3,181 karma · joined December 31, 2016
I used android sign up process to create my other dummy account I use in TV only for smarttube and app updates, that seems like great option if it still works
and in the end I don't really care whether my apps won't get updated anyway, only app which will start bitching about being outdated is whatsapp, which can be for now downloaded directly from whatsapp without playstore (I have also telegram as backup which also allows direct APK download) so not too worried even if Aurora was down for couple of months, I don't use any banking/payment apps in my phone for a reason
today I bothered to try various anonymous Aurora accounts and found finally the one working (like 5th in row) and updated the apps, I can live with updates once a week, not exactly sure what is OP doing
I mean if they are really rate limited just give me waiting time, I don't really care whether I have to wait in queue for an hour if it will update the app later without my intervention
btw. I am not using graphene, find it too paranoid for my taste, though I use my phone without google account for like 10+ years and current phone is first where I have (not disabled/have preinstalled) google play services
https://github.com/rumboalla/apkupdater
though personally I use it only for Fdroid, Gitlab and Github
it's like asking on suicide hotline whether you have some weapon or object in room which could hurt you, great ideas to give to suicidal people...
Personally I am fine with having desktop (Vivaldi) and phone (Firefox) completely separated without sync (not using Google account in any of them, using only dummy account in Android TV for Smarttube and play store (I'd like to thank Google for disabling X-plore file manager, which is not possible to reenable, but anyway I switched to Cx file explorer which lets me to connect over FTP, which is all I need to manage ATV)), it's just not that easy to sync passwords, bookmarks and other settings when switching to other phone once in a few years.
So what Europe need is strong economy to counter US and keep us safe from them, the most dangerous country for world peace together with Israel.
Sadly for EU they will keep shooting themselves in one leg with RU sanctions and shooting themselves to other leg with Green Deal nonsense, so you don't really need strong economy to be better than EU, just a bit of common sense.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7452767/
Abstract As wind energy deployment increases and larger wind‐power plants are considered, bird fatalities through collision with moving turbine rotor blades are expected to increase.
However, few (cost‐) effective deterrent or mitigation measures have so far been developed to reduce the risk of collision. Provision of “passive” visual cues may enhance the visibility of the rotor blades enabling birds to take evasive action in due time.
Laboratory experiments have indicated that painting one of three rotor blades black minimizes motion smear (Hodos 2003, Minimization of motion smear: Reducing avian collisions with wind turbines).
We tested the hypothesis that painting would increase the visibility of the blades, and that this would reduce fatality rates in situ, at the Smøla wind‐power plant in Norway, using a Before–After–Control–Impact approach employing fatality searches.
The annual fatality rate was significantly reduced at the turbines with a painted blade by over 70%, relative to the neighboring control (i.e., unpainted) turbines. The treatment had the largest effect on reduction of raptor fatalities; no white‐tailed eagle carcasses were recorded after painting. Applying contrast painting to the rotor blades significantly reduced the collision risk for a range of birds. Painting the rotor blades at operational turbines was, however, resource demanding given that they had to be painted while in‐place. However, if implemented before construction, this cost will be minimized. It is recommended to repeat this experiment at other sites to ensure that the outcomes are generic at various settings.
Conflicts with birdlife hamper the development of wind energy worldwide. Mitigation measures that reduce the risk of collision by making the rotor blades more conspicuous therefore need to be thoroughly tested. Using a Before–After–Control–Impact approach employing long‐term fatality searches, the annual number of bird carcasses per turbine was significantly reduced at the turbines with a painted blade by over 70%, relative to the neighboring control (i.e., unpainted) turbines.
I've had pretty good time in "Eastern" (Central) Europe, so did my wife in China.
People were still optimistic about EU/euro, that lasted roughly until Lisbon treaty when they forced Ireland to repeat the referendum until they got result they wanted, which later become EU's MO and since then it went all downhill, with another major successes as Wir schaffen das 2015, Green deal 2020 or Totalitarian COVID pass 2021. Hard to understand someone who can still support this failed project. I would just dissolve it and return back to EEA.
