Notices by Linux Is Best (linux@mastodon.de)

Did you know...

In countries like the UK, Canada, or Australia, if the government can't pass a budget, there is no "shutdown". Instead, the government is forced to resign, and new elections are held.

Sounds like a good idea. We should do the same. 👍

#UnitedStates #America #USA #Government

Suggested Safety Tip:

When the DOGE cut funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), planes fell out of the sky. Now, with the agency already underfunded, the government is shutting down.

I can’t say for certain — but if I were you, I wouldn’t board a plane.

#GovernmentShutdown #DOGE #Government #FAA #Travel

As a system administrator and content manager, I learned long ago that if something can be abused, it will be abused — it's only a matter of time.

Before we enter the holiday season, it's a good time to double-check the Fediverse software your site is running. Make sure you're using the latest version.

#Mastodon #Misskey #Fediverse #ActivityPub

Why did I join the Fediverse?

I work for Facebook (Meta), and during my free time, when I’m not dealing with everyone else’s nonsense, I want to say what needs to be said without some censor trying to verify if everything I say is either profitable or politically correct.

I will always tell the truth as politely as possible, but accuracy does not always mean popularity.

For example, I take pride when I point out a scammer. I feel satisfaction, and I will share that link and occasionally a screenshot if I catch it fast enough. But I am not responsible if another administrator removes the scam post before it gains traction. They did the right thing — they removed the scam post. And just because you didn’t see it does not mean you should bend the knee toward the scammer who is crying like a little bitch that their post was removed by someone else.

I need to be able to call someone an asshole when they are clearly being an asshole. I promise I’m not going to spend all day calling the same person an asshole. I have better things to do than focus on that one person, but I will call a spade a spade. I do not back down, shy away, or yield to assholes.

Donald Trump is racist, sexist, homophobic, and a pedophile, and MAGA is a cult. I should be able to call Donald Trump a racist, sexist, homophobic pedophile, and his followers cult members.

Love is love. I do not care if you are a man, woman, gender-neutral, straight, gay, bi, or whatever else you identify as; I want you to have the freedom to love whomever you love, provided they are a consenting adult.

What is happening to Gaza is horrible. Israel is guilty of war crimes. But every single person I have seen asking for money has thus far been a scammer, sharing the same URLs as the scammers I see at work (Facebook). Gaza Verified is not credible because it seems to be scammers verifying themselves, along with perhaps a few people who mean well but are clearly being taken advantage of. Unfortunately, that is how scammers work: they take advantage of people. On that note, show me one post that is not a scam, and I will share it myself.

Yes, let’s get the elephant out of the room and address the fact that I have moved a few times within the Fediverse.

Being honest is not always popular. Being factual is not always popular. Doing both at the same time, unfortunately, seems to prove problematic. And it is unfortunate because hateful people have a place to say whatever they want, whenever they want. But if you’re a kind person, and not one of those hateful jerks, but not always popularly politically correct, that seems to be a problem on the Fediverse.

I cannot promise that anywhere I join may not trigger some asshole and their friends with an agenda.

I take issue against Donald Trump's MAGA douchebags and scammers. That was bound to put a target on my back. But I am not going to stop. In fact, I hope in time more people join me. We’d live in a better world without either.

I am an American citizen, but I do not believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth. Thus far, we are certainly not the worst place, but we have a lot of room for improvement. That is one of my so-called “not so politically correct” worldviews. Because I believe it is possible to like your country, but absolutely hate what it is becoming.

This is all to say, I am going to be me, in spite of anyone. And I refuse to go quietly into some isolated corner, shouting up at the sky, where few, if anyone, will hear me.

@hellomiakoda @Tutanota

So why don't I self-host?

I want everything of mine outside U.S. jurisdiction, and the big problem is, I'm in the United States. If it were saved on my computer, it would be in the United States — linked to me, associated with me, right here for the taking.

I am the weakest link.

But on a remote server, with an anonymous screen name and anonymous (fake) details, associated with other random bits from all over the world (email in a different place, VPN in a different place, etc.) — I simply, generally, should not be worth the trouble.

But if Nazis start to kick in my door, I want them to find — nothing. No hard drive with data. No saved files on some extra USB lying around. Nothing. Only a USB that I used to boot up an ISO into RAM.

Is this absolutely foolproof?

I don't think anything is. But self-hosting something locally just means it's all here — and here is where I don't want my data.

@Tutanota

Yes, password managers are important, and so is digital sovereignty — especially in these troubling times. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a password manager that operates outside the jurisdictions of the United States, Russia, and China

Heylogin — Germany, Europe
https://www.heylogin.com

pCloud Passwords — Switzerland Europe
https://www.pcloud.com/pass.html

Locker Password Manager — Vietnam, Asia
https://locker.io

#PasswordManager #DigitalSovereignty #Passwords