On desktop, I use the Mullvad Browser and I’m pretty comfortable with it, as it’s at least on par with Librewolf (which is pretty good), privacy-wise, I think. On mobile, I use IronFox through the Accrescent store, and I used to use a hardened version of Fennec, as well.

Why would we suddenly follow Germany’s stance and not Spain just because unanimity is gone? We would likely follow a qualified majority or supermajority, just as other aspects of legislation (perhaps even draw out higher thresholds for voting). If the majority elected to take a position against Russia (or for Ukraine, if you will), then it isn’t anything but counterproductive, that we remain in a political quagmire because of one individual exercising veto powers. If the majority elected to take a different approach to foreign policy towards the US, then it would also be frustrating if it was up to an individual head of state (sponsored by the US regime and Heritage Foundation, no less) to veto our collective action. This won’t get us moving at all.

On regards to corruption, the EU already witholds funding from Hungary on account of rule of law and democraric backsliding. We can’t hold a position to be for individual sovereignty when it comes of foreign policy and at the same time demand a supranational organisation to come in and prosecute national leaders, who were still at some point in time elected by their people fairly. As you’ve said, we aren’t a federation yet, if the EU prosecuted another country’s leader, it would be a massive overreach and a tremendous cry for sovereignty in jeopardy.

On a personal note, I would be happy with both scenarios playing out, and personally feel federation might be a way to survive a growing upending of rules-based order in the world.

This would make actual sense if there was an actual european army that was commanded by EU institutions and those same institutions had the power to declare war unprovoked. As there isn’t at the moment, the only war EU citizens will be drafted to is the one that falls upon member countries’ doorsteps (or upon NATO members’, if your nation belongs to such alliance) OR if specific member states that you belong to decide to be the aggressor in future conflicts. Unanimity allows bad actors such as Orban to abuse their veto powers against the interests and progress of the majority of the Union, which holds back our collective response to an ever changing geopolitical landscape, which in turn might leave us vulnerable to being attacked or strong-armed into a lopsided, paralysing dependence (for instance, on Russian energy or US defence). And that might be the one thing that gets us drafted into an actual war, only not one we prepared for, and with an emboldened enemy against an EU frozen in place by one member state acting on the aggressor’s behalf.

Shout out to Why Not, organic craft sodas from Portugal

Underrated comment right here.

Freedom of speech is not a limitless concept, opinions voiced still bear consequence and accountability (for instance, we have laws against hate speech, perjury, harassment, etc.).

And on the other hand, the Heritage Foundation doesn’t work solely on voicing their opinions, it actively deals with influential agents and funds disruptive movements underhandedly for the express goal of weakening institutions of social order. Namely, they act against democracy, law, and social cohesion to further their own goals of unchecked power and demographic hegemony.

To me, this falls under the tolerance paradox: if we allow ourselves to suffer their poisonous actions on the grounds that they are free to express themselves, we risk being destroyed as a union and seeing these same freedoms being taken away from us and everyone else.

On the other hand, maintaining the current regime in Hungary is sufficient disruption to the EU, as Orban may use his veto powers yet again to strike down any major policy change in the EU that goes against both US and Russian interests, as they have done in the past. If the US backs Orban and convinces Hungarians to accept more of his leadership - on the grounds that a lifeline from the US for their country’s finances is dependent on Orban’s victory in the next elections (much like what they did for Milei in Argentina) -, then Hungary has no reason to cooperate with the rest of the EU, especially on matters of foreign policy, because they can get their funding elsewhere other than the frozen EU funds. 20B€ might be significant enough to assuage Hungary, but isn’t that much of a bill for the US and this administration’s gaggle of billionaire buddies to foot.

Can you still update your firmware even if you’re not subscribed? I was under the impression updates were restricted to subscriptions, but found nothing of the sort mentioned in their site.

It’s just a silly meme, dude, chill your inferences.

