope of ever finding love. My only purpose in society is to avoid the light and contribute to the Gross Domestic Product until I die alone and unloved. All I ever wanted was a girl to hug and a life to call my own, but I'll never achieve that. What exactly is the incentive to not go postal?

Let's be honest here: None of us are going rogue. We aren't going to grab a gun and start killing the worst of the worst, the people who have destroyed our lives and or the lives of millions, the people who have benefitted from the creation of a soulless society, the people who ruined our lives. We are cowards. We can't do it, I certainly know I can't. It's best not to kid ourselves here.

But you've thought about it, haven't you? We all have, right? Of making an elaborate plan to slaughter the most despicable of individuals, making our escape with years of preperation, and fleeing to the Yukon, never to be caught? Am I the only one? Haven't you thought this?

Hi folks, hope all are well today!

Is there a Lemmy community (or dare I say Reddit sub) that talks about finding locations from photos without meta/EXIF data?

I know there are groups that do this sort of thing for “fun”, so I thought I would ask here first… before doing random internet searches.

I have photo of a person in a location but my “tracking skills” are terrible. Best I can do is determine the country the photo was taken in.

My intent is to keep myself safe, I am not doing anything nefarious!! Just throwing that out there folks 🙂

Appreciate any and all feedback/responses. Have a great day all!

UPDATE 12/20/2024: I was able to very the info I needed without using any photos. However, I do appreciate all the responses. Maybe this post will help others.