"You should be using an RSS reader" - yessss

for example the @delta bot at feedsb@mailchat.pl: i.delta.chat/#024C525D627CBF5A…

And then send "/sub pluralistic.net/feed" to it as the first command! You will not regret it.

---> @pluralistic

Subscriptions are getting much easier to manage thanks to the new FTC "Click to Cancel" rule that blocks companies from deceptive or malicious tactics that keep customers from canceling.

appleinsider.com/articles/24/1…

FTC 'Click to Cancel' rule makes canceling subscriptions as easy as starting them

^{Wesley Hilliard (AppleInsider)}

When Québecois journalists learn to speak just one indigenous language, then they just might have a semblance of a reason to criticize our Governor General

cbc.ca/news/politics/gov-gen-s…

#QCPoli #CdnPoli

My thoughts on the AirPods 4 with active noise cancelation after using them for a few weeks.
1. They sound a lot better than my AirPods 3. More balanced, less cheap, more treble. That goes for calls too—the difference is night and day.
2. Transparency is subtle but effective. No accommodation settings, but that's not surprising. It'd be hard to make amplified transparency on open-ear buds.
3. Noise cancelation is okay but not amazing for me. The way others talk about it, I suspect this has to do with the way they fit in my ears, which is quite loosely. It blocks out a lot of lows and mids but the highs are still there. Also, speaking while ANC is enabled feels really weird because the natural reverberation of my own voice gets canceled out a lot. I don't notice this effect nearly as much with the pros or any other ANC headset, for some reason. There's some kind of pressure in my ears and it's not to the point of being uncomfortable, but it's a strange feeling that I wouldn't call pleasant.
4. They die a little more quickly than I'd like. I have to swap back to my 3's a few times a day and wait for them to charge again.
5. I don't think the ANC version was worth the extra $50 USD but the $129 version comes with a case that doesn't make sounds. This is annoying because...
6. They replaced the button with a double-tap gesture. To pair the AirPods, you double-tap on the front and wait for an indicator light. If you have the case with sounds, you'll also hear a beep. I don't know why they did this, but because the gesture doesn't always work perfectly, we have to pay the accessibility tax to get audible feedback when pairing mode is engaged. I'd happily go back to a button.
7. I am really disappointed that even the ANC pods don't have the swipe gestures for changing volume. That doesn't feel like something that should be a pros-only feature.

Overall, I think the non-ANC AirPods are a steal at $129 US, the ANC versions are not bad for $179 as a sort of halfway point, but if you're already paying upward of $179 and don't mind ear tips, the pros are a better investment. I actually own the pros and like them, but I would have liked to see a midrange option that took on as many pros features as possible while remaining open-ear, and Apple almost got there, but didn't. In addition to the lack of volume swipes, we have no stereo audio on phone calls, which is a much smaller deal to most people but would still have been nice.

If you’re trans and you are considering working for a remote-first company, ask them where they hold their offsites.

If you are a remote-first company that does offsites, do some background research on whether your trans employees can safely travel to and exist in the country (and state/region in the case of federations like the US) that you plan on holding your next offsite in.

I just released reproducible-apk-tools v0.3.0

github.com/obfusk/reproducible…

Mostly small improvements, e.g. the AXML parser now supports offset16/compact/sparse ResTable type/entry, no major changes. I have not yet found a test case for FLAG_SPARSE, so support is untested and help is appreciated!

NB: this release changes the license from GPLv3+ to AGPLv3+.

Release v0.3.0 · obfusk/reproducible-apk-tools

• change license from GPLv3+ to AGPLv3+. • binres.py: support offset16, compact, FLAG_SPARSE (untested) etc. • binres.py: small fixes, warn "please file an issue" for untested/notimplemented code. ...

^GitHub

Welcome to the RB family, NeoStumbler 🥳

apt.izzysoft.de/packages/xyz.m…

NeoStumbler lets you collect locations of Wi-Fi networks, cell towers and Bluetooth beacons to geolocation services that are API compatible with Mozilla Location Services (as e.g. used in microG)

Thanks for your help, jaakko!

#reproducibleBuilds #IzzyOnDroid

„NeoStumbler“ – IzzyOnDroid F-Droid Repository

Application for collecting wireless networks to geolocation services

^{IzzyOnDroid App Repo}

Measuring the success of free software seems very difficult. However, beneath all the superficial technical complexity, governance problems, sustainability issues and legal arguments, software freedom is about one thing: user agency. Therefore, measuring the success of the movement is simple. If the movement is successful, the average child will be able to point to a UI element on a screen they’re using, say “I want that to be purple”, and then make it so.

Given that, how are we doing?

Be advised of a botnet of ActivityPub accounts registered as username yqqwe

These accounts appear to be part of a Beijing-based command-and-control structure to distribute spam and SEO links, associated with the Mastodon service found at mastodon[.]tinynews[.]org

We recommend reviewing local and remote accounts with this username.

We also recommend reviewing federation policies for the associated domain.

We strongly recommend not following any associated links or downloads.

One sad consequence of global migration is the distance - literal & metaphorical - it puts between kids and their grandparents.

Growing up in East London, I never learned to speak Igbo, and since my grandparents couldn't speak English, we never had a real conversation before they died.

It's different with my kids; their grandparents speak English. But grandmas show love through food - and so they cook amala, ewedu, asaro - when all my kids want are chicken nuggets.