Malotru's recent activity

  1. Comment on Can I hope to defeat telematics in a new car? in ~transport

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    Wait. So there is a car made in the last 10 years without telematics? I guess I'm going to read up on the Fit LX. Maybe I could benefit from seat magic.

    2019 Honda Fit LX

    Wait. So there is a car made in the last 10 years without telematics? I guess I'm going to read up on the Fit LX. Maybe I could benefit from seat magic.

    3 votes

  2. Comment on Can I hope to defeat telematics in a new car? in ~transport

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    Crap. I meant to say, I'm in the U.S. Thanks for asking, so I can clarify. I would be fine with a range of 150 miles.

    Crap. I meant to say, I'm in the U.S. Thanks for asking, so I can clarify.

    I would be fine with a range of 150 miles.

    6 votes

  3. Comment on Can I hope to defeat telematics in a new car? in ~transport

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    There's still a Miata?!

    There's still a Miata?!

    6 votes

  4. Can I hope to defeat telematics in a new car?

    ~transport Ask (advice)
    Could you recommend a make of vehicle whose spy tech is easy to disable? This is the highest hurdle and single most important factor in my search for a car, so my other preferences and needs fall...

    Could you recommend a make of vehicle whose spy tech is easy to disable? This is the highest hurdle and single most important factor in my search for a car, so my other preferences and needs fall far second. I would like an electric vehicle or hybrid model with no less cargo room than a Prius, and not larger than a mid-sized station wagon, with a track record of low repairs. Correct me if I'm misinformed, but applying those criteria seems premature until I can identify something I can make private.

    I have only ever bought used cars, and have lived the same story many times: I will construct elaborate spreadsheets, research models until I could host a video walk-through of trouble spots to watch for, then will shop and cavil until I make a purchase I'm proud of. Sure, it ends up 25% over my initial budget, but I pat myself on the back for a full 18 months afterwards. Nice work, careful consumer. But it's then the repairs begin, and soon I'm spending $3-4,000 a year maintaining my certified reliable used car.

    So, I am searching for a newer used car or a new car whose telematics can be disabled. I have read through discussion boards, but weary quickly at the comments defending the cozy convenience of the corporate surveillance net or chiding people like me for even trying. I don't care. If lacking or disabling spy features means I can't use my car as a phone, that sounds like a win to me. I know a little about cars and have alright technical know-how. Most importantly, I am resolute. I will not drive a car that listens to me or transmits video of my travels. Has anyone had success here?

    44 votes

  5. Comment on Looking for movies that combine religion mythology and supernatural elements in ~movies

    Malotru
    Link
    It's unlikely to add any titles to your watch list, but I regard the initial Indiana Jones trilogy in this light. The cults and climactic divine curses are creepy supernatural spectacles, inspired...

    It's unlikely to add any titles to your watch list, but I regard the initial Indiana Jones trilogy in this light. The cults and climactic divine curses are creepy supernatural spectacles, inspired by bizarre takes on Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity, respectively.

    4 votes

  6. Comment on Is OpenWRT worthwhile at home? in ~comp

    Malotru
    Link
    If running OpenVPN on the router is of interest to you, I'll add that I appreciate the ease of switching between VPN connections/profiles in OpenWRT vs. the approach in DD-WRT.

    If running OpenVPN on the router is of interest to you, I'll add that I appreciate the ease of switching between VPN connections/profiles in OpenWRT vs. the approach in DD-WRT.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    I've decided to run a virtual machine for Google/LinkedIn. I will fire it up, connect to a local college's free network, search for local things on Google to set cookies, create a Google account,...

    I've decided to run a virtual machine for Google/LinkedIn. I will fire it up, connect to a local college's free network, search for local things on Google to set cookies, create a Google account, and then link a new LinkedIn profile. I just hope I can use a VPN thereafter, as it seems others do. I can leave the cookies on the virtual machine and only fire it up when needed, I guess.

    4 votes

  8. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    I agree with you, but I assure you I will not be able to continue in my position if I refuse the account altogether. Happy to answer more in private messages, but I should avoid sharing...

    I agree with you, but I assure you I will not be able to continue in my position if I refuse the account altogether. Happy to answer more in private messages, but I should avoid sharing identifying circumstances in this thread.

    15 votes

  9. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    As a test, I just created a Google account on a VPN using only my first name. It didn't even request a phone number. What is this, Bizzaro world??? Unbelievable. (Would it work again? I wonder if...

    As a test, I just created a Google account on a VPN using only my first name. It didn't even request a phone number. What is this, Bizzaro world??? Unbelievable. (Would it work again? I wonder if I was wrong to delete it.)

    4 votes

  10. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    Thanks, this gave me a chuckle. I know this is only one data point, but it's good to know that a VPN alone might not trigger the ID thing in every case.

    Thanks, this gave me a chuckle. I know this is only one data point, but it's good to know that a VPN alone might not trigger the ID thing in every case.

    6 votes

  11. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    Thanks for thinking of the browser extension. It's possible, though I can't check any longer. I left social media because of things like this, but I was naive enough not to expect that LinkedIn...

    Thanks for thinking of the browser extension. It's possible, though I can't check any longer. I left social media because of things like this, but I was naive enough not to expect that LinkedIn was vacuuming up everyone's passports and driver's licenses.

    5 votes

  12. Comment on Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job in ~tech

    Malotru
    Link Parent
    Oh, I didn't mean to suggest I wouldn't create a Google account. Perhaps my parenthetical exclamation point was misleading: I added it to demonstrate my surprise that the Google account I'm...

    Oh, I didn't mean to suggest I wouldn't create a Google account. Perhaps my parenthetical exclamation point was misleading: I added it to demonstrate my surprise that the Google account I'm contemplating might be less invasive than LinkedIn. What I am wondering is if having the Google account will satisfy LinkedIn. If so, I might do that, even though I would rather not. I worry that something else will trigger this ID request again, though.

    9 votes

  13. Refusing LinkedIn's ID verification is costing me my job

    ~tech Ask (advice)
    A long, complicated story, summarized: (apart from Tildes, on which I lurk) I swore off all social media years ago. Then my job required that I have an account on LinkedIn. I reconsidered, and...

    A long, complicated story, summarized: (apart from Tildes, on which I lurk) I swore off all social media years ago. Then my job required that I have an account on LinkedIn. I reconsidered, and attempted to make the least disclosive account possible in an effort to protect my privacy. Things aren't going well. Despite logging in with the correct credentials, on the same device, using the same browser; and with access to my signup email, and access to the phone I used to enroll, LinkedIn has flagged my account the second time I tried using it and now requires me to upload images of myself and my government ID to regain access to their cesspool. Are you familiar with their protocols and can share insights, so that if I start again I don't face the same problem?

    I have read what LinkedIn says and I have read discussions on Reddit on the topic. LinkedIn says you can opt to "use your work email" or mail them an affidavit. These options were not given to me. Everyone else I have seen reporting facing this seems to have triggered the system by losing their login credentials or moving countries; what brought this upon me and can I avoid it?

    1. Is it that I use a VPN, and it may have routed through a different IP address on the second login?
    2. I use an email alias. Is LinkedIn purging accounts with email domains that offer aliases?
    3. Is it a result of clearing cookies?
    4. Is it easier to maintain a Google account (!) which LinkedIn allows as login without this ID thing coming up?

    Please be gentle with your advice as I am kind of panicking.

    54 votes