It really depends on who your friend is, and who they are trying to defenf against.

If the US ( or Russian / Chinese) government really wants to access an internet-connected device, they can do it; what app you are using doesn’t even matter. For example, most people use the default Google keyboard, which could be compromised.

If the concern is about local goons / employers / coworkers, then both Telegram and Signal are more than enough to stop them prying.

As for whether to use Signal or Telegram, Signal has end to end encryption enabled by default, while in Telegram you have to switch it on for each chat. On the other hand, Telegram has the best UI among messaging apps hands down.

When modern-day Ukraine was formed in 1990, it was majority Ukrainian, but with a sizable Russian (and smaller Romanian and Polish) minority. Over the next twenty or so years, this minority voted for parties and politicians that favoured stronger ties with Russia. In contrast, ethnic Ukrainians supported joining (or at least aligning with) the EU. This conflict came to a head in 2014, when the pro-Russian government was overthrown by pro-EU protestors. Relations between the two groups have worsened since then, leading to pro-Russian militants seizing power in the (Russian majority) Donbass and Crimea, and joining Russia.

That’s interesting. We copied a lot of stuff from the USSR; this might also have come from there.

In India we call this sort of engineering ‘jugaad’. And we do it all the time, sometimes to a dangerous level.

If you aren’t from south / southeast Asia you’ll struggle with our traffic. Our roads are a stream of everything from cycles to busses with no dedicated lanes. If you want to cross the road and can’t find a zebra-crossing you gang up with other pedestrians, hold up traffic by shouting and waving, and cross.

Understanding languages you don’t know - every city will have people speaking three or more languages, so you need to understand what someone is saying even if you don’t speak their language. Broken English with gesturing is a lingua franca.

Toilets in India (and probably rest of Asia) are at ground level, with two porcelain blocks on either side to keep your feet on (the blocks are set into the ground and have a rough top; neither you nor they will slip). Most hotels will also have western toilets.

Also using toilet paper is considered unspeakably gross. You are supposed to use water and/or your left hand (right hand if you are left-handed), and to then wash your hands with soap. Because of this, you should touch food only with your dominant hand; using the other, however clean it actually is, is seen as uncivilised.

LW blocked three communities on db0, but they didn’t defederate with db0. This means LW users can still talk to db0 users, and db0 users can still access LW. At the same time, content from db0 will not be mirrored on LW servers. Basically, they’ve covered their arses from legal issues, while not cutting ties entirely.

As I understand, LW servers are hosted by a German company, and Germany is rather strict on piracy. So I understand why they had to do this.

I’ve only read parts of the manga, as I find the artstyle rather jarring. I know the story because half my friends won’t stop talking about it. I then read blogs and articles about aspects / characters who interest me.

First of all, I probably won’t watch it because of just how long it is (and the art-style). But the plot is one of the best ever written, asking some surprisingly deep questions about freedom, power and corruption, while still being fun and enjoyable by young boys and teenagers.

Japan had a tradition of both animated and live-action shows about giant piloted robots called mechas. Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered the peak of this tradition, containing both excellent action scenes and asking the viewer what sort of world would build giant robots and let unstable teens drive them. It is just 26 episodes, each 20 minutes long. I would suggest watching it first and then reading more about it or watching the hundreds of videos trying to explain what it means. Many consider it to be the greatest anime ever made. Be warned that it is sometimes gory and confusing, although much less than people often claim.

What I’m trying to say is that (in theory) moderate inflation isn’t bad; it is meant to discourage hoarding.

Inflation is a tax on hoarding money. In an ideal world, it will push rich people and companies to reinvest their wealth in the economy, instead of hoarding it. Unfortunately, in the real world it doesn’t work on the very rich, so it only affects the upper middle class and the moderately rich.