Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[peacheslatour]

3 hours ago, Kitty Redstone said:

This is me! I used to be a voracious reader but a shorter attention span and more distractions and scatterbrained feelings have changed that. I go back to the old ones as well, but do buy/borrow new ones as long as they're in the cozy mystery category. Right now I'm reading the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman (which is excellent!) and listening to one by Kate Kingsbury (so far, so good). 

You'll find them at antique/junk shops and (possibly) thrift stores. I used to find lots of great old books at our local thrift stores but, apart from six Nancy Drews with beautifully illustrated covers and a few 1960s BH&G cookbooks, haven't in quite some time. Whether they're no longer getting donations of books, or are not accepting them, or they're bundling them and sending them elsewhere, who knows?

Those carts are back in style. I'd love to have a MCM one but sadly have no space for it.

My parents had a full wet bar in the rec room, which I thought was gross. But I do have one of these-

 

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, Kitty Redstone said:

This is me! I used to be a voracious reader but a shorter attention span and more distractions and scatterbrained feelings have changed that. I go back to the old ones as well, but do buy/borrow new ones as long as they're in the cozy mystery category. Right now I'm reading the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman (which is excellent!) and listening to one by Kate Kingsbury (so far, so good). 

Same here, I used to be a voracious reader but in the past decade or so have barely cracked open a book.  I still have quite the library and read a lot online, though, and refer to my old books often.  I was never much for fiction, though.  I mostly stuck to books on science, philosophy, psychology, cooking, travel, art, design, etc., etc.  All my favorite subjects.

5 hours ago, Kitty Redstone said:

Those carts are back in style. I'd love to have a MCM one but sadly have no space for it.

I would love to have one now but I too don't have the space for it.  I have a stationary wine bottle and glass shelf unit but would love something for the harder stuff. Right now it's taking up space in my pantry cabinet.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am still a voracious reader. I find I have no interest in whatever new shows are out there; Hollywood is so so creatively bankrupt, that I only watch retro shows like original Perry Mason, and for the past few weeks, I've been rewatching Murder, She Wrote. I'll go back and watch shows I watched when I was a kid/tween/teen/young adult.

But reading? I still do. I'll go back and reread some of my favorites, which I'm doing right now, while I wait for the next new book from my favorite author.

[peacheslatour]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I am still a voracious reader. I find I have no interest in whatever new shows are out there; Hollywood is so so creatively bankrupt, that I only watch retro shows like original Perry Mason, and for the past few weeks, I've been rewatching Murder, She Wrote. I'll go back and watch shows I watched when I was a kid/tween/teen/young adult.

But reading? I still do. I'll go back and reread some of my favorites, which I'm doing right now, while I wait for the next new book from my favorite author.

You want to talk retro? Lately I've been so desperate, I've taken to watching The Waltons, Gunsmoke and Wagon Train. Amazingly progressive for the early sixties.

[isalicat]

I just re-watched all of Inspector Morse which was sublime... with BritBox I have an infinity of programs if I'm inclined towards TV (its obvious what I like: mysteries, travel, gardens, British movies...) but since I've been "retired" (in theory - I'm now working about 25 hours a week between my fixed volunteer hours and my two paid consulting jobs), I've been reading like crazy - so many great writers out there since I had time to read (like 25 years or more) properly. I love all the Scandinavian, British and other international mystery fiction that has been waiting for me...yum. Right now I'm slamming through the Ruth Galloway (archeologist! sleuth! set in Norfolk! check!) series (author: Elly Griffiths) and they are great!

[oliviabenson]

They are locking topics left and right. In case this site goes down I just want to say it was lovely chatting with all of you!

Edited March 2 by oliviabenson

[oliviabenson]

This is what I meant. It reminds me of the royal thread. It got shut down permanently.

 

Like I said it’s been nice knowing you people. Be prepared for the site to change completely or be shut down permanently IMO.

