Hacker News Reader

fghtron Russia opposition leader poisoned with Novichok

I recommend lecture by economist Dr. Sergei Guriev about how Putin s autocracy works. Most of the material is explained in the first 10 minutes, then come the examples. Based on actual research papers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z66N_oKbs0k

fghtron Verizon Media launches OneSearch, a privacy-focused search engine

I already have my https://yacy.net.

fghtron Ask HN: What's the one simple trick to life?

Volunteering makes your happier.

fghtron DuckDuckGo Is Now a Default Search Engine Option on Android in the EU

It is still far from being actually useful afaik. We need much more people involved I guess.

fghtron DuckDuckGo Is Now a Default Search Engine Option on Android in the EU

Here you go: https://yacy.net

fghtron I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left

>> Also called social benefit corporations

Wikipedia says it's not the same thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_purpose_corporation

>> If the company doesn’t have their values and goals listed in the articles of incorporation, then they have no legal obligation to follow them.

But Purism afaik does have them listed.

fghtron I Was Google’s Head of International Relations. Here’s Why I Left

>> are there ways to stay true to values (which in some cases might be in direct opposition to growth and profit taking) with the way our society is structured?

Purism is trying to do exactly this by being Social Purpose Corporation: https://puri.sm/about/social-purpose/. However, I would not call them a "major company" yet.

fghtron Things that I think will be important in the next decade

Tech Luddism has nothing to do with these arguments. I do not want tech that someone else controls, because it benefits 'them', not me. I want tech that I can control. See, e.g., Free Software Foundation and Purism.

fghtron NitroPad: Secure Laptop with Tamper Detection

See also Librem Key for a free (as in freedom) alternative [0].

[0] https://puri.sm/products/librem-key/

fghtron #include </etc/shadow>

In fact, Qubes is using hardware virtualization IOMMU/VT-d [0], which has been escaped only once in 2006 by the project founder [1].

[0] https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/architecture/

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Pill_(software)

fghtron #include </etc/shadow>

Not many if its Qubes OS.

fghtron Google is not a search engine, but an ad engine

>> Can there exist such a search engine that can stay objective in the long haul?

Yes, if it's distributed: https://yacy.net

fghtron The Lesson to Unlearn

Perhaps, Purism (Social Purpose Corporation) could fit: https://www.hostingadvice.com/blog/purism-respects-user-righ...

fghtron If the universe is 13.8B years old, how can we see 46B light years away? (2018)

>> - What would prevent you from "cutting" the smallest possible particle in 2 parts?

>Max Planck.

For those who did not understand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_length

fghtron If the universe is 13.8B years old, how can we see 46B light years away? (2018)

"The universe does not expand "into" anything and does not require space to exist "outside" it. Technically, neither space nor objects in space move. Instead it is the metric governing the size and geometry of spacetime itself that changes in scale."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expansion_of_the_universe

fghtron France proposes upload filter law, “forgets” user rights

> Copyright is pretty important to the ... academic publishing

Indeed, that's why "Archivists Are Trying to Make Sure LibGen Never Goes Down".

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21692222

fghtron Apple Explains Mysterious iPhone 11 Location Requests

> but I haven't seen anyone IRL who has one

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21696130

fghtron Librem 5 USA

>They shipped out a "phone" that can't place phone calls.

They also shipped a devkit, whose screen did not work. But a software update made it work. Same here. This is the only phone, where updates make it better, not worse.

fghtron Librem 5 USA

Why Librem 5 costs that much: https://puri.sm/posts/breaking-ground/

Upd: quote from the Purism forum:

"First hardware kill switches; first replaceable cellular modem and Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth (on M.2 cards); first smart card reader (for 2FF OpenPGP card); first running 100% free software; only current phone to offer convergence as PC without special hardware"

https://forums.puri.sm/t/will-the-librem-5-be-a-white-elepha...

fghtron Purism Librem 5 Hardware Schematics

> I hope they make something similar for the laptops

From https://puri.sm/faq/: "We cannot share the schematics nor design currently because it is copyright encumbered from Intel reference designs. In the future, on future versions we plan to be able to release those."

fghtron Archivists Are Trying to Make Sure LibGen Never Goes Down

Are there any i2p torrents? I guess anonymity might be helpful if I want to mirror/seed this data...

fghtron How Facebook Avoids Ad Blockers

"Do not use the Internet. Do not use phones. Do not use bank accounts. Do not travel by plane. Do not enter public spaces. Do not show your face.

Otherwise you accept our Terms of Service.

Thank you for trusting us."

QuantumRoar (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12958035)

fghtron Getting a scientific prize for open-source software

If you think that all software written on public money should be public, consider this petition: https://publiccode.eu

fghtron Edward Snowden: How Your Cell Phone Spies on You

They do remove all binary blobs at least by the definition of the Free Software Foundation, who already recommed it:.

"The Purism Librem 5 cell phone is another exciting addition to the Giving Guide this year: we're giving it a tentative recommendation because the company has publicly committed to doing the right things for prioritizing user freedom and privacy."

https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/ethical-tech-giving-guid...

fghtron Edward Snowden: How Your Cell Phone Spies on You

While Pine64 phone is promising, it does not remove all the proprietary blobs. For those who need even more freedom and privacy, Librem 5 should be more suitable: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

fghtron Ask HN: What should be taught in high school?

>Remember to include Excel.

I don't understand why you would force your children to depend on an unethical for-profit corporation. Why not LibreOffice? 99% of what normal people need is covered in it.

fghtron Why does the Librem 5 phone cost that much?

Not yet. In comparison with other phones, this one will be getting better with time, not worse.

fghtron Why does the Librem 5 phone cost that much?

It should not be too hard to add your own keyboard layout. Many are available already (but not UK): https://forums.puri.sm/t/translations-and-virtual-touch-keyb...

fghtron Why does the Librem 5 phone cost that much?

TV propaganda?

fghtron Bye Bye Microsoft Office, Hello LibreOffice

My point is that you do not need to write again what is written in Wikipedia. You better go improve the latter.