Nostr notes by Beardy Star Stuff 🏴🌹🇵🇸

RE: https://mastodon.social/@urlyman/116034944078221097 - If ...

2026-02-08T13:37:40+01:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@urlyman/116034944078221097

- If you're locked in to Amazon with previous media purchases commit to no additional purchases. No more.
- Otherwise, delete your Amazon account. You can get their stuff elsewhere.
- Stop using Google's browser, search, services. Delete your account if possible.
- Stop using Microsoft's services services. Delete your account if possible.

Commit to getting out of these services. Stop using them, stop giving them your money.

#Genocide #BOYCOTT #Google #Microsoft #Amazon #Technology #Tech
nostr:note18v9vaqkm0g97hrqlpfjzdqspr6sq095mqrhzvqdtm28melrcfl8sm6ngjm

Are #Apple enthusiasts who post about Apple's latest product ...

2026-01-26T20:20:22+01:00

Are #Apple enthusiasts who post about Apple's latest product release also doing free Apple Marketing?

Yes, yes they are.

Connecting the dots (and this isn't that hard), is voluntarily doing marketing for a company who directly supports a fascist regime for favors bootlicking by extension?

Why the fuck would anyone opposed to #fascism and #ICE murders volunteer to do free marketing for a company and CEO (FUCK YOU TIM COOK) engaged in active fascist bootlicking?

Get off your knees.

#Tech

"National media should really be covering the fact thay every ...

2026-01-23T05:00:51+01:00

"National media should really be covering the fact thay every major school, museum, and arts institution in the Twin Cities, and hundreds of local businesses are closed tomorrow to protest federal occupation.

Nothing like this at this scale has happened anywhere in America anytime in living memory."
- Thomas Leeper on Bsky

#ICE #GeneralStrike #DirectAction #Resist #Fascism

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-lifestyle/growing-number-of-minnesota-businesses-announce-plans-to-close-for-jan-23-strike

Hopefully just the first of many more work-week days of action ...

2026-01-23T00:22:12+01:00

Hopefully just the first of many more work-week days of action building towards a #GeneralStrike. Begin saving money and coordinating with fellow workers and neighbors to build a community/work based network of #mutualaid.

#ICE #DirectAction #Resist #Fascism #Minneapolis #Minnesota

RE: https://mastodon.social/@rcarmo/115915892754159506 Agreed ...

2026-01-18T13:02:39+01:00

RE: https://mastodon.social/@rcarmo/115915892754159506

Agreed with the erosion of the #Apple ecosystem. I'm not "almost equally happy" running GNU/Linux, I love using it in a way that previously enjoyed macOS & iPadOS. I don't feel the hardware constraints Rui mentions on a 2018 Thinkpad or on my 2012 Mac Mini. Daily html/css coding, page layout with Scribus, vector work w/ Inkscape are all very fast. Mint Cinnamon on the Thinkpad, Trisquel with KDE Plasma on the Mini is perfectly responsive.

Bonus: No #Fascism!
#FreeSoftware #FOSS #Privacy

quoting
note15uz…c7at

I would like to thank #Apple for eroding their ecosystem to the point where I am now almost equally happy running Linux on a laptop were it not for the hardware and battery constraints, and #Fedora #Silverblue for being pretty much hassle-free.

Hopefully you've already switched your email away from Gmail. ...

2026-01-17T04:52:37+01:00

Hopefully you've already switched your email away from Gmail. If not, you can get a free account at Proton or Tuta! Both offer options for fully encrypted email. Given growing fascism in the US why not switch? Both also offer affordable paid plans.

If you want to learn more about the details of email encryption check the video. Even if you don't understand all the details, you'll get a better sense of how it works.

#Privacy #Security #Fascism #Google

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=70azaXOhjpI&pp=ugUEEgJlbtIHCQlPCgGHKiGM7w%3D%3D

Listening to The Past Didn't go anywhere, a Utah Phillips/Ani ...

2026-01-16T23:07:14+01:00

Listening to The Past Didn't go anywhere, a Utah Phillips/Ani DiFranco collaboration. I love the intertwining of folk music and stories about the folks Utah knew during his life. One of those, the song Anarchy, is about the anarchist Ammon Hennacy: "American Christian pacifist, anarchist, Wobbly, social activist, and member of the Catholic Worker Movement. He established the Joe Hill House of Hospitality in Salt Lake City, Utah, and practiced tax resistance."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammon_Hennacy

I'm currently reading Howard Zinn's "A People's ...