[Cloud9Shopper]

I admittedly did not read the hundreds of pages of posts in the Duggar threads but from what I did see, nothing seemed particularly offensive. I mean the Duggars and other fundie families like them are not good people. That should be called out. 

I got bullied out of a fandom group the other day because of people like this, who think the world has to be fair and “curated” to them at all times and every critical comment is now a personal offense. I was on an ER fan group and made a comment that I don’t believe Abby ever loved her baby. People acted as if I said she was a child abusing baby shaker but what I meant was that she always seemed cold and stressed constantly and rarely showed him affection or love. She seemed detached. Well, without getting into too much plot detail, Abby fans went hysterical and said “we don’t appreciate your attitude” and “you don’t make those kinds of comments here,” “your comment was uncalled for.” I finally left because I’m not going to be treated like that by unhinged fans of a fictional TV character. Why is it on me to manage your parasocial relationship with her? When is it on people like this to take a step back and think “oh you know, maybe I’m too attached and need to chill out here; it’s just fiction.” Why does this person who doesn’t exist mean so much to them? Why does a simple opinion leave them so unable to cope and so angry? It’s almost sad and leaves me wondering what kind of issues they have when they finally step away from the Internet.

I see it everyday in my job too. People are just really unable to handle being told no, and we have to coddle everyone and bend rules so they don’t sue or go on a rage on social media about us. I don’t know when people lost their ability to be nuanced and accept that things don’t always go their way and not everyone shares their opinions, but it’s sad to see where we’re headed. 

Edited March 2 by Cloud9Shopper

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, Cloud9Shopper said:

I admittedly did not read the hundreds of pages of posts in the Duggar threads but from what I did see, nothing seemed particularly offensive. I mean the Duggars and other fundie families like them are not good people. That should be called out. 

I got bullied out of a fandom group the other day because of people like this, who think the world has to be fair and “curated” to them at all times and every critical comment is now a personal offense. I was on an ER fan group and made a comment that I don’t believe Abby ever loved her baby. People acted as if I said she was a child abusing baby shaker but what I meant was that she always seemed cold and stressed constantly and rarely showed him affection or love. She seemed detached. Well, without getting into too much plot detail, Abby fans went hysterical and said “we don’t appreciate your attitude” and “you don’t make those kinds of comments here,” “your comment was uncalled for.” I finally left because I’m not going to be treated like that by unhinged fans of a fictional TV character. Why is it on me to manage your parasocial relationship with her? When is it on people like this to take a step back and think “oh you know, maybe I’m too attached and need to chill out here; it’s just fiction.” Why does this person who doesn’t exist mean so much to them? Why does a simple opinion leave them so unable to cope and so angry? It’s almost sad and leaves me wondering what kind of issues they have when they finally step away from the Internet.

I see it everyday in my job too. People are just really unable to handle being told no, and we have to coddle everyone and bend rules so they don’t sue or go on a rage on social media about us. I don’t know when people lost their ability to be nuanced and accept that things don’t always go their way and not everyone shares their opinions, but it’s sad to see where we’re headed. 

Where are these groups, Cloud9?  I know you have posted about this before.  On this site, this type of bullying hasn't been my experience.  People might post "unpopular opinion, but I don't like X," and no one is bullied for it.  Is it Reddit or something else? 

Is this the type of bullying Primetimer now wants to eliminate?  If so I haven't see it here, so maybe mods have been removing such content. 

[Cloud9Shopper]

13 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Where are these groups, Cloud9?  I know you have posted about this before.  On this site, this type of bullying hasn't been my experience.  People might post "unpopular opinion, but I don't like X," and no one is bullied for it.  Is it Reddit or something else? 

Is this the type of bullying Primetimer now wants to eliminate?  If so I haven't see it here, so maybe mods have been removing such content. 

It was Facebook. And I did leave the group after I was ganged up on and it was clear these people are interested in an echo chamber, not disagreement or different opinions.

