I enjoy being a linux sysadmin. I still do some web full stack, but largely for my own team and I have full autonomy over what tools I use. Can’t be many other people writing websites in perl today.

I don’t disagree that some are like that, and the only reason tax laws in many countries in particular are so complicated are because of politicians squeezing in exceptions that benefit them.

But it’s far, far from “all laws”. The quality of life and legality for average people has changed a huge amount for the better. Even in my lifetime in the UK. When I was a child, it was illegal to be homosexual. You were openly discriminated for being black, Irish, foreign, fat, old, young. Now there are laws to protect against that. My wife’s mother had to get her brother to sign the paperwork to buy a house because even in the 1950s, women couldn’t get a mortgage without a man guaranteeing it. Those are just a few examples.

If you’re American, then yeah, maybe your system is skewed far to the rich beyond what most countries do. It’s long been the case that justice in the US doesn’t apply to the rich, but the US is not everywhere and not everything, despite what the current news cycles might tell you.

I understand why someone might think that, but it’s not true, except perhaps in the most corrupt of countries.

I think he’s fairly credible, but it’s obvious he also likes talking and being the center of attention so I suspect will exaggerate for attention. Being Ex-CIA guy is also his business, so he has motive for continuing to appear interesting and relevant. I think it’s prudent to remain a little sceptical.

You say that, but outside of Europe, I’m fairly sure much of society is getting less permissive since the 60s.

Personal view from someone who considers themselves pretty liberal: I don’t get why people spend money on it.

I have no issue at all with anything someone does to make money, provided it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Good for them, wish I was attractive enough to do it. I’d have absolutely no issue with my wife or sister or friend earning money this way.

What I do object to, is low effort. Not just OF/porn, but influencers and streamers more widely. Fake noises, grotesque leering, begging for money - none of it is real, and it doesn’t interest me in the slightest. It doesn’t appeal to me as a consumer, and I don’t understand at all that it does for anyone. Obviously it does work and people do pay money to watch it but I’m genuinely bewildered why. If you want porn, it’s everywhere for free. If anyone reading is a viewer, please do try to educate me on what you get out of it!

(Also, I do know there are people who genuinely enjoy performing and put a lot of effort into producing quality, it’s not all shite)

True story; I used to employ a chap doing building work. He was straight, married (but open, he slept with several of our female staff), good looking and very fit - and one day he handed me his notice. He said he’d been doing OF and gay porn at the weekends and he was making ten times the money in half a day doing that than he was working five days for me. Good for him, he was able to afford a lifestyle he couldn’t otherwise.

Don’t forget the Totnes Pound

We like things that are similar to ourselves. Humanity has always sought company in the darkest of nights. Anthropormising things makes them less scary.

They’ll ask ChatGPT something—even something that has a simple, definitive answer that doesn’t really need further explanation—rather than just looking it up on a search engine.

To me, that’s a no brainer. Chatgpt will give me the answer I’m looking for much quicker and more efficiently than clicking half a dozen links and wading through a crapload of adverts and SEO weighted nonsense.

I remember some wild story about a guy who was killed by some other guys, and then buried in a cave with a big rock and who came back to life, but nobody saw it, but somehow became two other guys as well.

There was another mad story about the whole world and everything on it being built by magic over six days too, but I think they were joking about that.

The sticker book was kinda cool though, and getting a sticker for every lesson and service I attended. Not completing that before I walked out aged eight, saying “But this is all wrong” is my only regret.

I get that it works, but the side effects are sometimes worse than the disease.

There are better methods.

It deters humans far more than bots.

Humans feel unwelcome and are much less likely to stick around.

Overly restricting and subjective deletions and bans for low quality. (Eg: /r/casualuk)

Hear me out - restricting based on low quality sounds great, right? Until it’s your post that’s blocked. And you know it isn’t low quality, is unique and offers a new perspective. Some mods have genuinely forgotten that it’s (mostly) humans at the other end of their actions, or haven’t forgotten and enjoy being dicks.

True, could be an environmental reason.

Choose from:

1. You have an undiagnosed medical issue that is making you feel something unusual when you lie down. Inner ear infection sounds possible.
2. You have an undiagnosed psychological issue that makes you think you are under attack when you are not.
3. You’re correct and your neighbours are using something unknown to common science.

3 is unlikely to the point of impossibility. Anyone telling you different, perhaps in your DMs, will be seeking to manipulate you, or are also unwell themselves.

1 could be paired with 2, so there is a genuine feeling, but you are misidentifying its cause. Go see a doctor.

Religion isn’t a club?

It’s only prohibited if you choose to let it be. All religion is about people controlling other people.

Have you entertained the idea she may have made the right choice and that perhaps you should consider the benefits also?

Always about money. It’s a shame it draws attention away from the 50 million living people who exist in modern slavery today.

Europe kind of had its own grave “crime against humanity” thanks to Mr Hitler, so perhaps that has a bearing?

Or perhaps not - I’m not sure what scoring such things really achieves.

How can I wear a skirt at work

Wear skirt. Go to work.

I don’t know what I’m missing here. Unless there’s a safety reason to the job or a mandatory uniform, why would anyone care? Maybe you’re in a particularly repressive country and I don’t understand the nature of the problem, or why religion comes into it.