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Title: 
Date: 

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  Cristina has posted an interesting Five Questions[0]. I
think I've got some answers for them.

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1. How best for a North American to plan deGoogling? Beyond
easy fixes like installing F-Droid, using proxies for video
watching, how much planning should a beginner do to migrate
from a Gmail account, install a custom ROM, choose new
alternative FOSS apps?


  To prepare for it, I'd say the best way is to start doing
a little research.

 * How far do you feel you need to take it? Alternative
   services exist for everything, but it's best to take
   note of what you're already using (or perhaps missing)
   from Google's list of services so you know what you need
   to replace.[^0]

 * What email services will fulfill your needs? Or do you
   need to consider hosting your own? I like Disroot[1] for
   mine, but your needs may be different.

 * Should you consider a dumbphone, or look into something
   like a KaiOS or other simpler device? Can you install a
   custom ROM yourself on a device if you need to, or do
   you know someone who might be able to help?

 * Do you have another service to use as an off-site backup
   of your important data, or do you need to make your own
   with something like a Freedombox[2] or VPS?

 * Can you remove the smart integration in your home if you
   need to?

 * Have you used the Google Takeout feature to export all
   of your important data, photos, email, and so on to a
   safe place?

  There's far more, but these would be my core concerns in
my situation. I already don't trust Google's search, and
instead use (and sing praises of) the likes of Curlie[3],
Wibi[4], and Marginalia[5] for web stuff. There's also our
own Gopher spaces, Gemini, and other smolnet havens that
may be substitutes for your needs.

  For apps, that's also up to your personal needs. I don't
use my phone much anymore outside of an authenticator,
phone calls/texts, and playing bills since it's kinda
required in my situation.

  In the end, it's up to you to figure things out, but you
should also seek a bit of help if you need it. Hopefully
from someone who won't simply just ask an AI. Look around,
and don't be afraid to try multiple solutions to find one
you like. Don't rush it unless you have to.

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2. What is your preference: hiking up a mountain, or
 reading a good novel?


  As an author, and the child of a blind mother who loved
reading through talking books for the blind, I honestly
prefer a good novel over hiking up a mountain. Medical
reasons may also be involved, but a quiet day out in the
with a book is one I much enjoy.

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3. What were your horseback riding experiences? If none,
 have you ever caught a fish?


  I've caught fish. I used to go fishing with my grandpa
and uncle long ago, especially at one of their favorite
lakes about 60 miles away. It was always worth the trip
just to see the sun rising over the mountainside lake and
surrounding forest.

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4. What is an activity that makes you feel alive? Have you
 repeatedly remained hyper for hours post-activity?


  Writing/working on notes is oddly stimulating for me.
I've legitimately lost hours of sleep after finishing a
short story, even if it was just for myself, because my
brain went fully active. Often because I want to continue
writing, even past the story's natural conclusion, just
because the "what comes after" question always gets to me.

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5. Adult citizens in my locality have the opportunity to
 vote in two elections this month. To what extent, if you
 are eligible to vote, do you research a candidate running
 for public office?


  I do what little research I can, but due to where I live,
there's little information on the few candidates I ever
consider voting for. Most elected positions end up being
uncontested, or there just aren't any acceptable options
among those running.


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[^0]: I say "missing" due to the destruction of things like
      Reader and Wave, which people used to use.

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[0]: gopher://sdf.org/0/users/christyotwisty/phlog/2026-10-5Q.txt
[1]: https://disroot.org/
[2]: https://www.freedombox.org/
[3]: https://curlie.org
[4]: https://wiby.org/
[5]: https://www.marginalia.nu/
[6]: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp
[7]: https://github.com/Stan-breaks/ytsurf