[shapeshifter]

I just noticed that there is are 2 polls up through March 4 (Monday) to vote for new reaction emojis. 
The images are too big for me to judge them accurately, and maybe for others too? 
Anyway, this is how they would likely look (size set to 30-37px to allow for the borders; current reaction emojis are mostly 20px),
with links to the voting polls for them:

• Grateful emoji (forums.primetimer.com/topic/143854-grateful-emoji-poll)
  • A 
  • B 
     
• Angry emoji (forums.primetimer.com/topic/143853-angry-emoji-poll)
  • A 
  • B 

Angry B is the only one that "reads" to me, but A isn't too bad. I prefer 🤬, LOL, even though I haven't cussed more than a few times since my 45 year old daughter was born.
I guess I'll vote for Angry B and skip "Grateful." I have no ideas for how Grateful could be improved.

[SoMuchTV]

34 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I just noticed that there is are 2 polls up through March 4 (Monday) to vote for new reaction emojis. 
The images are too big for me to judge them accurately, and maybe for others too? 
Anyway, this is how they would likely look (size set to 30-37px to allow for the borders; current reaction emojis are mostly 20px),
with links to the voting polls for them:

• Grateful emoji (forums.primetimer.com/topic/143854-grateful-emoji-poll)
  • A 
  • B 
     
• Angry emoji (forums.primetimer.com/topic/143853-angry-emoji-poll)
  • A 
  • B 

Angry B is the only one that "reads" to me, but A isn't too bad. I prefer 🤬, LOL, even though I haven't cussed more than a few times since my 45 year old daughter was born.
I guess I'll vote for Angry B and skip "Grateful." I have no ideas for how Grateful could be improved.

I was hoping there'd be a place to discuss those!  I came down the same as you - angry B and skip Grateful.   I would like to know details - is Grateful going to replace Thanks?  Is the forum getting away from the no-negative-reactions with the Angry option? 

Another forum I'm on has no "negative" options, but people are constantly using the laughing response where it's obvious that they're laughing at the stupidity of what they're reacting to.  I hope it's not coming to that here, with the new LOL and the potential new Angry.

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I came down the same as you - angry B and skip Grateful.   I would like to know details - is Grateful going to replace Thanks?

I was wondering that too. I like the current thanks: 
but then I am an old hippy.
This was my last oil paint box that doubled as a sign of who I was when I put it on the ground in front of where I was (foolishly) hitchhiking in the 70s:

The previous paintbox was plain wooden in color and a bit smaller.
A serial murderer rapist I escaped from unscathed stole it and my backpack containing my easel, cooking utensils, sleeping bag, all of my handmade clothes, etc. 
All y'all have probably read my story before.

I just weighed it. 
10 lbs. full.
I now measure in ounces what I can carry.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I was wondering that too. I like the current thanks: 
but then I am an old hippy.
This was my last oil paint box that doubled as a sign of who I was when I put it on the ground in front of where I was (foolishly) hitchhiking in the 70s:

The previous paintbox was plain wooden in color and a bit smaller.
A serial murderer rapist I escaped from unscathed stole it and my backpack containing my easel, cooking utensils, sleeping bag, all of my handmade clothes, etc. 
All y'all have probably read my story before.

I just weighed it. 
10 lbs. full.
I now measure in ounces what I can carry.

I have not read this story!  If you wouldn't mind, would you link it?

Shapeshifter, over on Reddit someone listed you among others they would miss if this forum closed.  I would too!  I'd miss all the regulars here--and the not so regulars.

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Where are these groups, Cloud9?  I know you have posted about this before.  On this site, this type of bullying hasn't been my experience.  People might post "unpopular opinion, but I don't like X," and no one is bullied for it.  Is it Reddit or something else? 

Is this the type of bullying Primetimer now wants to eliminate?  If so I haven't see it here, so maybe mods have been removing such content. 

