STARTING OVER AGAIN

SIFT LINUX PAGE UPDATE

 

 To help people making the switch to Linux I started compiling my Linux posts into a SIFT LINUX PAGE back in 2024, but it became a jumbled mess and needed a tidy up. So I decided to start over again and make it all as simple as possible. 

One way to simplify things is to have a list of links back to original posts rather than trying to copy and paste them all into one big page.

LINUX POSTS ON THIS BLOG (newest at top) 

 AM I AN IDIOT? - Self doubts about my geek skills 

BTW I USE ARCH - Some memes to troll Linux Arch geeks

WHICH LINUX DISTRO? - I really only recommend two, either Mint or Zorin

ONLINE PRIVACY - A few ways to keep hold of a bit of privacy

TESTING OUT FOSS - There is masses of Free Open Source Software (FOSS)

LINUX NEEDS MORE FILE BROWSERS - My issues with Linux file browsers

RETURNING TO LINUX - Why I quit Windows & moved to Linux

LINUX MISINFORMATION -  Yes, even Linux reviews are full of lies 

 

My Linux info is not aimed at geeks, it's for people who have been using Windows or Apple computers, and want to move to Linux in search of privacy and security, or for ethical reasons.

As with most subjects, with Linux there is far too much complexity and misinformation online, and that is often just confusing rather than helpful.

An ever increasing number of people are now asking about Linux. In the past this was mainly just an idle curiosity, but now they are seriously looking for an alternative to Windows or Apple. 

Linux was originally aimed mainly at geeks and was fairly difficult for regular computer users to come to terms with. When I first tried Linux Ubuntu in 2010, after about a month I gave up and went back to Windows XP.

Back in 2010 I did a page about Linux "LINUX A n00b goes for a test drive" which is still online, but despite having had a quick update in 2016, it's mostly out of date now.

With the benefit of hindsight, Windows XP was actually a pretty good operating system, as were Windows 2000 and Windows 7. But things have really changed since those days, and Microsoft are no longer even trying to hide their evil intentions.

For me Windows ended with Windows 7. Windows 11 is full on spyware and Microsoft is clearly aiming to build an AI operating system monitoring everything you do, meanwhile Apple is moving in the same direction, so sooner or later I think anyone who wants any privacy on a computer will have to move to Linux 

These days, some of the Linux Operating systems (Distros) are pretty good, as they have been slowly progressing, while Windows has been relentlessly going backwards since Windows 7.  

Like many people I had been complaining for years about Microsoft, but there reached a point where I had to admit that I had no future with Microsoft, so would need to do whatever it took to move on. 

(This is a screenshot of my desktop, and it's pretty cool really - It's Linux Mint which is my favourite Linux distro)

Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and ramped up their efforts to push the even more appalling Windows 11, with its built in advertising, and full blown spyware (Recall) taking constant screenshots of your desktop and sending them back to Microsoft. 

I'm expecting that even non security minded Windows users are finally going to start having issues with this level of spying.

SOME HANDY LINUX LINKS (sorted alphabetically) 

 A n00b goes for a test drive - My own original page about Linux from 2010

Distrowatch - A great introduction and overview of Linux distros

Libre Office - My pick for best replacement for Microsoft Office 

Linux Mint - My own daily driver & favourite distro

Linux Zorin - A stylish & highly recommended distro

TECMINT - Information about Linux stuff

LOLS FOR BREAKFAST

 Everywhere I look today there seems to be various flavours of TARD spouting utter crap. I often find the best cure for that is some LOLPICS, so here are 10 to start the day.

 

MASONIC MOVIES

At some point in nearly every movie there will be a scene with a black and white checkered floor.

Often it's the floor of a cafe or bar, but they can be anywhere. In "F1 The Movie" it was the floor of a laundromat. Even the original Matrix movie has it's own tributes to Freemasonry. 

 

Most music videos tend to have them as well. 

https://exposingthematrix.blogspot.com/2012/03/masonic-checkerboardduality-symbolism.html
 

 

What exactly does the Mosaic Pavement represent in Masonry?

In short, it represents the moral fallibility of mankind.
 

https://masonicfind.com/the-checkered-tile-in-freemasonry

 

AM I AN IDIOT?

The sad truth is that while some people do see me as some sort of computer geek, I actually find a lot of this stuff endlessly confusing and a real struggle to sort out.
 

The reason I have such carefully organised systems is that it’s the only way I can get my head around the things I’m trying to do, and even with all my systems, I’m constantly getting confused or stuck.

Yesterday I was unable to log into any of my files and was starting to stress out, until I finally realised that I’d accidentally hit the caps lock on my keyboard, and that was why my passwords were all wrong.

That is a fairly easy mistake to make – does everyone else do that too or am I a lone idiot?

I’m trying to organise hundreds of thousands of files, and to maintain reasonable privacy, backups, and security, while also having switched to using Linux full-time a year ago, after using Windows for a quarter of a century.

People talk about switching to Linux as if it’s a quick and easy swap that only takes a few hours. I tried out half a dozen distros before choosing one, and have now spent more than a year having to sort out relatively minor but really awkward problems like external drives and USB sticks not working because of them being formatted wrong.

On top of that there are things like switching from Photoshop to GIMP… It might be easy for a real geek, but I’ve found all this stuff mind bogglingly difficult.

