I’ve been using GrapheneOS for a couple years now, both with and without the Google compatability apps. I vastly prefer without, but I’m lucky in that my credit union’s app will function without Google.

Bring back Linux Mint KDE

Why, uh. Why was that your first thought.

“Just pretend it’s always been Linux” is a bold move. I salute 12-year-old you o7

Yeah, I unfortunately didn’t know about the “Nvidia hates Linux” thing when I bought this laptop. I guess I know better for next time.

Garuda might be worth a try. I used it for a couple months and really enjoyed it, I only stopped because Nvidia drivers kept breaking.

My least favorite is Linux Lite. It’s supposed to be a lighter, simpler version of Ubuntu but I don’t think it accomplishes this at all. It’s very slow for something that’s supposed to be lightweight, and still includes Snaps, which are also very much not lightweight. Plus its software center is just bad, which is not great for something that’s marketed at Linux noobs. Linux Mint XFCE or SpiralLinux are better options for a Linux noob who needs a lighter distro, IMO.

An improvement I’d suggest: obviously, ditch Snaps. Another would be to take a look at what Bodhi Linux does and have the “software center” run in the browser. I don’t know how good this is security-wise, but it definitely speeds things up from the UX side of things.

Changed the gender. Kind a pain in the ass but totally worth it.

You’re allowed to be annoyed by it. That’s an annoying thing to have happen. But yelling at her won’t fix the situation, and as you’ve already noted, is only going to make things worse. Feeling angry is OK. Taking it out on someone else is not.

Can you take that emotion and do something else with it? Make a piece of art, play a shoot 'em up game, listen to an angry song, etc?

Not exactly, but I don’t blame you for being confused. I didn’t realize my own wording was ambiguous! “Counterfeit Florida Plates” is the name of the song where the type of lyrics I’m referring to are used. An example:

Steal some sunscreen/From the CVS/Use too much/And make a great big mess/Wait where shadows/Mask or hide my scent

Normally a sentence starting with a verb like that is an imperative or a command, with “you” being the understood subject. But here, the narrator is talking about himself in first person (“mask or hide my scent”). So I was wondering if that usage had a name.

I’m a trans man (FTM) and while I’ve gone for the “shave head and let nature take its course” option, a lot of trans men seem to really like finasteride because it doesn’t have as many hormonal side effects as some other treatments. It’s not an at-home method but I believe you can get it from a GP/PCP, you shouldn’t need to go to a specialist. A lot of guys also seem to like minoxadil/Rogaine but you need to watch out if you have cats, because it’s really toxic to cats.

Mine is finding a picture of an animal with its rear end towards the camera, and then saying “hey, guess what?” to her and when she says “what?” I show her the picture and say “Bunny* butt!”

*or kitty, doggy, etc

Yep, I get this sometimes on apps that work just fine.

I’m currently using Linux Mint as well. I tried Garuda out and I did really like it, but the rolling release kept breaking NVIDIA.

I used Ubuntu back in the day but it sucks now. Snaps are the devil’s work.

I hate GNOME so much. To each their own but I don’t want my computer to look like an iPhone.

Halloween is a Christian holiday.

I’m just gonna drop a link to Captain Awkward’s “families” tag here, there’s like a 99% chance she’s answered a question similar enough to yours to be helpful.

10:14 AM Eastern Standard Time

I’m on the bathroom floor with my pants around my ankles

Yep, hypnogogic/hypnopompic hallucinations are extremely common and generally nothing to worry about. If they happen to you a lot, it might be a sign of a sleep disorder, but they aren’t connected to mental health issues.