Advertise on podcast: Manly Hanley Podcast

### Intro Hello everyone and welcome to the Manly Hanley Podcast. This is the Podcast with no limits on what we'll cover. This is Season 6, Episode 1 I'm your host, Randy. Have a snack, sit back, and relax. This Episode was recorded on Monday, February 19th, 2024 --- ### Amazon's standards just seem lower #### Repetitive overpromise and underdelivering I order Amazon all over the country for different people, and myself included, so this is not limited to one region in the USA. The pattern goes a bit like this. The item shows that it'll arrive next morning if you pay the $35 minimum. Most things I buy on Amazon will be above that amount. If I really need the item, and my total isn't $35 or more, I'll often add something to my cart that I'll be ordering very soon, anyway. More times than not, the next day, I'll get the "Running Late" shipping status on that item, which eventually changes into "Tomorrow by 8 pm" or something along those lines. This is not okay. This is a company I'm also paying a subscription to every year. I now find myself finding anyway I can to order items through other companies that will deliver, even without a yearly fee. One that comes to mind, strangely, is Walmart. And their delivery times have never overpromised and underdelivered for me. I don't want to order from Walmart, but here I am doing so. --- ### Amazon Plans to Charge for Alexa? Good luck with that. It'll probably work, if people fall for it, as I'm not surprised if they do. As most of us have been conditioned into having our money siphoned away to a subscription or Software as a service, Amazon would like to take advantage of that condition by manipulating us into paying for Alexa. Do you honestly want that overpriced oven timer in your kitchen, if it now wants to siphon a recurring monthly fee out of your account? #### What is Amazon's excuse for the potential cost they'll be passing onto users? Amazon's Senior VP of Devices - Dave Limp - (Great name) - Believes a paid service is inevitable until Alexa becomes "superhuman" enough to justify a monthly fee. No. Just be a fucking oven timer, or you're outta here. I do have more faith in people that I give the general public sometime. I will guess that many people are getting sick of subscription services leaching off their every pore. ### Closing Remarks I'd like to thank you for putting time aside to listen to the podcast. Follow our Podcast If you're a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. [Visit our website](https://randyhanley.com/) and leave a comment. Send me an email with any questions or comments. Follow [Randrums](https://twitter.com/randrums) on twitter and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/randrums/)

This is an update as to what's going on with my life and why I have not been posting. It's good news! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven't already done so: https://youtube.com/randyhanley Also be sure to follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/randrums Lastly, be sure to subscribe to https://RandyHanley.com for some awesome reviews and updates regarding cool technology.

Since the beginning of this Podcast, I had been searching for the perfect note-taking app. I've tried dozens, starting with OneNote, Obsidian, a billion Linux-specific apps, Notepad, Notepad++, etc. The one I've used the longest has been Trilium. Many of the platforms were just great, but didn't hit every want I had with the process of creating a post. They required too much configuration time than I had available. As for my "Content Management System" I did land on “HUGO” as my favorite static site generator, but I wanted something that allowed me to manage the mess of content files that I'd eventually encounter when creating the documents. The absolute best I could find was the Front Matter extension for Visual Studio code. Is it perfect? Nope, but I've settled on it being the best possible application for my needs at this time. It allows me to scan folders in Visual Studio Code and set them as content directories, and then fill in the tedious meta data with no effort. That's a time saver! I like saving time - and this Extension brings content-creating functionality to an app that did not have it. Follow Randrums on twitter

I was excited to have received an email from the YouTube Team, congratulating me on 500 subscriber. Also, what is next for the Manly Hanley Podcast?

Great reasons why Decluttr is the best option to sell your sell phone on sellcell.com. Also, ways to not get ripped off. Site: https://sellcell.com - Lets you compare the amount of $ different companies will pay you for your cell phone trade-in. My preferred vendor from that site: Sell My Stuff | Sell Stuff Online | Decluttr

Why I purchased this when I have less free time than ever before. I bought a Streamer X. It's simple Does what I need. It takes the work out of having to tweak computer settings. Spending $400 on this thing will pay for itself in the amount of time I save. I'd like to thank you for putting time aside to listen to the podcast. Follow our Podcast If you're a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Visit our website and leave a comment. Send me an email with any questions or comments. Follow Randrums on twitter

Trilium is My Reliable Note-Taking App It has not failed me once. This is in reference to backups. It has never crashed on me. I have it open for about 12 hours every single day. Open Source for the win. All of the other wins for this app are listed on their GitHub Page. I don't ever plan on ditching Obsidian.md as another note-taking app. That community is growing so quickly. I'd like to thank you for putting time aside to listen to the podcast. Follow Randrums on twitter I still use other note-taking apps.

