This is an old thread, but I thought I’d give my thoughts.

I absolutely love the Android Open Source Project. The amount of things you can do with Android are spectacular. Pixels especially are wonderful devices.

However, it’s come to my attention that I think iPhones make better “Phones” than any other device.

Apple is in a unique position of having fast and sleek operating systems and software, and wonderful integration.

Homestly if you’re not running privacy focused stuff, like your own homeserver, or a custom OS, or anything. Apple is the best for your privacy.

The reason I believe this is due to their implementation of their Apple TV Box. Google’s TV stuff is designed first and foremost to give you advertisements, even on the home screen, and Apple does no such thing. Needless to say, I switched TV Boxes. Upon researching what Apple does with your data, I’m becoming convinced that the Apple ecosystem has become a better option for consumerist services, like social media, news, streaming, and banking.

It’s not enough to make me get rid of my Android Pixel, but I’ve been heavily considering getting an iPhone, iPad, Watch, Mac Mini.

Powerful math tools, diagnostic tools, chatroom apps, forum apps, Signal, games, emulation, privacy tools, all mostly open source software, they’d all go on an Android Pixel running a custom OS still.

I just made a comment about that, hopefully that explains the current state of affairs about it.

Guns are one of those things thats really hard to restrict. It’s a freedom that most enjoy, and some abuse. Most that own guns responsibly don’t want their guns taken away due to law changes.

This was actually the case with automatic firearms, automatic firearms were legal to buy until 1986, ironically with the support of the NRA, which is the largest gun lobby in favor of less gun control. In this ban of automatic firearms, they allowed existing owners to keep their automatics.

You can count self defense cases and crimes with those weapons on one hand, most crimes are committed with handguns.

Another argument is just banning “assault style rifles”. This is basically the blanket description of an AR-15 style rifle, that is generally the same design as an M4 carbine in the military, with it’s adjustable stock, 16 inch barrel, black color, with a comfy pistol grip, the automatic function removed, and an MLOK rail for attachments like lights, lasers, or sights.

The reason that this description is silly, is because a normal semi-auto hunting rifle is functionally the exact same as an “assault rifle”. It has magazines and you can fire it rapidly buy pushing the trigger rapidly. You could ductape lights and lasers to it. Gun manufacturers could simply sell the same gun without the “tactical” features which are convenient for all users, and it would change nothing about crime.

Additionally, if there’s a huge gun buyback and all gun owners turn in their guns because the second amendment has been repealed, criminals are not going to turn in their guns, and it would leave many defenseless.

Often times, guns are necessary for those living in rural areas, because there is a great number of threats from wildlife in rural areas, from Alligators, to Mountain Lions, to Grizzly Bears and Brown Bears and Black Bears. Hunting is required to control the ecosystems of large game and small game. Additionally, many hunters opt to use the “tactical assault style rifles” due to their modularity. (Not always, many still use bolt action rifles, when it’s for sport).

Nobody in America actually has a problem with responsible gun ownership. The disagreements between states go down to magazine sizes, barrel sizes, concealed carry laws, concealed carry permits, etc.

Yes school shootings are a problem, with some troubled person shooting up a school with an “Assault style rifle”. But the fact of the matter is that it makes up an extremely small minority of gun crime.

The only difference between the US and Switzerland for example, is the fact that we are allowed to use the weapons in self defense versus animals or human assailants in our homes or in public. The other difference is the process to obtain firearms.

The last reason you will see resistance against gun control comes from the left. Gun control was originally pushed by conservative Republicans in the mid 20th century as a response to the Black Panther movement, civil rights group that operated as a militia and open carried rifles around town.

There’s an argument that gun control would be systemically racist agenda, because it would restrict gun control only to those with the money and time and clean records to complete the checks to complete a purchase of a firearm. It would leave minority groups less armed compared to conservative white males.

Weapons are inherently a check against violence in this way. Similar to how the world uses the fact that it can destroy each other as leverage for mutual and relative peace.

As for being able to relate this to someone from Europe who has never handled firearms or can’t understand the need for them, or people stubborn about them, I can relate as someone who never felt the need to own a weapon until recently. It’s quite similar to the freedom a motor vehicle gives you. You get used to the autonomy and independence that a vehicle gives you. Being able to take apart the machine, customize it, optimize it, make it yours and express yourself through that construction.

I’m not trying to draw a false equivalency, but it’s the closest one I can portray.

I hope this answered your question!

:3

Self defense laws are pretty weird in Europe. I am spoiled on our second amendment laws, so let my bias be noted.

However, some guy can break into your house and if you defend yourself with a bat or knife, the laws there from what I hear (this isn’t fact, I could be mistaken) can get you in trouble with the law. I remember reading that somewhere.

Sure it’s like that in the US too but there are many protections for those who clearly have acted in self defense.

I’ve seen USB-C flash drives, do you think those would help too.

How easy is it to transfer a file from one device to the other? For example, let’s say you had to transfer photos, a pdf, an epub, and a video file. How easy is that?

And then do you think it’s going to be much easier when USB-C comes out so I can use a flash drive to do all the work?

Do you use Apple News at all?

Do you carry both on your person or does one go in the bag.

I think that covers most of my curiosities.

Edit: Also thanks for answering politely!

Outside of the popular streaming apps, I’ve found streaming apps to be a lot better and less buggy on Apple devices.

Waze has some of its functionality taken away on Android Auto.

And since I’ll be uninstalling the phone app on my Pixel, I was going to use the Phone and Messages app for regular texting, that’s a preferential thing. I’d use Signal but it doesn’t do SMS anymore.

That’s all it is, a looming creep that’s a very loud minority. The car-centric infrastructure is quite tragic, to be sure. And the cost of healthcare is a problem. But again, there are enough benefits to staying that outweigh the cost of moving.

I don’t know their circumstance. But for me, as someone who was formerly doom and gloom about some of these things. Some things that helped me was getting fit and volunteering.

After that, you could join the national guard, who will allow you to finish your degree, and you’ll immediately have job security.

People complain about the nation as a whole without taking the time to see what’s specifically wrong with their community and doing their part for the collective good of society.

Hi! I’m sure you have a lot of feelings about the US and maybe you have a specific situation that’s causing you troubles.

However, I’d recommend looking at other places in the country before looking at other places.

Moving is a huge expense, and if you lurk all the time on reddit or lemmy. You may start thinking that things are terrible, because you become emotionally invested in the outcome of a collective you can’t control.

In terms of other countries, the UK is going through the aftermath of Brexit, Italy is about to elect a controversial figure, France has some questionable anti-encryption policies under it’s belt. Another commenter mentioned Canadas downsides.

Looking at Asian countries like Japan and Korea, they are generally homogenous countries, and it takes much more work as a foreigner to make headway socially, with Japan moreso than Korea, to be fair. Compared to the USA, there is nary a country as diverse.

In the USA, there are many many places that can give you relative peace. Investing in local communities is much healthier than looking at huge national controversies, because usually local problems affect you more directly.

If you have the funds and resources and job security and drive to learn the language, I would say take a look at Switzerland. They’re relatively stable, neutral, and it’s a beautiful place there. I’d say it’s still quite homogenous though.

This isn’t meant to dissuade you from moving, but as someone who went through a period of depression due to the state of the country and it’s affect on my life, and has now found reasons to support the US wholeheartedly despite it’s problems, definitely look at quieter places in the USA, like some beach towns or mountainous towns in New Mexico.