Or we could actually make some stuff in the US/EU for a change. I know it takes time but it’s probably for the best in the long run

lol

I wish the FCC would lighten up the amateur radio rules tho. Cool stuff like Meshtastic is happening outside of licenced bands and is taking off

OpenStreetMap and their editors are great and I use them a lot, but if you really want to have great flexibility with your map design QGIS is Open Source

Here’s a video on how to use it

You can use CalTopo’s print pdf to print that OSM data too

The nice slick interface of Organic Maps makes me wish it loaded and zoomed smoother. But yeah the things you can do in OSMand as a fully offline app is incredible once it’s set up how you want it.

The link worked for me the first time but only once

It can be hard to find fediverse instances and content inside of them. They are working to make things easier to search for on Mastadon. With a little work it could be used with (and between) many things on the fediverse!

People think that govt developed = bad. It’s a consideration for sure but if anything govt developed is so hopelessly and inherently compromised then many of the measures discussed here are useless for privacy already because they almost all run through internet, a govt created system. Even TOR. But yet here we are anyway because they are still useful systems.

Governments pour tons of time money and effort into secure communication, and not for profit, and we can still take advantage of that advancement with some caution.

Wait until they find out who started the internet. Or who runs GPS satellites

In my experience StreetComplete is almost real time. As soon as you close the app it adds all of your changes I think. I’ve never tried it in Organic Maps but I imagine it’s similar

Usually your edits will go straight to the map! There are people that work on tools and foundations of the map data but when it comes to the data itself WE are the OSM team!

Recommended changes are done via map notes. If you don’t know what I’m talking about you can turn them on on openstreetmap.org to see what I mean

No, but the US military has never had their homeland logistics fucked with in recent history. Sure you can’t easily destroy a Bradley APC, but it needs fuel that happens to be stored and transported in ways that are not as resistant to attack. And when the fuel runs out many vehicles are no longer useful in combat.

Or spare parts. Germany got their industries bombed like crazy in WW2. Even though their stuff was better on paper they didn’t have the parts to keep combat effective. Ask any veteran how reliable military vehicles are without constant maintenance.

This is hypothetical and all, but it’s not that big of a stretch of the imagination to see any American insurgency becoming a real pain in the ass for the military over months and years. And unlike Afghanistan they can’t simply withdraw when they’ve had enough.

Try running tanks or planes without fuel, parts or ammo production. Covid was a little inconvenience compared to the supply chain nightmare a war could bring. It takes a TON of upkeep to keep a military rolling.

And to be fair the taliban never had conventional air support either. And Ukraine has proven that commercial drones can be just as lethal.

When it was sms compatible it was a suuuuper easy sell for my family

“It’s way more secure when you text me but you can still text everyone else you know too. And we can still use it through wifi if cell service isn’t working for me.”

It would potentially fall under “fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine” that would make it inadmissable for actual court cases but otherwise there’s nothing to stop people from gathering information that is available to the public

We can always do the “nothing beyond my immediate observation can be trusted” method like the flat earthers do

I use iD editor almost every time. It’s simple to use and I can use it on nearly any computer I have access to. usually put on a podcast for 30min-1h and map while I listen.

On my phone I have Vespucci installed. It’s a lot slower going compared to PC but it can scratch the itch when I’m bored out and about. I use OSMand for actually using the map data.

Street Complete is slick and makes it easy to add a ton of stuff but that is geared towards polishing up the unknown details of stuff that is already mapped. I’d rather finish adding unmapped roads and sidewalks than telling OSM what materials they’re made of.

I like to map land use. I spent some time on a volunteer fire department and working with their K9 Search and Rescue team on real calls and training. Land nav and good mapping is super important to them so I put some extra effort to make it as useful as possible.

It mildly annoys me when mappers add big sections of natual wood but completely ignore the big swampy wetland or other obvious things within that area like ponds. I think some people map it just so it looks nice but a little detail matters when you’re there in person and have to get around.

It might not be much but it’s still legal precedent that will hopefully help it reach critical mass. Like getting Al Capone on tax evasion

I forget what privacy podcast I was listening to but they said that privacy is important because you might not be under scrutiny now but could be.

After the Boston marathon bombing reddit was scouring footage and believed a particular person was responsible (“we did it reddit!”). They were wrong. People found his address, work etc and he was stalked and harrassed for days though he did nothing wrong.

You can bet he would have liked to disappear for a while, and a little extra everyday privacy in advance would have made that a lot easier.

If you update point info or building info, when you change the address the spot doesn’t move. It just changes the info listed about that old location spot/building.

You’ll have to find the new location, map the building if it isn’t and then fill in the info about it to include the address. You can drag the marker over or place a new one

Thank you for taking the time to look after your local businesses!

Yeah I’m not really trying to hide from the govt, but I would vote on limiting their power if given the chance. Anyway, what I don’t want is every corporation I deal with (car, bank, phone, apps, isp, etc) to track me so excessively.

If the govt did get curious it would take zero leg work, just ask those companies that are very willing to hand over my data to damn near anyone, or hold onto it long enough to have it stolen.

So with that in mind limiting corporate surveillance and limiting ease of govt surveillance is essentially the same thing, but the govt has the ability to put in the work and get you if they really wanted to.