If you don't feel strongly about this then thats ok but I think we are all better off that there are people who put the effort in to make society better even if it means personal inconvenience.

I’m interested by this as every time I have tried to browse with NoScript it has indeed been completely horrific.

One recent example where I packed it in and just used Safari instead was buying a flight - I've found airline websites to be finicky at the best of times and the added layer of non-standard browsing was immediately painful. Other than that, it's been worthwhile; I recommend giving it another try!

If I need them, I use their web interface. If that is shitty, it makes me use them less, which is a desired outcome.

Although, I admit I read too much HN than I'd like to spend time everyday because it feels like time spent on HN is some form of learning.

My smartphone went bonkers and now only shows half of the screen, which makes it less than smart.

I replaced it with a Nokia 8110 (the 4G model) and so far it's an intersting experience.

While it might be a smidgeon less convenient it's far less attractive to immerse yourself into your phone while, for example, using public transport. The browser is fine for very basic things and you can get basic email to run. But in terms of distraction Snake can only give you so much.

In essence I seem to gain a lot of time to observe my fellow citizens, read books or just stare out of the window and think some idle thoughts. In short: It seems I'm gaining a lot of time back by not being constantly distracted by what is essentially a slot machine with never ending possibilities.

I'm sure it helps that I don't do social media. None!

The phone provides a 4G hot spot in case I really need to connect a laptop if I must. Having dual sims it seems like quite an ideal thing to take on vacation. (It does GPS and Google Maps)

How well will this work? I don't know yet. Right now I'm really not inclined to replace it, but time will tell.

Is it exhausting?

Well, no. Quite the opposite since there's no temptation for permanent distraction.

Will convenience ever win out for you?

I really don't feel too much inconvenienced. The acid test will probably checking in for flights (which should work with the minimal browser) or comparable tasks. Not being able to hire a scooter or use an Uber (which I anyway don't since I consider it a totally despicable company and there's no way I would ever trust them with my personal -, let alone location data) is pretty much a non-issue.

So yeah, I tried to give you a serious answer.

For things like this, you just need to sign up and put in a little bit of info, but now you have to install and app that may or may not be hugely bloated, require permissions you it doesn't need, push updates frequently, etc.

The only thing that gets tiresome is the realization that every company is trying to exhaust you. That the goal itself, is indeed, to wear you down.

Once you realize that's the name of the game, you fight it differently.

A lot of the stuff here is cool open source projects and even the stuff like this thread is still worth talking about even if I wouldn't use the product myself. No point reading only posts and comments I agree with.

Also even though I would never use this product for privacy reasons, I personally benefit from other people using it when the air I breathe doesn't kill me and I don't fear for my life while crossing a road.

I appreciate him entertaining my questions and giving a sincere response.

I'm 22 and privacy-conscious. I also love tech, but I really enjoy my personal privacy and knowing that I'm not being surveiled all the time. I am also a FSF supporter and try to run libre code wherever possible.

Convince me: why should I give up my privacy to use products that will inevitably treat my data irresponsibly?

An obvious solution is just to use bogus data: name, email, dob, address, burner phone.

Only thing you can't fake is your credit card but I'm sure a lot of companies do actually accept payments where the name of the card differs from the name on the account.

If you buy your cards in cash, they're about as private as the security cameras are in whichever convenience store you pay for them in.

Based on what we know about Target's shopper surveillance and behavioral identification efforts being capable of targeting pregnant women with pregnancy products, who didn't even know they were pregnant yet, themselves, even seemingly benign store locations can be pretty lacking in actual privacy.

Between electronic survellance of mobile device identifiers, blue tooth signatures, free wi-fi usage, versus brute force video analysis yeilding facial recognition results for targeted ads on flatscreen monitors as you pass by bus stops, the status of tracking in public spaces is weird, although you really can ditch credit card tracking.

The only problem is, the truly huge companies have assuredly been routing around that idea for years, by diversifying their information channels.

Hating the abuse of something isn't hating that thing, and

> I just roll my eyes at the old grumps and move on with my life.

going to such lengths to smear someone indirectly and calling isn't moving on with your life. Adapting to "the world" (which is people doing things, and you're one of them) isn't either.

> when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness...

-- Carl Sagan

Without the laughter of fools, there is no tao.