"You look just like dad. And that's very disappointing."
I used to be in a shitty local band (well a couple of them) and we would sometimes go to WH at 2 or 3 in the morning. I saw some interesting people for sure. And I have been there many times at all hours of the day. I've never seen anything remotely like the internet horror stories. Obviously there have been fights and shootings and what not at Waffle Houses, but those happen at plenty of other places, too. I think the "shit show rep" that it has just comes from bullshit artists on reddit trying to sound edgy or funny. I saw a lot more weirdness on the handful of times I've ridden a NY subway.
I think the taste and texture may have become noticeably worse after the ban on artificial trans fats. It definitely impacted some of the junk food I used to buy in the grocery store. (I'm not saying the ban was a bad thing, just that a lot of us noticed the change).
Whatever the cause, I have noticed it, too.
I like Bernie's idea of taxing every trade on the stock market.
I agree with your sentiment and I have definitely grown and my opinions have changed from the influence of people I have "met" online over the decades. However, none of the people who influenced me in positive ways were trolls, jerks, or snarky smart-asses. I really don't think anything is lost if you block a lot of those type of people. I actually think something is gained. The amount of time and energy we are allotted to spend in this life are precious.
It's a good tool and I encourage people to use it. Otherwise the asshole filter can start to take over. I'd honestly prefer someone to block me if I annoy them, rather than try to engage me in some snark-fest or pointless argument.
I also think it's best just to block and move on if someone acts like a jerk. Don't respond or tell them you are blocking them. Let them shout into the void.
One of the main things I look for is the person's comment history. If they seldom post an original thought or comment and mostly reply just to be nasty and condescending towards other people, I will block them. They are basically using the people in forums as a bunch of paper targets to snipe at. Once you know to look for them, you can spot these type of commenters pretty quickly.
In highly controversial threads I will often spot new people to block that I did not even engage with.
They make use it at my job. I hate it.
Now I'm hoping my Nighthawk router lasts for several more years.
Sorry about that, I did not know that was the case with them. Maybe LG has aggressive lawyers?
You can advertise without paying millions to people who already have millions. And forcing them to reveal the cost to consumers isn't preventing them from advertising.
I've been impressed with Fastmail. I also use Tuta, which is pretty cool (but I barely use it).
I was hoping to find ProZD in here!