I'm actually having a shower, just being too tired/unmotivated to do it at "normal" speed.

I actually used to work in a solar & heat pump company.

YES it does attract a huge amount of scummy people on both sides.

Some comments have already answered on the side of sales, but it also attracts a lot of shitty clients.

How? A lot of people get greedy with free energy and/or homesteading/offgird wackos. Usually they're unable to pay the "normal" price so they chase down such scammy companies because the number they have offered fits their budget.

IMHO definitely an industry to avoid working in.

Grew up in rural Eastern Europe.

I have always been considered "eccentric" or a bit "odd". I made my peace with it and lived my life knowing that I'm not mentally ok.

After I emigrated to Germany and befriended new people, I realized that I have always been normal, I just didn't have hillbilly interests like everyone else around me.

Looking up the information online (beyond just googling it in your native language).

i.e. Trying out the results in other search engines, when looking for the information about something in a foreign land, or something the specific nation is very good at; try using the local language (and use the online translators to search it and read it).

A feeling of power, a sense of pleasure by ruining it for someone. The reasons are many, and each more despicable than the other.

Both camps are right!

Cheap bikes just don't ride nowhere as nicely nor do they last as expensive bikes do.

BUT! The worst thing about owning an expensive bike is owning an expensive bike.

It's a thief magnet and source of envy of other riders.

You really need to find a sweet spot between a quality bike and being able to leave it locked in the city without having pangs of anxiety of it being stolen.

I actually won twice.

The first time was on a radio show and I won two tickets to see the first Ice Age film.

The second time was recently, I won a youtube giveaway, and I won a painting. The guy was asking so much for shipping that I stopped replying.

Wow really cool. I really like the art style.

What software did you use?

Yes, dosens of times.

I grew up in eastern europe and things work differently there.

Oftentimes the cops would fish for bribes. Cops would pick you up on the street/stop you in traffic and search you/your car/whatever in hopes of finding something to hook onto and escalate the situation further and put you in a legally difficult situation.

Then they would generously offer that they can make it all go away if somebody from your family comes and brings X amount of money.

This didn't happen just to me, in most countries of the former eastern block that's just a fact of life.

As an expert in claiming to be an expert on the internet I can confidently say no

Oh there are a lot of small things I had to give up because of rising costs of living. TBHany have been a positive change.

1. Eating meat (yes, really)
2. Impulse buying of all sorts

The whole situation has made me more intentional with my money, and I like that.

I'm in a very similar situation like you are. I too have started to be annoyed with the Big Tech products and the Internet in general.

I have switched to Lemmy, shut down my gmail account and opened a Proton Mail, and switched from using Google search engine to Qwant.

I too have switched to Linux Mint, and I'm loving it. TBH my IT colleauges talked me into buying refurbished Thinkpad laptop and told me to install Linux Mint. Boy am I glad I did that.

The next step for me is switching to Fairphone :D