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We’re poor.
There’s a recession.
There’s a pandemic.
There is war.
The planet is on FIRE.

...we’re trying to survive in the hellscape you left for us.

Edited from: mastodon.social/@benjancewicz/

VIDEO - Repair policies by Amazon & eBay platforms

yewtu.be/watch?v=qzUXmeaZsIQ

Amazon & eBay Tactics about
- Used and Refurbished devices
- Big company "Programs" (contracts) that require Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreements (silencing people for 3years)
- People build the platform initially and then get kicked off!

QUOTE (2mins of video)
" Freedom is being taken from us one step at a time... we need to be vigilante..."

Often big companies have less service quality so "programs" just make a barrier so they have a monopoly instead of high quality quick service from more people (big or small company).

Like Etsy, Ebay is pushing out small sellers and more approved big sellers to play off the smaller sellers.

Refurbished means a lot more than used or repairs (it's all of that + authorised repair + tested / quality controlled / certified / guarantee given sometimes)

Things interesting for repairers
- Unlocking bootloader
- Fixing old devices
- Re-selling repaired devices....

Feedback, customers buy on eBay not really your site... better to build you own of take customers from eBay but not base it all of eBay as you will get pushed or kicked off eventually for profit / big sellers.

Also manufacturer refurbishing is often really bad and just giving you another replacement which is just another to-be-bad same model.

Amazon feedback still today is bad.

Certification is usually a pay to play scheme / creates conditions for monopoly... not really quality control. Again just towards profit and having a badge saying it's better when not always is.
Microsoft MSCE was $5000 - but question and answers are given just before test - just needed short-term memory.

LIFE TOGETHER
If we don't make something from ourselves, even loosely, we'll remain easily isolated and divided.

Ingredients for current lifestyle:
- Climate Change,
- Pandemics,
- Heart Disease,
- Water / Other Pollution,
- Obesity,
- Animal Abuse,
- Deforestation

FIREFOX ADD-ON: PAYWALL BYPASS

Read articles from websites that implement a paywall.

addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef

Comments / Reviews by users always useful:

addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firef

I personally don't see uch need for it as mass media is not much for me (at all) but thought this was interesting enough, maybe for 1 thing that you really see and like, not just everything because it's free...

QUESTION:
Why wouldn't I want to share/copy over my music directory to someone else?
(I feel it but I'm not sure why!)

MASTODON GROUPS TUTORIAL!
(ACTIVITYPUB GROUPS IN THE FEDIVERSE!)

NO EXTRA SIGNUP NEEDED...
USE YOUR FEDIVERSE ACCOUNT

TUTORIAL BELOW:

- SEE A LIST OF GROUPS !
- FOLLOW A GROUP !
- MAKE A GROUP !
- POST IN A GROUP !

ALSO
- HOW TO SEE POSTS?
- TESTING / NOT SURE?

After doing some digging here's my near mini-tutorial about groups...
__________________________________
- SEE LIST OF GROUPS!
a.gup.pe/
Also shows follower numbers.

______________________
FOLLOW A GROUP !
- Following a group is done a few ways but I found this way as 100% / BEST WAY so far:

Step 1. Find the name of any group (on a.gup.pe/ website)... "Plants" group for example...

2. Put name "Plants" with @ before it in Mastodon Search Box (the top left box):
@plants (and hit enter)

3. The Mastodon search result will show @ plants @ a.gup.pe (without the spaces) as a group

4. Click :follow: to follow group!
Done!

(If you see two entries in the search results then one might be an old server from before - just follow what the newest which is "a.gup.pe" <--- newest has extra "a." in the address)

__________________
MAKE A GROUP !

- Anyone can make a group.
It's done in 2 ways (your choice both is ok and can't go wrong even if you do both)

METHOD 1 - New groups can be created in the Mastodon Search box. So at the same time as when you use the search to search for it then the group it's automatically made for you in the process if it doesn't already exist! Then it shows up a few seconds later!

METHOD 2 Another way to create group is to *mention it* in a post and also at the same time it is created for you.
Example if I mention:
@ Freeschool @ a.gup.pe (without spaces) then the group will be made!

This group it's now created and if you start typing @ freeschool then you can autocomplete @ Freeschool @ a.gup.pe

SUMMARY
Whatever method you choose from it will create a new group name as you do that method and it will show up when you put that in search box results or mention it in future!
*Immediately* anyone else looking can find the group!

It will not show in the a.gup.pe/ website as it has to be more populate to show up there... and better for privacy not to show the smaller groups.
__________________________
MY OTHER COMMENTS:

I personally like they way to create group using no external signup AND using existing Mastodon account.

The Mastodon search box name provides a direct and powerful interface to see things
e.g. "@ freeschool @ a.gup.pe " shows " freeschool " group.

After creating group you can post and mention the group name to people in your group and can be quite private.

______________________
HOW TO SEE POSTS?

Posts show up in timeline like following a person.