I know I feel like I must be living in a bubble because I'm not seeing it either. I am hoping that the atmosphere here doesn't change to the point where we have to worry that even posting an unpopular opinion is going to be cause for shutting a whole thread down because some people found that opinion offensive. The wonderful thing about this place is that for the most part we have been able to voice our opinions here respectfully. Just because we might disagree on something doesn't mean we're intending to offend someone. In my opinion unless it gets personal where people are attacking each other personally, just not liking or agreeing with someone's opinion is not grounds for telling them they are being offensive. I do think certain topics are probably best not discussed and some of those are already taboo here. I get that this is often necessary on boards like this but it can get out of hand if everyone whose "widdle feewings" are hurt by a contrary opinion is indulged in eliminating it.  I am sure I am safe to assume that most of us don't want an echo chamber here.

[Smokeyblow]

Most but not all.

Some people live to be offended & they seem to be the people winning out on this forum complaining about anything & getting people banned or moderated for having an opinion that differs from theirs, having watched from a distance for a while I think this place hasn't got long left. 

 

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, Smokeyblow said:

…Some people live to be offended & they seem to be the people winning out on this forum complaining about anything & getting people banned or moderated for having an opinion that differs from theirs…

They should eventually have tombstones (instead of urns) inscribed with:
A troll is buried here. 
😉

Sorry if I'm not reading the room.
This week's episode of Ghosts is still rattling around in my head a bit.

[Anela]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I have not read this story!  If you wouldn't mind, would you link it?

Shapeshifter, over on Reddit someone listed you among others they would miss if this forum closed.  I would too!  I'd miss all the regulars here--and the not so regulars.

That was me. I would miss this place. 

I can't remember the last time I reported someone. I don't know if I have here (thinking of the entire forum).  

Edited March 2 by Anela

[Anela]

I also don't know how much we can say here. I'm all for being inclusive, but I have no interest in merit badges. I also think, if they want a younger community, that ship has sailed. Message boards aren't popular, anymore. Tiktok, discord - that's where I see them, if they aren't on reddit. But I'm not a kid, so there are probably apps out there, that they don't want their parents joining. 

 

[Yeah No]

48 minutes ago, Anela said:

I also don't know how much we can say here. I'm all for being inclusive, but I have no interest in merit badges. I also think, if they want a younger community, that ship has sailed. Message boards aren't popular, anymore. Tiktok, discord - that's where I see them, if they aren't on reddit. But I'm not a kid, so there are probably apps out there, that they don't want their parents joining. 

Ageism and marginalization on message apps.  Why am I not surprised?  The generations that scream the loudest for inclusion and tolerance are not living up to what they expect from everyone else.

Just wait until they get old.  They'll be put out on the ice floe so fast they won't know what hit 'em. 😏

FWIW, when I first got on message boards there were many ages represented.  There were no places young people went to get away from older people.  It was a mixed bag.  That soon changed with the advent of social media.

[annzeepark914]

Re: the potential new emojis?  I vote for the two "B's".  Don't like that very angry face.  When I'm ticked off about something, I use the flame emoji.  I sure hope this site will continue as I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinions, input, & thoughts, on the sections I visit (well, that's not many but I like the ones in which I participate). 

[SoMuchTV]

37 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Re: the potential new emojis?  I vote for the two "B's".  Don't like that very angry face.  When I'm ticked off about something, I use the flame emoji.  I sure hope this site will continue as I've enjoyed reading everyone's opinions, input, & thoughts, on the sections I visit (well, that's not many but I like the ones in which I participate). 

Lol. On the rare occasions that I’ve used the flame emoji, it’s been because I strongly agreed with a post. Hope I haven’t given anyone the wrong impression!

[GHScorpiosRule]

20 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Lol. On the rare occasions that I’ve used the flame emoji, it’s been because I strongly agreed with a post. Hope I haven’t given anyone the wrong impression!

Same!

[Bastet]

33 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

Lol. On the rare occasions that I’ve used the flame emoji, it’s been because I strongly agreed with a post.

