A new "Describe Image" feature is coming soon to Click To Do, which will allow Windows 11 to use AI to describe an image that's currently on your screen.
An image is worth a thousand words. How is reading a text describing what is on the screen going to be better than just looking at the screen yourself, something you'll need to do to read the description anyway? Aside from accessibility for the blind, the practicality such a technology is questionable.
The motivation behind this is obviously to facilitate the collection and reporting user profiling data. Accessibility for the blind is only a side effect. Tech companies have been doing it with automated audio transcriptions for years already, now they're after what you look at on your screen.
The matter made its way into the political discourse as the House Rules Committee considered the issue, after a failed attempt by the Democrats to force a vote in Congress on whether the Epstein files should be made public.
As one of the oldest standing committees in Congress, the group's key role concerns the flow of legislation to the House floor.
Khanna's amendment was in effect a procedural measure that was tacked on to the GENIUS Act, which relates to digital assets such as crypto currency. If the amendment had been passed, it would have forced Attorney General Pam Bondi to publish the Epstein documents on a "publicly accessible website."
Republican lawmakers have blocked a move that could have forced President Donald Trump's administration to release the files on Jeffrey Epstein's investigation.
today announced the global channel availability of up to 30TB Exos ®M and IronWolf® Pro hard drives. Built on Seagate’s Mozaic3+™ platform and powered by heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) technology, these drives are engineered to meet increasing demand for scalable, high-performance storage driven by the rise of AI deployments that are supplementing traditional enterprise infrastructure development.
Statistically, your computer's firmware is proprietary. However, Libreboot is an interesting, if niche, option to boostrap a computer with free and libre code only.
Chinese Tech Support: Microsoft is using engineers in China to help maintain the Defense Department’s computer systems — with minimal supervision by U.S. personnel.
Skills Gap: Digital escorts often lack the technical expertise to police foreign engineers with far more advanced skills, leaving highly sensitive data vulnerable to hacking.
Ignored Warnings: Various people involved in the work told ProPublica that they warned Microsoft that the arrangement is inherently risky, but the company launched and expanded it anyway.
The Pentagon bans foreign citizens from accessing highly sensitive data, but Microsoft bypasses this by using engineers in China and elsewhere to remotely instruct American “escorts” who may lack expertise to identify malicious code.
While we are all holding our breath for the possible initiatives against Israel that Kaja Kallas, the European High Representative for Foreign Affairs, could present on Tuesday (15 July) to the foreign affairs council, the lawyers of the JURDI Association (lawyers for the respect of international law), are taking action.
On Thursday, they will file an “action for failure to act” with the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg against the EU Commission and Council for their failure to act on the crimes committed by the Netanyahu government in Gaza.
Lawyers specialising in international law will file an “action for failure to act” with the European Court of Justice on Thursday for the inaction of the EU Commission and Council in the massacres perpetrated by the Netanyahu government.
The Pentagon bans foreign citizens from accessing highly sensitive data, but Microsoft bypasses this by using engineers in China and elsewhere to remotely instruct American “escorts” who may lack expertise to identify malicious code.
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I love Ryan but Emily is truly as snakey as it gets. She will change her position based on whatever show she's on. And she refuses to say on Breaking points what she says elsewhere. At least Saagar isn't changing his position based on whatever talkshow he's on and he's racist everywhere.
Just wanted to share a tool I came across recently youtubetotranscript.net/. It lets you paste any YouTube link and get a full transcript of the video (even long ones), which is super useful for:
Note-taking from tutorials or lectures
Quickly skimming long videos for key info
Searching specific parts of interviews or reviews
Accessibility / easier reading
No login, no ads, and works surprisingly fast. Great for when you don’t have time to watch a full video or just want the text version.
Has anyone tried similar tools? Would love to hear recommendations too!
YouTube to Transcript online tool instantly converts YouTube videos into accurate, free transcripts using AI. Perfect for accessibility, note-taking, and content creation.
Corporate bankruptcies in the United States are running at the fastest pace in 15 years. Through the first six months of 2025, 371 large companies filed - Citizen Watch Report
i ran into a visibility issue when replying from mastodon to a pixelfed user’s followers-only post.
if a pixelfed user has a private account and makes a followers-only post, then a mastodon user (who follows them, but isn’t followed back) replies with the same followers-only visibility, the pixelfed user never sees it, even if they’re mentioned.
apparently this is because “followers-only” on mastodon only includes the sender’s own followers, not the post author or mentioned accounts. this makes cross-platform, non-mutual replies silently disappear.
anyone else think this should be addressed at the AP level? or is it something each app should patch separately (like a “followers + mentioned” visibility option)?
He wants to take all of it: Putin reportedly told Trump he’ll intensify eastern Ukraine offensive over next 2 months — [w/video] Ukraine’s new Liut ground drone ‘destroys’ Russian position with machine gun — Ukraine contracts ‘tens of thousands’ intercept
Medical Supplies for Ukraine’s Hospitals. Partnering for global health equity.
Russia’s war against Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14, 2025. Trump said the U.S. will send more weapons to Ukraine, signaling his growing impatience as Russia ignores his demands for a ceasefire and steps up its military campaign. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’tariffsif no Ukraine deal reached in 50 days. “We’re gonna be doing very severe tariffs if we don’t have a deal in 50 days. Tariffs that are about 100%, we call them secondary tariffs,” Donald Trump said in a joint press conference in the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Patriot systems, missiles mayarrivein Ukraine ‘within days,’ Trump says. When asked when certain weapons, including missiles to Patriot air defense systems, were expected to arrive in Ukraine, Trump responded by saying “a full complement with the batteries… We’re going to have some come very soon, within days.”
Germany says EUdiscussing‘more than 3’ Patriot air defense systems for Ukraine. “From the EU perspective, the talks are about more than three Patriot systems for Ukraine,” a German government spokesperson said.
‘He wants to take all of it’ — Putin reportedly told Trump he’llintensifyeastern Ukraine offensive over next 2 months. Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. President Donald Trump that Moscow intended to continue offensive operations until it secured the full administrative borders of occupied Ukrainian regions.
Russia vows to ‘firmly defend’ interests in Baltic after Estonia HIMARStest. “The Baltic region is tense due to the aggressive policies of European coastal states,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Ukrainecontracts‘tens of thousands’ interceptor drones. The technology is critical for Ukraine’s air defense as Russia’s aerial attacks have escalated significantly over the past few months
Zelenskyannouncesnext prime minister, launches government reshuffle. “I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Zelenskyhintsprime minister Shmyhal may be appointed defense minister amid government reshuffle. “Denys Shmyhal’s extensive experience will definitely be valuable in the position of Ukraine’s defense minister,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Denmark toprovideEuropean-produced satellite communication services to Ukraine’s military. “Denmark has now contributed to strengthening Ukraine’s satellite-based communications in their defense against Russia. There is a very large potential in space-based solutions that can contribute to both Ukrainian, Danish, and European defense,” Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
Slovakia hints itwon’t block18th sanctions package following EU assurances. Slovakia is likely to approve the EU’s 18th sanctions package against Russia following assurances provided by the bloc to Bratislava, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on July 14.