Next time maybe ask actually people from those countries instead of parroting some writer.
seems like you are confusing early 00s with early 90s
Only thing inside my apartment (well technically it's vertical shaft going through whole building, but there is small access door to meter in every apartment in case you wanna stop the water in the apartment) is remotely read cold/hot water meters with antenna.
They are usually checked only once a year anyway.
“At the hearing on August 25, 2026, a judgment was handed down ordering the defendant to pay the plaintiff 250,000,000 CZK, plus statutory default interest at a rate of ten percent per annum on this amount from June 25, 2020, until payment is made. As for the amount of 144,857,000 CZK plus interest and other charges, the claim was dismissed,” Haluzová stated.
According to HN, the dispute stemmed from Google’s 2013 launch of the Google Shopping price comparison tool, which gave Google an advantage over its competitors in search results. According to the website, the Prague court based its ruling on an earlier decision by the European Commission, which imposed a fine of 2.42 billion euros (over 60 billion crowns at the time) on Google, part of the Alphabet group, for abusing its dominant position in the price comparison market. The European Court of Justice also upheld the decision to impose the fine two years ago.
According to the Prague court, it was not possible to determine the amount of damages even if further extensive evidence had been presented. This is because it is impossible to determine how people would have behaved had Google not acted as it did. The court therefore relied on a law under which damages can be estimated and determined based on the principles of equitable consideration. In its lawsuit, Heureka sought approximately 395 million crowns. According to HN, the awarded damages also include interest amounting to roughly 150 million crowns.
According to the website, Google argued in court that Heureka’s claim was time-barred; however, the ruling stated that, based on the case law of the European Court of Justice, the statute of limitations for damages resulting from a violation of competition law cannot begin to run until the unlawful conduct has completely ceased and the injured party has obtained the necessary information to file a lawsuit.
Heureka Group spokesperson Ondřej Šveda told HN that the company welcomes the Prague court’s decision. “Google’s actions have indeed affected the operations of Heureka, other price comparison sites on the market, and, ultimately, Czech consumers. This is not just about this one case—the court’s decision is a clear signal that there must be a level playing field for all players in e-commerce and that consumers deserve a wide and free choice,” said Šveda.
Google declined to comment on the dispute for HN. Alžběta Housarová, a spokesperson for its branch, did not say whether the company would appeal the ruling. “In 2017, we implemented changes that have been working successfully for nine years,” the spokesperson said. “We fundamentally disagree with similar lawsuits filed by companies seeking financial compensation instead of investing in their own products,” she added.
I am not buying EV every day, so I really like these retaliatory games, after all even on Ali/Temu I shopped very rarely, so the money I save on all the meat/milk I buy I can pay the extra fee
though realistically I hope they will just open huge repackaging warehouses, so in the end it will add few cents to each item and it will be shipped faster, though they will carry probably only mainstream stuff and on older things or exotic stuff you will still have to pay extra fee
nobody cares about standards, if they are pretty much monopolized by one comapny
For years, small parcels from China have been flooding European letterboxes. Clothes, accessories, gadgets and everyday items ordered on Shein, Temu or AliExpress were arriving directly at consumers’ homes, at very low prices.
A system, an invasion for some, that the EU has seriously reined in.
Since 1 July, parcels worth less than or equal to €150 have been subject to a flat customs duty of €3 per product category. Until now, these small consignments were exempt from customs duties.
The impact of the measure has been swift.
According to French customs figures cited on Thursday by the economy ministry, the number of small parcels imported into the EU has fallen by 30 to 40% since the introduction of the tax.
The French government sees this as proof that tighter regulation can change consumer behaviour and the market dominance of major Chinese platforms.
Between June and July, sales volumes slumped on Temu (-50%) and AliExpress (-37%).
Shein has held up better (-15%), buoyed by the planned opening of a new warehouse in Poland at the end of 2025, which will help to ease the tax burden.
Why has Europe decided to act?
In 2025, 5.9 billion low-value items entered the EU, the equivalent of more than 16 million parcels a day.
For Brussels, the system gave large foreign platforms an advantage over European retailers, who have to comply with the same rules and pay duties on imports.
The European Commission has also highlighted safety concerns.
According to a survey carried out in 2025 in the EU, more than 60% of low-value products inspected did not comply with European requirements or safety standards.
The new rules therefore also allow customs authorities to better identify products that pose a risk.
Although effective, the measure is not permanent.
It is intended to accompany a broader reform of the European customs system in 2028.
Another step could come already in November, when additional fees to fund parcel handling may also be added.
The Shein figures also hint at what comes next.
A duty levied at the border can be sidestepped by moving the warehouse inside it, and a €3 charge that reshapes buying habits in a month is also a €3 charge that platforms can absorb, split across categories or price back into the product.
Brussels has proved it can slow the flow but whether it has changed where these goods ultimately come from is a question for the next two years.
A record third of plug-in hybrids registered in July were made by brands like Chery Automobile’s Jaecoo, according to Dataforce.
Unlike with fully electric vehicles, Chinese plug-in hybrid models do not currently face additional tariffs, though they may soon also be hit with duties, Germany’s Handelsblatt has reported.
Chinese brands are anticipating higher tariffs by “pushing cars into the market”, according to Julian Litzinger, an analyst at Dataforce. “They do that via attractive pricing to retail and commercial customers, but especially rental companies,” he said.
Chinese carmakers led by BYD are reeling in European consumers with more affordable models at a time when household finances remain under pressure. They are also capitalising on lingering concern around going fully electric due to patchy charging infrastructure.
Affordability is a key factor. Earlier in August, Citi analysts led by Harald Hendrikse said that three quarters of Chinese sales in the EU are from MG owner Saic Motor, BYD and Chery, companies that tend to offer lower-priced models.
Consumers are also being less picky about a brand’s origin. In a survey by Bloomberg Intelligence, 38 per cent of people had no qualms about buying a Chinese marque.
European automakers are feeling the squeeze from Chinese carmakers’ advances on their home turf, especially with profits shrinking in China.
Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, is pushing to cut costs, though those efforts are facing resistance from labour leaders. Other companies such as Stellantis are allowing Chinese automakers to share their factories to ease overcapacity in the region.
“Europe’s hybrid bias is opening a lower-tariff lane for BYD, Chery and other Chinese automakers to gain share unless the EU extends levies to plug-in hybrids,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analysts.
While Brussels has not commented on whether it is planning tariffs on hybrids, member countries are indicating an appetite for such duties.
At a press conference this week, German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Germany must defend industries such as steel, autos, chemicals and pharmaceuticals against “unfair competition”. BLOOMBERG
Pretty much all banking apps for Android won't work without Google Play Services, so once again if you are using Lineage or Graphene, you are still stuck with US company to use your European banking services on the phone.
edit: seems the only way to search the site is the google, this thread has few videos
personally I tried one summer back here in Europe without AC just with ceiling fans in each room and gave up and installed AC next year, that was like 10 years ago, can't imagine just ceiling fans in these 35-40C heatwaves, you will be just moving hot air since building can't cool down even in night
if you don't want permanent installation there are not basically mobile split units like Midea Portasplit, it's basically same thing you would install on the wall, but mobile on the wheels (personally I have regular AC (Toshiba) and my multisplit unit is on the flat roof invisible from the street, this year neighbor floor below me installed his unit on the roof as well, we are the only 2 apartments in two units with 40 apartments in total with AC, so much for Prague AC statistics, though honestly even under the roof in 35C+ temperatures it was not that bad prior turning on the AC)
it's like when they wanna get rid of Visa/MC by switching to EU apps, which will require Google/Apple verification, what an improvement...