I read that the one of the differences between Organic Maps and CoMaps is that the server side code for CoMaps is FOSS, while some of the server side code for Organic Maps is not. I hope I understood that correctly. I have Organic Maps installed because it was in the GrapheneOS app store.

If CoMaps has open server-side code, could I create my own map tiles with the best bike routes in my area and self-host them for myself and my friends? I find that google, bing, OpenStreetMap, etc all suck at recognizing good bike routes in my area and hand-curated routes are much better. I’d prefer to hand-curate the best routes color coded based on perceived safety and whether they are daytime only routes or acceptable for nighttime travel. Is something like this doable with CoMaps?

"You have selected ‘Caucasian Christian’. Permanent light mode has been activated and you can no longer look up porn on Sunday.

You have selected “Arabic Muslim”, sensor access has automatically been granted to determine when you are facing Mecca. If you have too many friendly fire incidents in CoD, the US will deploy reaper drones to your IRL GPS location.

On a more serious note:

There’s been a lot of talk about protecting kids, but none about protecting grandma from scams and AI misinformation if her systemd age field indicates she’s 65 or older. Why is that? Is it because kids don’t have rights, so who cares if by protecting them we prevent them from developing a shred of digital literacy? Or is it because the over 65’s can vote and kids can’t?

So in other words, “Sure we built the people-crushing machines, but we didn’t wire them up or turn them on.”

Agreed. To elaborate:

Sure, the developer is a bit of a Judas for complying in advance, but our anger should be aimed at the people with power and reach promoting these laws in the political sphere (the metaphorical Pharisees).

To those saying “it’s just a field”, please consider that the timing is a more significant statement than the addition of the field itself. Why now? If you don’t support fascism, don’t build the frameworks that support it and don’t let fascists use YOUR platforms or software to make THEIR point, make them fork it and let them fail. I don’t think many members of the senate or house would be capable of adding this themselves. I’d be surprised if they could code hello world in TI-83 BASIC. If they ask you to do it, stub your toe and call in sick. Make it really shitty. Leave in a bunch of bugs that crash the program then blame the age attestation feature to turn users against it. Use copywrited code that they’ll have to remove later due to license incompatibilities. Report your boss to HR for every indiscretion that you might have normally overlooked. Or do nothing; that’s still better than complying in advance.

We have to break the narrative that this is inevitable. There’s enough of us, with concentrated enough knowledge and influence (aka, you folks are a bunch if nerds and I love it!), that if we collectively stop, the whole train stops or derails.

I hear you 100%. This sort of shit comes back with a different name each year. I am SOOOO sick of voting down abortion bans every election cycle.

26 US states, including mine, have initiative or referendum processes allowing citizens to place an issue on the ballot. In some states, that’s how the anti-abortion laws are ending up on the ballot, but we an use their own tools against them. In many states, these initiatives failed so we know we have a minimum of 51% support if it’s a law, and at least 33% support if it’s an amendment (depending on that state and their rules). Polling shows, an even larger percentage, most Americans, do not support these laws. The numbers are on our side.

https://ballotpedia.org/States_with_initiative_or_referendum

If we can collect enough signatures, the voters can put an end to this. If we add it to the state constitution, where the process allows this, we can completely prevent laws doing this from being considered because the only thing that can overrule a constitutional amendment is another constitutional amendment.

I’m gauging interest to do this in Colorado to foil age attestation laws, but we could potentially end the back and forth bullshit in multiple states.

I’m sure the trees appreciate the AI sicofancy. /s

Protip, you can use your hostsfile or your router to block google so you don’t get tempted. If you may have to bypass, you can use some blocking extensions to allow an override after a nag screen chastising yourself for being weak willed. I rarely reach for the goog nowadays because I have a whole workflow I go through before giving in.

I wonder how far one of these would fly if it wandered onto a road and got hammered by a semi doing 55mph.

I saw the location on one of those “war dashboards” a day or two ago. Can’t have been that secret.

Thanks for the correction, I’ve clarified my previous comment.

They would focus on monetizing that pill and wringing every last dollar out of it.

When I see all the people running off this cliff, and the trump loving gen Z guys, I have to wonder if I’m going to have 5 simultaneous girlfriends before a single girl smiles at them. You gotta have self-respect before others will respect you.

I’ve adjusted to something similar:

• DDG for all-purpose searching
• SearXNG when I’m feeling extra FOSS
• Kagi when I need 1999 Google.
• Google “verbatim” mode when I absolutely mist use it.

I got laid off by one of these big tech corporations and replaced by AI (in my opinion, they denied this). It couldn’t have come at a better time because I was past the point where my ethics were allowing me to continue. Let someone else build, sell, and support the framework of global oppression. I wouldn’t mind doing some Linux work (20+ years of Linux use, minor coding experience, some devops type stuff, but mostly support/sales). For now, I’m focused on my family and I might teach some dance in the meantime. Gotta dance while the world is burning; how else do I stay positive?

Here’s the link to the a different article from the Republic on a similar topic, it’s accountwalled/paywalled but you can read the first paragraph or two (in German).

https://www.republik.ch/2026/03/19/schweizer-konzerne-finanzieren-palantirs-ueberwachungs-software

Articles like this are what puts a media source’s homepage in my bookmarks.

How about a 24 hour waiting period for me to harden my OS before Google slurps up all my data.

I liked Manjaro, they had a nice theme, it was in the direction of Arch, but still had some guardrails for the noobish.

Then my system kept breaking, then they screwed up their certs. If they want to fork it and go forward with a different focus/ideology, that’s fine by me.

The US constitution basically guarantees us root access to our own lives (life, liberty, and the pursuit of property/happiness). I’d like the same or better for my devices.

An option for full password on every cold boot with pin for subsequent unlocks would strengthen security without removing user freedom.

10 years ago I would have called that a stretch. After Windows 11, there is no doubt that Windows is spyware.