2026-01-08T00:27:25+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…570x
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I'm currently reading Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States". I'm encouraging others to do the same. Please read it if you have not. It is brutal but it shows how we resist.

We've absolutely been here before. The Civil War, yes, but in the years after that, throughout the late 1800s and first half of the 1900s. The nation was riotous. General Strikes and general struggle with very militant unions. We're just at the beginning of what those decades looked like.

The world wonders: Why do the citizens of the US not act? Why do ...

2026-01-07T15:08:44+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…8kna
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The world wonders: Why do the citizens of the US not act? Why do they not fill the streets? Why do they not stop this madness?

We do not do this because we are the living in a culture and system designed to not let that happen. When one lives a life in a lie, the truth is never in front you to see clearly.

It is trap after trap, layers of fear and insecurity. But all bound up in "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." It is self delusion and complicity. It is guilt and shame. All these.

250 years have passed and we are in the very same class war. We ...

2026-01-07T14:52:56+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…v3wu
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250 years have passed and we are in the very same class war. We see the same theft of resources. We see that treaties are still not honored.

We see that democracy was never really meant to be democracy. Was never meant to be self government.

We live in a system that is a leash. It was designed to be a leash, expanding and retracting as needed. But always a leash. Always around our necks.

It started with genocide and slavery. A system of command and control.

Subjugation.

What this book tells us about our current moment that it is ...

2026-01-07T14:31:04+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9yfe
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What this book tells us about our current moment that it is exactly as it should be. It tells us that the pretense of "democracy" in the US was designed to only ever be a thin veneer, an illusion to its people. From the founding days of wealthy white men, the true core of the US was only ever the protection of wealth, privilege and white supremacy. It was class war by design and that design was meant to ensure the long term success of the upper class. We see clearly how successful they were.

This is a book that if read will stir a rage in the soul. ...

2026-01-07T14:24:48+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…e9e7
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This is a book that if read will stir a rage in the soul. I've felt that rage for the past 35 years of my life. I'm not going to say it's easy. It's not. But the brutal truth of this nation can only lead to suffering. It has always been suffering because it has always been injustice heaped upon injustice. Over and over again.

Any progress has been given in teaspoons by a ruling class ever bent on subjugation. The teaspoons of relief are only ever meant to quiet people's struggle. A strategy.

I'm about 10 hours into it, 31%. I expect to get to 50% ...

2026-01-07T14:19:21+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…lkmq
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I'm about 10 hours into it, 31%. I expect to get to 50% before I lose my loan and will put on hold again. Then I'll transition to my local hard copy and continue.

Thus far, the book echoes my reading of other books about US history. It is a tapestry of pure brutality. A story of lies upon lies told by rulers to the subjugated. It is story upon story of a country that is far from honorable, but the exact opposite. Pre 1776 and post 1776 is not something to celebrate.

The US is criminality.

Let's talk about Howard Zinn's "A People's ...

2026-01-07T14:10:57+01:00

Let's talk about Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"!

I'd read parts of it in the past along side of many other books that cover the same subjects in US history. But I'd never committed to reading it cover-to-cover. Times being as they are, I knew enough of its contents to know that it is can be a foundation for action. I've started again by borrowing the audio version via Libby app...
#US #Genocide #Colonialism #Fascism #History #Resistance #Capitalism #Democracy #ClassWar

And, for fucks sake, the nations of the world need to sanction ...

2026-01-04T15:44:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gd27
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And, for fucks sake, the nations of the world need to sanction the US. The US is a bully. It has to be fought by the global community.

And again, those in the US, we are behind enemy lines. We are in the empire. We are the citizens of the empire.

We've got to do our part. There's no hiding from this. Don't be a good Good German. Don't give up.

This fight is just beginning. As fucked as the past year has been, these are just the first days of a long fight. Get ready.

#resist #organize

Democracy Now! has an excellent special report on the Trump ...

2026-01-04T15:33:48+01:00

Democracy Now! has an excellent special report on the Trump #criminal #abduction of #Venezuela president #Maduro

USians, we have got to make more of an effort, a real effort, to #resist the #fascism of this government. It's not okay to just give up. This is our responsibility. Hope you're protesting today. Hope you're organizing the next protest. It's clear that this regime intends to extend US #empire via active #colonialism. It's open #imperialism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaLChmzkGo0

#Aurora seen from #Missouri ...

