I literally just had a friend tell me he joined Threads and how neat it was, etc etc and when I explained why I wouldn't be joining him, he basically just gave me the old "Well I already know they have all my information so it doesn't matter"

...like wtf? So you just...give up having any privacy whatsoever? I just couldn't respond to him after that, I don't really know how to respond to that. There's a disease spreading in the world unfortunately and it isn't just COVID. It's one called Apathy and too many people are coming down with it.

Ok, but only if I get to make the next post that complains about people complaining about people who complain about Reddit. Or...something.

*Donaghy, and at least Jack had Liz to act as a moral compass/course correction. David is just another asshat CEO with no moral or ethical scruples.

I posted a similar comment elsewhere but along the same line of thought: The sad thing is that the masses that are still on Reddit at this point dgaf and will likely stay on Reddit forever. There's a real problem of Apathy in today's culture when people are just jonesing for their fix of daily content/memes, or at the very least nothing that disrupts the status quo. They don't give a fuck about "ideals" or what corporations do or farm from them so long as their instant gratification and daily intake of said content remains unchanged.

My hope is that you’re right, but my fear is that I am.

I haven't seen it mentioned, so I'm guessing it's not the case (and I've never been a mod on Reddit so I have no idea how things work behind the scenes) - but is there anything preventing mods from just...nuking the entire subreddit? Deleting it? I mean I know Reddit could probably "un-delete" it but still, all mods of those private communities should just go full scorched earth and just nuke the subreddit rather than hand it over/have it taken away (again if that's an option. If not, just ignore).

Companies are going out of their way to ignore the fact that "the easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. It's by giving those people a service that's better than what they're receiving from the pirates." - Gabe Newell

I consider adblocking to be in the same boat. Piracy/Adblocking only exists because it's not a pricing issue. It's a service issue. By making the free version even more intrusive ON PURPOSE, they're not pushing as many people to buy a subscription as they are pushing people to install adblockers. If YouTube only ever showed a quick 10-15 sec ad at the very beginning of a video, I'd be less inclined to go out of my way to find and install an adblocker (and maybe even eventually just buy a subscription) than if they force feed me back to back, 30-second, unskippable ads.

It's the same with those stupid fucking commercials that run ALL the time and try and be as annoying as possible. If I find your ad to be annoying and frequent and shoved down my throat all the time, I will vehemently and actively go out of my way to AVOID that product, not be more inclined to buy it.

Good news to everyone! We've wanted an alternative to YouTube for a long time. Now it looks like Google that next big step in forcing alternative platforms to rise in it's place. I'm an avid user of YouTube, but not a snowball's chance in hell will I buy Premium when they are trying to shove it down my throat like that. That's a very good way to get people to NOT buy something but for some reason companies don't seem to understand.

Gabe Newell said it best: "We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem." - Piracy was down and streaming subscriptions were up when Netflix first came about due to the ease/convenience of it, but piracy is seeing a return due to the mishandling and misconception of companies about how to gain profit through improved services vs increased pricing/poor performance.

The reason I bring this up is because YouTube, like many companies, thinks they're "solving" the issue of adblocking by force-feeding this kind of bullshit to the masses, but all they're doing is forcing more people to turn to alternatives instead.

The sad thing is that the masses that are still on Reddit at this point dgaf and will likely stay on Reddit forever. There's a real problem of Apathy in today's culture when people are just jonesing for their fix of daily content/memes, or at the very least nothing that disrupts the status quo. They don't give a fuck about "ideals" or what corporations do or farm from them so long as their instant gratification and daily intake of said content remains unchanged.

I suppose it depends on what a person considers a hidden gem because everyone's tastes are different. I'll list a few categories and at least 1-2 of my favorites in those categories that I've found on Steam and are currently on sale:

Exploration/Base-Building:

• Grounded
• Raft
• Rimworld
• Subnautica/Subnautica: Below Zero

Story based/Farming/Romance:

• My Time at Portia*
• My Time at Sandrock

Visual Novels:

• Basically anything made by PixelFade (Ace Academy, Ethereal Enigma, Crystalline). One of the few English-based VNs that are fully voiced in English and have a pretty decent plot/story. Interactive with different choices affecting different outcomes and even some minigames at least in EE.
• Nekop-er Hush Hush. Ok, listen. I'll admit there IS an 18+ DLC for this but it's not necessary to enjoy the game. It honestly has a pretty interesting story/premise and I did get pretty heavily emotionally invested in the characters.

*Note that MTAP has been fraught with issues. Although these issues don't necessarily make the game unplayable, and it's still enjoyable, be aware that it is was Pathea's (the studio) first such attempt and as such they were still learning. Their second game Sandrock has solved a lot of the issues and it's not necessary to play the first one

I suppose it depends on what a person considers a hidden gem because everyone's tastes are different. I'll list a few categories and at least 1-2 of my favorites in those categories that I've found on Steam and are currently on sale:

Exploration/Base-Building:

• Grounded
• Raft
• Rimworld
• Subnautica/Subnautica: Below Zero

Story based/Farming/Romance:

• My Time at Portia*
• My Time at Sandrock

Visual Novels:

• Basically anything made by PixelFade (Ace Academy, Ethereal Enigma, Crystalline). One of the few English-based VNs that are fully voiced in English and have a pretty decent plot/story. Interactive with different choices affecting different outcomes and even some minigames at least in EE.
• _Nekop_er Hush Hush. Ok, listen. I'll admit there IS an 18+ DLC for this but it's not necessary to enjoy the game. It honestly has a pretty interesting story/premise and I did get pretty heavily emotionally invested in the characters.

*Note that MTAP has been fraught with issues. Although these issues don't necessarily make the game unplayable, and it's still enjoyable, be aware that it is was Pathea's (the studio) first such attempt and as such they were still learning. Their second game Sandrock has solved a lot of the issues and it's not necessary to play the first one

Furry porn?

NTA. For one thing, if she left "suddenly" with no explanation, your kids are old enough to see right through that. Telling them "things broke down" wouldn't explain why it would have been a very swift exit on her part unless something crazy happened. Second, allowing her to tell them herself was the smart thing to do because not only does it allow her to be the one to break it to them (and take responsibility), but it can't be said then that you were trying to pit them against her or anything by telling lies because the truth came straight from the horse's mouth. If she wishes that you hadn't made her tell them, then it's only because of sheer guilt that she has decided to try and project onto you as a form of defense. If she can't understand that her actions have consequences for others around her and not just herself (by saying that it's none of their business), then she probably wasn't a very fit person to be parenting them anyway. Parents are people, too. They can make mistakes. But not owning up to those mistakes or being able to have the empathy needed to see how it impacts others is not something you want to pass down to your children.