I’ve always loved music (especially rock n roll) and engaged with it on physical media. Grew up riding the back seat of my dad’s car while he was blasting rock classics, and we had a basic hi-fi system that we’d play cassettes and CDs with, that my grandpa left us when he died.

I remember the first album I chose to play by myself, which was my older brother’s Offspring’s Ixnay On the Hombre (I was a kid and kids loved it) and the first album I bought with my allowance was Rage Against The Machine’s Battle of LA, when I was a pre-teen.

Music was always a huge part of my life, for me and my brother, and I guess when the world was falling to pieces around our family life, those were the two things we could turn to, at the time.

When mp3 files became widespread in my teen years, we jumped on that bandwagon on it was a huge drive to discover even more music through Kazaa and the likes and, around that time, I started to fall in love with prog rock, and sites like progarchives had an embedded player that let you listen to some of the more well known tracks, which made me find a ton of bands, that would honestly be too obscure for anyone to know. I started going to live shows more, especially from some of those lesser known bands, because tickets were cheaper. Nowadays, everyone knows who Porcupine Tree are/were, so tickets are pricier, most likely.

When I got to college, we were on a family Summer vacation on a beach town and me and my brother stumbled upon a quaint little music store, that had some bootleg live albums from more of these geeky bands, and in an unassuming shelf in the back, they had some used LPs. They were 50cent to 1€ a piece, so we thought ‘why not?’ and bought them for the novelty of the vintage media. One of them was an early French press from ELP’s first album, and the other was rock n roll Mecca for us and our dad: Van Halen’s debut album. When we got back home, we set up the turn table from grandpa’s hi-fi system, which had always been disconnected up to then, and our jaw dropped when we played Van Halen. We couldn’t believe how much better it sounded than a digitally remastered CD version he owned, it was like experiencing the album for the first time, the way it was meant for it to sound, much more open with a wide soundstage and that analogue organic sound. I remember ELP blew MY socks off, because it was also my first time listening to that album itself and it sounded amazing both musically and sonically (if that makes any sense).

This kickstarted a whole new collector’s road for us and we started to discover music again by the way certain albums sounded on certain masters. Around this time, vinyl was also starting to make a comeback in mainstream stores, but at this point we thought the 1st pressings were the one true way to listen to those 70s records, and on one of our runs around music stores, we come across our white whale, shaped in Black Sabbath. An early Vertigo (label company from around the time) press of Vol.4. But it was pricey. Way too pricey for our limited college survival funds (probably around 50€).

We’d always stop by the store to see if it was still there and if it was discounted if it was, but alas, early Sabbath pressings never go down in price. So come Christmas time, I decide to go with a grand gesture and buy my brother the fabled Vol.4 on display, but someone had already taken it. And after all this time scoping it too. So I guess the next best thing is to find another version of it and I get a more recent press from around the 00’s. Got back home to wrap it before anyone gets in the house, but that doesn’t go well either, because of all people, my brother comes home with a friend and catches me wrapping his present, so there goes the surprise. I show what I got him and he and his buddy start laughing hard. “Hey man, I know it’s a repress, but goddamn, it’s probably not that bad to laugh about, they were out of the Vertigo press”. His buddy chimes in: “No, dude, we’re not laughing at that.” So my brother goes to the other room and gets out that very same Vol.4 on display that we were stalking for weeks. It was HIS Christmas gift to ME.

Fast forward to present day, we’re both older, have pretty upgraded audio gear considering how we started, a bigger collection of media, branched off to some different musical styles, but last night my brother was showing off an audiophile remaster (the latest Mo-Fi) of ELP’s first, and my newborn niece is falling asleep in his arms, while the piano is seemingly raining down on Take a Pebble. He looks up from his daughter to ask “Hey, do you remember that summer vacation by the beach town?” and we both smile.

Music hits different throughout the years, the formats, the styles, the gear, etc., and sometimes I’m sad I just don’t have as much time to sit down and listen to those records. But it’s always been there, weathering me through the ages like a brother.

