Discovering the internet in the '90s was… different. Let me see if I can paint a picture for you.

Initially, many people used dial-up BBSes to get their fix of “Usenet” groups… which I think may be the best analog to the “federated” communities on Lemmy/kbin and such. If you looked hard enough, you could find groups for just about anything surprisingly easily… and I do mean anything. ISPs like Prodigy, CompuServe and AOL, along with some of the more sophisticated BBSes, would all connect to each other periodically – in some cases, not necessarily by way of live continuous connections – and the groups that the service provider had chosen to subscribe to would be mirrored to their server.

Those dial-up modems eventually topped out at 56Kbps – long before blazing fast 384Kbps DSL became a thing – and you had to disconnect if Mom or Dad needed to make a phone call. Worse, if they were expecting a phone call, you just had to stay off until they gave you leave to get back on… but really, the “addiction” phase of the internet hadn’t even kicked in yet, so that just meant you went and did something non-internet related, like ride a bike or watch a VHS video tape – or just whatever happened to be on TV. (Uh-huh… I can already feel you shuddering at the very thought of actually disconnecting for a while…)

The entire concept of a “web browser” was brand spanking new; my first exposure to a web browser was the AOL browser. It… wasn’t great. Discovering Netscape Navigator (the predecessor to Firefox) was a night-and-day difference… way better at pretty much everything. Geocities, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo… all the things were at your fingertips, at that point.

But really, once TCP/IP and “web browsing” became a thing, the nature of the internet has remained relatively static in some very significant ways, since. The speeds cranked up periodically, and the websites have changed from time to time, JavaScript and stylesheets were added to the mix, and the most popular web browser has changed several times… but the fundamentals are still much the same. If you dropped late-'90s-me in front of any web browser today, I’d have to learn which websites have replaced the ones I used to know… but that would essentially be the full extent of the browser learning curve. I suppose it might also take me a moment to grok that all of my favorite newsgroups have been entirely replaced by web-browser-accessible systems at this point… but in the end, I’m pretty sure that I’d quickly get how that makes far more sense from an end-user usability standpoint.

So yes… many things have changed. And a few things haven’t.

Of course, nobody with two brain cells to rub together who reads that answer is sitting there thinking to themselves, "Huh... I guess I've had it wrong all this time, focusing so much on money." Rather, they're instinctively blurting out, "Yeah right -- I call bull!"

But I'll give them partial credit; frequently it's about money. Sometimes, it's just about a work environment that used to be great going to crap. And sometimes, it's about the employee coming to an epiphany, and realizing that their work environment was actually crap all along.

That said, it may be true that not every job that I've ditched was entirely because of money... but it should go without saying that it's always a factor in where I went for the next job. Also, it's never the only factor -- but it's certainly one of the more significant ones.

iOSification can come in two forms: aesthetic and functional. The aesthetic changes don’t worry me in the least. It’s the possibility of the eventual removal of macOS features that set it apart from iOS that would be concerning.

Don't forget to go back a week out and verify that your deleted comments didn't mysteriously reappear. Seems like that's been happening a lot lately, according to various reports. (I haven't really had the heart to go delete all of my own comments. Yet.)

This chart hits me hard, in so many ways.

There are certain traits common to neurotypicals which I have always considered to be detrimental to not only that person in whom I've observed the trait, but to society as a whole -- but because I'm the one who is considered "different" I usually find that it's easier to just keep my trap shut, rather than be browbeaten by NTs for my strong opinions.

As a very obvious example: "Highly developed morals" is tucked away in the corner of the Autism/Giftedness sub-quadrant. I'm going to make the obvious assumption that Ms. Higgins Lee clearly did not intend to imply that only neurodivergents hold that trait... but, anecdotally, I have nonetheless on more than one occasion observed that far too many people who are considered by the larger populace to be "normal" not only appear to lack that trait, but actively despise anyone who holds such high morals.

NTs so often derisively label us as "autistic" or "neurodivergent" or (my personal favorite) "nerds"... like these are all somehow bad things -- but maybe society as a whole needs to reevaluate the entire notion of what constitutes "good" and "bad".

Sorry... am I being too divergent? Should I shut my trap... yet again?

