this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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History has shown us again and again that corporations can't behave decently if let to their own device.
I would much rather have the government stiffle innovation if that means that consumer are safe and benefit from said innovation.
I'm not saying don't regulate.
How can they benefit from innovation that has been stifled?
a) how are you measuring "innovation"?
b) how are you measuring the "benefit", and for who?
Regulations and standardization can hold back an existing company from trying a new idea, however, they are also the only thing that creates true, lasting, interoperability, and interoperability is what let's new companies enter markets.
i.e. Theoretically, Apple may be held back if they want to innovate their charging port because they have to make it compatible with USB-C.
However, now new companies that aren't apple that want to innovate on cables and chargers can enter the market, and they'll benefit from a consistent specified interface and not having to design a million proprietary variants, and they'll be able to plan their products in a stabler, longer term environment, that will make it easier to attract investment.
Patents, breakthroughs. Most happen in US or China.
No risk, no reward.
Lmao. So how many "breakthroughs" happened in the US last year and how many "breakthroughs" happened in the UK?
And how are you measuring their relative significance and scale?
In case youre not aware, the overall point im making us that you have literally no idea how to measure innovation in a reliable or meaningful way.
So again, I would point you to overall outcomes, rather than chasing shiny buzz words. At the end of World War 2, the US was orders of magnitude wealthier per capita then virtually every single European country, and yet, today, Europeans are happier, healthier, and richer then Americans. So all those patents helped Americans how exactly?
The NASDAQ
Stifle wasn't the right word. Sorry about that, I wrote my comment too fast amd English isn't my first language.
Innovation isn't an all or nothing thing.
There is a difference between removing all the red tape and saying "fuck it" and making sure that the said innovation isn't outright dangerous. If we need to take thing slower to make sure that people aren't killed directly or indirectly, then so be it.
That's not what people like Draghi think.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draghi_report
If we burn the planet for more economic productivity, we made more money but made human life worst.
So what is the point of economic productivity if it makes our everyday live worst?
It needs to be sustainable obviously
If the innovation is a more efficient way to your toe
Stifled innovation means a loss of competitive advantage.