Read our exclusives
Ukraine war latest: Trump threatens Russia with ‘severe’ tariffs if no Ukraine deal reached in 50 days
The U.S. will impose “severe tariffs” on Russia unless it agrees to a deal on ending the war in Ukraine within 50 days, U.S. President Donald Trump said in his long-anticipated announcement on July 14.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Learn more Editorial: Right now, Ukraine’s democracy risks a Russian-style backslide
While fighting a war of survival against Russia, Ukraine must not turn into its authoritarian neighbor. As Ukraine’s main independent English-language media outlet, we have a duty to acknowledge and expose this threat.
Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
Learn more Patriot missiles — what they are and why everyone wants them
The U.S.-made Patriot air defense system is one of the few in the world that defend against ballistic missiles, which Russia regularly launches against Ukraine, and which Israel and Iran traded salvos of last month.
Photo: Sam Yeh / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more Growing pains: The lives of Ukrainian teenagers at war
Russia’s war has struck Ukrainian teens in a uniquely cruel way — already navigating the turbulence of adolescence, they also face the emotional and psychological scars the war continues to leave on them.
Russian drones strike Sumy, Kharkiv oblastskilling1 person, injuring at least 21. Russian troops launched drone attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts on July 14, killing one person and injuring at least 21, local authorities reported.
Russian Mi-8 helicopter goesmissingin Far East with 5 aboard. The aircraft had three crew members and two technicians on board, Russian pro-government media outlet Kommersant reported.
International response
Putin’s negotiator calls for ‘constructive dialogue’ as Trumpshiftsstance on Ukraine. “Constructive dialogue between Russia and the U.S. will always achieve more than the tired, destructive language of pressure,” Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, wrote.
ZelenskymeetsTrump’s envoy Kellogg in Kyiv. “We discussed the path to peace and what we can practically do together to bring it closer,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote.
Belarus shootsdownRussian drone, Ukraine’s HUR claims. Russian Shahed-type drones regularly breach Belarusian airspace as they fly towards Ukrainian cities during mass attacks which have escalated significantly over recent weeks.
5 EU members reportedlyunhappywith new Ukraine trade deal. “They believe that a new agreement within the framework of the (Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area) DCFTA could destabilize European markets,” a source present during an EU Agriculture Council meeting told European Pravda.
Opinions and insights
Beneath the problematic surface, the New York Times’ Kursk reporting reveals a deeper moral rot
In these fraught times, the New York Times has made a seemingly deliberate and very self-aware choice to paint a picture of this war without the understanding of who is in the right and who is in the wrong.
Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP via Getty Images
Learn more 5 ways the New York Times fails its readers in its most recent piece about Russia’s war
The New York Times’ recent feature detailing Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast presents a vivid, harrowing account of civilian suffering — it also twists the narrative.
Ukraine’s new Liut ground drone ‘destroys‘ Russian position with machine gun, HUR claims in new video. The deployment took place in Sumy Oblast, a northeastern region bordering Russia that has recently faced renewed Moscow’s attempts to advance.
Ukraine’s economic crimes bureau remainsleaderlessamid government interference. Ukraine’s economic crimes agency is still without a head following a controversial selection process, raising fresh concerns about the government’s commitment to anti-corruption and international obligations.
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Ukraine's economic crimes agency is still without a head following a controversial selection process, raising fresh concerns about the government's commitment to anti-corruption and international obligations.
Clean room environments are critical in industries where airborne contaminants can compromise product quality or safety. Whether in semiconductor fabrication, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology labs, or aerospace component assembly, the integrity of the environment is paramount. One often overlooked yet essential component in maintaining this integrity is the computing hardware used in these spaces. Traditional PCs with fans introduce risks that can undermine the sterile or particle-controlled nature of clean rooms. Enter fanless industrial PCs—a revolutionary solution tailored for such sensitive applications.
The Nature of Clean Room Requirements
Clean rooms operate under stringent regulations to control particulate matter, humidity, temperature, and other variables. Classification systems like ISO 14644-1 define how many particles are permitted per cubic meter of air. Even a minor fluctuation can lead to contamination that disrupts operations or damages products. Equipment introduced into these environments must therefore be designed to minimize any particle emissions, vibrations, or thermal disruptions. Standard computers, with their mechanical cooling systems, are ill-suited for such settings.
Most conventional PCs rely on fans to dissipate heat generated by internal components. While effective at cooling, these fans can become liabilities in clean rooms. They draw in ambient air, which may contain microscopic contaminants, and then circulate it within and beyond the chassis. Over time, this airflow can stir up settled particles or introduce new contaminants into the sterile environment. Additionally, fan motors generate vibration and noise, both of which can interfere with precision equipment or testing. One way to avoid this issue is by using a Fanless Industrial PC, which eliminates the need for airflow while enhancing system stability and cleanliness.
Why Fanless Design Matters
Fanless industrial PCs address these challenges by utilizing passive cooling systems. These designs often involve heatsinks, conductive chassis materials, and optimized internal layouts to manage thermal loads without requiring airflow. The result is a completely sealed system that does not move air—and, by extension, does not move particles. This inherently reduces the risk of contamination, making fanless PCs ideal for use in clean rooms where every particle counts.
Beyond eliminating airborne contaminants, fanless PCs are typically housed in sealed enclosures that offer additional protections. These enclosures are resistant to dust, moisture, and chemical exposure, which are not uncommon in clean room processes. The lack of vents and moving parts means these systems can be sterilized or wiped down more easily without compromising internal components. This adds a layer of hygiene and reliability that traditional systems simply can't match. Among the most advanced solutions available today is the BEDROCK R8000, which delivers exceptional thermal performance in a fully enclosed, fanless chassis.
Enhanced Reliability and Longevity
One of the most compelling benefits of fanless industrial PCs is their durability. Without fans, there are fewer moving parts that can fail. This translates to longer operational lifespans and reduced maintenance needs—an essential advantage in environments where downtime is costly or logistically difficult. Sealed designs also prevent dust and debris from accumulating on internal components, preserving performance and minimizing thermal degradation over time.
When integrated into clean room workflows, fanless PCs contribute significantly to operational efficiency. Their silent operation ensures that they do not interfere with acoustic-sensitive equipment or create auditory distractions. Their thermal efficiency supports consistent performance even under continuous load. For industries where data acquisition, process control, and environmental monitoring are crucial, these PCs provide a dependable backbone without introducing new variables.
