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By We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese in "Too Passive?" on Ask MeFi

We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:08:36 GMT

I mean, yes, coaches for this sort of thing exist, but oh wow this is...way definitely not any of your business. Like at alllllllllllllllllll.

By phunniemee in "King Charles III addresses a joint session of Congress" on MeFi

phunniemee — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 21:11:28 GMT

If he didn't open with "it's great to be here today, I think my brother knows several of your colleagues," that's a real missed opportunity.

By Nothing in "We desperately need better skepticism" on MeFi

Nothing — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 16:12:55 GMT

Counterpoint: Like AI, Amazon was and is a fraud propped up by VC money until there were no viable competitors left. Not because of a better product or a better service, but because they could outspend the rest of the field. Now, 25 years later, we see the skeptics were right: terrible warehouse conditions, rampant counterfeit products, poorly compensated drivers, higher prices. And I expect we will see the same with AI companies.

By Pope Guilty in "The current cigarette discourse is getting spicy" on MeFi

Pope Guilty — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:45:08 GMT

The mass reduction in smoking over the past 20-30 years has been one of the best things to happen in my lifetime; I'm a bit surprised to smell cigarette smoke now, whereas you used to be unable to go more than a day or so without smelling it clinging and lingering. Any pushback on that needs to be shut down pronto.

By SageTrail in "Final update on the anger management issues question" on Ask MeFi

SageTrail — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:39:35 GMT

regret, the guilt, questioning whether I made the wrong decision

Thank goodness you got out of this! Your feelings are normal. They will subside.
I am so proud of you. I'm actually crying as I write this because I'm so proud of you.

By Seven Deadly Gins in "Woman's Talkspace therapy app sessions exposed in court" on MeFi

Seven Deadly Gins — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:06:25 GMT

My reading was that she was using an actual therapist (quoted in the article) and her sessions were being captured to train a future chat-bot by the company. When subpoena'd by her employer, they turned everything over. I don't find it alarmist at all to say holy fucking shit, burn that company to the ground and salt the earth. That is an enormous breach of trust and also malpractice of the grossest sort.

By phunniemee in "Too Passive?" on Ask MeFi

phunniemee — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:13:03 GMT

I'm an assertive woman who, when I do date, often finds myself dating men who are more passive. Division of labor. You can go cook or vacuum or something that I find unpleasant and choose to avoid, leave this one to me. I like dating gentle, kind men.

Stay out of this lol.

By kristi in "King Charles III addresses a joint session of Congress" on MeFi

kristi — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 00:05:04 GMT

I'm not a fan of monarchies or Charles' family, but I am really, really, really glad he stood in front of the Congress and praised both NATO and Ukraine:

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time, and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror, we answered the call together – as our people have done so for more than a century, shoulder to shoulder, through two World Wars, the Cold War, Afghanistan and moments that have defined our shared security. Today, Mr. Speaker, that same, unyielding resolve is needed for the defence of Ukraine and her most courageous people – in order to secure a truly just and lasting peace.

From the depths of the Atlantic to the disastrously melting ice-caps of the Arctic, the commitment and expertise of the United States Armed Forces and its allies lie at the heart of N.A.T.O., pledged to each other's defence, protecting our citizens and interests, keeping North Americans and Europeans safe from our common adversaries. Our defence, intelligence and security ties are hardwired together through relationships measured not in years, but in decades.

and that he did, indeed, speak plainly about the climate crisis:

As we look toward the next 250 years, we must also reflect on our shared responsibility to safeguard Nature, our most precious and irreplaceable asset. Millennia before our Nations existed, before any border drawn, the mountains of Scotland and Appalachia were one; a single, continuous range, forged in the ancient collision of continents.

The natural wonders of the United States of America are indeed a unique asset, and generations of Americans have risen to this calling: Indigenous, political and civic leaders, people in rural communities and cities alike, have all helped to protect and nurture what President Theodore Roosevelt called 'the glorious heritage' of this land's extraordinary natural splendour, on which so much of its prosperity has always depended.