1.  Clicking on suspicious links or pop-ups that can lead to malware or phishing scams. 2.  Not using strong passwords or reusing the same password across multiple accounts, which can make it easier for hackers to gain access. 3.  Failing to keep their software and antivirus programs up-to-date, leaving them vulnerable to security breaches. 4.  Sharing too much personal information on social media platforms, which can be used for identity theft or cyberbullying. 5.  Falling for fake news or misinformation, which can spread quickly on social media and other online platforms. 6.  Not using two-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security to online accounts. 7.  Downloading software or files from untrusted sources, which can contain viruses or other harmful malware. 8.  Using public Wi-Fi networks without a VPN, which can leave personal information vulnerable to hackers. 9.  Not checking the privacy policies of websites and apps, which can collect and sell personal data. 10.  Not using ad-blockers or other tools to limit online tracking, which can be used for targeted advertising or other invasive purposes. Follow Randrums on twitter Check out https://randyhanley.com

### Plans for the Manly Hanley Podcast in 2023 - The Podcast will continue!          - I had a busy 2022, and this year is even busier - having 2 children enter this world. Twins are a lot of work, but also fun.              - I will do more episodes than last year. I did a whopping 14 episodes last year, and 28 episodes in Season 3. I'd like to see myself do at least 28 episodes this year, therefore doubling last year.          - I will continue with my episodes leaning toward free software, privacy, and talking smack about (some) subscription services. :-D      - Staying true to my word and using more open-source software for producing my content (Less Adobe Spark/Creative Cloud Express, and more). Lately, it's been Krita (a digital painting application), but may also be from GIMP, which I also love.      - This is a hobby, and I'm excited to make more content for anyone that can benefit from it. ### Some Other Topics I Likely Will Cover - Even though I tend to focus on entry level Linux topics, Open Source Software, and talking smack about greedy (in my opinion) subscription services, I may also touch on:          - Chat GPT and other Creepy AI that will be replacing us              - Interesting News Headlines / Primarily tech-related.          - Odd facts that you didn't know. I promise, not too Clickbait-ish!      - Health and diet.    ### Closing Remarks  I'd like to thank you for putting time aside to listen to the podcast.  Follow our Podcast  - If you're a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. [Visit our website](https://randyhanley.com/) and leave a comment. Send me an email with any questions or comments.      - Follow [Randrums](https://twitter.com/randrums) on twitter

Intro Randy Talks about Twitter, other tech news, and tech hype. FBI was paying off Twitter. It likely happened. The guy that owns it is presenting the data. Look up Michael Shellenberger on Twitter. It was brought up that Apple was originally thinking about removing Twitter from the App store. Elon Must was even talking about Apple potentially removing Twitter. That got squashed really quickly - it came out that Twitter never ever considered removing Twitter. It just feels like yet more toxic information spread by the corrupt news media. People announcing they're leaving Twitter. An example would be the St. Louis Mayor, Tishaura Jones. November 24th was her last Tweet. The media is running with this story that Wikipedia called the suspension of some Twitter journalists' accounts "The Thursday Night Massacre" "As Elon Musk Logs on as the New Boss of Twitter, Thousands Are Logging Off For Good." - I be the writer of that article really thought they hit a home run with that one...Similar to me making a dad joke. Google Chrome Getting Memory and Energy Saver Modes Not sure if this feature is going to help free up memory when Google tries to prevent you from blocking ads that you don't want to see. Google doesn't care about your internet experience and are using you.Here is the TechCrunch article that talks about only the good parts of Google's shady practices. Apple Maps is Better Than Google Maps Apple Maps has come a really long way. It used to be the worst. Now, I think it's the best, since Apple doesn't bank on selling every piece of information about you like Google does. Does it annoy me that Apple Maps is locked to only Apple devices? Yes, that's the main thing that I can't stand about Apple - Their overpriced App Store (for shoppers and authors), and their walled garden concept. I do think that, in the long run, the company that survives by selling it's users, will lose. Closing Remarks I'd like to thank you for putting time aside to listen to the podcast. Follow our Podcast If you're a new listener to the Manly Hanley Podcast, we would love to hear from you. Visit our website and leave a comment. Send me an email with any questions or comments. Follow Randrums on twitter

