I'm pissed off with Google, Apple and Microsoft for a variety of reasons.  I use a cheap  smartphobne all the time, and it is great. I use very few apps, and Google doesn't like that, and it keeps trying to change my settings, and sending me stupid messages. I won't be moving to 5G for quite some time, if ever. There are alternatives appearing that may be better for me,

We know that the Five Eyes alliance has backdoors into all phones and computers, and that is more of a concern for me than the Chinese government, if it is true that they will be using Huawei with open source software. The whole issue is rubbish anyway. Most computers and phones use Chinese chips, and the so called health service use Chinese manufactured drugs, that should be more of a concern.

I need a second phone, so I will be watching the market,and I'll probably buy a Huawei phone when a suitable one appears.

Oh dear! You left out an account for yachts for the bankers and other elite.

Plot Thong is a blind elephant that was rescued a year ago. This video shows the reaction of the herd in the Elephant Nature Park as she is released, and introduced to them for the first time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4OCgaUvcBw

This is the myth busting page about the virus that has been produced by the WHO.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters

It's a difficult topic to evaluate. The B&H board should be for crypto beginners I guess, and that topic was for Internet beginners. Probably that was the reason it was moved.

Shoppers have gone a bit mad recently, and it seems to be the Corona Virus that has been the trigger. The supermarkets I have visited seem to have sold out of loo rolls, soap, pasta, tinned tomatoes, hand sanitisers, and a few other things. They seem to have lots of items that I would have thought were more useful in preparation for a shut down. I bought a few tins of sardines and pilchards for example. The soap is really a bit sad - don't people wash their hands normally? As my friend said - she doesn't care about loo rolls, as she has a bidet. Maybe we should all think about installing those to save paper, and improve hygiene. Is pasta really a better option than rice or potatoes as part of an emergency diet? Why choose tinned tomatoes rather than any other tinned vegetable? ( I know, tomatoes are really a fruit, but most people seem to think of them as vegetables ).

Do are the talkers here buying for a supermarket drought? What are your chosen items to carry you through the crisis?

Just to clarify things. It wasn't a McDonalds, it was this cafe.
https://cartgatelodgecafe.co.uk/the-cartgate-lodge-cafe-yeovil-picnic-area/

Contrary to popular belief, McDonalds is not the only provider of WiFi that I use, and I don't eat McD food.

@ITV
but the droplets can only stay airborn for a few feet, so a mask isn't going to help you unless you are robbing the supermarket, or someone coughs straight into your face. This virus isn't the same as previous ones, which were aerosols, and could carry through the air con systems.

"Politics doesn't have anything to do with crypro currencies" - What an extraordinary statement. Politics are the reason crypto was created in the first place. It is becoming more significant as well, Maybe there could be a shift in the emphasis of moderation, but it is more likely that there is a shortage of good thread starters.

I don't understand the list either. I have 265 sMerits available at the moment, and that is after today's awards.

I need to restart some projects so that I can use them.

For me, the biggest advantage of privacy is to stop Google messing with my searches.

I do use the Tor window in the Brave browser though.

Thanks for that factual post Jack.

As I have said many rimes, the current Corona Virus doesn't spread by aerosols, but by droplets. So masks aren't much use unless a person is only a couple of feet in front of you, and coughs directly into your face. The problem comes when the droplets fall onto a surface, and you pick them up and move them to your eyes or mouth. Don't wash face masks either, and this expands the holes in them. You realise the stupidity of people when you see them wearing face masks, but not wearing gloves.

Your best protection is not to smoke or vape. Smoking increase ACE-2 receptors, and the virus uses those to bind to your cells. Strengthen your immune system with a healthy diet, and the avoidance of all vaccinations. Don't take any pharmaceutical or recreational drugs, as they weaken your immune system. Maintain an active sex life to stimulate blood flow and restful sleep.

It isn't the damage to the lungs that causes smokers to be at an increased risk. Smoking increases the ACE-2 receptors that are used by the virus.

Come on guys - they haven't even got a reliable system for testing and diagnosis, so you can any stats be credible, Then there is the fact that people who have not been immunocompromised often don't show any symptoms, and don't get tested.

In addition most of the deaths related to CV are from secondary causes, because the hospitals have buggered up the body's natural defences.

Put an imaginary £500 into an imaginary trading account. Then pretend that you are trading with it by making imaginary purchases and sales. See how you get on for 3 months. If you make an imaginary loss, then you need to do some more reading. Analyse your trades,and if you feel comfortable with them, then try speculating with £100 for another 3 months.

Which country has a quality health service these days? I thought that all they do now is to push damaging pharmaceuticals and vaccines.

There is a fair bit of support here for people using a Raspberry Pi or similar. It's something I want to do with a couple of AGM batteries and a solar panel. I've got the batteries, I just need the other bits.

I was a Hero when merit was introduced, and I only received 500 merit in the air drop. As you can see I have been awarded over 1,000 merit from posting activities, so your comment is not relevant in my case.

Some deserts have underground aquifers. The real problem is the shifting topsoil ( sand) About 50 years ago, Shell  produced a sticky fertiliser to try to stop this, but the nomads living there burnt or ate anything that grew, and the project was abandoned.

If you purchase an account, then you buy it with all its attributes, and being banned is one of those.

If you bought a smashed up car because it was cheap, you wouldn't expect the seller to make it roadworthy would you?

Tell her to join the forum, and work to build the reputation of an account, just like the rest of us have done. Purchased accounts get tagged anyway, and thus become toxic, even if they aren't banned.