To see posts just Mastodon search box in Mastodon with group name (like @ plants) and then click the group name to natively show the existing posts.

I don't think you can enable notifications on these groups (yet) but the usual mentioning / replying / favouriting can show you immediately someone read it or replied.
_____________________
POST IN A GROUP !
To post to a group yourself, mention the " @ plants @gup.pe " address (without spaces) in your post. If you start typing @plants now it will attempt to autocomplete for you so just select the a.gup.pe address from that and you don't have to type out the full address!

Just remember for posting just the group name is needed... use @group and autocomplete will do the rest in your compose box and you can choose the appropriate.

If you delete-redraft post don't worry it will only show once - I re-draft my posts a lot so I know !

Hope this info is worth it to you!

________________________
TESTING / NOT SURE?
If you want to test some messages, feel free to use the Freeschool group by mentioning @ FreeSchool @ a.gup.pe (without the spaces)
or
use search "@freeschool" and select the a.gup.pe group from there.

OTHER NOTES / DETAILS / READING
- Newest website is a.gup.pe
(notice the "a." prefix - Old website was gup.pe which changed earlier in 2022, around April)

- a.gup.pe is the server that is used as a middle between Mastodon without needing separate accounts but rather creates accounts itself on-the-fly / as you ask or search for it!

____________________
THANKS & CREDITS

-Thanks FediTips @feditips for initial tip about this - Hope you liked my tutorial :)

- Thanks Will datatitian@social.coop for initially creating guppe groups

Github Info + Description:

github.com/wmurphyrd/guppe

"Decentralized social groups with ActivityPub, NodeJS, Express, and Mongodb"

another description:

Guppe is an ActivityPub server that automatically generates group actors and provides distribution functions.

Searching for and following any account in the gup.pe domain, such as in Mastodon, will create a new group which you can then follow.
a.gup.pe/

IS THERE A GROUP TALKING ABOUT GUPPE ITSELF?

- A group talking about a.gup.pe itself is at link below. Use if you want to follow / get updates / chat about a.gup.pe itself:
@guppegroups
(or search @guppegroups)

__________________________________
FAQ / INTERESTING QUESTIONS
__________________________________

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HASHTAG AND GUPPE GROUP?

@GuppeGroups helps actively grow your network of people around topics of interest. So if two unconnected people both participate in same group, it will cause them to become connected and see each other.
Hashtag doesn't have this unless you happen to post at same time and look yourself at hashtag page more aggressively / manually etc.
The Guppe group way *let's you* know and choose to follow it more actively listening.

Hashtags are more a way of organizing toots and checking when you want (not sure if a tool exists or worth it for high-traffic hashtags)

POSTING TO GROUP VIA PUBLIC OR UNLISTED POST?

"Public" in your post setting (when writing any post) will get it seen asap.

"Unlisted" level of post means everyone in the group will still get it, but it won't appear in local or global timelines, just when someone is looking in the group specifically.

RECOMMEND ANY GROUPS / ANY OTHER EXAMPLES?
@ retrocomputing @ gup.pe is the OLD group without a. in server (still can see the posts

so use newest
@ retrocomputing @ a.gup.pe

is also great

NOTE!
Searching "@ groupname" is good / works best but also creates the group if not already existing!

NEED HELP? LET ME KNOW AS USUAL FROM THE FREESCHOOL / FREEDOM LOVER.

, Social, , , , , ,
, ,

Debian recently voted to include firmware in the distro by default, including in standard installation media.

I wholeheartedly approve this decision, for reasons that I wrote in detail here: osboot.org/news/policy.html#pr

The context on that page is osboot. This graphic explains it:

Debian for the win!... Long-term less-for-profit growth and for the ❤️ end-game... 

What Debian has done well is make it less purchasable - i.e. keeping it more for volunteers / non-profit which eventually keeps the best check for it's own progress and less elements monetary elements.

As a non-profit it's better calculated in the long-term "for the love of it" and non-corporate type of efforts.

Being bought and taken over happens constantly today - so no surprise when *yet again* something good then gets bought out / changes hands / new leaders / put to sleep etc.

Debian people can die happy they didn't sell out. Poor people tied to what they love rather than momentarily rich / bad exchanges with wrong people.

WHY IS THE "GO" GAME PICTURED IN THIS POST...?
The idea in the picture refers to the game "go" which often suddenly has your pieces flipped over and captured by the other person (the other team in this case which is the monetary team / governments / banks etc - "the dark" or uncaring side)...
Playing the money games would effectively turning your 'piece' of work and love into a "dark" one day inevitably as time goes on and it gets bought or sold or more involved financially at risk etc (it's all risky business money and in the hands of wrong-minded people).

The Go game is the analogy later down the line as you see all your pieces get flipped to the opposite colour and hard work captured... even worse locked off (this is the kinda of default for the Matrix we live in and want more sharing of instead).