The thing that has caused me the most problems on both Linux and Windows is trying to share or sync files between different devices using cloud storage. That has caused all sorts of muck ups for years

When I see other people’s computer systems I have no idea how they manage to do anything at all. I’m constantly finding all this geek stuff really confusing, and barely a day goes by without me asking the question – “Am I an idiot?”

I think I’m a mid level computer user trying to avoid falling into systems of normie digital mind control, (like Windows or Google) and in some ways that seems to keep getting harder. But it keeps me on my toes, and I do seem to be slowly progressing.
 

FEMINISATION OF MEN

Eight Ways Society is Feminising Men Through Food And Products

 

A reoccurring theme in many of the food health concerns revolves around high estrogen levels. This can be harmful to men and women. It’s almost as if there is a conspiracy to reduce the population of humans...

Perhaps Ori Hofmekler said it best:

“We’re on the fast track to extinction. In the past 50 years, sperm counts in men have dropped 50 percent, while the average man’s testosterone and sperm count has plummeted 20 percent in just the last 20 years.”

See: Chemicals Found Everywhere Confuse Sperm, Destroy Male Health

The conspiracy behind it seems rather obvious but debating the point is futile. What matters most is that we recognize that it is a problem and find ways to fix it.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, noted neurosurgeon and author of The Blaylock Report:

“Studies show that xenoestrogens from plastics appear to cause premature menses in young girls. Soy isoflavones appear to increase aggressiveness and heighten antisocial behavior in monkeys and appear to feminize male animals.”

Below is a list of high-estrogenic foods that should be avoided to live a life of abundant health that can be passed down to offspring.

1. Pesticides Through Conventionally Raised Fruits and Vegetables

Pesticides that are sprayed on conventionally grown vegetables (often GMOs) act as estrogens once ingested.

The pesticides sprayed on conventionally grown (non-organic) vegetables act as estrogens once inside the body. (Source: PESTICIDES MAY BLOCK MALE HORMONES)

2. Soy Is Not Healthy

There are many reasons to avoid soy, one of the most heavily subsidized crops by the United States government. One of the best is the high estrogen-like effects on the human body. Too much soy leads to enlargement of breast tissue, water retention, female pattern fat deposition and mood swings. It can also decrease testosterone. (Source: 170 Scientific Reasons to Lose Soy in your Diet)

See: 12 Reasons To Avoid Any Kind Of Soy

3. Hormones In Beef

To increase meat and milk products hormones are given to cows by some farmers. This meat, when ate by humans, is transferred to us. Once inside the body these compounds have strong estrogenic effects. (SOURCE)

In addition cows are fed soy that has been soaked in pesticides. This is a triple whammy. This is why it is critical to eat grass-fed beef.

4. Beer

In his book The Natural Testosterone Plan, Stephen Harrod Buhner writes:

“Hops is best known for its use in beer. The majority of physicians and men overlook its potent chemicals and do not realize that beer itself can significantly alter the male androgen levels. German beer makers noticed long ago that the young women who picked hops in the fields commonly experienced early menstrual periods. Eventually, researchers discovered the reason – hops is perhaps one of the most powerfully estrogenic plants on Earth. Just 100 grams of hops (about 3.5 ounces) contains anywhere from thirty thousand to three hundred thousand IUs of estrogen, depending on the type of hops. Most of it is the very potent estrogen estradiol. Estradiol, as it is taken into the male body, causes a direct lowering of testosterone levels in the testes and an increase in SHBG levels, which then binds up even more free testosterone in the bloodstream. The estradiol in hops has also been found to directly interfere with the ability of the testes Leydig cells to produce testosterone. The presence of this highly estrogenic substance in beer is not an accident.”

Commercials will have one that that drinking beer makes a man macho. Nothing can be further from the truth!

See: 100 Percent Of Beer Tested Had At Least 5 Times The Amount Glyphosate Allowed By Law

5. Television and the Feminization of Men

Male feminization on television has slowly be conditioned into the psyche of men. This has dramatically altered behavior patterns. To discuss this among some, it can be seen as homophobic. In reality, it’s recognizing that through diet and entertainment, a new male has risen and ‘he’ is more ‘she’ than ever. Again, this is not to offend anyone just pointing out the obvious.

6. Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats from vegetable oils are mostly soy, which is an estrogenic plant byproduct, among the highest on the planet. These are covered in pesticides, which come with their own estrogenic properties.

Saturated fats from lard, butter coconut oil and so on help produce testosterone and are preferred alternatives.

7. BPA in Plastics

Xenoestrogen is a class of chemical that mimics estrogen in humans. Chemicals from plastics leak into cans, bottles, packaging of food, rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and everything else. Plastic is everywhere.

According to the national Institute of Health:

 “Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical produced in large quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins.”

Over 93% of American’s have BPA in their bodies. This reduces sperm counts in males.

Environmentalist Bruce Lowry describes the side effects we’re seeing from exposure to BPA:

“Things like Attention Deficit Disorder, Childhood Obesity, Asthma, Autism, and then a whole range of Cancer’s that we’re seeing too – Brain Cancer, Liver Cancer, Prostate Cancer. ”

See: The Longterm Health Impact Of Toxic Food Packaging

8. Pthalates in Scents

Studies in male animals exposed to pthalates have found reduced sperm production, undescended testes, hypospadias, and decreased testosterone production.

Sources of Pthalates to avoid:

Shampoos, Colognes/Perfume, Deodorant, Hair Spray, Body Lotion, Makeup, Glade Plug-ins and other Air Fresheners.

By Jesse Herman