In my ethical living journey with Sam, the next step is to #degoogle.

I had already made - what I think is probably the most important - step by changing my search engine. For several months I have now been relying on #Ecosia (planting trees with each search!), occasionally supplemented by Kagi (free 100 search trial). Also using the Ecosia browser for work (Chrome compatible) and #Firefox for home/personal. So Google hasn't been able to compile data on me that way for awhile.

I've also signed up for #Filen data storage at an amazing lifetime rate - I hope they stick around. German company that runs on renewable energy. I also did a trial with #Sync (Canadian company) and would highly recommend them if syncing and sharing data is important to you.

I use the Maps app on my iphone rather than Google Maps for driving because I find it gives better instructions without changing routes on me. But for planning trips, I have to say I still use Google Maps. Open Street Map looks great but it doesn't seem to have the Giving Directions feature - am I wrong?

In my work I use Google Earth Engine - a platform for processing satellite data - can't degoogle that unless they quit providing the service and am forced to.

Trying to remember to go through #Invidious to view videos on YouTube.

Google Chat - Again my workplace is all Google and I have to use it. Otherwise, Zoom is a well known alternative. Sam's page also also brought my attention to #Jitsi, which looks very easy to use - you don't have to make an account or anything.

I looked into private email alternatives and found some great options, but I decided to continue to use my gmail as it would be too much hassle to change. However, I am going to access it through the #Thunderbird client on desktop instead of the gmail website. This has the advantage of my mail being backed up on my desktop instead of just in Google's cloud if I do decide to switch emails in the future.

So not completely degoogled but that's the amount that makes sense in my life for now. When retired I can degoogle more. LIke I said, I do think the Search and Browser are the most important and painlessly replaced. #Google Search definitely used to be the best but kind of sucks now with the bloat of sponsored results.

More #horses are sent from Canada to Japan. Animal welfare transport regulations are routinely violated in this industry and many horses have arrived injured or dead.

An activist reports from Edmonton International Airport:
Monday morning (2 am) another 100 or so horses were loaded on a plane to Japan for slaughter. They had started their travel in a feedlot by Hanna, so had been on the road for about 2.5 hours in bitterly cold -25C (with windchill) weather. As can be seen in the picture, the horses were kept in the crates on the tarmac until loading. The ride to the airport must have been brutal.

I thought we had evaded security, but they must eventually have spotted us and called the RCMP. We kind of joked that the cops are now taking orders from security. When the cop car pulled up he asked me what I was doing. I thought it was pretty obvious, I was standing at the side of the road with a camera in my hands pointed at the very large plane across the road. After a bit of back and forth, they told me I had to leave because I was illegally walking along the side of the road. I reminded him that I was not on the road but beside it and I’m not sure when it’s become a crime to walk along a road. How absurd, only in Alberta. He also threatened me with charges of mischief, this can be a serious charge but I now feel I should have told him to go ahead since he had absolutely no grounds and it might have garnered some publicity for the horses.

They (airport, horse industry, the powers that be) appear to be getting more and more desperate to keep this a secret. The airport is crawling with security and the RCMP shows up in a flash.

Bill C-355 has been delayed in the Senate since May. Please sign on to the Animal Justice letter urging the Senate to pass this bill.

#animalrights

action.animaljustice.ca/page/1…