From e629cc77768ad029445648540a0dd4129ce869a7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Kumar Damani Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2022 18:56:16 -0400 Subject: moved to hugo --- public/post/index.html | 114 ++++++++++++++++++ public/post/index.xml | 29 +++++ public/post/programs/index.html | 151 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ public/post/self-host/6imv05.jpg | Bin 0 -> 66020 bytes public/post/self-host/elections.jpg | Bin 0 -> 97041 bytes public/post/self-host/freedom.jpg | Bin 0 -> 300014 bytes public/post/self-host/index.html | 224 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ public/post/self-host/office.png | Bin 0 -> 1443597 bytes public/post/self-host/police.jpg | Bin 0 -> 190074 bytes public/post/self-host/why.jpg | Bin 0 -> 110502 bytes 10 files changed, 518 insertions(+) create mode 100644 public/post/index.html create mode 100644 public/post/index.xml create mode 100644 public/post/programs/index.html create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/6imv05.jpg create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/elections.jpg create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/freedom.jpg create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/index.html create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/office.png create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/police.jpg create mode 100644 public/post/self-host/why.jpg (limited to 'public/post') diff --git a/public/post/index.html b/public/post/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..524f518 --- /dev/null +++ b/public/post/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,114 @@ + + + + Posts – Kumar Damani - Home + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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Kumar Damani - Home

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Posts

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Why do I self-host?

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+ Kumar Damani, + 12 September 2022 +

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My reasons for self-hosting.

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Programs and Equipment

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+ Kumar Damani, + 12 November 2021 +

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The programs and equipment I use on a daily basis.

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Links

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Git, email, resume etc.

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+ + + diff --git a/public/post/index.xml b/public/post/index.xml new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8451bdc --- /dev/null +++ b/public/post/index.xml @@ -0,0 +1,29 @@ + + + + Posts on Kumar Damani - Home + https://kumardamani.net/post/ + Recent content in Posts on Kumar Damani - Home + Hugo -- gohugo.io + en-us + Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 + + Why do I self-host? + https://kumardamani.net/post/self-host/ + Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 + + https://kumardamani.net/post/self-host/ + <p>My reasons for self-hosting.</p> + + + + Programs and Equipment + https://kumardamani.net/post/programs/ + Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 + + https://kumardamani.net/post/programs/ + <p>The programs and equipment I use on a daily basis.</p> + + + + diff --git a/public/post/programs/index.html b/public/post/programs/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fb13c1a --- /dev/null +++ b/public/post/programs/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,151 @@ + + + + Programs and Equipment – Kumar Damani - Home + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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Kumar Damani - Home

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Programs and Equipment

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The programs and equipment I use on a daily basis.

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Programs and Equipment I Use

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I’m about getting things done quickly and having as little space between +my thoughts and actions on the computer.

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I like having vim-like bindings and prefer running programs in the terminal for simplicity’s sake. +That said, I’m very much against the cringe meme that things in the terminal are “cooler” or “nerdier” XD. +Terminals are good for most tasks, but useless for others, for example, browsing the web +(I admit this unfortunate fact with much consternation) or looking at maps.

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Software I Use

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OS Distribution

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Manjaro (stable) though this is a bit of a moot point since there’s been a lot of convergence among the +popular distros recently especially since they all offer some dedicated channel for getting up-to-date +software. The real day-to-day difference to workflow comes from the choice of desktop environment. +I do like Debian, and Fedora as well.

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Desktop Environment

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I’ve settled on KDE Plasma w/ Wayland after many years of hopping. +Plasma comes with all the tools you’d expect to see in a modern desktop, +and for the most part these tools are perfectly capable of doing the task they are meant to do. +Prior to KDE, I’ve used Dwm/Bsmpw + Sxhkd, i3 etc. I’m glad these exist and people get +use out of it, but for now I do not miss it - I’m sure that will eventually change too.

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KDE Plasma

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Text Editor

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(neo)vim. Less of a text editor and more of a lifestyle. Check out my dotfiles for this. +No, I’m not going to ever switch to emacs.

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Neovim

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Web Browser

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Firefox / +Brave / +Vivaldi. +I have tried, Chromium, Qutebrowser in the past.

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File Manager

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nnn. Yes, I have used ranger.

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nnn

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Where can I find good software options?

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The program of your dreams is probably listed below:

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  • The suckless website’s list of programs that “rock”. +Generally minimalist programs.
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  • A more comprehensive list +of minimalist software.
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  • FSF’s Free Software Directory. +Emphasis on libre software (although most software in the links above will have free licenses as well).
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  • Gentoo Wiki Recommendations +A good mix of programs for novices and advanced users.
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Hardware I Use

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Laptop

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The main laptop I use is the Framework laptop. +I’m a huge fan of the whole upgradability concept coming from a few generations of ThinkPads.

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What I don’t use

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Proprietary software.

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I’m not going to endorse proprietary services that have gone out of their way to spy on or politically +suppress their users, just as Facebook, Discord etc. +One of the many take-aways you should get from me is that the use of libre/free software, +by its nature, is more constructive and extensible; and that’s the point.

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There are philosophical reasons for this I’ll talk about in time, but for now, +suffice it to say I will not endorse the usage of proprietary software.

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Links

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Git, email, resume etc.

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Overview for the programs and equipment I use day-to-day.

