Syncthing uses a centralized discovery server to connect device IDs to IP addresses (although you can change this to point to your own discovery server, too).

I don’t know if Funkwhale has a similar option.

I don’t have a thermostat, but I have indoor and outdoor temp and humidity sensors, and a window position sensor. HA notifies me (via lighting color) if I should open the window because the outdoor conditions are better than indoors, or vice versa.

I thought they were talking about the elementary particle—I was afraid we’d have to find some other way of manifesting our physical existence.

What about the usage demographics within each country?

In underdeveloped/exploited countries, internet usage is more likely to be concentrated among the economic elites who formerly benefited from colonialism—so if increasing adoption in those countries just follows the pattern of other internet use, it could have the opposite effect from the one intended.