You know, if he could find a way to re-hook Apollo over to one or more Lemmy instances, I think Apollo would immediately become the default Lemmy client for a whole lot of people. What’s more, I expect that a fairly large subset of those people still haven’t even heard about Lemmy yet, and would suddenly be creating new accounts. That would also help to incentivize people to grant his request, and turn down the refund.

Just a thought. I know there would by necessity be an awful lot of work involved to make such a thing happen… but it would probably be worth it.

One of the most frustrating thing about being “different” is that people don’t understand you… and you don’t understand them either. It doesn’t really matter whether we put labels on it like neurotypical vs. neurodivergent, or nerd vs. jock or liberal vs. conservative… the basic nature of the divide is still much the same. So at some point, you just have to learn to accept it, and stop trying to comprehend that which will never come naturally to you. Embrace who you are, and do what works best… for you. Live your life the best way you know how to, and don’t be afraid to tell others that, while you appreciate that they’re trying to help, their advice just isn’t what you need right now.

Life isn’t about conformity… it’s about growing as a person, and becoming a little bit better every day. So maybe, just give yourself a break… I mean, you’re expressing your problems in this forum and you’re interacting with people, even if it’s not in person. That means you did a lot better than you might have by just sitting there and stewing about those differences, right?

I think you’re doing alright.

I am in the US and subscribed to P+, and I just checked: Paramount+ presents Farpoint as a single episode (noting in the title that it is Part 1 and 2) and includes the recap scene at 38 minutes into the episode.

Consider adding Ars Technica to your list. They aren't specifically focused on Apple news, but a couple of their journalists do routinely offer some fairly balanced reporting on Apple affairs. Plus, their Android expert is constantly comparing Android devices to Apple devices... and he very rarely gives Android a total win in any given comparison. I think it's quite amusing to read, actually.

Minecraft and No Man's Sky. (But then, I repeat myself.)

Also, to a lesser extent, Lemmy. That one is still more of a growing fixation, rather than a hyper-fixation.

Totally get this. Regardless of the answer, try to think of knowing the answer as another tool in your belt to help you figure out solutions to your daily struggles. Of course, knowing by itself doesn't necessarily solve anything... but it'll at least help point you in the right direction.

Full disclosure: I have not been officially tested by a doctor, myself, because depending upon your insurance, it can be pretty expensive. So money could certainly be one very valid reason to not get tested. On the other side of that, my wife and I did choose to have our kids tested, so that they can take advantage of options that such a diagnosis opens up within the public school system. You obviously aren’t looking towards that path, yourself, but that doesn’t mean it is entirely without value.

That said, I did take the online test, which is primarily targeted at an adult audience and which (unsurprisingly) showed very strong indicators that I’m also autistic. I would suggest starting there. The way I look at it, knowledge is a tool; you get to decide how (or if) to use that tool. And when the barrier to obtaining that knowledge is low, it’s worth the effort to step forward and see where that knowledge takes you.

The website with online tests is linked under helpful resources in the collection of links in the sidebar, but I’ll also go ahead and link directly to that website right here for your convenience: https://embrace-autism.com/autism-tests/

The ten question test is merely a subset of the fifty question test; if you’re at all distressed about the process, feel free to start at the short test. (I took both, and they both scored me extremely highly.)

You're probably right -- but let's pick that apart for a bit. What you are basically describing is "doing what's right when nobody is watching." How is that not a "superior code of conduct," as you put it?

I voted as "self-diagnosed" -- but that's really an inadequate description.

I'm an adult with multiple autistic kids who have themselves each been professionally diagnosed... and I share an overwhelming percentage of my personality and characteristics with them. But I'm clearly in the "high-functioning" category, and have managed to reach a certain level of stability and success in my own life; so even ignoring the obvious monetary cost of getting a professional eval, at this point there just isn't much that such a diagnosis would do for me... whereas my kids benefit by having that official piece of paper in their school records; it provides concrete evidence to justify the requests for accommodations which we've submitted on each of their Individualized Education Programs (IEP).

Which is to say, I believe that there are certainly good reasons to go to a professional -- but there are also circumstances which can significantly mitigate those good reasons.

Hi, folks; another victim of "Rexxit" here.

