Sven Slootweg @joepie91@pixie.town

The Pebble smartwatch team shares all of the ways Apple prevents other smartwatches from doing the same thing that Apple Watch does.

Your smartwatch can’t send texts, respond to notifications or talk to iOS apps unless it’s an Apple Watch. No one is allowed to build a device that connects to an iPhone as well as an Apple device.

https://ericmigi.com/blog/apple-restricts-pebble-from-being-awesome-with-iphones

@monorail "dialogue in movies is so fake, why do they always have all this staged exposition?" *watches primer* "exposition is good, actually"

I have some not-at-all-tech-savvy acquaintances who, without realizing how problematic the platform was, mentioned wanting "to start a substack or something".

I've already warned them away from the nazi bar, but I'm unsure what the current better options are for folks unable to host their own sites and services.

I'm likely to get a chance to offer suggestions here.

Got any recommendations that don't assume the user is also a sysadmin?

If you have a rooted phone do not uninstall Bunq or you'll have a hard time getting in with their new login flow.... (previously a hackers choice of bank as they didn't do root checks)

A lot of authors – especially trans and queer authors – are using #Itchio to sell books to customers in order to cut Amazon out of the equation. That's great. I'm a big fan of authors selling direct.

But here's something you need to know. Itch is taxing UK customers … for non-taxable goods.

#IndieAuthor

Do not travel to the US. Under any circumstance. Think you're safe because your paperwork is in order? Fuck you, it does not matter.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/19/canadian-detained-us-immigration-jasmine-mooney

Holy shit, a technology that actually solves a real problem. You know, an actual advancement instead of a finance scheme dressed up with tech.

If this works, it could be really cool for renewable energy storage.

https://www.theverge.com/news/631357/elecom-power-bank-battery-sodium-ion

This Talgo 106 is really weird

The ride is at one level serene - you don’t get the big movements of the carriages as much as on, say, a ICE

But the small vibrations are terrible. Everything rattles, especially the bottoms of the widow blinds that shake incessantly

Immigrants in #Germany: I'm forwarding this info:

> Important warning for anyone with a temporary suspension of deportation (Duldung)!

Do not take your cell phone to the immigration office if you have a temporary suspension of deportation (Duldung)! There are reports that the office confiscates cell phones to search them for documents or evidence of nationality.

Even if nothing is found, the phone is often not returned until a valid passport or ID card is presented – and this can lead to deportation.

This practice affects many foreign nationals. Therefore: Leave your cell phone at home if you need to extend your temporary suspension of deportation (Duldung)!

Share this information so that no one is caught unprepared in this situation.

Another proposal would be use of a cheap & „clean“ phone with only a few numbers/contacts and no photos/data that could put people into risk. to be still able to reach out for people and support if needed.

#deutschland #migration #migra

On that note: Reminder that the German police has been formally allowed to grab your hand and force unlock your cellphone with a fingerprint. Do not use fingerprint or facial unlock, it can be defeated in many ways. Do not rely on complex schemes like "hold power button to disable fingerprint" etc., which can be forgotten under adrenaline. Just use a PIN at all times. For now at least, they're not (officially) entitled to force you to say your PIN.

Also disable messages and notifications in the lock screen, the cops are known to watch it to mine for contacts. And don't unlock your phone around cops--I've watched it in person, they will yank it right out of your hand and dig through your photos and private messages, even without a warrant or anything.

Above all the interior is a total failure. These oscillations of the window blinds and the associated rattling noise are really frustrating.

Pro tip: pull the blind down 5cm and it stops the worst of the rattling but not all of it.

Ok, but, like, adult-sized playgrounds and jungle gyms would be cool as hell.
Like, not necessarily all colourful and stuff, but letting people enjoy some novel physical activity, ya know?

groundhog day but every day the fediverse chick appears

Thinking about the recent point in history where women's clothing shifted, corsets went out of style, clothing became more revealing, and at the same time standardized clothing sizes replaced tailoring, and there was greater pressure to diet and exercise to make your now-exposed body the "right" size.

Because I think something similar happened with social media, but to people's minds instead of their bodies.

Social media has given us an unprecedented opportunity to share our innermost thoughts and feelings with the world, but along with that has come a new pressure to make all the private parts of our mind correct. Even when weirdness is fashionable, you're expected to be weird in the acceptable way.