Just discovered Lemmy while browsing for Reddit alternatives, so let’s break the ice with this first post.
Where are you from?
Do you have children?
What do you think about your country’s current political situation?
The US. Born and raised in Massachusetts. Husband is from NYC, studied in Boston 1965-1971. We got married in 1968, lived together in Boston until 1971 when we moved to NYC. Him and I have been living in Thailand for years now though, on a very advantageous 20-year visa (Thailand Elite Visa). Yes, 1 son born in 1971, who’s living in Switzerland. Depressing.
What was the reason for moving to Thailand?
Great culture, great climate, so much to see and do, amazing long-term visa, well connected to the rest of Asia and the world through Bangkok, close to world class healthcare (Singapore). Couldn’t ask for more.
Do you both speak Thai? Or just winging it?
What were the 1980s like compared to the 1970s? Unrelated to my last question, of all the decades you have experienced, which decade was the best/peak decade overall, in your opinion (and a little about why)?
The 1980s in my eyes was a stable, distinct decade but cynical and kind of drifting back in terms of society (the start of the war on counterculture, the hippies had cut off their hair, were born again Christians and advocating against drugs now). On the other hand the 1970s felt like a continuation of the 1960s - counterculture, chaotic, felt like we were headed to greener pastures. 1990s was in my opinion the peak of modern US and the last great American decade. End of the Cold War (the fear of nuclear war was real), the dawn of global technology, kept the good parts of the 1980s while getting rid or improving the bad parts. It all ended with 9/11. That was a societal shift that we never recovered from.
Do you occasionally play videogames ? I’m asking because my parents are younger than you (they are in their early 60s) and tech literate but for some reason it never clicked with them, nor did “internet culture”. Like, I would be extremely surprised if one day they started expressing interest in stuff like Reddit (let alone Lemmy) and I’m trying to understand why. So I guess my followup question is how did you get into Reddit ?
I don’t play video games. I liked the format of Reddit and I like socializing, that’s how I got into it. Just randomly came across it one day.
Ok, thanks, this gets me one step closer to finding the “missing link”.
Considering the season… what are your favorite Winter Holiday (would assume Christmas but whatever you are observing - if anything) traditions and how did they evolve over time?
Are you prepared for endless doom scrolling, Linux nerds yelling at you, and engagement with the most angry nerds, socialist, anarchists, and tankies? Do you have any idea where you’ve landed here?
God speed on your first day!
That’s where the home page and filters come in handy. Subscribe to the things you enjoy, filter out the junk. Anything news related, I don’t subscribe to. I’ll come across it on All.
What has helped you get through the hardest/most painful times in your life most?
What brings you joy day to day?
Nature and solitude + my husband except for that one time when he was the cause (he had an affair). Music, good food, company of loved ones, books, a good night’s sleep… the simply joys.
I’m interested to hear more about how you worked through your husbands affair, if you’re open to talking about it
Sure. I found out about it from some mutual friends. Honestly my first reaction was, what a dumbass… if you’re going to cheat at least do it smartly and properly so that no soul knows about it. Funnily enough at first I was more disappointed in him for being stupid, I believed he was an intelligent man. I wanted to know every detail and he came clean about everything. Cut off all contact with that woman and put in the work to rebuild trust… a bit of a surveillance period. Either way, I knew I would never leave him just over a one time stray away; but of course he couldn’t know this. I appreciated he didn’t lie when confronted about it or try to victimize himself, justify it, make excuses, etc. He was very frank.
Your husband is a lucky man
What is your favorite Linux distribution?
I don’t use Linux…
What is your favorite operating system?
Of all time, it’s between Win 7 and XP.
This answer is acceptable
Sorry, the correct answer is Windows 3.1. Welcome to Lemmy!
That’s obviously okay :)
If you want to change that you’ll find many helpful people here.
Our Lord and Saviour, Linus Torvalds, will always welcome you with open arms.
You’re always welcome to try out Elementary OS ;)
At 40, I am convinced that we cosplay as adult characters to hide our inner child, mostly from ourselves. Some seem to allow the stresses of life and responsibilities to make the mask indistinguishable, but I doubt any truly make it real. Do you wear the mask of age over the eyes of your inner child? Does age hold a meaningful value to you beyond the comradery of shared experience?
What was it like riding a boneshaker to the mill to work fourteen hour days?
Uphill both ways, of course.
Couldn’t tell you since I never worked, let alone at a mill.
What have you been doing since you were 18?
I got married at 16 in 1968. Had my first and only child in 1971. Focused on taking care of my family and house, practicing my hobbies and socializing. Doing what I loved.
What was your first experience with the internet? Where you an early adopter or did you discover it later? How did you find out about the existence of the internet?
My husband telling me his MCI Mail started using the Internet, so late 1980s. My first personal experience wasn’t until AOL though, so 1996-1997. From my husband.
What advice would you have for couples who love each other but can’t seem to find the right balance?
Effective communication is the solution to all problems in my eyes. No playing games. Be upfront and honest. Find or create that balance together. I got married in 1968 at 16, still happily married.
What do you like and dislike in Lemmy compared to Reddit?
Do you think today is better or 1960/70? And why?
For me 1960/70 because youth. Objectively probably now - the world has never been freer: socially, economically, politically, etc.
What made you start looking for reddit alternatives? What subreddits are you hoping to find analogs for?
I liked Reddit because it was like a forum. Forum = socialization. An over-moderated platform like Reddit and socialization don’t mix well together. So many rules, the karma / account age system which allows / restricts your access to different communities - censors you… I like the ask old people one on Reddit. In general I like the Q&A ones. Plus whatever’s on the front page. I’m not picky.
How was internet access over the years?
1000 times more addictive.