What's happening at Reddit is unfortunate -- and more importantly, it would have been easily avoidable. Thing is, the powers that be there didn't want to avoid it. So, let them have whatever is left behind. It may still be salvageable for them... or it may not be; only time will tell. Regardless, the world overall is a poorer place for what they've chosen.

I kind'a wouldn't blame him if he did that. The level of vitriol aimed at him in the comment sections of various articles that I've read on this topic is positively staggering. People can be really awful sometimes... and people who are seemingly uninformed and/or misinformed, even more so.

I'm a long time Trekkie; I wasn't alive yet when TOS originally aired on TV, (I mean, that was the '60s -- I'm old, but I'm not that old!) but I grew up watching it in syndication. I also watched TNG, DS9, Voyager and (ahem) most of Enterprise, back when these shows first aired on broadcast television. The notion of binge watching wasn't even a thing, yet. That said... I'm somewhat in the same boat as you for some of the newer shows, simply because I haven't taken the time to sit down and consume all of "NuTrek" quite yet, so I do get where you're coming from. (The rest of "life" sometimes gets in the way of good entertainment, eh?)

But at some point you have to a acknowledge that you're fighting a two-front war. You say that you don't want to watch a series that is incomplete or at risk of an abrupt cancellation, which I certainly get... but at the same time, you say that you don't want other people who have watched it to spoil it for you, while still having the option to discuss the shows you have watched with those same people. These are largely incompatible whims; you're kind'a going to have to just choose a path and accept that there will occasionally be thorns in the bushes along that path, regardless of which one you choose.

That is to say, as I see it, you have three basic options:

• Either watch things according to your preferences at whatever pace suits you, and accept that the occasional spoiler is going to be inevitable,
• Or binge everything that's ever been released as quickly as you can, and accept that you're going to end up watching and investing in some shows that may not last as long as you'd like,
• Or simply pull out of the discussions as soon as you realize that a spoiler is coming... or maybe even isolate yourself from those discussions entirely, until such time as you're comfortable with your level of Trek knowledge.

Some combination of those options is probably going to be more or less palatable to you. (Personally, I go through spurts of all three modes at different times.)

As an aside: shows being cancelled prematurely is by no means unique to the Age of Streaming. The original Star Trek series is a prime example... but more modern examples exist as well, including non-Trek franchises, like Firefly.

Dan's final comment succinctly calls out the situations which irk me the most. You asked me how I'm doing. I answered honestly... and now you're going to judge me for that? Yeah, nah. I'd rather just not answer at all, thanks, instead of dealing with that bullcrap.

Which, over the course of time, led me to the analytical conclusion that more often than not, most people don't actually care how -- or even if -- I answer at all, unless I make the "mistake" of answering honestly when I'm not feeling perfectly peachy. That's why I almost always answer with something vaguely nonsensical when asked how I'm doing by random strangers, such as, "Howdy, howdy!" Most of them are so locked into their autopilot that they only ever hear that first syllable, and immediately think I just asked them how they're doing... so they reflexively toss back their obligatory, "Oh, I'm fine." Once in a blue moon, one of them will skip a beat and realize what I actually said just after their reply, making the passing interaction vaguely uncomfortable for them. Which, you know... is actually just fine by me, since that's how I feel almost all the time.

I can't really say from personal experience -- mostly because I'm quite certain that I would offend someone in-so-doing -- but I have an idea that might offer some insights:

There's a link in the right hand sidebar of this community to helpful resources; from there is a link to Autism tests. Click on the AQ-10 test, and take it. After you finish, look back over your answers, see if you can guess which questions would have made your score lower, and change those answers accordingly. Play around with it a bit, and maybe even think of it as a game. If you get your score down to zero... that's roughly how the most "neurotypical" person would have answered. That's not to say that all NTs will answer that way, but it gives you an idea of the traits that suggest neurotypicality, with the opposing answer obviously suggesting neurodivergent traits. Analytically, this also means that the more strongly you gravitate towards the ND trait answers, the less "typical" is your natural behavior.

You could also do this with the 50 question version of the test, but I imagine that would take a lot more time and effort with a much more limited return on investment, as compared to just doing the 10... but even as I'm writing this, I'm finding myself tempted to go do it anyway. That's probably one of the ND traits in me.

(Alternatively, if you're familiar with the structure of HTML, you can easily figure out all of the answers from the page source.)