Yet even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us, our generation must decide how to address the collapse of critical natural systems, which threatens far more than the harmony and essential diversity of Nature. We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems – in other words, Nature's own economy – provide the foundation for our prosperity and our national security.

When my own country is governed by a corrupt sexual predator and felon, who is routinely aided and abetted by the oathbreaking members of the majority party, I take heart when leaders from other countries say publicly that the planet is in crisis and our best path forward is to help one another.

The president won't listen, and likely the Republican members of Congress won't, either, but I'd like to think the members of Congress who ARE trying to keep the country and the world from utter destruction may also be glad to be reminded that we have friends around the world who, despite the hostility of the president, still value cooperation with the United States.

I, for one, am deeply glad to hear that.

By phunniemee in "Final update on the anger management issues question" on Ask MeFi

phunniemee — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:03:41 GMT

His sister basically told me I'm selfish and only think of myself.

I cannot imagine a better or more important time to be thinking about myself than when choosing a life partner and potential parent of my future children.

You did the right thing.

By wormtales in "Too Passive?" on Ask MeFi

wormtales — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:23:41 GMT

Sure, he sounds too passive for my tastes as well and it's fine to find that offputting but it is extremely not your place to confront him or 'be sure' to overhaul the personality of your adult daughter's choice in partner. I don't know you, but what you have written has some hallmarks of a controlling and overbearing parent. If that is the case, I can imagine how it might be refreshing for an adult child to experience intimate partnership that leaves room for their feelings and preferences. You should back way off.

By flabdablet in "Too Passive?" on Ask MeFi

flabdablet — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:44:33 GMT

I have just spoken to him about this last week and he acknowledged it and seemed to accept that he needs to improve that trait.

In other words, you've just sat too close to him and dumped your ash on his shirt, and he's got up and left. The fact that you seem to think there's some chance he'll take your unsolicited, presumptuous, busybody advice is an absolute testament to his superior grey rock skills. 10/10, no notes.

If more people could find it within themselves to rise above life's petty annoyances without making a whole thing out of it, the world would be more peaceful and pleasant than it is. Let him be.

By neonamber in "The current cigarette discourse is getting spicy" on MeFi

neonamber — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:03:30 GMT

Smoking? In this economy?!

By Kitteh in "Please explain this cartoon" on Ask MeFi

Kitteh — Fri, 01 May 2026 15:12:43 GMT

It is a joke based on this optical illusion! There is a grieving widow duck and a grieving widow rabbit.

By mittens in "We desperately need better skepticism" on MeFi

mittens — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:49:08 GMT

in 2026, AI is useful for a huge range of tasks

...is it? Because I keep hearing that, but the tasks are always (a) coding or (b) fancy google. Well, now with the addition of (c) accidentally erasing your entire filesystem.

Meanwhile, on the other side, plenty of other sources point to trouble with AI financing, and second thoughts about AI adoption. It's hardly just Zitron at this point.

I think one really valid criticism of Zitron might be the same as any other substack/newsletter guy: You've got your beat, you've got to grow, so you have to really dig in on the same thing you've already said--people are essentially paying you to say the same thing, over and over. Which Zitron does, at length, and it's hard to read, and you pore through looking for news, and there really isn't a lot of news there. Is he right about the fraud? Dunno, but it would be extremely hard for him to back away from that claim at this point. And that's a shame.

By mhoye in "We desperately need better skepticism" on MeFi

mhoye — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:41:56 GMT

AI critics/skeptics today sound like the Amazon critics/skeptics 25 years ago who kept saying it was a fraud, it couldn't make money, it wouldn't last, and everyone who didn't get that was a fool.

In 2001 Amazon shares had dropped from over $100 to under $7, and the company was on its way to bankruptcy. Late 2001 was their first profitable quarter, which happened at approximately the same moment that the dot com bust caused several of their competitors or potential competitors to exit the business. They held on - barely - and in 2004 effectively fell ass-backwards - same as Google largely did with internet advertising - into what turned out to be one of the most insanely profitable businesses in the world: renting computers.

