PheasantPlucker

I buy from onbuy, where possible, instead of ebay. Or direct from the selling company if I cab find it.

Does anyone know of an alternative to the Google wallet for payments using your phone? I'd rather not have Google know every purchase I make.

MP3Caprice is Ukrainian and apparently a bit dodgy in that it doesn't pay the royalties it should. But I've bought from there in the past. These days I would use 7digital, although it's more expensive

To me what matters most is not who owns it - on the grounds that all oligarchs are bastards - but where the HQ and operations are.

Reminds me of winter town in Arcachon https://www.arcachon.com/en/je-fais-des-travaux-en/tourism/discovery/exceptional-locations/the-ville-dhiver-winter-town/

Nokia was the European Google (i.e tech giant) The reason there's no European Google is due to undercapitalization and market fragmentation. Most of the US doesn't have these things either. It's all located in a small part of California

Mastodon is great for certain things, but not great as a broadcast medium. A European AT Protocol implementation is a better solution https://www.eurosky.social/

Not be able to buy or sell anything without a US company as intermediary does seem something of a risk in the current environment

Looks like it's national.

Deflating deep-rooted habits and established digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay requires convincing added value. The Dutch „iDEAL | Wero“ strategy has a unique advantage here: it transfers an entire national user base almost automatically.

I wonder how they finance it. I guess the owner charges a fee to the mobile phone networks

Old people drive less as well

Zombie apocalypse is a good thing, and least in this context. "the collapse of low-productivity firms, which will be replaced by more productive equivalents."