... rambling? ... | part 2 (WOT)

Security issues:

Uhm, no. This isn't about ... what I'm cooking up. Although ... if you want some post holliday scare: KDE proudly annoinced that their stuff can now execute root file operations. And the thing is ... I'm ... not sure where some of the changes I ran into came from. Folders seemingly changing permission flags for instance. And them I'm gaslighting myself into ... telling me that I'm seeing things.

So - I've been trying to remove kio to see what'd go with it ... . And it's ... OK. I suppose. If I cared enough?


The problem is that if we're looking for safety ... we don't know where to look. We can only soothe ourselves with the mantras that our decisions have left us with.

Like, for years we felt safe from global tensions like today because "mutually assured destruction" was a thing. And yea, it works - kind of.

And yea, it's ... bugging me. And it's also why at heart I've remained a linux user. It's not that I had any intimate familiarity with it. My familiarity with computers was grown in DOS and Windows.
But the level of insight you'd get into the world of computers is similarly different. While as a Windows user you're ... "a user" ... a 'pubus' ... someone who's deemed 'normal' and hence not interested in any of that - here have some candy!
So, diving into the world of linux I felt at home. It's not that this is the forum where all tech relevant issues are getting the spotlight, but it's still something that matters every now and then - and yea. When these issues matter, that'd be my drive, it's a problem that needs to be thoroughly explored. To the point where any solution to a problem would sooner or later find its way into the linux ecosystem and be somewhat standardized.

So, chances are that the ghostly changes were caused by my AUR helper or something I tried to install there. Well, when restoring my system I'll see to get sublime-text another way. Outside of that ... I don't think I need anything.


So, just because people are weird these days, the metatext: I'm comparing myself to high profile linux users in that they are a public reference - not caring about an evaluation to that comparison. I'm having my own concerns and issues and I find that I'm not entirely alone with them.

You do something, it works great, but so come the unforeseen consequences and liberation turns into slavery once more. Well, a slave to the problems you created - per chance. It's like an ongoing nuclear reaction perhaps ... and whether there's an end to it, who knows?

Anyway. It is also now that I realize that I'm old. That means, eventually I run out of people to look up to; And must take on some responsibilities of my own.
Which is weird ... if it just happens like to me right now, as opposed through a series of validations that support the individual's ego in maintaining a sense of expertise.

I mean - of 100 people that pass the same class, some will be better than others. And I didn't finish any class when it comes to these issues; And that's why it feels wrong to me to assume expertise. But there's so and so many things that are just logical issues. At worse I might be missing some context or detail to come to the right or best conclusion/solution - or just not understand the problem. It happens.

And I mean to tell you all this as a disclaimer because ... well, reality is different to theory.


Now I'm contemplating on the form. There's a thing I want to say, an oppinion I want to express - and in how I frame it I have options. The easiest one is to just say it. Easy and unfiltered it comes out as whatever - but in certain instances that's also a very easy way to waste more time than you could ever save that way.
But what framework to us? I mean, if you approach it like that it becomes a craetive process and ... but there's still a stack of sorts. A hierarchy - but in the context of the mind, it's more so that multiple things contribute to one thing, rather than the way around. So, as I move up the chain I have some kind of multiple choice thing going on where I may wonder myself about the true motivations. Which ... seems like a dead end.
From the other end however, this is a matter of mindset. Like here - I'm choosing, or am set, to be way more thorough and verbose as I'd usually be. Perhaps it's part of my brain adapting to new cultural quirks that formerly didn't make it in because brain was busy.
Well.
So, mindset here is about awareness. One "driver" being how far one is willing to 'lean back' and take a look outside of one's self - if at all.

Anyway. So - I can now just ignore all that and pretend that my issue is organically born from a bunch of irrelevant thoughts. Which it possibly is. Sort of.
I mean - the thing is this: Here I can just say that 'logically' - as the search for safety is doomed to fail, at least in this economy, one has to settle with less.


The reason why I wouldn't may that there is certainly more to that. Say: A kind of paranoia that takes shape as part of perhaps overthinking certain issues. Maybe feeling safe and taking that as point of concern and searching for ways in which that feeling might be deceiving you. And ultimately ... there are ways. A video named "the original sin of computing" is one example of someone saying what I was thinking.

Now, the thing is that I've been plagued by this paranoia for years. When given the option to protect myself - I would do so within the scope of my ability. And trusting my safety to 'others' ... "just install this and it'll be fine!"-style ... was a big no no.
But anyway - I'd be more concerned about people in my actual environment accessing things that they shouldn't. But to make clear cuts like that and live by them is difficult - hence that attitude would just permeate all my doing.

Bios password ... of course!
Internet? Maybe, but just as much as necessary.

And so, all that the modern internet has to offer - with all it's apps and widgets and webapps and services - cloud storage and remote access - that would just work like a button to roll down my shutters.

And now? Well - I'm not really keen on changing my habits, but ... maybe they just did.
I mean, with my code in the open ... the things I would want or need to keep protected has gone down. It's just that when I'm going to do something that might take a little longer that I'd turn into some James Bond knockoff again.

Vivaldi for instance exists there ... and it has all these neat features ... it wants me to use and I see how that might be useful. But old habits die hard.
Hmm. Funny. Vivaldi is practically blocking me from accessing my e-mail because I enabled ad-block. So, I'm starting to have a hard time explaining my paranoia to myself.


Is it real that Windows 11 requires hardware just because of AI?
And yea, it's not the AI that's the problem. It's ... yea. It's out there.

