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Joined 18 days ago
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Cake day: August 7th, 2026

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  • It helps to take a step back and think about Syncthing as a file sharing utility in general.

    Syncthing allows you to share any number of folders with any number of other devices with any type of sharing structure you want (2 way file sync = filesharing, 1 way file sync = backing up). You can also set up file versioning on files within a Syncthing folder’s settings.

    Note: Syncthing is not intended to be a true file backup utility, and some people will get quite upset if you portray it that way, which I get, but also it just works… and you just need to be reasonable about how you do things, just remember it is a general filesharing tool that you are USING to backup files.

    You are the cloud with Syncthing, but unlike something like Nextcloud there is no special central file server nonsense, there are just Syncthing devices sharing folders to other Syncthing devices so you can do it however you want. You do need two devices of course, your phone you want to backup and the device you are backing up onto (which could be a computer with usb drive attached), but from there you can add new devices and share the same folder/folders to them and leapfrog important files without needing to sit there and think out some complicated system or architecture ahead of time.

    Syncthing is very “organic” because it is so simple, but it is also very powerful, I have relied on it for years in a variety of contexts and have never really been let down.

    One tip, if you want your own personal cloud, a raspberry pi type device, or an old phone plugged into the wall can serve as your server that is always listening for file edits/updates from devices in a folder share. Otherwise you have to make sure Syncthing devices are on the internet at the same time to sync files, though there is actually a quite nice GUI interface for resolving file conflicts if they do happen (I have used it quite a few times and resolved issues).

    If your files are smallish, just setting the “file versioning” setting under a Syncthing folder’s settings to a number like 5-10 versions can provide even more confidence you won’t lose something but I digress…

    I love Syncthing!

    edit you can also do weird little hacks if you need to by doing things like setting up a Syncthing folder share on a Dropbox folder to sync files in ways you wouldn’t otherwise be able to do, it isn’t a recommended practice but shrugs I have also done this many times too and haven’t had any serious issues.


  • You don’t need a full backup of your phone, you need a backup of all the relevant data! What do you need to backup other than contacts and media in your home folder? (documents, downloads, music, podcasts, DCIM etc…)

    If there is relevant data “locked up” in your apps can you export it in some form to somewhere like your downloads folder and sync that folder?












  • In a sense this AI bubble is really two things, it is partially a bullshit bubble full of idiots and it is partially an embodiment of the basic philosophy of Sun Tzu demonstrating the act of losing a war before it has ever begun by becoming obsessed with pouring everything into a costly illusion that only the elite are really enamored by.

    The same thing with the F35, that thing is a thesis and world monument to the philosophy that the way to win a war is by making the opponent lose on multiple levels before you begin the outright war part. It doesn’t matter how well the F35 works or doesn’t work, the amount of resources and waste have already “lost a war” entirely from the diversion of a Trillion plus dollars of resources that could have transformed the US in any number of other more productive directions. The F35 already lost an entire war before it ever even fought in a battle.



  • I hate Android with a bloodcurdling passion but yes.

    Apple has the most condescending design philosophy I know of and I will never tolerate the degree of suffocation Apple imposes on devices you have purchased and own.

    Also Android has F-Droid which makes Android categorically superior to iOS.

    https://f-droid.org/en/

    Get all of your core basic apps like flashlight apps, image gallery apps, file browser apps etc… from F-Droid.

    Samsung? I hate samsung and yet I have an older used flagship samsung phone and ultimately that is what I recommend doing with Android, always buy near top of the line phones (samsung or otherwise), just go used and older until you hit a price point you are comfortable with. This reduces the headaches you will run into with Android a lot since you are always getting the experience Android was meant to give and that designers focused on especially when it comes to the hardware and camera + camera app.

    I recommend Swappa for buying used electronics/phones since the website is dedicated to only those kinds of sales and provides a lot of confidence and comfort vs. buying off a random ebay seller.

    https://swappa.com/

    edit ALSO on Android you can change your launcher/homescreen, the idea that you can’t do this on iOS blows my mind even though it doesn’t surprise me…


  • Where I draw the line for whether it is ethical to light things on fire is when they start destroying rare knowledge and books as fast as possible for no other reason than to hoard and obscure knowledge for private benefit.

    It is one thing to fund the creation of knowledge and then hoard it, it is entirely another to begin actively attacking and destroying pre-existing publicly shared resources of knowledge in the pursuit of monetizing access to that very knowledge behind a gargantuan profit motivated entity.