In 2001 Amazon's critics were correct and their criticism remain correct to this day: that business was unprofitable and unsustainable. As a whole Amazon wouldn't be on-paper profitable on paper for another fifteen years, and was only sustainable because ultimately they found another business to be in entirely, and used it to killed most of their competitors by leveraging the insane profits from AWS to drive everyone else out of business.

Those profits don't seem to be materializing for AI companies, and it's not clear what they'll be pivoting to yet. For the AI sector to make sense, there need to be at least a couple of hundred billion dollar businesses coming out of it and they don't seem to be appearing any more than they did for the Metaverse.

By Zumbador in "Too Passive?" on Ask MeFi

Zumbador — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:32:57 GMT

I have just spoken to him about this last week and he acknowledged it and seemed to accept that he needs to improve that trait.

Have you considered that this might be another example of your future son in law being what you consider to be passive and not telling you what he really thinks? Would you accept him being not passive and resisting your attempts to change him?

By leftover_scrabble_rack in "Final update on the anger management issues question" on Ask MeFi

leftover_scrabble_rack — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:57:27 GMT

You. Did. The. Right. Thing.

There is nothing stopping you from marrying this person down the road, if he's truly able to change. But he continued to give you red flags as the wedding got closer, so you made the only choice you could. You should be proud of yourself for trusting your gut.

I wonder if you can reframe the feelings you're having from regret to grief? It's devastating that things didn't work out the way you thought they would. That you may have hurt someone you love by your decision. That you had to cancel such a significant event. That doesn't mean that your choice was wrong.

By AlSweigart in "Beware Software Brain!" on MeFi

AlSweigart — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 14:26:07 GMT

> What basic functionality was lost on your phone's most recent major software update and what specifically were the bells and whistles you disabled to regain it?

Oh no no no. I know this game. I had started to type out the long list, then I remembered that it only gets responded to with "well all you have to do is..." and then something that doesn't work (and then I have to explain it doesn't work, just like all the misleading docs and help pages I read prior to this point) or I get the "well the reason they have that obnoxious feature/walled garden is to make money/maintain market dominance" (but in a tone that seems to justify it rather than lament it).

Let's just say I'm tired of clicking on "no thank you" thirty times a day.

By theotherdurassister in "Final update on the anger management issues question" on Ask MeFi

theotherdurassister — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 23:25:03 GMT

Regret isn't always evidence you made a mistake. It's often evidence you made a difficult decision under significant constraints.

If you had a job with amazing coworkers, interesting work, and good pay, but your manager was constantly exploding at you, belittling you, and otherwise being abusive, you'd need to quit. You'd probably have a lot of regrets once you actually left. You'd regret the good stuff you had to leave behind. You'd miss your great coworkers. You'd be sad to take on less interesting projects. You'd question giving up the good paycheck. Because the part that forced you out--the abusive boss--didn't negate the goodness of those other parts. And, moreover, it's ridiculous to have to quit a job rather than the boss changing their behavior. It happens all the time, but it shouldn't--you know? There's a kind of cognitive dissonance that happens when you have to do something like that. You start to wonder, "Was it really that bad?" or "Did I overreact?" You cope with this kind of self-doubt and regret by practicing self-trust. It's ok if you have to fake it til you make it--practice saying, "I was in a really difficult and painful situation with no easy answers, and I made the best, healthiest, wisest choice I could for myself. I'm proud of myself for getting through such a confusing time."

By MonkeyToes in "indoctrination disguised as spiritually rigorous self-help content" on MeFi

MonkeyToes — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:09:22 GMT

When Christian wives are taught that there is power in accepting an inferior position at home, "that feels very comforting, because there's this sense of autonomy in that choice", Wellman said.

"There is more than one kind of freedom," said Aunt Lydia. "Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don't underrate it."
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale