@ijeff One of my goals is to abstractize my data from the devices I own. This is how I plan to have a no-frill switch in the future. That means not being tied to an account or to a specific app. Just like you can open your photo in any photo viewer software, I want to have all my other stuff capable to be opened on any device, using any software. So far I managed to keep my notes in .md files and use KeePass to hold my passwords in. Google and others have the advantage of making their services ubiquitous, but what happens if you cannot access them for some reason? What if the new device you use is unable to access them, and it's urgent for you to do so? Imo it feels way better to both have (almost) universal access to my data and own it at the same time.
@chloyster Still playing Stardew Valley. But I just got a dock to my Deck, and an SD Card. Moved all the remaining games from my PC to my External Drive, plugged that shit into the dock and installed whatever the fuck I'm not finished yet or wanna play. Fuck yea, let the fun begin!
It's also handing control over messaging back to carriers
I don't really see any issue in this, as RCS was meant as an upgrade of the SMS protocol. Moreover, as the smartphone market is now pretty much a duopoly between Google and Apple, and pretty much what is not Apple is Google, it was natural for Google to also come up with an alternative to iMessage of theirs. Because that's what it is currently. I'm surprised Apple accepted to implement RCS after all because of this tbh.
Imo, both Google, Apple could have worked with the major carriers to implement a solution like this over GSM (and not requiring you to use mobile data). For me, that's the advantage of the SMS over any IM app out there (including Matrix, XMPP etc.): you're not required to turn on your data in order to use it. It's just right there. For the current implementations of RCS/iMessage respectively, I don't see any advantage over just using WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger for example.
When they fail, the average consumer blames the phone and not the cheap SD card they put into it.
I remember I received a notification about a card that was about to fail or something, because it was too old. That was on an older Huawei phone but still. So I don't think it's this usual for people not to be aware that their SD cards would soon go away (instead of thinking they have a problem with their phones).
First the USSR crushed Poland, then the Baltics (the last one still in one piece in the pic is Lithuania), then it's Romania. Then you know which ball is the big blue one, then all previously crushed states join NATO, then in the last pic the ball in the right is Russia.
As a fun fact, tanks were really called that way because the British didn't want the Germans to know what was being deployed in WW1 on the continental frontline.
@CDRMITTENS They already stole the entire Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina (plus the Herța Lands). They gave the former two to Ukraine (plus the southern Bessarabia) and turned the rest into a Romanian-denialist puppet state of them. Then they created another puppet state. East of the Dniester. 'Cuz it loves puppet states.
I like expandable storage, as I usually keep the SD card as a secondary partition. If my phone dies for whatever reason, I just pull that card out and stick it into a new phone.
@taanegl whatever you do, don't stay at home. This is a great opportunity to travel places. I spent my previous two Christmases alone in my house and I felt miserable. Try going to some place where you could go in the morning or return to the evening if you don't afford/cannot get accommodation. Or, if you can, book a ticket in a sleeper train in one day in the evening, and another in a sleeper train back in the evening of the next day (that way, you could combine the cost of the accomodation with that of the transport, and you could come out cheaper and save time). Try getting through all the best parts of that place - maybe check for information about that city on Wikipedia or anywhere and take some photos (it could also be an opportunity to get into photography if you want. That'll help you out as well. Then start categorizing your pics into a photo management program, you'll keep yourself busy a lot).
As for me, I think I have enough chores to do to keep myself busy. Plus some movies to watch and a book to finish.
@xyguy the M8 was indeed top notch. A friend in highschool had it and those speakers were really great. It also had a slow motion camera which he used to create amazing videos. That was something I craved for every phone to this day (my current phone now has it fortunately). Not to mention the aluminum body and its relatively solid design. I accidentally stepped on it while with screen down and it had nothing. By the time I was able to get my first phone though, the M8 was no longer on sale. They had the M9 but I didn't know if it would be the same experience.
I also had a great experience with the Lenovo Yoga Tab 8. It also had an aluminum body and a kickstand which proved itself really useful. I don't remember watching a movie on it this way, but it was useful in college. And the battery could last me for about a full week! Also plenty of space, as despite having only 16GB of storage, the system had only 2-3 at most. I don't remember ever hitting the threshold, even though I did install some games here and there. Also, it came with a free version of Kingsoft Office (now rebranded to WPS Office) that had no ads. And it could connect to Google Drive. I kept using that version for as long as I could. And it also had front-facing speakers.
I think the hardware of the Yoga series is the thing that I cannot live without. I know there are ways to attach a keyboard to a regular tablet and keep it in an upright position as well, but the fact that the Yoga can be placed in so many positions makes it extremely useful imo. Not to mention the slightly bulkier base can be fitted with a larger battery and can also be used as a handle to hold your tablet when reading. If I'm getting a tablet again, I think it will surely be another Yoga (I see they still produce the model). I wish it had a removable battery as well though.
@sarmale I'm not into painting myself, but a quick search gave me Pocket Paint for Android (Google Play, F-Droid).
On the desktop, I know that Krita is quite popular. I'm sure there is some common format that you can use for both.