Many modern clean room facilities are now choosing fanless systems specifically designed for such environments. For instance, a high-quality fanless industrial PC offers not just fanless design but also a compact form factor, wide operating temperature range, and industrial-grade components. These features make them suitable for wall or panel mounting, freeing up workspace and further reducing contamination risks. They also support industrial protocols and real-time operating systems essential for precision control. Another excellent option for such requirements is the BEDROCK R8000, which combines ruggedness and computing power in one reliable platform.
Modular Efficiency Using i.MX8 SOM
The integration of modular components like the i.MX8 SOM brings additional versatility. This system-on-module platform allows for custom configurations that meet specific clean room demands, from processing power to connectivity. It also supports advanced graphical interfaces and machine learning applications, which are increasingly prevalent in automated lab environments. Its low power consumption and passive cooling features align perfectly with clean room standards.
Conclusion
Fanless industrial PCs are transforming the way sensitive industries approach computing within clean room environments. Their passive cooling systems, sealed enclosures, and robust performance make them an indispensable part of contamination-sensitive operations. These systems don't just improve environmental safety—they also enhance operational efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and extend the lifespan of critical infrastructure.
Moreover, the flexibility of integrating components like the i.MX8 SOM allows industries to tailor computing solutions to highly specific clean room applications. Whether it's controlling laboratory automation, facilitating real-time data acquisition, or supporting machine learning models for diagnostics, fanless systems are more than up to the task.
As technologies like the BEDROCK R8000 and i.MX8 SOM continue to evolve, we can expect even more tailored solutions that marry high performance with environmental integrity. The growing demands of clean room industries—from semiconductor fabrication to biotechnology—require nothing less than uncompromised reliability and innovation. For industries where cleanliness isn't just preferred but mandatory, fanless PCs aren't just a smart choice—they're the only choice.
Explore SolidRun’s iMX8 SOM solutions built on the i.MX8 family—ideal for industrial IoT, AI, and multimedia applications. Discover reliable edge performance.
WeTransfer has announced a change in its Terms & Conditions at WeTransfer, however, which formally comes into effect in August. There’s a paragraph under the heading of ‘Content’, clause 6.3, that might generate some concern among its users.
You hereby grant us a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable license to use your Content for the purposes of operating, developing, commercializing, and improving the Service or new technologies or services, including to improve performance of machine learning models that enhance our content moderation process, in accordance with the Privacy & Cookie Policy. Such license includes the right to reproduce, distribute, modify, prepare derivative works based upon, broadcast, communicate to the public, publicly display, and perform Content. You will not be entitled to compensation for any use of Content by us under these Terms.
The emergence of drone technology has transformed the aviation landscape, paving the way for new applications across industries such as agriculture, logistics, surveillance, mapping, and infrastructure monitoring. However, the rapid rise in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations has introduced significant challenges in airspace management. To address this, Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems have become an essential part of ensuring the safe and efficient integration of drones into national airspace. A new study by Report offers an in-depth analysis of the UTM market, examining its current growth trajectory, technological advancements, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
As per MRFR Analysis, the Global Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) Market was valued at USD 1.61 Billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 9.72 Billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 19.7% from 2025 to 2034.
The study highlights that the exponential increase in drone usage is a primary driver behind the growth of the UTM market. From parcel deliveries by e-commerce giants to agricultural crop monitoring and emergency response operations, UAVs are playing a pivotal role in transforming how services are delivered. However, with more drones taking to the skies, there is a growing need for robust systems that can manage multiple aircraft simultaneously, avoid collisions, and ensure coordination with manned aviation operations. UTM systems are designed specifically to address these needs by enabling real-time tracking, route planning, and traffic conflict resolution.
One of the key growth factors emphasized in the report is the proactive role played by government agencies and aviation regulatory bodies. Organizations such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) are spearheading the development and deployment of UTM frameworks. Programs like the FAA’s UTM Pilot Program and NASA’s UTM research initiatives are laying the groundwork for future airspace integration. These regulatory efforts are aimed at creating standardized protocols for safe UAV operations, including remote identification, geo-fencing, and no-fly zones. Such initiatives are expected to fuel market adoption as they bring legal clarity and operational confidence to drone operators.
According to the study, technological advancements are rapidly shaping the UTM landscape. Modern UTM systems leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, cloud computing, and 5G connectivity to deliver high-performance capabilities. AI-powered algorithms help predict flight paths, detect potential conflicts, and recommend alternative routes in real time. Cloud-based platforms enable centralized data sharing and communication between drones, operators, and air traffic control. The adoption of 5G ensures faster data transmission, low latency, and seamless communication, which are essential for real-time traffic management. These innovations are making UTM systems smarter, more scalable, and more responsive to dynamic aerial conditions.
Situato nell'odierna Turchia meridionale, Çatal Hüyük era un luogo sorprendentemente complesso per l'epoca. Circa 9.000 anni fa, ospitava circa ottomila persone in case costruite una accanto all'altra, senza strade e con ingressi sui tetti.
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From the video “websites are still websites. Videos are still videos”. The problem of course is that this is not true.
The problem is that technology is still our servant. What are we asking it to do?
First, this video itself. If this same story was being told 20 years ago, it would be a blog post, mostly plain text, maybe one image. It would not be a 1080p or 4K YouTube video. That, in a nutshell is the real problem. The OP, by posting this video, has already chosen a side in that fight. But let’s compare apples to apples.
20 years ago, a web page was made up up a few dozen kb of HTML, a dozen kb of CSS, and a few 100 kb of JavaScript. Images were few, low resolution, and low bit depth. The fonts used were probably bitmaps and installed locally. The “computing power” was on the server. It was all sent as clear text. The networks were too slow to send much more. Today, a website sends me megabytes, maybe dozens of megabytes, of JavaScript. And I am probably downloading a bucket of vector fonts too. Not only is the “web application” much, much fancier but now all the “computing power” is expected to be in my browser (on my computer). And all the “assets” like images and video have to be local too. Instead of small 8 bit GIFs, I have huge high-resolution 24 bit AVIF and PNG files. I am rendering SVG and font vector files at high resolutions on my local CPU / GPU. Maybe there is an animated background. To cap things off, everything is encrypted with 2048 bit or 4096 bit keys. It is not that my local computer or my local operating system has become less efficient (like the video implies). It is that the websites have become 100 times more difficult to render. Browse some of those old websites (if you can find them). They are blazing fast and take very little RAM.
And what were videos? YouTube was probably 360p with a video codec designed to be easy to decompress on an underpowered client. Now, YouTube is 4K or at least 1080p and in a codec that is much more computationally intensive to render. It has to be to support storage of these otherwise immense files. A 4K file is literally 40 times the number of pixels in 360p. This is before we consider that the color space probably went from 16 bits to 24 or 32 as well. So, back to 100 times harder like above.