That's how it's intended to be used; it means "That's fire" (and is how I learned what "That's fire" means, as I'd never heard it or at least never registered it before the new reaction icons came out and someone on the site explained it).  They've always purposely excluded negative reaction icons (other than "sad", which was eliminated and then restored), so I'm surprised they're soliciting feedback on an "angry" reaction.

[isalicat]

YouTube vlogs seem to be the last refuge of those of us who want unadulterated snark and don't get offended easily, if at all (cancer took away my last "offended" molecule - now, I laugh at most everything that doesn't involve hurting children and/or animals). I was a devotee of the forum scanning all things Royal and really miss it. Now I'm here to rag on TFGH and chat with you all, and if that goes away i will be sorry, but not surprised.

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

When I'm ticked off about something, I use the flame emoji.

Like others above, I use the flame emoji when I strongly agree with someone.
Hopefully I haven't confused or unintentionally offended anyone. 
Probably they know what I intended. 

But I do recall when the flame was introduced there was enough confusion about its purpose, that it would probably not have been selected if any user testing had been done (which they are doing now with the mad and other new emoji).

When FB first came out with heart-hugging emoji, I thought it meant a warm hug. My youngest daughter had to tell me it meant more like: "I'm sorry you're not doing well." 
Hopefully the people I hugged wrong figured it out, LOL.

Edited March 2 by shapeshifter

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Anela said:

I also think, if they want a younger community, that ship has sailed. Message boards aren't popular, anymore

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Ageism and marginalization on message apps.  Why am I not surprised? 

Back in 1999-2002 on the Roswell (TV show) message boards, I never admitted my age (late 40s). They were all teens and 20s with a sprinkling in their early 30s.

I get annoyed easily when people treat me as if I am technologically handicapped by my age. It makes me want to type up a web page from HTML in a minute and tell them to stick that in their vape pen and smoke it.

Edited March 3 by shapeshifter

[annzeepark914]

@shapeshifter I'd miss the hell out of ya if this place closes down!  Also, a bunch of others here as well. Good grief...can't there be an online community that survives all the vissisitudes (hmm...is that still a useable word?) of today's miserable, challenging life where a bunch of similar souls can come together online and kvetch about life? 

Edited March 3 by annzeepark914

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

@shapeshifter I'd miss the hell out of ya if this place closes down!  Also, a bunch of others here as well. Good grief...can't there be an online community that survives all the vissititudes (hmm...is that still a useable word?) of today's miserable, challenging life where a bunch of similar souls can come together online and kvetch about life? 

In today’s “now you know” moment… you can highlight a word and look it up (“search web”). This works for me in various browsers on iPhone and windows. 

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, SoMuchTV said:

In today’s “now you know” moment… you can highlight a word and look it up (“search web”). This works for me in various browsers on iPhone and windows. 

Shhh!
You're giving away my secret to appearing to be a good speller and smart.

[Gramto6]

40 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Shhh!
You're giving away my secret to appearing to be a good speller and smart.

Awww, I just can't imagine not having these great conversations with all my friends here! I hope PT can continue on as the "family" I have always felt it to be! Just like any family, we may not always agree, but we always respect each other's opinions. I would miss everyone here and on the other threads I frequent!!

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Gramto6 said:

Awww, I just can't imagine not having these great conversations with all my friends here! I hope PT can continue on as the "family" I have always felt it to be! Just like any family, we may not always agree, but we always respect each other's opinions. I would miss everyone here and on the other threads I frequent!!

Amen to that!  But (and perish the thought) why are we worried this place is going to shut down?  I know the thread shut downs don't bode well but is there any real reason to believe the entire board will shut down?

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I get annoyed easily when people treat me as if I am technologically handicapped by my age. It makes me want to type up a web page from HTML in a minute and tell them to stick that in their vape pen and smoke it.

I get similarly annoyed, especially because I worked on and with computers from the ground up in my career.  I knew more about them and the internet than many younger people I worked alongside.  They used to come to me with questions like I was their "computer person".   I regularly know more than much younger so-called "tech support" people I talk to, which is also aggravating.  They can't even understand the problem much less solve it.  I often get so aggravated that I end up down the YouTube rabbit hole and find my own solution!

