ive got a new phone!

content/post/2021/03/getting-rid-of-tracking-using-lineageos.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ date: '2021-03-01'
 subtitle: "Exit Google. Enter Life."
 tags:
   - privacy
-  - LineageOS
+  - phone
 categories:
   - learning
 ---

content/post/2021/09/20-years-of-personal-cellphone-history.md

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ categories:
   - retro
 tags:
   - lists
+  - phone
 ---
 
 It all started with the Nokia 3210. Remember that brick? No, not the _Gray Brick_, nor as heavy as Nintendo's lovable but not so little device, but just as rectangular. You could play games on it! Snake 1! I think its legacy is mostly condensed into the "_tududu-duu tududu-duuu tududu-duu duuuuuh_" tune. The battery lasted for more than a week. Good times, cellphones used to call instead of waste time on social media cesspools. I thought it would be great fun to use [Ruben's template](https://rubenerd.com/favourite-game-meme-feedback/) from the [favorite game meme](/post/2021/09/favorite-game-meme/) post to lay out all phones I once owned in a grid:

content/post/2024/04/ive-got-a-new-phone.md

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+---
+title: "6 Years Later, I've Got A New Phone"
+date: 2024-04-27T20:05:00+02:00
+categories:
+  - software
+tags:
+  - phone
+---
+
+It took a _very_ long time to finally add a new entry in the [personal phone history matrix](/post/2021/09/20-years-of-personal-cellphone-history/), and I'm quite proud of that. My last smartphone, a hand-me-down Sony XZ1 Compact, was eventually rooted and [flashed with LineageOS](/post/2021/03/getting-rid-of-tracking-using-lineageos/), significantly prolonging its lifespan. In fact, the phone was still perfectly serviceable, so why buy a new one? Because I didn't, but my company did---otherwise I would never spend that much on a stupid phone. 
+
+I've always had a big problem with the bulkiness of contemporary smartphones that prevent its owner from comfortably putting it away in a jeans pocket. The XZ Compact is... well... _compact_. And then my mother got a cool-looking foldable Samsung Flip 4 which evoked instant retro vibes, harking back to the GBA SP/Nintendo DS days. It made my choice very easy: either the Motorola Razr+/40 Ultra, another foldable one, or the Flip 5. 
+
+The problem, however, is bloatware. Motorola has a reputation for selling durable phones that come without too much junk, giving you the vanilla Android experience. Sadly their latest entries, including the one I was eyeing on, does come with a lot of unwanted crap---just like any Samsung phone. The foldable mechanism of the Samsung seemed a bit more sturdy so I eventually went with a Flip 5, hoping for the best. 
+
+When it comes to software, I was to be sorely disappointed. The Flip 5 is somehow preloaded with crap that reminds me of a Windows 11 installation, and there is no official LineageOS build for Flip/Fold phones as a quick-and-easy alternative. It took a day of fiddling in `adb` and various settings panels to (de)configure the phone to my liking and it's still not 100% de-cluttered.
+
+There's something you have to know about me and smartphones. [I hate them](/post/2024/04/smartphone-pervasiveness/). So why own one in the first place? That's very simple: (1) in this digital world, it's almost impossible to communicate without one, and (2) I want to be reachable for my wife. That said, I'm very, _very_ strict when it comes to usage:
+
+- Maximize privacy. This includes de-Googling (and _de-Samsunging_) the phone.
+- Minimize interaction. I don't have an e-mail client installed. Are you shocked yet? 
+
+How to de-bloat your Android phone? Using the Android debugger, you can uninstall packages with `pm uninstall -k --user 0 [PackageName]`. The problem then is: which ones to get rid of and which ones to keep? I consulted multiple sources, such as the [Universal Android Debloater](https://github.com/0x192/universal-android-debloater?tab=readme-ov-file) and a list published on [getdroidtips.com](https://www.getdroidtips.com/uninstall-bloatware-samsung-z-flip-4-z-fold-4/). Did you know your brand new Samsung phone comes with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Microsoft crap installed? Great! Or how about multiple shady Samsung telemetry packages? I even disabled the _Samsung Update_ software---the first thing that one will do is re-download all bloatware. The more you get rid of, the less that remains eating away battery life...
+
+How to de-Google your Android phone without installing a new OS? Don't login to your Google account and `pm uninstall` all non-critical Google-related packages. The problem then is: how to install anything if the Google Play Store isn't available? That's what the [Aurora Store](https://www.auroraoss.com/), an anonymous front-end, and [F-Droid](https://f-droid.org/), an alternative FOSS catalogue, are for. At home, I also have a Pi-Hole running, so the bloatware that remains will have to pass those filters as well.
+
+Here's a list of apps I now rely on:
+
+**Sync tools**
+
+- DAVx5: CardDav/CalDav contacts/calendar syncing with my Radicale server.
+- ICSx5: connect with an external `.ics` Calendar.
+- Syncthing: the essential tool to auto-backup images, documents, and to sync my Obsidian Vault.
+
+**Note-taking/related apps**
+
+- Obsidian: I can now quickly consult my second brain without a laptop nearby!
+- Genius Scan: my go-to analog note-taking scanning app.
+- BGG Catalog: a board game (note) tracking app.
+- Foxit PDF Editor: works better than viewing PDFs in Firefox.
+- HP Sprocket: the only way to print photo stickers with the Sprocket.
+
+**Multimedia**
+
+- DS video: an old but still OK working video streaming app for the NAS.
+- Substreamer: the mobile Subsonic client connecting with [my local music streaming server](/post/2022/03/how-to-stream-your-own-music-reprise/).
+
+**Google alternatives**
+
+- Firefox mobile.
+- HERE WeGo: GPS navigation, an excellent Maps alternative.
+- OsmAnd~: detailed maps navigation useful for geocaching.
+- Aurora Store & F-Droid to download apps.
+
+**Necessarily Evils**
+
+- WhatsApp & Signal. 
+- Itsme, a digital authentication app for Belgians.
+- Banking software.
+- FreeOTP: RedHat's 2FA client.
+
+**Misc**
+
+- Etar Calendar: a FOSS calendar widget alternative.
+- NetGuard: currently under evaluation, with this you can block internet access on (system) package level.
+- Automate: currently under evaluation, with this you can create widgets that activate a custom workflow (see [Zach Young's notes on this](https://zachyoung.dev/posts/obsidian-quick-capture-for-android)). Used as a quick link to my Obsidian Scratchpad note file.
+
+Switching smartphones was---besides the hassle of installing and configuring all of the above---surprisingly easy, thanks to Syncthing and DAVx5. I was already exporting all critical data and I already de-Googled my life, so there wasn't anything on the old Sony XZ1 Compact phone that I had to backup or copy before switching over. 
+
+I am the most excited about the mobile version of Obsidian that didn't exist when I started my Vault. At least now I have enough screen real estate to comfortably read my own notes, and everything's kept in sync, again, thanks to Syncthing! If you, like me, rely on open source tools like these, please [consider donating to them](https://syncthing.net/donations/).
+
+

