diff --git a/custompkg/root/etc/skel/Library/user-setup/100.install-homebrew-apps.sh b/custompkg/root/etc/skel/Library/user-setup/100.install-homebrew-apps.sh
index fe6fa46..e7568ec 100644
--- a/custompkg/root/etc/skel/Library/user-setup/100.install-homebrew-apps.sh
+++ b/custompkg/root/etc/skel/Library/user-setup/100.install-homebrew-apps.sh
@@ -2,20 +2,28 @@
 
 # reminder: homebrew is *spyware*. if you don't do this, it won't
 # set HOMEBREW_NO_ANALYTICS and it will silently spy on you when you use it.
+# this should happen in the .profile but let's do it again here to be certain:
 source $HOME/.profile
+export HOMEBREW_NO_ANALYTICS=1
+
+# Homebrew's package database is on GitHub.  The hashes to verify the
+# authenticity of the source archive downloads are in the package database.
+# Microsoft, a large US military contractor with long ties to illegal NSA spying
+# programs, bought GitHub and can exercise control over them.
+
+# What this means is that a large US military contractor has control over the
+# precise software that gets installed on your computer when you
+# type "brew install x".  Cool, huh?
 
 HOMEBREW_PKGS="
     asciinema
     autoconf
     automake
-    bash-completion
-    bash-git-prompt
     bonnie++
     bwm-ng
     byobu
     cksfv
     cmake
-    corelocationcli
     coreutils
     curl
     daemontools
@@ -33,8 +41,6 @@ HOMEBREW_PKGS="
     gnupg2
     go
     gpg-agent
-    graphviz
-    heroku
     homebrew/dupes/rsync
     httpie
     httrack
@@ -47,26 +53,21 @@ HOMEBREW_PKGS="
     mutt
     neovim
     nmap
-    node
     offlineimap
     p7zip
     par2
     pbzip2
     pgpdump
     pinentry-mac
-    postgres
     protobuf
     pv
     pwgen
     python3
     rename
-    rust
     socat
     sox
     speedtest_cli
-    syncthing
     tcptraceroute
-    terraform
     tor
     torsocks
     trash
@@ -76,7 +77,6 @@ HOMEBREW_PKGS="
     watch
     wget
     whatmask
-    yarn
 "
 
 for PKG in $HOMEBREW_PKGS ; do