Although I do know some self-described "Luddites" when it comes to computers and the internet, most of them in my age bracket.  But I do know enough younger folks that deserve that name as well.  So it's not fair to describe this as an age-thing, at least not anymore.  Maybe with my parents' generation, but my parents were quite computer savvy for their age.  They took computer classes at their senior center back in the '90s.  My father had email in 1992 and wrote me one every morning for almost the next 3 decades!  I got my first cell phone in 1993 when then "Bell Atlantic" came to my office offering a free phone with a discounted 2 year contract.  It looked like a purse with shoulder strap.  I didn't go for the car installation.  Back then most people actually thought that a cell phone needed to be installed in a car and were taken for large sums of money to have that done.  Not me, I got the portable model and took my phone with me everywhere, LOL.

[Caoimhe]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I get similarly annoyed, especially because I worked on and with computers from the ground up in my career.  I knew more about them and the internet than many younger people I worked alongside.  They used to come to me with questions like I was their "computer person".   I regularly know more than much younger so-called "tech support" people I talk to, which is also aggravating.  They can't even understand the problem much less solve it.  I often get so aggravated that I end up down the YouTube rabbit hole and find my own solution!

I spent my entire working life in the computer field and when people assume I need to be guided step by step to do things I get VERY annoyed. I also prefer not to set foot in the Apple Store but order online because I hate being treated as if I’m stupid based on my age. YouTube and online support pages are a wealth of information and I can usually solve things that way.  

[crazycatlady58]

15 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Like others above, I use the flame emoji when I strongly agree with someone.
Hopefully I haven't confused or unintentionally offended anyone. 
Probably they know what I intended. 

But I do recall when the flame was introduced there was enough confusion about its purpose, that it would probably not have been selected if any user testing had been done (which they are doing now with the mad and other new emoji).

When FB first came out with heart-hugging emoji, I thought it meant a warm hug. My youngest daughter had to tell me it meant more like: "I'm sorry you're not doing well." 
Hopefully the people I hugged wrong figured it out, LOL.

I do not understand why we need an angry emoji. After all we are supposed to be thoughtful, caring ect. No need for an angry emoji no one will ever get angry!

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

I do not understand why we need an angry emoji. After all we are supposed to be thoughtful, caring ect. No need for an angry emoji no one will ever get angry!

I've wanted to use the Angry emoji when I'm agreeing with the poster's own anger over, for instance, an injustice done to a fictional character. 
I've also wanted to use the Angry emoji when someone has posted about some terrible injustice they saw or experienced.

But, yeah, the OP might wonder if the person who reacts with the Angry emoji is mad at their post.

And the Angry emoji might be used to express anger at someone's opinion, so maybe TPTB on the these boards will wind up removing it.

BTW, when I illustrated the ABC book of Feelings, I was very frustrated that I could not convince the "author" to include either Anger or Mad as a feeling. His only child was barely 2 at the time, and the book is for older children (I have 3 adult children). I could understand not wanting to start the book with Anger, but Mad in the middle would've worked well, IMO. 

So, Anger is a valid emotion, but, again, I kind of think you may be right, @crazycatlady58, that its absence as a reaction here is probably a good thing. 

We shall see…

Edited March 3 by shapeshifter

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I've wanted to use the Angry emoji when I'm agreeing with the poster's own anger over, for instance, an injustice done to a fictional character. 
I've also wanted to use the Angry emoji when someone has posted about some terrible injustice they saw or experienced.

But, yeah, the OP might wonder if the person who reacts with the Angry emoji is mad at their post.

And the Angry emoji might be used to express anger at someone's opinion, so maybe TPTB on the these boards will wind up removing it.