And the premise that “20 years ago” that you were running your web browser and a file manager and a command line all while editing a video on your laptop is nonsense. You had a 1280x800 screen. If you were editing a video, it was probably the only thing you had running. And again, what resolution and color depth were these videos you were making? Were you even editing video? Be honest. How many “content creators” were there then. The multimedia we were editing was probably audio only. The video work we did was more transcoding (maybe cutting out ads) than it was “video editing” like today.
If this same message was being told 20 years ago, it would be a blog post, mostly plain text, maybe one image.
And you know what, my 10 year old computer can still do the modern stuff and it absolutely blazes though the old stuff.
If this were a blog post, I could have a hundred similar tabs open on that 2 GB of RAM he talks about.
So, it is not that computers and software are built wastefully. It is that users expect things they did not expect before. If you are willing to watch 360p YouTube, read mostly text blog posts with the ads tuned off, make simply edited videos in the same 360p resolution, and run a simple Wayland compositor or X11 Window Manager, a totally up-to-date Linux distro will run just as well on your old hardware as you remember. At least, pretty close.
The only really truly wasteful step has been the move to 64 bit instead of 32 bit. We could save at least a third of the RAM used for any modern task if it were 32 bit. But, 32 bit only gives us 4 GB of RAM, which means I could get a 32 bit computer that performs like 6 or 7 GB 64 bit system today. But of course that is not nearly enough. As the YouTube author states, they need 16 GB for the huge videos he is editing. So, 64 bit is not wasted either I guess.
And, of course, on a Windows machine, a third of my RAM and 20% of my CPU is dedicated to running a bunch of crap that ships with my OS to serve the goals of the OS provider, not me the user. But that is an entirely different problem (or, this is his point, I concede this point to him).
An additional message in this video is about “freedom” and “exponential complexity” and “commercial masters”. Of course, there is some truth there. But again, step back.
This video starts with the OP editing a video in KDENLIVE on Linux. What video editing software and OS was he using 20 or 30 years ago as he says. Be honest. We have more freedom and more non-commercial choice than ever before. It is not even remotely arguable.
And complexity. If I install a distro today with say XFCE as a desktop environment, what is the complexity compared to the early 2000s or late 90s? Try to configure your video card and monitor and get back to me. Explain how to configure your WiFi in 1999. If anything, a Linux distro is less complex and daunting now than before.
There’s still plenty of inefficiencies to criticize.
Electron apps bundle an entire browser dedicated just to running the app. That takes up storage space and requires loading multiple instances of electron in memory if you’re running multiple electronic apps. Would be better if these apps could all share the same dynamically linked Chromium instance to run. Web apps are a decent alternative, but can lack desktop integration.
Rise of interpreted languages like JavaScript, though this is mitigated by JIT compilation.
Of course there is lots to criticize. And it does not get worse than electron. But it is pretty easy to run a fairly lean desktop in 2025. And bloated applications are not a new invention.
I guess we can talk about the “rise” of interpreted languages. As long as we ignore that the Lingua Franca of the 8 bit era was BASiC I guess. Or Logo! We also have to ignore hugely popular languages in their era like Perl 5, Lisp, TCL, Scheme, and PHP. How about all those Bash scripts? And Javascript is less interpreted than it used to be as you say. I assume you mean Python but it is over 30 years old and PyPy is a thing. Most newer languages are JIT or fully compiled. Rust, Go, Swift, Carbon, and Zig are all compiled languages. Kotlin, Gleam, and Elixir are JIT. What are all the new interpreted languages? If anything, I would say the trend is towards performance and efficiency.
JavaScript works against his point in a big way. Javascript was released 30 years ago and yet javascript code runs dramatically faster (on the same hardware) in a modern web browser than it will on one from back then. JavaScript engines are VERY heavily optimized and browser devs will move mountains for another percent or two. And WASM is even faster.
You can build Rust applications on Windows 95 and they are faster than C++ was back then. Not everyone has given up on performance.
Modern code can be much more parallel and asynchronous (faster). And there is a strong recent focus on memory safety and efficiency.
Networking and file systems are both much faster and more efficient than they used to be.
And of course modern processors are not just faster but have many more performance focussed instructions (SIMD, AVX, vector extensions, etc). And we have hardware acceleration for media codecs and of course virtualization which speed up applications dramatically. And technologies like hypervisor clusters and containers can lead to significantly better resource utilization in practice.
Anyway, his point is obvious and of course true to an extent. Not nearly to extent he claims though.
La nuna estraro de UEA estas la plej nerespondema dum la pli ol 20-jara historio de Libera Folio – nur en esceptaj okazoj ni ricevis ajnan reagon al niaj demandoj. La sekva estraro ankoraŭ ne estas elektita, sed la kandidatoj jam sekvas la saman praktikon. El la naŭ kandidatoj nur unu respondis al demandoj senditaj de Libera Folio.
Marko Elez, a 25-year-old employee at Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been granted access to sensitive databases at the U.S.
Celebrate Christopher Dalby (Robonuggie), whose 500+ FreeBSD videos have been invaluable to beginners and experts alike, inspiring many to explore the system.
Christopher Dalby (aka Robonuggie) is one of the most significant and prolific video contributors to FreeBSD. To date, he’s published over 500 videos, covering a vast range of topics and providing important information for both beginners (with tutorials, walkthroughs, etc.) and those looking to delve deeper into the subjects he addresses. Many people I’ve spoken with have confirmed they started exploring FreeBSD thanks to him and his videos.
The entire FreeBSD community is grateful to him, and I’m happy to share his latest video, “What Can You Do With FreeBSD?“
Profitez des vidéos et de la musique que vous aimez, mettez en ligne des contenus originaux, et partagez-les avec vos amis, vos proches et le monde entier.
On a recent episode of the Dot Social podcast, John O'Nolan of Ghost said;
"For the size of the group [working on federating long form articles], which as you say is not large, man, we are spread across Mastodon DMs sometimes, an email thread other times, a Discord backchannel on the other hand, it's all over the place. We could get more organised here I think, but it's a start."
The fragmentation of dev discussions is something I hear about a lot lately. Forum federation could be a solution!
Imagine every federated software project has its own forum space. Smaller projects might be content with a dedicated category on a community-hosted dev forum. More well-resourced projects might host their own instance of Discourse or NodeBB or whatever suits them.
Cross-project forums like SocialHub can then have a dedicated category for each software they know about, and use forum federation to sync that with the home forum space preferred by that project.
Eg the Discourse category on SocialHub is synced with the ActivityPub tag on meta.discourse.org. Any post in that SH category appears on Meta with that tag, and vice-versa.
