rodrigo's recent activity
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Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
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Comment on Apple announces Macbook Neo, a new budget Mac in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentAs a counter point, I use a base-model MacBook Air M1, with 8 GB of RAM, and have no complains whatsoever. The thing runs smoothly all the time, never slows me down. I'm a writer who codes basic...As a counter point, I use a base-model MacBook Air M1, with 8 GB of RAM, and have no complains whatsoever. The thing runs smoothly all the time, never slows me down. I'm a writer who codes basic stuff (HTML, CSS and JavaScript) in Sublime Text. Other than that, it's browser, email, and TextEdit. I guess my use case is what Apple is after with the MacBook Neo.
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Comment on Proton Mail helped US FBI unmask anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ protester in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentFor me, the issue isn't that Proton had to give up to a subpoena, but that they advertise itself as a privacy alternative for people in danger situations. It's misleading, to say the least, and...For me, the issue isn't that Proton had to give up to a subpoena, but that they advertise itself as a privacy alternative for people in danger situations. It's misleading, to say the least, and extremely dangerous to people already in risk situations.
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Comment on This app alerts you when it detects Meta camera glasses nearby in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentOh, I'm sorry. I share posts that I find genuinely useful or interesting, and almost always they spark great discussions here. Was not aware that this is frowned upon here, and I'm ok to stop it...Oh, I'm sorry. I share posts that I find genuinely useful or interesting, and almost always they spark great discussions here. Was not aware that this is frowned upon here, and I'm ok to stop it if so.
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This app alerts you when it detects Meta camera glasses nearby
43 votes -
Comment on Why doesn’t Anthropic use Claude to make a good Claude desktop app? in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentThe question is: food for whom? I mean, even someone that can't code, like myself, can see the advantages in the “writing once, run everywhere” nature of Electron, but as a user, I often prefer a...The question is: food for whom? I mean, even someone that can't code, like myself, can see the advantages in the “writing once, run everywhere” nature of Electron, but as a user, I often prefer a so so native app than a good-ish Electron one. And it's not like Anthropic is a scrappy startup that can't afford a few more specialized developers… right?
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Why doesn’t Anthropic use Claude to make a good Claude desktop app?
27 votes -
Comment on The AI industry doesn’t take “no” for an answer in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentWe're in the same boat! I use AI almost daily, although for simpler tasks, like translation (English isn't my native language) and simple JavaScript snippets (I don't code except for HTML and...We're in the same boat! I use AI almost daily, although for simpler tasks, like translation (English isn't my native language) and simple JavaScript snippets (I don't code except for HTML and CSS).
My opposition — which I tried to express in the article — is more aligned with what @raze2012 said in other comments here: the overpromising and the bad practices of corporations that don't accept “no“ for an answer.
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The AI industry doesn’t take “no” for an answer
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Why do RSS readers look like email clients?
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Comment on The downfall of OnePlus will be studied | The "enthusiast brand" arc in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentYMMV, but I'm in my second MacBook in 11 years, no AppleCare, and the only problem they had was the stained screen — a chronic issue in MacBook Pro 2015 that Apple fixed twice for free.YMMV, but I'm in my second MacBook in 11 years, no AppleCare, and the only problem they had was the stained screen — a chronic issue in MacBook Pro 2015 that Apple fixed twice for free.
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Comment on RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentiOS does that since version 18.On a related note, I’ve been waiting so long for Apple to add an option to “share only these contacts” with an app, in the same way they already have granular permissions for photos (share nothing/share selected/share everything) and location (nothing/general location/precise, and share just once/for an hour/forever)
iOS does that since version 18.
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Comment on RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentYou're overly underestimating Meta's surveillance apparatus. They use WhatsApp data to feed your profile and “improve” friend suggestions and ads in Instagram and Facebook since 2016. Their words:You're overly underestimating Meta's surveillance apparatus. They use WhatsApp data to feed your profile and “improve” friend suggestions and ads in Instagram and Facebook since 2016. Their words:
“[B]y coordinating more with Facebook, we’ll be able to do things like track basic metrics about how often people use our services and better fight spam on WhatsApp,” WhatsApp writes in a blog on the change today.
“Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them. For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you’ve never heard of.”
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Comment on RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentYes, it does! The link above (that started this conversation) is from a guy in Brazil (me! :)Yes, it does! The link above (that started this conversation) is from a guy in Brazil (me! :)
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Comment on RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentI fully agree.My biggest practical text groups are 6 people, beyond that I think it's untenable.
I fully agree.
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Comment on RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentWell, you create a WhatsApp account, and that's enough for Meta to link your account there to its massive surveillance apparatus. (Not to mention WhatsApp is a resource hog.) Living in a place...Well, you create a WhatsApp account, and that's enough for Meta to link your account there to its massive surveillance apparatus. (Not to mention WhatsApp is a resource hog.)
Living in a place where WhatsApp is almost mandatory, I wish we were tied to another app, even iMessage/RCS. (The dream would be Signal, but having to download yet another app is a major barrier.)
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RCS — SMS via the internet — is good, but it doesn't matter
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentWhatsApp isn't more private than Signal. Meta data, interactions with businesses using WhatsApp API and Meta AI aren't encrypted. Worse, Meta uses all this data trove to segment ads and to feed...WhatsApp isn't more private than Signal. Meta data, interactions with businesses using WhatsApp API and Meta AI aren't encrypted. Worse, Meta uses all this data trove to segment ads and to feed its spyware machine.
Signal encrypts everything, is audited and their source code is open.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentFacebook bought WhatsApp because Zuck saw how hugely popular it was using a free VPN spyware they also bought called Onavo. When he acquired WhatsApp, it already had ~500 million users worldwide....Facebook bought WhatsApp because Zuck saw how hugely popular it was using a free VPN spyware they also bought called Onavo.
When he acquired WhatsApp, it already had ~500 million users worldwide. Nowadays, it's around 3 billion people.
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Comment on Is it possible to live without WhatsApp? in ~tech
rodrigo Link ParentAt first, it was a one-week experiment. So, I didn't want to remove WhatsApp permanently. I didn't mention family and my partner because I was able to move them to Signal. It's been years since it...At first, it was a one-week experiment. So, I didn't want to remove WhatsApp permanently.
I didn't mention family and my partner because I was able to move them to Signal. It's been years since it happened. So, unlikely, yes, but not impossible.
I understand all of this. My issue with Proton isn't about what their practices, but their message. Don't advertise yourself as “encrypted super privacy email service” if you can't live up to this to anyone but the savviest users.
As a counterexample, Signal can get away with subpoenas because its services is built-in with privacy as the main driver. When they can't resist the law, they're the first to publicize the situation. The same with Mullvad.