2025-11-12T03:40:57+01:00

#Aurora seen from #Missouri

So Walmart and Amazon are collecting health and fitness data. ...

2025-10-03T23:08:15+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…smlv
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So Walmart and Amazon are collecting health and fitness data. What does that include? Is it everything? Heart rate, calories, daily steps, body weight? Is it all the data a sure adds to that app including medications and blood pressure?

Search history.

User Content. What constitutes user content because I read that to mean anything I have on my device. Photos? Files?

What is sensitive info?

We have made a huge mistake and it is time to slam the door shut.

#Privacy #Apple #Security

We were lured into dependence to the point that many now feel ...

2025-10-03T22:55:48+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mjyt
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We were lured into dependence to the point that many now feel captured, helpless. People feel the phone is essential and some governments seek to make it so.

Always on computers, always with us, tracking and selling every single tap and moment. We have many, many reasons to put a stop to it. But WE have to do that.

Our phones, our responsibility. Do you check the apps you download for their data collection?

Amazon and Walmart. REALLY look at the data they are collecting.

#Privacy

Once a week get together, think of it as a club, user group or ...

2025-10-03T22:06:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…vvlq
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Once a week get together, think of it as a club, user group or whatever. Have a potluck. Share food. Then strategize on next steps. Come up with plans for how you can move forward without your dependence on Google or Apple.

- How do we do local back-up?
- How can we make a local, home-based cloud?
- How can we protect our privacy, our data?
- What apps should we avoid and why?
- How can we build our own cloud?
- What is a VPN and do we need to use one?

Working together is how we resist.

Even better, don't just do it for yourself. Help others in ...

2025-10-03T21:59:56+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…kmex
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Even better, don't just do it for yourself. Help others in your community. Learn together to take more control of your data, your privacy, your security.

We Americans are good at crying that our government is broken and corrupt (it has been for decades) but we're bad at taking responsibility for making changes even when those changes are within our own domains.

We can work together. Form a little tech collective. Help your friends, family and neighbors to become less reliant tech giants.

Why are folks so quick to give up any notion of resisting? I ...

2025-10-03T21:55:10+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…7j3s
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Why are folks so quick to give up any notion of resisting? I suspect that it comes down to consumerism and convenience. New shiny and make it easy!

But, you know, #fascism. Don't want that? Then do the fucking work. On a personal level that means you make a real effort to not give your cash to a company that supports fascism:
- Change your email provider
- Change your use of the cloud
- Learn to back-up to a local computer

It's fucking fascism. Sorry for the inconvenience. Deal with it. #Apple

In regards to #Apple, #Google and #Fascism, I see folks grossly ...

2025-10-03T21:45:38+02:00

In regards to #Apple, #Google and #Fascism, I see folks grossly oversimplifying with this logic:

All the choices are bad, we have to choose one or the other bad option. All or nothing, there's nothing else to be done.

I'm still using an iPhone and an iPad. Yep. But I'll stab myself in the eye with a stick before I buy a new one. My iPhone 13 is only 3.5 years old. I can easily get at least another 3-4 years more from it.

And it's still very useful without iCloud or other Apple services.

Ask yourself, at any given moment: AM I SHARING MY LOCATION WITH ...

2025-10-02T14:59:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…f2d0
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Ask yourself, at any given moment: AM I SHARING MY LOCATION WITH FASCISTS?

That should stop you cold.

STOP SHARING YOUR LOCATION WITH FASCISTS.

STOP SHARING ANY AND ALL OF YOUR DATA WITH FASCISTS.

That is the goal. Try to get there.

- Stop using Google services and Chrome
- Stop using META sites
- Email is generally not secure. Assume that unless you use PGP or a service like Tuta.

We have to make real efforts here. Don't give up. Help others. Our #privacy and #security are intertwined.

If you're an activist this is all especially important. If ...

2025-10-02T14:53:53+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…fuj9
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If you're an activist this is all especially important. If you know yourself to be of a group that fascists consider to be a "problem" this is especially important. If you share your critical views, at some point, you should assume they will eventually get around to you.

Folks, it's fascism. They don't intend to give up power. How does that end? Assume the worst scenarios and truly plan for that.

View it as a process. But get started and go as far as you can with it as soon as you are able.

- Use a reputable VPN as much as possible - Use Signal for your ...

2025-10-02T14:48:05+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…xwke
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- Use a reputable VPN as much as possible
- Use Signal for your phone calls
- Consider a VOIP service like MYSUDO For $3 you can get a phone line, $5 get's you 3 lines. Use those over wifi instead of your cell phone. VOIP calls via a mobile hotspot are likely more secure than standard cell phone calls. You're still using a cell tower but you've got some added protection.

We need a new practice and culture of personal, digital and communications #security and #privacy. Help create that.

- If you have Location Services turned on, turn it off. All of it ...

2025-10-02T14:38:54+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…n9sc
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- If you have Location Services turned on, turn it off. All of it not just per app.
- Stop using SMS, Apple Messages, or any other. Switch to Signal for ALL messaging.
- Stop messaging with folks that won't use Signal
- Treat your cell phone like a last resort device rather than the favorite device you check all day everyday.
- Put your phone in Airplane mode and keep it there.
- Delete every app that is not essential. Use websites where possible...

#Security #Privacy #Fascism

A lot of us having been using the word fascism or similar to ...

2025-10-02T14:33:44+02:00

A lot of us having been using the word fascism or similar to describe what's going on in the US. We see the power that is being given to ICE, see link as one example. The admin is not hiding how it wants to use the military.

You may not think yourself a target yet but if you have publicly shared the "wrong" views you should assume that eventually, they'll get around to you.

Begin protecting your privacy now. Go to "extreme" measures.

#Security #Privacy #Fascism

https://www.404media.co/ice-to-buy-tool-that-tracks-locations-of-hundreds-of-millions-of-phones-every-day/

The Spyware Governments Use to Silence Dissent "Journalists, ...

2025-09-12T01:26:04+02:00

The Spyware Governments Use to Silence Dissent

"Journalists, activists, and human rights defenders are being targeted and silenced daily by authoritarian governments that fear losing power. One of the deadliest tools used against them is Pegasus..."

An interview with Laurent Richard who's team broke the story on Pegasus spyware and built a global network to safeguard journalists working on dangerous stories.

#Security #Privacy #Fascism #Resistance #Journalism

https://www.nbtv.media/episodes/the-spyware-governments-use-to-silence-dissent

Jenna with her old laptop, now updated to GNU/Linux! She'd ...

2025-08-26T22:44:35+02:00

Jenna with her old laptop, now updated to GNU/Linux! She'd stopped using it some time ago because #Windows had become so slow that it was unusable. A project of our local #Library where I #Volunteer. We spent some time installing then a brief introduction to the basics of using #GNU #Linux and a few of the apps.

She was excited to have a working computer again and, bonus, touch screen worked perfectly which made her extra happy.

#FreeSoftware #MutualAid #FOSS #Microsoft #Endof10 #Missouri

Agreed. Aren't you describing the long history of ...

2025-08-25T12:49:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…pd02
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Agreed. Aren't you describing the long history of European>Now U.S. settler colonialism? It continues, now with Israel as the tip of the spear. But it's the same, long thread of genocide.

Globally, it's the European North dominating and extracting from the South. A process of violence, extraction, enslavement and, when necessary, genocide.

Most in the US couldn't be bothered to care because they benefited from that process. Now it's turned in on us so we'll suffer. Chickens roosting.

I got a start in upgrading 7 donated laptops. 4 are done. ...

2025-08-12T21:06:25+02:00

I got a start in upgrading 7 donated laptops. 4 are done. GNU/Linux Mint with Xfce desktop installed in about 30 minutes per computer. Another 10-15 minutes to run updates. Specs: 4 to 8GB of memory, hard drives (rather than SSDs). Instead of being recycled they are ready for continued use. Totally usable for day-to-day general use. Anyone can do this kind of direct action, community mutual aid that conserves energy and resources.

#GNU #Linux #Endof10 #MutualAid #Computing #Tech #Climate

Imagine Hitler with his Nazi arm band. Imagine all of the people ...

2025-08-08T14:38:29+02:00

Imagine Hitler with his Nazi arm band. Imagine all of the people under him, with their Nazi armbands. Imagine any businessman that might called in, standing in front of him, also with their Nazi arm bands. Now imagine Trump with his armband and Tim Cook. Imagine Tim Cook with his arm band. Imagine Apple headquarters, flags out front.

And then there's you. What will you do.

Ethics are not easy. You DO have a choice.

#Apple #Fascism #MAGA #Microsoft #Google #FreeSoftware #GNU #Linux #TimCook

Leftist, anti-fascist activists have got to begin making more of ...

2025-07-30T15:23:22+02:00

Leftist, anti-fascist activists have got to begin making more of an effort to educate themselves about the spyware capitalist tech that they insist on continuing to use. From Substack, gmail, twitter, facebook to youtube, etc. At least make the effort to use and encourage others to use the alternatives. Make an active effort to migrate away from the spyware to the free/libre alternatives that respect users, privacy and democracy. It's an UPGRADE.

#AntiFascism #Democracy #Resist #FreeSoftware

Yeah, it's a very strange place. Interesting that it's ...

2025-07-26T17:08:43+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…u2qa
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Yeah, it's a very strange place. Interesting that it's "open" in the sense that it supports ActivityPub. But within the space itself, the micro.blog timeline, it feels like a gated community. Searching does not work because the search function only finds posts that have been featured on the Discover feed and that's curated by Manton or someone given his approval. No politics or anything beyond the safest most vanilla posts will ever be found there.

It's been awhile but I poked my head in to have a look at ...

2025-07-26T14:23:58+02:00

It's been awhile but I poked my head in to have a look at Micro.blog's Discover page and I'm so glad that there is a safe space for mostly white upper middle class men to share about their lives.

A carefully curated timeline with no harsh reality intruding. Why concern yourself with a climate emergency, genocide, fascism?

Talk about a sanitized version of reality.

https://micro.blog/discover

The hubris of this guy: "The United States is the world’s ...

2025-07-25T20:41:23+02:00

The hubris of this guy:
"The United States is the world’s oldest and largest democracy, the beacon of freedom, and the military that holds the free world safe. "

American exceptionalism so deeply disgusts me. It's offensive, insane and an attempt to ignore a violent history and social order built on genocide, slavery and greed. It's the worst that humanity has to offer, not the best.

Fuck all the way off with this shit.

#America #Fascism #Neoliberalism #Capitalism

https://mastodon.social/@gruber/114909776698174781

Nature finds a way, always. These three mushrooms, Ruby Bolete, ...

2025-07-21T17:50:52+02:00

Nature finds a way, always. These three mushrooms, Ruby Bolete, Hortiboletus rubellus, found a seam between two concrete blocks to grow from.

#Fungi #Mushroom #Nature

Like a lot of nerds I've always had a "Uses/My ...

2025-07-14T14:08:02+02:00

Like a lot of nerds I've always had a "Uses/My set-up" page on my site. I'm embarrassed that it hadn't occurred to me that I should also have the opposite. I've set up a "Boycotts" page where I've documented the details of the companies, products and in some cases, categories of products, that I avoid or refuse to buy because they cause harm to my fellow humans and planetary ecosystems.

Ethics should play a role in what we use.
#democracy #ethics #climate #technology
https://beardystarstuff.net/boycott.html

Laleh Khalili: "Is a moment of horror, really, to live ...

2025-07-13T16:13:25+02:00

Laleh Khalili:

"Is a moment of horror, really, to live through as the extent to which the expenditures are being routed towards killing technologies, essentially, and surveillance ones, rather than those that could actually benefit us all is really to all of our shame.

And it is also a complete and utter crystallization of the extent to which democratic control over the development of these kinds of technologies has been lost."

#Democracy #Imperialism #Technology
https://www.techwontsave.us/episode/284_how_the_us_weaponizes_tech_in_the_middle_east_w_laleh_khalili

Found the answer on this thread. "Eventually I realised that, ...

2025-07-12T13:39:35+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9rug
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Found the answer on this thread.
"Eventually I realised that, after copying and pasting the array formula, I should have pressed ‘Ctrl+Shift+Enter’ instead of just ‘Enter’. Talk about obscure input requirements. I don’t see why ‘Enter’ wouldn’t be sufficient."

Explanation:
"Array/matrix mode formulas calculate differently than in “normal” mode."

Thanks to Rodrigo Santamaría (npub18a8…d22r) for your attempt to help me!

#LibreOffice

https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/copy-formula-not-working/24756

Yeah, it's so strange. Format is set to text. It's just a ...

2025-07-11T19:17:34+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…0zrk
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Yeah, it's so strange. Format is set to text. It's just a lookup to another sheet. Exact same formula as the row that works but adjusted for different reference.

The act of editing it in the formula field somehow seems to change it from a formula to text. I can enter into a row with functioning formula in a cell, and any edit, even just deleting and retyping a ")" at the end of formula somehow stops the formula from working when I stop editing.

LibreOffice (npub1tgg…qwzh)

Nope, that was corrected. That's not the problem. Even typing ...

2025-07-11T18:20:30+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…6pwd
_________________________

Nope, that was corrected. That's not the problem. Even typing in a formula from scratch does not work. What's weird is that I don't get an error of any kind, it just shows the formula in the cell as though it was text and not a formula.

Okay, entering formulas into LibreOffice Calc fails way too ...

2025-07-11T17:33:03+02:00

Okay, entering formulas into LibreOffice Calc fails way too often. I never know if it's going to work.

- I make a new row. Sometimes I can copy a formula from the previous row and paste in and it works. Other times, no.
- It didn't work today so I tried manually entering in formula. It just shows the formula in the cell but does not calculate the result.
- Delete row, try a new row.
- Confirm that formula is correct multiple times.

What incantation am I missing?

#LibreOffice LibreOffice (npub1tgg…qwzh)

"The intent of proprietary computing is that everything users ...

2025-07-08T13:12:02+02:00

"The intent of proprietary computing is that everything users do should come under the dictates of the owners of the code...

You can agree to your own subjugation, that’s your choice. It may seem more convenient. It may seem comfortable. It may even seem pleasurable and safe. But in the end, you’re handing over your own fate."

#fsf #FreeSoftware #GNU + #Linux #Freedom #Democracy #Computing #Apple #Microsoft #Google #Amazon #Ethics #Libre

https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2025-07-04.html

Think I'll write a blog post for #Apple users that are #GNU ...

2025-07-04T00:58:27+02:00

Think I'll write a blog post for #Apple users that are #GNU #Linux curious.

If you have ethical or political concerns about Apple, how can you begin a gentle transition? It doesn't have to be all or nothing. Why not dip your toes into what #FreeSoftware has to offer? Think of it as an experiment in learning. It's FREE after all and much of it can be done from your Mac as it is.

Got an old computer? Take a bigger step, TRY an install without a long term commitment on all your devices.

"Yanis Varoufakis: "Something SERIOUS Is About To Hit ...

2025-06-28T02:47:34+02:00

"Yanis Varoufakis: "Something SERIOUS Is About To Hit America..."

... a Greek economist, author, and former finance minister of Greece, known for his outspoken critiques of austerity and neoliberal economic policies. A prominent voice in European economic debates, he advocates for democratic reform of international financial institution...

#TechnoFeudalism #ClimateEmergency
#China #US #Imperialism #Israel #Gaza #Capitalism #Colonialism #GlobalNorth #GlobalSouth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMjLaTiY0vA&ab_channel=EastAsiaRise

We have a choice to make: How we compute matters I accepted ...

2025-06-27T00:46:31+02:00

We have a choice to make: How we compute matters

I accepted Apple’s behavior for far too long. And then, one day, I said nope. Nope. Nope. NOPE. On some level, at some point I began to care about how they, a profit seeking company, were treating me as a human being. I simply had to stop pretending that it was okay for them to treat me in such a way. And that it was in my best interest to stop cooperating. We do not...

#Microsoft #Apple #Google
#GNU #Linux #FSF #FOSS

https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2025-06-26.html

While two man-babies in the US throw their tantrums and transfix ...

2025-06-06T13:46:55+02:00

While two man-babies in the US throw their tantrums and transfix the profit driven drama machines of the US corporate media, a group of courageous and compassionate human rights activists are confronting Israel head on in an attempt to bring aid and draw attention to the ongoing genocide.

Our attention should be focused on Gaza, not the drama of the two US man-babies (apologies to babies everywhere).

#Gaza #GretaThunberg #HumanRights
#Israel #Genocide

"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. But so ...

2025-05-19T13:48:25+02:00

"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. But so did the divine right of kings." - Ursula K. Le Guin

Agreed on the excessive waste and, on the front-end, over ...