With enough careful plumbing, that solves the fragmentation of public dev discussion across forums. But a lot of potentially insightful chats start in micro-posting threads. Adding a limited ability to start a new forum topic, by mentioning the relevent category or tag actor (eg @discourse@socialhub.ActivityPub.rocks), could bring those in too.
However, most of the examples John gives are private chats (fedi DMs, email, Discord, etc). I encourage devs to gird their loins and apply the 'release early, release often' principle to dev chat. Make public the default for dev chatter, unless it really is sensitive.
That said, with some careful work, support could be added for federating private conversations between forums too. Ideally in a way where AP actors could be included, that automatically open the chat to trusted groups.
Rediscovering the Magic of the Blogosphere, with John O’Nolan and Matthias Pfefferle
Social networks were built on short posts designed for speed and scale. But what if the next era of the web was built for something deeper?
Two of the social web’s “longformers” are working on this. John O’Nolan, the founder and CEO of Ghost, and Matthias Pfefferle, the developer behind the ActivityPub plugin for WordPress, are at the forefront of integrating social features with blogs, newsletters, essays — anything that doesn’t fit in a box of 500 characters or less.
In this episode of Dot Social, they talk with Flipboard CEO Mike McCue about rediscovering the magic of the blogosphere; why formatting, identity, and interoperability are tricky problems to solve; and where writing belongs in the next chapter of the internet.
Highlights of this conversation: 1:24 Why should writers and bloggers care about this topic? 8:35 How the plugin has been received 12:15 Building social into blogs 17:35 Will this increase discovery? 20:15 Models for discovery 23:03 Tumblr in its heyday and status of integration 25:17 How they’re thinking about AT Proto 33:20 Thoughts on bridging 37:16 Core principles around integrating long-form content into protocol 44:06 Leveraging lessons from email? 46:16 Need for collaboration 49:10 Rough edges 52:50 New experiences
🔎 You can find John at john.onolan.org/ and Matthias at pfefferle.dev/. ✚ You can connect with Mike McCue at @[url=https://flipboard.social/users/mike]Mike McCue[/url] and @mmccue.bsky.social. 🌊 Catch the wave! Surf the social web and create your own custom feeds at surf.social, a new beta from the people at Flipboard. about.surf.social/
Webworker, podcaster and blogger, advocate of the #openweb and citizen of the @indieweb and the @fediverse, working on #activitypub & @IndieWeb for @WordPress
loosely, we want the posts that end up on SocialHub to be relevant/valuable/etc, and we don’t want those posts to only exist on SocialHub
This! Imagine we could get to the point where SH is a display layer on top of a distributed data layer of dev discussions. So deleting stuff from SH didn't delete it from the underlying data layer. Then we could develop a process for pruning SH down to the strong wood. Akin to using git rebase to prune version history down to the key info.
OR we could keep SH as is, and use a federated forum at distillery.activitypub.rocks to create a more curated portal. If anyone disagreed with the curation approach, the underlying data is all still there, so they could fork the effort to demonstrate their approach on top of the same shared data layer.
Does this sound familiar? It should. It's exactly how existing fediverse moderation works. julian:
Mentioning a group actor doesn't work reliably because someone could mention the group actor in passing, and not mean to have the entire conversation imported.
Fair point. This could be addressed by having action-specific Actor addresses (eg @discourse-crosspost@socialhub.ap.rocks). In the longer term there could be a different character to denote actions (eg !crosspost@ @discourse@socialhub.ap.rocks), although that would need pan-fediverse buy-in.
On top of this, I mentioned the option of limiting crossposting permission to fediverse accounts with privileges on the receiving forum (eg forum and category admins/mods only). That could further reduce the likelihood of accidental misuse, as well as intentional flooding.
loosely, we want the posts that end up on SocialHub to be relevant/valuable/etc, and we don’t want those posts to only exist on SocialHub
This! Imagine we could get to the point where SH is a display layer on top of a distributed data layer of dev discussions.
This is the more interesting discussion to me, and where a design-first approach can be very innovative and valuable. This is what I meant above when saying "what is a Forum once it becomes fully federated?". Adding federation support to any app changes the nature, characteristics, and audience of it in ways that should be well-known and anticipated.
This design focus at ecosystem level is almost entirely missing in fediverse evolution, and with its bottom-up processes the demand is often "I have this app feature, so I need that AP extension to support it". No matter how high-quality your own app is, for the ecosystem where your foundational technology evolves, this constitutes a Big Ball of Mud anti-pattern: A software system that lacks a perceivable architecture.
Now the tradeoff of the 3-stage bottom-up standardization process that we need in our decentralized grassroots environment is that we likely should allow this anti-pattern to an extent, as it stimulates bottom-up innovation of the fediverse by freeing devs to experiment with new things. The FEP Process allows for this by being non-normative and completely open to any participant to contribute to. And it has many overlapping mechanisms and good-practices that need to be reconciled later to assure the broad interoperability of the fediverse long-term.
Summarizing you can say that both a bottom-up and a top-down standardization process are needed. They should meet and help realign and reinforce each other, and give direction to the ecosystem as a whole. Bottom up we absorb the technical reality and best-practices, and top-down we craft and chisel an open interoperable fediverse able to support the social experiences that people need.
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Tangential. Social coding commons is a movement of people interested in exploring these more social sides of decentralized social networking environments and focuses on building solutions that serve people's needs: social experiences. For this we explore a methodology called Social experience design (SX) tailored to cocreating Sustainable open social systems (SOSS) with participants withing the commons, in order to deliver and evolve services for the social web. A fediverse that may result from these efforts goes "beyond the app" into app-free computing, towards the vision of a peopleverse. A place where online technology serves our daily lives.
For anyone interested, there is a Social experience design chatroom (social / sociosphere) and a Groundwork labs chatroom (technical / technosphere) to join.
So, with big parties making entry to the Fediverse, things are accelerating significantly. Without going into the particulars we all know from the ways that big corporations conduct business, as well their involvement in standards processes, that thi…
Who, among the people using Fediverse to discuss ActivityPub, is unaware that this discussion is taking place on the Fediverse and as part of a SocialHub discussion? Heads up! This is a federated group.
The technical specifics behind how forum federation works, and how it is accessible in other sites shouldn't be top of mind (or thought about at all) for anybody except those who are maintaining it.
Sono trascorsi quasi quarant'anni dalla sua prima pubblicazione "Hangin' Around the Observatory" targata 1974, in mezzo ci sono vent'uno dischi, alcuni memorabili come Bring the Family del 1987 e il successivo Slow Turning del 1988, altri ottimi come Perfectly Good Guitar, Crossing Muddy Waters, Master of Disaster e The open Road, alcuni sufficienti, tra gli ultimi Same Old Man del 2008... Leggi e ascolta...