### Why guarantee an income to some company that is taking advantage of you, and will cut you off, with no measure of loyalty? - Subscription services are not just getting out of hand, they had already gone too far, many years ago.          - These companies know you're programmed to rent things from them, and they're abusing this power. [Ever since the pandemic, those services are being purchased more than ever.](https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/03/why-subscriptions-are-hard-to-cancel/623885/) Remember that, unlike with media that you used to purchase, when you stop paying, you have nothing to show for what you've been paying for years.              - YouTube Premium, for years, was $18/month for a family plan, but is going up to $23/month next month. They said this price increase will "help them to develop more premium features". [Source for this BS.](https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/youtube-premium-family-plan-price-increase-1235411355/)          - Supporting Data/Reference      - Case Stud/Example/Anecdote      - Conclusion ### Cancel this garbage and stop wasting money - Start small, and maybe cancel one or two things a month.          - Every month, look at your credit card statement, and find another recurring cost for something that you don't get to actually keep. Maybe it's Amazon Prime, Adobe Creative Cloud, Netflix, Paramount +, Disney, HBO, or billion other ones I won't waste your time mentioning.              - Try experimenting with signing up for a trial with different credit cards, email addresses, only when you're in the situation of needing that service. A good example would be watching TV Series, or Movie on YouTube TV. You could sign up for their 2-week free trial at the point, watch the series, cancel service, and not owe a penny. They don't deserve your money when you're not using it.          - We are used to paying for services that are actually necessary, such as "water, gas, electricity, and other utilities. Why on earth do we contribute to these monthly expenses with entertainment?" Source: [DataDrivenInvestor](https://medium.datadriveninvestor.com/monthly-subscriptions-are-taking-over-the-world-and-i-dont-like-it-4e30ff092107)      - The writer in the DataDrivenInvestor article mentions that, for the price of 3 months of the full Adobe Bundle, you can buy Affinity's full collection of software with lifetime updates. Affinity makes great photo and vector-editing software.      - If it really adds that much value to your life, buy it. You do you.

### Intro Hello everyone and welcome to the Manly Hanley Podcast. This is the Podcast with no limits on what we'll cover. I'm your host, Randy. Have a snack, sit back, and relax. This Episode was recorded on Sunday, November 13th, 2022 ___ ### Tools or Servers I Run to Avoid Big Tech Tracking and Selling my Data - A Pixel Smartphone running [GrapheneOS](https://grapheneos.org/).          - Android and iOS track the hell out of you - out of the box.         - Apple tracks you a bit less out of the box than Android does.             - GrapheneOS allows you to avoid a lot of Google tracking on Google's own phones.                      - GrapheneOS is a custom ROM/OS that you can flash to most Google Pixel smartphones. It allows you to avoid using Google Play Services/Framework/Store. You can use multiple user profiles to (for example) setup your work apps where you might want to use Google services, and then perhaps a personal account where you block everything related to Google. It's brilliant.     - I've not seen an easier-to-install Android ROM than GrapheneOS. Their installer works right in the web browser, and it's solid: Worked on the first try for me when plugging in my phone and following their guide! I was blown away; Flew right out of my chair.          - There are some downsides that you might know about until you try it out, such as not being able to use Android Auto. If you want something to be highly-secure, you're going to have sacrifices. If someone tells you otherwise, they're lying. - [Wallabag](https://www.wallabag.it/en)          - An Open Source "Read it Later". It extracts only the article's content and places it into a nice view. It even lets you highlight areas of the content that you're extracting and add notes!              - They mention that they don't store data on US servers. They write:       "Because **your data belongs to you**, we don't want to store them on US servers. That's why we only chose European partners, like [Online](https://www.online.net/fr) (french web hoster), [MailJet](https://www.mailjet.com/) (french emailing service) or [PayPlug](https://www.payplug.com/) (french payment solution)."         - It's important to note that, this solution is still great in that you can host it on your own US server, since it's open source. I do what I want with my server. The coolest thing is that you can export your data from Wallabag and reimport it into your own instance. This would be great if you wanted to sign up for their service as a trial, end the trial, and move the data to your own server. Amazing!