The thorn is just another thing.

I could start a comment saying “As a woman” or “As a feminist” that would polarize readers before stating a point. I could phrase things more simplistically, or in purple prose, and that would change people’s opinions of what I have to say, too. Those choices could be important enough that someone won’t care if a few lemmings won’t read it. What people say in response becomes part of the discourse they decided to open by communicating the way they did.

Using the thorn is a neat way to get people thinking about language and how information is presented. It is a more efficient letter for a specific sound, and it only took me a sentence to get used to it and read the rest of the comment seamlessly. Mch lk rmvng vwls. Ornotusingspaces.

But I’m a communication nerd.

Thank you for trying to bring back the þorn.

I wish there was an easy way to do it on a phone keyboard, along with the æsh.

I agree, DHH is an open, unapologetic racist. He should not be given any benefit of the doubt unless he expresses genuine remorse and a drastic change in perspective.

Probably.

I’m seconding this and adding to it. AI is terrible for factual information but great at relative knowledge and reframing.

I use it as a starting off point in writing research when I can’t get relevant search results. Most recently, I asked it about urban legends in modern day Louisiana and got a list for more in-depth searches, most were accurate.

It’s good at mocking up accents and patterns of speech relative to a location/time as well.

Undeterred “free speech” has a self-limiting feedback loop where the most extreme views shared by a majority of users eventually drown out minority views. Threats and insults are a kind of self moderation in communities like those, they incentivise uniformity in opinions and demographic while deterring minority/disenfranchised groups from interacting, which is exactly what happened with 4Chan. For example, as of 2025 roughly 80% of 4Chan users are male compared to, say, Tumblr’s 49%

Formal moderation, while not always well done, is a way to protect diverse opinions.

…when you’re in an echo chamber all the weird misinformation and emotion-driven politics are coming from inside the house.

I love this and I’m stealing it.

I used to get a lot more freelance writing and design gigs before AI. It was great under the table money because, at times, I recieve partial support for my disability, and they deduct from my monthly funds if I make money. It’s not enough to live on to begin with, so I relied on side gigs for any savings at all.

Now? I get none. Former clients have outright told me it’s just cheaper to use AI or Canva or whatever. I have friends with similar stories, so I wonder just how much of the unseen labor market was affected by this.

I don’t blame AI. It’s a neat technology and there’s nothing inherently wrong with. I blame capitalism for stealing from artists, building unsustainably, and for creating a world where people have to worry about lost funds from designing bullshit web graphics and business cards instead of having the time, money and bandwidth to follow our passions.