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About

My name is Francesco Turco. I'm a 37-year-old guy living in a small town in Italy.

I strongly believe in the free software philosophy, as first described by Richard Stallman. I think proprietary software is unethical and should not exist. Personally, I try to avoid it in my life as much as I can, but unfortunately I haven't managed to completely eradicate it from my devices yet. My favorite GNU/Linux distribution is Gentoo Linux, which I use on my primary computer (a desktop). I use Void Linux instead on my less powerful secondary computer (a laptop).

I don't like the Web. In particular, I don't like websites that heavily rely on JavaScript and, to a lesser extent, CSS. I greately prefer Gemini to the Web, and this is the reason I have a personal Gemini capsule as opposed to a personal website.

I like reading articles and e-books on topics such as sustainability, frugality, minimalism, and personal productivity. I exclusively read non-fiction because learning about real problems (and their solutions) is my top priority. I have no time for fiction (or fake problems).

I have been a vegan since 2013. I strongly believe animal farming should be banned worldwide, without delay, because it is extremely harmful to the animals. There are also important environmental reasons, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stopping deforestation, as well as important health reasons, such as preventing pandemics (e.g. COVID-19) and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

I'm an atheist. I don't believe in the existence of gods or any other supernatural entity that could not be fully explained by the laws of physics. I completely reject religions and any other belief system based on irrational principles.

I believe the world needs degrowth. Most countries should drastically reduce the amount of energy and other resources they consume (especially fossil fuels). Only the poorest countries should continue to grow their economies to a limited extent. Unrestricted economic growth is not an acceptable goal, because it has catastrophic environmental effects.

I hate consumerism and those that profit from it, such as most media companies and the advertising industry. I'm opposed to wasting money or resources on any kind of useless or wasteful purpose (e.g. Christmas gifts, luxury vehicles, oversized houses, jewelry, fast fashion).

I have never had a car, and I never will. I have never taken a flight, and I have no plan to do so in the future. I just walk, ride my bicycle, and occasionally take public transportation.