Announcing the Librem Mini V2
"The Librem Mini v2 in just about all respects matches the Mini v1 including the same base price. The big difference is that we can now offer a new, 10th gen i7-10510U Intel processor. "
The Free Software Conservancy @conservancy has asked Microsoft to resign from the RIAA over the recent takedown of youtube-dl, an important tool for free software users, as well as journalists: https://u.fsf.org/36p
Also, the gold standard for an authoritarian surveillance state. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/03/unchecked-smart-cities-are-surveillance-cities-what-we-need-are-smart-enough https://twitter.com/axios/status/1321908916654137344
Facebook is losing users in the US and Canada
https://www.engadget.com/facebook-q3-2020-earnings-204642328.html #facebook #libremsocial
Be suspicious when Facebook endorses changes to Section 230: weakening those legal protections could give Facebook more power over speech online, not less. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/10/congress-fails-ask-tech-ceos-hard-questions
The General Purpose Computer In Your Pocket
https://puri.sm/posts/the-general-purpose-computer-in-your-pocket/
"One of the neatest tricks Big Tech ever pulled was convincing people that phones weren’t general-purpose computers and should have different rules than laptops or desktops. These rules conveniently give the vendor more control so that you don’t own a smartphone so much as you rent it."
Microsoft Windows is like a 1993 Toyota Corolla
https://lbry.tv/@Lunduke:e/microsoft-windows-is-like-a-1993-toyota:b
French cartoonist and free software activist David Revoy @davidrevoy, who created our gorgeous 35th anniversary designs, has released his adorable Pepper & Carrot comics in print, in English! Read more at his blog: https://u.fsf.org/365
Youtube-dl is a legitimate tool with a world of a lawful uses. Demanding its removal from Github is a disappointing and counterproductive move by the RIAA. https://github.com/github/dmca/blob/master/2020/10/2020-10-23-RIAA.md
A Librem 5 Video Made on a Librem 5
"Ultimately the Librem 5 phone lets you take your regular workflow with you while also keeping you in contact with your friends and family."
The Police Can Probably Break Into Your iPhone
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/technology/iphone-encryption-police.html #privacy #security #librem5 #purism
Hopefully, if resources are applied correctly, we can protect the elderly and others at risk. But the estimate of ~0.20% seems to be consistent with the CDC estimate in the spring. Still dangerous, but could have been a lot worse.
Also, if half a billion people are already infected (over 10x the official case count), hopefully some locations will start to develop herd immunity, at least until a trusted vaccine is available.
https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/BLT.20.265892.pdf
"..over half a billion people have been infected as of 12 September, 2020, far more than the
approximately 29 million documented laboratory-confirmed cases. Most locations probably have
an infection fatality rate less than 0.20% and with appropriate, precise non-pharmacological
measures that selectively try to protect high-risk vulnerable populations and settings, the infection
fatality rate may be brought even lower."
Thre is a new (October 14, yesterday) paper on the Infection Mortality Rate for Covid-19, published on the World Health Organization website.
https://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/BLT.20.265892.pdf
Read the whole thing of course. I am publishing the summary paragraph from page 10, in the next post (due to 500 character limit).
Catholic father of 10. Programmer by trade. I like reading, writing, running, geocaching, chess, spending time with my family.