Sono trascorsi quasi quarant'anni dalla sua prima pubblicazione “Hangin' Around the Observatory” targata 1974, in mezzo ci sono vent'uno dischi, alcuni memorabili come Bring the Family del 1987 e il successivo Slow Turning del 1988, altri ottimi come Perfectly Good Guitar, Crossing Muddy Waters, Master of Disaster e The open Road, alcuni sufficienti, tra gli ultimi Same Old Man del 2008. Ora, dopo la sua ultima prova Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns dell'anno scorso, disco che non ho avuto il piacere di ascoltare, ritorna con questo Mystic Pinball ed è ancora buona musica... artesuono.blogspot.com/2014/11…
I love how the world is burning and the people needing to bury their heads in distractions are filing a petition that their distractions need to be protected and remain high quality.
People chilling at home, going to a festival, etc. Then getting attacked, burned alive, kidnapped, raped, bombed, etc.
Totally ignoring the cyclical nature of the violence. As if it's helpfull to pretend that isn't the case. To me it seems more so that ignoring the larger cycles, people not venturing beyond their ideological bubble, is why they reoccur.
Too vague to agree on this. All conflicts are more complicated than this, even where there's a clearcut culprit. I've seen it misused too many times.
Just by seeing iii's comments one can see the confusion. Where he thought the one holding the missile is what the author thinks is clearly the one chilling and vibing, I thought of another conflict entirely that this doesn't apply to, but seen the argument used at least three times.
I hereby end my post stating that the US, Canada, Australia, Aotearoa and France's New Caledonia should give back its land to its indigenous people. Thank you.
light blue guy then proceeds to attack the dark blue guy and media starts saying that dark blue guy has a right to defend itself and light blue guy is a terrorist.
Il National Hurricane Center (NHC) ha acceso i riflettori su una nuova area di bassa pressione situata attualmente al largo della costa atlantica della Florida, identificata con il nome "Invest
There have been a few minor issues in the past. For example, when moving from FreeBSD 13.x to 14.X, it was necessary to run a command on each jail:
bastille cmd JAILNAME sed -i '' '/pam_opie*/d' /etc/pam.d/*
But, in general, stability has been excellent.
Version 1.0 introduces many new features, but there are also some breaking changes. I’ll be testing it in the coming days, starting with more standard systems (at BSD Cafe, I also use fibs, which might complicate things).
Another fantastic announcement from the team is the creation of a pre-configured ISO. This includes FreeBSD 14.3, BastilleBSD, and Rocinante already configured, some hardening options, zsh as the default shell, and everything set up for pkgbase. I’ve just installed it and am running some tests, but I believe it can be considered an excellent way to get a system up and running immediately for working with jails.
In short, a huge thanks to the BastilleBSD team and… vive les BSD!
Introducing BastilleBSD: A Modern, Secure-by-Default FreeBSD Distribution with Built-in Automation and Privacy
We're excited to announce BastilleBSD, a new FreeBSD-based distribution designed for modern system administrators, privacy-conscious users, and DevOps professionals. BastilleBSD is built to be secure-by-default, automated from first boot, and ready for serious work—right out of the box.
This is more than just FreeBSD with pre-installed packages. BastilleBSD is a curated, hardened FreeBSD experience with a modern toolset and sane defaults, tailored for both servers and power users.
What's Included: Bastille – Container automation for FreeBSD, pre-installed and auto-configured.
Rocinante – Host configuration management using Bastillefile-style templates.
Modern shells and tools – Zsh (default), with bash, fish, vim-tiny, git-tiny, htop, and more.
Pre-configured automation – On first boot, BastilleBSD automatically:
Runs 'bastille setup', configuring the host networking, ZFS storage, and a secure firewall
Bootstraps the host release and applies latest patches
Privacy & Security by Default: Hardened sysctl values inspired by HardenedBSD
Secure SSH defaults (no DSA/ECDSA, modern ciphers, stricter MACs/KEX)
Firewall (pf) enabled out of the box
doas configured for the wheel group – no sudo required
DNS-over-HTTPS with blocky, preconfigured to forward encrypted DNS to privacy-friendly Quad9
openntpd – lightweight and privacy-respecting time sync, already set up
smartd – pre-installed and ready to monitor drive health
Plus: Uses pkg-base by default — no freebsd-update needed
Custom boot graphics and branding
Clean ZFS defaults, periodic snapshots optional
BastilleBSD is fully compatible with FreeBSD and will track upstream point releases (e.g., BastilleBSD-14.3-RELEASE). This is a distribution for people who want FreeBSD to just work with modern tools, privacy-first defaults, and zero guesswork.
Get it, test it, break it! We're eager to hear your feedback and ideas for future improvements.
We're excited to announce BastilleBSD, a new FreeBSD-based distribution designed for modern system administrators, privacy-conscious users, and DevOps professionals. BastilleBSD is built to be secure-by-default, automated from first boot, and ready for serious work—right out of the box.
This is more than just FreeBSD with pre-installed packages. BastilleBSD is a curated, hardened FreeBSD experience with a modern toolset and sane defaults, tailored for both servers and power users.
What's Included: Bastille – Container automation for FreeBSD, pre-installed and auto-configured.
Rocinante – Host configuration management using Bastillefile-style templates.
Modern shells and tools – Zsh (default), with bash, fish, vim-tiny, git-tiny, htop, and more.
Pre-configured automation – On first boot, BastilleBSD automatically:
Runs 'bastille setup', configuring the host networking, ZFS storage, and a secure firewall
Bootstraps the host release and applies latest patches
Privacy & Security by Default: Hardened sysctl values inspired by HardenedBSD
Secure SSH defaults (no DSA/ECDSA, modern ciphers, stricter MACs/KEX)
Firewall (pf) enabled out of the box
doas configured for the wheel group – no sudo required
DNS-over-HTTPS with blocky, preconfigured to forward encrypted DNS to privacy-friendly Quad9
openntpd – lightweight and privacy-respecting time sync, already set up
smartd – pre-installed and ready to monitor drive health
Plus: Uses pkg-base by default — no freebsd-update needed
Custom boot graphics and branding
Clean ZFS defaults, periodic snapshots optional
BastilleBSD is fully compatible with FreeBSD and will track upstream point releases (e.g., BastilleBSD-14.3-RELEASE). This is a distribution for people who want FreeBSD to just work with modern tools, privacy-first defaults, and zero guesswork.
Get it, test it, break it! We're eager to hear your feedback and ideas for future improvements.