I'm with you on this.  I don't get considering emojis that might cause confusion and ambiguity. If the goal is to promote a safe and harmonious environment then why would you want to risk causing more misinterpretation and conflict?  Personally I think we have enough emojis already.  It's hard enough to scroll that far left to pick the right one as it is.  I think today as with most things stuff like this gets out of hand and into the realm of overkill.  Sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone who just loves 10,000 emojis.  If we want one more emoji that would fit the bill for a lot of these situations, we should have an "I feel the same" emoji, so if the poster is angry we know that people who click on that emoji are angry too.  That wouldn't cause any misunderstanding.

Of course that wouldn't stop people from using other emojis in ways that might show disapproval or mocking the person's post.  I've gotten laugh emojis after expressing a serious opinion like the person is mocking of me.  But we don't need to give people more ways to do stuff like that!

[shapeshifter]

31 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

I spent my entire working life in the computer field and when people assume I need to be guided step by step to do things I get VERY annoyed. I also prefer not to set foot in the Apple Store but order online because I hate being treated as if I’m stupid based on my age. YouTube and online support pages are a wealth of information and I can usually solve things that way.  

I did buy my first Mac computer online this year, but I did it through Best Buy so I could return it to the store if there was an issue (there wasn't).

Similarly, my son-in-law has recommended I buy my iPhone at the Apple Store because if there are any issues, it will be much easier to deal with than an online purchase. He works in technology, and he appreciates being able to talk to me about technical things, so it's not some sort of mansplaining situation between us — it's based on his own experiences. 
I also just want to hold and compare the different models with regards to size and weight. Reading the difference online is one thing. Feeling them is another.

Any thoughts about this, @Caoimhe (or anyone else)? 

Now I'm probably going to obsess over some off-hand, techy statement I can make to rattle an ageist Apple store so-called Genius, LOL.

When I was in an Apple store about 5 years ago trying stylus sensitivities on iPads, I didn't think they were dismissive. But I've aged a lot physically since then. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I've gotten laugh emojis after expressing a serious opinion like the person is mocking of me. 

I had one of those random laugh emoji reactions recently. 
I read through my post a few times and finally decided it was probably an accident/typo. 
Note that the laugh emoji is between the heart and the "useful" emojis:


Or, if the person was new to the board, they might have thought it was just a smile face.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I've wanted to use the Angry emoji when I'm agreeing with the poster's own anger over, for instance, an injustice done to a fictional character. 
I've also wanted to use the Angry emoji when someone has posted about some terrible injustice they saw or experienced.

But, yeah, the OP might wonder if the person who reacts with the Angry emoji is mad at their post.

And the Angry emoji might be used to express anger at someone's opinion, so maybe TPTB on the these boards will wind up removing it.

BTW, when I illustrated the ABC book of Feelings, I was very frustrated that I could not convince the "author" to include either Anger or Mad as a feeling. His only child was barely 2 at the time, and the book is for older children (I have 3 adult children). I could understand not wanting to start the book with Anger, but Mad in the middle would've worked well, IMO. 

So, Anger is a valid emotion, but, again, I kind of think you may be right, @crazycatlady58, that its absence as a reaction here is probably a good thing. 

We shall see…

If it's appropriate for Mr. Rogers, that's good enough for anybody.

 

[Caoimhe]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

I also just want to hold and compare the different models with regards to size and weight. Reading the difference online is one thing. Feeling them is another.

Any thoughts about this, @Caoimhe (or anyone else)? 

Now I'm probably going to obsess over some off-hand, techy statement I can make to rattle an ageist Apple store so-called Genius, LOL. 

It’s been a few years since I was in one so things may have changed, but I buy my Apple devices online directly from Apple so if there’s an issue visiting the store is an option. Their insistence on “helping me” set up whatever device I’m purchasing is what I’m keen to avoid. I prefer trying things at Best Buy as the local Apple store employees are waiting to pounce the moment you approach the door. Plus if there’s a new device just released they have queues to let you in and I’ve better ways to spend my time. I’ll be in the market for new iPads as soon as they’re announced (our six year old devices are developing unwelcome quirks) and expect to preorder immediately so trying them isn’t an option. Apple do have a great return policy!

