Hello,

I was with my brother and his group of friends, and one of his friends was talking about various drugs. My brother told him, "Shut up, you're going to put us on a watchlist," and he said it in a serious tone. It felt pretty dystopian when he said that; honestly, it was a bit eerie, mostly because he's being controlled and self-censoring without anyone there, and he seems to be aware of the freedom he's giving up, yet he continues to act this way. I've talked to my brother about privacy and why it's important many times, but he would rather live this type of controlled life and doesn't care because "they already know everything about me anyway." He's in his early 20s.

Has anyone else had moments like this?

Hello, I recently bought an acoustic guitar, and this is my second attempt at learning to play.

I made some progress, teaching myself basic chords and strumming, but I'm having trouble following sheet music/chord patterns and similar resources. Sometimes, when I'm watching a YouTube video on how to play a song, they don't provide the strumming pattern or other details.

I've only been playing for a month, and I really enjoy it, but I feel like I'm starting to slow down again. I did download a book on how to improve my playing, which I plan to read later today.

I was wondering if anyone had a few resources they'd be willing to share.

Thank you!

I've lost a significant amount of weight twice. I went from 230 lbs to 180 lbs on two occasions over the past 2-3 years. The world felt different; people were nicer, and I noticed more interest from women (Coming from a person who was originally 300 lbs, this was a dream come true lol) My confidence and self-esteem improved, even though I still had some stomach fat.

Currently, I'm at 190 lbs and aiming to reach 170 or 165 lbs, I want to get rid of all my stomach fat. I used to work out a lot, but now I mainly focus on dieting and walking more, like walking to work. This approach has helped me lose weight, but I should probably get back to the gym before summer starts up again.

I’ll be 21 next year, and I’m excited. I was stuck at 230 lbs for over a year, which honestly sucked, I really missed feeling good about myself. I plan to reach my goal of 165 lbs in the next 3-4 months. I've never been this weight before, and it's going to feel so surreal to have a flat stomach. Anyway, I would love to hear your stories!

I want the account to be able to use one app that requires administrative privileges. I have contacted the support team of the app to find out why it needs these privileges, but I didn't receive any helpful information.

The app is for viewing surveillance footage, but it requires admin privileges to open. I don’t want to make every employee an administrator just for this one use case. It might be better to switch to a FOSS app that doesn’t require administrative privileges by default.

The cameras we currently use are made by the vendor of the app, so maybe we're locked in somehow? The NVR is also made by them, so it might be possible, but I don't know for sure. I need to look into it more.

Hello, I'm not that informed about UBI, but here is my arguement:

Everyone gets some sort of income, but wouldn't companies just subside the income by raising their prices? Also, do you believe capatilism can co-exist with UBI?

I work at a place where most people speak Spanish, and I want to be able to hold conversations with them. I've watched a couple of YouTube videos, but I haven't been able to retain the information. I need to write down flashcards and notes. I'm wondering, and I don't mind if it's proprietary, what is the best and fastest way to learn Spanish?

I always notice some women just have the best perfume and it really does make them more attractive just from the smell alone. I'm wondering, what do you think is the best cologne for a man? Have you ever received a compliment?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said Russia’s war in Ukraine will end “faster” when Donald Trump takes over as US president.

Speaking in a radio interview with Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, Zelensky admitted to a difficult situation on the battlefield, where Russia has been pressing its advantages in manpower and weaponry.

He said the war “will end faster with the policy of this team that will now lead the White House,” referring to the incoming Trump administration

“This is their approach, their promise to their society, and it is also very important to them,” he added.

Zelensky stressed that, on Ukraine’s part, “We must do everything to ensure that the war ends next year through diplomatic means.”

Trump, who was elected for a second term earlier this month, has repeatedly claimed that the Ukraine-Russia war would not have started if he had been president. In July, he said he could settle the war in one day – without saying how he would do so.

Throughout his campaign, the president-elect and his running mate, JD Vance, cast strong doubts on continued US commitment to Kyiv. The war has been ongoing for more than two and a half years, following the large-scale invasion of Russian forces in February 2022.

Meanwhile G7 leaders on Saturday issued a message of unwavering support to Ukraine. “We stand in solidarity contributing to [Ukraine’s] fight for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and its reconstruction,” a statement said.

The group said Russia was “the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace.”

Russia is making gains at key spots along the frontlines of eastern and southeastern Ukraine, moving closer to key hubs like the city of Kurakhove. Russia claimed Saturday it captured two more eastern settlements in the Donetsk region, although there was no confirmation from Ukraine.

At the same time, Moscow is preparing to launch a counteroffensive in the southern Russian region of Kursk, the site of Kyiv’s only major military success this year.

Zelensky admitted the situation in Ukraine’s east was “indeed difficult.”

“There is a slow but steady pressure and advance of the Russians,” he said, adding that they had been waiting for the delivery of some weapons for 12 months.

However, the Ukrainian leader highlighted that Russia’s advances had come at a heavy price for Moscow’s forces, saying they were losing up to 2,000 men per day.