I see others comment that they dislike DoH too, but nobody offers viable alternatives. How else do you recommend encrypting DNS queries other than DoT? (DoH and DoT being similar implementations. I have reasons for selecting DoH over DoT, but open to hearing alternate solutions if you have any).
in general, I prefer to treat dns as dns, not as a https request. But it's my personal preference and I see use cases for that. I'd personally install unbound locally and ask the root servers, but this won't be encrypted
Interessant für mich: - Trotz großem Zuwachs bei Kindererziehung und -betreuung gibt‘s weiterhin viel Bedarf/ eine größere Lücke. - IT brummt - Logistik läuft gut - Altenpflege legt zu und sucht weiterhin - Handwerk kackt ab, da entsteht eine große Lücke - Bauen bleibt weiterhin teuer und wird immer teurer, weil kaum Handwerker - Es gibt scheinbar eine Reihenfolgw Helfer > Fachkraft > Spezialist > Experte. Noch nie davon gehört
Meine Tipps je nach Alter: - Handwerkausbildung und BWL dazu und den dicken Reibach mit eigenem Betrieb machen - Viele Youtube DIY Videos schauen und selbst reparieren lernen
Bis 2028 könnten einer Studie zufolge rund 770.000 Stellen nicht mit ausreichend qualifizierten Fachkräften besetzt werden. In welchen Branchen und Berufen droht die größte Lücke?
Ich bin Anfang 40, habe vom Schreibtischjob schon lange die Nase voll und würde gerne von der Softwarentwicklung ins Handwerk wechseln.
Habe mich schon mehrmals in Richtung Elektriker umgeschaut - das würde ich wirklich gerne machen auch gerne in Richtung Automatisierungstechnik. Weniger Gehalt ist auch kein Problem, ich gehe einfach kaputt den ganzen Tag am PC. Leider gibt es anscheinend keinen Weg die Elektriker Ausbildung zu verkürzen oder irgendwie anders den Quereinstieg zu schaffen.
Bei der Berufsberatung wird man ausserdem ausgelacht wenn man aus der Softwareentwicklung / IT raus will…
Mondays are always tough, I think that’s true for everyone. But one thing that makes me happy it’s Monday is the consistent arrival of the “Valuable News” from Slawomir Wojciech Wojtczak – or simply Vermaden – [url=https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@vermaden]@ver
Mondays are always tough, I think that’s true for everyone. But one thing that makes me happy it’s Monday is the consistent arrival of the “Valuable News” from Slawomir Wojciech Wojtczak – or simply Vermaden – @vermaden – as we know him. His newsletter covers the world of *BSD and Unix, technology in general, and offers a look at articles (both old and new) about the world and life in general.
Vermaden has been publishing his weekly newsletter for many years, and it’s a go-to resource for many. I can only thank him, on my behalf and, I imagine, on behalf of the entire community.
Here’s the link to this week’s edition, 14 July 2025.
The Valuable News weekly series is dedicated to provide summary about news, articles and other interesting stuff mostly but not always related to the UNIX/BSD/Linux systems. Whenever I stumble upon…
Sorry if this is not the high brow discussion this com is for.
I travel a lot between different countries in the Middle East which have restrictive laws, and I live in one that is slowly becoming more competent technologically. I have to stay for an extended time in different places, so I’ve been connecting through always-on VPN out of the same place and it’s been working fine for now. But Digital ID laws are quickly going to close things off from me.
My risks that I’m trying to avoid are as follows: Locally, I want to make sure my IPs aren’t connected to public accounts. I don’t say anything online that can put me in jail for the most part, but I don’t trust that this will always be the case. I also would appreciate being a bit separated from the local internet. Elsewhere, I also don’t want my traffic to be monitored or my accounts to be tied back to my personal identity. For example, I don’t want to land in Dubai and to have my Steam account permanently affected by having “Spec Ops the Line” (banned game there) in my account (silly thing to worry about, but this is one tiny example out of many small issues that pile up). Plus, a lot of the internet is not accessible from these places, and I don’t like that, regardless of whether or not I want to peruse inaccessible internet stuff from there.
This has come with some serious downsides (online services are more expensive in Europe, where I have historically exited from), but it was/is worth the cost for me. Ironic that many VPN users seem to be trying to connect in the opposite direction than me (out of rich countries rather than in).
I’ve just been permanently using a single reputable VPN and single exit city for all of my traffic for the past while. Digital ID laws in the UK and EU will make this increasingly infeasible and I will probably have to exit out of somewhere new like Switzerland. I don’t know if those servers might be more trouble due to increased abuse for example.
Just want to know how others are dealing with this. Is just stomaching the wave of verifications after logging into all my emails from a new country the only price to pay? Is the world going to shit and should I rethink “just” using a VPN? Is it VPS time now that more and more things are being blocked from VPN access? Do I give up on the internet a decade ahead of schedule and chop wood in the woods until Israel’s AI mistakes my shack for a children’s hospital and drops heavy munitions on me?
I’m really hesitant to start using two sets of devices, some for insecure local traffic and some for encrypted traffic. I don’t think carrying like four laptops through airport security would keep eyes off of me.
Digital ID laws in the UK and EU will make this increasingly infeasible
Sorry I might have missed something... Is this Tony Blair's little hobby horse for the past 30 years or is a more substantial plan in the works?
TBH I am getting discouraged on the VPN thing. I have been using it 100% of the time for years. I used to get ads corresponding to the exit location. But now I occasionally get ads corresponding to my actual location (down to the neighborhood).
But of course I do all sorts of online business where my address is provided, and when I do that I can easily be fingerprinted I assume. So somehow, it's gotten linked up in the back end.
As of right now, Nexus Mods and Reddit are enforcing these new laws. I don’t use either site very often (the latter not since the API exodus). My understanding is that it’s mandatory for platforms of a certain size in the UK after the 25th of July.
The UK is kind of a perfect exit node country (everything is in English!)
I use reddit via the Firefox extension LibRedirect which sends you to a mirror instead. Between VPN, ublock and attempting to access dodgy mirrors, sometimes I have to reload a few times but it eventually works.
Disable IPv6 on your router or primary interface, and enable it on your VPN. If anything can discover an Internet IP on your PC, the link can be formed. Worst case, you are not using the VPN for IPv6 at all.
What kind of device are you using? There was recently there was a leak that Meta is using technology to have web browsers talk to the Facebook and Instagram apps on your phone without your permission and link your identity to every website you visit that has any Meta plugins. I'm sure other companies are doing the same or similar like Amazon and Google. I've been using GrapheneOS on my Android Pixel phone which isolates apps. There are other ways to do this as well if your phone is unlockable. And I use IronFox web browser wherever possible to reduce the capabilities of the browser to do things without my knowledge. And use ReThink and a pihole to reduce the cross site communication where possible. I also left all Meta platforms, but still am migrating away from Google, Amazon, and some other platforms. And make sure your advertising ID is disabled at the OS level.