[shapeshifter]

28 minutes ago, Caoimhe said:

It’s been a few years since I was in one so things may have changed, but I buy my Apple devices online directly from Apple so if there’s an issue visiting the store is an option. Their insistence on “helping me” set up whatever device I’m purchasing is what I’m keen to avoid. I prefer trying things at Best Buy as the local Apple store employees are waiting to pounce the moment you approach the door. Plus if there’s a new device just released they have queues to let you in and I’ve better ways to spend my time. I’ll be in the market for new iPads as soon as they’re announced (our six year old devices are developing unwelcome quirks) and expect to preorder immediately so trying them isn’t an option. Apple do have a great return policy!

Thanks for this info/review!
My iPhone 7 plus cannot upgrade to OS 16 or 17.
But, unlike in the past, Apple is at least still giving new versions of OS 15 (currently up to 15.8.1).
I'm sort of waiting for the new SE release because it's half the price of the regular iPhones, and with the SE 4 is expected to have a great camera…
(not sure about the screen glass).

Of course, if my phone dies before then, I won't be able to find my way to the Apple store🤣, and will order one online.
So good news that I could return it to the store if need be!

[JustHereForFood]

21 hours ago, Anela said:

I also think, if they want a younger community, that ship has sailed. Message boards aren't popular, anymore. Tiktok, discord - that's where I see them, if they aren't on reddit. But I'm not a kid, so there are probably apps out there, that they don't want their parents joining. 

I'm young (I guess? Early 30's) and I love it here. I much prefer the system of forums like this where you can have separate discussions in separate topics and people can even have multiple conversations in one topic thanks to quotes. I don't like social media (which I call anti-social media) and places like comment sections in youtube or under articles are not well-designed for longer conversations, if several people start reacting at the same time the timeline gets confusing quickly, not to mention that it's useless to come to the discussion few days later if you missed it. Here you can write your thoughts even if you discover something later and people might see it and even reply to you.

I also think this place is much nicer and more polite than about 90% of the internet. I like that people can get snarky and very enthusiastic and I love that we can use some swear words casually, because it's obvious that it's not directed at each other but at the characters or the situations, etc.

[annzeepark914]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I had one of those random laugh emoji reactions recently. 
I read through my post a few times and finally decided it was probably an accident/typo. 
Note that the laugh emoji is between the heart and the "useful" emojis:


Or, if the person was new to the board, they might have thought it was just a smile face.

I've always been a bit overly careful when clicking on an emoji, concerned that I'll hit the wrong one and give the wrong impression of my feelings/attitude. 

[emma675]

I've accidentally hit the laughing emoji instead of the love one and didn't catch it for a while. Then I died of embarrassment thinking that person thought I was laughing at them. 

[Mondrianyone]

I'm pretty sure you can take back an emoji if you hit the wrong one, just by clicking on it again.

I'll try now. I'll hit the rainbow one on your post, emma, and then retract it and hit the teddy bear one instead. Let's see if it works.

Yup, it worked.

Edited March 3 by Mondrianyone

[emma675]

Yeah, you can and I corrected it. I just didn't realize I had done it for a long time and I'm sure the poster saw the original laughing reaction. 

[Anela]

I thought the flame emoji was "hot" as in: "Yeah!" the "you go, girl" of the emojis. 

[Bastet]

31 minutes ago, Anela said:

I thought the flame emoji was "hot" as in: "Yeah!" the "you go, girl" of the emojis. 

Here's what they're all intended to mean.

 

[shapeshifter]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Here's what they're all intended to mean.

Thanks, @Bastet.
I thought I knew this, but I've been using the  all wrong.
It's supposed to mean "Mind Blown = Awesome/Amazing/Astounding"
but I thought it was more like: Are you f'in' kidding me???

I've officially turned into Beatrice: