brainchild-adam

Thank you for sharing this. I probably missed something very obvious, but under which circumstances does information the user enters leave the user's device and go to Google? Is there a heads up before this happens?

This is the best I could find:

"Some NeuroTools features use Google's Gemini AI service. To make these work, we send the relevant input from the app to the Google Gemini API."

I would love to play around with it, but local-only is a must for me.

On that note, would you agree that in principle it should be possible to run this with a local LLM?

Honest question: how? It seems to me that when I sign in to Apple ID, it automatically signs me in to iCloud. I've found this quite annoying.

There seem to be four main use cases:

(1) AppStore This is especially relevant on iPhones and iPads where this is the only way to practically access software and updates.

(2) iCloud Data sync and backup. Some iPhone/iPad software might insist on this to work.

(3) Subscriptions, purchases through Apple Music, software, movies, TV shows, Fitness, etc.

(4) ID for other services Using ApplelD to log into other services. Some don't allow for any other way of signing in.

Logseq (https://logseq.com/) as an offline-first, open-source variant.

To be fair, it seems to simply have followed the customer's instructions. The fact that it did not give any helpful answers bothers me significantly more. I wonder if it has access to any kind of internal database in order to be able to give more specific answers regarding a customer's queries.

Thank you!

My mistake as I rushed to cut the title down to fit. Probably doesn't help that I'm sick...

I am so thankful for this sane, no-nonsense distro. It's a breath of fresh air in an ocean of design decision insanity.

(Obviously whether anybody will feel this way will be a matter of personal preference.)

I concur. Used to be an Ubuntu user, and for me Mint fixed quite a few of the problems I started having with Ubuntu (e.g. snaps). Plus, I find their defaults quite usable. If you like choice, give it a go using a live system.

This will be my final reason to drop Fitbit for good.

Any recommendations for sleep tracking on Android? That's what I still use my Fitbit for.

I can relate, even if it's not specifically about podcasts for me, but rather any source of information.

How I try to cope is by striving for contextualizing decisions.

Everything I do or could do and every value I attach to something depends on and is influenced by context.

Every choice I make affects more than just one area or part of my life.

My life consists of more than one thing.

Yes, I could spend all day doing X. How would this affect different areas of my life? Is this the single most important thing in my life right now? How will this benefit me? At what cost? Is it worth the cost?

Striving for a more holistic view of my life helps me balance my tendency to lose sight of the whole for focusing in too much on one single thing without context.

Plus, dealing with the roots of my anxiety rather than the outgrowths alone.

How do you create a new entry?

Maybe more in the context of interest-based groups than talking to random strangers.

Depending on where you are, there might be online or offline meetups around these topics that you could join to meet other people that share your interests.

I, for the life of me, cannot understand how something as essential as healthcare does not take priority over comparatively less essential things.

It must be an unintended result of our complex societal setup with each stakeholder pursuing their own limited gain with no regard for the bigger picture, because it just makes no sense.

Same is true for other essentials such as firefighting, basic infrastructure, etc.

Why would I rather have 5G/Fibre/stadiums/TV shows/[any other less essential contrasting example] than proper healthcare?

If I cannot pay for both, let's have the more important one.

I know I'm oversimplifying. I believe my core point still stands.

In theory, yes. In practice it seems this might be, once again, relatively easy to avoid or restrict. Simply put up identification barriers that are so high none but the most determined pursue this.

"Oh, so you want [a copy of your data/to delete all your data]? Please prove you are who you claim to be, first."

This is at least the impression I got in general. Not saying Readwise would necessarily do that.

Since I have not seen anyone mention it here, https://write.as/ might also be an option for someone looking to replace Medium.

Hosted by them or self-hosted.

Not affiliated in any way. Just like the idea.

Does anybody else find their pricing quite, uhm, labyrinthine?

Tangent here, and possibly not helpful, but just in case: I use handwriting (Gboard includes this) with a cheap touch pen on my mobile b/c I hate typing on these screens. Works like a charm (in comparison).

I'd argue it's about the level of intrusion and your options in dealing with it.

My phone blaring at me at any time w/o warning and with no way to control this behavior seems quite a bit more intrusive to me than your examples.

Thank you, I truly appreciate you taking the time to let me know.

For people suffering from certain mental health issues, the alert itself can cause significant problems for them and others.

If you suffer from panic attacks, for example, and these alerts trigger them, they do not help you, no matter how well intended.

If you suffer from (C)PTSD, and these alerts trigger flooding, they actually make everything worse.

If this were to happen while you are driving, you might even cause an accident.

The world is sadly too complex for simple solutions that assume something to be always good or helpful.

Which is why I believe it's important for the user to eventually control his device.

That sounds horrible.

Thank you for pointing me in this direction. I will have a look at this.

Thank you.

Thank you for the detailed pointers.

She actually opted out already being in Germany, and once she noticed the reverted settings, she turned them off again. Only to find they get turned back on by the carrier, enforcing a specific set of settings against her will. Which is when she told me about it. In this case it's more about the principle. At least for now.

The part you mention I was aware of and am actually thankful for. This, at least to me, goes much further. Hence the shock. Updated my post w/more details so it makes more sense (hopefully).

I was not aware this could be done remotely explicitly going against settings the user himself has set.

Thank you. I should have been more explicit.

The settings I am referring to are under "Apps & notifications"/"Wireless emergency alerts". They are about controlling whether to and which alerts one wants to receive on their phone.

This not only seems very user-facing to me, it's also something I definitely would want to have control over.

It's an unlocked Android One device. The carrier seems to be able to remotely change these settings (see the referenced Reddit post as well), which I would never expect. It seems to be because of the SIM the phone uses and the network it connects to. No user-controlled software change like updates.

Does my surprise make more sense now?

How do you manage w/o a phone?

Some of our bank accounts require using an Android (or iPhone) app, for example. Messengers like Signal don't work w/o a smartphone. COVID-related apps for traveling. I could continue.

Genuinely curious.