If you are feeling ambitious and want to go “serverless”, try out DecSync and a compatible android app for contact sync. This represents all your contacts as files on disk in a way that avoids conflicts, and you can use SyncThing to keep your devices in sync 100% peer to peer. Unfortunately on your desktop you’ll probably have to use something like radicale on localhost and the plugin to convert it into CardDAV for your regular email client to understand.

People like me keep buying more F-91Ws when the old ones break or get lost

What’s the deal with the Google ad that shows a legit URL but takes users to another? That seems like the biggest issue here and the article just rolls past it like that’s totally normal.

It’s convenient until you want to upgrade the distro.

Hmm wasn’t there some kerfuffle recently about how the kernel was going to start self-issuing CVEs en masse? Is this the result of that plan?

I probably wouldn’t bother. I can think of two scenarios you might get spied on.

1. Through your browser you’ve granted a website access to your webcam (Zoom etc.) and left a tab open. Maybe it could activate it when you weren’t expecting?
2. Someone has used a vulnerability to take control of your computer to the degree it can access your webcam directly. Desktop linux software doesn’t usually have meaningful isolation between software running as the same user, so at this point they can grab all your data, passwords, take screenshots, etc. and the webcam is just the cherry on top.

I expect most people don’t do (1) very often, let alone for sketchy websites, so IMO it doesn’t make much difference either way.

I was comparing frozen diced veggies a couple of years back (in Australia) and noticed that the store-brand version was approximately 1/3 broccoli stems by volume, which certainly explained the cost difference.

I recall that if you elude the monster long enough by catching enough logs you eventually wrap around to the start of the course and can ski down it again, and you get an additional monster chasing you when you get to the bottom.