2025-05-18T12:57:45+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mxcn
_________________________

Agreed on the excessive waste and, on the front-end, over consumption of resources. We can continue to build the already ongoing movement to repair rather than replace what we have. Of course, it's a direct opposition to our capitalist culture and economic system which is exactly what we need. Our future depends on that opposition.

Build community organizations focused on the repair of already existing products. Create a culture of extended use rather than hyper-consumption.

I love everything about this. "Post Apocalyptic Computing In ...

2025-05-12T12:59:06+02:00

I love everything about this.

"Post Apocalyptic Computing

In a world increasingly dominated by planned obsolescence and disposable technology, the idea of a general-purpose computing machine designed to last a century feels both radical and necessary. Drawing inspiration from Sci-Fi, retro computing, and a deep frustration with modern constraints, we can imagine a machine that prioritizes repairability, self-containment, and the ability to modify and replicate itself."

https://thomashunter.name/posts/2025-03-23-post-apocalyptic-computing

It's May Day!! There's no better time to be thinking of ...

2025-05-01T14:17:42+02:00

It's May Day!! There's no better time to be thinking of ways we can build solidarity, mutual aid and resistance to fascism.

#MayDay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Workers'_Day

In mid February I made the jump from iPadOS (preferred) and macOS ...

2025-04-29T03:26:04+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…da5v
_________________________

In mid February I made the jump from iPadOS (preferred) and macOS to Linux Mint and it was very easy. Not perfect, I DID check beforehand and knew I would likely need ethernet to install drivers for my wifi. And I would recommend a wired keyboard/mouse for a desktop in case of Bluetooth issues. But the ease of use in set-up and in my daily use since then matches up with the reputation Mint seems to have earned. Throwing it out there in case you'd not heard of it yet.

Glad to hear that Apple's obedience to fascism is paying off ...

2025-04-12T21:28:57+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…yl2r
_________________________

Glad to hear that Apple's obedience to fascism is paying off for them. And glad that I've rid myself of my dependence on iCloud. I'll never purchase Apple hardware again nor will I invest another penny in their App or media ecosystem.

For all their lofty statements about ideals, at the end of the day, of course it's profit they serve. All else is marketing.

#Apple #Linux

If Europe is going to break from US-based tech will it embrace ...

2025-04-12T14:01:04+02:00

If Europe is going to break from US-based tech will it embrace FOSS or just duplicate the US for-profit, capitalism-based model of computing?

https://kolektiva.media/w/cbb9f78a-9705-41f6-b7a3-e869e1a0e7f2

#Linux #FOSS

Are you bending the knee to fascism? If your favorite local ...

2025-03-31T18:56:27+02:00

Are you bending the knee to fascism?

If your favorite local hardware store started flying a Nazi flag would you shrug and go ahead and step through the door to purchase that garden hose you need? Many US companies and, relevant to this post, most of US big tech have all bent the knee to the Trump administration. For the sake of business and profit, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and others are all going along...

#Fascism #Apple #Google #Meta #FOSS #Linux
https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2025-03-31.html

The flip side of crisis is opportunity "Remember: they want ...

2025-02-01T15:59:30+01:00

The flip side of crisis is opportunity

"Remember: they want us to be afraid. The way to resist is build community and solidarity by coming together in our neighborhoods. It is feeding each other at potlucks. It is organizing neighborhood defense and mutual aid care. It is making the focus of our lives building solidarity with neighbors. Organize. Talk. Organize. Celebrate with each other.

We build resistance by building community SOLIDARITY..."

https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2025-02-01.html

So, Luigi Mangione is labeled a terrorist by the same government ...

2024-12-22T13:20:51+01:00

So, Luigi Mangione is labeled a terrorist by the same government that deliberately carries out a War on Children?

"In November, over a year into Israel’s genocide in Gaza, a report by the Gaza-based Community Training Center for Crisis Management produced a grim statistic: “Nearly all children in the embattled Palestinian enclave believe their death is imminent — and nearly half of them want to die."
https://truthout.org/articles/israels-war-on-gaza-is-a-war-on-children/

#Gaza #Genocide #Terrorism #LuigiMangione #Israel #Empire #Imperialism

I've been listening to the From Under the Shadow podcast the ...

2024-12-01T13:50:45+01:00

I've been listening to the From Under the Shadow podcast the past few days. I've long been aware of the broadstrokes of US policy in Central and South America. As I listen I think every US citizen should aquaint themselves with the details. This is the core truth of the US: It is an empire built on extreme violence in the name of democracy.

