We spend a huge amount of our modern lives using software. Yet most of the most commonly-used software is not open-source, meaning it's less transparent, of lower quality, less reliable, less flexible, more expensive and often with predatory vendor lock-ins making it hard for us to escape...I list some alternatives we could easily switch to from today by opting open-source, from email providers to web apps; browsers to messaging apps; documentation to cloud storage; entire operating systems to social media; and a whole host more.
Sam
✌️ 🤓 🤚

ethicalrevolution.co.uk/opt-op…

Even if you are not at the technical level to be modifying and contributing to open source code, you can be confident open source software is not spying on you and misusing your data - because anyone could check. This should already be music to the ears of Friendica and Mastodon users. But are you using open source software in other aspects of your digital life?

Sam's list was an interesting checklist for me of the open source software I am already using and some I didn't know about. Then there were some services I simply don't use at all at this time, but might in the future.

I already use: Filen for cloud storage, LibreOffice for office software, Thunderbird for email, Friendica, Mastodon, and Trust Cafe for social media, Pixelfed for photo sharing, Ecosia for search engine, Firefox and Ecosia for web browsers.

New to me (I'll try them next time I need them) are Lufi for file transfer, Piefed for a Reddit alternative, OhMyForm for forms, Apertium or DeepL for translation, Jitsi for video conferencing.

I haven't got as far as switching to Linux; still using Windows on my laptop and desktops, but with LibreOffice instead of MSOffice. Still need to use Google Suite for work.

What about you?

FYI When choosing a cloud storage alternative to Google and One Drive, I did extensive research and decided on Filen, a German service, secure, privacy oriented, clean energy, and very good value lifetime and annual subscriptions. If anyone is interested here's a referral code that will get you a free 10 GB when you sign up filen.io/r/f034f540753a778cc01…

Another very highly rated choice especially for businesses needing to have team members collaborating on docs is Sync, a Canadian service.

#EthicalRevolution #TheOnlyWayisEthics #Opensource #FOSS

N in the ethical journey is about nurturing yourself through nature, specifically the mental and physical health (immune system!) benefits of spending time in it. They are well documented. Sam has three suggestions:
1. Spend at least a couple hours a week enjoying a natural area with all your senses.
2. Learn to identify plant and animal species in your area. Personal note: I'm not a "there's an app for that" kind of person, but this is something good technology can really help with. You can be a citizen scientist submitting observations to iNaturalist. Apps like Merlin make it much easier (and fun!) to identify birds by song.
3. Go for a brisk walk within two hours of rising/daylight every day - among other benefits this sets your circadian rhythm so you can sleep well at night.

I'm already doing #2 to some extent, so I'm going to focus on #3, which can be challenging as my early morning hours are already pretty full, but since I don't commute to work anymore (I used to get most of my exercise through long cycles to and from work everyday) I think it would be a very good idea for me to do this - I will try to work it into my schedule to get the day off to a good start.

ethicalrevolution.co.uk/natura…

L is for "Love Local" in Sam's Ethical Revolution path. ethicalrevolution.co.uk/love-l…
Sam advises to patronize small local businesses who want to develop a positive relationship with you not serve shareholders, qualifies that local greenhouses may not always be the lowest carbon footprint for food, and encourages involvement in local politics or community groups. He recommends a film "The Economics of Happiness" which can be viewed here.

Local is relevant for me as I live in one of those small towns where small businesses struggle to remain viable, and a northern town where most food is imported from far away. The exceptions can be found at the Farmers' Market which I patronize regularly. We do have some lovely local shops too and last night I just attended a skin care demo at a local boutique that sells ethical women's wear and other products from Canadian woman owned businesses. Like many modern small businesses she supplements local in person traffic with an online web site elladoraboutique.ca/.
This is a reminder to patronize my local businesses run by neighbours first before jumping to the computer to order.

I also recently watched a presentation on solar passive greenhouses which in contrast to conventional greenhouses require minimal inputs. They cost more to build as they have features like underground pipes to store heat. There is a local initiative to build one here. This would alleviate Sam's concern with greenhouses and allow 3-4 season food production locally.

Unfortunately I do not have time to volunteer for this or other worthy local causes. It's a matter of time, and also energy. In my life I basically tread water and constantly fall behind on my present commitments, let alone take on more. Far from ideal but I'm doing my best.
#EthicalRevolution