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+ By Kumar Damani, + 2021-11-12 +

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+ + + diff --git a/public/post/self-host/6imv05.jpg b/public/post/self-host/6imv05.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d042d7a Binary files /dev/null and b/public/post/self-host/6imv05.jpg differ diff --git a/public/post/self-host/elections.jpg b/public/post/self-host/elections.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ac4ac96 Binary files /dev/null and b/public/post/self-host/elections.jpg differ diff --git a/public/post/self-host/freedom.jpg b/public/post/self-host/freedom.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d62048a Binary files /dev/null and b/public/post/self-host/freedom.jpg differ diff --git a/public/post/self-host/index.html b/public/post/self-host/index.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..723ce2f --- /dev/null +++ b/public/post/self-host/index.html @@ -0,0 +1,224 @@ + + + + Why do I self-host? – Kumar Damani - Home + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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Kumar Damani - Home

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Why do I self-host?

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My reasons for self-hosting.

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Digital freedom/independence

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Freedeom pic

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To put it simply, if you use a service such as Lastpass, iCloud, Dropbox, GDrive, OneDrive, etc. +to store your data, you do not own it.

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You are trusting corp. X to store it, secure it, and make it available to you. +Beyond the obvious privacy pitfalls with this, there are many other things that +could go wrong with your data being stored this way:

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  • Corp. X could vanish/close/“declare bankruptcy” (as with many crypto corps. lately), and you lose your data.
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  • Corp. X could make a policy change and lock you out from accessing your account.
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  • Or you could “forget” to pay the bills a few times and get locked out.
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  • Corp. X could get hacked, and your data gets stolen. This is the latest trend!
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  • Many other doomsday 💀 scenarios.
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Personally, I don’t feel comfortable depending on the existence of corp. X for data that is important to +me i.e. a lifetime’s worth of documents, memories, and passwords etc. +I 💤 much better at night knowing I am avoiding most if not all of the risks above.

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Privacy

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Normies often ask me some variation of:

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  • Why do I care if corp. X has my data? I have nothing to hide!
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  • Since I’m aware of targeted advertising, it won’t work on me, +so why should I care if corp. X has my data?
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my pic +
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To such questions, I follow-up with:

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Do you want to contribute to a dystopian (Orwellian future?

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thought police +
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If your answer is yes, then no need to read further, the following will not change your mind.

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If your answer is no, but you aren’t convinced that/how these are related, +then the argument goes something like this…

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  • We live in a world of mass data-collection/surveillance.
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  • This enables corp. X to use techniques such as ML (Machine Learning) to build/train models (or “AI” - +Artificial Intelligence)that aim to predict human behaviour.
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  • That by itself is not a problem here.
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  • The problems arise when corp. X use these techniques for profit without +regard for the harm they cause at a population level.
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I have unfortunately lived through enough of these cases to be able to cite a few recent examples:

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    Instagram (etc.) designs its apps/products optimizing for maximum addiction1. +Think slot-machines. +You might think you are “too smart” to fall for these tricks, and you might be right, +but what about the millions of adolescents using these platforms who aren’t as wise as you? +The data collected, and techniques developed from your usage enables platforms +to target not only you, but all users on the platform, including the most vulnerable.

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    Unfortunately, many of these kids will end up suffering from mental-health, +body-image, self-esteem issues2, +and for some it will be fatal. +I do not think this is morally acceptable, and is primary reason I refuse +to participate in social-media platforms.

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    Depression

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You could say “well that’s due to bad parenting”, but the point remains that +more and more of the digital world is having real world negative consequences regardless of +your individual participation level. Another example:

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    By now its well known that Facebook’s (etc.) targeted advertising +played a significant a role in the 2016 US Elections3. +Facebook was able to do this thanks to its users voluntarily giving personal information for two decades. +However, the policies that come out of this election has real world consequences to millions +(if not billions) of people, regardless of their individual Facebook usage, which +undermines the very purpose of a democratic republic. +Regardless of your political affiliation, it should worry you that this can happen.

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    Elections

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To summarize, it might not be a problem if individuals disregard their +privacy at the individual level, but in aggregate, a population-wide disregard +has dystopian consequences.

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So the question you have to ask yourself is:

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What can I do?

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Start by valuing your privacy. +Then, follow some of these tips to say no…

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  • Limit your exposure to these services. If a friend stops talking to you because +of this, then congratulations, you’ve just gotten rid of a fake friend. You’re welcome.
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  • Self-host +as much as you can. +You can see how I implement this and replicate it yourself, +though it is a bit involved for normies.
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  • If neither of the above work for you, then you’ll need to do some research to +find an alternative source that you can trust isn’t doing the same thing. +Use this +as a starting point and try to search (Ctrl+f) for your service. For eg. Twitter, and +Instagram both have popular options available.
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  • Stop using Chrome. If you must use it, use Brave instead. +I advocate for Firefox. +Neither are perfect, but both offer privacy respecting options in their settings. +Specifically disabling cross-site tracking is important. +Beyond that, install an ad-blocker extension such as UBlock Origin +on both of them. Don’t forget to do the same on your mobile device!
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  • Things get more complicated on cell-phones. +I suggest switching to a privacy respecting operating-system such as GrapheneOS +Short of this, you can only limit your usage.
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  • Support government policies that respect user-privacy.
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office pic +
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  1. +

    Smartphones and dompanime ↩︎

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    Mental health and social media ↩︎

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    Excerpt from Facebook ex-exec ↩︎

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Links

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Git, email, resume etc.

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+

Overview of why I self-host.

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+ By Kumar Damani, + 2022-09-12 +

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