Those are where I've found most of the targeted ads were coming from. Not from the IP address alone.
I agree it's not only the IP because there are other people on it.
I don't have any meta apps or google accounts for years. I buy on amazon very rarely. I have no apps of any of that type installed. 98% of my apps are f-droid and I flashed a rom. I use tracker blocker to sift through all traffic and limit to only what seems required.
I think it's very difficult to control what the phone is doing. Using the tracker blocker app has made me aware of how much data is flying all around at all times.
I should set up a pihole. It's been on my list of 5 or 6 years.
Yeah there's a lot that apps are doing to uniquely identify you. Not just the apps themselves, but the advertising systems and unfortunately, the telemetry systems which were originally meant only for tracking errors and how apps are used so they could be improved. And often you can't block those systems without blocking the app from working, usually by design, but sometimes more because developers don't understand how their customers' data is at risk by using those systems. Often because their told it's not used that way, but actually is, just in a convoluted way so it's technically true. It's quite confusing as someone who used to develop apps myself.
Not sure I follow the problem here. Is it easier in the countries you are in to get blocked for using vpns? I mean if the goal is to access games and stuff i would just use a good vpn , mullvad is the only one i still have good trust in.
Start using onion sites for sensitive stuff. If you use a always on vpn , then you dont have to worry about state actors seeing that you are using tor.
The thing you really should watch it for is your phone. If you can the best is to use a phone without sim card and with GOS on it, preferably with a broken papertrail and no sim card use previously. If you need internet on the go use a sim card in a travel router and connect that via vpn to your devices. But no tech solution would save you from user error of course.
And use a secure email service , I use tuta wich never complaints about my vpn. Other stuff sure but i dont miss those sites. Good ones will lift any blocks if you ask.
VPS is of course an option , but it does have the downside of not being able to blend in with the crowd.
For the legal issues yeah UK is a bad option. But any EU country should be fine even if they in the eyes programme. Germany have decent privacy laws still. Iceland as well. But for me I just use another closer to home. I trust mullvad enough (and they dont know anything about me in form of payments or identification)
And stop using services that blocks you. There are alternatives for a lot.
OpenWRT has a package called mwan3 that in tandem with dnsmasq can allow you set the IP addresses associated with a DNS entry to a particular VPN/country.
Finding a unicorn country where everything works and all traffic is routed is getting increasingly difficult. For example, if a US news site didn't want to implement GDPR, it geolocates all users outside the US and blocks them, whilst other US services start to require ID/age verification to post content for non-US users so accessing both easily requires switching location.
I suspect we will see more services and technology to be able to deal with this complex cat and mouse game of destinations (websites/services) and origin counties. You can typically get by with a few rules/countries today, but I think that is getting harder.
CDN's may pose a problem if the DNS resolves to a shared IP address, so IPv6 can help, but many VPN's do not support it. For some services we may just have to accept there is no easy way to use them unless tools improve (e.g. the browser/application auto-selecting from multiple interfaces)
Finding a unicorn country where everything works and all traffic is routed is getting increasingly difficult. For example, if a US news site didn’t want to implement GDPR, it geolocates all users outside the US and blocks them, whilst other US services start to require ID/age verification to post content for non-US users so accessing both easily requires switching location.
You've hit the nail on the head, my own post is a bit meandering and this is what I was going for. I hate how many hoops one needs to jump through for basic anonymity online nowadays.
OpenWRT has a package called mwan3 that in tandem with dnsmasq can allow you set the IP addresses associated with a DNS entry to a particular VPN/country.
I think this would be infeasible outside of very narrow use cases, but I don't know. I don't have an advanced networking setup, but the way I see it, if I, say, route service A and B to connection 1 and service C to connection 2, I only have control over individual IP ranges/DNS entries. So if my bank IP is routed to connection 1 and one new security background service their app/site uses goes to connection 2, something can get flagged, and I could face an unpleasant with the bank/law. I've been trying to avoid things like this. (I have a very rudimentary understanding of networking, I'm not super comfortable doing all of this manually).
I feel as though the most logical way about it would be to compartmentalize connections by application, but I wasn't able to find an easy way to do this. For example, splitting off a browser window and having that exit from somewhere else. I know split tunneling exists in the basic Mullvad client, and I guess I can just throw my whole network on Connection 1 and route Connection 2 through it (meaning when I split tunnel I find myself on connection 1) but in that scenario I'm doing myself even less favors re: latency and headroom and all that good stuff.
And that's just the computers. I use a phone as well.
I feel as though the most logical way about it would be to compartmentalize connections by application, but I wasn’t able to find an easy way to do this. For example, splitting off a browser window and having that exit from somewhere else
I use multiple gluetun containers with connections to various endpoints, each provides a proxy and I use foxyproxy firefox addon to switch between the proxies manually (as well as setting up rules), works pretty well for me.
As to phone, wireguard to your computer will minimize duplicating effort.
@deffard@lemmy.world mentioned getting a openwrt travel router as the last and kind of most extreme thing on the list. But its the easiest thing to do. Glinet has good ones with a custom (proprietary) openWRT variant on it with a simpler GUI but they are compatible with plain openWRT if you are able to manage it its probably better.
You can do much of that other stuff on the router then connect from other devices and have it follow the rules.
I don't think you need separate laptops, but a separate router may be useful.
If you use Linux, you can have apps isolated to their own lightweight network namespaces (like containers), using different VPNs. Otherwise VMs can serve a similar purpose on Windows and Macs.
Iptables can also be used to block traffic, and force it through proxies (which can be whitelisted by uid/gid) or VPNs.
If you want a more secure VPN setup, I'd even recommend having the VPN(s) running on the router (eg. portable OpenWRT setup) so your laptop never gets offered a public IP / connects directly to network. Put a proxy on it for special (eg. DNS based) routing exceptions, like banking from real IP, reddit via the US, etc.
Wipe before you leave and restore when you arrive. Carry a second, minimal device with limited smartphone features for when you need to contact someone between those times.
While in some place that worries you, audit and change your behavior and the way your software works in order to be more secure and less convenient. Limit computer use.
Figure out what method of storing data remotely works for you and use it, but don’t treat it as a backup.
DaddleDew
in reply to moe90 • • •An image is worth a thousand words. How is reading a text describing what is on the screen going to be better than just looking at the screen yourself, something you'll need to do to read the description anyway? Aside from accessibility for the blind, the practicality such a technology is questionable.
The motivation behind this is obviously to facilitate the collection and reporting user profiling data. Accessibility for the blind is only a side effect. Tech companies have been doing it with automated audio transcriptions for years already, now they're after what you look at on your screen.
SheeEttin
in reply to DaddleDew • • •