# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 170
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3381 "2026-10-07T17:00:24Z")
The only two things I do anymore that are remotely social media are this board and YouTube. I post comments on YouTube but don’t read replies. If someone links to a reddit post I will read the post and comments, but I haven’t had a reddit account for a few years. Or Facebook even longer than that. I just completely lack impulse control on social media. It makes me angrier, more emotionally volatile, and more prone to oversharing, and I will spend hours and hours posting no matter how bad it makes me feel. So I just had to stop. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3382 "2026-10-07T17:15:12Z")
For engaging in public text conversations, often with strangers: Besides the Dope, and sometimes Facebook (less than I used to), about once a week I’ll post a comment or a reply in the _New York Times_ crossword column “Wordplay.” (Using a comments function as a kind of message board is interesting. Ezra Klein recently told of a group of middle schoolers who cleverly got past their parents’ ban on Snapchat, etc., by communicating via some National Public Radio podcast comments section – because surely no one in the world bothers to look at NPR listeners’ comments!) ---
**Author:** ![LavenderMagnolia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@LavenderMagnolia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderMagnolia)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3383 "2026-10-07T17:17:16Z")
I also comment on some YouTube videos but usually don’t check for replies, unless I asked a question. I use this forum and a couple others. Sometimes I search on Reddit (no account), but the site has a huge “hive mind” problem (people are “downvoted” if they deviate from a popular-on-Reddit opinion), and many users are nasty and judgmental by default. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3384 "2026-10-07T17:40:59Z")
When I go to YouTube, I’m usually either following a link or looking for a music video. I have no clue whether I’m sometimes watching a short. I have no account there. I have an account on Reddit, because years ago when the snopes boards died some of us tried to keep up message board type discussions there. It didn’t work as that format works very poorly for that purpose, and last I looked (some time ago) that reddit’s basically dead. I go to reddit rarely and usually don’t sign in. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3385 "2026-10-07T18:41:42Z")
I use FB to connect with a few friends & family. I frequently visit a small number of subreddits (1 most days, 2 or 3 very occasionaly) (I don’t use it as “social media” - just to answer any questions I know.) I watch many YT videos - mainly music, comedy and instructional (eg plumbing, DIY, music related stuff etc.). Some of them are shorts. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3386 "2026-10-07T18:44:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > When I go to YouTube, I’m usually either following a link or looking for a music video. I have no clue whether I’m sometimes watching a short. If the video is in “portrait mode” (see pic below), and about a minute or less, it’s very likely a Short. [![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6373c77174a498134f1f47db/5973208c-37ae-4241-9fcb-b50756e1555f/YouTube+Shorts+Examples.png) ](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6373c77174a498134f1f47db/5973208c-37ae-4241-9fcb-b50756e1555f/YouTube+Shorts+Examples.png) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3387 "2026-10-07T18:49:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The last few times I’ve done that have reminded me why i quit. Right? My feed appears to be filled with a lot of (I guess you’d call them) Facebook influencers who have a lot of followers; I guess since I cut out most of my personal feed, they’re trying to fill in. It’s glurg. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3388 "2026-10-07T18:49:21Z")
I have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads (Meta’s Twitter alternative), and Reddit. - I used to be very active on Facebook, posting regularly, until a few years ago. I now post only rarely; I made a half-dozen posts in the last two months, on the heels of my father’s death, and that’s more posts I had made in the previous three years combined. I look at FB every so often, but the signal-to-noise ratio on it is terrible now. - I look at Instagram several times a week, but rarely post there either; my sister and I mostly use it to send fart memes to each other. I occasionally look at Threads, as IG will feature Threads posts (undoubtedly in an effort to get people to use Threads). - I was very active on Reddit (mostly on RPG subreddits) a few years ago. I rarely look at it now. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3389 "2026-10-07T19:45:15Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Right? My feed appears to be filled with a lot of (I guess you’d call them) Facebook influencers who have a lot of followers; I guess since I cut out most of my personal feed, they’re trying to fill in. It’s glurg. I didn’t cut my personal feed. I still have hundreds of Facebook friends (unless they’ve all unfriended me) and i am still in a number of Facebook communities. And if i mostly saw posts from those, i might return to Facebook. But i, also, get mostly glurg from people I’ve never heard of. And I’m just not interested in that. Yes, kitten videos are cute, but I’m not really in the market for more meaningless time sinks. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3390 "2026-10-07T19:50:54Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > more meaningless time sinks Alas that’s what the Facebook feed has become these days. They decided they’d make more money from doomscrolling than from connecting people. No one sees their friends’ content on their feed anymore. I am reluctantly still on it to keep in touch with shipmates and talk to people in the dog rescue and sailing communities, but I specifically limit my activity to checking a few groups once or twice a day. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3391 "2026-10-07T21:24:26Z")
Re: chip-on-wafer-on-substrate. Amused first time, annoyed thereafter. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3392 "2026-10-07T22:22:04Z")
Is a semiconductor engineer a train engineer that also doubles once in a while as the conductor?🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3393 "2026-10-08T20:00:03Z")
My go-to regarding other drivers is a muttered “Do you have _any_ idea what you are doing?” The answer usually seems to be NO. ---
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3394 "2026-10-08T20:05:14Z")
I’ve been known to express my impatience with such witticisms as “whenever you have a minute” or “the gas pedal is on the right”, but always when I’m alone in the car. I live in New Jersey - hollering and gesturing at other drivers is a state pastime, but my cautious nature precludes me from participating or encouraging my offspring to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3395 "2026-10-08T20:14:32Z")
I am a regular talker to my fellow drivers, and they deserve every word of it. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3396 "2026-10-08T20:20:00Z")
I talk to other drivers all the time. “C’mon buddy, now is the time to merge.” “Would it kill you to use your turn signal?” “If I had known you were going to get in front of me and slow down, I wouldn’t have let you get in front of me in the first place.” “Get off your frickin’ phone!” It really annoys my wife, and she’ll usually tell me just to calm down. First, I am calm: I’m not angry, I’m just doing the play-by-play. Second, never in our nearly 50 years together has her telling me to calm down ever calmed me down. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3397 "2026-10-08T21:20:55Z")
Plus as soon as my wife is the driver she starts with the critical barbs towards deserving other motorists that put my efforts to shame. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3398 "2026-10-08T22:41:49Z")
With regard to talking to other drivers, lets just say that, on occasion, I may offer a gentle suggestion. mmm ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3399 "2026-10-09T01:21:47Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > I’ve been known to express my impatience with such witticisms as “whenever you have a minute” or “the gas pedal is on the right”, but always when I’m alone in the car. Huh. I often say things like, “damn that was close”, or “get off my tail”, or, “go, go, go!”. But only when there’s someone else in the car with me. I’m really talking to my husband about the driver, not talking to the driver. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2026, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/3400 "2026-10-09T11:28:36Z")
> [@Thumper668](#): > > I’ve been known to express my impatience with such witticisms as “whenever you have a minute” or “the gas pedal is on the right”, but For me, it’s usually “Whenever the spirit moves ya!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=169)