#USImperialism #Empire #USViolence
https://nacla.org/under-shadow

It's 30°F this morning, 52°F in my cabin and I'm ...

2024-11-26T15:17:35+01:00

It's 30°F this morning, 52°F in my cabin and I'm layered up to keep warm. I just finished homemade pumpkin butter on waffles for breakfast. Sipping coffee and reading about the flooding in the UK.

Living in the early days of the collapse.

#ClimateDiary #ClimateEmergency

"This is not who we are." Let's get this out of the ...

2024-11-13T14:54:27+01:00

"This is not who we are."

Let's get this out of the way right off: what we have right now is exactly who we are and who we've been since the first days of Europeans setting foot on the Americas. From day one we subjugated a population of people that lived here first.

Stop and consider that, don't move past it. Don't pretend that it's ancient history that is not relevant. Don't pretend there is an expiration date for land theft and genocide..."

https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2024-11-13.html

Have we finished our mourning? Because we need to move onto ...

2024-11-11T13:47:28+01:00

Have we finished our mourning? Because we need to move onto community defense organizing. Don't be a "Good German". We can't be "Good Americans". Now is not the time to keep your head down.

A lot of liberal folks spent the past few months warning of coming fascism or authoritarianism. I hope that they understand what that means and that it is coming. Fascists do not share power via elections. If you're holding onto "get through the next 4 years" drop that delusion now.
#BuildCommunityDefense

Apple, Capitalism and 13 years under Tim Cook Long introductory ...

2024-10-03T16:49:02+02:00

Apple, Capitalism and 13 years under Tim Cook

Long introductory preface and note: I feel the need to preface this post because at the end of the day Apple is a corporation that will always do capitalism which means it will always seek to increase its profits. Yes, it puts on a friendly progressive face. It projects certain ethics or social values which I appreciate. But capitalism is a fundamental problem for humanity and I do not believe it can be made compatible...

https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2024-10-03.html

Want to help? Become a climate activist. Make it a part of your ...

2024-09-28T13:33:00+02:00

Want to help?
Become a climate activist. Make it a part of your daily life. Stop fucking around pretending that it will fix itself or that the broken political process will suddenly fix it counter to the evidence of the past 40 years of not doing so.

Want to help? Start supporting other climate activists via donations to their legal defense.

A lot of people continue to be confused by these art protests because it doesn't seem to relate to fossil...

#ClimateEmergency
https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2024-09-28.html

My goodness. Look at this website. Just look at it! How did I not ...

2024-09-12T00:22:33+02:00

My goodness. Look at this website. Just look at it! How did I not know about this? Old, beautiful books in the public domain, digitally scanned and available to all. At this moment the featured book at the top of the home page is The Conchological Ilustrations and oh my is it beautiful. This is the internet at its best.

https://www.hathitrust.org/

"Seven years ago, anarchists and other anti-fascists ...

2024-08-19T14:15:02+02:00

"Seven years ago, anarchists and other anti-fascists converged in Charlottesville, Virginia to oppose the “Unite the Right” rally. The organizers of the rally intended to bring together Klansmen, neo-Nazis, far-right militias, and fascists from the so-called “alt-right” to build a unified white supremacist street movement."

https://crimethinc.com/2024/08/11/charlottesville-revisited-2017-to-2024-what-can-a-moment-of-peril-tell-us-about-our-own-dangerous-times

“They’re about to see this other Cori, this other side,” ...

2024-08-07T23:01:04+02:00

“They’re about to see this other Cori, this other side,” she told supporters. “Aipac, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.”

Bush, who will continue to serve in Congress until January, added: “All they did was radicalise me, so now they need to be afraid.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/07/cori-bush-pro-israel-lobby-warning

Humans of the future will ask why we refused to act and we will ...

2024-08-02T02:59:32+02:00

Humans of the future will ask why we refused to act and we will rightly be condemned for our failure.

"Ground temperatures across great swathes of the ice sheets of Antarctica have soared an average of 10C above normal over the past month, in what has been described as a near record heatwave...

The globe has experienced 12 months of record warmth, with temperatures consistently exceeding the 1.5C rise above preindustrial levels..."

#ClimateEmergency

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/01/antarctic-temperatures-rise-10c-above-average-in-near-record-heatwave