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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: December 7th, 2023

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  • My aging windows tower and retired work laptop were both struggling to keep up with my photo and video editing. Linux asnt an option for Capture One and Davinci Resolve, and the writing was on the wall for what Windows is becoming.

    Combined with the failures in Intel Raptor/Alder lake CPUs, I took an unexpected leap into the realm of Apple silicon with an M4 Pro Mac Mini.

    Apple is not a perfect company, but this new machine processes video faster than anything I’ve ever used, and for the first time since the 2010s it has replaceable (proprietary) storage.




  • I’ve had an Android since probably 2012. It has been nice to see the OS become so mature, and security has been getting increasing attention over the last few years. I don’t know iPhone as well, so I will speak more on my experience with Android.

    Brand Families: Many excellent brands exist, but I will really only consider what I think of as the top two - Google and Samsung. I’ve had the Pixel 3, 5, 7 and my girlfriend has had the 4a and 8. The experience on a Google branded phone is, in my opinion, the best way to experience Android. The Samsung phones definitely keep up with the Pixel line, but the UI feels chaotic to me. Pixel Android is clean.

    Work App Experience: My job is in IT for a government contractor, and my email is configured in a Microsoft Intune container. This feature simply does not work in non-stock OS’s, so I wouldn’t count on being able to use Graphene. Play store is required, as the Play Store sets up the secure container. This may sound like a downside, but to me it’s preferable over relying on Microsoft for this. The secure container works excellent and allows me to shut off all of my work apps with one click. If I was ever fired, my job could wipe the container without wiping my personal data. This is a huge benefit to me. Earlier this year we had an employee stealing data and when we issues the remote wipe command to their iPhone it wiped EVERYTHING.

    Play Store: It’s very ad heavy. I typically know what I am looking for before I venture into the Play store.

    **De-Googling: ** I use Firefox Mobile with uBlock (yes it works on mobile) and am working my way towards Proton services (drive, email, password manager, VPN, etc).

    Overall Experience: I own several Android gaming handhelds, an Android audio player, and my Pixel 7. I will probably stick with Android for the foreseeable future. Android is flexible, mature, fast, and secure. My cameras are excellent and really only fall apart when zooming. Newer Pixel phones improve this experience.


  • I remember as a kid going with my parents to vote. All of the folks with signs had to stand by the road instead of in the parking lot because of the electioneering laws. This was back in the 90s, so they have indeed been enforced for a long time. This was back before the red side was violent and unhinged like they are today, so I would say that electioneering laws are more important today than they ever have been.







  • My insurance company has determined that my house would cost about $450k to completely rebuild in the event of a total loss. Thankfully in the Northeast the risk of my house being destroyed is low, so they charge me $1,100 annually. Even with a few houses in my area being destroyed by fire, flood, or extreme weather, they still make enough to build up their reserves, pay their employees, and kick back some to the investors.

    How much would that company need to charge in Florida so they could still pay to fix the houses and pay everybody that works for them? Definitely not $1,100/yr because replacing just a single broken window costs $1,100.

    Now think about if the Federal government began covering Florida. They would have the same issue as private insurers - there is no amount they can charge that will not deplete their funds faster than they take in premiums.