OTHER EXAMPLES?
Perhaps like RedHat which is now under IBM but that also lasted a while without so not the worst example-
IRC servers who got replaced / admin rights removed / new staff put in...
Websites with pay-gates and all this stuff probably as a result of monetising it or feeling in and around it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_%28ga

__________________________________
EXTENDED WRITING / OPTIONAL
Not "scaling up" using money is another way to see quality prevail and less toxic elements mixed in to decision making. The expectation without speed is that quality is maintained and the main focus, andeven slow cooking is better than hard and fast..
Speed via money (banks and companies, feelings from money by people) damages things and often crashes it knowingly (to get the tax or infrastructures bult only then for government to take over / regulate it).

So it's about keeping our monumental slow-progress ours and non-purchasable / less designed to be bought.
We know the banks and governments are cruel / financially based.
And ❤️Debian❤️ is not!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian

__________________________
GENERAL DEBIAN FACTS

Debian is Free Software.
Free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. This is our main promise to our users. It's also free of cost.

Debian is stable and secure.
Linux-based operating system for a wide range of devices including laptops, desktops and servers.

Debian has extensive Hardware Support.
Most hardware is supported by the Linux kernel which means that Debian will support it as well.

Debian offers a flexible Installer.
Our Live CD is for everyone who wants to give Debian a try before installing it. It also includes the Calamares installer which makes it easy to install Debian from the live system.

Debian is the Base for many other Distributions.
Like Ubuntu, Knoppix, PureOS or Tails, are based on Debian.

The Debian Project is a Community.
Everyone can be a part of our community; you don't have to be a developer or sysadmin.

Debian has control
Debian cannot be controlled by a single company. Our developers are from more than 60 different countries, and Debian itself is translated into more than 80 languages.
#2022 = 29th

Debian / Ubuntu / Linux / Unix Pics + Audio Podcast....

1- Podcast with Debian Developer

freeschool.0id.org/debian-deve

2- Debian pics, art, favourites:
> graphics
> wallpaper
> personal drawings / schematics
> art / abstract stuff
> anything geeky / eye-candy
> inside jokes / cartoon jokes
> toys / memorabilia (if they even exist!)

Send me you best / favourites!

Debian T-Shirt - Modified Original

Artistic modification of our favourites! For the ❤️ of it.

-Shirt

" people do this for love rather than money "

- Mining Monero tutorial 15mins
yewtu.be/watch?v=NbxbRu-2GWI

P.S
Although I somewhat don't find it natural investing electronically (I'm more nature orientated perhaps) AS ALTERNATIVE IT MAKES SENSE if you have to invest in something away from banks (which has always been the case for me as they are immoral / financial-only people).

Discussion welcome but based on the above 'worse vs worst' scenario we're in. Banks being the worst even if it 'seems' to have been working (NOPE has only dug the debt and % holes further!)

IMAGINE 'YOUR' MONEY IS ' FROZEN ' IN THE BANK!

(The bank says "Due to extraordinary circumstances we take XYZ measures")

YOU MIGHT NEED TO TAKE YOUR MOOLA NOW OR SE IT DISAPPEAR LATER!

We've seen how governments AND banks can confiscate / seize / impound / FREEZE money... and even eat it completely!

❗⚠️ Under the mattress is not the best way ‼️ 🛏️

🚫 ⛔ In the bank is also getting less secure 🏦 🏧

Money and it's debt was always insecure (artificial scarcity) so IF government and banks get nervous they will hold back money and even eat customer money as we saw in Greece.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artifici

I'm kinda glad to see this as visually it doesn't make sense to rob you're own bank but technically when banks take care of themselves before customers robbing your own bank makes complete sense. Do read your terms and conditions! :)
:nes_fire: 🏦 :cc_nc: 📉 💱 💰 💲 💳

QUOTE " We have all either begged, borrowed or stolen.

We have reaped where others have sown, and that which others have strown, we have gathered. "

- Frederick Douglass, 1859

or in one longer sentence:

" Our best and most valued acquisitions have been obtained either from our contemporaries or from those who have preceded us in the field of thought and discovery. "

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-mad

MASTODON TIP:

TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS EVERY TIME YOU FOLLOW

THEN you will soon see if the person is for you (and whatever line of thought you followed for in the first place)

THEN TURN OFF NOTIFICATIONS
AND FEEL OK TO FORGET THEM / LEAVE THEM AS FOLLOWED PERSON IN YOUR HOME TIMELINE BUT NOT NOTIFIED!

Here's how to add notification:
qoto.org/@freeschool/109031885

I'm going through my whole list and turning notifications on (wish sometimes I had done that at the time of follow!)

" Struggling with my conscience and principles."

" Make a decision that I very likely regret later, in part forced on by harassment and all-around abusive practices. Or take "the easy way" having to believe/trust/take on good faith the same actors that have been part of previous malicious practices, most likely now also in part exerting pressure.

God damnit, writing it down makes it even more of an unbalanced, obvious choice."

mastodon.social/@cobratbq/1088

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