So, 'NOTHING TO HIDE' - however - in my opinion - is BULLSHIT!
Nobody who ever means well for you will ever seriously insist that you have to have nothing to hide. And that's also supposed to be the end of the discussion because it's a bogus statement to focus on. Sure is there the far extreme and bla bla - but we're not really dealing with extremes IRL. If you want to lock yourself away because there's nothing you wouldn't want to hide - that's on you!

But yes. "Nothing to Hide" - in a more meaningful way - means to check yourself for what you really need or want to hide; And live a more liberated life that way. And here we see another reason of why that statement is BOGUS. Abso-fucking-lutely.

I mean, sure - in a perfect world. But in a perfect world we also wouldn't have to suspect the other regarding such things.


... rambling. So, this 'Rob Braxman Tech' guy claims that Windows 11 is a lost cause in this video titled so. And yea, there's a lot. It's like flying bricks - home alone 2 version. Like, yay! Even more restrictions that forbid me from doing stuff with my hardware and telling me that the hardware actually belongs to microsoft actually because I just bought a license with a computer attached to it? What?
I feel like such technical details should be made clear.
So, I know next time I'm looking in the computer section and not the license section.

I mean - the question: "Why would you want to use something other than Windows?" is at this point kind of hillarious.


Hmm ... all of this would have kind of flown over my head until Windows 10 would have just stopped working. Phew ... !
I'm sure that's not what would happen ... but I'm not THAT sure.


So, what does all this mean?
It depends on whether or not it has to mean anything. To me it does, but it's like ... a youngshoot. Who knows what the future will hold?
But if your take is to just roll with windows and be agnostic to the world as it is and the way it goes ... you're like a waste of my time.

Anyway. I'm planning on ging to bed early. Hmm ... yea, login for my webspace ... that's one thing I'm concerned about. And being all on my own ... it certainly adds a scent of helplessness to the allover outlook I'm having, which ... isn't helpful.


Uhm ... I just received a pay... err ... insight ... which is to say that Microsoft isn't all that bad. I mean, I'm willing to go along with the "there's good reasons for X and Y" - like, migrating critical elements of the hardware to another system so that the hardware is no longer a vulnerability in the system. Which is like useful for ... I suppose: Large corporations that rely on a large IT department (and nowadays: also the cash to burn on nonsensical AI tech. So ... not for me!

I mean, in the world of capitalism, money speaks. And that's a thing that I don't have and I'm getting to feel that lack of mine more and more. But I'm sure it's more than just money at this point. But it's built on money still. Which is like ... I mean, the revelation of John argues that that's going to be the proverbial sand not to build the castle on.

My body isn't prepared for the levels of hatred I'm feeling.


So yea, double edged sword. And if you really wanna know what I think about Microsoft and co in this instance: They're spying on you to profile you as a read of the population. Trend analysis, personality profiles, etc.. To find the right honeytrap for you ... should you pop up on their radar! I mean - I'm sure the know how is there somewhere to find the perfect match for you - maybe. I wouldn't call that a promising or useful technology, but who knows? It's not ... stupid. It just comes at the low low price of having someone spy on you 24/7.
So, the issue isn't crime (at least not your crimes) or any of that - although I'm sure that due to public demand there is SOME pressure there - like "if" you have something to hide. What you hide is irrelevant! Sort of. Maybe. Who knows? But we're seeing how much money is apparently being made ... by selling our totally useless data.
Ironically ... I don't think I'm one of the people that are affected by this. I mean, in that regard I'm not just an open book, I come with autoplay.


Hmm ... . So, Windows is "better" because it comes without the 'restrictive headache' of a Linux System, but that's a feature and not part of the philosophy. I mean, the backend of windows is the opposite of that. So - what's the philosophy?
Not important.


Oh. Yea. Sure. Being more conscious about what you want - might be the point here. And I suppose that's the "Gluttonous Whore Problem" that's been mentioned. Like ... Linux isn't like shoving it down anyone's throat, but the promises are there. YOU CAN. But then, wrestling with the matter is like having a 1 v 1 versus Zangief. Maybe. And then, 10 gigabytes and a system crash later ... it may start feeling like a game. And you totally forget that you can actually use the thing if you focus on actually using it. So, here Windows has the advantage that you can't do anything and to do whatever you need like ... the impulses and triggers to go after a thing. Which, sure, usually would just be why you bought it (internet, office, gaming) - so, e-mail and youtube, office apps or steam. And somehow google came up with an even more restrictive thing. So, the upside with Linux then is: You have to develop your Zen a lot more consciously!


Peace!
Hmm ... . No. The future isn't AI. "Spoilers" (according to the Bible). It has a lot of promise, but the target population for that promise is zombified. The optimistic end game of that would be that we're actors in the observations of a machine that has the purpose to balance things out somehow. And the jokes are already there - where people use AI to talk with each other. And they wonder why the birth rates go down.

It's not the Nerds, it's the "Chuds" and their inability to hold stable relationships which has a negative impact on cross-gendered relationships by promoting hyper toxic ideals for either gender in question.

Maybe.


Another thing: It's a time in reality where a lot of theory has become ... factual. While we used to argue about hypothetical scenarios as though they could never happen, they've happened - and hence "the system" is bricked because the intellectual response to those events has kind of ... not happened. We're still going as we're going because the underpinning dynamics haven't shifted. We're still just people on the sidelines - and they're still running the show, so to speak. So, if they're not acknowledging a mistake it may as well not have happened - and the real concerning part should be the plan they're having for when more and more wake up to their BS.

I'm not sure what that might be.

...


Whatever. Hmm ... it's the 26th now and I haven't saved this file yet. Oh well. It's 00:13 ... a.m.. Signing out.