Thanks for the correction, was going off the flag on AlternativeTo and missed that detail.

I use Todoist, which is Portuguese, iirc, and I’m pretty happy with it. Can even tier my tasks on level of importance.

I use Todoist, which is Portuguese, iirc, and I’m pretty happy with it. Can even tier my tasks on level of importance.

5th of November is a month away, just putting it out there.

The nuance I feel you might be overlooking is your so-called visual aid is just someone else’s hot bod (as much as it is mostly artificial) and it might signal to your partner that you don’t find her physique attractive enough, whereas the use of sex toys or physical aids as you put it would be your partner’s way of signaling that her pleasure is not exclusively centered on your penis or its size. Even in phallic shaped toys designed for penetration, there’s always something else reputable manufacturers include, be it vibration, texture, shape, simultaneous clitoral stimulation, suction, etc. And none of these are meant to substitute your own physique and the intimacy you bring to the table (or the bed, or the couch, or the shower hehe).

I think the poster below makes a good point that toys designed for men such as fleshlights would be a more apt comparison. And the reverse for the example you provide would be something akin to needing the visual aid of Johnny Sins to get off. If we were to talk about getting off during your little lovemaking session by the chemistry and the fantasy on screen in porn - and both parties were ok with and equally excited by it -, then I’d also find no issue with that (albeit, I do think there are healthier ways to go about).

When it comes to sex, it all eventually comes down to communication and respect. And if your boundaries to feeling comfortable draw a line against using sex toys, then that’s you and your partner needs to respect your feelings as well. I just feel like it’s a shame if people are missing out, because their own insecurities equate a dildo or a vibrator (or whatever) to a substitute for your penis, your body, and your active role during sexy times, because they definitely are not.

There’s always something for everyone and not everyone is into everything. As long as there’s consent, respect for needs and boundaries, and communication, no one ever needs to feel innadequate in the bedroom.

When Biden was President, MAGAts were scrutinizing everything Federal in their country looking for a Deep State conspiracy like someone dumbsplained the X-Files to them, meanwhile the shallow cunts they put in office are just disappearing people and culling the regime’s undesirables, megacorporations are flaunting their influence out in the open, dissenting voices are being silenced publicly, and their Supreme Cheeto is blatantly working for Russian interests, when he’s not moonlighting in an international web of paedophilia. But would you look at that?

No backlash from the MAGA base, no indignant outcries, no conspiracy theories, the only kool aid being drunk is the one lactating from King Orangutang’s teat and his merry entourage of gaslighting sycophants.

Their Deep State has finally surfaced, but all their stockpiles of guns are apparently pulling a Chuck Schumer and waiting for the right time, which somehow isn’t quite here, yet. So maybe this was never about freedom, transparency, accountability, it was about being finally enabled by the status quo to exercise their bigotry freely, transparently and without being made accountable for it.

When Biden was President, MAGAts were scrutinizing everything Federal in their country looking for a Deep State conspiracy like someone dumbsplained the X-Files to them, meanwhile the shallow cunts they put in office are just disappearing people and culling the regime’s undesirables, megacorporations are flaunting their influence out in the open, dissenting voices are being silenced publicly, and their Supreme Cheeto is blatantly working for Russian interests, when he’s not moonlighting in an international web of paedophilia. But would you look at that?

No backlash from the MAGA base, no indignant outcries, no conspiracy theories, the only kool aid being drunk is the one lactating from King Orangutang’s teat and his merry entourage of gaslighting sycophants.

Their Deep State has finally surfaced, but all their stockpiles of guns are apparently pulling a Chuck Schumer and waiting for the right time, which somehow isn’t quite here, yet. So maybe this was never about freedom, transparency, accountability, it was about being finally enabled by the status quo to exercise their bigotry freely, transparently and without being made accountable for it.

AFAIK, yes, and they’re around the same ball park, I think cheaper on the individual plan, but a dollar more than Tidal on the Family Plan, IIRC. Nothing like trying them out.