Sophocles

I agree, AAA games are long dead. However there was a time where AAA games were amazing, maybe around the PS2/Gamecube/Xbox era. Back when devs were allowed creative freetom to make the games they actually wanted and try new things. I think a lot of people with these complaints miss that level of catered quality from back then

I found that apps and browsers could fingerprint me with aspect ratio alone. For me it was DuckDuckGo giving me localized results; I'm pretty sure both apps and browsers can get this info very easily. I'm sure Tiktok can fingerprint your phone with very few information points, especially if it's an app running on your phone, if not a simple website on your browser.

You might be able to get around fingerprinting if you use a firefox fork like Iceraven or Fennec, install ublock origin and privacy badger, and browse via the website, but even there they may have enough information points to fingerprint you. Megacorps like TikTok and Meta bend over backwards to get your info

To add to this, in CalyxOS you can enable Global VPN, Always on VPN, and Block connections without VPN in your network settings. All great settings to leave on by default

The medium usually doesn't change the story itself for me, but it does change the vibe of the reading experience. I've always compared reading physical books vs ebooks to a sense of place, like reading a book in a fluorescent-lit office vs reading in a comfy chair in front of the fireplace. The office is better for efficiency and learning, while the fireplace is much more comfy and relaxing

Sometimes a server change on a vpn fixes the login errors on Aurora for me.

The only alternatives I can think of would be services like APKMirror, where you can download the apk itself, although a lot of those sites are a little sketchy imo. You can scan the apks with a website called VirusTotal. Some apps also have a github, and you can use Obtainium to update them. Lastly, you can use Firefox or a fork like Iceraven to install a website as an "app" and just use the website like that

Edit: typo

I recently discovered that Fahrenheit 451 (my favorite dystopian novel) is considered a banned book. This is really ironic because it's litterally about a dystopia that bans books.

I was curious where Calyx would go after the recent Pixel/Android update issues. I'm glad they are going to try to push through and release more updates, even though it's 6 months out. Might have to switch to Lineage, but I hope I'll be coming back to CalyxOS come January

Games with amazing OSTs:
TES Skyrim
TES Oblivion
TES Morrowind
LOZ Minish Cap
LOZ A Link to the Past
LOZ Ocarina of Time
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Minecraft
Halo 1-4 & Reach
Bonus: Music by Ola Gjeilo (not a soundtrack but falls closely in line with Skyrim's explore music, might even be better)

Favorite tracks from said games:
Skyrim: Far Horizons (London Symphony Orchestra Version)
Oblivion: The Wings of Kynareth
Morrowind: Over the Next Hill
Minish Cap: Mt. Crennel (Orchestral Remake)
Link to the Past: Lost Woods
Ocarina of Time: Gerudo Valley
Sonic & the Secret Rings: The Place that was Found (Evil Foundry)
Minecraft: Wet Hands
Halo 1-4 & Reach: main title themes
Ola Gjeilo: The Rose II

As a personal philosophy, I like to learn how something works before I allow myself to take it for granted. As a few examples: I can do math by hand, wash my own clothes with homemade detetgant, write a short story or poem, draw/illustrate with pencil pretty well, and I can even build a log cabin with hand tools. Only then do I allow myself to use calculators, washers, generative AI, and modern power tools to perform those skills for me. I can now embrace these new technologies form a standpoint of knowing what they made easier, AI included. Of course many will not think this way ingeneral society, but this is how I tackle the problem from an introspective angle

The end goal of every authoritarian entity is to control currency. Your access to food, entertainment, medical care, quality of life, etc. all go through your exchange of currency. If they control the currency, they control all of the above. NSFW video games are just a small foot in the door, I can see this encroaching onto every aspect of society soon

I love anything written by James A. Owen. His flagship series is The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, which is an excellent fantasy story. Everyone I've reccomended it to, including well-seasoned book lovers, has put it in their top 5. He's also written more thoughtful books like the Meditations trilogy, as well as the Starchild comic series, which are both really good. On top of all that he's an artist and illustrates for all of his books

I feel the same way. Monero is the best contender for that philosophy, and governments/corporations hate it because they know it's a threat to their financial chokehold. Whoever controlls the money controlls the power, so if the money is decentralized and private, no entity can ever hold that power over everyone