content/post/2024/04/remakes-and-remasters-of-old-dos-games.md

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ tags:
     - engines
 ---
 
-I've been known to (re)play old games---[sometimes in new engines](/post/2023/08/playing-old-games-in-new-engines/), sometimes [on original hardware](/post/2022/09/vintage-program-launchers/). The latest games to fit that bill are Duke Nukem 1 + 2 as part of the Duke Nukem Evercade Collection 1 where an amazing feat was pulled off by completely rewriting the engine to support smooth scrolling on the Evercade widescreen handheld. If you press `SELECT`, you can switch between classic and modern modes, neatly highlighting the improvements. Here's a video I recorded for [the review I wrote](https://jefklakscodex.com/games/evercade/duke-nukem-collection-1/) showcasing the effect:
+I've been known to (re)play old games---[sometimes in new engines](/post/2023/08/playing-old-games-in-new-engines/), sometimes [on original hardware](/post/2022/09/vintage-program-launchers/). The latest games to fit that bill are Duke Nukem 1 + 2 as part of the Duke Nukem Evercade Collection 1 where an amazing feat was pulled off by completely rewriting the engine to support smooth scrolling on the Evercade widescreen handheld. If you press `SELECT`, you can switch between classic and modern modes, neatly highlighting the improvements. Here's a video I recorded (using [my recent Avermedia capture card](/post/2022/11/capturing-vga-output-from-dos-on-winxp/)) for [the review I wrote](https://jefklakscodex.com/games/evercade/duke-nukem-collection-1/) showcasing the effect:
 
 {{< video "/vid/dn1-collection.mp4" >}}
 

content/post/2024/04/smartphone-pervasiveness.md

@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ title: "Smartphone Pervasiveness"
 date: 2024-04-15T16:25:00+02:00
 categories:
   - braindump
+tags:
+  - phone
 ---
 
 Or should that be _invasiveness_? Persuasiveness? It's no longer a distraction, [it's an addiction](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-state-of-the-culture-2024), it's everywhere, and its aggressive promotion and passive acceptance is driving me crazy.