I watched a few vids of chickens developing in eggs without shells (see here for an example, somewhat graphic), and got to wonder.

You'd think that all the yolk is uniform and therefore it could develop anywhere, but is there an underlying mechanism that could cause the primitive streak and everything to develop near the centre? Maybe a sort of yolk density mechanism, that it starts where the yolk is densest? The furthest from oxygen exchange at the shell?

Or does such a mechanism not exist?

See title. A bit of a dumb question, but given my threat model, I'm curious if it's maybe strategically better to not rely on Proton for their VPN. If I rely too much on one provider, I think that that's not a good idea.

See title. I'm considering to shift to Linux and maybe e/OS (coming from Macintosh and iPhone). I don't know where to begin, so have an infodump (please do not sudo rm -rf /* this post, just redirect me elsewhere if that's needed). TL:DR; below.

I'm a "beginner" in the sense that I haven't worked with Linux before. I'm a casual user in that I mostly use my laptop for browsing, mail, gaming. I want to learn to get away from Big Tech, though, and hopefully manage to selfhost someday.

I want to take my privacy more seriously, though, and I'm familiar with some FOSS software (LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, Signal, etc.). I'm also not a digibete à la "grandma doesn't know what the red X" does, or not knowing how to troubleshoot using wikis. Compared to the median Linux user, I have a lot to learn, though.

I know some basics (what is a terminal, what's a kernel), but not what a shell is, nor how to configurate an IP address. So I think I'm comparable to an average Sally on this. I'm open to learning more about all that though!

Did a bit of research and currently, I'm considering to choose between Fedora and OpenSUSE, but I'm open to other suggestions. I've heard Mint is good for beginners, but the GUI seems more Windows-oriented, and Mint also contains proprietary elements, and I'm not exactly a fan of stuff being locked down. I like MacOS-like interfaces, but customisation of the interface is also a big thing for me, but I presume this shouldn't be an issue.

So, my questions are:

1) When Linux users talk about distrohopping - how do ye do that, converting from one OS to another?
I see it mentioned often and it sounds like it's really easy to do from one Linux distro to another. Just straight up plug in a USB stick with the new distro, have a menu say "Do you want to replace this distro with this, or just run parallel", and then follow?

2) How do I make the transition from Macintosh to a Linux OS?
For preparation, I could put everything from iCloud onto the device itself, and then back it up, but how do I do the actual steps?

3) What distro should I start with?
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, Fedora Linux, or something else?
My priorities are that:
a) it's privacy friendly and has good security (regular-ish updates too),
b) it's friendly for the level of beginner that I am,
c) its interface is highly customisable (a Mac look with a twist would be my ideal)
d) it works with gaming, and still adheres to FOSS principles

4) For phones, what would be the best option?
I mostly care about privacy, independence from big tech, and ethics. I know GrapheneOS would be the best, but they only work on Google Pixels, and I strongly dislike the idea of depending on Google. Fairphone with e/OS is one I've my eyes on currently; would that work?

5) Keeping devices & laptop question
My laptop is 9 years old (phone is 5 years old). Should I keep them both, or would it be more worthwhile to switch over to new devices? If so, would a laptop from Slimbook or Starlab be a good option? I wholly oppose American stuff, prefer European the and like, the rest I'm indifferent about.

TL:DR; buncha questions about starting with linux, see boldened questions.

See title. This is a shower thought that popped into me while slowly waking up. I'm thinking, what if due to e.g. gravitational shenanigans, the pull on a planet is such that a planet stands relatively motionless in a fixed position towards its star?

Is that possible or am I forgetting some astronomy basics?

See title. With the rise to 455 ppm of CO2 (and likely higher for a while), I wonder what the lowest Earth's had, was.

If I'm not mistaken, the highest was during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, in where the Siberian Traps may have been responsible for making burrowing -- and hence adaptations for stale air -- necessary?

It appears that even if you don't have the app installed, it is in Settings > Apps. But there's no option at all, to customise its privacy settings.

Downloading the app also doesn't let you customise its privacy settings. In fact, the app then disappears altogether from the privacy settings! It doesn't even appear anymore in the "Hidden Apps". Removing it again however, shows the app popping up again in the settings.

What's more, it's deliberately erroneously labelled as "Start Screen" when you don't have downloaded it.

Ridiculous. One more reason to go to a Fairphone or something like it.

However, you can edit it... but very cumbersomely, only by going to Settings > Siri > App Access ... and then suddenly, you see the app!

This seems like it's straight up illegal.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/30007963

Arguing for the car as a good method of transportation is like arguing that having personal diesel generator to power you home is a good idea