One can only undefined

I completely agree, I guess what they call “privacy win” is that this feature can now work without storing data on Google (highlighted by me):

Based on Google’s email, it seems the company will allow Gemini to access messages, WhatsApp, and control device system settings without requiring that you enable the Gemini Apps Activity setting for your account. This setting saves your Gemini history to your Google account, potentially allowing for better personalization.

Previously, if you had this setting disabled for your Google account, you weren’t able to use the Messages, Phone, Utilities, or WhatsApp extensions in Gemini (via 9to5Google). Once this change rolls out to your account, you will be able to access these features without having to save your Gemini history on Google’s servers.

When they say

potentially allowing for better personalization

they sound like the companies trying to sell you these features without mentioning the privacy implications of said features. :/

In #1 when you say the monitor displays the DE, is the Dock visible? If not, it could be that you’re trying to interact with the DE but the dock and application launcher is on the laptop display.

I didn’t have to change any config values and it works. The only other thing I can think of is that I have Gnome Tweaks installed and the ‘Suspend when laptop lid is closed’ is disabled in the ‘General’ tab.

Another thing to try is to see what Pop!_OS outputs in the /var/log/syslog file when this happens. What I would suggest you do is:

1. open the terminal app
2. type sudo /var/log/syslog -f (this will start writing all sorts of messages to the screen)
3. do your step #1 (when it becomes unresponsive)
4. open the lid again so the system becomes reponsive
5. press Ctrl + c to stop outputting the contents of the systog file.

Scroll up and see if there’s any error, warning or something to that affect in the log related to power management, displays or the desktop environment.

And one more thing which is probably obvious: make sure your system is up do date (both the operating system and the BIOS).

I blocked Microsoft in WhatsApp and they reverted back to sending SMS messages. However, this won’t help if you (like me) I refuse to install Microsoft apps on your phone.

Whereabouts are you riding? Group ride?

Children with stupid names should be allowed to change their parents’ names!

👍

I think it depends on which community (instance) you’re trying to post. Some instances are blocking VPNs, e.g. lemmy.world. I assume you’ve already tried but try switching to a different VPN server.

Lemmy. world blocks VPNs - https://lemmy.world/post/12979118

It’s not a backdoor, it just enabled Firefox’s remote debugging tool by default

Just? I’m sorry but that’s just a terrible mistake to make, especially for a browser that people use to surf the world wild web. I don’t know if you’ve ever used a remote debugger (I do), but depending on the debugger, it can be a very powerful tool, you can do a lot of things with it. I don’t think calling it a backdoor is a massive exaggeration. I don’t doubt the developer’s good intention, but this issue shouldn’t be dismissed as an insignificant issue.

To add insult to the injury, it didn’t even prompt the user for it.

Zen is as secure as firefox is.

Unless you tweak the default Firefox settings in the code base, e.g. https://github.com/zen-browser/desktop/blob/dev/src/browser/app/profile/zen-browser.js#L258 (allow unsigned extensions by default).

I agree, it also has some serious security issues: https://github.com/zen-browser/desktop/pull/927

The developer’s comment reveals that it has been there since the inception of the project. And there are even more privacy / security issues mentioned in the comments.

Unfortunately Zen browser gets a big fat no from me. 🫤

You lose quite a lot of iron when donating blood:

Each time you donate blood, you lose between 220-250 mg of iron. It may take up to 24-30 weeks for your body to replace the iron lost through a blood donation. That time may vary, depending on what your iron level was before donating and if you take iron supplements or multivitamins with iron.

AFAIK many people are fine (no symptoms) with having low iron levels.

Exactly. Also, there was a post a few days ago about google secretly installing an app on Android phones, something to do with automatically blurring nsfw images in messages. Who knows what else it is capable of, or if there’s software on our phones that won’t show up anywhere (list of apps, running processes, etc.).

Interesting times…

I agree with using open source software, but the source code of said chat apps is just one part of the equation.

AFAIK cryptography implementation relies on the operating system / firmware the app is running on (they tend to be closed source). Most implementations rely on random generators provided be the operating system. Doesn’t really matter how good the encryption implementation is in the chat app if the software it relies on is compromised - see book I recommended above (The hacker and the state).

I suspect it’s the latter one. The book titled “The Hacker and the State” goes into detail about how it can be done (or may have been done in the past). A fascinating read for anyone interested in the subject.

Obsidian asks for the permission upon first launch, but if you don’t give it access it won’t work at all (it’s a required permission for the app).

you can use an android firewall to block Internet access from the app

True, however, AFAIK if your phone is not rooted, you can’t have a firewall and VPN running at the same time (the firewalls I’ve seen must be configured as VPN).

not the privileges that obsidian has

Also true, although Obsidian has access to that shared storage, and therefore, Obsidian being closed source, you have no way of knowing what they do with the files other apps create in that storage directory. I’m not saying they are acting maliciously, but I don’t like this approach (software vulnerabilities, supply chain attacks, etc.). The devs recognized the issue in another thread, but there’s no solution to the problem as of yet.

I’d love to use this setup, however, the Obsidian Android app requires a kind of file access that is concerning:

Obsdian uses a shared location “/Documents” so that other apps can access the files (e.g. third party sync services) or add stuff.

https://forum.obsidian.md/t/fr-make-obsidian-work-on-android-without-asking-for-storage-permissions/19360

It’s a no-go for me. :/

It beggars belief that those videos have so many views…

Although I still watch YouTube videos (using Freetube on desktop, Newpipe on mobile), I recently joined Nebula.tv + curiosity stream.

You can also practice these whilst being stationary. Get on your bike and lean against a wall (your shoulder touching the wall giving you support and preventing you falling over). Don’t clip the foot on the other side, just in case you lose balance.

This way you only need to focus on clipping in/out without having to worry about falling over. This will hopefully give you a bit of confidence before going out on the roads again. :)