“These are terrible losses,” he said. “They cannot keep advancing with such losses.”

A phone call on Friday between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin drew criticism from Zelensky, who accused Scholz of opening a “Pandora’s box” that only works to undermine efforts to isolate Russia’s leader.

The conversation on Friday was the first time Scholz had spoken with Putin in two years.

CNN’s Ivana Kottasová contributed to this report.

I'm working at this health company; it's my first IT job, and I've been here a little more than half a year so far. I do appreciate the opportunity I was given, but man, this place is kind of a wreck. The boss didn't want to upgrade the Windows 7 computer that's sitting on the network and utterly refused to do so. Even with everything that was shown that it could be upgraded, he was pissed, and it took six months to finally upgrade it to Windows 11 with the necessary software we have.

Another crucial issue is that literally the people who work on the floor have FULL ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS to install any programs they want. I brought this up to him, and he said, "We have bigger battles to fight." The computers are literally just "Password" or the start date of the employees. So literally all someone has to do is ask when they started working here, and boom—they have access to their account. We also had local accounts sitting on every computer. He does not want to change any of this.

I am capable of switching jobs. I have talked one-on-one with big figures in the field like Richard Stallman before. I do testing and help port hardware for coreboot/Libreboot. I am also looking into getting my Linux+ (currently only have my A+). What should I do?

(My boss and I are the only two IT people)

I'm deeply concerned about the future, everyone I know is using non-free software and firmware, and relying on SaaS like ChatGPT. These companies are collecting and storing our thoughts and personal data, and I suspect they're sharing it with agencies like the NSA. Our cell phones track our every move, listen to our conversations, and record our activities. Google probably logs our search history forever, and Windows can access all of our files. Non-free firmware and the Intel Management Engine can even spy on us, capturing our screen activity and keystrokes. Cameras watch everywhere you move. It's a daunting battle to fight, and it's disheartening to see that even when we try to discuss these issues, many people are quick to dismiss our concerns. What are your thoughts on mass surviellence?

The following boards have been added since the Canoeboot 20240612 release:

Sony PlayStation (PCSX Redux Open BIOS) Dell Latitude E4300 (courtesy of Nicholas Chin) Dell OptiPlex 780 MT support Dell OptiPlex 780 USFF support The OptiPlex models are X4X/ICH10 platform, while the E4300 is GM45/ICH9. Both run 100% blob-free, with the Intel ME firmware completely removed, by using modified Intel Flash Descriptors similar to that seen on ThinkPad X200/T400.

E4300 has the same installation procedure as the E6400.

Hello,

I have my A+, I use GNU/Linux a lot and I was wondering, should I go after my Linux+ certification? I have been using Linux for about 3 years daily for everything. I feel like I have pretty good knowledge, but people have said to do Network+, Security+, and then Linux+. I would still say I'm intermediate, although I want to mainly take this certification to learn more so I can start getting on the more advanced side of things. I would also like to move onto a Linux-based job.

Edit: I received my CompTIA A+ certification one year ago, and have had a job in IT for nearly a year so far.

People keep saying this and I personally don't really believe it, I think there could be a couple riots, but not like a full on civil war. What does everyone think?

Hello, I'm having trouble unlocking my PinePhone Pro. I went through the introduction / tutorial, set a password, connected to my WiFi, and rebooted. But ever since then, its just been this spinning circle. I tried swiping up, down, left, right, nothing. I mean I can drag down the top menu or switch to my camera, but that's about it.

How do I unlock it?

!

Hello everyone,

I'm looking for a guide on how to bypass anti-cheat such as BattleEye in my Windows 11 virtual machine. I'm currently running Proxmox VE as my host with GPU passthrough enabled. I just recently got kicked from a Rainbow Six Siege game because I was using a VM. I'm not looking to cheat, I'm only using a virtual machine because anti-cheat software is very invasive. TIA!

I'm looking to test out Windows, but I don't want to download it without my VPN. I'm trying to use it in a virtual machine with GPU passthrough so I can play all my games. I also obviously don't want to pay for a copy. TIA!

Hello everyone,

I've been wondering, why has no one built an entirely free (as in freedom) computer yet? For humans to be unable to share each other's knowledge to build one of the most important technologies ever created for society, how is it that we have yet to have full knowledge about how our systems operate?

I get that companies are basically the ones to blame, and I know there are alternatives like the Talos II by Raptor Computing, but still, how do we not have publicly available full schematics for just one modern computer? I'm talking down to firmware-level stuff like proprietary ECs, microcode, hard drive/SSD firmware, network controllers, etc. How do we not have a fully open system yet?

Hello everyone,

I'm interested in gathering thoughts and perspectives, particularly from the trans community, regarding trans women's participation in women's sports. This is a topic that often sparks debate, and I want to understand the various viewpoints better.

My question is: What are your opinions on biologically male trans individuals competing in women's sports? Do you think there should be separate categories for trans athletes, or should they compete in accordance with their gender identity? I am looking for thoughtful, respectful discussions, as my intention is not to discriminate but to understand the complexities of this issue better.

Thank you for sharing your insights!