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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: November 30th, 2023

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  • To add to this, here’s what I would do personally:

    For disinfecting devices, it’s a process:

    1. Isolate the device, remove network cards if possible.
    2. Try to find out what kind of malware it is? Is it isolated to the OS? If it’s infecting device firmware I’d just replace the whole device, otherwise move to next step.
    3. Copy essential data onto a removeable drive (USB)
    4. Wipe the drive and re-install the OS fresh.
    5. Full content malware scan of all files on the USB.
    6. Copy files back onto fresh OS.

    Some additional things to do:

    1. Change relevant credentials.
    2. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever offered.
    3. If you’re in the US and believe that financial info was compromised (SSN, bank passwords, etc.), freeze your credit and file 1 year fraud alerts with all major consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Transunion, Experian, etc.). This is free and quick as required by law.


  • I just had to book a flight.

    Frontier forces you to download an app now to check in (there is a well hidden option to do it on web, but the page never loads on laptop nor mobile in multiple browsers).

    I tried to rent a parking spot, and 2/4 places would not load quotes at all (again web and mobile and multiple browsers). I probably would’ve used one of the two that didn’t load if their sites had worked. Their loss I guess.

    I’d just like it to not feel like each interaction I have with technology, and I guess by extension the world, is becoming increasingly adversarial. The tech itself seems to keep getting better though.





  • You can translate those QR codes into the base seeds that were used to generate them. Then you can just save a text file with all those seeds. I’ve done it using a phone camera to open to a web browser and extracting the seed from the translated URL, but IDK if it can still be tricked into opening the code that way.

    I hope this unasked for advice helps.


  • I think that being informed can help dilute the worry. Here’s what I’ve learned:

    Most microplastics found inside humans come from synthetic clothing followed by car tires. Theres a great Veritasium video on this. Plastic cookware is also a consideration.

    Food & Cookware

    Don’t buy dishwasher pods, they’re worse for the environment (plastic waste) and worse for your wallet than just a regular fluid container. Both fluid container and pod container are plastic so theres not much improvement to be had there.

    My friend with a Chemical Engineering degree tells me that the plastics are stable chemically, and insufficient evidence exists to deem them harmful when left alone in cool temperatures. HOWEVER, unreacted precursor chemicals and thermosets are highly reactive, and new plastics come still coated with this. New car smell? Thats unreacted precursor, and it’s very harmful. Additionally, plastic cookware also gets hot, breaking it down slowly, and potentially making it harmful.

    Avoid plastics and “non-stick” coatings in cookware.

    Clothing

    First thought is to avoid synthetic clothing, but theres a catch… Synthetic clothing is significantly better at blocking harmful UV light from the sun. For example, polyester & Nylon UPF is about 30-50+, whereas cotton is around 5. UPF = SPF generally. For this, I prefer wool (UPF ~40) or denim (UPF 1000+ off the chart). However, thats hot, so using some tight knit polyester shirts is a must in warm climates. Many shirts from retailers like REI have this stuff. So far, the ones I own have never shed noticeably, though that may change.

    Why am I talking about sun protection? Remember, the goal is your health, not fearful avoidance of one harm that subjects you to another.

    For all fabrics that aren’t expected to protect from the sun, natural fibers are preferred. Included is bedding, towels, bathrobe, pajamas, casual clothing, socks, etc.

    Other thoughts

    For all of this, my friend says that I probably don’t need to worry, and I have never seen convincing evidence that microplastics are harmful inside the body. Yet, I operate as if it were proven, because I don’t want to risk reading that I’ve been poisoning myself ten years from now.